Foreign sports talent

Singapore sports scene faces a huge challenge today.

How do we retain foreign sports talent in Singapore?
They feature in many prominent sports in Singapore. Football, table-tennis, badminton and even swimming.
But there is much controversy in securing their services and granting them citizenship. Sometimes they fail to obtain the targeted results expected by their sports association, leading to acrimonious disputes and much accusations. Other times they cannot handle the unfamiliarity, pressure in a foreign land or even just decided on taking another path of life. Foreign escapees are not new, neither are career switchers.
How can we resolve this ugly situation which after money is pour into the foreign talent scheme yet little results are seen, and after Singapore sees her trust in them betrayed. Of course there are still good apples in this lot, but one bad apple is one too much.
So what is the solution? By offering more money to entice them? Getting them when they are younger in hope of a chance to instill more loyalty in them to Singapore and offer them citizenship as soon as possible so they would be "Singaporeans" for a long time? Or import in more foreign sports talent so the loss of a few would be less heart-wrenching?
I confess I have no panacea to this complex and multi-faceted problem. This is about immigration, sports excellence and passion all melded into one.
What I do know is that Singapore youths are not getting the proper training and exposure to sports to tum them into passionate sports-natic, ignored by sports officials who prefer to spend their time nurturing foreign talents and child proteges who in actual fact had prior training.
I see many young people playing football and soccer everyday at the court downstairs, playing badminton, swimming, table-tennis at the community centre. They play because they for leisure and derives joy in engaging in physical activities. But their understanding remains at the rudimentary level. They are not in school teams or national teams but nevertheless display sufficient skills at their game. These are the people that are being left out and the people that sports association needs to interest into joining them. Each will benefit if they interact with one another. The youth will become better at their game and the sports will have a larger talent pool to recruit from. In other words, a sports association needs to involve and actively engage the public which is fundamental in creating a sports culture before local talents will be spotted: they first have to be exposed and trained. So stop lamenting about the dearth of local sports talent! They are raw diamonds and are simply overlooked and passed over in favour of polished imported ones.
And in tune with the upcoming Youth Olympics, it is time for a sports culture to prosper in Singapore. Hold free sports clinics and training sessions for the public and young. Make sports easily available to Singaporeans to allow them to integrate it into their lifestyle. After all, sports can and is a daily conscious activity. Let's make it into a daily affair. Start today!

Budget 2008

This year's budget is geared towards addressing the problems associated with economic growth such as the relative poverty of the lower classes, increasing business costs and the increasing cost of tertiary education.

For the fiscal year 2008, a personal income tax rebate of 20%, up to a cap of $2,000, would be given to all resident taxpayers. There are also calls by MPs to lower the GST. Personally, I think that the Government would not want to change the GST so frequently, confusing the people and troubling the retailers. A better way is to return the extra money through tax rebates, cut in income taxes and putting more money in social assistance, especially for the poor and elderly.
To encourage Singaporeans to voluntarily put aside more savings whenever they can, Minister of Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced the liberalisation of rules for the topping up of CPF members’ Minimum Sum as well as the enhancement of tax reliefs associated with such top-ups. Employers would now be allowed to make top-ups to their employees’ Retirement or Special Accounts, and enjoy full tax deduction for doing so.

Minister Tharman said that the Government would give LIFE Bonus to the first five cohorts of CPF members who join the CPF LIFE scheme - those aged 46 to 50 this year. The L-Bonus is targeted at lower and middle-income CPF members and would extend to 80% of the cohort aged 50 today. The Government had also agreed to the suggestion of the National Lifelong Income Committee to provide a one-off incentive to encourage CPF members who would not be automatically included in CPF LIFE to opt in to the scheme. The L-Bonus would be given to members who have less than $40,000 in their Minimum Sum but would like to participate in CPF LIFE. It would also be extended to older CPF members above the age of 50 who opted in.

As MediShield premiums would need to rise in tandem with the enhanced coverage provided by MediShield, Minister Tharman announced that the Government would top up the Medisave accounts of those aged 51 and above by $150 to $450 this year. The Government would also top up the ElderCare Fund by $400 million and the Medifund by $200 million this year, bringing the fund sizes of the ElderCare Fund and Medifund to $1.5 billion and $1.6 billion respectively.

The Government would also increase the monthly Public Assistance rate for a single-person household from $290 to $330, and top up the ComCare Fund by $200 million this year.

Adding to the social dimension of the Budget 2008, there is an increase in assistance for pensioners and top up another $10 million to the Citizens’ Consultative Committees (CCC) ComCare Fund, Self-Help Groups (CDAC, Yayasan MENDAKI, SINDA and the Eurasian Association) and Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) to support flexible assistance schemes to households that may need additional assistance.

There is also the usual handouts (total 865 million this yeat) from the government to ameliorate the impact from the rising inflation and this has become sort of a ritual so much that MP for Marine Parade GRC Dr Ong Seh Hong said the government should not encourage the wrong expectation among Singaporeans that a Budget surplus means more ’hongbaos’. Instead, he said, they should be looking at how the Budget can ’maintain the country’s competitiveness’. He added that he supported the Finance Minister’s policy of keeping the Budget ’prudent, pragmatic and forward—looking’. His impersonal stance is valid only if Singaporeans can cope and even increase their standard of living. Or else he is simply shows that he not concerned enough for the poorer Singaporeans. (and more people will vote for the opposition in the next elections)

I am impressed by Mdm Halimah insight that the most important part of the Budget is the investments the government is making in the people. To that end, she also urged the government to consider giving every Singaporean an Individual Learning Account which they can use to upgrade themselves. I love this idea; first this is a longterm commitment, just like one's lifelong road of learning, secondly it weans Singaporeans off the idea of an expectation of an instant cash handout each time there is an surplus. The money should be invested in the people for a more benefical way. For those who are in immediate need of monetary help, the relevant welfare agencies should be trying their best to help out and reach out to the lower income groups. Read Newpaper: Going to Orchard Road A LUXURY for Bedok family (http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,157485,00.html?)

Like Mdm Halimah, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC Lee Bee Wah also called for more to be done lower income groups such as older women who may not have accumulated enough CPF savings to take part in CPF Life. She also called for the government to consider lowering the income tax rate to 15 per cent so as to help Singaporeans cope with the cost of living and to also attract foreign talent.

Other recommended changes includes removal of Estate Duty. Minister Tharman announced the removal of Estate Duty from Singapore’s tax regime, a move that he said would enhance Singapore’s attractiveness as a place for wealth to be invested and built up. He urged individuals who had accumulated wealth to contribute to society, and take advantage of the enhanced philanthropy incentives introduced last year.

“If we make Singapore an attractive place for wealth to be invested and built up, whether by Singaporeans or foreigners who bring their assets here, it will benefit our whole economy and society, not just the individuals who build up their wealth. It is not a zero sum game.”

So this year's budget requires a delicate balance in making Singapore competitive and keeping Singapore an affordable place for locals to live in.

Luckily, the governement has not lost sight of the cultivating its only natual resource: Human resource. By enhancing the bursary schemes and extend the reach of the Study Loan Schemes for university and polytechnic students and by topping up Post-Secondary Education Accounts (PSEAs) for all students by an additional $150 to $600, over and above what was announced in Budget 2007, at least concerned parents would have lesser to worry about for their child's education. The Learning Endowment Fund would also be increased by $800 million to bring the total fund size to $3 billion. There is also a restructuring of the Skills Development Levy (SDL). All employers would now contribute the SDL on all workers that they employ, up to the first $4,500 of gross remuneration. The levy rate would, however, be reduced from 1% to 0.25%. And here is something sweet for locals who did not have a chance to study at a government-subsidised undergraduate institution; the Government would provide subsidies for part-time degree programmes at the three publicly-funded universities and UniSIM.


Quote by Tharman "“…a key focus going forward will now be continuous education for adults. This is going to be absolutely essential for us... in a world where we are competing on skills, quality and productivity, not on costs alone.”

On the business side, the budget will keep business cost competitive by increaing rental space for business by moving government departments out of valuable office space downtown and postpone an additional 1 billion worth of construction works from the 2 billion postponed previously. Coporate taxes will also be refined to benefit SMEs, startups and special sectors that the government wants to cultivate such as Islamic banking and maritime hub.

It will be interesting to see the direction the budget takes as disscussions are ongoing in Parliament, whether the MPs call for more emphasize on lower-income group will be addressed or the final verdict has already been casted in stone.

On a side note, Indra Sahdan Daud has been asked to continue for another two weeks in MLS team Real Salt Lake in its final training camp in Rosario, Argenetina to assess him further to decide whether to sign him on. Good luck Indra.

Sources:

Singapore Budget 2008

Source: Government of Singapore
Published Friday, 15 February, 2008 - 16:35

From eGov monitor
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/17203

Source: Channel Newsasia
MPs praise 'pro-people' Budget but say it should also address needs of lower income
Posted: 27 February 2008 1208 hrs
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/331375/1/.html

What happened to the demos?

Feb 6 The recent controversy over the imposition of a ban over non-halal food in Boon Lay Garden Primary school strike a deep chord within me and made me feel compelled speak out. First, the religion issue. The principal unilaterally imposed a rule on the school that infringed on the state constitution that calls for a multi (ethnic, religion, racial.....) society. His draconic rule banning non-halal food is totally unacceptable in such a diverse scociety. I understand the necessity for Muslim students to consume only halal food and their difficulty of having more choices and more varied range of halal food. However, I do not see the purpose of banning non-halal food in a cantten served by only halal-certified stalls. Secondly, a principal who had the audacity to impose such a insensitive rule on the whole school should be investigated his level of understanding of the role that religion plays in daily life and be counselled accordingly. That a highly educated person can still be insensitive to the needs of other people shows that academic education has no correlation that a person's character can be and the possibility of a person losing touch with reality once he is in a positon of power. This bring me to the last point of the abuse of power. I assume that the since Mr Wan Imran Woojdy's rule was enforced by his subbordinates, namely teachers and school administators, the school staff supported him, overtly or tacitly. Of course not! The school staff may be gossiping amongst themselves, grumbling and complaining, but finally play along with the new rule and not take any real actions to register their displeasure with the rule. They had no sense to oppose the principal simply because of his authority. But the moment that the right to authority clashes with the right to eat non-halal food, there is room for concrete steps to be taken to oppose the authority. I'm sure that this situation is familiar to many Singaporeans: remain passive when their own values and principles are violated. Some Singaporeans however resort to the higher-ups to resolve the conflict. Normally, this course of action should be recommemded as it is the least disruptive and most respectful. However in times of crisis or when the rot reaches the top, this becomes a real problem: when a highly placed individual abuses his power as seen in the NKF scandal, the fallout is enormous. This weakness is one that can bring Singapore to ruins if ever a rogue goverment comes to the fore, as feared by MM Lee. If Singaporeans are educated but meek, it would be a real shame that their potential would never be realised and they would forever remain under someone else's shadow and be subjected to their whims. This fundamental faultline in the Singaporean psych must be corrected if Singpapore is to stand tall among the giants. Of course I am refering to products of the rote learning education system in Singapore. Never be boxed in your thinking, think outside the box, as often urged on by our teachers and political leaders. Do what is appropiate and act according the principles of humanity, both yours and others around you. Then Singapore can sooner be more cultured like Italy and Austria. (From The Straits Times: Feb 6, 2008)
MOE LAYS OUT POSITION AFTER BOON LAY SCHOOL CONTROVERSY All schools must have mix of halal and non-halal food
School apologises while ministry reiterates need to maintain common space for interaction
By Sandra Davie, Education Correspondent
THE Education Ministry wants all schools to make sure their canteens provide a mix of halal and non-halal food suitable for children of all religions. It made this clear yesterday, a day after news broke about a primary school which banned pupils from eating non-halal food in its canteen. On learning of this on Monday, the ministry said that Boon Lay Garden Primary had made a mistake. Yesterday, a ministry spokesman said the school 'will ensure that there will soon be a mix of halal and non-halal food items in its canteen'. A few schools, including Boon Lay Garden Primary, have only halal-certified canteen stalls, which means all serve food suitable for Muslims even though the meals may be prepared Chinese, Indian or Western style. The decision to have all of Boon Lay Garden's canteen stalls halal-certified was made by the school's previous principal, Mrs Florence Lim, in 2004. FEELING AT EASE 'My seven-year-old daughter has Indian and Malay friends, and I want her to feel free about eating...and playing with them.' ... more SENDING WRONG SIGNALS Mr Rhazaly Noentil, a veteran mosque leader at Muis, said moves such as those made by the school would make non-Muslims think Muslims are not accommodating towards others. But the controversy arose after its current principal, Mr Wan Imran Woojdy, wrote to his pupils' parents last Friday informing them that only halal food - suitable for consumption by Muslims - would be allowed in the canteen. School staff also conducted checks to make sure pupils did not have non-halal food in their lunch boxes. Some non-Muslim parents upset by the rule told The Straits Times that while they did not mind that all the food stalls were halal, they felt it discriminatory to ban non-halal food. Yesterday, parents received another letter from the school, this time apologising for the error and saying the children were free to bring and eat non-halal food. The school also said it was making arrangements to provide both halal and non-halal food in its canteen. About 20 per cent of its 1,700 pupils are Muslims. The ministry spokesman said that schools will continue to educate children to be sensitive to the different races and cultures here. Schools have been emphasising this by creating opportunities for meaningful interaction among students of different races in both the formal and non-formal curriculum. The spokesman added that it was important to 'maintain the common space where our students from all communities grow up together and build bonds of friendship'. Parents interviewed by The Straits Times yesterday said they were glad the ban was lifted. Mother of three Aileen Cheng, 40, said: 'My seven-year-old daughter has Indian and Malay friends, and I want her to feel free about eating with them and playing with them. 'Banning non-halal food and sectioning off a part of the canteen are not going to encourage that.' Several Muslim leaders interviewed yesterday also felt that Boon Lay Garden's mistake in declaring its canteen a 'halal zone' had set back efforts to get people of different religions to understand one another's beliefs. Mr Rhazaly Noentil, a veteran mosque leader at the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), said such moves only left non-Muslims thinking that Muslims are not accommodating towards others. The Muslim leaders interviewed also said Muslims are free to eat with non-Muslims as long as the Muslims consume halal food.