REACH 322 - What are your views on the war between Russia and Ukraine? How do you think Singapore will be impacted by the ongoing war? (SK)

28 Feb 2022 (10am - 7pm)

REACH

[10:46 am, 28/02/2022] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

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[10:48 am, 28/02/2022] +REACH: 📢 Topic 📢

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on Thursday morning (Feb 24) with attacks by land, sea and air, stakes rose rapidly on Sunday (Feb 27) in Europe's biggest conflict since World War II after President Vladimir Putin put Russia's nuclear forces on high alert, an act that the United States termed an unacceptable escalation.

💬 What are your views on the war between Russia and Ukraine? How do you think Singapore will be impacted by the ongoing war?

Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv and other cities - Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Dnipro and Odessa - are some of the locations to have been hit by the Russian military so far.

Western governments have responded with sanctions against Russian banks and state-owned enterprises, and the United Nations Security Council will vote on Friday (Feb 25) on a draft resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and demanding a withdrawal of its troops.

How Singaporeans could be affected

📌Higher food inflation

Analysts have cautioned that developments in Ukraine could impact the outlook for inflation, and prices of food staples such as wheat and corn could rise sharply.

📌Higher energy prices

With Europe heavily reliant on Russian gas transiting through Ukraine - Russia provides Europe with around 40 per cent of its natural gas supply - the energy markets may also be hit.

📌Higher pump prices

Russia is the second-largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia, shipping about five million barrels of crude oil per day.

📌Supply chain disruption and further inflation risks

Escalating tensions and sanctions could also result in energy supply disruptions and potentially hamper the already burdened supply chains further, contributing to further inflation risks.

👉🏻https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/putin-puts-russias-nuclear-forces-on-high-alert-us-calls-move-unacceptable

👉🏻https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2022/02/russia-ukraine-crisis/index.html?shell

👉🏻https://www.straitstimes.com/business/rising-prices-and-volatility-how-the-ukraine-crisis-could-impact-singaporeans

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[11:03 am, 28/02/2022] +BL: 💬 What are your views on the war between Russia and Ukraine? How do you think Singapore will be impacted by the ongoing war?

: Sad and Depressing. Russia should be isolated from the World. Whilst I understand the history and frustration from Russia about the West, it's totally unjustifiable to invade. Right now I don't see Singapore being adversely affected anymore than any other country, perhaps less, providing it doesn't escalate and China gets involved.

[11:03 am, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Time will tell soon enough

[11:05 am, 28/02/2022] +Rama: For those who ask: “Why does Ukraine matter?”

This is why Ukraine matters:

It is the second-largest country by area in Europe by area and has a population of over 40 million - more than Poland.

Ukraine ranks:

🌐 1st in Europe in proven recoverable reserves of uranium ores;

🌐2nd place in Europe and 10th place in the world in terms of titanium ore reserves;

🌐2nd place in the world in terms of explored reserves of manganese ores (2.3 billion tons, or 12% of the world's reserves);

🌐2nd largest iron ore reserves in the world (30 billion tons);

🌐2nd place in Europe in terms of mercury ore reserves;

🌐3rd place in Europe (13th place in the world) in shale gas reserves (22 trillion cubic meters)

🌐4th in the world by the total value of natural resources;

🌐7th place in the world in coal reserves (33.9 billion tons)

Ukraine is an important agricultural country:

🌐1st in Europe in terms of arable land area;

🌐3rd place in the world by the area of black soil (25% of world's volume);

🌐1st place in the world in exports of sunflower and sunflower oil;

🌐2nd place in the world in barley production and 4th place in barley exports;

🌐3rd largest producer and 4th largest exporter of corn in the world;

🌐4th largest producer of potatoes in the world;

🌐5th largest rye producer in the world;

🌐5th place in the world in bee production (75,000 tons);

🌐8th place in the world in wheat exports;

🌐9th place in the world in the production of chicken eggs;

🌐16th place in the world in cheese exports.

Ukraine can meet the food needs of 600 million people.

Ukraine is an important industrialized country:

🌐1st in Europe in ammonia production;

Europe's 2nd’s and the world’s 4th largest natural gas pipeline system;

🌐3rd largest in Europe and 8th largest in the world in terms of installed capacity of nuclear power plants;

🌐3rd place in Europe and 11th in the world in terms of rail network length (21,700 km);

🌐3rd place in the world (after the U.S. and France) in production of locators and locating equipment;

🌐3rd largest iron exporter in the world

🌐4th largest exporter of turbines for nuclear power plants in the world;

🌐4th world's largest manufacturer of rocket launchers;

🌐4th place in the world in clay exports

🌐4th place in the world in titanium exports

🌐8th place in the world in exports of ores and concentrates;

🌐9th place in the world in exports of defense industry products;

🌐10th largest steel producer in the world (32.4 million tons).

 That is why its independence is important to the rest of the world.

[11:05 am, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

World war 1 and 2 started from Europe.

Hopefully, this Russia and Ukraine will not escalated into ww3.

[11:07 am, 28/02/2022] +Uncle Law: This conflict will indirectly impact us in terms of further rising cost of essential items and supply chain.

[11:07 am, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Don't discount the possibility

[11:08 am, 28/02/2022] +Rama: According to the Budapest Memorandum and other agreements, Ukraine has no borders - The state of Ukraine does not exist (and has never existed!) - Alexander Panin

https://www.simonparkes.org/post/ukrainian-is-a-part-of-russia-meaning-russia-can-enter-at-any-time

[11:10 am, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Russia has reminiscent of past glory of USSR. And warn of military consequences if Finland and Sweden join NATO.

The president is even threatening nuclear the moment the West impose Swift sanctions on Russia - the financial nuclear option.

So cannot underestimate  what a hurt and cornered strongman with nuclear arsenal can do.

[11:12 am, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/ukraine-invasion-vladimir-putin-zelenskyy-nato-anger-2522976                                                                                                                        Russian President Vladimir Putin's resentment of the West and fixation on Ukraine has made him more aggressive and unpredictable than ever, says the Financial Times' Max Seddon.

[11:12 am, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/finland-sweden-brush-off-moscows-133243866.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9tYWxheXNpYS5uZXdzLnlhaG9vLmNvbS9jb3ZpZC0xOS1ob25nLWtvbmctY2VsZWJyaXRpZXMtMDYxNTA1NDQ3Lmh0bWw_Z3VjY291bnRlcj0x&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEVowo0zd0vqlvn5an_fEVVZA0drjdGfPZWGhijh8g-KaNVxC4K5HTMI4X25HR-pxITL1ucJViXTKjHfT2EogScMxyN26e8rfWAwm0yRVx10k0IO4nONuUcDQF7fVn1pP3bEfDA8brawHDykylTYsTtSrpplUgd1BbfrOQWEZgOx                                                                                      Finland, Sweden brush off Moscow's warning on joining NATO.

[11:12 am, 28/02/2022] +jimmy chew: Unless some countries want to revert to historical conquest 🤣

[11:12 am, 28/02/2022] +jimmy chew: Will we stay and fight?

[11:17 am, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

To tackle higher energy price, we need to go solar energy using solar panels quickly for housing units - public and private housing - at least to rely less on imported fuel, oil and gas.

[11:18 am, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Sun is an infinite free energy sources.

[11:18 am, 28/02/2022] +RH: Tks for the summary,  which does increase my knowledge & understanding abt Ukraine. 

So, this war was started under a diff pretext and guise.

Just using excuses to take control of more resources and power for Russia. 

I was brought up thinking tt the United Nations was set up to prevent WW3. ... 

So, where r they now and wat r they doing abt this? 

Too busy fighting CoVid ?

[11:19 am, 28/02/2022] +RH: They shd not hv disbanded the USSR  ...

which was formed to prevent things like this forced annexation from happening.

[11:20 am, 28/02/2022] +RH: Is history gg to repeat itself?

[11:21 am, 28/02/2022] +BL: ?? https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/25/five-things-to-know-about-russia-ukraine-tensions

[11:23 am, 28/02/2022] +BL: Regardless of the talking, and posturing on each side, there is no excuse for invasion, firing missiles and sending in tanks.

[11:25 am, 28/02/2022] +RH: Can't read yr article without agreeing to allow cookies....

[11:26 am, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Possibly

[11:26 am, 28/02/2022] +BL: ok, odd.

[11:28 am, 28/02/2022] +Rama: https://www.indiatoday.in/news-analysis/story/russia-ukraine-war-news-saint-vladimir-religious-angle-invasion-ukraine-1917721-2022-02-25

[0:00 pm, 28/02/2022] +Uncle Law: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/27/russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-news/

[0:06 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: Top scientists and top brains too!

[0:28 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/ukraine-calls-putins-order-put-nuclear-forces-alert-pressure-tactic-2523641

Ukraine calls Putin's order to put nuclear forces on alert a pressure tactic.

Russia military face fierce resistance and setback - trigger nuclear threat.

[0:30 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: And they are offering a suitable location for a possible peace talk!?

[0:37 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Russia to seize foreigners' funds in retaliation of SWIFT ban -RIA.                                                   https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-seize-foreigners-funds-retaliation-ria-2022-02-26/

[0:37 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Not surprising

[0:37 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Wonder did Singapore firm invest in Russia or not.

[0:38 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Is our state funds exposed to seizure!?

[0:42 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 🤷

[0:44 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Expect our local business funds to get affected though

[0:48 pm, 28/02/2022] +65 9740 5395: I have been following Ix Shen's account in Ukraine war via CNA. The majority on CNA facebook worried for Ix's safety and asked him to leave the country. It got me to think that if Singapore is under attack, who will stay behind to defend?

[0:48 pm, 28/02/2022] +REACH: S'pore will impose export controls on items that can be used as weapons in Ukraine: Vivian Balakrishnan

More: https://str.sg/wsTH

[0:49 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

If we only condemn the invasion, I think we are still ok.

As long as we don't take part in the Swift sanctions.

Indonesia condemn but will not take part in the sanction.

[0:49 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Exactly!

[0:50 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Our government has to weigh consequences

[0:50 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Good start

[0:51 pm, 28/02/2022] +JC: Saddened and fearful of the immense sufferings to Ukrainians once Russia gets pushed to a corner. I would be very (and pleasantly) surprised if what we saw so far is the full extent of Russian military force. 

As for SG - we need to fully denounce Russia's act of aggression given the importance of the international world order to a small state like SG.

[0:51 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Believe our government has publicly made known our position

[0:52 pm, 28/02/2022] +JC: 👍

[1:01 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

https://www.rikvin.com/blog/russia-closer-business-ties-singapore/

Russia Seeks Closer Business Ties with Singapore Companies.

I believe some Singapore business in Russia will be impacted.

[1:04 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: Who is Gorbachev?  Can he helps the world again and this time the 'China Wall? Or perhaps Henry Kissinger helps to create a' breathing space' for all parties to de escalate the situation? 

https://www.dw.com/en/former-soviet-leader-mikhail-gorbachev-celebrates-his-90th-birthday/a-56751812

[1:05 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: Who is Putin? 

https://youtu.be/9mhi_AyQAyw

[1:06 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: Perhaps that's the problem..? 

https://youtu.be/W2Cugn8JZfk

[1:08 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: Better times... 

https://youtu.be/eRRBVV3StJM

[1:09 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: "You need oil & foods for a longer battle...?" 

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/china-confirms-it-has-lifted-wheat-import-restrictions-on-russia

[1:10 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: That's how a declaration of war proceeds! 

https://youtu.be/lK8gYGg0dkE

[1:12 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: It is the aspiration of the Chinese since Mao ZeDong's great leap, the very obsession over aeronautics knowledge specifically of late, the engine and the landing gear system for passenger aircraft 80,000kg and above. 

The existing top engine makers are CFM, Pratt & Whitney, GE and Rolls Royce. 

Heroux-Devtek, CIRCOR Aerospace, Liebherr Group, Safran Landing Systems, Triumph Group, UTC Aerospace Systems, Merill Technologies Group, Magellan Aerospace, and Eaton Corporation are some of the leading landing gear manufacturer.

Does Ukraine has either or both attributes that the Chinese needs?

[1:13 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: ".. that Alpha male personality and the accompanied high Ego unlike the female Alpha that seldom goes to war..." 

- - anonymous

[1:23 pm, 28/02/2022] +REACH: Russia's invasion of Ukraine a clear and gross violation of international norms: Vivian Balakrishnan

More: https://str.sg/wsTy

[1:24 pm, 28/02/2022] +Caleb: Currently we got export such items?

[1:32 pm, 28/02/2022] +Thomas: There r items that be use in commercial or military purposes

[1:39 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

https://www.straitstimes.com/world/us-says-putins-nuclear-alert-totally-unacceptable-as-ukraine-russia-talks-set-to-begin

US says Putin's nuclear alert 'totally unacceptable' as Ukraine-Russia talks set to begin.

[1:40 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/putins-plan-for-rapid-invasion-of-ukraine-has-not-gone-as-expected

Putin's plan for rapid invasion of Ukraine has not gone as expected.

Aggression don't pay.

[1:41 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://www.voanews.com/a/6224958.html

[2:17 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Well said and done

[2:17 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: He is a has been

[2:18 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Not surprising

[2:18 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Divine intervention

[2:19 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Down size their diplomatic mission here and ours there

[2:31 pm, 28/02/2022] +BL: Russia is at risk because if their War goes badly wrong they could be invaded themselves.

[2:54 pm, 28/02/2022] +Poh S Lim: Pray that it does not escalate into a nuclear war. 

Russian aggression is a credible threat not to be taken lightly. Putin is not mentally stable for starting an invasion of a neighbouring sovereign country, and all his reasons are not sufficient justification for an atrocious act of aggression. Ukraine has not invaded Russia and is not in a position to do so, so all Putin’s posturing is a pretext for a person who imagines himself to be the next Russian Tsar. About 200 years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte of France had the similar idea of entitlement and crowned himself an Emperor. I suspect Putin would be bound to do the same and try to revive a Russian Empire with himself being the modern day Tsar.

[2:57 pm, 28/02/2022] +Poh S Lim: Singapore being a country dependent on trade, will surely be affected as ‘collateral damage’ in a worldwide realignment of democracies and autocracies. We may need to choose sides when it comes to that.

[3:27 pm, 28/02/2022] +REACH: ➡️ SIA suspends flights between Singapore and Moscow with immediate effect

More: https://str.sg/wsqo 

➡️ 9 S'poreans still in Ukraine, MFA exploring options for them to leave

More: https://str.sg/wsqx

[3:31 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Not likely but I expect their economy to suffer

[3:32 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Very unlikely although probable

[3:32 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Definitely

[3:36 pm, 28/02/2022] +Kelvin Tan M L: @Poh S. Lim As China has some sort of not condemning Russia for their act of aggression, it will likely impact us on which side we have to choose. It is not good for us

[3:37 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: They both have a common agenda against the west.

[3:45 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: What's in Putin's mind? WHO NEEDS WHO MOST! 

There is a greater needs now for the Russians to breakthrough these blockades from redrawing the geography to sanctions, be forewarned that "Fear is a (global) reaction. Courage is a (Putin) decision.” said Winston Churchill. 

Free access and control into the Baltic sea through the three balken nations. What's the reactions from the nordic nations? 

Free access and control into the Black Sea through Istanbul, a NATO/ OBOR member. How about the Middle East Oil countries economics interests? 

The North Pole and its sea routes are done deal for the Russians, the Chinese and the Americans.

Chernobyl may be the last chip on the roulette table? 

Likewise for China, the South China Sea is China's front door too! 

Afterwords:

'when your big house is blocked by many smaller houses in front of you...?'

- - anonymous 

'How to bake a cake (TSMC) what if you are short of flour and eggs, likewise for any electric car maker (VW), where are the batteries and the micro chips...?'"

- - anonymous

[3:52 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/russia-facing-total-isolation-over-025336845.html

Russia facing total isolation over Ukraine after ally China refuses to back them at UN.

[3:53 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Look closely across the globe and see those that stand still with them

[3:57 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

https://news.yahoo.com/china-far-not-helping-russia-004255403.html

China so far not helping Russia evade Western sanctions - U.S. official.

[3:59 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: More being done clandestinely

[4:00 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/20/climate/carbon-biden-drilling-climate.html

[4:02 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

China fought a brief border war with Russia.

China is well aware and against naked aggression and invasion against a sovereign country based on its historical lesson.

China is equally uneasy about Russia invasion of Ukraine.

[4:04 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: For now,  kiss and make up against the west

[4:07 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-tells-xi-new-deal-that-could-sell-more-russian-gas-china-2022-02-04/

[4:10 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

https://sg.yahoo.com/finance/news/cracks-emerge-between-beijing-moscow-161216654.html

Cracks emerge between Beijing and Moscow as two Chinese banks restrict lending.

[4:20 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Ukraine invasion: Singapore to impose unilateral sanctions on Russia in ‘almost unprecedented’ move.

Singapore’s decision to act in concert with the West to impose unilateral sanctions marks the second time it is censuring a foreign power without UN Security Council assent.

Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan warns the republic may have to face ‘some costs’ for the sanctions, but that it must ‘stand up for principles’ as a small state.

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3168648/ukraine-invasion-singapore-impose-unilateral-sanctions-russia

[4:23 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://youtu.be/o9A-u8EoWcI

[4:29 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Well said

[4:30 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-24/why-us-germany-sanctions-nord-stream-2-punish-russia/100856910

[4:30 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Watch the stock market globally

[4:33 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Wow

[4:35 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Many Western media and politicians don't understand how China think - and always too quickly make the wrong conclusion about China.

[4:36 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: That's the biggest mistake to this day!

[4:38 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

China thinking is not to wage a war, but concentrate on building their Economy, finances and softpower.

War destroy what they build over the years.

And China suntze art of war classify that waging war - is the last thing a power should do.

[4:39 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-regime-backs-russias-invasion-of-ukraine.html

[4:40 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Exactly

[4:40 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://www.dw.com/en/china-russia-arming-myanmar-junta-un-expert-says/a-60868089

[4:40 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: China and Russia back the ruling junta here!

[4:40 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Not surprising

[4:41 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/abe-questions-us-over-taiwan-after-ukraine-fiasco-by-the-west-101645940884761.html

[4:41 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Food for thought!

[4:49 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national-politics/putin-gives-pm-friendship-medal

[4:51 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Agree

[4:51 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2022/02/25/russia-eyeing-tourism-ties-with-laos

[4:51 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Be wary

[4:51 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Something is fishy here

[4:52 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

China people very smart.

They don't anyhow go to war.

Like all Chinese, they prefer wealth than war.

[4:52 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Yes

[4:54 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/25/pakistan-imran-putin-russia-ukraine-invasion

[4:55 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Trap being set

[4:59 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-tells-xi-new-deal-that-could-sell-more-russian-gas-china-2022-02-04/

[4:59 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: One knows the century old game, the reactions and counted the odds! The SWIFT sanction seems an effective old way to stop things... Where are you going to park this $117?

[5:01 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

It is paid in yuan not Swift dollars.

[5:03 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202202/1253221.shtml 

Yuan increasingly preferred amid de-dollarization of China-Russia trade.

[5:03 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: If it dealt in US$ that's alot of ¥ You got it, not via swift.

[5:05 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Ukraine: what will China do? There are signs it is uneasy about Putin’s methods.

Increasingly, Russia will become an outcast state.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-china-signs-uneasy-putin-071506405.html

[5:06 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: So, petrodollar will due off one day in the future!?

[5:08 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

War, politics distort the allocation of world resources - and results in economics displacement.

Eventually world resources will wriggle itself out.

[5:12 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Russia will eventually be outcast to trade in yuan and outside the world economic and financial system.

Russia as a result will become overly dependent on China for its economic growth and development.

In the long run, this is unsustainable for Russia.

[5:18 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Russia adventurism into Ukraine and it's USSR dream - may exert a heavy price on Russia Economy.

Eventually, Russia may lose big rather than win regardless of the outcome of its war with Ukraine.

Hence aggression don't pay.

Waging a war don't pay - suntze art of war - war is fought and win without committing a soldier is the most superior war strategy.

[5:25 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: The greatest war planners and executioners are the Chinese!

[5:26 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: . Putin is blind on this

[5:56 pm, 28/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Ukraine is a big country with a large land mass.

It has a large standing army of 200,000 not counting civilian who is taking up arm.

It also has tanks, fighter jets, arty piece, air defence.

It use to have nuclear weapons but dismantle all of it.

The west are providing sophisticated arms like anti-tank javelin, anti-aircraft stinger missiles to Ukraine.

So Ukraine is not a pushover.

If they are determine to fight, Russia troops may not bow jia.

In fact Russia troops are demoralised and poor logistics cause their tanks to run out of fuel.

[5:57 pm, 28/02/2022] +Rama: Exactly

[6:45 pm, 28/02/2022] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

⏰ We will be closing the chat in 15 minutes ⏰

Thank you very much for being part of our WhatsApp chat and participating actively.

Goodnight!

Megan

[6:57 pm, 28/02/2022] +Smiley face: 24 February, 2022 

To:  Our Distinguished and All Honorables

"Just When We Think Covid Is Scary, Here Comes A New Variable - Wars..!"

Global Perspectives:

"You need oil and foods to play this game, a longer battle, perhaps this is not a paper tiger... " 

... "

For a moment, the world seems to have smallened covid! Disruptions in progress or a new world order in making? The geopolitics situation changed this noon, President Putin unorthodox maneuvers into Ukraine. Of interest, the eastern part of Ukraine is the FARM BELT (thick fertile 'Chernozems' black soil of up to 60m deep) feeding hundred of countries and military facilities and its resulted industries, meanwhile China busy buying up wheats, soybean and corns. Germany economics benefits in the Eastern Europe region will be affected too. 

This is it ! Its REAL Russian Sovereignty war, a resources driven war and the return of the Superpower Russians in play! What's concerning are Lithuania, a passage to the Baltic countries and the Sea, the former Yugoslavia, three possible targets for Russia in the order of priorities. The city of Chernobyl (active radiation) has fallen to the Russians hand. An interesting afterthought is that Turkey (a strategic OBOR/NATO) owns Istanbul, a long ago silk road to Europe and now importantly the gate keeper into the Black Sea! The idea of "these lands used to be mine" happening as the world is getting out of a messy pandemic into another anarchy in making, perhaps a perfect storm, soon? 

It mirrored what Winston Churchill said, "This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But, perhaps, the end of the beginning." 

Will there be a nuclear war? Yes for a starter, in limited capacity, it will be a TACTICAL nuclear bomb of SMALL magnitude not amounting to global or regional harms! Simply, a" low dosage bomb" enough to flatten a city of l0, 000 humans like the city of Chernobyl that itself will be a showing of "big brother muscles" to all nations, this possible case Russia to the US and Europe! Will the US and NATO react by counter N bombing to Russia? Will this FORCED push by the Russians that will leave no choice to the US intervenes into a larger scale war? Unavoidably, It will be a zero sum game! 

Domestic Prospectives:

Households & Individuals (Ground Zero) - - 

Daily Groceries - 

All days rebate for PG, Disabled & MG at NTUC FAIR PRICE. 

Daily Commute - 

Public transportation include bus and train, 5% discount for PG, Disabled and students up to IHL, 2% discount for MG, EZ link card.

GST voucher -  per person 

$500 for PG & Disabled 

$300 for MG

$100 for the rest

Option to give back any amount. This pooled amount, govt will match to the closest dollars DIVIDE equally to the needest 10% of households.

Economy:

No retrenchment, please? Standing by for another JSS? 

There is even a greater needs now to focus on our domestic economies to derive a sustainable circulating (内循环) and a healthy economy. From our SMEs to the MNCs, a hawker to a worker, that's important now and going forward the next 3 years. 

Possible deficit of up to $25.0 billion, a minimum of $3.0 billion from Covid healthcare interventions. The rest of $22.0 billion will cost from sectors like upgrade of skills, transit trainings, sustaining our jobs, SME, F&B, Tourism related trades subsidies or grants and assistance given to the most vulnerable 20% of our households. 

High chance of the US Fed borrowing rates of up to 1.25 basis points within 6Qs well into 2023, the expected increase in wages and the US mid term elections comes Q4, 2022. 

What if a weaken US dollars, will it ripples on the global debts markets include individual nations in terms of internal circulating domestic debts? The concern is the ability to service these domestic debts from the existing time line of obligations.  Nations that are more dependent on the US economies and its markets. For US dollars pegged loans, it will be a slight relieve though a short one (3Q), a cautiously optimistic view.

How about the reversal if the US dollars strengthen further? This will be a big pain for nations. 

Higher oil and gas prices are escalating into a supply chain reactions to start off with logistics cost and there onwards a multiplier effect across goods and services in the order of significance and impact.

Food Security and Cost:

Forward contracts for importation of foods are crucial for up to 12 months and into 2025. Three big variables are delivery time, climate and weather patterns these days are changing and the chalkup challenges from farm gates of all sorts of fruits & vegetables, meats to wheats/corn/soybean/barley when harvesting, butchering comes due and the port to port lead time. 

Australia and NZ, are farm belts and seems to be a safe and stable haven for foods of all sorts from fruits & vegetables, meats to wheat. The key is to ORDER EARLY AND AHEAD to continuously secure our food supply and demand.  Logistics time and turnaround of these deliveries of foods are critical components and it comes with a higher cost too. Australia and NZ looking good as  'silent winners' with other food producing countries, this resources driven war! 

Summary:

How Singapore strategized and decisively dealt with crises from the 1970s to the recent decade? What were the tools deployed in each crisis that made us relevant, stronger and less damaged? 

Rising food, oil, energy and wages all pointing to an inevitable inflation of goods & services, nation to nation! Will these rise in prices recede to 2019 levels? Unlikely, unless there is a consecutive seasons of bumper croplings of wheat, corn and barley with an acceptable disruptions from port to port deliveries of these raw and perishable commodities. One way to mitigate wastages, minimise variables and trimming of shipping time is to setup BIG SCALE processing plants at these targeted corps producing countries. These complex interrelated processing plants will include flour, feeds and fertiliser end products and all byproducts extracted from the spectrum of these processings. Who will undertake such mega projects, will it be G&G or G&G&B initiatives? Any chance of these intended processes contributing towards green energy too? 

To contain these rising concerns, we need deeper pockets, excellent forward forecastings, and a bigger wits in managing these trying times of changes and challenges!  In extra ordinary times, we need extra ordinary solutions and measures to have a softer landing, these instances, finding ways, means and perseveres for a better tomorrows, our SG! 

Afterwords:

In WWI, it was Mexico that tickled the US into war (Pres W. Wilson) ; it was hawaii at the Pacific that fired up the US into WWII (Pres F. D. Roosevelt) ! 

This round, could it be the "NINE DASH LINE" of Islands in the South China Sea or the ROC that will motivate the US to react? Let not it happens!!! 

Taking references from the 1970s energy/oil crisis, the 1980s global recession, the 1990s Asian Financial crisis, the 2009 Global Financial crisis and the 2015 stock markets sell-off. There is a need to have a good knowledge and understanding these past political & economics history of these crises and the aftermaths that led to the present situations!  

What if tomorrow comes a scenario of high interest rates and high oil prices or low interest rates and high oil prices? Either reality, this will be a new big pain for nations and sufferings to all walks of life!

Three things to follow that is COST CUTTING, FORECASTING AND FORWARD THINKING couple with a good understanding of the history of the Russian, the Chinese and the US from the1960s till today 2022 and into 2025 and beyond! 

Fact is, it has already started so, for 'history often rhymes', said Mark Twain! 

What's the problems? 

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/

 https://youtu.be/W2Cugn8JZfk

Who is Putin? 

https://youtu.be/9mhi_AyQAyw

Who is Gorbachev?  Can he helps the world again and this time the 'China Wall? Or perhaps Henry Kissinger helps to create a' breathing space' for all parties to de escalate the situation? 

https://www.dw.com/en/former-soviet-leader-mikhail-gorbachev-celebrates-his-90th-birthday/a-56751812

That's how a declaration of war proceeds! 

https://youtu.be/lK8gYGg0dkE

".. that Alpha male personality and the accompanied high Ego unlike the female Alpha that seldom goes to war..." 

- - anonymous           

              - - END - -

[7:00 pm, 28/02/2022] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

We will be closing the chat for today.

Thank you very much for being part of our WhatsApp chat and participating actively.

Goodnight!

Megan 😊

======

REACH 321 - Which Budget 2022 measure resonates with you? (SK)

21 Feb 2022 (10am - 7pm)

REACH

[9:35 am, 21/02/2022] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

Welcome back! 😊

⏰ We will be opening the chat from 10am to 7pm today. ⏰

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Megan 😊

[9:56 am, 21/02/2022] +REACH: 📢 Topic📢 

Budget 2022 - Charting Our New Way Forward Together

Singapore will dip into its past reserves for the third straight year to help it fund extended Covid-19 relief measures and public health safety in 2022. However, this year’s deficit will be more modest than those of the past two years as the economy recovers from the pandemic.

Budget 2022 lays the foundations for how we want to move forward as a society and prepares Singapore for the challenges of the future. We call on all Singaporeans to build our nation together, and to ensure a better Singapore for ourselves and our children.

💬 Which Budget 2022 measure resonates with you?

📌  Support COVID-19 Recover

- Immediate support for households, businesses, and workers

📌  Invest in New Capabilities

- Invest in digital capabilities 

- More support for innovation, R&D and productivity

- Strengthen local enterprise ecosystem

📌  Invest in Our People

- Support for training, job redesign, and skills matching 

- Support mid-career workers

- Adjust foreign worker policies to improve local-foreign complementarity

📌  Renew & Strengthen Our Social Compact

- Uplift lower-wage workers

- Boost retirement adequacy

- Build a caring and inclusive society

📌  Advance Our Green Transition

- Net zero ambition and carbon tax adjustments

- Green growth opportunities and sustainable living

📌  Fairer & More Resilient Tax System

- Meet significant and growing recurrent spending needs, especially for healthcare

- Everyone chips in, those with more contribute more

👉 https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2022/02/singapore-budget-revenue-and-spending-breakdown-2022/index.html?shell

------

[10:05 am, 21/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Topic 1 - Economy and Workforce | 经济与劳动力

1. Disruptive tech will make current business obsolete and irrelevant. At the same time, it will continuously disrupt and make the the skillsets of our workforce irrelevant.

2. How will the Government and Business "institutionalise" training and learning for our adult workforce to keep their skillset relevant to the Business and continue to earn income to sustain themselves and their family members. (This is our workforce constant worry - to ensure that they have relevant skills to the business and can keep themselves employed until retirement).

3. How to ensure our business continue to stay ahead of the disruptive tech, reform or restructure themselves to stay relevant, survive and thrive - make profit and provide employment to our workforce.

[10:05 am, 21/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心:

Topic 2 -  Society and Community | 社会与社区

1. a. With runaway supply side inflation (trigger by covid pandemic) - such as global manufacturing lockdown, labour lockdown, global supply chain disruption, energy price spike due to oil drilling, production disruption, global climate, flood, drought that disrupt crop production etc.

b. With demand side inflation - due to impending GST hike, and food stalls, business raising their prices for food, goods and services that price in both supply side and demand side inflation :-

i. Government provision of Budget 2022 $6 billion Assurance fund - can help to cushion the price hike or inflation for a few years.

ii. However the concern is, what will happen after that especially for :-

a. retirees (without income) - that will deplete their savings as prices that have go up will not come down - even though the impact of global supply side inflation may subside after pandemic taper off. Eg. are food prices.

b.low income and middle income group - whereby salary increment may not be able to catch up with the inflation.

2. Budget 2022 have focus on Wealth Tax to ensure social compactness and address income inequaltiy - namely by targeting property such as raising property tax especially on non-owner occupied properties as well as to a lesser extent - owner occupied high-end private properties; increasing tax on expensive cars; as well as raising the personal income tax of the highest end of top income earners.

a. I support the Government effort to redistribute wealth to ensure a fairer society, helping the lower income group and hence ensure a more harmonious and compact society.

b. However, I will like to caution targeting of other wealth tax that may drive away wealthy and enterprising people that intend to settle themselves in Singapore, setup business here and contribute to our Econonmy and create jobs for Singaporeans.

i. GST hike is a good way for our Government to collect more tax revenue from the wealthy - as rich people will pay high price for those premium goods and services they like to buy irregardless of the GST rate.

To the rich, it is a "Win-Win" outcome - because they pay a high price but they perceived to benefit from the goods and services they received.

They don't feel sore unlike a "Win-Lose" situation - whereby they pay but get no benefit.

ii. Higher property tax is also consider a "Win-Win" outcome for the rich, because even though they pay a higher stamp duty, gst, property tax etc - the wealthy will still pay because they possess the asset and they believe the assets will appreciate in values over time.

iii. Likewise for expensive car, the higher ARF is not too high a price for the wealthy people because they get to own the car, use it and is a prestige item to the wealthy.

ii. But other form of wealth tax eg. the Inheritance tax, tax on capital investment such as interest income, dividend, insurance income etc ---- in which the wealthy rely on using their passive income to accumulate their wealth --- will turn off the wealthy to put their money overseas and lead to capital outflow away from our Economy.

Because this will be seen as a "Win-Lose" outcome for the wealthy.

In addition, the wealthy can invest their passive income in overseas Countries that do not levy such taxes - and hence make Singapore less competitive as a financial hub.

Important to note that, recently many wealthy setup home-office in Singapore and transfer big funds into Singapore to help them to accumulate wealth - and as a result benefit Singapore greatly with S$4.7 trillion (US$3.5 trillion) assets under management.

We may trigger the outflow of these assets if we levy the above wealth tax - as such passive income can be invested overseas without such wealth tax.

Our past experience reveals that we collected a meagre sum $153.7 million of estate tax in 2007, the year before it was abolished.

Clearly the wealthy have moved their funds elsewhere - and I can't see how this will help to expand our financial hub and grow our financial sector when wealthy park and invest their passive funds elsewhere - while we collect a meagre sum of estate duty and other passive income wealth tax.

[10:21 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: agree to certain with Danny on this cos is human nature -> b. However, I will like to caution targeting of other wealth tax that may drive away wealthy and enterprising people that intend to settle themselves in Singapore, setup business here and contribute to our Econonmy and create jobs for Singaporeans.

[10:22 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: but neither can we escape this cycle, while many will have varies reason why my richness have to be tax when is my hardwork.

[10:22 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: chiken and egg thinggy

[10:22 am, 21/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

However, feel that this Budget 2022 is quite generous to individuals and households - and will be able to cushion the GST hike for the next few years.

Beyond that, middle income, lower income group will have to find ways to increase their salaries and income to sustain the higher cost of living.

Retirees will particularly face more difficulties with the rising cost beyond that - as most are living on their savings.

[10:22 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: personally i am interest more how the Govt is going to put GREAT emphasis on this

[10:22 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Invest in New Capabilities

- Invest in digital capabilities 

- More support for innovation, R&D and productivity

- Strengthen local enterprise ecosystem

📌  Invest in Our People

- Support for training, job redesign, and skills matching 

- Support mid-career workers

- Adjust foreign worker policies to improve local-foreign complementarity

[10:24 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: despite have so many education to equipped our young with skills and knowledge, we still have economy reason stated we do not have the correct skills and experienced. which part of the equation is wrong. Let's face the fact and stop finding reasons to justify but zero in on the issue.... is it really we lack of the skills sets?

[10:37 am, 21/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Right tax strategy will enable our government to reap more stable revenue - and prevent capital outflow or flight by the wealthy.

As the wealthy are highly mobile - and can easily switch or transfer their funds and liquid assets out of Singapore if we wrongly target them - by zero in on their passive income to accumulate wealth - when Singapore are facing huge competition from other countries - going for the same fund.

[10:49 am, 21/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Thus we need to be careful and not follow the pitfall of "common prosperity" - that lead to capital outflow.

Budget 2022 of wealth tax are appropriate - because it is perceived by the wealthy as a "win-win" tax outcome.

"Common prosperity" tax outcome is a "win-lose" tax outcome.

As the wealthy perceived that they only give and not getting any tangible or intangible in return - leading to capital flight.

[10:51 am, 21/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/police-arrest-13-people-7-charged-ocbc-bank-phishing-scams-2509956

7 people charged, six arrested over suspected involvement in recent spate of OCBC bank phishing scams.

[10:51 am, 21/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

13 people arrested for suspected involvement in OCBC scams.

I correctly guess they are locals disguise as scammers from overseas countries - because only locals or foreign expatriates working in Singapore knows the local context well before they can successfully pull of the banking scams.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/13-people-arrested-for-suspected-involvement-in-ocbc-scams

[11:31 am, 21/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Interest earn from banks is not taxable - to strengthen Singapore as a financial hub and attract funds to be invested in Singapore.

Hence targeting such fund for wealth tax - will cripple our financial hub.

[11:33 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: there is a global intent on taxing the rich

[11:34 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: think this was discussed on some international platform / forum in 2020 or 2021, that time we did raise this concerned

[11:34 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: might want to check that put

[11:40 am, 21/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

The global tax kill us and doesn't help us - because wealthy will move to large domestic market if our tax rate no longer competitive.

If we further increase our wealth tax - we die faster.

[11:43 am, 21/02/2022] +BL: Perhaps we look at a one-off corporation windfall tax to help pay for covid measures. There is always the same problem. Wealthy people and companies will look for ways to avoid tax. That is the way of the world, and Singapore actually benefits from it due to our low tax rates.

[11:54 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: from that past forum one of the take way i do remember (again please look for it) if any countries who refuse to impose such wealth tax will be "punished"globally in some form thus ll we have to join the gang

[11:54 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: think it start with hahahah USA ...

[11:54 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: den the uk and some eu hands up on this as well

[11:55 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: not sure how we were involve in that forum or platform but obviously in the region we are well pretty well know for low tax situation

[11:55 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: so liek i mentioned chicken and egg thing

[11:56 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: dun do also die

[11:56 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: do also die

[11:56 am, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: anyway let the brains go work it out

[11:58 am, 21/02/2022] +Jospeh: The trouble with our education system, is that it is focused on exam-taking rather than nurturing our students to develop critical and creative thinking skills.

This problem is perpetuated by the way MOE (and our Public Sector) selects its leaders. Our education is designed (and constantly tweaked) by succeeding batches of scholars, all of whom, had outperformed their peers in school from an early age, mainly because of how it is designed. 

We can't entirely fault of the "scholar-leaders" since this is the system that they had found success in/with, and their success reinforces the belief that "this" is the way forward.

The way our education system is being run - the breadth and depth of our MOE school curriculum - is at least 2-3yrs ahead of most other D…

[0:00 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: quote nurturing our students to develop critical and creative thinking skills.->>> give them credit with the recent psle maths question lah ask here and there to slove how many bloody apples and coins when it phrase is a more direct way. Imagine one doing this to your boss or clients ... .. hahahah

[0:01 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: but all in all i too think the current system sucks more than what we been teaching in the past

[0:02 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: i cannot fathom what had asking round about question got to do with creative thinking ..

[0:03 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: i find the 60s 70s 80s, 90s kids are more creative den today kids

[0:03 pm, 21/02/2022] +Jospeh: Yes.. those useless "Maths models" which can only fit very narrow and specific "scenarios", none of which, has real life applications. Those methods, which will have to be discarded the moment PSLE is over because Secondary school Maths is completely different and cannot be solved using those methods 😂

[0:04 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: totally agree

[0:05 pm, 21/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://youtu.be/steaizIyMn8

[0:05 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: our system should infuse more life skillsets ...

[0:05 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: street smart ...

[0:05 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: values and ethics ..

[0:06 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: mai leh this guy might be smart but someone told me in interview this guy prefer maps to human interaction

[0:06 pm, 21/02/2022] +Jospeh: Very useful... i will give him a call when Google Maps crashes

[0:07 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: sorry the world is already driving towards META universe aka no need face to face human interaction i dun need another human being to tell me to speak via a computer or ai or 3d image

[0:07 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: hahahaha mai lai that lah

[0:07 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: in short this how to investment in people and job is super interesting to looked at

[0:08 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: talk too much ppl not happy

[0:08 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: dun talk ppl also not happy

[0:08 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: the core of singapore is people

[0:08 pm, 21/02/2022] +Jospeh: what is the point of competing with AI/IT .. can humans perform consistently at peak performance level 24x7, 365 days a year? How many calls/queries can he handle at once? 😜

[0:09 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: nothing else and if we keep selling we have no talent here we need more people from overseas , frankly is like shooting ourselves in the food also

[0:09 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: sorry foot ...

[0:10 pm, 21/02/2022] +Jospeh: Don't get me wrong, I think what he is able to do, is amazing! ... but no real world applications - that cannot be better performed by Google Maps - unfortunately. Exactly like our scholar-invented Primary school Maths Models

[0:11 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: how can we be one of the top in education when we keep telling the press aka world we have no skilled workers ...

[0:12 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: and the only reason people are coming here to is to face it -> MAKE USE OF GOVT FREEBIES / low tax (mentioned) / and easy way of lives for the expats (remember how some unknwon source claims 20k is too little for him to stay here with his family

[0:13 pm, 21/02/2022] +JC: I think there are many confounding factors here - to me, it is not clear that our education system is definitively at fault for the lack of creative thinking/critical skills. We do not have a "control arm" of Singaporean born-bred students who went through a different system and shown to be more capable at creative/critical thinking.

Many other factors could contribute to that: e.g. relatively small population (emergence of "creative" ideas/business is sometimes a function of randomness), downside of being already successful (why rock the boat), lack of material incentives for many (Average Singaporean is highly affluent compared to global standards)

Looking at PMET foreigners here in Singapore is super misleading as obviously they are just a small subset of the total population of people in their home countries. Are they in Singapore because their home country education system fosters more "creative thinking"? or are they here because they are outliers in their home countries? 

Perhaps simpler and more valid to critique our education system for what it is and measure its success on outcomes that are more directly linked to educational approaches.

[0:44 pm, 21/02/2022] +Jospeh: When I compare the the education system during my time in school and those of the recent/current generation - through the school-going kids in my household - i am convinced a large part is the devolution - with a “d” - of our eduction system. 

i assume you agree that the observation i made, that the majority of our students today, require enrichment/tuition just to keep up in class, is not incorrect. That in itself, should be a major red flag. 

Yes. Sticking to the formula that “works”. That is exactly what i mentioned. The SCHOLARS who thrived in this very system, that rewards a very narrow set of skills/capabilities, are the very same ones that are perpetuating and “improving” it. It rewards repetitive, regurgitative learning. Spend enough hours, practicing and re-doing as many worksheets as you can, and you will excel… in the EXAM/TEST which, is really a test of how well one has practiced/memorized the subject. It’s almost like muscle-memory in sports. Look at how “Google Maps savant” can answer a question even before the host has finished reading out the entire question. Practice, practice, practice.

Yes, I agree and had considered the fact that the foreign PMETs in SG are a small subset who may be outliers in their countries. Fortunately, and sometimes unfortunately, i had the benefit of having worked and interacted with a large number of them, across many different geographies and ethnicity, over decades in my career, to be able to say with a very high level of confidence, that competence, technical knowledge and ability is overrated. 

Many “creative” ideas arise out of necessary, discovered through play and exploration outside of conventional/established playbooks. 

When our kids are so bogged down by “studying”, and end up with little time and freedom for play, explore and interact with the real world around them, it will be difficult for them to expand their imagination and creativity. 

It question - and answer - is not what more needs to be taught in school, but rather, what less, so that the growing and inquisitive mind of our young/youths, has the bandwidth to learn through each of our own unique life/experiences. To learn through discovery and exploration outside the confines of a textbook.

[0:47 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: this is super important as is skills which schools nor parents can guide and impart like kung fu ...

[0:47 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: end up with little time and freedom for play, explore and interact with the real world around them, it will be difficult for them to expand their imagination and creativity.

[0:47 pm, 21/02/2022] +Jospeh: No doubt Max Zeng carried his team on the UK TV quiz…. but honestly, how many, would disagree to the statement that the other 3 contestants will most likely be more successful later on in life? 😜

[0:48 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: kid needs to have their kids life and experienced .... think is this where 60s 70s 80s and abit of the 90s kids have the luxury with ..... thus enabling us to think on our feet and go beyond

[0:49 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: but frankly now even old timers and out dated aged folks are block by these so call book and theory smart arse cos they started to do everything based on show me the number show me this show me that , their risk assessment is based on what they are thought from school modeling ....

[0:50 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: but neither do we want to train a group of robots workers ...

[0:50 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: if as a society we still dun wake up ..

[0:51 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: let's mark his works from LKY soon singaporeans will once again be labourers and servants for others

[0:51 pm, 21/02/2022] +Jospeh: Yup.. it is not just about what they learn .. but what they are forced to give up learning going through our current education system. What have we achieved in the end, and at what costs?

A constant supply of scholars to fill seats in our Public sector and a wider population of disenchanted workers?

[0:52 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: scholars to fill seats in our Public sector -> please how much good these scholars provision to the society seriously ...

[0:53 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: also not to forget the basis of much organisation is not the brains there that keep things going and accomplish

[0:53 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: is the middle and lower tier ... brains just draw a vision and get buy in

[0:54 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: thus now can our people be aka so call useless ....or no talent ? else how do we help keep organization alive .. not sure if i make sense here

[0:56 pm, 21/02/2022] +Suma pamu: Education is deffinatly most important thing to look for whats going right and whats gping wrong!

Thanks to The GREAT range of Syllabus, my sec 1girl whom just started in jan, alreary saying now she do not even.like any of the subjects, inclusing science, which she used to like it in primary. School started not even 2 months yet, but flooded with H.W Projects and exams.

Tooo much stressful for A child, in the end all this generation ends up being a robotic life!!

Feeling sad for them!

[0:57 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: stress must be given at certain degree so kids know in live is not a bed of hamgurgers and youtube ... this will better prepare them for the society

[0:57 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: certain items which i sure will leik to bring back is social education as it really will and does make a difference to the society

[0:58 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: also quoting grand master words hahaha lky ... kids have such good life in todays society that they have the slightest or no fear that one day singapore will become nothing .. they believe this will go on and on and on

[0:58 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: But history had shown us the cycle (those who took history) the growth and peak of an country and the down fall

[1:01 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: frankly does today education system for pri / sec school make sense? parents of kids in this range maybe you have a better answer cos i dun have though i see my relatives kids is like struggling and i ask myself how are these going to help them ... like the psle question these brain teaser or round about question in live

[1:01 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: as a boss myself i always tell my team cut the crap

[1:01 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: give me the main point and solution

[1:01 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: if about efficiency; turn around time and results (estimated and risk assessment)

[1:02 pm, 21/02/2022] +Suma pamu: I dont think this kind of stress is what makes them preapre for future.

:)

[1:02 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: key word is certain degree .. must apply pressure abit else as they climb up the ladder in life or education, setback will destroy them .... pressure mould a person ...

[1:05 pm, 21/02/2022] +Suma pamu: Exactly 

But For that 

Need to prepare them in diff way.

Example 

In Singapore we never had Power cuts/ water issues etc

Train children how they need to be prepared if one day no water no electricity no food no transport

Not with this kind of Enormous bookish knowledge with zero practicality...

[1:06 pm, 21/02/2022] +Suma pamu: Seeing my daughter now, i would say NO sense at all..sorry for being harsh 

But Totally No sense..

[1:06 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Actually project is fun as it can allow room for creativity during my time I enjoy project most

[1:06 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Think now issue is maths English and sciense

[1:07 pm, 21/02/2022] +Suma pamu: Agree but not the extent that they totally lacks the zeal to live!!

[1:07 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Cos maths utilises English to twist and turn the words

[1:07 pm, 21/02/2022] +Suma pamu: 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️Not at all..

These so called Proj simply, searching google and find answer nothing else

[1:08 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: I read and say why cannot just say A is 4 B is 5 and c is 6

[1:08 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Hurh now the project is like that looking for Mr google?

[1:08 pm, 21/02/2022] +Suma pamu: 😃 yeah mostly yes.

[1:08 pm, 21/02/2022] +Suma pamu: Its just PPs instead of paper..

[1:09 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Oru time much better have to hands on..... Like go collect leaves and trace out the pattern etc

[1:09 pm, 21/02/2022] +Suma pamu: Nope .. nowadays everything...mostly is Virtual  ..

[1:10 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Next time no need eat

[1:10 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Just feed virtual food via liquid also

[1:10 pm, 21/02/2022] +Suma pamu: 😃😃 a total Robotics generation

[1:11 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Anyway I am not impressed at all with last yr psle where parents suddenly are happy how good the system is

[1:11 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: That is really the first batch of memorizing student

[1:12 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Memorized how to attack certain question

[2:15 pm, 21/02/2022] +BL: Of course, we also want to ensure these aren't the sort of rich people we are welcoming with our low taxes!

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/feb/20/credit-suisse-secrets-leak-unmasks-criminals-fraudsters-corrupt-politicians?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

[2:17 pm, 21/02/2022] +Guillermo Cabeza : The measures for mid-career workers (of which I am one) did not resonate with me at all. There were no details on the Career Transition Programme, it seemed to be just a merger and rebranding of current initiatives. While the Mid-Career Pathways Programme may be useful in some circumstances it does not really help the PMET segment given the wage threshold (which is to some degree in any case offset by higher CPF costs). For the same reason the increase in EP thresholds will also have a limited impact. Anecdotally from search firm and HR contacts I have heard that companies are having no problems getting EPs (if rejected once, reapply and bound to come through) even for roles which Singaporean mid-career workers could qualify for. I also have seen that many roles only appear in mycareersfuture at the last minute with limited job descriptions which is usually a sign that companies have made up their mind who to hire before having to post the role online to meet MOM requirements. As the population ages and the cost of living continues to rise, we will all have to work longer years, and it is inevitable that the retirement age will need to go up. We already see this in the increase in CPF contribution rates for older workers. The government needs to do much more to encourage local hiring of the 45-65 year olds.

[2:28 pm, 21/02/2022] +Guillermo Cabeza : The tax measures did resonate with me:  the increases at the higher end including consumption (vehicles), the acknowledgement that corporate rates need to be adjusted to stay in line with global changes, and the subsidy measures to try to offset some of GST and Green tax increases. Perhaps though the government could go further perhaps by providing a tax-refundable credit per dependent (with an income cap out so that it helps the lower-middle income households) paid for by lowering the tax deduction threshold or otherwise increasing the taxes on the higher income segments.

[2:52 pm, 21/02/2022] +JC: I think we agree on some of the observations of the outcome of the system (e.g. tuition, scholar-mindset, etc.) but I would argue that the education system is not the main problem. Much of the issues we see in education today is actually due to our education system having to adapt and adjust to the values of the broader society/economy. As long as our society value academic achievements and use it as the entry criteria for better opportunities later in life (e.g. criteria for scholarship, criteria for hiring, criteria for entry into a better school/university etc.), most parents and children will strive for it. Without changes in those values, any attempts to "fix" the system will just fail and lead to individuals finding different workarounds privately. 

What we do have control over though is our own response to the system - are you prepared to tell your child to ignore the homework and explore his interests (or whatever can help their creative/critical thinking) during his/her free time? You 100% have the freedom to do so - yet, very few of us believe in the benefits enough to do so. 

We have a society that encourages dual-income households. How much time do parents have to inculcate "creative/critical thinking" in their kids through engaging interactions at home? OR do we just outsource it to the schools and expect teachers to work magic? 

Don't get me wrong, there's plenty wrong with some of our schools today (e.g. huge class sizes, overworked teaching staff, admin burden, lack of apprenticeship opportunities, overemphasis on academics, etc.) - I agree we can improve - but it might be more helpful if we zoom in on the specifics rather than to frame our thinking on the more high minded stuff like "creative/critical thinking" .[3:04 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: creating a wholesome environment for both students and teachers .....

[3:04 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: jc brought out a good point which we forget

[3:05 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: as stress as students are the teachers and resources are equally stress

[3:05 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: also why can't we have smaller class given population is smaller

[3:06 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: do understand some parents (again society factor) that dual class will be a hinder to their life routine

[3:31 pm, 21/02/2022] +Jospeh: I think it is a chicken and egg issue when it comes to how the Education system is designed and Parents' mindset/role.

I see the Govt/MOE having the upper-hand when it comes to influencing and setting the standards/curriculum and mindset.

How many people can afford to let their children fail school in the pursuit of their own interests? 

I am a parent myself and I remember that up until my own kids entered Primary school, my wife and I were adamant that we are not going to be "like the others". We resisted tuition. We only sent our kids for "fun" and no-school related enrichment classes which THEY wanted to try out. 

In the end, we also succumbed to the pressure, not just from the school, but from the kids themselves. Because they are feeling demoralised…

[3:40 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: ->> if the dun have upper hand den problem ->I see the Govt/MOE having the upper-hand when it comes to influencing and setting the standards/curriculum and mindset.

[3:41 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: but in the last revamp they listen but also decide to add in their little magical potion thinking is for the better .....

[3:42 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: if a system had work in the 70s-90s why change it

[3:42 pm, 21/02/2022] +Ah Heng: have it proved not to be working

[3:44 pm, 21/02/2022] +JC: Hmm I agree. Your experience is not uncommon at all and a good description of e SG parenting experience (I'm a father of 3 kids myself, my wife used to b a FT teacher) 😝 

I think we all agree that things can improve but my suggestion is for us to focus on e more tangible, solvable issues where the cause-effect is more direct (e.g. stupid school admin, classroom sizes, apprenticeship programs etc.) - I believe these small incremental changes will make things better in the interim and also help bring about e bigger changes to mindset and culture. 

I tend to think that cultural shifts can influence and change govt policy. So let's focus on what we can do. 

I think the current system and policy is ultimately a reflection of our society. We might not like what we see in e mirror but that's still us 😅

[3:49 pm, 21/02/2022] +JC: Why r we so scared of failing or not being successful in e system?

Well because we don't have a welfare state. We copay our healthcare and education and things r expensive (housing, travel). We look at our neighbors and wish for things they have too, so we like to have more money for creature comforts.

In such a society, of cos everyone will b pressured to strive and to achieve stuff academically. It's e most straight forward path to avoid being destitute.

[4:46 pm, 21/02/2022] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

We want to HEAR MORE from you!

We have had good feedback from this group, and we hope that we can keep the discussion robust and active!

Megan 😊

[5:22 pm, 21/02/2022] +Smiley face: Small Hong Kong businesses say survival at stake as Covid-19 restrictions bite

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/small-hong-kong-businesses-say-survival-at-stake-as-covid-19-restrictions-bite

[5:23 pm, 21/02/2022] +Smiley face: Bus, train ridership in S'pore rises but numbers still far from pre-Covid-19 levels

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/bus-train-rides-rise-but-numbers-still-far-from-pre-covid-19-levels

[5:39 pm, 21/02/2022] +Timothy Low: With the increase of GST, I wonder if our salary will be increased as well?

[5:55 pm, 21/02/2022] +Umar M: 🤣

[5:58 pm, 21/02/2022] +Rama: If not covered under PWM, wait long long!

[6:41 pm, 21/02/2022] +Joseph Yap: 💬 Which Budget 2022 measure resonates with you?

The uplifting of lower wage workers resonated with me most. Because there are urgent needs to address the wage gap by extending the progressive wage model to more occupations.

[6:41 pm, 21/02/2022] +Rama: For me, the tax on property and cars.

[6:45 pm, 21/02/2022] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

⏰ We will be closing the chat in 15 minutes ⏰

Thank you very much for being part of our WhatsApp chat and participating actively.

Goodnight!

Megan

[6:55 pm, 21/02/2022] +Smiley face: 21 February, 2022

To:  Our Distinguished and All Honorables

"In Search of Intelligence and The Paradox Of Success...I'm clever too (小孩不笨)! "

Who knows best? 

The human brain is a complex muscle in motion. Many questions about how it works, interconnects and functions bug many top scientists and researchers to seek deeper understanding on how these billions of neurons are wired from the left to the right, from the fore to the back and up & down along the spine? What one's holding on today's mobile phones and computers are good indicators of the level of understanding of this thing - the brain! 

What is intelligence (IQ) ?

In human, one's ability to carry out a specific task or a spectrum of tasks in a pre-determined time with an acceptable good outcome…

[6:55 pm, 21/02/2022] +~N: Resonates with and concerned about the implementation. Would it be pretty policies or will there be real meaningful impact?

📌  Invest in Our People

📌  Renew & Strengthen Our Social Compact

📌  Fairer & More Resilient Tax System

[7:00 pm, 21/02/2022] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

We will be closing the chat for today.

Thank you very much for being part of our WhatsApp chat and participating actively.

Goodnight!

Megan 😊

======

REACH 320 - How have you benefitted from the COVID-19 Budget measures in 2020 and 2021 so far? (SK)

18 Feb 2022 (10am - 7pm)

REACH

[1:41 pm, 17/02/2022] +REACH: Dear Contributors, 

Please be reminded that content that is racially, religiously, ethnically or otherwise objectionable, will not be condoned. 

It is everyone’s responsibility to make this online space a safe and conducive one for all contributors to share your views and feedback on national issues.

Please be reminded of the Terms of Use: https://go.gov.sg/reach-whatsapp-terms

Megan

[9:45 am, 18/02/2022] +REACH: Dear Contributors,

Welcome back! 😊

⏰ We will be opening the chat from 10am to 7pm today. ⏰

House Rules (short version of our Terms of Use) to keep in mind: 

1. Be kind and respectful. We all want to be in a safe space to share our views. 

2. Any and all threatening, abusive, vulgar or racially, religiously and ethnically objectionable content is prohibited.

3. Consider the quiet ones among us and give them a chance to comment.

4. No need to repeat your comment or in different forms (including caps) - we heard you loud and clear the first time.

5. Let’s protect each other’s privacy and keep contact details in this group what it should always be - confidential. 

Full set of Terms of Use: https://go.gov.sg/reach-whatsapp-terms

We will strive to uphold these rules to ensure this is a safe space for all.

Please be assured that the points made by participants during the chat are aggregated and shared with relevant agencies.

The topic will be posted shortly.

Thank you

Megan 😊

[10:00 am, 18/02/2022] +REACH: 📢 Topic 📢 

Fiscal and public health measures adopted by Singapore to address the Covid-19 crisis have enabled the country to mitigate the economic and health impact of the pandemic. Here are some of the key highlights of a report by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Thursday (Feb 17), which assessed the effects of key Covid-19 Budget measures introduced in 2020 and 2021. 

💬 How have you benefitted from the COVID-19 Budget measures in 2020 and 2021 so far? 

📌 Economic and job losses averted

The Budget measures, aided by accommodative monetary policy, propped up the economy. Without them, the real gross domestic product (GDP) would have shrunk 10.7 per cent in 2020. Instead, it shrank just 4.1 per cent. The measures also saw real GDP grow by 7.6 per cent in 2021, while without them, GDP would have grown just 6.8 per cent. 

📌 Vaccine roll-out, public health measures prevented higher death toll

Singapore's public health measures and vaccination efforts have averted an estimated 8,000 deaths due to Covid-19 between Aug 1 and Dec 31 last year - during the peak of Delta variant infections. The measures taken also helped to prevent a projected 33,000 severe infection cases and 112,000 hospitalisations. Having one of the highest vaccination rates in the world has also enabled Singapore to keep its Covid-19 death rate low. 

📌 Jobs Support Scheme also helped preserve wages

A series of deeper studies were conducted by MOF, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Manpower to measure the impact of specific schemes. In particular, the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) was found to have saved an estimated 165,000 local jobs for the period between March and December 2020.

The scheme, under which a total of $28 billion was disbursed from April 2020 to December 2021, also helped to preserve wages. 

📌 Economic scarring was prevented

Financing schemes and wage support helped to ensure that capabilities were retained even during the period of weak demand. This has allowed firms to maintain a strong base to better seize opportunities for recovery when demand returns. Singapore also turned to its past reserves rather than debt to fund its fiscal support measures, unlike most governments around the world. 

📌 Employment rate went up

Resident employment expanded despite the challenges of Covid-19, with the resident employment rate increasing 2 percentage points between 2019 and 2021. The resident labour force participation rate also increased during this period. This was as workers were supported in retaining their capabilities and transiting to new jobs. Job prospects of graduates from institutes of higher learning in 2020 also remained about the same as their peers who graduated in 2018 and 2019, with the help of traineeship opportunities. 

👉🏼 https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/5-highlights-from-mofs-report-on-the-impact-of-key-covid-19-budget-measures 

👉🏼 https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/covid-19-budget-measures-helped-cushion-recessions-impact-save-jobs-finance 

👉🏼 https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/covid-19-vaccines-helped-prevent-8000-deaths-during-delta-wave-moh 

👉🏼 https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/key-covid-19-budget-measures-in-2020-and-2021-prevented-longer-term-economic-scarring-mof

------

[10:06 am, 18/02/2022] +BL: Using reserves rather than debt was probably the right approach despite low interest rates in the markets. We were fortunate we can do that through tight fiscal management over the last few decades.

[10:08 am, 18/02/2022] +BL: Also feels like the money was targeted to help people through employment and directly into areas where the money flows into the economy instead of being ring fenced by financial institutions, which happened a lot after 2008 around the world.

[10:09 am, 18/02/2022] +BL: Money spent on vax was very effective, clearly, and avoided many serious illnesses and early deaths.

[10:11 am, 18/02/2022] +BL: Spending money has cushioned the effects of the global pandemic and economic restrictions, but we are not in the clear yet. With the measures needing to be wound down and money to be paid back, it's the next 5 years that are critical.

[10:12 am, 18/02/2022] +Timothy Low: As a middle class and sore breadwinner for my household, I didn't benefit from any of the budget measures. In fact, I suffered loss as my salary remain stagnant while inflation rate climbed a lot. Prices of everyday items increased a lot and I hope the Government can also help the middle class as well.

[10:12 am, 18/02/2022] +BL: So, the budget measures dealt well with dampening the fire 🔥, what are the measures for easing us back to normality without too much difficulty ahead. The GST increase isn't going to be enough.

[10:14 am, 18/02/2022] +BL: Yes, one question is whether it's just the beginning, or is the economy now stable?

[10:21 am, 18/02/2022] +Timothy Low: Not sure if employers will take the initiative to increase salary to counter increasing inflation rate or not. As of now I don’t see the inflation rate will stop climbing up drastically this year

[10:22 am, 18/02/2022] +BL: Yes, worldwide this is happening. Companies tend not to put prices down, even as costs reduce.

[10:22 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: globally inflation is taking place .. singapore by no miracle will escape this wave also, though there had been annouce measures to lessen the impact but effect wise we will not know

[10:23 am, 18/02/2022] +BL: Shipping and transport have a lot to make up for. Manufacturing, construction, energy etc. All infrastructure costs that are increasing and won't go down.

[10:23 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: am concern more on gst and forth coming taxes .... this really affect every day lives

[10:23 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: let's recap in the last 2 mths what happen

[10:24 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: power proces jump how many times at least twice ya? petrol hahahahaha ask all the drivers how many times is jump

[10:25 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: so is there a more clever and feasible way a country can cushion external forces influence on prices? maybe yes but 100% is not a no

[10:26 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: like food stability, should we push from what% to 50% or 65% for certain staple products?

[10:28 am, 18/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167443/i-have-waited-12-days-slow-coronavirus-test

[10:28 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: crisis time frankly i did not notice the benefit except when visiting to medical facilities which they think you are covid and waive treatment else .... not much different

[10:29 am, 18/02/2022] +JC: the best way to increase salary has to be continuous improvement/upskilling and make your employer want to pay you more to keep you... anything else won't be sustainable. Understand its challenging and much hard work involved but no choice.

[10:31 am, 18/02/2022] +Timothy Low: To be honest i think the Government is determined to raise GST this year. Mainstream medias are all painting the good picture of increasing GST and none of the concerns we have highlighted.

On a side note, can MSMs also report on the downside of increasing GST so that we can have a more balanced view?

[10:31 am, 18/02/2022] +JC: Alternatively, if you happen to be stuck in a shrinking industry (like me previously), then you'll need to find ways to exit and join a growing industry where your skills will command more pay.

[10:31 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: a very clear paint picture already hahahahahahaha

[10:34 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: for business costing we understand the need to make profit BUT HOW MUCH PROFIT IS ENUFF? 1 MILLION 2 MILLION? leaders of business have to understand till the day workers have not wake up and see the light, is a reminder the running of the company is not by CEO or Directors but by the foot soldiers of the company

[10:35 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: if the cost of running is up, is the role of CEO and brains of the company to find sustainability BUT not taking it out on its workers aka commonly pay cut / pay freeze / low ball with new hires ....

[10:37 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: is like a cycle, boss keep workers happy, company live longer, everyone got a job and pay cheque, money flows into economy - ideally / fairy taled world ......

[11:11 am, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

1. Budget 2020 and 2021 is a watershed years - whereby Government spend more than a whopping $100 billion digging $50 billion from our reserves to fund the following and preventing a century crisis covid from scarring public health as well as economic scarring.

2. As a result, billion of dollars are spend on healthcare:-

a. Testing

b. Vaccines

c. Therapeutic medicine

d. Hospital, isolation etc

3. Multi billion dollars are spend on propping up our economy, keep jobs, provide finances to ensure our population can feed themselves while we try to survive the covid threat, get ourselves vaccinated to protect against covid and keep our business going and job afloat.

4. Based on our economic performance last year 2021, we have done very well in such a bad time - a whopping 7.6% GDP growth.

5. Now is the time to tackle the next most pressing issues:-

a. How to live with covid in endemic.

b. How to bring our economy into a stable shape, ensure business continue to function and grow, ensure hard hit sectors such as aviation, tourism, hospitality sectors, global transport, supply chain etc go back to its pre-pandemic state.

c. How to contain supply side inflation and demand side inflation in check and not go out of control - that will dampen business margin and eat into people's savings and cost of living affordability.

d. How do government go back to fiscal prudent by maintaining balance fiscal budget and plough back savings to reserve that we have used to fund the covid budget.

[11:13 am, 18/02/2022] +jimmy chew: Er.. Budget reporting?

[11:17 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: danny got the point but will be intresting to knwo how much was drawn or loan for fy2021 also

[11:17 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: but a double edge sword if this figure is release

[11:21 am, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

1. 1stly, I will like to comment on inflation - that many people are facing even before GST increase is announced:-

a. Supply side inflation.

This is where globally, we are hit by supply chain disruption. Factories are lockdown due to pandemic. Labor are not working. Goods stuck at ports. Global climate, flood have hit crops. Oil are disrupted - and energy price spike.

Hence this has driven global price worldwide in which our government will have little control.

The only way the government can counter the supply side inflation are:-

a. Edge up our exchange rate against foreign currencies to counter imported inflation - but ensure we are still competitive in export.

b. More active but careful investment in world growth business that will bring us higher Sovereign Fund earnings.

[11:23 am, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

We have drawn out $52 billion from our reserves - and we need to slowly pay back.

[11:26 am, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Refresh me but I remember we also got loan right frm unspecific resources

[11:32 am, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

b. Demand side inflation - whereby:-

a. Business, food sellers, are increasing their food prices, goods and services to cover the higher imported cost.

b. The impending GST increase by 2% have also manifested whereby business hike their products and services in anticipation of the GST increase.

This demand side inflation has greatly impacted the people:-

Eg. Energy price spike, transport prices increase eg. Bus, MRT, taxi, fuel prices, food prices, etc.

Salary increment is only for sectors that are doing well and not across the board.

Retirees, unemployed, low and middle income is particularly impacted.

Both demand side and supply side inflation - have a big impact to the population - and Budget 2022 is critical to address this pain point breathing down on the population.

Let us hear from the Minister of Finance at 3.30pm - what help comes - that can meet all the financial objectives highlighted above.

[11:41 am, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

I think the MOF have reform the fiscal policy by allowing government to take loans by issuing green bonds and long term bonds to finance long term infrastructure investment - by capitalising low interest money market.

I think this is a prudent move because:-

1. The bonds are price at low interest rate - as now interest worldwide are at 0% or at 1%.

2. The financing of the bonds are bear by each generation that use it - and not accumulated debt to be repaid back by our descendants.

3. Green infrastructure like building sea barrier, green infrastructure are build year by year, and finance by balance fiscal budget every year paid by  taxpayers.

4. Our Sovereign Fund earn much higher return and can easily service the debt interest if need be - during bad time if our fiscal budget at a particular year is in deficit like the last 2 years.

[11:49 am, 18/02/2022] +BL: Yes, this is the reality.

[11:50 am, 18/02/2022] +BL: Fair point. Has there been any analysis done on this? I assume yes and that is what the GST offset has done.

[11:51 am, 18/02/2022] +BL: Unfortunately too often the company direction is decided by the shareholders which are generally large investment banks.

[11:52 am, 18/02/2022] +BL: Fortunately only used 42bn

[0:01 pm, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Yes. We save $10 billion.

But it means sovereign fund will have $42 billion less to invest and bring less investment income and less NIRC revenue to finance our government spending.

Hence government will have to raise taxes to compensate.

Thus government must find ways to repay back the reserve to ensure our earning machinery go back into shape.

[0:33 pm, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

1. Demand side inflation can be tame by carefully calibrated interest rate rises.

In addition, FED will announce interest rate hike come 16 Mar - and it will come a few successive time in one year to tame US runaway inflation.

As Singapore is an "interest rate taker" to safeguard our finance hub - to prevent capital outflow back to US, Singapore will have to increase our interest rate to keep foreign funds anchor in our shore.

Retirees with passive income will benefit from the interest rate increase - and will be able to cushion the demand side inflation.

But business who need to borrow loans to finance their business and people on loans to finance their property and hire purchase will be hit - dampening our economic growth.

2. Hence Budget 2022 will need to set aside fund to help business that requires finances to grow especially strategic business that have highest chances to succeed and create jobs.

3. SME also will need help.

So our Minister of Finance will really have a plate full - with so many challenges in front of him.

But I am confident our government can again perform and bring us into a new height and out of this pandemic.

[0:44 pm, 18/02/2022] +BL: Yes, raise taxes or reduce expenditure, or increase income from other sources. How is very important. Who should pay more in tax? Where do you reduce costs? How do we increase our income? Those are the 3 questions that define our approach, our Gov philosophy and success.

[0:45 pm, 18/02/2022] +BL: Some gov reduce corporation tax to attract business, but then increase consumer tax to raise revenue. I understand the logic, but don't agree with it totally. As with many things it takes a balance.

[0:45 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Singapore is not exactly an "interest-rate taker" nor does MAS directly influence SGD interest rates.

MAS manages Monetary Policy by managing SGD Exchange Rate against a basket of Trading Partner currencies, the level and proportion of which, is undisclosed.

Unlike regimes that manage by way of adjusting Interest Rates, the relationship between SGD Exchange rate and SGD Interest rate is inversed. So, SGD Exchange Rate controlled = SGD Interest Rate freely floating/market determined.

The most recent MAS Monetary Policy change was for a STRONGER SGD. In this environment SGD interest rates will fall since investors will be more wiling to hold/keep a strengthening ccy. Conversely, if MAS adjusts policy towards having a weaker SGD, then investors will demand a higher interest rate to hold on to the depreciating ccy, and SGD interest rate will rise.

[0:46 pm, 18/02/2022] +BL: A windfall tax is a good idea as a one-off way to raise revenue due to special circumstances - such as Covid 19. Then people are not in fear of a continual or permenant increase.

[0:46 pm, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Our government have a vast array of brains and financial tools.

Let us hear from the MOF later.

[0:48 pm, 18/02/2022] +BL: 👍

[0:48 pm, 18/02/2022] +65 9654 2001: Side tracking from the topic: 

This move is understandable. 

Hope GOV will not rush to ease on mask wearing. 

Masking should continue until cases come down to single digit.

[0:49 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: MTF LW did say so.

[0:50 pm, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Yes. Singapore interest rate is based on free floating or market determined - that is why we are "interest rate taker".

When Fed increase the interest rate, Singapore interest rate will have to do likewise to prevent a capital outflow.

Singapore manage our monetary policy through exchange rate - brainchild of Dr Goh Keng Swee - as trade outsize our domestic economy by 3 times.

[1:10 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Hmm... that is not exactly how it works.

Unless Fed interest rate hikes (which by the way, the rates market has mostly already priced-in - up to almost 5 rate hikes this year), also results in USDSGD Exchange Rate going higher, otherwise SGD interest rates will not rise.

And given how China is a huge trading partner for SG, the more important thing to watch, is RMB strength/weakness, and if you have been following ccy markets, you would have noticed that the PBOC had been keeping the RMB rather stable, even though their currency is relatively strong at current levels.

This also explains why mortgage rates - anyone who has any housing loan eligible for refinance/rollover - would have noticed that it is actually even cheaper/lower at the moment.

[1:17 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: key words being "expected" and "long-term" .. given enough time, anything is possible, especially for something that can either only go up, or go down 😂  I am not saying interest rates will not go up, I am just saying the mechanisms affecting SGD interest rates is not quite what you described

[1:20 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: I think SGD interest rates are not going up for now even though US rates have already risen because it seems the drivers for SGD interest rates are for now, pointing in the opposite direction. But as with all forecasts and expectations that are dependent on multiple variables that can and will change, the outcome - SGD interest rate direction - will change as well

[1:20 pm, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Well, we will face a peculiar economic situation whereby we will see a strong exchange rate as well as gradual interest rate hike.

That's why I say our MOF will have his plate full with such unusual post pandemic economic situation.

Anyway, our banks are poised to increase their interest rate pretty soon.

[1:25 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: "prospects" .. "outlook" .. i am sure we all recall how good the "outlook" for global equities was just not so long ago 😉

[1:26 pm, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Hahaha.

Well after march, I think we will know.

Maybank has started to increase their interest rate above 1%.

[1:27 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Side to this,  credit card issuance conditions need to be adjusted to discourage young working adults from living off beyond their means. There's an app call pace where one buys on credit but pay in three instalments later.  Wonder why MAS is allowing this? As for credit cards,  the issuance conditions of supplement cards should be tightened while increasing the limitations of main card holder to two months payment in full on their cards.

[1:29 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Another tip .. Equities and Bonds are "Long-only" assets ie. (most) investors can only BUY (or go Long), then hope to SELL at a higher price later on. It is not an asset that can easily be SOLD SHORT .. so ... any BROKER who wishes to stay in business, will only encourage investors to either buy ... or buy more .. samw with property/real estate ... you will never find a property agent who will tell you the property market is going to fall because then no one will want to buy and he/she will go out of biz 😉

[1:29 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Insider trading of sorts

[1:33 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Buy-now-pay-later schemes make $ when the buyer fails or forgets to pay on time, The late charges/interest fees which I believe are non-negotiable/non-reversible are tear-inducing 😂  

For consumers who can afford the purchase in the first place, and are disciplined/keep to the repayment schedules, the only incentive is the discounts/rebates. The firms actually lose money to such consumers.

[1:34 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: It doesn't teach the future generation financial prudence.

[1:36 pm, 18/02/2022] +Smiley face: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2022/02/18/2003773299

[1:37 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: kindly please help to decipher

[1:38 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: too chim for old people

[1:38 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: only catch one key work is belt tightening which well make sense

[1:38 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: cannot always spent spent spent

[1:42 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: No . not insider trading. That is a different thing, 

The Wealth/Investment industry works only if Investors (Consumers) are confident enough to trade/invest. The financial institutions facilitating the transactions only earn a small fee for each transaction.

 If one thins about it, how "valuable" is that piece of advice/research if it is distributed so freely (for free) for nothing more than the HOPE that a consumer/investor would transact through that organisation/firm for that pittance of a transaction fee? 

If it were really that "good" ie accurate forecasts/price prediction - why not keep it for themselves so that they make the money for themselves? 

Or is the "Research/Advise" nothing more than a fancy marketing tool to give the Consumer/Investor the confidence to "invest"? Would you be more confident to invest your savings with, or without the "Research"? And what's with the disclaimers at the end that has more words than the advise/research itself? 😉

[1:43 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: "rebuild coffers" ... claw back time 😅 which, to be fair, is necessary lah .... 😂

[1:43 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Ìt can be considered Privelege knowledge for some to be exploited at the expense of others

[1:44 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: just as how less than 6mths ago, they say inflation in the US as transitory only .. and not to be alarmed about 😜

[1:44 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: this is is a sure sure ... cos how much govt had dump out for this bio-war for citizen, best part residents things IT IS A MUST by govt .. only our govt is sooo darn caring besides One more in the region ... but society forget noting is free in Singapore actually life hahaha

[1:45 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: sorry i take back the word caring is concern (cos is a multi-lane relationship), one society break govt also headache more trash to clean

[1:46 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: so concern is the word

[1:46 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: not caring sorry sorry

[1:48 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: 74 billion spending .. 5.7million population .. that is roughly 13k bill per pax 😅

[1:50 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: lets assume not include the medical subsidy or citizens and pr

[1:50 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: the bulk of this should be for the support package

[1:51 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: i remember with a firm i work they got sooo much rebate that ..... they can share the cost with clients aka to offset operating cost

[1:52 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: also companies and working people should not forget there was a period of time govt were paying 50% of our salary

[1:52 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: this is to ensure we keep our jobs

[1:52 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: but still i drag to see the up coming income tax for all and gst ....cry no tears

[1:53 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Sounds like a BUY-NOW-PAY-LATER arrangement leh 😂😂😂

[1:55 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: No choice the support the whole Singapore. If not drop very hard to climb back up

[1:55 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: now the trend ley like this app call ATOM or whatever buy now pay installment

[1:55 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Many industries takes decades to build. Hence the support. If not all will move to other industries and then will have shortage of talent in that industry

[1:55 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: yeah pain it is but actually it benefits everyone .....

[1:56 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: this is why everyone if can pay should pay even taxi drivers also pay ...no pay no license hahahaha

[1:56 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: At times is good, but how to decide is really depends on government to make the right call.. not all are worth saving 😅 

Hence the difference in the support

[1:57 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: ok lah before they starts talking in the media one word to the presenters please please dun sharpen your knife too sharp ...leave a bit of breathing room, now expense go up with buy of ART kits and mask extra cost for living ...

[1:58 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: art and mask also not cheap unless u got membership price like show i/c colur? or join Buy-Now-Pay-later club?

[1:58 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: ART kits increase cost of running a business is really serious 🤦🏻‍♂️

[2:04 pm, 18/02/2022] +Caleb: Now no need ART liao. Unless healthcare or childcare

[2:04 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: company gives say cost increase company dun give we say heartless self buy we say too expensive, [rice drop we say no stock ... see the relationship ......it is the society here

[2:04 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Not really factory we still using

[2:04 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: So to ensure staff infected don’t come to work

[2:05 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Cost must drop further

[2:05 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Office staff most advice to work from home during this peak period

[2:05 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: have meh ? i know certain office still wants their staff to go back

[2:06 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: some workers complaint of stigma of taking leave to care for the school kids who are infected

[2:06 pm, 18/02/2022] +Caleb: +1. ART need to be cheaper then $4 each

[2:06 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Sgd2.00 tops

[2:06 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: My side operation more important mah… 😅 

And most office can work from home due to all the measures in places

[2:07 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: so the demand from society is not a win win is i win u loose type

[2:07 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: My operation staff work even during covid as they are essential business. Just that don’t mix team and test weekly.

[2:08 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: human very hard to control like how kids are still being push to school when govt advisory is to stay home

[2:08 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: reason parents needs to work

[2:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: This really quite tough..

[2:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: My kid yet to go school but I feel you

[2:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: not me but got some real cases .. but to me such times  am sure companies are pretty understanding on this too

[2:10 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: if one comes and say ooo is because i no relatives to help ... that is quite quite impossible unless is a migrated family

[2:10 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Not all family members are healthy enough. To care for younger kids.. 

So don’t expect all have someone to care for the kids

[2:11 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Compassion is required but also not all business can afford

[2:11 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: but whatever the case this opens up a new avenue of thoughts .. if we need the work force to support in such times yet want to ensure a clean society .. can the govt setup some temporary centre say in each housing estate to house these kids?

[2:11 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: maybe close a level of a polyclinic

[2:11 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: is a give and take situation i feel

[2:12 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: if say a staff who is been monkey all this while of cos the mgt will get pissed but if with real reasoning and prove am sure company will understand and maybe make arrangement (again depending on nature of business and person role)

[2:13 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: but nevertheless this is a real situation which should be address  else we will have sneaky parents who will push their sick kids into a so call clean air environment and boom

[2:13 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: and the cycle will repeat ..

[2:14 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: already in pre covid we as parents saw many of such cases, kids with fever being push to kindergarden / child care on pretext weather hot , running nose, recovery from chickenpox and fever etc... such mindset are toxic

[2:15 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: so assume another super delta varaint come will this parent allow someone who is infected to stay in their house

[2:15 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: if not why they are so self fish to push a sick kid into a school of other healthy kids ...

[2:15 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: ok side track enuff

[2:16 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: of cos to have such faiclities is NOT FREE , let's pay a minimal amount also for the resources involves, facilities can use poly clinic or even those vacant school.

[2:16 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: business wise in order not to be inconvenince should come to a win win situation

[2:17 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: maybe allow staff to come in later and leave early for during the period etc ....

[2:33 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/india-mea-summons-singapore-envoy-pm-lee-hsien-loong-remarks-parliament-nehru-1914416-2022-02-17

[3:05 pm, 18/02/2022] +REACH: Budget 2022 to chart Singapore’s ‘new way forward together’: Lawrence Wong

This year's Budget - which will be unveiled by Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday (Feb 18) - comes as Singapore prepares itself for a post-pandemic future. The theme of Budget 2022 - Charting Our New Way Forward Together - aims to give Singaporeans confidence to embrace the journey forward.

He will deliver the Budget 2022 Statement in English on CNA at 3.30pm.

📌 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pe90TQJuSs

For more info on Budget 2022, please visit MOF's Singapore Budget website at https://www.mof.gov.sg/singaporebudget.

More: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/budget-2022-follow-sts-live-coverage-on-finance-minister-lawrence-wongs-speech-on-feb-18

[4:05 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: Grocery Voucher $100 another for another year，it's another insulting to singaporean for another year

[4:05 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: MOF thought that $100 is $1000😏😏

[4:05 pm, 18/02/2022] +Uncle Law: Pls elaborate

[4:06 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: LW just said liao

[4:06 pm, 18/02/2022] +Caleb: 😂

[4:06 pm, 18/02/2022] +Uncle Law: Pls elaborate why it is insulting

[4:06 pm, 18/02/2022] +Caleb: CDC voucher

[4:07 pm, 18/02/2022] +Austin Ting: It may not be significant to u, but it can be significant to others as well hawker and neighbourhood stores

[4:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: Everything in market has being increasing the price sharply,

But the voucher remain $100  it should be up the amount to $500

That's call concern to all singaporean

[4:10 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: Not just give Abit here or there  ,But also must care people on the ground feeling's

[4:11 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: $100 would cover a 2% increase (GST from 7% to 9%?) on S5,000 worth of purchases. 

Will consumers having more $ to spend - from Govt grants - not push prices up further?

[4:12 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: That's why ,LTK to coming back again🤣🤣

[4:13 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Sorry.. i might have missed it .. but what did LTK do in the many years BEFORE he left?

[4:14 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Not for us to get back anything…

Mainly is for Low income to survive…. For us those that do ok… give all so we don’t make too much noise lol

[4:16 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: Always urge the G & MOT stop operate the transport company like making money out from the singaporean

[4:17 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: It's has almost every year now we did heard the transport company always wish to increasing the fare price

How dare 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[4:18 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: 2% for those have disposable income.. to be frank really not much. If you eat restaurant easily weekly. 2% won’t be a issue.

For those Low income is a serious issue.

[4:19 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: If you spend 30k a year is about 600 more

[4:19 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Hmm.... if you are spending 30k/yr on essentials, i think you cannot be considered low income right? 😅

[4:19 pm, 18/02/2022] +Uncle Law: Perhaps good to take this time to understand the needs and wants

[4:20 pm, 18/02/2022] +Uncle Law: Yup

[4:20 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: I didn’t say I am Low income arh 😅

[4:20 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: I am not saying you ,, but I mean in general... "you" as in people in general

[4:21 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: 50 per month extra for those earning 1k is quite significant

[4:21 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Yup, I think so too

[4:21 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: that's why I am surprised that someone feels that the Govt is insulting people by giving out the $100 vouchers

[4:22 pm, 18/02/2022] +Uncle Law: Yes. If GST can be kept lower for essential items will be good

[4:22 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: Frankly speaking ,simply not good enough as a so called first world Government

[4:23 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: i think the idea is to have a simple tax structure, then supplement/offset the increases by giving grants/rebates that will help the lower income/poor families

[4:24 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Good idea but how to determine… what is essential.

[4:24 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: The thing is tax will also increase overall cost so artificially all will rise…

[4:24 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: I can still recall the ( Orange Party ) suggest free WIFI from they Contested Constituency if they elected

However the current G haven't had a thought of that

[4:25 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: So the 2% don’t just increase just 2%… it will stack depends on how many layers between to goods and the buyer

[4:25 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: First World Government just a name not in reality yet

[4:26 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Lol

[4:26 pm, 18/02/2022] +Caleb: I think the GST grants not out yet

[4:26 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: We are not too bad already can’t have everything

[4:26 pm, 18/02/2022] +Caleb: maybe after announcing on the GST increase then will announce GST relive for SIngaporeans

[4:27 pm, 18/02/2022] +BL: Interestingly it's more than a lot of 1st world countries give, I think. Not really heard of Gov giving its citizen vouchers to offset VAT/GST increases before.

[4:27 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Education, housing and jobs.. I have really no complaint on those parts

[4:27 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: First world government country also have first world tax 😅

[4:28 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: Last year Singaporean get GST Voucher $500 ,Anything less then that 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[4:28 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: This year

[4:29 pm, 18/02/2022] +BL: Same problem - something has to give - increase tax through rises or more inward (foreign) investment (workers) or reduce expenditure.

[4:30 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: I think its good enough, and here is my reason:

$100 will cover the 2% increase on $5k of spending.

Assuming low income family earning 1k/mth = 12k/year, I would assume most of the expenditure will be on household essentials that attract the additional 2% GST.

5k/yr = $416/mth in essentials. I think that would cover most, i not all of the essential spending where GST applies?

Giving more $ = higher spending power. This will also lead to even higher prices since the equilibrium price is essentially the price that the consumers can/are willing to pay. That partly explains why prices in Malaysia and Singapore differ so much. 

So... I would like to understand, what is YOUR reason for saying its "not good enough".

[4:32 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Nothing is FREE ,, if you are not paying for something, someone else is...or you are paying in another way. 

I am concerned people would actually choose/vote for a Govt because of a promise of FREE Wi-fi  😅

[4:33 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: In your opinion, which Govt is "Frist World"? Really curious ...

[4:33 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: quite sure there will eb

[4:34 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: Government choose not to do so after all,

[4:35 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: But they are capable to do so ,

Not just in one Constituency but whole SG

[4:35 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: I think if Govt increase Income Tax rate to 40%, they can increase the Grant a lot more....but of course, then others will complain and say that is heartless too 😂

[4:36 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Maybe you need to start thinking why the Orange Party did not get Elected lor 😂

[4:38 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: After Covid I surely The Orange Party Wil win more votes,

👍👍

[4:38 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: oh yah hor.. totally forgot about that  hahahaha

[4:38 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Not very stable.. but library not bad… but then again if no laptop also can’t use

[4:38 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: University and poly free wifi

[4:38 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: I think mobile phone can connect leh

[4:38 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Secondary school not so sure

[4:39 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Public area but very slow 😅

[4:39 pm, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Wireless@sg is free.

Part of NexGen broadband network.

[4:39 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Good not free

Free not good

Good and Free not available 😂😂😂

[4:40 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: 🤣🤣

[4:40 pm, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

But 3g, 4g and 5g is not free.

You got to pay the Telco.

Wi-fi is free almost everywhere.

[4:40 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: Entry scan here & there no free means spend more on our pockets lor

[4:41 pm, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Reason, a router gateway or a Telco base station always come with WiFi chip.

That's why it is free.

[4:41 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: For school younger ones are a basic need 😅

When younger no internet was really quite hard.. although most of the time use to play game lol…

But access to information is a basic need I think

[4:42 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: Just like ART Price haven't coming down to a acceptable price yet

[4:42 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: When ask you google or do research always have to go library but if CCA late then can’t have access so have to plan

[4:43 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Libby free e books are all online. Without internet really can’t access.

[4:43 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: NLB give free e books and audio books which I find one of the best things NLB done 👍👍

[4:43 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Your acceptable price is $0 for everything .. not easy leh 😂😂😂😂

[4:44 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: So in the end ppl are u happy with the budget?!

[4:44 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Yah unlikely many country wants if don’t pay who give us 😅

More tax so can give free? Which we prefer?

[4:45 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Hey dun compare apple to orange reh

[4:45 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Other country is their business we have our own ground

[4:45 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Haven’t had time to watch everything lol

[4:45 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Wait for summary

[4:45 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: 🤣

[4:46 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: SAME! HAHAHAHAHA

[4:46 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: I never ever said that ,

But I always said that affordable pricing is the key to protect everyone of us

[4:46 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: But the carbon tax not good for my company 🥲

[4:46 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Means we earn less

[4:47 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: I wish this is true but only in falala land cos here rental is killer den business wanna make a killing how....

[4:47 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: Less $2dollar so hard meh

[4:47 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Carbon tax should be on all humans really we emit the most seriously

[4:48 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: I still dun buy that carbon tax thing sorry

[4:48 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: A bottle of beverage price should be acceptable range for ART KIT PRICE

[4:48 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Oh well.. Singapore been depends on oil industry for very long… guess change over time but also means company might move to another country… hopefully not mine

[4:48 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: 😅

[4:48 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Haha agree me too

[4:49 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Oil will not die so soon I read an article some where

[4:49 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Another way to tax you 🤣

[4:49 pm, 18/02/2022] +Anthony: I believe everyone can sacrifice a cup of drink in order to get the ART test

[4:49 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Plastic double every 10 years

[4:49 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: 😂

[4:49 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: I am from plastic industry 😅

[4:49 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Yeah and styrofoam ley.....

[4:50 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Styrofoam no more but still you have many other plastic

[4:50 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Seriously is a joke lah stop cutting down the parks and greens

[4:51 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Singapore very green as compared to many cities Liao

[4:51 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: And this thing about being green well ask nasa they crashing IIS into the sea green meh....

[4:51 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: But nature wise don’t think we can preserve a lot

[4:51 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Money and nature… so the choice is quite easy 😅

[4:52 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Getting smaller and smaller and smaller miss the green we used to have not is Grey......

[4:52 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: I mean now not not

[4:52 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Just hope that green HDB works

[4:52 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: I really like green space also

[4:53 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Humans needs some space for green

[4:54 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Ok back to budget day... So no big chicken thigh this year ahhh

[4:54 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: 🤣🤣

[4:55 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: If dun have phew thank you means no whole 🐔 taken back or slaughter of whole farm

[4:55 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Our parks not bad arh.. garden by the bay 6 to 7.30 am no one leh

[4:55 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: 🤣

[4:55 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: All busy getting ready to for work going to school mah

[4:56 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: WFH is awesome for me 😅

If not will be on my way to office 2 hours travel to work 😭

[4:56 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: That's life for the middle class

[4:57 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: We are in a matrix like some westerners believe, everything is a program... Hahahaha wake up do do do den sleep

[4:57 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Sleep time program will modify

[4:58 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Those ki siao wans will have mr smith saying hello

[4:58 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Better support for special needs 👍

[4:59 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Ok aged country aka Singapore not having enuff babies again.....

[5:00 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Is a global thingy see china see westerners

[5:02 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: 1st world country issue… 🤷🏻‍♂️

No one want to have kids 🤣

Enjoy life better than having kids. 

2 to me enough Liao 😅

[5:02 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Is not we dun want but social reason, goals of each family is different, youngster see a kid as a burden on pretext they are and will be bad parents, but....

[5:02 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Last time don’t think so much have Liao then work around it

[5:03 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Now plan and plan lol… in the end see Liao nope don’t want

[5:03 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Many fail to see the journey of being a parent; the love u get, the smile they give, the pain we go thru with them when sick....

[5:04 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Is like NS only the blessed one can taste and experienced ...

[5:04 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: No money can replace… I agreed. 

But norm now is can have or not is a choice mah…

[5:04 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: In fact parents hood will drive one to the next stage of life... Mature further, think more more to provision regardless good or bad,

[5:05 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Many friends doing well also don’t want kids. Freedom is still treasured more

[5:05 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Yeah lah now is want glam, Wang song, want ability to do this and that

[5:05 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: The value of a family is different to them......

[5:06 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: So govt have to relook into our teaching books to inject some of these values if u want people to keep harping like rabbits and have many many little rabbits

[5:07 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Can travel anytime go anywhere… 🥲

Now no more till baby grow older

[5:07 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: But also must ensure these rabbits able to have a steady job in exchange for carrots

[5:07 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Government grant already very good.. now is culture bah

[5:07 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Update Jin slow f CNA... I waiting for summary

[5:08 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: i think we should aim higher .. if want to do, then do the best of the best and live up to our 1st World status ... don't just make it free .. pay people to collect the ART kits and do the tests 💪 😂😂

[5:08 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: 10k upon giving birth leh.. if you take C ward is almost free

[5:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Not talking abt money is never enuff hahahaha

[5:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: So is mindset and like we know the experienced

[5:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Beverage price is too expensive.. lets make that free too .. ORANGE .. ORANGE .. ORANGE 😂😂😂

[5:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: I can afford private but I think KKH is one of the best Liao..

[5:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: All private any issue also go KKH

[5:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Like no matter how bad a day is but when u see ur kids and their smile or happiness.... It makes u have that claiming effect yet minus off their monster way

[5:10 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Ouch property tax 😅

[5:10 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Wat happen there....

[5:10 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: That one very pain

[5:11 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: Heng I don’t drive

[5:11 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: 🤣

[5:12 pm, 18/02/2022] +REACH: 📢 Topic 📢 

Budget 2022 - Charting Our New Way Forward Together

Singapore’s economy has rebounded strongly from its worst recession since independence, says Finance Minister Lawrence Wong. Close to $100 billion over the past two years was committed to support Singaporeans and businesses through the uncertainties of Covid-19.

Budget 2022 lays the foundations for how we want to move forward as a society, and prepares Singapore for the challenges of the future. We call on all Singaporeans to build our nation together, and to ensure a better Singapore for ourselves and our children.

💬 Which Budget 2022 measure resonates with you?

📌  Investing in Our Businesses and People

Looking beyond the immediate crisis, we must use this window of opportunity to better prepare ourselves for the coming decade.

📌  Strengthening Our Social Compact

The Government will ensure that all Singaporeans have opportunities to do well for themselves, no matter their background or starting point.

📌  Advancing Our Green Transition

Our little red dot can also be a bright green spark. To play our part in the global effort to combat climate change, and secure a more sustainable future for ourselves and for the world.

📌  Building a Fairer and More Resilient Tax System

Everyone contributes to strengthening our revenue structure, with those who are better off contributing more. This reflects our values as a nation and our social compact.

👉 https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore-budget-2022-live-coverage

[5:14 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Wow this one apply to all type of cars ya aka electric

[5:14 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: You rich than pay more which is fine… don’t affect normal singaporean

[5:14 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Good

[5:16 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Ok I think social budget is impt if we want to drive the generation next

[5:17 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: But dun use dollars to enrich them, instead use it to built culture and values into them so it flows down the Singapore river

[5:19 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: So many things I also cannot process all the information 😅

[5:22 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Sian basic retirement up to 99500 might as well say 100k

[5:22 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Anyway I dun see this amt also before I die haha

[5:23 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Gst starts in 2023 8% so wanna go buy big ticket item better do in 2023

[5:24 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Winner lor expected and the axe drop here higher personnel tax this yr

[5:25 pm, 18/02/2022] +Dan: Govt has been very generous in the payouts, especially to retirees.

[5:26 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Ok for the super super super rich niah Heng... Heng....

[5:27 pm, 18/02/2022] +Timothy Low: To them still peanuts yah

[5:28 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Else the term super super super rich... But they will have accountant to help them minus here and there wan lah

[5:29 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Rush to buy and push up prices??? please don't leh  😅

[5:29 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Tv where will push up prices

[5:29 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Fridges also

[5:30 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: But if pocket big frm covid profit please go buy car and house thank you for contribution

[5:30 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Singapore tax is not like Ang Mor tax .. its simple  .. simply tax nia ..cannot siam much 😂

[5:31 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: TV the more don't rush to buy .. prices of IT/Tech products keep dropping one..

[5:32 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: i aspire to pay top taxes .. paying more taxes means earning top dollars .. aiming to pay less/no tax means aiming low pay leh 😂😂😂

[5:38 pm, 18/02/2022] +Dan: My concern is for those who are not cash rich, but stay in private property. With the increase in property tax, this group of people may be on the losing end.

[5:40 pm, 18/02/2022] +Umar M: Disagree. They still have assets to fall back on and sell. More concerning are those in the lower income margin.

[5:42 pm, 18/02/2022] +REACH: ➡️ Households to get more rebates, $100 CDC voucher

More: https://str.sg/wmTw 

➡️ Low-income families to get more support

More: https://str.sg/wmq3

➡️ Singapore to raise GST from 7% to 9% in two stages in 2023 and 2024

More: https://str.sg/wmqJ

➡️ Assurance Package increased to $6.6 billion, GST voucher scheme beefed up to offset GST hike

More: https://str.sg/wmqT

➡️ CPF basic retirement sum to be raised by 3.5% per year from 2023 to 2027

More: https://str.sg/wmTR

➡️ $6b draw on past reserves to pay for Covid-19 public health expenditure

More: https://str.sg/wmqG

➡️ Higher personal income taxes for top 1.2% of taxpayers

More: https://str.sg/wmTy

➡️ Tax rates for residential properties to be raised, as Singapore adjusts wealth taxes

More: https://str.sg/wmqk

➡️ S'pore's tax revenue will be hit by international rule changes; Republic exploring top-up tax for MNCs

More: https://str.sg/wmqw

➡️ $100 million top-up to Enhanced Fund-Raising Programme; support stepped up for charities

More: https://str.sg/wmqZ

➡️ Govt to co-fund wage increases of local lower-wage workers between 2022 and 2026

More: https://str.sg/wmTa

➡️ $500m package for SMEs to cope with Covid-19 challenges

More: https://str.sg/wmTU

➡️ $600m set aside to boost SME productivity, encourage R&D collaborations

More: https://str.sg/wmTW

➡️ $100m set aside to help firms implement training and transformation plans

More: https://str.sg/wmTg

➡️ Salary thresholds for new Employment Pass, S Pass applicants to be raised

More: https://str.sg/wmTd

➡️ Singapore's carbon tax could increase to $80 per tonne of emissions by 2030, in accelerated net-zero emissions bid

More: https://str.sg/wmTm

➡️ Large emitters can buy carbon credits to offset carbon tax bill from 2024

More: https://str.sg/wmT8

➡️ Businesses like BioNTech setting up regional HQ here will create good jobs for S'poreans: Lawrence Wong

More: https://str.sg/wmT2

➡️ $35 billion in green bonds to be issued by 2030 to fund green public sector projects

More: https://str.sg/wmTu

➡️ Vehicle tax, COE revenue set to rise 15% to $6.46 billion

More: https://str.sg/wmqQ

[5:48 pm, 18/02/2022] +Dan: https://mothership.sg/2020/09/individuals-private-property-financial-aid/

[5:57 pm, 18/02/2022] +Joseph: Sorry man .. you can't have your cake and eat it too. There are options/alternatives to raise short-term cash/financing against those assets. Or sell the "asset" and move into more affordable housing. 

Can imagine if this is acceptable, many would max out their credit to "buy" the biggest/most expensive property the $ can buy, then ask for Govt aid.

Its too hard a sell to ask for help before someone has exhausted their own options.

[6:05 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: This I agree....

[6:06 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Unless that land got 0 value like those in geylang

[6:06 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Else a land is a land is higher value den HDB

[6:08 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: For social budget hope can have some ad hoc day care center in each estate... As this  covid period does show there is a need for such

[6:08 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: This must be carefully studied

[6:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: For kids ... And it can be shut down once the crisis is over

[6:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Minister Indranee Rajah raised this some time ago

[6:11 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Increase property (one of my dream tax) come true

[6:12 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Another of my targeted dream tax increase

[6:12 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Our ageing population is a great concern

[6:13 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Likewise

[6:13 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Yes

[6:14 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: I believe you are in the pink of health

[6:14 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: 😂🤣😅👍👌👏

[6:14 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Thank you I wish also hahahaha 70 still working at macdonald or taxi driver hahaha

[6:15 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Agree

[6:45 pm, 18/02/2022] ☸️  Danny 心: 

Think that this year Budget 2022 - quite generous.

[6:55 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Rest well🤟👍👌👏🙏

[6:58 pm, 18/02/2022] +Smiley face: 18 February, 2022 

To: Distinguished Ministers and All Honorable Members 

"Even Robin Hood Can't ...These Coming Storms?" 

"No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." We're only human and finding a higher level of consciousness isn't always doable, especially when we are overtired and stressed."

- - Albert Einstein 

Scenario:

A high possibility of US Fed rate hikes, certain? 

Scenario of rate hikes of no more than 150 basis points before end Q4, 2022, what's the overall impact to global trades, oil & gas prices, and resurgence of new covid strains or a new virus? Can these financials and economics interventions deflate (defeat) a spectrum of prices and the multiplier effects across the globe? Let not this inflation of all sorts mushroom into a hyperactive one! 

How Asia and Europe will reshape should these macro economics materialised and the end consequences known or unknown to each nation's microeconomics?

Country ( 国家, Negara, நாடு ):

How strong a country's pillars of economic structure & foundation ready for the forewarned 'perfect storms'? Will the existing signed free trades agreement buffer these changes and challenges? Any hidden or clear advantages to ride these 'storms' ? 

Home ( 家, Rumah, வீடு ):

What's the risk exposures to all walks of life, these cases are jobs, jobless and costs?  How strong will a family able to sustain these 'storms' ?

No fear, not been complacent, we will surf, weather and survive these impending storms. 

Why so? Simply if one retracked into the 1970s global oil crisis to the recent years of the global financial crisis, we came out of these crises - OK! 

One good habit is, Singapore always scan ahead and beyond the horizon for potential opportunities and threats!  Once again, bet on it, Singapore will survive! 

Afterwords:

Metric of Concerns & Problems - 

What's these tipping points, the sustainability, the unknowns and the solutions? 

- Family sizes from 2 to 12

- Household monthly disposable incomes  

- Retirees monthly disposable incomes

- Disables monthly disposable incomes 

- Daily expenses 

- Aging expenses 

- Financial obligations 

- Monthly residual money /savings 

- Legislated taxes and Payable taxes

- Present & Future skills set 

- Structural Unemployment 

Latest News:

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2022/02/18/2003773299

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3167443/i-have-waited-12-days-slow-coronavirus-test

History:

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/worldbiz/archives/2004/07/01/2003177292

                - - END - -

[6:59 pm, 18/02/2022] +REACH: Dear Contributors, the chat will be extended to 8pm. 

Thank you! 

Megan 😊

[7:01 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ken Loh: ?

[7:01 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: 😲

[7:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Dan: Some are their ancestral homes, some have bought their homes 30/40/50 years ago, when terraces are abt 60-100k. Not only are they denied assistance, but based on their current property prices, some may have to fork out 6-32% property tax. We say, its time for them to downsize and get out of the neighbourhood that some of them have lived for their entire life. Life is hard.

[7:09 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Have to let go of sentimental values to survive

[7:10 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: There such thing call planning

[7:10 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Yes

[7:10 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Which many do not do now. Old generations always say Keep some for the rainy days

[7:11 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Yes

[7:11 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: If really cannot tahan den sell and split the profit

[7:11 pm, 18/02/2022] +Ah Heng: Why drag on when cannot pay

[7:11 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: True

[7:25 pm, 18/02/2022] +En: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/wp-chairman-sylvia-lims-phone-not-hacked-by-singapore-govt-shanmugam

[7:26 pm, 18/02/2022] +En: What do you think of this new development...

[7:27 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Even if remotely true, don't expect an acknowledgement publicly

[7:45 pm, 18/02/2022] +REACH: Dear contributors, 

⏰ We will be closing the chat in 15 minutes ⏰ 

Thank you very much for being a part of our WhatsApp chat and participating actively. 

Goodnight!

Megan

[7:45 pm, 18/02/2022] +Rama: Really!?

[8:00 pm, 18/02/2022] +REACH: Dear contributors,

We will be closing the chat for today. 

Thank you very much for being a part of our Whatsapp chat and participating actively. 

Good night! 

Megan😊

======