Immigration policy won't upset mix of races among population: PM

Immigration policy won't upset mix of races among population: PM
By Imelda Saad/Sharon See Posted: 29 August 2010 1901 hrs

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has reassured Singaporeans that the country's immigration policy will not upset the current mix of races among the population.

He said this as he delivered his National Day Rally speech at the University Cultural Centre on Sunday evening.

Starting first in Malay, Mr Lee said the current mix is stable and contributes to Singapore's racial and religious harmony.

His comments come as Singapore continues to attract foreign talent who contribute to the economy and integrate into society.



Mr Lee said it is not easy attracting Malay or pribumi talent from Southeast Asia, but Singapore must keep trying.

He said: "We must work hard to integrate new arrivals into our society, so that over time they will become Singaporean in their outlook and identity."

Education was another focus of Mr Lee's speech. He said: "Another priority for our future is education. The young have many different talents and interests - arts, music or sports, technical or academic subjects. We will upgrade our education system.

"We will create more pathways for students to follow, and more peaks for them to aim for. Every school will be a good school. Every school will have excellent facilities and ample resources.

"Every school will have dedicated, well-trained teachers. We will prepare our students to succeed in many fields in school, at work and in life."



Prime Minister Lee urged Malay Singaporeans to take full advantage of this national programme.

Mr Lee lauded the Malay/Muslim community for taking a clear stand against extremism and terrorism. By taking a clear stand, he said they have maintained strong trust and confidence with the other communities in Singapore.

He said a small number of Singaporean youths are becoming self-radicalised through the Internet, but it was fortunate they were spotted before they did any harm.

"This is a sensitive issue, but I feel that I have to raise it. My concern is with a small minority of vulnerable people. This should not distract us from other major issues - economy and jobs, education and training, and competitiveness and excellence; but nevertheless the issues of extremism and terrorism need your continued attention," he said.

Elaborating on the immigration issue in Mandarin, Mr Lee said the government understands Singaporeans' concerns over its negative impact. He also urged immigrants to mix with the different communities in Singapore.

Turning to his visit to the Integrated Resorts, he said he saw some Singaporeans at the casinos.

"But I hope they're just there to fulfil their curiosity, look for a bit of excitement. I hope they do not forget their proper jobs. I think the wise thing to do is to leave the gambling tables and slot machines to the tourists," he said.



Overall, however, he said the IRs have boosted Singapore's economy and tourism and enhanced Singapore's image as a creative and vibrant city.

On the economy, Mr Lee urged Singaporeans not to be complacent even if prospects are good.

He said small and medium enterprises especially must find new ways to thrive in the face of intense pressure from the big players.

Citing the example of "Mr Bean", Mr Lee said the business has grown, expanding from one stall at People's Park into one with more than 50 branches including one in Tokyo.

Sources: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1077817/1/.html

Sports Hub to open by April 2014

Sports Hub to open by April 2014
By Tan Yo-Hinn Posted: 26 August 2010 0215 hrs

The new Sports Hub will open its doors by April 2014.

SINGAPORE: After being stalled for nearly two years due to the global financial downturn, the Sports Hub project will finally kick into gear.

On Wednesday, the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) signed the contract with the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium to design, build, finance and operate the Sports Hub for the next 25 years on a 35-hectare site in Kallang.

Demolition of the National Stadium, which sits on the site, will begin in October, and the new facility will open its doors by April 2014.

The final construction cost is estimated to be $1.33 billion - which the Government will pay in annual payments.

No financing details were available following the midnight announcement.

"I am glad that we are ready to start construction of the Singapore Sports Hub," said Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, in a statement.

"It will be a fully integrated sports, leisure, entertainment and lifestyle hub for world-class events and community activities. The facilities will be accessible to the public and to top athletes to train and compete in. As part of the Greater Marina Bay masterplan, the Singapore Sports Hub will also contribute to the larger Government objective of re-positioning Singapore as a great place to work, live and play," he said.

When completed, the Sports Hub will include a 55,000-seat National Stadium with a retractable roof, a 6,000-seat indoor aquatics arena, about 41,000 square metres of business, commercial and retail space, and a sports institute.

Two new features of the Sports Hub are a bowl-cooling system and retractable seats for the main stadium.

The bowl cooling system features blowing treated air from chillers through holes in the tier below each seat.

There will also be a sports library and sports museum, as well as other amenities including a volleyball court, rock-climbing wall, hard courts, a skate park and state-of-the-art training and sports recovery facilities, among others.

The Sports Hub will also strive to attract live entertainment events, conventions and exhibitions, while 80 corporate boxes will be available for lease during major sporting events.

The deal between the Singapore Government and the consortium is the largest sports infrastructure public-private-partnership project in the world.


Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1077161/1/.html

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Four key reasons behind Singapore success: MM Lee

Four key reasons behind Singapore success: MM Lee
By Faris – August 16th, 2010



Capable leaders, meritocracy, a level playing field and the use of English as a working language.

These are the four key reasons why Singapore was able to transform itself from a small fishing village to the cosmopolitan, first-world city it is today, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

Speaking at the National Day dinner in his Tanjong Pagar constituency on Sunday night, MM Lee said, “From 1965 to 1990, we made Singapore go from Third World to First, and from 1990 to 2010, we gave Singapore the cosmopolitan gloss, that polish, that poise, that vibrancy.”

All this would not have been possible he said without “an exceptionally strong government, with the ablest, the toughest and most dedicated of leaders.”

The Straits Times quoted him as saying, “We head-hunt for them, test them out in heavy responsibilities. People get to where they are on merit, not guanxi (connections), not nepotism, not corruption. Hence all are capable and competent.”

“Only such leaders can keep the economy growing and create good jobs and generate the revenue to pay for the equipment and training of our 3G SAF,” he continued, before adding a strong armed forces was key behind keeping the country safe and secure.

He also said Singapore is quick to learn from challenges faced by other countries and to adapt solutions based on the needs of its people.

“We studied how they have managed their problems, why some are more successful than others. Then we extracted the principles to adapt and modify them to fit our society,” he said.

The 86-year-old highlighted the use of Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) to control traffic congestion and recycling of water to manage water supply as good examples of such a policy.

One of the founding fathers of Singapore, MM Lee also said the country’s policies are not carved in stone. He said, “We always re-examine old policies and positions, and change them with changing world circumstances.”



He referred to examples such as the Formula One and having a casino in the country. He stated that there were shifts in policies because the government recognised the economic revenue that such projects generate.

But one of the areas Singapore is doing very poorly in is its total fertility rate which presently stands at 1.22, far below the 2.1 needed for a population to replace itself.



The solution, he said, was to bring in immigrants from Malaysia, China, India, and the region.

MM Lee said, “Where do we go from here? I think it depends on the younger generation — how much drive, how much energy they have, how much they are prepared to make the effort to climb up that face of the cliff to a higher plane.”

Source:http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/08/16/four-key-reasons-behind-singapore-success-mm-lee/

Singapore’s GDP expands 18.8 percent in Q2

Singapore’s GDP expands 18.8 percent in Q2

Singapore’s economy grew 18.8 percent in the second quarter of this year from the level in the same period last year, driven by a red-hot manufacturing sector, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced today.

The second quarter growth rate was faster than the 16.9 percent growth reported for the first quarter and places the country’s growth in the first half at 17.9 percent, as earlier cited by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his National Day message on Sunday.

Manufacturing shined during the quarter, expanding 44.5 percent year-on-year, led by the biomedical manufacturing and electronics clusters. The construction sector grew by 11.5 percent, supported by an increase in public sector construction activities, the MTI said in a statement.



As a whole, services-based industries expanded by 11.2 percent year-on-year in the quarter, with the wholesale and retail trade sector growing by 18.9 percent on the back of strong global trade flows. The financial services sector and the hotels and restaurants sector both grew by a little more than 10 percent each.

The government, however, was not optimistic that the strong first half growth could be replicated in the second half of this year, although it expects growth rates to remain healthy.

Anticipated plant maintenance shutdowns in the biomedical manufacturing cluster will contribute to dragging down overall growth, whilst the global economy will see growth easing though it is expected to remain on a modest recovery path, the MTI noted.

The ministry said the weakness in the US labour and housing markets, plus lower consumer confidence, will affect household spending in that market.

In Europe, market concerns over Greece and the region’s banks have been quelled, but circumstances involving southern European economic remain frail, thus, demand in the European Union is expected to remain sluggish, it noted.

Meanwhile, the MTI pointed out that countries in Asia have been affected by the slowdown in external demand, whereas China’s growth momentum has moderated in the second quarter from the previous quarter.

Taking account all those factors, MTI affirmed its growth forecast for the full year at between 13 percent and 15 percent, which would make Singapore one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

Source: http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/?p=4092&preview=true

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called on Singaporeans to welcome foreign talent with “an open heart”.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called on Singaporeans to welcome foreign talent with “an open heart”.













In his televised National Day message on Sunday evening, the eve of Singapore’s 45th birthday, PM Lee acknowledged Singaporeans’ concerns about taking in foreign workers and immigrants.

However, he stressed the critical need to reinforce the Singaporean team with talent and numbers from abroad and added that the government will control the inflow, “to ensure that it is not too fast, and not too large”.

According to reports, over 150,000 foreign workers have entered Singapore per year since 2007, and they now make up about a third of the island’s 3 million work force and about a fourth of the total population of 5 million, up from 10 percent in 1990.



“We will only bring in people who can contribute to Singapore, and work harder to integrate them into our society. And we will make clear that citizens come first. After all, we are doing this for the sake of Singaporeans,” PM Lee said.

“Other countries are not only much larger than us, but have far deeper pools of talent than we have. We must make up for the shortage of Singaporean workers in our economy and the shortfall of babies in our population,” he added.

Delivering his address from the Pinnacle@Duxton, PM Lee said the government’s goal is to ensure all Singaporeans enjoy the fruits of growth.

He went on to reveal that Singapore’s economy grew 17.9 per cent in the first half of 2010 from a year earlier and the government is forecasting full-year growth of between 13 and 15 per cent.



He said workers can look forward to better wages, more overtime and higher bonuses this year but he cautioned that the exceptional growth this year may not be repeated year after year, even as the government continues to continue to grow the economy with sustained effort.

“Let us not get carried away. Risks remain in the world economy, especially in Europe and the US. The global financial system is not fully mended. Singapore is small and open. If the world economy turns bad, we will be buffeted. We need to stay vigilant and watch the developments worldwide,” he said.

Sources: http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/08/09/welcome-foreign-talent-with-an-open-heart-pm-lee/

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1 million reasons to smile for S’pore tourism

1 million reasons to smile for S’pore tourism
Record one million visitors a month means sector poised to meet year’s targets

Singapore set a new record yesterday with one million visitors in a month, and hailed its recovery from the tourism doldrums of last year.

Officials and industry players and now predicting the country will reach, or even exceed, visitorship and tourism receipt targets for the year.

Those set earlier by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) were for 11.5 million to 12.5 million visitors this year, and $17.5 billion to $18.5 billion in tourism receipts.

The board’s master plan envisages 17 million visitors annually by 2015, with $30 billion generated in receipts.

Speaking at a celebration ceremony yesterday at Changi Airport’s Budget Terminal, Mr Leong Yue Khong, assistant chief executive of the international group at STB, said he was “quietly confident” of hitting targets.

“(The visitorship growth) is sustainable. Barring any surprises like Sars or H1N1, we will continue to do well,” said Mr Leong, referring to disease outbreaks in 2003 and 2009 which dampened tourism.



The integrated resorts, already big tourist draws, are expected to open still more attractions, such as a museum at Marina Bay Sands and more rides at the Universal Studios theme park at Resorts World Sentosa.

Sentosa is developing more parts of the island and exploring the idea of adding new attractions.


And new attractions slated for the coming years, such as the Gardens by the Bay in the heard of the city and the River Safari in Mandai, should help to boost numbers her said.

Mr Leong said he expected the tourism infrastructure, such as hotel room supply, to be up to speed by 2015 to support the growth.

There are about 45,000 hotel rooms now. Mr Albert Choong, vice-president of the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA), said he expects another 10,000 in the next three to five years.

After a record 2007 which saw annual visitorship hit 10.3 million, Singapore saw arrivals dip over the next two years with the fallout from the global financial crisis in 2008 and the H1N1 flu pandemic last year. Visitor arrivals dropped to 10.1 million in 2008, and 9.7 million last year.



Things began to pick up at the end of last year and every month since December, the country has set monthly visitor arrival records, due in part to the openings of the integrated resorts.

With the newest record, an estimated average of 32,258 visitors arrives every day now.

Ten years ago, that number was 21,068 visitors a day, with 7.69 million visitors for 2000.

In the last decade, the visitor profile has also changed.

While Indonesians still make up the biggest numbers by far, the Chinese have now overtaken the Japanese as No.2.

Visitors from regional countries such as the Philippines and Thailand are also more numerous these days.

More top spenders are now also coming from Asia. In 2002, the year that the STB started analyzing tourism receipts by market, the top spenders were the Indonesians, Japanese and Indians, followed by the Australians and Americans.

In 2008, Indonesians were still the biggest spenders, followed by the Chinese, Indians, Australians and Filipinos.

If Singapore hits its targets for this year, the average spending per visitor would go up from about $1352 in 2000 to at least $1521 now.



Industry observers said that Singapore is on the right track, though some things could be improved, likes encouraging tourists to stay longer.

Mr Robert Khoo, president of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore, said that while there are many more Chinese tourists, they tend to stay for just one or two days and spend more time in countries like Malaysia and Thailand.

Part of this, he said, was due to hotel room rates being more expensive in Singapore than in its regional competitors.

Ms Wu Kou Tian, 30, a hotel executive from Beijing, arrived yesterday after six days in Thailand. On a package tour of the region, she planned to stay just one day here. “I’m just here for shopping, then, we are going to Genting Highlands to gamble,” said Ms Wu.

Mr Choong from SHA said that operational costs in Singapore are almost on par with more expensive cities like Hong Kong and Tokyo.

“At the end of the day, the whole industry must be sustainable, or else nobody would want to build hotels here,” he said.

As a compromise, Mr Khoo suggested: “The Tourism Board could show that while Singapore’s rate: are not as cheap, we are a quality destination that; value for money.”

Yesterday, Mr Leong said that the industry knows best how to handle issues of demand and supply. With new attractions opening, he expected to see the average length of stay go up from 3.5 days to four days by next year.

Source: prime. News by Tessa Wong on 31 Jul 2010