The paradox of cutting wages

BUSINESS COMMENT

Less pay equals more debt, leading to lower spending and a depressed economy

PAUL KRUGMAN

Falling wages are a symptom of a sick economy. And they're a symptom that can make the economy even more sick.

It's true that many workers are still getting pay increases. But there are enough pay cuts out there that, according to the United States Bureau of Labour Statistics, the average cost of employing workers in the private sector rose only 0.2 per cent in the first quarter of this year — the lowest increase on record. Since the American job market is still getting worse, it wouldn't be at all surprising if overall wages started falling later this year.

But why is that a bad thing? After all, many workers are accepting pay cuts in order to save jobs. What's wrong with that?

The answer lies in one of those paradoxes that plague our economy right now.

We're suffering from the paradox of thrift: Saving is a virtue, but when everyone tries to sharply increase saving at the same time, the effect is a depressed economy. We're suffering from the paradox of deleveraging: Reducing debt and cleaning up balance sheets is good, but when everyone tries to sell off assets and pay down debt at the same time, the result is a financial crisis.

And soon we may be facing the paradox of wages: Workers at any one company can help save their jobs by accepting lower wages, but when employers across the economy cut wages at the same time, the result is higher unemployment.

Here's how the paradox works. Suppose that workers at the XYZ Corporation accept a pay cut. That lets XYZ management cut prices, making its products more competitive. Sales rise, and more workers can keep their jobs. So you might think that wage cuts raise employment — which they do at the level of the individual employer.

But if everyone takes a pay cut, nobody gains a competitive advantage. So there's no benefit to the economy from lower wages. Meanwhile, the fall in wages can worsen the economy's problems on other fronts.

In particular, falling wages, and hence falling incomes, worsen the problem of excessive debt: Your monthly mortgage payments don't go down with your paycheque. America came into this crisis with household debt as a percentage of income at its highest level since the 1930s. Families are trying to work that debt down by saving more than they have in a decade — but as wages fall, they're chasing a moving target. And the rising burden of debt will put downward pressure on consumer spending, keeping the economy depressed.

Things get even worse if businesses and consumers expect wages to fall further in the future. John Maynard Keynes put it clearly, more than 70 years ago: "The effect of an expectation that wages are going to sag by, say, 2 per cent in the coming year, will be roughly equivalent to the effect of a rise of 2 per cent in the amount of interest payable for the same period."

And a rise in the effective interest rate is the last thing the US economy needs.

Concern about falling wages isn't just theory. Japan — where private-sector wages fell an average of more than 1 per cent a year from 1997 to 2003 — is an object lesson in how wage deflation can contribute to economic stagnation.

So what should we conclude from the growing evidence of sagging wages in America? Mainly that stabilising the economy is not enough — we need a real recovery.

The unemployment rate is almost certainly still rising. And all signs point to a terrible job market for many months if not years to come — which is a recipe for continuing wage cuts, which will in turn keep the economy weak.

To break that vicious circle, we basically need more: More stimulus, more decisive action on the banks, more job creation.

Credit where credit is due: President Obama and his economic advisers seem to have steered the economy away from the abyss. But the risk that America will turn into Japan — that we'll face years of deflation and stagnation — seems, if anything, to be rising. THE NEW YORK TIMES

From TODAY, World – Tuesday, 05-May-2009

On the right to speak wrong

NEWS COMMENT

By boycotting the Geneva racism conference, the West suggests they agree that hate speech is not free speech

Nazry Bahrawi

WE HAIL it among the loftiest of human ideals. So much so that it was cast in stone as Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations in 1948.

That we can speak freely without fear of repercussion, is as sacred as life itself. Its sacrosanct virtue is perhaps best captured in the aphorism credited to Voltaire’s biographer Evelyn Beatrice Hall: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”.

Yet when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad opened the UN racism conference in Geneva on Monday by calling Israel “a cruel and repressive racist regime”, representatives of Western nations who attended staged a walkout. This snub came after several Western states such as the United States and the Netherlands decided they would boycott the conference by not showing up.

Some would justify their act on the belief that the Iranian President was making a farce of the UN summit. British Ambassador to the UN Peter Gooderham explained that Mr Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric against Israel was “the opposite of what this conference seeks to achieve”.

Given that anti-Semitism was one of the primary themes of the summit, Mr Gooderham’s observation has some credence. But Islamophobia was also a theme at the summit.

Western nations did not react with the same fervour to the Prophet Mohammed cartoon controversy four years back that began in Europe and swept through the Muslim world. Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper that published 12 satirical caricatures of Prophet Mohammed, at that time defended its move as an exercise in the freedom of expression. As Muslims worldwide took to the streets to protest, European newspapers reacted by republishing these cartoons on the pretext of defending the sanctity of the freedom of expression.

Both controversies had each undermined a segment of humanity — Muslims with the Mohammed cartoons and Jews with Mr Ahmadinejad’s lambast of Israel. So, why the double standard on the part of Western nations?

Even though their diplomats do not agree with Mr Ahmadinejad, the boycott and dramatic walkout does not gel with the idealistic notion of defending to the death the right to speak wrong. If there is any wisdom that could be garnered from this UN debacle, it is that the likes of Ms Hall may be peddling a Utopian vision. The universality of free speech is fast becoming a myth, if not already. There is always a backlash. Speech is nuanced more than it is free.

Far from oppressing us, this realization must surely free humanity from the naïve stance that we have held on to so tightly since 1948. Perhaps it is time for world leaders to rethink Article 19 to better reflect ground realities. There is already precedence to justify the move. A clause that decries hate speech could be a good start.

Before die-hard propagators of free speech resort to decrying this suggestion as a heresy to the sanctity of civil liberties, a qualification needs to be outlined with regards to the thorny issue of religion. Hate speech is not the same as criticism of religion. The former could lead to disastrous ends, while the latter has the potential of unveiling the evils of authoritarianism.

As portrayed in the Oscar-nominated movie Hotel Rwanda, hate speech instigating the majority Hutus to attack the minority Tutsi “cockroaches” was broadcast over the radio just days before the genocide. Surely this must not count as an exercise of free speech.

But in the endeavour to rethink free speech, criticism of religious ideas must not be derided. This is a practice that exists even within the Muslim tradition, where the faithfuls used to freely express their doubt and disagreement about different facets of Islam during sermons delivered by persons of religious authority, including Prophet Mohammed.

On the political front, some diplomacy should perhaps be exercised if criticism of religion is to make any headway. The consideration of power here is highly important. When economically stronger European nations lead the charge against Islamic ideas as in the case of the Danish caricatures, they are effectively signaling to the Muslim world — most of which comprise developing nations — that the powerful could stomp on the weak.

This is painfully reminiscent of colonising tendencies and it is regressive. In this light, the boycott and walkout of the Geneva summit only serve to add further grievous harm to an already sore injury. A more becoming reaction of powerful Western nations would have been for their diplomats to stay and engage with the ideas of the delegates that they disapprove.

Above all, it is clear that both the Western nations and the Muslim world, despite their seeming disagreements about free speech, are fighting the same enemy — hate speech. So why not reconfigure Article 19 of the UDHR to reflect this ideal?

The writer is pursuing a postgraduate degree at the University of Edinburgh under the British Chevening scholarship.

From TODAY, World – Friday, 24-April-2009

Do companies own their staff, body and soul?

I SAY

Liang Dingzi

DBS Bank’s objection to Ms Josie Lau, vice-president for consumer banking group cards and unsecured loans, taking on the top post at women’s advocacy group Aware demonstrates antiquated thinking.

It raises the question of how far an employer can legitimately exercise control over employees’ external activities.

DBS said it supported Ms Lau’s involvement as a council member, but not as president. This is tantamount to not recognising her rights to private decisions on matters outside of work.

This could not have come at a worse time as Singapore looks to promote volunteerism as a way of life.

Not many companies, however, are as generous as DBS in supporting volunteer work even at the basic level. For good public relations as responsible corporate citizens, some firms structure community contributions into work schedules (lest there be a lack of volunteers on their own time), but they frown upon any involvement in activities that have nothing to do with the company.

Usually cited is the blanket concern that such activities will adversely affect performance at work. Such an argument puts the cart before the horse, because it depends on how each individual balances work with personal pursuits.

The choice should rest with the employee, who must then be prepared to face consequences when he or she underperforms. In fact, many companies already have in place measures to deal with poor performance, not necessarily the result of an employee’s involvement in volunteer work.

It is time companies realise they do not own their employees, body and soul. What they have a right to demand from staff is loyalty and to refrain from acts that will jeopardise the business of the company.

Few individuals can afford to do fulltime volunteer work, and few companies are able to offer opportunities for those inclined to expend their energy this way.

But there is more to life than just work. The more Singaporeans become involved in community activities, the stronger their pride of belonging. Nil or lukewarm corporate support only serves to smother that passion and check a development that could benefit society.

The world was impressed with the spirit of volunteerism displayed by China’s citizenry at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Singapore will have its opportunity at the Asian Youth Games and again at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. It is critical that companies lend their support.

But support for only big national events is not enough. For Singapore to be a vibrant society where life can be lived meaningfully and with fulfilment, there should be more opportunities for individuals to take up challenges outside of work.

Companies that allow staff room to grow, not just within but also outside the company, will benefit from having in their employment more well-rounded individuals.

The writer is a management consultant.

Email your views to voices@mediacorp.com.sg

From TODAY, Voices – Thursday, 23-April-2009

Room for political robustness

SINGAPORE BEYOND LKY

Singapore can prosper even if differences exist

Letter from Poh Lee Heng

I refer to “Singapore beyond Lee Kuan Yew” (April 22).

I am 45 years old and have seen and benefited from the transition of Singapore from Third World to First under the strong but dominant leadership of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. I am very pleased that there is at least a debate about the future of Singapore beyond Mr Lee.

There should be more such debates as this is an issue of great national interest. The more we debate about it, the better we will be prepared for any unexpected scenario.

Mr Ho Kwon Ping is spot-on by saying that “for Singapore’s sake, the People’s Action Party (PAP) had better be sustainably competent, because there is no dependable, tested Opposition party as fallback for the country. The price of the PAP’s extraordinarily successful half-century of governance is that the system is now particularly vulnerable to the internal self-renewal of the PAP”.

The Singapore political system is highly efficient but not robust and as Mr Ho had pointed out, very dependent on the PAP.

China’s political system is efficient compared with India’s but India’s system is relatively more robust.

For a party to be in power for so long and remain corrupt-free and efficient is due to the strong leadership of Mr Lee and its current leaders.

In addition, the current leadership is self-disciplined and constantly reminding themselves of their duty toward the people of Singapore.

But in the absence of a strong leader, there is no guarantee that it will continue to do so.

I personally would rather live with a certain amount of instability due to political differences, in exchange for political robustness. I think Singapore has matured vastly over the last 20 years and can survive and prosper even if there are political differences.

Mr Lee, Singapore’s founding father, is in a great position to put our political system on a road map to robustness and this should cut across party interests.

I hope that Singapore will continue to be a great country for my children who are now in their teenage years.

From TODAY, Voices – Thursday, 23-April-2009

Two ministers, two approaches

FOOD STALL HYGIENE

Benchmark idea for hospital canteens ‘helpful’, but won’t work for hawker stalls: Yaacob

Leong Wee Keat, weekeat@mediacorp.com.sg

WHILE he welcomes the Health Minister’s firm stance that food stalls at public hospitals must score an “A” or “B” on cleanliness, that is Mr Khaw Boon Wan’s “prerogative”, says Minister for Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim, who rules out tying hawker stall tenders to hygiene grades.

“If we just penalise them just because they are (graded) Cs and Ds, there may be other implications,” said Dr Yaacob yesterday. “I think some hawkers have already mentioned ... that this may affect their livelihood. So, rather than make it a legal requirement, we work with them ... On the part of NEA (National Environment Agency), we will continue to work with the hawkers and hawkers’ association to improve their hygiene standards.”

He also called on consumers to send a signal by choosing a B-graded stall over one graded C.

On Sunday, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan suggested linking the renewal of stall tenders at hospitals to their hygiene ratings, with those not meeting the mark told to close shop.

While there is clear consensus that cleanliness standards need to be improved, why such divergent approaches from two ministers?

There is “no right or wrong” in either approach, said Madam Halimah Yacob who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Health.

In hospitals, the public expect the “highest standard of hygiene possible” and if mass food poisoning were to occur, “the psychological impact would be far greater”, she felt. Pointing out that hospital food stalls see a different clientele, Mdm Halimah added: “Besides visitors, customers could also be patients waiting to see a doctor.”

Her counterpart helming the GPC for Environment, Mr Charles Chong, pointed out that while food stalls in hospitals could be purpose-built, hawker centres on the other hand come in a wide range — including makeshift temporary ones.

“Some are old, some are new. If they impose a minimum standard straight away ... there will be an uproar from the hawkers who may complain that they have been subjectively graded,” he said.

Numbers could also make a difference: While there are just six restructured hospitals, there are 106 hawker centres across the island with 5,600 stalls.

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No hygiene rating for night markets

Pasar malams will not be given a hygiene rating — in spite of the fact that more food stall operators at such night markets were booked last year for hygiene lapses — but that does not mean they are not scrutinised, said Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.

Pasar malams “operate on a very short basis” and by the time the grading is done, the markets are over. “The most important thing is to make sure we check. So, don’t be under the impression that pasar malams are not being supervised ... Our inspectors are down on the ground to supervise,” the Minister said.

There are also licensing requirements, such as that food must be prepared beforehand, with only heating up or frying allowed. Last year, 45 enforcement tickets were issued, up from 31 in 2007 and 23 in 2006.

ONG DAI LIN

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Since 2001, 72 centres have been upgraded with the remaining 30 or so to be madeover by 2012. And Dr Yaacob is confident this would help significantly to raise standards. After all, he revealed, 99 per cent of the stall holders who have benefitted from the Hawker Centre Upgrading Programme, have achieved “A” or “B” grades.

“This shows that as we begin to improve the ambience, design, layout and impose better cleaning practices, hawkers can do a good job in terms of improving hygiene standards,” he said.

The 12-year-old hygiene grading system assesses food hawkers based on cleanliness, housekeeping and food and personal hygiene. Last year, more than 85 per cent of stalls scored an “A” or “B”.

The weak chink in the armour: The four temporary markets currently, where more than nine in 10 stalls have “C” grades. Inspections of such markets have been stepped up, Dr Yaacob said.

Mr Chong hopes more can be done. He got the sense, after speaking to some hawkers, that many are not clear on how grading is conducted. The authorities could also think of ways — such as rental rebates — to reward hawkers who move from a “C” to an “A” grade, he said.

From TODAY, News – Thursday, 23-April-2009

CEO’s nod needed for business trips

TRAVEL WATCH
As recession bites, companies are cutting back on such expenses

ESTHER NG
estherng@mediacorp.com.sg

AS IF they don't already have enough on their plates, some head honchos of multinational companies (MNCs) here have taken to scrutinising their employees' business trips.

Such expenses, it seems, require the chief executive's (CEO) nod in some 67 per cent of organisations, as companies tighten their budgets, according to the latest Hewitt Compensation Watch Survey.

The international human resource firm had polled 53 companies, mostly MNCs.

Is this the best use of a CEO's time?

"A total waste of effort," said Mr Henry Cheong, managing director of Telesto Broadcast Solutions. "It might work for a small company, but not for one that has 500 to 1,000 people or more."

As it is, CEOs have other bigger worries. "We have to find ways to grow our business, all the more in these economic times, find new markets and improve our bottom line," said Philips Electronics chief Wong Lup Wai, adding that the MNC would not be adopting this tack any time soon.

"We believe in empowering our business unit managers to make these decisions," he said.

Other MNCs that Today spoke to were coy about revealing whether they had resorted to taxing their CEOs in this manner. However, they did admit to switching their travel mode from business class to economy or even budget, video- and teleconferencing.

However, Ms Annie Yap, managing director of AYP, believes that the practice is more of a deterrent than the CEO going through a pile of applications.

"It's to weed out the non-critical from the critical business trips," she said.

Business travel expenses are projected to be cut by 21 per cent this year. Other findings in the Hewitt survey include fewer retention bonuses, reduced year-end variable bonuses and overtime pay.

Salary projections in Singapore are expected to slump by minus 5.4 per cent in June to September, with the lowest increase among senior management (1.9 per cent). But professional and general staff will experience the highest pay increase at 2.3 per cent.

Job seekers looking for a big jump might want to head to India, with companies there offering 8.2 per cent in wage hikes — highest Asia-wide.

From TODAY, News – Wednesday, 22-April-2009

Flies in foodstall: Action taken by NEA

This is leadership in action…

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Letter from S Satish Appoo

Director, Environmental Health Department, National Environment Agency (NEA)

We refer to the letter “Flies make home in our eateries” (April 10).

Our investigations confirmed the presence of flies in the refreshment area of the foodshop at Sembawang Drive. The foodshop management has mobilised its pest control operator to locate and eradicate the fly-breeding sources. Our field officers have also extended their checks to the surrounding areas. The foodshop operator will face enforcement action should breeding be found in his premises.

During our inspection, food for sale was found to be properly covered. We have reminded the operator of his responsibility to ensure that crockery and cutlery are properly covered, and refuse properly bagged and disposed of.

We thank your reader for the feedback.

From WEEKEND TODAY, Voices – 18, 19-April-2009

‘We will be more vigilant’

NEA ON HAWKER CENTRE HYGIENE

Letter from Andrew Tan

Chief Executive Officer, National Environment Agency

I THANK all letter-writers and journalists of Today who have commented on the importance of maintaining high standards of public hygiene in our hawker centres following the severe incident of food poisoning traced to a stall at the Geylang Serai Temporary Market.

We at NEA are deeply saddened by this episode that is linked to more than 150 people falling ill, many acutely, with two losing their lives. Our hearts are with the affected people and the grieving families to whom we have extended our deepest condolences. The outpouring of concern rightfully shows the widespread sympathy we share for them as well as the high standards expected of our markets and food centres.

Maintaining Hygiene Standards

NEA has the overall responsibility for ensuring high standards of public health and hygiene in Singapore. We would like to assure the public that NEA will strive to uphold these high standards.

The current system for upholding public hygiene comprising legislation, surveillance, enforcement and public education has served us well. The number of food poisoning cases in Singapore is very low. Over the last three years, there has been an average of only four food poisoning incidents a year, even though we have 5,600 hawker stalls across 106 hawker centres.

Grading of Stalls

The grading scheme, introduced in 1997, was intended to motivate licensees to improve on their personal and food hygiene and upkeep of their premises. All stalls that are graded and allowed to operate meet the basic hygiene requirements. The grading scheme sought to differentiate and recognise those who made greater efforts to improve and sustain the cleanliness and hygiene of their operations. By making the grades public, it was hoped that consumers’ choice could also lend pressure to encourage hawkers to strive for higher standards.

NEA, on its part, also actively worked with stallholders to encourage them to improve, by paying more attention to those with lower grades. NEA facilitates upgrading courses so that food handlers gain the knowledge to raise standards.

Food stalls in hawker centres that are graded A and B are inspected every eight weeks, while stalls graded C and D are inspected more frequently — every six weeks. NEA uses a point demerit system to penalise foodhandlers for any lapses in maintaining good personal and food hygiene. When a food handler accumulates 12 demerit points in a year, his licence will be suspended for two weeks. This is how NEA keeps unhygienic stalls from operating.

This regime has led to a significant improvement in food hygiene levels in Singapore. Over the years, the proportion of Grade A and B stalls has increased from 46 per cent in 2002 to 86 per cent last year. The remaining 14 per cent of stalls are graded C and they meet hygiene requirements.

The grading and point demerit system, together with a regime of regular inspections, have helped to keep food poisoning incidence low. Notwithstanding, food poisoning incidents can occur in any food establishment, regardless of its grading, if there are lapses in personal hygiene.

Overall hygiene standards at hawker centres have also improved through the Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme. Since 2001, a total of 72 centres have been upgraded with better facilities and toilets, among other improvements. The remaining 30 or so centres will be upgraded by 2012.

Cleanliness of Geylang Serai Temporary Market

When markets and hawker centres are being upgraded, grassroot organisations and their advisers can choose to have a temporary market which is not provided for under the government’s Hawker Centre Upgrading Programme (HUP). If so, they also carry the responsibility of keeping the temporary market clean to meet NEA standards. However, NEA will intervene if it assesses the need to do so in the interest of public health.

In the case of Geylang Serai Market, the Kampong Ubi CCC decided to build and manage the temporary market. Despite the best of efforts put in by the Temporary Market Management Committee in implementing its cleaning regime and in tackling the rat infestation problem, the problem persisted. NEA should have moved in firmly earlier to address this problem. Sustained efforts with NEA’s assistance and enforcement have now led to a marked improvement. NEA will continue to require the Management Committee to sustain ongoing cleaning and pest control efforts.

Greater Vigilance

Going forward, NEA will step up its vigilance and enforce higher standards of public hygiene on all food outlets. NEA will also conduct more refresher training on food and personal hygiene for stallholders and food handlers. We will further tighten up our own procedures to ensure the timely issuing and display of up-to-date grading labels.

To impress on the need for good hygiene practices by all and enhance understanding of the overall system, NEA will step up engagement of market managements and operators of food establishments, Public awareness efforts so as to also involve consumers in maintaining high levels of public hygiene at all times are also being looked into.

NEA will further improve on the current system, taking into account the useful feedback and suggestions thus far. We thank everyone for the valuable feedback and suggestions. We continue to welcome views at contact_NEA@nea.gov.sg and 1800-CALL-NEA (1800-2255 632).

From WEEKEND TODAY, Voices – 18, 19-April-2009

No Hour of Power

GO GREEN

Turn off your lights every day of the year to make a difference

Richard Hartung, xtra@mediacorp.com.sg

EARTH Hour in Singapore last month energised thousands of people to take action and do their part to reduce the perils of global warming. But despite the mass participation, focusing on turning off the lights for just one hour may actually have been counterproductive. If Earth Hour made it seem like only a single hour of change is all that’s needed, it may also have sent a message that the other 8,759 hours of the year aren’t really so important.

The publicity for Earth Hour certainly did encourage action. Television commercials, signs at bus stops, advertisements, postcards and newspaper reports pushed people to do their part. The “60” logo — symbolising 60 minutes of darkness — seemed ubiquitous. Broadcasters picked up on the buzz, so listeners constantly heard about the need to turn off their lights. Many conversations the week before Earth Hour touched on “what will you be doing for Earth Hour?”

Hundreds of corporations and thousands of individuals chose to turn off the power for that one hour. Some schools and companies even turned off their lights for the entire weekend. At 8.30pm on March 28, lights were switched off in buildings around town, and thousands turned up for a celebration at Esplanade Park.

The actual impact, though, turned out to be limited. Power usage during the period dropped by less than 0.1 per cent, according to some estimates, though that figure could be higher if one counts the electricity not consumed for the entire weekend. While a walk around the CBD showed the lights were off in some buildings, lights remained on in so many restaurants, flats and offices it was a little hard to tell it was Earth Hour.

After all the hoopla, at 9.31pm, it was all over. And it’s when the lights came back on that the ideal behind Earth Hour started to show its cracks.

It was time to turn the lights back on for the rest of the next year. Unless participants understood that they need to do what they did during Earth Hour all year long, they could well feel they’ve already done their part for the entire year. And scheduling the hour conveniently on a weekend may have sent out the signal that all we need to do is lay off the lights once a year at a convenient time.

Earth Hour risks becoming a short-term annual fad rather than the first step of a longer-term solution to reduce global warming.

Not a fun run

It’s sort of like your doctor telling you to start exercising by signing up for a 10km charity fun run, then neglecting to say that you need to practice beforehand and continue afterwards. Running just once a year isn’t enough. Only by starting to exercise before the event and continuing to exercise afterwards are you likely to stay healthy. Similarly, only with continued efforts to reduce energy usage is the earth likely to become healthy again.

As conservation advocates like Nobel Laureate Al Gore have said, saving the planet requires changes to your daily routine. Every day!

More than 2,500 scientists gathered in Copenhagen in early March called for “sustained and effective mitigation” to avoid “dangerous climate change”. Saving the world is about reducing power usage and sustained action all year long.

Earth Hour organisers might contend, of course, that the event was a small but important step. As Carine Seror of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said in response to one inquiry: “The larger objective of the Earth Hour campaign just might help us make a start” on saving the earth, and the event highlighted “a growing momentum all over the world to make change a reality”.

More than focusing on just the one hour, however, the clear message needs to be that continual action throughout the year is critical for reducing climate change. One solution could be to promote Earth Hour as a start and then show what to do every day — even after Earth Hour is over — to make a difference. Another could be publicising lessons like the Nature Conservancy’s “What You Can Do”, which shows what we can do every day — not for just one hour, but all year long — to make a real difference.

While money and resources to promote change are understandably scarce, re-examining the premise behind Earth Hour and using the event to promote long-term change could make sure that the actual message gets across.

Just like a 10km run, Earth Hour has the benefit of prompting some people to do something. To make a real difference, though, the message that change needs to happen throughout the year needs to sink in. While the intent of Earth Hour is good, it’s only a start, and the message should be that we all need to take action every hour of every day to save our planet.

WEEKEND XTRA

From WEEKEND TODAY, Voices – 18, 19-April-2009

Longer checklist for NEA

FOOD OUTLET HYGIENE

Teo Xuanwei, xuanwei@mediacorp.com.sg

AS THE dust settles on the worst case yet of mass food poisoning here, the gatekeeper of public health and hygiene in Singapore has vowed to act more vigilantly and firmly, to enforce higher hygiene standards.

Specifically, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will tighten its grip on committees managing temporary markets — intervening directly to correct lapses, when necessary, as opposed to playing an advisory role previously.

To dispel possible confusion in the stall-grading scheme, changes to processes will be “implemented straight away” — with decals to be issued immediately after assessments, for example.

While stressing that the existing grading scheme has “served us well for many years” and is set to stay, NEA director-general for public health Khoo Seow Poh said on Friday that linking rental rates to a stall’s grade — as mooted in a recent Today commentary — was an option to consider carefully. It could, he noted, be logistically difficult for private operators of food-premises.

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Measures ahead

• Decals to be issued immediately after grading assessment
• NEA will intervene to correct lapses, e.g. order a shut-down for cleaning
• Management committees must meet strict requirements (e.g. pest control arrangements) before temporary markets can be built

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Hygiene and cleanliness standards in food outlets have improved over the years, said Mr Khoo, and food poisoning cases here have been relatively rare — and never as serious as the April 6 Geylang Serai Temporary Market Indian rojak debacle that claimed two lives and caused over 150 to fall ill.

Nevertheless, he noted that no matter what grade a stall has, it just takes “one or two chaps to be careless” to lead to disaster. “One incident is one too many, so we will continue to do our best,” Mr Khoo promised.

Going forward, NEA will intervene in management committees if they are unable to clean up their act.

For instance, it will order operations to cease so that the temporary market can get a thorough scrub-down, or bring in its own pest control team if the committee fails to keep vermin infestation under control. Before construction begins on temporary markets, the agency will also “set down strict requirements upfront”.

The management committees will have to state clearly the market’s cleaning regimes and pest control arrangements, among other things.

Hawkers receiving their grade decals long after assessment will also be a thing of the past. NEA officers will issue temporary decals instantly after grading; a permanent one will follow later.

Stallholders will also have to hand over their old decals and enforcement officers going on rounds will ensure displayed decals match those in their records.

This change springs from the discovery that some Geylang Serai hawkers had received their updated decals only four months after their last evaluation in December.

Refresher courses on food and personal hygiene will also be held for hawkers, said Mr Khoo. And as the public also plays an important role in maintaining hygiene standards, NEA will step up education efforts.

From WEEKEND TODAY, News – 18, 19-April-2009

Singapore's shame

I think this goes also to the leadership issue... responsibility and accountability...

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Letter from Lucia Maes

HAVING once lived in Singapore, I’m disappointed at how the authorities have reacted to the Geylang Serai food poisoning cases that culminated in a couple of deaths and a miscarriage.

Although it was stallholder Sheik Allaudin’s poor food preparation practices that led to the tragedy, the food poisoning was really just the tip of the iceberg. What it had actually unearthed was the negligence of the governing authorities. The food grading decals were distributed only four months after the grades were revised. And Mr Sheik’s poor food preparation skills merely uncovered the chronic problem of the presence of rats.

The views on Singapore held by the international community may be similar to how they view China — as unhygienic and unreliable.

From TODAY, Voices – Friday, 17-April-2009

United we can

FIGHTING CRIME
S’pore, M’sia, Brunei should tackle online threat together, says Shanmugam

SINGAPORE’S capabilities to deal with the legal challenges posed by new media platforms will need the help of its neighbours — and vice-versa.

Just as legal frontiers expand when countries become more inter-connected, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei “cannot afford to look only within our geographic or jurisdictional boundaries” to deal with criminal groups operating online, Law Minister K Shanmugam said at a meeting of the Attorney-General’s Chambers of the three countries.

Generally, criminal laws do not have extra-territorial reach, and the Internet allows criminal syndicates to operate without the need to step foot in the country where the offence is committed, he noted.

This, and the challenge of “keeping public discourse rational and honest”, will require greater cooperation between the three countries.

Mr Shanmugam suggested establishing common legal concepts, structures for cooperation and a stronger relationship between law enforcement agencies.

“Only then will we be able to effectively regulate what our children see and read on the internet, and also combat criminal syndicates seeking refuge in other countries,” he said.

Another area the three neighbours should look at is the “progressive liberalisation” of the legal sector, in order to enlarge local markets and to serve the region better.

Singapore recently awarded licenses to six international law firms to practise in almost all areas of Singapore law, and Mr Shanmugam said: “As we went through the process, we realised that essentially, some of the fears were unfounded and it was a good way to go.”

Meanwhile, the Republic welcomed yesterday a new centre for dispute resolution at the Singapore Management University’s School of Law.

SMU said the centre will enhance research and teaching capabilities in commercial transactions as well as emerging areas such as World Trade Organisation dispute settlement, international peace negotiations, Islamic arbitration and civilian conflict management.

From TODAY, News – Friday, 17-April-2009

Hear us out: Academics

GLOBAL TECH ALLIANCE
Network can help tackle cross-border challenges

Lin Yanqin
yanqin@mediacorp.com.sg

AN ALLIANCE of tertiary institutes, which includes the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), wants its voice to be heardby legislators and policymakers before a vote is taken on important issues.

At global summits with world leaders — such as the recently concluded G20 meeting in London and the World Economic Forum in Davos — scientists and researchers want to be represented at the discussions to offer their take on tackling transboundary issues like climate change or global food supply.

Beyond collaborating on research to create solutions to global problems, this is what members of the newly-formed Global Alliance of Technological Universities (Global Tech Alliance), launched yesterday, hope to eventually achieve.

While finance-centred universities and programmes have drawn much of the brightest talents over the last few years, the seven member alliance — California Institute of Technology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (Zurich ETH), Georgia Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, NTU and Shanghai Jiao Tong University — hope to help bring the interest back to engineering and the sciences.

“Engineering has the answers to many of the problems ... and I think Global Tech can be the voice to the politicians and we talk with a global voice,” said NTU provost Bertil Andersson.

Added Imperial College director Roy Anderson: “You want to be listened to, and you’d probably be more effective nationally (and internationally) if you are part of a larger group, there’s greater strength in going to a politician and saying this is a view that is not only held in the United Kingdom, it’s held by an international alliance of experts.”

Indeed, other university alliances have made their presence felt, such as the International Alliance of Research Universities, which spoke as a bloc at the International Scientific Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen.

For starters, the alliance will focus on creating more opportunities for student exchange, as well as for faculties to work together on research areas.

Joint undergraduate and post-graduate programmes are also on the cards, such as allowing students to take courses across the various universities to earn their degrees.

Such programmes should be interdisciplinary in nature, to more effectively tackle global problems which span more than one discipline, said Sir Roy.

The global nature of the alliance will also help to bring in “mindsets” from different regions in deriving solutions, said Zurich ETH senior vice-president for international institution affairs Gerhard Schmitt.

For instance, in developing sustainable cities in rapidly urbanising countries like China and India, it would be useful to have the perspective of the alliance’s Indian and Chinese partners, which can also more effectively communicate solutions to their respective governments in effecting change.


From TODAY, News - Wednesday, 08-April-2009