II UNDERSTANDING GOVERNANCE

Why is governance important?

Traffic Policies
Extracted from the article "COEs, ERP and the questions in between solving the traffic congestion problem will become trickier" from the Straits Times on 5 Sept 2008.

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong was at a dialogue with Marine Parade residents when he revealed an interesting divide over transport policy. He said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew was in favour of making car ownership very expensive so that fewer people would own cars hence leading to less congestion on the roads. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, on the other hand, wanted more people to be able to own cars and to control congestion by applying more stringent usage measures like Electronic Road Pricing (ERP).
A growth rate of 3 per cent per year for the car population has been prescribed since COEs were introduced. That growth rate has resulted in the number of cars going up from about 248,000 in 1990 to nearly 540,000 today. In other words, the COE system has not impeded more widespread ownership.

ERP charges were fairly low. Parking charges paled in comparison to those in cities like Tokyo, New York and London. By the early 2000s, it was evident that the roads were becoming congested. Traffic volumes in parts of the city reached saturation levels with increasing frequency.

The new Transport Minister declared a more aggressive approach to the problem. Halving COE growth to 1 and a half per cent a year, from next year, and a widening of the network of ERP gantries, with higher charges all round.

Population Policies

Extracted from the news article "Birth rate up but foreigners needed for range of talent" published on the Straits Times 7 May 2008

SINGAPORE's birth rate crept up slightly to 1.29 last year, up from 1.26 the year before. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at a dialogue organised by Thomson Reuters that Singapore can try to do better, but the birth rate will never go back up to the replacement level of 2.1 because of the way society has changed and that it's the behaviour in all of the developed countries.

Mr Lee also said that the Government believed that Singapore had to be open to foreigners because it needed to draw on a range of talent and expertise. The Government has introduced incentives such as the 'Baby Bonus' cash payouts for parents and extended maternity leave to encourage couples to have more children. He added that the challenge is to assimilate and integrate newcomers so that they take on Singaporean values and attitudes and their children are born Singaporean.

Report by ZAKIR HUSSAIN


Take a break - http://www.asianjoke.com/Singapore/population.htm

Extracted from "Means testing starts today" CNA Jan 1, 2009 By Salma Khalik
PATIENTS warded in B2 and C class wards in public hospitals from today will be means-tested to determine the level of subsidy they will get. Up till yesterday, B2 and C-class patients got their respective flat subsidy rates. From today, patients in these two ward classes will fall into one of 16 subsidy levels. Those earning $38,400 or less a year will continue getting the full 80 per cent subsidy in C class and 65 per cent in B2 class. People with annual incomes of $62,412 or more will get the minimum subsidy of 65 per cent in C class and 50 per cent in B2 class.
People with no income, such as retirees or housewives, will have their subsidy rate pegged to the value of their homes. If their homes are valued at $11,000 or more, they will get the minimum subsidy. About a fifth of all homes fall into this category. All unemployed residents of HDB flats - excluding those in executive condominiums - will be entitled to full subsidy.