Category: Singapore

The SafeEntry Gateway is the device seen at mall entrances and restaurants which allows customers to tap their TraceTogether (TT) token or app upon entry and exit. It sounds a “beep” and displays a green light to indicate the person has checked in (or out).

This is a great enhancement over having to fiddle with one’s phone to scan the QR code. However, the SafeEntry Gateway currently does not indicate the visitor’s vaccination or test status, a feature already available in the SafeEntry (Business) app.

As Singapore moves to the phase of learning to live with Covid-19 as an endemic disease, more venues may need to check the vaccination or test status of their visitors. When this happens, it will be important that such checks do not create bottlenecks at access points to venues.

Upgrading the SafeEntry Gateway to indicate the vaccination or test status of visitors could reduce such bottlenecks. This is a question I filed for the Parliamentary sitting on 14 September 2021:

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Prime Minister whether the SafeEntry Gateway device can be upgraded to provide an indication of a TraceTogether token or app user’s COVID-19 vaccination status in order to avoid crowding and disputes at access control points.

Singapore donated 100,000 doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine to Brunei in August. On 9 September, the Ministry of Health said Singapore will also donate 100,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to Johor. This is in addition to a 500,000 dose vaccine swap with Australia. The Prime Minister has also committed to donating Covid-19 vaccines to other countries under the COVAX vaccine-sharing initiative.

It is important that countries support each other to ensure fair and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines. In fact, I supported this point in my speech on behalf of the Singapore delegation at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Forum of Young Parliamentarians in May 2021. Given our next door neighbour Malaysia’s current struggle in combating the virus, it makes sense to donate vaccines to Johor, the state closest to our border.

However, it was less clear to me why Singapore is donating vaccines to Brunei, an oil-rich state with a GDP per capita of over US$31,000. While I can see how it would serve some purpose in strengthening diplomatic ties with the sultanate, was it necessary to make an outright donation given they can quite easily afford to purchase vaccines? How much did these vaccines cost Singapore? Which other countries have we donated vaccines to and are these countries in real need of vaccine donations?

I will be asking the following question at the 14 September 2021 sitting of Parliament:

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) which countries has Singapore donated COVID-19 vaccines to; (b) how many doses have been donated to each of these countries; (c) what is the total cost of these donations; and (d) what are the considerations for donations to higher income countries like Brunei which have the financial means to purchase their own vaccines.

Do you support donation of vaccines to other countries? If so, which countries should Singapore prioritise? Add your comments below or contact me directly at gerald.giam@wp.sg or WhatsApp 89250747.

A former Land Transport Authority (LTA) officer was recently convicted of receiving $1.24 million in bribes from various contractors and sentenced to five-and-a-half years’ jail. He was the deputy group director of the Thomson-East Coast and Cross Island MRT lines, with oversight over the construction of tunnels and stations.

In addition to the scale of corruption involved, this case is also a cause for concern because it is unclear if the corrupt contractors continued their work on the two MRT lines and, if so, whether the works done by these companies have been compromised in terms of safety, quality and value for money.

I have filed a Parliament question for 13 September 2021 to ask if the companies involved in this corruption case have been debarred:

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Finance regarding the case of the former LTA deputy group director convicted of receiving $1.24 million in bribes (a) whether the Standing Committee on Debarment (SCOD) has received any recommendations from CPIB for debarment action against parties involved in this corruption case; (b) if so, whether SCOD has made any decision to debar any party and the respective periods of debarment; and (c) if not, whether SCOD will proactively request for CPIB to make recommendations for debarment.

The corrupt officer had also been diagnosed with a pathological gambling disorder, and had sought loans from not only contractors but also colleagues in LTA. I asked another Parliamentary question regarding indebtedness declarations among public servants:

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Prime Minister (a) whether all public servants are required to make annual declarations of non-indebtedness; (b) if so, what is the maximum amount of unsecured loans each officer can have vis-a-vis their monthly income; (c) whether there is any obligation on the part of officers to report fellow officers whom they know have exceeded this amount; and (d) what are the consequences for non-reporting.

Many residents contacted me over the last few months as the Covid-19 vaccination programme was being rolled out with concerns about safety of vaccinations. Many of them did get their first dose of one of the mRNA vaccinations but had adverse reactions that debarred them from their second dose. As a result, these individuals are not considered “fully vaccinated”, which comes with attendant risks to their health and inconveniences when dining out or operating at some workplaces.

To add to the uncertainty, medical advice on vaccinations is continually being updated. Some of those who were previously medically ineligible for the mRNA vaccines can now get them, and there are other non-mRNA vaccines available. This confusion may result in some medically eligible people not getting their shot, resulting in lower immunity from Covid-19.

MOH should offer these individuals a free consultation with an allergist (a medical specialist) to help them choose suitable vaccines to receive based on the latest medical findings and safety data.

This is the subject of a question I filed for the 14 September sitting for Parliament:

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, how many individuals have been assessed to have contraindications to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines; and (b) whether these individuals can be provided with a free consultation with an allergist to help them choose suitable vaccines to receive based on the latest medical findings and safety data.

I thank one of my constituents for suggesting this question to me.

The care model for Covid-19 patients in Singapore is changing in line with higher vaccination rates. MOH is currently piloting a home-centric care model for the management of Covid-19 patients with mild or no symptoms. This enables these Covid-19 patients to be with their families, who can also support and care for them at home.

However, it is important to also ensure that such patients are closely monitored and treated. This is so they don’t end up being a source of spread of the disease, especially to their immediate family members, or see a worsening of their conditions which will require hospitalisation.

Many thanks to one of my constituents who raised this concern to me. I have filed this question for the 14 September sitting of Parliament:

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health (a) to date, how many persons who tested positive with COVID-19 have been allowed to serve their quarantine orders at home; (b) what are the criteria for allowing such individuals to quarantine at home; (c) what medical treatment is provided to such individuals to reduce the chances of them requiring hospitalisation; and (d) how are they monitored for a worsening of their condition which may require them to be admitted to a hospital.

Oxygen supplementation is critically important for patients who suffer severe illness as a result of Covid-19. Such patients often have breathing difficulties and a lack of oxygen could be fatal.

I have filed a question for the Minister for Health to get assurance that Singapore has sufficient oxygen supplies and sufficient domestic oxygen manufacturing capacity, should Covid-19 cases spike after re-opening, as we are already starting to see now.

This is the question I filed for the 13 September 2021 sitting of Parliament:

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Health (a) how many patient-days of medical oxygen supplies are available for patients who require oxygen supplementation because of COVID-19 or other diseases; and (b) whether Singapore has sufficient oxygen manufacturing capacity to replenish our local supply should the number of COVID-19 cases increase rapidly as the economy reopens.

There were 469 Covid-19 cases linked to bus interchange clusters as at 5 September and this number is expected to continue growing. To date, we have heard no conclusive explanations of how the infections occurred, why they occurred only recently and why they spread so quickly. I therefore filed a question last week to be answered on the 14 September sitting of Parliament.

I asked what were the modes of transmission of Covid-19 infections at bus interchanges. Phylogenetic tests on the infected persons may reveal where the infection started.

Many commuters would be concerned about whether it is safe for them to take buses and public transport. I asked if any commuters have been infected at bus interchanges or while on buses with infected bus captains.

Finally, it was revealed that most, but not all bus captains have been vaccinated. I asked whether bus companies will require all their bus captains to get their innoculations.

This is my question as filed:

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what have been the modes of transmission of COVID-19 infections at bus interchanges; (b) whether any commuters have been infected at bus interchanges or while on buses with infected bus captains; and (c) whether public transport companies will be requiring all their bus captains to be vaccinated.

Icons by LAFS and PictureWindow / CC BY-SA 3.0)

These were the opening remarks I made at a dialogue organised by the NUS Political Science Society, titled “The Future of Political Leadership in Singapore”, on 23 Aug 2021.

Thank you to Nelle and the NUS Political Science Society for inviting me to join you tonight. SMS Sim Ann, Assoc Prof Bilveer Singh and Dr Gillian Koh — it’s so good to be on the panel with you.

I am always thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with students who have an interest in political, social and economic developments in Singapore. 

The topics to be discussed today include the transition into the 4G leadership, the challenges of governance, and our crisis management response towards the Covid-19 pandemic.

The transition to 4G leadership is an internal party matter for the PAP to decide, although given their political dominance in Singapore, leadership succession in the PAP does take on national significance.

The Workers’ Party already had our fourth leadership transition in 2018 when our Party cadres elected Mr Pritam Singh as our secretary-general. He is now the Leader of the Opposition.

Regardless of who is at the helm of the Government or the Opposition in Singapore, there are practical realities that need to be dealt with. The world is changing at a breakneck pace, driven by technology, communications and changing values. Our citizens expect to be represented by men and women with a diversity of thought and a unity in purpose. This is what is needed for good governance — and good outcomes!

As Singaporeans, we must never develop a hubristic mindset, thinking we are better than others or that other countries are so “messed up” that there is nothing much we can learn from them. We must not get so carried away with praising ourselves, that we forget that our past performance is no guarantee of future success.

The Covid-19 pandemic presents an excellent case-in-point. The countries which did such a great job at the start in preventing the spread of infections, are now facing a quandary of whether to open up their economies or maintain their zero-Covid stance. Those countries that did well to vaccinate their populations early are seeing the delta variant breaking through and are tightening measures again. The lesson for Singapore is that we need to stay humble and continue to work hard to secure victory over this virus. 

I am supportive of the Government’s moves to transition to a new normal of vaccinations, testing and cautious reopening. I hope the Government sticks to the plan for reopening and communicates this clearly to the people. We should, as far as possible, avoid rolling lockdowns as they have a very detrimental effect on businesses and livelihoods — and possibly even lives.

I still maintain, as I proposed in Parliament, that we need better metrics to measure our progress and gauge the risk of the virus. These metrics need to be more easily understood by the general public so that there will be greater buy-in and voluntary compliance with safe management measures. 

It is very important for all political parties to place the national interest first and foremost, and especially so during times of crisis. Some of you would have seen the video of Mr Low Thia Khiang encouraging seniors to get vaccinated. I can share with you that not all our supporters agree with our stance on vaccinations. But we will support Government policies which we feel are good for the people, and oppose those that we feel will not benefit our society — like POFMA and the GST hike.

We don’t simply oppose, of course, but put forward proposals after considered study and consultation. We have been calling for the implementation of a national minimum wage since 2015 and are glad to see that there is finally some movement in this direction. We have also asked for a mandatory credentials assessment for all Employment Pass applications and the establishment of an independent and transparent electoral boundaries commission.

It is through constructive debate that I believe we can uncover the best solutions to the challenges we face as a nation. That is the spirit in which I look forward to our discussion today. Thank you.

It was revealed in Parliament on 6 July 2021 that in the infocomm sector alone, 6,000 jobs remain unfilled. The Manpower Minister explained that Singapore currently does not have enough locals to fill the jobs available.

With this in mind, I asked the Minister for Education some questions regarding the number of Singaporean students admitted to computer science degree courses at local universities:

1) How many Singaporean students applied to study computer science (CS) at local universities each year over the past decade and what was their admission rate?

2) Why has the number of local graduates with CS degrees been insufficient to meet the IT sector’s demand?

3) What plans are in place to increase the intake to meet this demand?

In his reply, Mr Chan Chun Sing said that local universities had increased the number of places in Information & Digital Technologies (IDT) degree courses from 800 undergraduate places in 2010 to 3,100 in 2020. He did not provide the breakdown for places in each year. The admission rate was about 50% across all the universities.

The Minister also said that undergraduates in other courses also take up tech jobs when they graduate. About 50% of fresh grads in tech jobs did not major in IDT.

Have you applied unsuccessfully for computer science courses in local universities? Do you have a passion for tech but can’t break into the industry? Share your experiences and thoughts with me either in the comments below, or by email gerald.giam@wp.sg or WhatsApp 89250747.

Photo by Sean Lim on Unsplash

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Here is the full Parliamentary Q&A (26 July 2021):

NUMBER OF SINGAPOREAN STUDENTS ADMITTED FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE DEGREES AT LOCAL UNIVERSITIES AND SUFFICIENCY OF SUCH NUMBERS

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Education (a) how many Singaporean students have applied for computer science degrees in each Autonomous University in each of the last 10 years; (b) of these, how many have been offered admission in each year and each university; (c) why has the number of local graduates holding computer science degrees been insufficient to meet demand in the local IT sector; and (d) what plans have been considered to increase the intake of computer science students to meet industry demand for tech talent.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: The Ministry of Education works closely with the Ministry of Manpower and economic agencies to plan the supply of degree places across different course clusters every year. The Ministry takes into account their inputs on industry demand and national manpower needs across different sectors, as well as students’ interests and aspirations. 

Given the rise in industry demand for tech talent, we have increased the number of places in Information & Digital Technologies (IDT) degree courses over the past 10 years. Today, on average across the Autonomous Universities (AUs), about half of the applications received are offered a place. A single applicant may put in multiple application across the AUs. 

The number of local IDT undergraduate places rose four-fold from 800 in 2010 to 3,100 in 2020. As a proportion of all AU places, the number of IDT undergraduate places increased from 7% in 2010 to 17% in 2020. The breakdown of the 2020 IDT intake of 3,100 places across the AUs was: 1,200 in National University of Singapore (NUS), 600 in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), about 500 each in Singapore Management University (SMU) and Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), and about 100 each in Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).

Apart from students in IDT courses, some undergraduates in other AU courses, for example engineering, also take up tech jobs when they graduate. According to Graduate Employment Surveys conducted by the AUs in the last five years, about half of the fresh graduates employed in tech jobs did not major in IDT, and they take up roles such as Software Engineer and Data Analyst. This is because the AUs have been facilitating students from various disciplines to take on IDT-related minors or second majors.

Our industry needs cannot be met by fresh graduates alone. Even as we grow the number of IDT places overall, and encourage more students to take on second majors or minors in IDT, we have to balance this with the manpower needs of other sectors, given our shrinking birth cohorts and limited graduate supply. To supplement this, MOE and sector agencies are ramping up Continuing Education and Training (CET) pathways significantly. This includes expanding TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) programmes under IMDA, which has placed over 8,000 Singaporeans into tech jobs since its inception in 2016. 

MOE will continue to work closely with economic agencies and the AUs to further strengthen the local talent pipeline for tech jobs in the Singapore economy.

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Find this and other Parliamentary questions I have asked at https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/result?mpId=356&section=PQ&parlno=14

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The latest report of the Auditor-General found lapses in the management of operations and weaknesses in controls at some public sector entities, including the Health Promotion Board (HPB), the National Heritage Board (NHB) and the Public Service Division (PSD).

At HPB, AGO noted wastage from excess National Steps Challenge fitness trackers not put to use. There were some 341,000 of such excess trackers valued at $5.39 million. AGO also noted that HPB’s processes were inadequate to ensure that the movement of fitness trackers was properly monitored and that the stock of trackers was properly accounted for. It found that there was no central monitoring of the movement and stock of trackers; records maintained were incomplete; and there was no periodic reconciliation of records with physical stock on hand.

On 3 Aug 2021, I asked Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung if HPB will consider distributing all the still-functional fitness trackers to members of the public in order to promote exercise and fitness, instead of disposing them. 

The Minister acknowledged that there was a surplus of 341,000 devices. Of these, just over a third (35%) are still functional and will be put to use, including for replacing faulty trackers and supporting organisations in their health and wellness initiatives. Unfortunately 221,000 fitness trackers have been disposed of, as they have exceeded the average useful life or were no longer functional. 

In explaining remedial measures taken, Mr Ong said that, moving forward, HPB will be more conservative in its projections of the number of fitness trackers to be procured. He said MOH will closely monitor the implementation of these measures, and work with HPB to determine accountability and the prudent use of resources.

Here is the full Parliamentary question and answer:

PROPOSAL TO DISTRIBUTE STILL-FUNCTIONAL FITNESS TRACKERS PURCHASED FOR NATIONAL STEPS CHALLENGE 

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Health whether HPB will consider distributing all the still-functional fitness trackers from among the 341,000 excess fitness trackers purchased for the National Steps Challenge seasons 1 to 5 to members of the public in order to promote exercise and fitness instead of disposing of them. 

Mr Ong Ye Kung: In planning for the various seasons of the National Steps Challenge, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) would estimate demand based on past seasons’ trend and projected increases in demand due to the new season’s eligibility criteria. However, this resulted in an over-estimation of the demand, and surplus of 341,000 fitness trackers.

Of the excess fitness trackers, 120,000 remain functional. 48,000 have been used to replace faulty trackers, and those with expired warranties. About 3,000 trackers have also been used to support community partners, companies, and other government agencies in their health and wellness initiatives. The remaining 69,000 functional trackers will continue to be used for similar purposes. Unfortunately, the rest of the excess fitness trackers have been disposed of, as they have exceeded the average useful life or were no longer functional. 

HPB has conducted a full review of the matter. It has enhanced the processes for central monitoring of the movement and stocks of fitness trackers. HPB now tracks movement across and at all distribution channels closely on a daily basis to detect signs of excesses building up. Audits and physical stock checks will also be done twice a year instead of annually. Excess inventory from previous years will be counted towards providing trackers for the following year’s activity. 

Moving forward, HPB will be more conservative in its projections of the number of fitness trackers to be procured. Any additional purchase of trackers will be done only when excess bookings are received from participants. HPB has also broadened the criteria of replacement for the 1-to-1 exchange and will proactively inform our participants so that they will come forward to exchange the trackers if their trackers are defective. 

MOH will closely monitor the implementation of these measures, and work with HPB to determine accountability and the prudent use of resources as we continue with our efforts to encourage Singaporeans to adopt healthier lifestyles. 

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Image credit: The Hooting Post Blogazine