The Online Citizen did a similar test this Monday on its fans, as TOC is unlikely to have made the blunder of posting old news unknowingly in Facebook without a disclaimer. TOC posted a December 2010 Youtube and Malaysiakini article after PKR icon Anwar Ibrahim was acquitted this week. In that video, Anwar challenged former PM Lee Kuan Yew. Most of the TOC fans also did not bother to watch the Youtube or read the linked article and appeared to think that the news was just this week.

Do we read carefully and think before we comment? Apparently not from the example of Lim Hwee Hua and TOC Facebook fans. There are gullible netters everywhere.

Murder accused’s tale of love and infidelity …
Chinese national recounts call out of the blue, pledge in blood and tattoo of lover
04:46 AM Nov 25, 2011
by Teo Xuanwei

SINGAPORE – Learning that she was a married woman whom he also suspected of seeing other men while they were dating did not snuff out his feelings for her.

And even after Madam Zhang Meng’s family beat him up and threatened to kill him after discovering their illicit affair, Wang Zhijian, a Chinese national, stuck with her.

Wang’s account of how his relationship with Mdm Zhang blossomed in China was heard on the third day of his trial for the murder of Mdm Zhang, 42, her daughter Feng Jianyu, 17, and their room-mate Madam Yang Jie, 36, on the night of Sept 18, 2008 at their Yishun flat. Wang is also accused of repeatedly slashing Mdm Yang’s daughter, Li Meilin, now 18. She survived.

Wang, 45, told investigators he met Mdm Zhang sometime in 1996 but that it was only eight years later that she called him out of the blue for a chat.

In May or June 2005, she called him again and asked him out to a coffee house for a chat. This was when he revealed that he was recently divorced.

Wang and Mdm Zhang would rendezvous from then on about once a week to go to coffee houses or parks, usually on Thursdays when her husband, Mr Feng Jinqiang, worked the night shift as a policeman.

Their relationship remained platonic until Mdm Zhang asked him in March 2006 if he had fallen for her. Wang admitted that he indeed had feelings for her, and they became intimate a week later.

Three months later, when Mdm Zhang finally disclosed her marriage to him, Wang said it "saddened" him. He tried to break up with her but she refused.

Wang recounted that during one of their dates later, two men telephoned Mdm Zhang and asked her out. The incident caused him to suspect that "she had some other men", Wang said. He again asked to end the relationship but Mdm Zhang pleaded with him, saying that she did not want to live if he were to leave her.

As a pledge of her love for Wang, Mdm Zhang used her blood to write on a piece of paper: "I love Wang Zhijian. I want to marry him."

In return, Wang also wrote with his blood: "I (will) love her until I (die)."

When their extra-marital affair came to light in November that year, Wang said Mdm Zhang chose to leave her husband.

Two days later, Mdm Zhang’s younger brother, her younger sister and her husband confronted Wang, beating him up and threatening to kill him but he managed to flee from them eventually.

In April 2007, Wang was allowed to "retire" from his job as a storekeeper in a port on medical grounds, which entitled him to a monthly pension of 2,200 yuan (S$450) until he turned 60. Wang said he chose instead to take a 310,000 yuan loan from his company and let it deduct his monthly payments as repayment. Wang said he used the money to buy branded clothes for Mdm Zhang and took her for meals at "high-class restaurants and hotels", spending 100,000 yuan after only over three months.

In May 2007, Wang tattooed a portrait of Mdm Zhang and a rose on his back as a symbol of his love. Later that month, however, Mdm Zhang’s ex-husband suffered a stroke. Wang claimed that he helped Mdm Zhang bring Mr Feng for treatment for more than 10 days. Mdm Zhang broke up with him twice after that, Wang said, but they always reconciled.

In December that year, Jianyu was accepted into an English language school in Singapore and Wang kept in contact with Mdm Zhang over the phone.

By then, he started thinking that she was trying to cheat his feelings. The court heard on Wednesday that Wang allegedly went on a rampage after he quarrelled with Mdm Zhang over her demands for a meal of crab. He had arrived in Singapore from Tianjin nine days before the day of the attacks.The trial resumes next Friday. If found guilty, Wang faces the death penalty.

It has been 21 years since the NMP was introduced. It’s time to kick them out of the house.

Public invited to submit names for NMPs
Submissions can be made at the Parliament House and the closing date for submissions will close on Dec 8.
Wed, Nov 02, 2011
AsiaOne

SINGAPORE – The Parliament of Singapore is calling for the general public to make nominations for Nomination Members of Parliament (NMP).

Potential nominees should have rendered distinguished public service or brought honour to the Republic.

They could also have distinguished themselves in the field of arts and letters, sports, culture, the sciences, business, industry, the professions, social or community service or the labour movement.

Candidates should also be citizens of Singapore, of the age of 21 years or above on the day of nomination and currently on the register of electors.

They should be residents in Singapore at the date of nomination and have been residents for not less than 10 years prior to that date.

The public should nominate people who have the capability to take an active part in the proceedings of Parliament and can speak, read and write – unless incapacitated by blindness or other physical cause – at least English, Malay, Mandarin or Tamil.

Organisations that wish to nominate members for selection should submit their names to the coordinators of the respective functional groups they fall under.

They are: Mr Tony Chew (business and industry), Mr John De Payva (labour), Professor Tan Kok Chai (professions), Ms Ang Bee Lian (social service organisations), Mr Yam Ah Mee (civic and people sector), Professor Tan Chorh Chuan (tertiary educational institutions) and Mr Edmund Cheng (media, arts and sports organisations).

Submissions can be made at the Parliament House located at 1 Parliament Place, Singapore 178880.

The closing date for submission of names is December 8, 2011 at 4.30 pm.

dassa@sph.com.sg

Following up on Chen Show Mao‘s  stress on investment in healthcare and education for Singaporeans and Singapore’s human capital, Gerald Giam on the other hand is riding in fast and hard, showing that the WP is tackling headon heartland issues as a priority – health, house and transport. However, WP’s Muhamad Faisal stumbled to talk about the economy and negative externalities, oversimplifying the casino issue. To be objective, the PAP also touched on core issues like healthcare, transport, but the curiosity and excitement centres on WP naturally as their number of MPs has increased 6-fold in parliament and there are high expectations.

Focus on those who fall through the cracks
By Gwendolyn Ng
my paper
Wednesday, Oct 19, 2011

Hot-potato topics such as housing, health care and education dominated the parliamentary debates yesterday as the House focused on the plight of Singaporeans who have fallen through the cracks.

Many MPs highlighted a nagging concern of many young home buyers – the affordability of Housing Board flats.

Mr Ang Wei Neng, an MP for Jurong GRC, called on the Government to lower flat prices and give more subsidies to first- time buyers.

He added that these could come with caveats, like raising the minimum occupancy period to 15 years from the current five years, or for housing subsidies to be paid back if the flat is sold before the minimum period.

Mr Ang said: “Many Singaporeans feel that what they need is a roof (over their heads). They do not need to encash their flat; they do not want to be slaves to their houses.”

Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) Lina Chiam of the Singapore People’s Party asked for the criteria for buying flats to be relooked, as they may no longer be appropriate.

Currently, to qualify to buy an HDB flat, one must either be married or be 35 years or older, she noted.

Mrs Chiam said: “I urge the Government to reconsider these restrictions and allow Singaporeans to buy their first HDB flat… when they reach the age of 21.

“By the time a citizen reaches 35 years old (and wishes to buy) a flat, the price of the flat may have tripled and be out of that person’s reach.”

Similarly, affordability was in the spotlight on the issue of health care.

Workers’ Party NCMP Gerald Giam highlighted how Singaporeans worry about high health-care costs and suggested that the 3M health-care model could be tweaked.

The 3M model refers to Medisave’s compulsory medical savings, MediShield’s basic health insurance and Medifund’s government aid for the low income.

As an example, Mr Giam said 60 per cent of the elderly’s medical bills were paid from their children’s Medisave accounts in 2005.

This is “a departure from the principle of self-reliance”, he said, and the situation could be compounded if the patients’ children are low-income earners, which is “often the case”.

So, he argued that the Government is “asking one disadvantaged group to pay for another”.

His suggestions to address cost concerns included expanding the coverage of MediShield and providing assistance to those who cannot afford the premiums.

Dr Chia Shi-Lu, a Tanjong Pagar GRC MP, suggested giving additional rebates pegged to the patients’ age.

He pointed out that medical costs incurred tend to increase as patients age and the elderly receive the same amount of health-care subsidies as younger patients in most areas.

“I hope that further provisions can be made to help buffer the elderly and carers from health-care costs,” said Dr Chia.

In the face of an ageing population and smaller families, MP for Jurong GRC Halimah Yacob said that the pressure on caregivers will escalate.

So, she urged the Government to provide more accessible and affordable home-care services.

She pointed out that caregivers also need to be looked after, by providing them with care, because they will age, too.

On tertiary education, Mr Ang suggested extending subsidies to reputable private universities here, other than SIM University, to help more Singaporeans further their education here.

He said: “As Singapore gears itself towards a knowledge-based economy, we will probably need more graduates and not less.”

The global economy with US and Europe  pulling everything down, is uninspiring. Singapore is small and our manufacturing and export-oriented economy would be knocked around and there is nothing our overpaid ministers can do.

However, our tax structure and burden is sustainable as there is no serious aging population and immigrants here contribute to direct and indirect tax. On people-centred growth and a skilled workforce, Singapore is expensive compared to the competition and bringing foreign skilled workers might keep labour cost down. However there is ever growing resentment towards foreigners in Singapore as there is the misconception that foreigners are stealing jobs from locals left, right and centre.

The year ahead in Singapore is as uncertain and shaky as the global economy and no amount of assurance by the new government can make us feel confident.

Govt to ensure economic growth
Long-term strategic plans to ensure sustained and inclusive economic growth for Singapore. -myp
Reico Wong
Wed, Oct 12, 2011
my paper

Four government ministries and agencies unveiled their long-term strategic plans yesterday, following President Tony Tan Keng Yam’s opening address to the 12th Parliament on Monday.

At the forefront of their agenda was the common pledge to ensure sustained and inclusive economic growth for Singapore.

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday cautioned that headwinds from slower global growth, stemming from uncertainties in developed economies, will mean slower growth in Singapore in the next few years.

“We must steer a path that enables Singapore to respond to these challenges, transform the nation’s capabilities and help our citizens achieve higher standards of living,” he said.

Monetary Authority of Singapore

To remain vigilant against a resurgence of cost pressures, even as inflation is expected to moderate towards the year’s end.

To conduct regular stress tests on Singapore’s financial sector and work with other agencies to secure and strengthen overall financial stability.

Banks will be required to maintain prudent capital buffers, in line with and in addition to Basel III minimum requirements. The risk-based capital framework for insurance companies will also be enhanced.

To impose stronger safeguards in the sale of investment products to retail investors, and to step up financial-education efforts to help them make informed decisions.

To continue to deepen the talent pool to build strong and distinctive capabilities in the finance industry, which is expected to remain a key growth engine for the Singapore economy.

National Research Foundation

In the next five years, the NRF will seek to strengthen the considerable expertise in research and development to attract talent, generate intellectual property and enhance Singapore’s competitiveness in a globalised world.

The five Research Centres of Excellence will provide opportunities for some 800 PhD students to be trained. The NRF Fellowship Programme will enhance Singapore’s intellectual capital, with top young scientists – local and foreign – undertaking research in Singapore.

The Competitive Research Programme provides research grants to local researchers from universities and the industry.

The National Framework of Innovation and Entrepreneurship will help to translate the treasure trove of knowledge from tertiary and research institutions into applications and products to benefit Singapore’s economy and society.

Ministry of Finance

To maintain a sound and sustainable fiscal system, with a resilient revenue structure to meet higher spending needs in areas such as transport infrastructure and education.

To ensure that the overall burden of tax on Singaporeans remains low by global standards.

To keep the tax system progressive and ensure that government transfer schemes provide targeted and effective aid to lower- and middle-income households in need. It will also simplify tax administration and enhance tax certainty to continue to support Singapore’s pro-business environment.

To maintain a framework that enables the Government of Singapore Investment Corp and Temasek Holdings to pursue investment strategies that generate sustainable portfolio returns.

To support and catalyse efforts to raise skills and improve quality of jobs in every sector.

To encourage co-contributions from charitable individuals and companies through significant tax deductions, and matching grants for donations.

Ministry of Trade and Industry Singapore

To focus on ensuring people-centred growth, by investing in equipping workers to take on higher-skilled jobs through training and upgrading.

To step up efforts to re-position Singapore’s economy towards value-added and more- productive sectors.

This includes expanding the range of offerings in the logistics and professional-services sector, and raising the standard of tourism offerings. Emerging clusters, such as clean technology and media, will be developed.

To review existing free-trade agreements to ensure their relevance and accessibility to small and medium-sized enterprises, and to continue to expand trade linkages with emerging markets.

To reinforce Singapore’s position as the gateway to Asia – the centre of dynamic growth now – and the best location for both the expansion and headquartering of global companies.

In the main battle of this GE,  George Yeo’s political careeer is in jeopardy as he faces a tough tight WP team. The debate has been predictable, boths sides threatening voters that Aljunied might turn into a slum if they vote WP or Aljunied would be blamed for the loss of a good opposition leader if they vote PAP.

Then Goh Chok Tong suddenly pushed Wong Kan Seng to the front. The latest twist is that the former PM  implied that Wong Kan Seng is not a core member in parliament and that he rather the former Home Affairs minister go than George Yeo. The pressure on George Yeo’s GRC would not be lessen by Goh’s observation. However, Wong Kan Seng would feel more pressure on his GRC from SPP. Rather than making things better for the PAP overall, Goh has made it worse. What the former PM has done is now open a new front in Bishan-Toa Payoh and gave SPP an extra edge.

Why did Goh say that? Probably because the PAP is a party that has internal factions, which is expected for an organisation so huge and so political. What we want to know who is standing with who within the PAP now.

George Yeo too important for Cabinet to lose: SM Goh
04:46 AM May 03, 2011
by Ian De Cotta

SINGAPORE – Foreign Minister George Yeo, who is facing a fierce challenge from the Workers’ Party in the Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC), has been described as “too important a person for the Cabinet to lose” by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Singling out Mr Yeo as one of three “very important” core members in the Cabinet – the others being Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean – Mr Goh said yesterday: “There are other core members but these are the three core members who will be very important … (Finance Minister) Tharman (Shanmugaratnam) is too new but will be developed into a core member.”

Speaking after a walkabout in Marine Parade GRC, Mr Goh said a member of the Prime Minister’s core team is picked not only based on the portfolio the minister heads but also his intelligence, competence, ability to deliver results and someone whose judgment can be trusted.

“I’ve run a Government and I know you need a core team. A core team is four or five people, other ministers are important, but you need a core team,” said Mr Goh. “If you lose George Yeo, I think it is a very big loss (for the Cabinet), and to Singapore.”

Elaborating, Mr Goh said the Foreign Minister has played a critical role in the Prime Minister’s team to formulate and implement policies, and will not be easily replaced in the short term if his team loses in the Aljunied GRC.

Said Mr Goh: “If one GRC is lost, as Minister Mentor (Lee Kuan Yew) said, we can accept the result – I agree with that. Sooner or later we are going to lose one. But my view if we lose Aljunied, that is a different matter.”

With Mr Yeo in the middle of negotiating “very delicate agreements” with Indonesia and Malaysia, the loss will even be more telling for Singapore.

Summing up, Mr Goh said: “What mistake has he made? You can take a minister and criticise him for not delivering on perhaps housing and transport.

“Like Wong Kan Seng you can say he let Mas Selamat escape. George Yeo, what has he done to deserve this? And he is a core member.”

First World Parliament, co-drivers, the WP admitting that it is not ready to form the government, all rhetoric for non-Aljunied voters. Property prices dropping because of delayed upgrading once Aljunied falls into WP hands and better infrastructure in the estate if it remains in PAP control and the pressure on them to vote opposition while the rest of Singapore can vote PAP is what Aljunied voters might fear and be frustrated about, something that the PAP is trying desperately to leverage on. Aljunied voters have the fate of Singapore’s opposition on their shoulders because of the Not In My Backyard syndrome of the other SMC and GRC voters stuck in the Singaporean kiasi psyche.

George Yeo is an unfortunate victim of politics. He is not the minister overseeing housing, CPF, transport, employment, immigration, national service, taxes i.e. issues which irked Singaporeans. He is instead the chink in the PAP’s armour purely based on political geography of 2006 and proximity to Hougang. That’s politics and too bad for him. Singapore might lose a foreign minister but looking at things, the PAP will probably dominate parliament and the next foreign minister would be a PAP man still as everyone else in Singapore would vote for PAP as they presume Aljunied would vote for WP. Reviewing the mood so far, the PAP might lose this time.

Why would the PAP lose? Low Thia Khiang is finally risking all by daring to stand shoulder to shoulder this time with Sylvia Lim in Aljunied. The latter was to establish a beachhead in 2006 and the time is ripe for a GRC takeover attempt in WP’s view. Looking at his brand name, WP’s excellent track record however limited it is in parliament, the Low Thia Khiang and Sylvia Low team look solid. Especially when the PAP makes dark threats that Aljunied voters would live to regret it if they vote opposition. This type of ultimatum to force Aljunied’s choice is going to backfire on the PAP.

So far the WP thrust is on a First World Parliament but really as they don’t intend to form a shadow cabinet, their talk of First World Parliament is mostly empty, but catchy. What WP is extremely strong in is however their proposals on healthcare, housing, a social safety net etc. besides rightly self-absorbed municipal concerns which Aljunied residents might be more interested in. The PAP is drawing WP in a debate on First World Parliament and the WP appears to be sucked into that debate which works well for the rest of Singapore, but probably less so for Aljunied voters. WP stands on the high ground so far striking a chord with the rest of Singapore, but Aljunied might feel different about it. Or they might not and actually back the First World Parliament dream and live with the trade-off of being in an opposition ward. The hustings are not over yet though.

Can we trust the PAP government to keep to its promise? Particularly as this pledge to keep GST at the current 7% is not without conditions. The PAP arguably failed to keep its pre-GE 2006 promise of lower healthcare costs  and what would prevent it from going back on its word for delaying a GST increase for at least 5 years?

Nothing. As the PAP can simply come up with real or imagined reasons especially if they continue to dominate the 87 seats in parliament from May onwards. In 2006, the PAP explained away the need for GST to increase from 5% to 7% after GE 2006 by reasoning that the increase in the regressive tax was to help the poor in a ridiculous Robbing Peter to Pay Paul policy. That is the outcome if the PAP has a control over parliament and can pass bills and policies without real competition.

GE: Tharman says GST will not be raised for at least another 5 years

SINGAPORE : Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has reiterated that the goods and services tax (GST) will not be raised for at least another five years.

Mr Tharman said there is no need to raise the GST as Singapore’s budget is in a healthy state.

The GST was last raised from 5 per cent to 7 per cent in 2007.

Mr Tharman was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a community event in Jurong on Saturday.

He said: “As Finance Minister, I have made that very clear in Parliament that at least for the next five years – it does not mean we will raise it in five years’ time – but at least for five years, there is absolutely no reason to raise the GST, because this was the whole idea – we strengthen our revenue base in time. In fact, in the good years before the crisis, it came in very handy in the crisis but it is also going to come in handy in the next five years when we build our infrastructure in health, in infrastructure and we increase our support for the poor.

“Basically, the GST and changes to the constitution have provided us a lot addition to our revenue base. Firstly, it has provided us to react very forcefully during the crisis, it wasn’t just the draw on the reserves…we were very fortunate that we made the revenue changes in time so that we could react forcefully to help Singapore through the crisis and now post-crisis, it has helped us to build up our infrastructure, education, health, including continuous education and training.

“That was the original motivation for GST, help the poor more and prepare Singaporeans for the future through investment income, two very solid sources of revenue to help us in the years to come.”

Mr Tharman also said that his team is taking the opposition seriously, whether they are well-known or otherwise.

But he said that the People’s Action Party (PAP) team has a track record in Jurong, having made many improvements for the elderly, children and low-income families in the last 10 years.

Mr Tharman added that aside from national schemes, Jurong also has its own local schemes that have benefited the residents there, and so residents already know what the PAP can do more and that they can deliver on their promises.

Fortunately, some dared try to bring reason and credibility back to the Internet. Postmaster-General argued that the mob rants were below the belt, Tribolum lamented that many lost the plot in their malice, Siew Kum Hong posited that the personal attacks were unwarranted and Moto sighed that infantile malice in the Internet is still prevalent. Not all agreed of course e.g. Onesingaporean mused that it is just karma and Rockson, well remained as Rockson.

If this denouncement of the mob attacks on the youngest PAP candidate this GE keeps up, although the mob might still ridicule her for spiteful reasons, the masses would at least respect her for being tough and surviving her PAP Candidate Hell Week. Only if Tin Pei Ling plays it smart and roll with the punches, and gets up again, and again.

Back then, simple solid homes were enough. They were spartan to the myopic extent that there were no lifts built on every floor. Housing was arguably cheaper then, excluding inflation over the years. DBSS is the top of the line public housing now, and it comes with top of the line pricing in the public housing context. Over the years, HDB flats are better built and designed for the lower to middle income bands. There is deliberate policy to prevent public housing from becoming some council housing in the West where public housing is only for the underclass. This is also possibly an emerging trend in some countries like Japan where public housing is more and more for the middle income and this inadvertently affects its pricing.

For the new HDB home buyer, it is more expensive to buy a 4BR and it takes people longer to own their homes as the mortgage period is up to 30 years, and not by calculated financial choice. This is where public housing policy failed in recent years according to the expectations of the new HDB owners, never mind what the policy-makers think.

The HDB house is not totally a home but also a lead weight around the neck of its owners especially since the HDB gives a market subsidy, not cost subsidy, on its homes built for Singaporeans. Something that does not sit easily with Singaporeans who are increasingly priced out even when finding their first new public housing flat. They are the ones the government have to look out for if the government wants its rootedness policy is to be more effective. Of course unless these new aspiring homeowners want to buy a resale HDB flat in a centralised location rather than a new flat in an outer suburb. Then they should be at the mercy of the market.

Home ownership a ‘fundamental policy’: MM
04:46 AM Mar 23, 2011

SINGAPORE – When he took office in 1959, then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew noted homes in fast-growing Asian cities comprised of small rooms which came with high rentals. “Therefore, they decorated their cars as if they were their homes. But these additions have no lasting value,” he said.

With that in mind, Mr Lee and the Government embarked on making Singapore a home-owning society and home ownership a fundamental policy. By the 1980s – and in “a short time” – the Government had housed 85 per cent of the population.

“If we had not helped our citizens to own their homes, Singapore would be very different,” said Mr Lee, who is now Minister Mentor. “Society would not be so stable. Our lives would have been worse off. They have valuable assets in their homes to protect against riots and civil commotion.”

Mr Lee made these remarks on home ownership – which is expected to dominate the hustings during the coming elections – during Saturday’s launch of the Tanjong Pagar Town Council’s five-year masterplan and ABC Waters at Alexandra Canal. The full speech was made available yesterday.

Mr Lee reiterated that home ownership gives every Singaporean “a sense of ownership”.

“Our families own their homes and are rooted to Singapore … Moreover, with National Service, every family must have a stake in a property to defend,” he added.

As Singaporeans take great pride in their homes, Mr Lee said, “it is crucial to prevent our estates from becoming urban slums”.

“As Singapore prospers, the value of their HDB homes also appreciate. Home ownership motivates Singaporeans to work hard and to aspire for a better future for their family, to upgrade to better and bigger flats,” he added.

While the Government has met Singaporeans’ basic needs, it has to “meet the rising aspirations” too, said Mr Lee, as he traced the “HDB story” which reflects Singaporeans’ social mobility.

Mr Lee noted that as younger families began moving out of the older HDB towns, for newer and more modern flats in the late 1980s, the Government introduced the HDB Upgrading Programme – providing new playgrounds, covered linkways, landscaped gardens and open spaces for residents to mingle.

In 1995, the HDB launched the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme, or SERS, to free up land in the older estates, and to replace them with higher-quality, higher-density flats.

In 2001, with an ageing population, the Government implemented the Lift Upgrading Programme.

“We are near the final phase of its completion, and works will complete by 2014,” Mr Lee noted.

The Minister Mentor stressed public housing cannot be allowed to become obsolete. Which is why HDB embarked in 2007 on its plan to rejuvenate the housing estates – starting with the pilot towns and estates in Punggol, Yishun and Dawson. Towns in Hougang, East Coast and the Jurong Lake areas will soon follow.

By next year, the Government will be laying out the next generation nationwide broadband network “so that everybody will have easy access to the computer, to all information that they will require, and they can video-conference with each other and with families abroad”, said Mr Lee.

But Mr Lee stressed: “We must build upon the strong foundation laid; continue to work hard, and share the fruits of our nation’s progress.”