WOTC - Listen to feedback

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

Is the government serious about listening to feedback from the people?

Here are the responses:

48 % - They ignore feedback which they do not like.
46 % - They only pretend to listen just for show.
4 % - They are doing their best to listen to the feedback.
2 % - They have an effective channel using grassroots leaders. 

See the pie chart at: 
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=754

WOTC - Feedback from the people

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

What is a good way for the government to hear feedback from the people?

Here are the responses:

56 % - By responding promptly to feedback given on online platforms. 
31 % - By engaging the people through the social media. 
10 % - By visiting the constituencies.
3 % - By talking to people through the telephone.

See the pie chart at: 
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=753

WOTC - ePayment Platform

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

Which e-payment platform do you prefer

Here are the responses:

38 % - Tap with a stored value card, like EZ Link
38 % - Pay with a credit card
15 % - Pay with mobile phone using QR code
9 % - Pay with Debit or ATM pay 

See the pie chart at: 
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=752

WOTC - Revised High Speed Rail

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:

Will Singapore agree with a revised High Speed Rail built at half of the original cost?

Here are the responses:

57 % - Yes. It is still a High Speed Rail.
20 % - No. It is a fundamental change to the contract.
14 % - Yes, it will allow the train to come to Jurong East.
9 % - No. The lower cost probably means a system of inferior quality.

See the pie chart at: 
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=751

WOTC - General election in Singapore

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:
When will the general election be held in Singapore?

Here are the responses:
53 % - Second half of 2019
27 % - 2020 or 2021
15 % - First half of 2019
5 % - Second half of 2018

See the pie chart at:
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=750

Travel to Sentosa and return

I took public transport to Resort World Sentosa. First, I took bus 857 and alight at St Andrew Village to walk to Potong Pasir MRT station for the NE Line to Harborfront.

I went up 4 levels of escalators (a lift would have been better) to take the Sentosa Express monorail.

I had to pay $4 as entry fee to Sentosa, which includes the monorail ride.

I arrived an hour earlier than my dinner time. I walked around the Resort World and obtained a good feel of the place.

On previous occasions, I was driven to the car park and went up to the ballroom directly.

I found the travel by public transport to be better.

On my return, I took the monorail to Harborfront, took the Circle Line to Bishan, the North South Line to Yio Chu Kang and then bus 86 home. That journey took 1 hour and comprised 4 segments.

Terminal 3 in Jakarta

Previously, when I visited Jakarta, I used terminal 2. It was quite compact. I did not have to walk a long distance after leaving the plane to reach the Immigration counter and to leave the terminal.

Three months ago, the flight moved to Terminal 3. It was a large terminal. I had to walk a much longer distance on arriving into Jakarta and on leaving Jakarta.

I thought that Terminal 3 must be at least three times of Terminal 2.

I searched Google and was surprised that Terminal 3 was about 50% larger than Terminal 3.

Why do I have to walk such a long distance in Terminal 3.

I learned that Terminal 2 was organized into three sub-terminals, also called the concourse. I only need to use one concourse. This means that the walking distance could be, in theory, only one third.

I also read that Terminal 3 in Jakarta airport was designed to use terminal 3 in Singapore as the benchmark. It turned out to be a bad approach. The concourse approach is better for passengers.

Single premium Universal Life Policy

I saw the benefit illustration for a single premium Universal Life Policy where the distribution cost is nearly 15% of the single premium.

In my view, the distribution cost for a single premium product should be not moe than 5%. Already, 5% is quite high.

I find this distribution cost to be excessive and is unfair to the consumers. How can MAS approve this product for sale to the public?

MAS seems to take the view that the consumer should know what they are buying. In reality, most consumers do not understand such a product.

I suggest that MAS should have some guidelines in rejecting products that are unfair to consumers.

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=241

How did the hacker do his work?

We have to wait for the Commission of Inquiry to investigate and report on the events surrounding the hacking of SingHealth database.

As this may take many months, let ma apply my deductive skills to guess what might have happened.

I suspect that the "sophisticated hacker" was able to hack the database and get the password of the root administrator.

This would allow the hacker to download the entire database, or just the table containing the 1.5 million patient records.

The activity of the hacker would probably be logged in the database, so the administrator would have known what were downloaded.

The hacker did not bother to change any of the record. Even if they did, there would have been a daily backup which would allow the administrator to restore the database.

The hacker probably had the skill to break through the layers of security measures to get access to the database and the password of the administrator.

If this is likely to be what had happened, perhaps a good security measure is to ensure that the administrator can only within certain premises. This can be controlled by the IP address. I do not see the need for the administrator to operate from remote locations.

It is possible for the hacker go gain access to the office of the administrator and to do the work in that premise. I wonder if this could be what had happened?

I invite some experts to share your thoughts?

Computer security

I am not bothered about the personal data that is stolen from the SingHealth database.

My data is probably among the 1.5 million records that were stolen. So what?

If anyone wants to know my NRIC, address, date of birth, gender or race, they can find it from other sources. They are not confidential information.

I do not bother if they get access to my prescriptions. What for?

Somebody said that the data can be sold to pharma companies for commercial purpose. Really? Would a pharma company take the risk of committing a crime by buying stolen data?

I am asked to provide them in many forms that are asked by government agencies and commercial organizations. I get angry because the information is not necessary for the transaction.

I have to give my NRIC when I visit a commercial building. I find it to be unnecessary and an unnecessary imposition on my freedom of movement. But it is probably being asked due to some old regulation created by the government, and the minister did not bother to review it.

I agree that there should be some degree of protection against hacking of database. But we do not need to get overboard. I object to excessive security measures that cause inconvenient to the ordinary users, but are helpless against criminals.

Why do we spend a lot of money on measures that are not really necessary?

I am worried about access to my bank account, but this is protected by a 2FA token. I find it acceptable.

However, I do not find it acceptable for the bank to verify my identity if I am calling to ask about a product that they offer. But they do it routinely, by following some SOP blindly anyway.

When will we apply our common sense? It seemed to be lost in our decades of world class education system.

Tan Kin Lian

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=240

WOTC - Size of class

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:
Should the class size be reduced?

Here are the responses:
61 % - It should be reduced to 30 per class, even though the cost will increase.
31 % - The school should be given more resources
6% - The current size of 40 is optimal
3 % - This should be left to the principal.

See the pie chart at:
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=749

WOTC - Slow clearance at checkpoint

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd:
Why does it take a longer time to clear the Singapore side of the checkpoint for travelers by car?

Here are the responses:
38 % - The Singapore authority deliberately slow down the process
29 % - The computer system is slow
24 % - The Singapore authority is more careful about checking the visitors
10 % - There is a shortage of manpower

See the pie chart at:
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=748

Review our National Service strategy

The difficulty faced by Mindef in dealing with the request by Ben Davis to defer the NS call-up reflects a policy that is clearly out of date.

We are not in the same situation as 1965. More than 50 years have passed.

a) We now have a military capability that is much stronger than our neighbors.

b) We do not need the same degree of sacrifice from our NS men.

c) This sacrifice has a serious impact on our male citizens in competing for jobs against foreign workers and females. It also delay their entry into the job market by two years.

d) It also caused a delay of at least two years for them to start a family. It must be an important factor in our low birth rate.

There is no need for us to continue the old concept of giving extensive training for two years to the conscripts and having regular reservist training to mold them into a combat ready unit.

This approach was needed in the initial years, but is no longer necessary now. It was never called into practice for five decades.

I suggest the following approach:

a) Training our recruits for one year to get the basic military skills.

b) Stop the reservist training.

c) Have a bigger professional army.

d) In the event of hostility, call up the reserves for refresher training. Hopefully, this is not necessary.

e) Pay an adequate allowance to the NS men for the one year of conscripted service. This should be similar to what they can get in the job market. This will reduce the sacrifice that they have to make. The nation can afford to pay them adequately.

f) Be ready to grant deferment to young people with special talent in sports and music. We do not need them to be soldiers. We have enough of them.

It is time for us to find a new approach that fits the circumstances of today.

Tan Kin Lian

http://tklcloud.com/Conv/feedback2.aspx?id=139

Government can provide more benefits

Some people are worried that if the government agrees to provide more benefits to the people, such as health care or a wage subsidy or other subsidy, the government will increase the tax that they have to pay.

I wish to point out the following:

a) The government has a large budget surplus can can afford to provide more benefits without raising the tax.

b) If the government wants to increate GST or other tax, they will do it anyway.

c) The government can, in general, provide these benefits at lower cost compared to the cost that people have to pay when they buy these services on their own.

It is better to have more of the basic needs provided by the government, so that the actual cost of living can be reduced.

Tan Kin Lian

http://tklcloud.com/Conv/feedback2.aspx?id=138

CareShield Life should not be compulsory

The government decided to make it compulsory for citizens to join CareShielf Life.

Many people are unhappy with the following:

a) The premium rate appears to be high, compared to the benefit provided.
b) The criteria for payment of the benefit is too strict.
c) The benefit is not sufficient to meet the expenses of nursing care.
d) Females are unhappy that they have to pay a higher premium compared to males.
e) Singaporeans living abroad will be unhappy that they have to contribute towards this scheme.

I disagree with the approach of forcing citizens to join this insurance scheme.

It is better for the government to provide the benefit from general taxation. This is the approach taken for education and defence. This approach can also be taken to provide a benefit for nursing care.

As a general principle, any compulsory benefit should be provided from tax revenues, rather than individual contribution.

If the government wishes the insured persons to contribute in full or partially to this scheme, they should make it voluntary. The government adopted this approach with ElderShield, which is the existing scheme before CareShielf Life.

Tan KIn Lian

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=232

WOTC - Issues raised by Malaysia

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Do you agree with the stand of the Singapore Government on the HSR and water issues raised by Malaysia?

Here are the responses:

46% - We should adopt a more flexible approach
22% - The hard line approach will have serious repercussions.
20% - We should accommodate their request to build long term trust and relationship.
12% - We have to stick to agreement.

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=746

WOTC - Angry with PAP

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Which issue makes you most angry with the PAP government?

Here are the responses:

45% - High cost of living
45% - Arrogance of ministers
8% - Reserved presidential election
3% - I am happy with the PAP government

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=747

WOTC - Interview with the media

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Should PM Lee give more interviews to the media about our domestic affairs?

Here are the responses:

54% - A good leader will communicate actively with the people.
22% - He should. Just like Dr. Mahathir is doing to explain their domestic situation.
22% - No need. He has nothing more to say.
3% - It is better to keep quiet and avoid stirring up more controversy.

Yes - 76%. No 24%

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=744

WOTC - Discussion with Malaysia

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Should Singapore contact Malaysia on the issues they have raised?

Here are the breakdown of the votes:

75% - It is better to start informal discussion about the options.
19% - Let us wait for Malaysia to raise them officially
6% - It is difficult to have informal discussion with Malaysia on these issues

Yes 75%. No 25%

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=745

WOTC - Rental flats

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Should the government provide more flats for rental?

Here are the responses:

38% - Yes, the government can buy the old HDB flats and offer them for rental.


30% - Yes, this is useful for retirees who wish to sell their HDB flats and rent a smaller one.

27% - Yes, this is useful for young peopole to start a family while saving to buy a HDB flat.

12% - No, we should enourage people to own their HDB flat.

Yes - 88%. No -12%

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=741

WOTC - Property prices

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - What is the best way to prevent property prices from appreciating too fast?

Here are the responses:

35% - Through the cooling measures
35% - By increasing the supply of HDB flats
19% - Leave it to the market.
12% - Through rent control

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=742

WOTC - Contesting the general election

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - What is the best way for the opposition parties to challenge the PAP at the next general election?

Here are the responses:

56% - By contesting in an alliance under a common symbol.
37% - By sharing a common platform on social and economic issues.
5% - By contesting as separate parties to offer a wider choice.
2% - By merging into one party


See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=743

Operation of High Speed Rail

The government should publish the full details of the agreement between Singapore and Malaysia on the High Speed Rail.

The citizens are interested to know the terms of the agreement, including the following:

a) Is each government responsible to build the rail and the stations in their respective countries?

b) Who decides on the fares and how will the fares and expenses be shared?

Prior to separation from Malaysia, Singapore and Malaysia jointly owned an airline called Malaysia Singapore Airline (MSA).

After separation, the government decided to split the airline and form two separate airlines as the interest of both countries were not aligned. Will the disagreement be repeated with the High Speed Rail?

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=231

Unmanned information desk

I visited Changi General Hospital to give a talk at the auditorium.

There was nobody manning the information desk. I looked for the sign for the auditorium. There was none. I look for a floor map. There was none.

I looked for a staff who could give me the direction to the auditorium. Most of them were busy.

I managed to speak to a staff. He did not know. I asked another staff. She gave some vague indication of the direction to go. I had to ask two more staff along the way.

Changi General Hospital is a big hospital. They should make sure that their information desk is manned. They should also provide floor maps that can guide their staff to show directions to visitors.

Tan Kin Lian

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=229

Student to teacher ratio

This report stated that there are 455,000 students enrolled in schools and 33,000 teachers are employed. The ratio of students to teachers is 13.8.

However, I get anecdotal report that the class size is close to 40.

There is some inconsistency in the figures.

https://www.moe.gov.sg/…/education-statistics-…/esd-2016.pdf

WOTC - Bike sharing regulation

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - What change of regulation is needed to make bike sharing viable?

Here are the responses:

58% - Make the rider, not the operator, responsible for parking in unauthorised places.
31% - We do not need bike sharing operation.
8% - The current regulation is tough but is necessary.
2% - Reduce the penalty for parking in unathorised places

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=738

WOTC - Perspective of the public

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - How can the public sector be more mindful of the perspective of the public?

Here are the responses:

49% - The public sector should respond promptly to feedback.
35% - The minister should set an example.
14% - Government policies should be implemented on a trial basis and changed according to experience
2% - Let us continue the current approach which prevents corruption.

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=739

Retrieve abandoned bikes

Shared bike operators faced the problem of retrieving bikes that are left in unauthorized places by customers.

I suggest the following approach to solve this problem:

a) Required the customer to pay a penalty of $10 for leaving a bike outside of the authorised zone (abandoned bike).

b) Provide an alert in the app to warn the customer about the penalty.

c) Give the $10 to another customer who retrieve the abandoned bike. Credit this amount to the finder's account.

d) Provide an alert to the customer of the abandoned bikes so that they can pick it up to earn the $10.

Maybe this will help the operator to recover these abandoned bikes without having to employ their own manpower.

Tan Kin Lian

Copying text from PDF

I received a PDF invoice for renovation work. I decided to pay by banking transfer to the contractor.

I had to copy the bank account number, invoice number and amount to the online form.

The invoice was protected, so I could not copy and paste the relevant details. I had to memorise the long string of numbers and enter them manually. What is the purpose of preventing the text from being copied? I guess the software developer does not exercise common sense.

The DBS input form does not allow special characters to be entered as part of the invoice number. But the invoice number contained slashes. Why did they apply this restriction? Maybe the software developer does not realize what is happening in the real world?

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=225

Make Exit sign visible

When I alighted from the MRT train at Raffles Place MRT station, I could not see any Exit sign. There were two escalators. I walked to the first elevator and found that it does not take me to the Exit. I walked to the second elevator and found that it took me to the Exit. I do not know why the planner do not make the Exit sign visible to passengers who have alighted from the train.

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=220

Sign for entrance at MRT station

I suggest that a sign be put up at the entrance to a MRT station to identify the Entrance/Exit, e.g. A, B, C, D, etc.

In Seoul and Hong Kong there is a sign to indicate the entrance . This sign is used as a meeting point. for example - Meet me at Entrance H of Raffles Place MRT.

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=221

Community hall at second level

A grassroots leader told me that the void decks of new HDB flats have too many pillars and cannot be used for community functions. The HDB build a community hall on the second floor for funerals and other functions. This is not practical as the coffin has to be carried to the second level car park and the funeral procession cannot be properly organized.

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=222

Have an open mind

Some people have a narrow mind and a narrow vision.

If they hear that the people in another country approach an issue differently from Singapore, they will conclude that this person is putting Singapore in a bad light and will take on the duty to defend the approach in Singapore.

There is no need to adopt this approach. It is better to have an open mind and see if the approach taken by other countries is better. This is how change can occur and progress can be made.

WOTC - Property market in 2023

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - What will happen to the property market in 2023?

Here are the responses:

47% - It will fall sharply due to the over supply and high vacancy rate.
31% - It will continue to appreciate in value.
14% - It will stay at the current level.
8% - It will correct somewhat.

Go down - 55%. Stay at current level or appreciate - 45%

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=736

WOTC - Trade war between America and China

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Who will win the trade war between China and America?

Here are the responses:

45% - They will resolve the conflict and avoid a trade war.
28% - China will win. They can export to other countries.
23% - America will soften the sanctions.
4% - America will win.

See the pie chart in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=737

WOTC - Outsourcing in public sector

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Should the public sector outsource some of the work to private contractors?

Here are the responses:

44% - The public sector should pay adequate salaries to attract locals to do the jobs.

27% - All full time jobs in the public sector should be carried out by direct employees.

17% - The outsourcing should be limited to not more than 10%

13%. Yes. it will reduce the cost of providing these services

Yes - 13%. No - 87%

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=733

Slow clearance at checkpoint

A few people believed that the slow clearance at the Singapore side of the checkpoint is done on purpose - to discourage Singaporeans from visiting Johore.

I do not think so.

I believe that it is caused by the incompetence of the people on the Singapore side. In the past, we were considered to be more efficient.

Our standard had dropped considerably during the past two decades. We are now inefficient and slow.

This inefficiency is causing hardship to over 100,000 workers and students who stay in Johore and travel to work or study in Singapore. Nobody seems to care, from the Singapore side.

I find this "don't care" attitude to be appalling and disgraceful.

Tan Kin Lian

Longer time to clear the Singapore side

I visited Johore Bahru by car at 9 am on a Wednesday. It took 27 mins to clear the Singapore side and 2 mins to clear the Johore side.

On return at 5 pm, it took 23 mins to clear the Johore side and 54 mins to clear the Singapore side.

On both occasions, the delay was entirely at the immigration checkpoint and not the customs check. I suspect that they are caused by the slow computer system, as all the counters are manned.

It is disgraceful to have this situation continued for years, and the minister in charge does not seem aware of the problem or is not able to fix it.

Do not blame the heavy traffic, as the same number is experienced at the Johore side, and they seem able to cope more quickly.

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=214​​​​​​​

WOTC - Control health care cost

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - What is the best way to control health care cost?

Here are the responses:

75% - The government should set reasonable charges at public hospitals.
18% - The government should set guidelines
4% - Let the insurance company deal with the claims
4% - The consumer should shop around for the best price and quality of care.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=734

WOTC - Shared bike operation

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - How can shared bike operations be made financially viable?

Here are the responses:

33% - The shared bike should be operated by an operator appointed by the Land Transport Authority
25% - Leave it to the free market
22% - The government should provide some subsidy as part of an integrated public transport system.
20% - We should ban shared bikes

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=735

WOTC - Best economic strategy

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Which is the best economic strategy

Here are the responses.

73% - Lower the cost of living.
10% - Control cost of property
8% - Increase wages
8% - Leave to the market.

92% prefer the government to take active steps; 8% prefer to leave matters to the market.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=731

WOTC - Child care

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Which is the best economic strategy

Here are the responses.

73% - Lower the cost of living.
10% - Control cost of property
8% - Increase wages
8% - Leave to the market.

92% prefer the government to take active steps; 8% prefer to leave matters to the market.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=731

Consolidate ePayment platforms

We have too many e-payment platforms in Singapore. They can be identified under three main technologies:

Wallet - DBS, Grab
Bank related - Credit card, ATM, NETS
NFC - Samsung Pay, Android Pay, Apple Pay
​​​​​​​EZ Link

We need to strengthen these platforms as follows:

a) Set caps on the charges
b) Have a clearing house to facilitate transfers on the same platform

If the charges for EZ Link can be set at 5 cents per transaction, it will be well accepted by merchants and customers.

For wallet and QR code payments, we need to set up a clearing house for transfers from one wallet operator and another.

I hope that the government steps in to provide the leadership to consolidate and strengthen these platforms.

http://tklcloud.com/Conv/feedback2.aspx?id=135

Performance of agencies and ministers

The performance trend for our agencies and ministers have been improving in recent weeks.

You can watch the trends here.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/ChartJS.aspx?Section=Minister

Do you agree?

You can give your vote here.
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/login2.aspx?ReturnURL=mperf

You will get a prize immediately on submitting your vote.

WOTC - Parking charges for MPs

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - How much should a MP pay a year for parking in Parliament House and HDB estates?

Here are the responses:

83% - At actual charges
9% - Free
4% - $365
4% - $1,000

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=729

WOTC - Relations between Singapore and Malaysia

I asked his question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Who is responsible for the deteriorating relations between Singapore and Malaysia

Here are the responses:
38% - Lee Hsien Loong
32% - Dr. Mahathir
19% - Both leaders are behaving like small kids
11% - The relations will improve.

http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=730

WOTC - CPFMinimum sum

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Why does the government want citizens to keep a minimum sum for CPF Life?

Here are the responses:

41% - They want to make profit on the CPF savings for a longer time.
39% - They don't have the money to pay back the CPF savings to the citizens.
12% - They want to take care of the living needs of the citizens during retirement.
8% - They want to prevent the citizens from squandering away their CPF savings.

80% expressed distrust of the government. Only 20% trusted their intention.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=726

WOTC - Strong demand for private property

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Why is there a strong demand for private property now?

Here are the responses:

34% - There are many foreign buyers.
34% - The buyers want to make a profit on the rising property market.
30% - The buyers are mainly owners who have to replace their property sold on enbloc sales.
2% - The economy is doing well.

You can view the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=727

WOTC - Higher price for water from Malaysia

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Should Singapore agree to pay a higher price for our water from Malaysia?

Here are the responses:

40% - We should adjust the price to allow for inflation.
38% - We should stick to the price of 3 sen set out in the separation agreement.
13% - We should adjust the price to the level reflected by alternative sources
9% - If we agree to a higher price, Malaysia will keep coming back for more.

Yes. 53%. No 47%

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=725

WOTC - Flexible approach towards Malaysia

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Should our leaders adopt a more flexible approach towards Malaysia?

Here are the responses:

53% - We need to be flexible to build trust and friendship
20% - The Singapore leaders are too inflexible.
16% - It is better to adopt a principled approach
10% - It is difficult to trust the Malaysia leaders

Yes - 73%. No 27%

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=724

Cessation of bike sharing operations

Three bike sharing operations have ceased operation as they are not able to meet the onerous licensing requirements imposed by the Land Transport Authority.

It is wasteful for these operators to spend a few million dollars to set up an operation only to have to close it due due to these requirements. Their customers, who have placed deposits, will also suffer the loss of their deposits, if they are not able to get a full refund.

I understand that one of the requirement is a fine of $500 if the operator is not able to retrieve the shared bike that is left outside of the designated place. I find this fine to be excessive.

I suggest that the focus of the penalty should be on the customers who were responsible for the bad behavior. There is very little that the operator can do, except to spend a lot of money to employ workers to retrieve these bikes.

I suggest that each customer should be required to place a deposit of $50 and that the deposit will be forfeited if they leave the bike outside the authorised zone. These customers would not be able to book the shared bike in the future.

If customers are aware of the penalty, and it is allowed under the licensing regime, they are likely to play their part and observe the rules. The operators will then be able to run a viable operation.

The Land Transport Authority can authorise a company to retrieve the mis-parked bikes and return it to a designated compound for a finder fee of $30. I am sure that these finders will find it an attractive proposition.

Let us avoid a situation where the operator and their thousands of customers lose out due to onerous and impractical regulations. Let these operators continue to provide a service that benefit the public at large.

Tan Kin Lian

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=201

Price of water in Singapore

Some people are worried that water price will increase if we have to pay more for water from Johore.

Let me present some figures so that people get the facts before they make wild statements.

Currently, we pay 3 sens per 1,000 gallons. The Johore statement government ask for 50 sen, or S$0.17. It is an increase of $0.16.

Do you know how much we are paying for water in Singapore now?

From 1 July 2018, we pay $3.69 per cubic meter, or $13.65 per 1,000 gallon (for the second tier after 40 cubic meter).

The cost of treating water is probably less than $2 per 1,000 gallon.

Don't worry. The price of $13.65 is very high already.

The government does not need to increase the water price, even if they have to pay $0.16 more to the Johore government.

But, who knows. We do have a greedy government, right?

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=200

Additional property cooling measure - July 2018

I hold the view that there is no need for the additional property cooling measure that was introduced yesterday.

I suspect that most of the buyers for the private properties come from the 8,000 owners who pocked their huge profits from the recent collective sales and have to replace their property. I do not think that there are many new buyers who have the money to afford the ridiculous high prices.

The additional cooling measure will dampen the property market considerably. There will be a big oversupply of new appartments, from the government land sales, collective sales and the unsold units from past projects.

I expect a big over-supply of properties.

If I am correct, it is another sign of an incompetent government which is not in touch with the market.

If I am wrong, okay. I have the right to be worng.

Tan Kin Lian
http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=199

Vote in a more competent government

Some people describe my postings as "ranting" or "complaining".

I wish to tell these idiots to be respectful.

I do not rant or complain. I do not bother about losing a few dollars. They do not affect me.

I bring out these posts because there are so many practices that are wasteful and unnecessary and add to the stress for people and increase the cost of living and the cost of doing business.

We have a government that wants to increase their revenue, but are not aware of the cost to the country.

My posts are to bring these issues to the attention of the public. We need to vote in a more competent government.

Competition Commission

I disagree with the decision of the Competition Commission regarding the Grab Uber merger.

My common sense tells me that the merger does not affect the ordinary commuters.

As a regular user of public transport, including taxis, I have the following choices:

a) Call Grab
b) Hail a taxi on the road or at a taxi stand
c) Call a taxi company to pick me up
d) Take public transport

The merger does not affect me. I have enough choices to avoid any predatory pricing.

I also disagree with several past decision of the Competition Commission, including their hefty fines on bus operators travelling to Malaysia and the removal of the guidelines on medical fees.

I find the Competition Commission to be harmful for consumers, instead of looking after the interest of consumers.

Why do we need this commision anyway? They seem to behave like a headless chicken running amok.

I was once told that this is a requirement under the Free Trade Agreement signed with America. Well, this is just one of the many harmful effects of this FTA. (Of course, there are some benefits as well).

I wish the Competition Commission to be headed by someone who can exercise common sense.

Tan Kin Lian

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=198

Guidelines on wages and working conditions

Some people still hold to the idea that wages and working conditions should be negotiated between the employer and individual employee.

This has been the practiced in Singapore and most countries around the world.

What is the outcome of this practice?

Wages are suppressed, often below the living wage. Many workers have to do two jobs to earn enough to raise a family.

Most families need two people to be working to earn enough.

This is harmful to the society, to families and to the future generations.

Why is this so?

The individual employees have weak bargaining power. They also have inadequate information about what is a fair wage for the job.

The problem is exaberated when the government allows a relatively free inflow of foreign workers who are willing to work for low wages, due to the poverty in their countries.

Many countries impose a minimum wage. This is a good approach. (Sadly, Singapore still does not have this prctice).

But a minimum wage is just the starting point. Surely, there are occupations which require skills and experience, and should pay above the minimum wage?

It is relatively easy for the government to provide the guideline on a "fair wage" for each occupation. They have data on the earnings of people in each category of job. They also have data of salaries based on contribution to the Central Provident Fund.

If the government analyze the data, they can provide guidelines on the wage for each category of job.

This information can be published as a guideline for employers and individual workers. The two parties can still negotiate for the actual wage, but they are guided by the guidelines.

Under this system, there is no need to have trade unions to carry out collective bargaining for the wages and to resort to costly and harmful worker strikes to settle the issue.

The guidelines can also cover the other terms of employment.

Trade unions still have a role to help their members to deal with individual disputes on their working conditions or perceived harassment in the workplace.

We need a new framework for wages and working conditions to promote the welfare of workers and businesses.

Tan Kin Lian

http://tklcloud.com/Conv/feedback2.aspx?id=134

WOTC - Better wages and working conditions

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Should trade unions go on strike to get better wages and working conditions for workers?

Here are the responses:
38% - They should go on strike as the last resort.
34% - The government can provide guidelines and working conditions for each category of workers
22% - The dispute should be settled in the industrial arbitration court.
6% - The strike can be large scale and harmful to the economy.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=723

WOTC - How should salaries be determined?

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - How should salaries be determined?

Here are the responses:
44% - The salary should be a living wage, adequate to meet the cost of living.
25% - The salary should be negotiated between the employer and individual employee.
17% - The salary should meet a guideline for each occupation provided by the government.
14% - The salary should be negotiated through collective bargaining between the employer and the trade union.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=722

Lack of foresight and will

Rachel Ash commented on my post about cashless payment:

Mr Tan There is no will on the part of our authorities. In the earlier days we can attribute it to lack of foresight but a late stage like as now, they are grabbing in the dark, hoping a vendor would come out with an integrated solution, just like Silverlake did for banks.

We lack innovators, visionaries, doers among our authorities, instead we have followers, glory grabbers, copiers, several bag of gases.

Even though I don't know you personally but do see your work and I can safely say you can easily replace several of our authorities all at once.

While you were away on a cruise, several caught your brown rabbit designing election pamphlets while the other rabbit was frantically printing them. We wondered who your rabbits are working for.

REPLY
I agree that we have lack of foresight and lack of will in the top levels of our government. And the lower levels wait for instructions.

My two rabbits were designing and printing brochures for the Carrot Party. They said that voters like carrots, so this party is sure to win.

Promote cashless payment

PM Lee's call to promote cashless payment is making slow progress after nearly a year. It reflects badly on his leadership and on Singapore.

I wish to suggest this step to speed up the transformation.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore should required all banks to provide an easy way for customers to top up their e-wallet or smart card (such as EZ Link). A mobile number can be entered into the smart card to facilitate the topup.

This service should be provided for the same fee as withdrawing cash from ATM machines, which is currently free.

The topup can be done at an ATM machine or online.

If the public is able to top up their e-wallet or smart card easily, they are more inclined to use e-wallet or smart card payment.

We still have to deal with the problem of many platforms. It is likely that most customers will gravitate to a platform that has the most vendors. If several platforms are to be viable, just like having many banks, we will need a clearing house to allow the payments to pass from one platform to another.

I hope that the people in MAS or Smart Nation project will pay attention to this matter. We need a structural change to achieve the goal of cashless payment.

Tan Kin Lian

http://tklcloud.com/Feedback/feedback2.aspx?id=196
http://tklcloud.com/Conv/feedback2.aspx?id=132

Johore wants to increase price of water by 1600%

The Johore State Government wants to increase the price of water by 1600%. This sounds a very big increase. Actually, it is 16 times.

Under the 1962 water agreement, Singapore draws 250 million gallons of water a day from the rivers in Johore and pays 3 cents (RM) per 1,000 gallons.

The cost is RM 7,500 per day or RM 2,737,500 a year or S$ 925,000 a year. OK, say $1 million a year.

If Johore wants to increase the price by 16 times, we will be paying $16 million a year.

Does this sound like a lot of money? We spend $16 million to host the Trump Kim Summit for 2 days. This is the same amount as the water that we take from Johore for on year.

Did I get the calculation correct?

https://www1.mfa.gov.sg/SINGAPORES-FOREIGN-POLICY/Key-Issues/Water-Agreements

Can someone check my calculation?

Tan Kin Lian

Cashless payments using EZ Link card

PM Lee set a goal for Singapore to adopt cashless payment at the food courts and retail outlets.

He was told about the widespread use of mobile payments using QR code. He thought that this was the correct approach, as it was adopted successfully in China.

A lot of effort had been invested by many parties during the past year. The progress has been disappointing. We have a fragmentation of platforms.

I wish to suggest a new approach towards cashless payments.

We should use the EZ Link card that is now widely used for public transport.

EZ Link had also signed up a small number of retail outlets, but the adoption had been dismal.

One stumbling block is the difficulty of retail outlets to install a EZ Link terminal to accept payment through this source. This terminal cost $50 to $100 a month. The transction fee is 3 to 5% of the amount collected.

I wish to propose a solution.

We can design a mobile app that allows the retailer to accept payment through EZ Link. This will replace the expensive terminal.

As mobile phones are cheap, it can be a low cost terminal. The retailer enters the amount and the customer taps the EZ Link card. The amount is transferred.

The EZ Link fee should be 5 cents per transaction (instead of 3% to 5% of the amount.

Retailers will be happy to adopt this method as they will save a lot of time by not handling cash. The fee is also much lower than the fee payable to the banks for NETS and credit card payments.

Almost every adult and child have an EZ Link card. It is easy to top up the card at the MRT stations.

If this approach is adopted, we can have cashless payments introduced very quickly in Singapore.

Do you agree?

Tan Kin Lian

Enrol in CareShield Life?

Dear Mr. Tan

I’m 48 years old single man who is currently unemployed taking care of my 73 years old mum who has recently diagnosed of dementia. She is also a diabetic patient for more than 20 years. As I am her only child and my dad has passed away many years ago , I naturally become the main care giver. My mum has no insurance coverage except she is under the PG scheme and medishield life. I’m staying in a 3 room flat at Toa Payoh for many years.

Few years I opted out the Eldershield as I found this scheme impractical and ridiculous. As the government is going to roll in the Careshield Life in a few years time, I would like to seek your kind opinion whether I should enrol into it and what I should look out for before signing up. Also, do you have any recommended insurance where I can consider as I’m worry that if I remain single till old age, who would take care of me when I am sick and financially I may not able to sustain for future medical expenses and/or nursing home care and so on and so for.

REPLY HERE

http://www.fisca.sg/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ID=592&Name=Enrol-in-CareShield-Life?&View=A

WOTC - Biggest worry for Singapore

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - What is the biggest worry for Singaporeans?

Here are the responses:

33% - Incompetent government
31% - High cost of living
23% - Insecurity of jobs
13% - Oppressive government.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=720

WOTC - Improve relations with Malaysia

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - How can we improve relations with Malaysia?

Here are the responses:

72% - Adopt give and take
18% - Negotiate terms clearly with them
5% - They cannot be trusted
5% - Forget about improving relations.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=721

Toggle and World Cup 2018

My son subscribed to Mediacorp Toggle to watch World Cup 2018. This subscription allows two concurrent users. He passed one privilege to me.

I installed Toggle and can watch the old matches. When I came to a live match, I received a message that there was a connection error that needed to be fixed.

I followed the detailed instruction to make the setting but it failed. I had to change the time on my desktop to synchronize with FIFA. But the operation failed. I tried many times but it still failed.

I sent a detailed feedback to Mediacorp. They asked for a lot of technical information, such as the version number of the browser, Windows software, etc. It took quite a while to get the information.

After submitting the feedback, I did not get any reply from Mediacorp by email or mobile (both were provided).

i sent a reminder after a few days. I still did not get any reply.

The matches are now more than have over. The semi finals and finals are broadcast free anyway.

I have watched videos on NetFlix and YouTube and also live webinars. I did not get the kind of trouble similar to Toggle.

Why is it that our organizations in Singapore create complicated processes that require a lot of work to set up, and still fail? Why do they create a feedback form that is so troublesome to fill in, and ask for so much technical details? Why do they not respond promptly to feedback, even from paying customers?

Welcome to Singapore.

Bank Transfer to businesses

I suggest that a directory of companies and their bank accounts be published. This will allow the public to pay these companies by bank transfer to their bank account, instead of writing a cheque.

Most companies do not provide the bank account in their invoices. They can register their bank account is this directory.

For example, if I receive an invoice from a company called ABC Ltd, I can search the directory for their bank account and make a bank transfer to that account - instead of writing a cheque.

Should I move from ElderShield to CareShield?

My wife read the newspaper and asked me - should I buy CareShield?

I told her - you are already covered under Eldershield. When CareShield is launched in 2021, you should move to CareShield. It is better than ElderShield.

Well - she does not understand what the difference is. It is very confusing to her.

I am sure that it is also very confusing to 90% of the people in Singapore.

I don't know why it has to be so complicated.

Like someone said - if it is not convoluted, it is not Singapore.

Welcome to Singapore.

Penalize the party responsible for the bad behavior

I checked in the Internet for the penalty that the shared bike operator has to pay to the government for indiscriminate parking.

I was shocked to read that the penalty is $500 for each bike that is not removed within the time frame.

Why so much?

No wonder three operators have decided to cease operations.

Why allow these operators to start and then kill the business with such draconian measures?

I like to suggest a different approach. Each customer should place a deposit of $50 with the governmen to get a licence to use the shared bike. This deposit is forfeited if they park the shared bike indiscriminately. The customer will then be banned from using the shared bike - as he does not have a license.

We should penalize the party that is responsible for the bad behavior, i.e. the customer.

Tan Kin Lian

Welcome to Singapore

If you see me sign off a post with the phrase "Welcome to Singapore", it means that here ia nother example of the stupid things that are being practised in Singapore, and some of them are for years and decades.

It is very sad that in an advanced country, we have so many stupid practices. Why do people accept these stupid practices and requirements? Why don't they complain? Why does the people in charge continue to operate their processes mindlessly?

It is an indication of failure of the Singapore system. Failure of the education system that does not teach people to think. They just follow orders.

Welcome to Singapore.

Tariffs and GST

Most people say that tariffs are bad. They increase cost for the consumers.

I agree. It does increase cost for consumers. So does GST.

I prefer tariff to GST. The government can decide on which items to impose a tariff to help to protect manufacturing jobs.

I am talking about big countries, not Singapore. Singapore is too small to matter.

In the case of Singapore, we need protection for our jobs. We cannot allow the free entry of foreign workers.

Actually, we are already imposing a "tariff" on foreign workers. The employer has to pay a levy for each foreign worker.

There is no tariff for the higher level of foreign workers that come in through an E Pass. This is a bad policy that needs to be changed. We should require the employer to pay a levy on E Pass holders as well.

I welcome the return to a system of tariffs. Apart from protecting jobs of their citizens, they also provide revenue to the government.

The government does need revenue to run the country and provide the social services that are needed by the people, such as education, health care, security, etc.

I find GST to be the worst kind of revenue for a government. It is imposed on every item that is purchased. The administrative cost is horrendous. The retailer also marks up the prices to have a margin to cover their administrative cost and to increase their profit margin.

Under a system of tariffs, the workers will be able to enjoy better wages. This will lead to a reduction of inequality that has plagued many countries around the world.

With tariffs, the flow of trade will reduce. However, the reduction will be small. There will still be a lot of trade as some countries are more efficient in producing certain products than other countries.

As Singapore has a large logistic base, it will be affected. However, there will still be trade around the world, so the impact is not serious. We can adjust.

Furthermore, the government does not need to impose tariffs on every item. They on need to impose the tariffs to get the tax revenue and also to protect certain local jobs.

Tan Kin Lian

WOTC - Najib Razak

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - What will happen to Najib, former PM of Malaysia?

Here are the responses:

81% - He will stand trial and defend himself vigorously.
19% - He will run away from Malaysia
0% - He will admit his crime.
0% - He will return the money to reduce the penalty.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=718

WOTC - World Cup 2018

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Who will win World Cup 2018?

Here are the responses:

37% - Russia
37% - Another country
9% - Spain
9% - Portugal
7% Brazil.

Spain and Portugal are out now.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=719

Dinner for Social Media Friends

I wish to organize a dinner for regular visitors to my Facebook Page and Blogspot for us to get to know each other better. We can talk about what is happening in Singapore and how to put things right, OK?

Details here.
http://tklcloud.com/Event/event_det.aspx?id=66

Two technology for cashless payments

There are two technologies to operate a cashless payment system:

a) Using mobile phone and QR code
b) Using a smart card, like EZ Link.

The QR code method requires the payer and payee to have a mobile phone. While most adults have a mobile phone, many young children do not have a mobile phone with data. So, this method excludes children and some old people who are not familiar with mobile phone.

The smart card method has a low cost to the customer (payer). It requires the merchant (payee) to have a device that can read the smart card and also handle the transaction. This device needs to be connected to the server.

It is possible to develop a mobile app that can act as the capturing device. The payee enter the amount and the payer taps the card on the device to complete the transaction.

The mobile phone may need to have a NFC reader. Only certain models have this capability.

The smart card method seems to be easier to use and has a lower operating cost. The disadvantage is that the payers are not able to transfer money from one person to another, e.g. if they wish to split the bill for a meal.

Which technology is better? Which is more likely to be used?

I will go for the smart card method. It can be EZ Link (if they are interested to market this service actively to retail outlets) or another company that issues a stored value card similar to EZ Link.

Tan Kin Lian

Financial viability for shared bike operations

I held the view earlier that bike sharing will not be viable in Singapore.

I wish to explain my reason.

Singapore has a good network of trains and buses that brings people close to their homes. We also have an integrated fare system. The passenger can take a bus, change to a train, and another bus - and pay an integrated fare.

Most people will prefer to take a feeder bus, rather than ride a bicycle. They do not have to pay extra for the bus ride. If they take a shared bike, they have to pay $0.50 or whatever is the actual fare.

The fare may be free during the promotion period, but after the promotion, the operator needs to collect revenue to pay the expenses.

For the shared bike to be viable, it has to be provided by the Land Transport Authority and be integrated into the public fare. Althernative, the operators should get some financing from the government.

OBike has decided that they cannot continue to operate the shared bike. They has ceased operation rather abruptly. I suspect that the other operators will face the same challenge.

It is useful to have shared bikes but the financial viability of the operations should be addressed.

Tan Kin Lian

WOTC - Vote for non-PAP

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Will you vote for non-PAP at the next general election.

Here are the responses:

69% - Definitely. I will vote against the PAP.
22% - Only if I can accept the manifesto of the non-PAP candidates.
6% - Yes. If the non-PAP candidates contest under a common banner.
3% - No. I prefer to vote PAP.

Non-PAP: 69%. Maybe - 28%. PAP 3%

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=717

WOTC - High pay for ministers

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Should we pay high salaries to ministers?

Here are the responses:

65% - No. We are not getting the right people to be ministers.
32% - No. The salary should be set at half of the current level.
3% - Yes. This will prevent corruption.

No - 97%. Yes - 3%.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=716

Workforce on free lance work

Someone asked me - the world is charging towards freelance work and entrepreneurship to earn a fast buck, is the government relooking at a whole new concept or trend of supporting such a new global change?

I wish to point out the following:

a) There is already a large proportion of the workforce on freelance work for many years - insurance agents, property agents, taxi drivers, contractors, self employed, etc.

b) In Australia, and I suspect many other countries, the workers are paid on a rate per hour, rather than a monthly salary. It reflects the need to have more flexibility for employers and employees.

Singapore has been slow to respond to the changing environment. We are still paying people on monthly salaries. Overtime time is being ignored by many employers, with workers not being able to complain.

It is time for us to move to pay by the hour with a certain guaranteed minimum number of hours each week. Full time workers have a higher guarantee, part time workers a lower guarantee.

The big challenge facing Singapore is the high cost of living and the high commitment towards mortgage payment. It will be difficult for workers to meet the heavy commitments when they do not earn enough and the pay is uncertain.

We need to address this situation. I think that the government should revamp the Central Provident Fund and allow greater flexibility on the withdrawal of the savings to tide over periods of unemployment or under-employment.

They should also allow members to have negative balances, i.e. CPF to provide financing, for up to $50,000 and charge the same rate of interest, i.e. 2.5%. This will reduce the burden of workers who are in financial distress, from relying on banks that charge 24% interest.

I agree that we need to rethink the current practices and change them to meet the changing environment.

Tan Kin Lian

Subsidy for child care

The government provides a subsidy for child care of between $300 to $740 a month, depending on the the household income and per capital income

A higher subsidy is given for full day care for infants below 18 months.

It is a complicated formula
https://www.heybaby.sg/having-and-raising-children/subsidies-for-centre-based-infant-care-child-care

I cannot understand why it has to be so complicated. But it is typical of the approach that is adopted for many subsidies in Singapore.

I also do not understand why there is no allowance for home care.

This subsidy is now under review. It will continue to be a complicated formula.

WOTC - Lower property prices

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Is it good to have lower property prices in Singapore?

Here are the responses:
50% - Lower property prices will lower rental and the cost of living.
28% - High property prices will only benefit people who own more than one property.
19% - Lower property prices will be affordable for the young.
3% - Keep property prices high to enhance the value of our assets.

Yes - 97%. No-3%.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=714

WOTC - Nursing homes in Johor Bahru

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - Should our elderly sick be sent to nursing homes in Johore Bahru?

Here are the responses:

79% - The state should provide more subsidy to nursing homes in Singapore to keep the cost low.
12% - It is acceptable provided that the quality of care can be kept to a high standard.
6% - The cost can be reduced considerable due to cost of land and labor.
3% - It is acceptable provided that the jams at the causeway can be reduced.

No - 79%. Yes - 21%.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=715

Octopus card in Hong Kong

The Octopus card (Chinese: 八達通) is a reusable contactless stored value smart card for making electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong. Launched in September 1997 to collect fares for the territory's mass transit system, the Octopus card system is the second contactless smart card system in the world, after the Korean Upass, and has since grown into a widely used payment system for all public transport in Hong Kong, leading to the development of Oyster Card in London and Opal Card in New South Wales.

The Octopus card has also grown to be used for payment in many retail shops in Hong Kong, including most convenience stores, supermarkets, and fast food restaurants. Other common Octopus payment applications include parking meters, car parks, petrol stations, vending machines, fee payment at public libraries and swimming pools, and more. The cards are also commonly used for non-payment purposes, such as school attendance and access control for office buildings and housing estates.

The Octopus card won the Chairman's Award of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance's 2006 Global IT Excellence Award for, among other things, being the world's leading complex automatic fare collection and contactless smartcard payment system. According to Octopus Cards Limited, operator of the Octopus card system, there are more than 33 million cards in circulation, nearly five times the population of Hong Kong. The cards are used by 99 per cent of the population of Hong Kong aged 16 to 65.[1] The system handles more than 14 million transactions, worth over HK$180 million, on a daily basis.[2]

Octopus Card Limited's and the cards' slogan is Making Everyday Life Easier.

Use EZ Link card for cashless payment

I suggest that EZ Link be used for cashless payment.

We need to develop a low cost device that can be installed at the point of sale. The sales staff enter the amount and the customer taps the EZ Link card.

Maybe the device can be an app on a mobile phone, and is operated by the merchant.

EZ Link can have a fee for each transaction, say $0.10.

This will be better than the QR code payment that is used in AliPay and WeChat Pay in China.

If EZ Link does not want to be involved, or if the infrastructure cost is too high, we can set up a separate company to run this operation. It will use a contactless card like EzLink.

I understand that the Octopus card in Hong Kong is widely used in this manner.

Make employer prefer local workers

Most people consider $3,000 a month to be an "adequate" wage. A wage below this level is considered to be inadequate.

More than half of the work force, I suspect, earn below this wage. They cannot command a higher wage because of the influx of foreign workers who are wiling to accept a lower wage.

The government should set the example by paying a wage of at least $3,000 in the private sector. It should also stop the bad practice of outsourcing of private sector jobs, e.g. cleaning and security guards.

It is a shameful practice for the government to reduce its cost by exploiting the workers through outsourcing.

What about the private sector? They are not able to afford this wage. They have to pay high rentals and do not have enough business.

The solution is for the government to provide a monthly subsidy of $500 to employ a local worker. They can charge a levy of $500 to $1,000 to employ a foreign worker.

The system of subsidy and levy will help to balance the market for local and foreign workers. It will make employers opt to employ local workers, as the cost is equalized.

How to reduce cheque payments

The government has set a goal to reduce cheque payment by 2025. They seem to think that introducing immediate payment using FAST for businesses is the solution.

If this is the case, then our planners are badly mistaken.

Businesses do not need to receive immediate payment. When they receive payment by cheque, they have to wait 1 week or longer for the payment to be mailed and cleared.

The problem is the lack of a standardized facility to make payment.

This is how I envisage a portal operated by the association of banks (ABS) can operate:

a) They payer (individual or business) logs into his bank account
b) He selects a registered payee (a business). Each business need to register only once in the portal.
c) He enters the amount and the invoice number.
d) On submission, the portal will debit the payer and credit the payee and send an email notification to the payee.

I have submitted this suggestion to the Pro Enterprise Panel more than 5 years ago. They did not take it up.

At that time, the FAST facility was not available. But the clearance through GIRO may take a few days to be completed, but the delay is not critical. The ease to the payer and payee is more important. This remains the key challenge.

It does not need 7 years for the portal to be set up, It can be done in six months.

Tan Kin Lian

WOTC - Salary of nurse

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - What monthly salary will be sufficient to attract local to be a nurse?

Here are the responses:

48% - $3,000
43% - $3,500
10% - $2,500
0% - $2,000

The average is slightly higher than $3,000, i.e. about $3,200.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=712

WOTC - Salary of bus driver

I asked this question in the Wisdom of the Crowd - What monthly salary will be sufficient to attract a local to be a bus driver

Here are the responses:

57% - $3,000
34% - $3,500
20% - $2,500
0% - $2,000


The average is slightly more than $3,000, i.e about 3.150.

See the breakdown of the votes in
http://www.wisdomofthecrowd.sg/chart.aspx?ID=713

Limitation of the free market

Many people believe that it is best for prices to be determined by the free market.

I agree with this thinking provided that the market is really free and there are many suppliers and customers.

But some markets are not suitable to be left to the free market because the supplier has a stronger market power or the customers lack do not have the information.

Examples of the unbalanced market include the following:

a) Property market - where the main suppliers are the government or a few big developers.

b) Health care market where the doctors have the knowledge and the customers have to rely on the doctors.

If the government fails to carry out its duty or they have a conflict of interest (being a key supplier with a profit motive), the prices can get out of control. This is what has happened in Singapore.

An example where the free market works well is the restaurant and food business. The customers are able to decide on where to eat and there are adequate choices.

Tan Kin Lian