Today 050915

U.S.
downplays naval moves
MOUNTING CHAOS
hot news 2
world 27
5 Chinese vessels seen off

Alaska begin return transit
Divided Europe stumbles to

respond to influx of migrants
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We set you thinking
HAZE EXPECTED TO LINGER

Saturday, 5 September 2015
MCI (P) 021/06/2015
24-hour PSI expected to be in high end

of the moderate range today as number
of hotspots in Sumatra continues to fall
hot news 3
working to transform area again
PAP team in
Aljunied will
set things
right: PM Lee
He lays out short- and long-term plans for estate,
including new Wisma Geylang Serai civic centre
Joy Fang
joyfangz@mediacorp.com.sg
MP for Nee Soon GRC
K Shanmugam greeting
residents during a walkabout
at Chong Pang Market &
Food Centre. Photo: Robin Choo
SINGAPORE Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong threw his weight behind the

Peoples Action Partys (PAP) slate
standing in the opposition-held Aljunied Group Representation Constituency and Hougang Single Member
Constituency last night, urging residents to support what he calls a good
team as he laid out short- and longterm plans for the area.
I wanted you to know that I sent
a good team here ... and that we are
behind them, we have full confidence
in them, we will support them, and together if you give us the chance we will
serve you well, he said at a PAP rally
held at a field near Defu Avenue 1.
Mr Lee, who is also the partys secretary-general, said it was a deliberate
choice to hold a rally at the Workers
Party-held GRC, and for him to visit
the PAP candidates there, because he
wanted residents to know of his full
confidence in the PAP team.
Describing how the area has
progressed over the years, from a
poor backward place with several
ka mpu ngs to what it is today,
MrLee said Aljunied has changed
enormously because year by year
(with) the PAP working with you,
weve transformedAljunied.
Continued on page 5
SPP candidate Benjamin

Pwee for Bishan-Toa Payoh
(left) looks on as Mr Chiam
See Tong is helped onto the
stage during a rally at Toa
Payoh stadium last night.
Photo: Ray Chua
GE2015
More reports:
pages 5 - 21
You vote for

my team,
vote for them,
they will stop
things from
going wrong
and they will
put things
right. And
things will
work again!
Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong
US to levy sanctions on Chinese hackers ahead of Xi visit

The White House is
preparing to impose sanctions as
early as next week on Chinese companies connected to the cyber theft of
United States intellectual property.
The Obama administration has for
months been preparing a raft of sanctions to respond to mounting commerWASHINGTON
cial espionage from China. Three US

officials said the sanctions would probably be unveiled next week, just weeks
before Chinese President Xi Jinping
makes his first state visit to America.
Officials have been divided over
whether the administration should
impose the sanctions before Mr Xis
visit. Proponents argue that the US

needs to show China that it is serious about tackling cyber espionage.
But opponents worry that such timing would seriously damage the visit.
The State Department had been
pushing for the sanctions to come
TOMORROW: LOOK OUT FOR TODAYS SPECIAL SUNDAY EDITION FOR ALL GE2015 NEWS
Continued on page 2
today Saturday 5 September 2015
hot news
VESSELS NOW HEADING HOME
Pentagon downplays
Chinese naval moves
in American waters
Officials confirm ships were within 12 nautical miles of US coast
BEIJING Five Chinese naval ships
seen off Alaska have begun their
return transit, and along the way
appear to have come as close as 12nautical miles off the United States coast,
effectively putting them in American
territorial waters.
The Chinese vessels transited
expeditiously and continuously through
the Aleutian Island chain (south of Alaska) in a manner consistent with international law, a Pentagon spokesman said
yesterday. Officials also confirmed that
the ships came within 12 nautical miles
of the US coast.
Chief of US Naval Operations
Admiral Jonathan Greenert said
he did not view the Chinese deployment to Alaska an apparent first
for Chinas military as unexpected
or alarming. They already had one
of their icebreakers up in that area,
and they werent that far away with an
exercise, and theyve already started

their return transit, he told Reuters.
Admiral Greenert said the ships
were seen in the Bering Sea, close to
some Alaskan atolls, on Wednesday,
just as US President Barack Obama
was in the area to push for stronger
measures to combat global warming.
But despite what appears to be
attempts to downplay the significance
of Chinese vessels transiting in American territorial waters, Beijing has in
the past been against the passage of
military planes and ships operating
within its territorial boundaries.
Philippine military officials have
described how China has repeatedly
warned their military aircraft and
ships against operating around reefs
in the Spratly archipelago of the South
China Sea, which are claimed by both
Beijing and Manila.
The Chinese navy also issued eight
warnings to the crew of an American

P8-A Poseidon surveillance aircraft
when it conducted overflights in the
disputed South China Sea in May, said
CNN, which was aboard the US aircraft. China claims most of the South
China Sea, through which US$5 trillion (S$7 trillion) in ship-borne trade
Mr Barack Obama
with traditional
fishermen
in Alaska on
Wednesday, as five
Chinese navy ships
were sighted off
the coast of the US
state. Photo: Reuters
US to levy sanctions on Chinese hackers ahead of Xi visit

Continued from page 1
after it, said people familiar with the

situation. But law enforcement officials
argued against waiting because of the
serious nature of the cyber-attacks.
One official said the move would
probably come next week, after the US
Labour Day holiday. He said the White
House wanted to avoid slapping China
with sanctions immediately before the
visit, to give China time to cool down
before Mr Xi meets US President
Barack Obama in Washington.
Officials are participating in White
House meetings this week to finalise
plans for the sanctions, according to
people familiar with the talks.
The sanctions are expected to
focus on cases involving economic
espionage and theft of trade secrets, said
people familiar with the cases. They
will also probably be used as additional punishment in cases where indictments have already been handed down.
When Mr Xi lands in the US, he will
be caught between three uncomfortable stories: The visit of Pope Francis, attacks against China on the presidential campaign trail, and the White
Houses move to impose sanctions on
Chinese companies and individuals.
China wants to boost Mr Xis status as a global leader, but his visit
which will include a 21-gun salute and

a big banquet will be overshadowed
by the Popes, which will attract huge
media coverage, and also the move to
impose sanctions.
Ms Bonnie Glaser, a China expert
at the Center for International & Strategic Studies, said sanctions would
send a message that Washington was
really serious about cracking down
on commercial espionage. Some have
argued that it would spark retaliation,
but Ms Glaser said the US needed to
accept the risk of retaliation to show
the Chinese it was serious. If we are
fearful of Chinese retaliation, then we
are self-deterring, she said.
However, one former US official
said: The cyber sanctions could really throw a spanner in things. There is
no reason to embarrass the president
of China. It would crater the visit.
When the US unveiled a new sanctions regime in April, sceptics wondered if they would be used against entities in China, given the countrys deep
economic ties with the US. But concern
about cyber incidents emanating from
China has been increasing the FBI
recently blamed China for a 53 per cent
rise in economic espionage cases.
The US is betting that sanctions
would have a tough effect on those tar-
geted, since it would cut them off from

the global financial system. Banks and
companies that do business in US dollars would be required to freeze their
assets and would not be able to conduct transactions with them.
The tough enforcement environment has already prompted banks
such as JPMorgan Chase to get out
of certain businesses, such as declining to house bank accounts for former
and current foreign government officials because of money laundering and
sanctions risks.
There was a recognition that there
needed to be more tools for deterrence
and to raise the costs of these attacks,
said Mr Adam Golodner, a cyber expert at the Kaye Scholer law firm.
Sanctions are a powerful tool because
they affect your ability to do business.
There is a certain amount of symmetry
in imposing economic sanctions on the
actors that benefited economically.
There has been no reaction in
China to the news about sanctions.
Beijing has long argued that the revelations by former NSA contractor
Edward Snowden prove it is a victim of US hacking, rather than the
main aggressor. Documents released
by MrSnowden showed that the US
planted backdoors in products from
If we are
fearful of
Chinese
retaliation,
then we are
self-deterring.
Ms Bonnie Glaser
China expert at
the Center for
International &
Strategic Studies
The cyber
sanctions
could really
throw a
spanner in
things. There
is no reason
to embarrass
the president
of China.
It would
crater the visit.
A former
US official
passes every year. The Philippines,

Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have overlapping claims.
China has reclaimed more than
1,170ha of land as of June in the disputed reefs. Once the airstrip on Fiery
Cross Reef one of four new artificial
territories created is completed, Beijing could use it as an alternative runway for carrier-based planes, allowing
the Chinese military to conduct operations with aircraft carriers in the area.
Washington, along with other
stakeholders in the region, has grown
increasingly concerned about rising
Chinese assertiveness in the South
China Sea and how it could curtail
the freedom of navigation.
Washington and Beijing have been
engaged in a war of words over the latters reclamation efforts. Head of the
US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry
Harris, criticised Chinese projects to
build up islands in disputed waters in
July, warning that such work could undermine the international norms that
have supported the global economy
and political order.
In response, the Chinese Defence
Ministry accused the US of attempting to play up Chinas military threat
to sow discord between China and the
littoral states in the South China Sea.
US defence officials said the Pentagon was continuing to monitor the
movement of the ships near Alaska, as
the ships appeared to be heading away
from the region. AGENCIES
big US technology companies to spy
on communications.
The sanctions will exacerbate a spat
between the US and China over trade
barriers in high-technology industries,
which has seen the US shut its domestic
market to Chinese companies such as
Huawei, while China has sought to institute controls on foreign IT purchases,
particularly from US firms.
The tit-for-tat nature of the dispute was made clear last year when
the US indicted five Chinese army
officers over cyber-related economic espionage. China subsequently
implemented measures such as a ban
on Microsoft Windows 8, and attempted to put pressure on domestic banks
to forgo purchases of foreign servers.
Mr Goodwell Gong, founder of the
Chown Group, a Chinese information
security forum, and a founding member of Chinas hacking community,
said China would probably take no
action until the US provided a list of
individuals and entities who fell under
the sanctions. Once they publish a list
... it means they have gathered enough
evidence to point their fingers, and
China needs to make sure that their
evidence is sufficient and solid, said
Mr Gong. Otherwise, hacking is just
an excuse for the US to issue technology barriers on Chinese companies.
THE FINANCIAL TIMES
hot news
Mixed US job report keeps

prospect of Sept rate hike alive
String of upbeat data offsets
concerns over financial market
volatility and China slowdown
Employers in the United States created fewer jobs than
expected last month, but a drop in the
unemployment rate to a near sevenWASHINGTON
and-a-half-year low and an acceleration in wages kept alive the prospects

of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike
later this month.
Non-farm pay rolls increased
173,000 last month, the Labor Department said yesterday, slowing down
from Julys upwardly revised gain of
245,000 as the manufacturing sector
lost the most jobs since July 2013. It
5.1%
jobless rate
the lowest
in the u.s.
since 2008,
equals full
employment
was also the smallest rise in employment in five months and well below the
220,000 forecast by economists in a
Reuters poll. Meanwhile, the jobless
rate dropped 0.2 per cent to 5.1 per
cent, the lowest since April 2008, and
also a level that the Fed considers to
be full employment.
The latest report, however, may
have been tarnished by a statistical
Smoke haze remains a concern in Indonesias South Sumatra province, which has been battling ferocious fires. Photo: Reuters
Hazy conditions in Spore to persist in coming days

The haze that has hung
over Singapore this past week is
expected to linger, with the 24-hour
Pollutants Standards Index (PSI)
projected to be in the high end of the
moderate range (51 to 100) today, the
authorities said.
This is even as air quality improved
yesterday, after deteriorating during
the week as hot spots in Sumatra continued to be detected.
As at 7pm yesterday, the 24-hour
PSI was 71 to 80 and the one-hour
PM2.5 was 17 to 30 mcg/m3. The
number of hotspots detected in Sumatra decreased to 50 today from 111 yesterday. The lower hotspot count was
due to cloud cover over central parts of
Sumatra. Moderate to dense smoke
haze was obser ved in southern
Sumatra, the National Environment
Agency (NEA) said.
A day earlier, the NEA had warned
SINGAPORE
The number
of hotspots
detected
in Sumatra
decreased to
50 today from
111 yesterday.
of the 24-hour PSI creeping into the

low-end of the unhealthy range (101
to 200) amid worsening air quality,
and added the haze situation would
be unlikely to change significantly in
the next few days due to dry weather
conditions in the region. As at 9pm
on Thursday, the 24-hour PSI was
between 82 and 94, while the threehour PSI reading hit a high of 107
at 11am, before falling to 83 at 9pm.
However, conditions yesterday
were less severe than expected. In
the course of the week, the number
of hot spots detected daily rose from
29 last Sunday to 395 on Wednesday,
before falling on Thursday.
NEA chief executive officer Ronnie Tay wrote to his Indonesian
counterpart this week to register
Singapores concerns and seek an
urgent update on the situation on
the ground. The NEA also reiter-
ated Singapores offer of an assistance package to Indonesia to help

the country combat smoke haze.
Yesterday, the NEA said the prevailing winds are forecast to blow
from the southeast today. Singapore may experience occasional
slightly hazy conditions. Thundery
showers are forecast in the late
morning and early afternoon. The
24-hour PSI for the next 24 hours
is expected to be in the high end of
moderate range, the agency said.
The NEA also said people could
continue with their normal activities,
but the impact of haze is dependent
on ones health status, the PSI level,
and the length and intensity of outdoor activity. Persons who are not
feeling well, especially the elderly
and children, and those with chronic
heart or lung conditions, should seek
medical attention, it added.
fluke that has bedevilled August payroll figures. The August totals are
often lower than the revisions the
government provides later, largely
because of a seasonally low payrolls
survey response rate from e mployers.
August job gains have been revised
higher by 79,000 during the past five
years, Goldman Sachs estimates.
In another indication that the
slowdown in job growth was likely
not r eflective of the economys true
health, payrolls data for June and July
was revised to show 44,000 more jobs
created than previously reported. In
addition, a verage hourly earnings
i ncreased 8cents to US$25.09, the
biggest rise since January, and the
work week rose 0.1hour to 34.6 hours.
The jobs report was the last m
ajor
data release before the Fed meets on
Sept 16-17 to discuss its first increase
in interest rates in nearly a decade.
US stocks fell yesterday after the
job data, with the Dow Jones I ndustrial
Average down 1.3 per cent moments
after opening. The key stock markets
in Europe were down b
etween 2 and
2.5 per cent in late trading. The US
dollar was mixed, gaining 0.1 per cent
to US$1.111 (S$1.58) per euro but falling 0.7 per cent to 119.26yen.
The payrolls data is certainly good
enough to allow for a Fed rate hike in
September. The big question is still
whether financial market volatility will
scupper the plans, said Mr Alan Ruskin, global head of currency strategy
at Deutsche Bank in New York.
Concerns about a slowdown in China sent stocks worldwide to their biggest monthly loss in three years, and
commodities to a 16-year low. In the
wake of the sell-off, financial markets
scaled back bets on a September rate
hike in the past month. However, Fed
vice-chairman Stanley Fischer said
last week it was too early to d
ecide
whether the stock market rout had
made an i ncrease less compelling.
The latest job report also follows a
string of upbeat data, including figures
on car sales and housing, that has suggested the worlds largest economy was
moving ahead with strong momentum
early in the third quarter, after growing at a robust 3.7 per cent annual rate
in the April through June period.
A broad measure of joblessness
that includes people who want to work
but have given up searching and those
working part-time because they cannot find full-time employment fell to
10.3 per cent, the lowest since June
2008, from 10.4 per cent in July.
In August, construction payrolls
rose 3,000 on top of the 7,000 jobs added in July. Mining and logging employment fell by 10,000 jobs last month.
Manufacturing payrolls fell 17,000,
despite robust demand for autos.
The increase in hourly earnings
was 2.2 per cent above last years level,
still well below the 3.5 per cent growth
rate economists consider healthy. But
a tightening labour market and decisions by several state and local governments to raise the minimum wage
should eventually give the Fed confidence that inflation, which collapsed
with oil prices, will move closer to its
2 per cent target. AGENCIES
hot news
JAKARTA After a much-publicised

move to invite proposals from China
and Japan to help build Indonesias
first high-speed rail, President Joko
Widodos administration has announced that it will drop the plan and
construct a medium-speed train service instead.
Mr Darmin Nasution, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, told
reporters on Thursday after a fivehour meeting with other ministers
on the rail project that the President
had decided that a high-speed service
was not needed on the proposed line
connecting Jakarta and the West Java
provincial capital of Bandung.
Mr Nasution said the link is relatively short, at around 150km, and
thus not sufficiently long for a highspeed train to sustain the envisaged
top speed of 300kmh, adding that the
cost for the slower service would be
significantly lower.
Although the speed could be
300kmh, the trains would not be able
to reach the maximum speed, because
before they do, they would need to apply the brakes, Mr Nasution said.
So we need only trains with
a speed of between 200kmh and
250kmh, he said. Therefore, the
President decided we do not need a
high-speed railway link. A mediumspeed railway isenough.
The a nnouncement ca me a fter MrWidodo hinted earlier in the
day that Chinas proposal, which did
not require a financial guarantee by
Jakarta, might have been chosen
overJapans.
According to Mr Nasution, the time
difference between a high-speed and
medium-speed service will be only
around 11 minutes, while the cost for
the slower train will be 30 to 40 per
cent less.
To develop a medium-speed railway
network, Mr Nasution said the government would set up a team to work
out terms for a contract, and Japan
or China can submit new proposals.
It will be designed as businessto-business cooperation. After (China and Japan) submit their proposals,
Indonesia scraps bullet train plan

for medium-speed rail service
we will pick the better one. The more

efficient and better-quality proposal
will be chosen, but if (during construction) the winner fails to carry out their
work, the project will be taken over by
the other, he said.
Speaking to reporters yesterday in
Tokyo, Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Tokyo would
decide what it would do after receiving
a detailed explanation from the Indonesian government about the cancellation of the high-speed rail project.
We will consider measures after
carefully studying Indonesias thinking, Mr Suga said.
Mr Yasuaki Tanizaki, Japans Ambassador to Jakarta, yesterday ex-
Models of Chinese
high-speed
trains on display
at an exhibition
in Jakarta last
month. Indonesia
has dropped plans
for a bullet train
service connecting
Jakarta and
Bandung, as
the distance
between the two
cities is too short
for such trains to
run effectively.
Photo: REUTERS
pressed regret over the scrapping

of the project.
Japan, I believe, has the best technology (to build a high-speed railway
network). However, the decision has
been made by the Indonesian government, Mr Tanizaki said, adding that
the Japanese government respects
any decision made by Indonesia.
Only Japan and China had made
comprehensive feasibility studies to
enter bids for building the high-speed
rail link, which aims to connect Jakarta and Bandung within 36 minutes.
The Chinese proposal did not call
for a government guarantee, but Japans did.
Japan was reportedly ready to be-
gin construction next year and would

take five years to build the system,
including a one-year trial operation
period. Tokyo had also offered a soft
loan to cover 75 per cent of the funding needed for the project, estimating
that it would cost a total of 45 trillion
rupiah (S$4.5 billion).
China had said it could start construction a month after the groundbreaking and finish within three
years. It had initially put the cost of
the project at S$5.5 billion, with a
lending period of 25 years and an annual interest rate of 2 per cent. Beijing
had also offered Jakarta a partnership
to jointly develop high-speed train
projects elsewhere in Asia. AGENCIES
No conclusion in sight for TPP talks, says Malaysian Trade Minister

KUAL A LUMPUR/TOKYO Malaysian
Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed yesterday cautioned
that negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would not be
concluded anytime soon, as Tokyo
expressed confidence that support
was building for a second ministerial-level meeting on the Pacific Rim
tradeagreement.
There has been progress, but we
still have some issues to address. However, when the TPP will be concluded
is an open question, Mr Mustapa was
quoted as saying by local media.
Speaking to reporters, Mr Mustapa revealed that fellow TPP member
nations such as the United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand still
had their own set of concerns over
the effects that the TPP would have
on their automotive, agricultural and
dairy industries.
Yet, while there were still a host of
issues that remain to be addressed,
Mr Mustapa was optimistic that a deal
could still be reached.
At the moment, most countries involved in the talks are looking forward
to a conclusion, he said.
The TPP would stretch from Chile
and Canada to Japan and Singapore,
encompassing about 40per cent of
global output.
Malaysian critics of the TPP have
argued that the ambitious free-trade
pact would undermine the countrys
right to manage state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the policies of preferential treatment for ethnic Malays
and other indigenous people, known
as bumiputra.
In addition, activists say the TPP
would drive up medical costs, as its
There has
been progress,
but we still
have some
issues to
address.
However,
when the
TPP will be
concluded
is an open
question.
Mr Mustapa
Mohamed
Malaysian Trade
and Industry Minister
provisions would curb access to affordable generic medicines. Critics

also claim that the pact would affect
rice businesses in Malaysia.
In late July, Mr Mustapa sought to
allay critics fears by vowing to seek
flexibility for the countrys SOEs
within the TPP and promising to
safeguard bumiputra preferences by
ensuring that the current bumiputra
and small and medium-sized enterprise preferences will be maintained.
He also warned that failing to join
the TPP would come at a cost of potentially losing foreign investment to
other countries, and that late entry
would not give Malaysia the ability to
shape the rules.
Reiterating his stand yesterday,
Mr Mustapa said: At the end of the
day, we have the opportunity to be
among the movers in shaping world
economy and trade. We will be left out

if we dont join the agreement. Then,
it would be too late for us to compete
and catch up.
Meanwhile, at a news conference
in Tokyo yesterday, Japans Economic
and Fiscal Policy Minister Akira Amari expressed confidence that support
was building for the next ministerial
meeting on the TPP to be held.
Last week, Mr Amari warned that
the negotiations might be halted if
member nations were unable to strike
a broad deal before the Canadian general elections next month.
Trade ministers of the 12 TPP nations last met in Hawaii for four days
in July, but failed to secure an agreement due to differences over thorny
issues such as intellectual property
and liberalised trade of dairy products. AGENCIES
HOT NEWS General Election 2015
ABC Waters programme in the works, paya lebar air base to move to changi
Plans for transforming Aljunied spelt out

Stressing the PAPs track
record, PM Lee says the
party has shown what it can do
Joy Fang
joyfangz@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE In his rally speech at
the opposition-held Aljunied Group
Representation Constituency (GRC)
last night, Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong laid out short- and long-term
plans that will transform the estate.
This includes the Wisma Geylang
Serai a new civic centre that will
house a community club, the Malay
Heritage Gallery, and other arts and
community facilities which Mr Lee
said would be an important hub for
residents, as well as the redevelopment
of the Defu Industrial estate, which will
become a modern Defu Industrial Park.
The last phase of the Downtown
Line, which will have four MRT stations in the GRC, will make commuting more convenient for residents when
it is ready in two years time, he said.
An ABC (Active, Beautiful and
Clean) Waters programme is also in the
works for residents, which will be like
having a mini park going through your
PM Lee, with Mr Yeo Guat Kwang (left) of the PAP Aljunied team and supporters after the rally for
Aljunied GRC and Hougang SMC yesterday, promised more homes and jobs for the area. Photo: Wee Teck Hian
PAP team in Aljunied

will set things right: PM Lee
He is familiar with the area, having

served in the now defunct Jalan Kambing Camp for a year. Today the camp
is gone, the Jalan Kambing is gone, the
kambing (goat in Malay) also is gone,
but Im not gone Im back, he said.
Mr Lee also made reference to the
long-running Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC) saga, which has seen candidates from
both the ruling party and WP trade
barbs during their campaign trail.
Under the charge of Foreign Minister George Yeo, said Mr Lee, the team
ran the town council well, provided
good service, and it was financially
sound. It broke even and built up its
reserves so that there was something
for a rainy day, he added, but it did not
take long for things to go awry.
Decades of work by good men and
women working with you to make this
progress, but it doesnt take long to
demolish it, to waste it away, he said.
Four years ago, we didnt win the
elections, we handed over the town
council to WP, it was in good working order then ... the accounts were all
properly kept, certified by the auditors,
in a surplus, he added. But unfortunately, for the last four years, things
havent gone well at all.
That is why the PAP is sending a
good team to contest in Aljunied, to
convince and persuade you that the
PAP is a right choice, he said. You
vote for my team, vote for them, they

will stop things from going wrong and
they will put things right. And things
will work again!
In his speech, which he made in Malay, Mandarin and English over 45 minutes, he also laid out short- and longterm plans for Aljunied GRC, such as
the Wisma Geylang Serai, which will
be ready in two years, and the redevelopment of the Defu industrial estate.
The PAPs Aljunied team, comprising veteran Member of Parliament
Yeo Guat Kwang and four newcomers Mr Victor Lye, Mr K Muralidharan Pillai, Mr Chua Eng Leong and
MrShamsul Kamar is attempting to reclaim the GRC, but faces a
tough fight against WPs incumbent
team, which includes party chief Low
Thia Khiang, chairman Sylvia Lim,
MrChen Show Mao, Mr Pritam Singh
and Mr Faisal Abdul Manap.
During the 2011 General Election,
the PAPs Aljunied team, led by Mr
Yeo, garnered 45.3 per cent of the
votes and became the first GRC to fall
into Opposition hands.
Others who spoke at the rally yesterday included the five Aljunied GRC
candidates, newcomer Lee Hong
Chuang, who is contesting WP-stronghold Hougang SMC, and former Cabinet Minister Lim Boon Heng, who has
been advising the Aljunied team.
In his speech, PM Lee also provided brief anecdotes of each of the six
neighbourhood. Mr Lee said he has one

ABC project, Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park,
that is just outside his constituency
so I pinjam from Bishan. If you have a
good one, I think Marine Parade, Tampines and Ang Mo Kio will come and pinjam (borrow) from you, he joked.
In the long term, the Government
is moving the Paya Lebar Air Base to
Changi, and this will take about 15to
20 years to start happening. Residents
will see 800ha of land opened up for development, which means many houses,
factories and offices can be built there,
he said, adding that houses around the
Air Base that have to be built low can
also be redeveloped for better land use.
Many more homes ... you want jobs
here, the jobs will also be here, you
want green fields and parks here, we
will also have that in Aljunied. But you
need the PAP to do that, please vote for
the PAP government, he said.
Stressing his partys track record,
Mr Lee said it has shown the people
what they can do. I have been doing
this for 30 years, and I think you know
me, and you know my character, you
know my personality. If I say can
can. If I say cannot, Im sorry, buay sai
(cannot in Hokkien). And Im telling
you, if the PAP team comes back here
in Aljunied, eh sai (can in Hokkien)!
Tonights rallies
Rally Site
Electoral Division
Party
Field in front of Blk 136 Petir Road
Bukit Panjang SMC
Peoples Action Party
Field of Former Hong Kah Primary School,

1 Bukit Batok West Avenue 2
Hong Kah North SMC
Singapore Peoples Party
Field in front of Blk 128C Punggol Field Walk
Punggol East SMC
Workers Party
Field of Choa Chu Kang Secondary School,

3 Teck Whye Crescent
Choa Chu Kang GRC
Peoples Action Party
Field along Commonwealth Ave,

beside Commonwealth MRT Station
Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
Singapore Democratic Party
Field in front of Blk 895A Tampines Street 81
Tampines GRC
National Solidarity Party
Queenstown Stadium, 473A Stirling Road
Tanjong Pagar GRC
SingFirst
Clementi Stadium, 10 West Coast Walk
West Coast GRC
Reform Party
Decades
of work by
good men
and women
working with
you to make
this progress,
but it doesnt
take long to
demolish it, to
waste it away.
Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong
candidates on stage, something he had

also done in his first rally speech for
Tanjong Pagar GRC and Radin Mas
SMC on Wednesday.
Beyond local issues, Mr Lee also
took pains last night to address concerns faced by the elderly and youth, a
continuation from his first rally speech,
where he had touched on the issue of
cost of living. On the elderly, Mr Lee
cited several programmes initiated
to take care of them, such as the Pioneer Generation Package, to help
pioneers with their healthcare costs,
and the Central Provident Fund (CPF)
Life scheme, which provides lifelong
monthly payouts in retirement.
Pointing out that the CPF scheme
an issue often attacked by opposition parties is a very good scheme
that helps everyone save for retirement, Mr Lee pointed out that in the
Special Account, the first S$60,000
earns an interest of 5 per cent a year.
Interest rates for Retirement Ac-
counts are even better, at 6 per cent

for the first S$30,000, he said.
I think its not bad, right? So why,
when you go to Opposition rallies, they
never mention this? Because if they
mention this, nobody will vote for the
Opposition. But I think I should mention this, he said, adding that last year,
the sum people voluntarily placed into
their Special Account or Retirement
Account amounted to S$500 million.
As for the young, Mr Lee said the
Government has increased childcare
places, upgraded preschool teachers, made sure every school is a good
school, built more universities and increased the number of tertiary places,
among other things.
Children are the future of Singapore, and they are the reason why the
Government is working so hard, so that
they can succeed and inherit a good
Singapore, he said. To do that we need
a good government, I think you need a
good PAP government.
the placing of joss sticks and offerings

usually used for funerals outside
the PAP branch office, ensued.
Despite this, Mr Muralidharan
said: I told myself that these people
need help. And I was willing to send
a signal to them that Im prepared to
help them. Some of them want to intimidate me and I want to tell them I
wont be intimidated. So I rolled up my
sleeves and I tried my best to gain the
trust of these people.
To that end, he and his team raisedfunds to roll out several social programmes, including mobile clinics
and subsidised tuition for children
from low-income families. As a result,
the abuse is now a memory, he said.
So I must give full credit to Aljunied
residents; they know when a person is
sincere, they know when a person is
trustworthy and they also know when
a person is a wayang king.
Mr Lye also touched on the teams
refusal to be cowed by intimidation.
Saying he has served in the constituency since 1999, he added that we are
not going to run away. We have been
in Aljunied so many years. It is our
home and we will not be intimidated.
I appeal to voters, look into your
hearts, vote for people who have their
hearts in the right place no matter
what the other titles are that they carry. Look at the people who care for you,
who walk the ground and serve you.
Bring us home to Aljunied, he said.
A third member of the team, Mr
Shamsul Kahar, who took over as Kaki Bukit branch chairman last month,
said some residents had expressed
hope for improvements in the estate.
Some have even told him they had
been neglected since 2011, he said. So
I ask you, voters of Aljunied, my team
hears your feedback and concerns, we
hear you loud and clear. We want you to
know that we care for you. Most importantly, you need to know that the team
and PAP have not abandoned you since
2011. We have been here all along.
Mr Chua Eng Leong, meanwhile,
outlined plans for young families,
youths and caregivers in the Eunos
ward that has been tasked with serving. To support young families with
both parents wanting to pursue careers, he promised more infant care
and childcare services, as well as student care programmes for school-going children. Emphasising that youths
are the pioneers of the next generation, Mr Chua said he would champion enrichment, exposure and mentoring programmes for them.
Eldercare services and caregiver
support groups will also be introduced
to better address challenges faced by
caregivers and provide them with the
support they need as they care for
loved ones, he added. These are three
important things I will do for you, he
promised. We have all been walking
with you over the last few years. At the
PAP, we are not a wayang party. We
are an action party. We know the issues on the ground and we also know
that you want a more responsive team
to look after your needs.
ing Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and

former Deputy Prime Minister Goh
Keng Swee.
Highlighting several potential
threats such as wars, tensions in
the South China Sea, an economic
slowdown in neighbouring countries,
stock markets plunging, and loss of
jobs brought about by technology
Mr Lim said: Jobs change very quickly its something that the other political parties are not discussing, but we
have to discuss it because it concerns
our future.
He cited the examples of retailers
and taxi drivers, whose livelihoods
could be affected in the new economy. Traditional retailers are losing
business to e-commerce while thirdparty taxi-booking apps are altering
the dynamics of the industry. Were
worried about what is going to happen
to them, and somebodys got to take
care of them ... So far Ive not heard
the (Opposition) talking about what
problems our people might face, like
our taxi drivers, he said.

Mr Lim, who had held the post of labour chief during his political career,
noted that with China becoming more
advanced in the use of technology, jobs
here could also be affected.
In the past ... Chinese people come
and learn from Singapore, but now we
go to China to learn what is happening, he said. He added that issues like
these are what Singapores leaders
worry about every day.
Noting that some among the PAP
slate of new candidates could be appointed as Cabinet Ministers in the future, Mr Lim joked that voters should
take a photograph of them before and
after they are elected.
Theyll grow a lot of white hair,
just worrying about you. (These) are
the kind of candidates we need to
have, who are capable and can help
the Prime Minister solve problems,
he said. Your vote next Friday is important, help us send the right people
to Parliament. TOH EE MING
Supporters at the PAP rally for Aljunied GRC at Defu Lane yesterday. The PAP candidates stressed their desire to serve in the area. Photo: Wee Teck Hian
Bring us home, PAP team

urges Aljunied residents
Laura Philomin
lauraphilomin@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE The
Peoples Action Party team tasked with reclaiming Aljunied Group Representation Constituency from the Workers Party took its
case to residents of the area last night,
saying the time has come for change,
and asking for support so they could
be brought home.
Stressing their desire to serve in
the area despite being hounded and
harassed during the 2011 campaign
the candidates said they had picked up
a better vibe this time around, were
confident that residents would give
them a fair hearing, and also offered

their plans for the constituency.
Both Mr K Muralidharan Pillai and
Mr Victor Lye said they continued to
work the ground in Aljunied despite
being given short shrift and threatened during the 2011 campaign.
The former has been serving in
the Paya Lebar ward since 2012. He
recalled how a rental flat resident refused rice brought to his home and said
he would only accept Workers Party
rice. That was not all. Verbal abuse also
followed, Mr Muralidharan, a partner
at Rajah& Tann, one of Singapores biggest law firms, said. Eventually, more
sinister forms of intimidation, such as
We have all
been walking
with you over
the last few
years. At the
PAP, we are
not a wayang
party. We
are an
action party.
Mr Chua Eng
Leong
part of the pap team

for aljunied grc
Give support to the right people

SINGAPORE The Peoples Action Party
team tasked to wrest Aljunied Group
back from the Workers Party (WP)
might not boast of any political office
holders but former Cabinet Minister Lim Boon Heng yesterday challenged the perception that the team
lackedgravitas.
Mr Lim, who has been advising the
PAP Aljunied GRC team, referred to
one of the candidates, Mr K Muralidharan Pillai, who heads the litigation
department at law firm Rajah & Tann.
Mr Muralidharan has over 100 lawyers reporting to him. (On the Opposition side), at least three of them are lawyers. When they ask for your vote, you
can ask them, How many lawyers report to you, can they compare against
Mr Muralidharan? Mr Lim said.
The WP is fielding its A team to defend the constituency, which it won in
2011. Three lawyers Ms Sylvia Lim,

who is also party chairman, Mr Pritam Singh and Mr Chen Show Mao
are on the slate. The others are party
chief Low Thia Khiang and counsellor
Faisal Manap.
Apart from Mr Muralidharan, the
PAP team comprises seasoned campaigner Yeo Guat Kwang, who has
served four terms in Parliament, insurance firm chief executive Victor
Lye, private banker Chua Eng Leong,
and former school head of department
Shamsul Kamar.
Mr Lim, who retired from politics
before the 2011 GE, described the PAP
slate as a good team, and urged voters to support them.
On the national level, Mr Lim spoke
about the need for Singapore to have
strong leaders who can lead the country through uncertain times. He also
paid tribute to the leadership of found-
Mr Muralidharan has over

100 lawyers reporting to him.
(On the Opposition side),
at least three
of them are
lawyers. When
they ask for
your vote, you
can ask them,
How many
lawyers report
to you, can
they compare
against Mr
Muralidharan?
Mr Lim Boon Heng
Former Cabinet
minister
Law Minister calls on WP chief

to be honest with Sporeans;
Low says ruling party is
going in circles on the issue
KELLY NG AND TOH EE MING
kellyng@mediacorp.com.sg
Law and Foreign Affairs

Minister K Shanmugam yesterday
rebutted Workers Party (WP) chief
Low Thia Khiangs claims that the accounts of the Hougang Town Council
were in surplus when it merged with
Aljunied Town Council in 2011, as the
verbal sparring continued yesterday
between the Peoples Action Party
(PAP) and the WP over the financial management lapses at the WPrun Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East
Town Council (AHPETC).
Speaking to reporters in Nee Soon
Group Representation Constituency
where the WP also turned up to canvass for support Mr Shanmugam
pointed out that Hougang Town Councils annual report for the year ending
March 31, 2011 showed that it had an
operating deficit of S$91,800, and an
accumulated deficit of S$8,700 for that
financial year.
It really troubles me that Mr Low
will mislead Singaporeans he must
think that Singaporeans cannot read
accounts, said Mr Shanmugam,
who spoke to the media on the AHPETC issue on two separate occasions
yesterday.
He also asked Mr Low not to engage in a smoke and mirrors exercise.
Treat Singaporeans with respect.
And respect means being honest, he
said. Mr Shamugam added: Ask (Mr
Low) if he dares to read out to Singaporeans what his auditors said about
the state of Hougangs finances as of
March 31, 2011 and the concerns they
express about Hougang Town Council
as a going concern. I think people who
understand accounts will understand
what (the auditors) mean.
Yesterday, Mr Low said he was
getting tired of the PAPs questioning on the matter, and accused the ruling party of going in circles after the
opposition party had already provided
answers.
In response, Mr Shanmugam said
the PAP was keen to focus on Singapores future in the elections but he
pointed to the fact that it was the WP
which had raised the AHPETC issue
at its first rally on Wednesday, and the
PAP had to respond because the WP
had said things which we thought
were not accurate.
It was they who started out on
their rally and spent a long time in
the rally talking about it. And because
they said things which we thought
were not accurate, we had to respond,
said Mr Shanmugam, adding that integrity is a key issue.
He added: The record is there.
What they have said in Parliament,
what is said earlier, people can read
it themselves ... In our view, the focus
should be on the future, who can best
serve Singapore, who can best represent residents in Parliament ... If
Shanmugam, Low continue

war of words over AHPETC
what they say
SINGAPORE
Treat Singaporeans with

respect. And respect
means being honest.
Ask (Mr Low) if he dares to read
out to Singaporeans what his
auditors said about the state of
Hougangs finances as of March
31, 2011 and the concerns they
express about Hougang Town
Council as a going concern. I
think people who understand
accounts will understand what
(the auditors) mean.
Mr K Shanmugam
Law and Foreign affairs minister
What they are coming

up (with now) is
basically the same thing
again. I am getting tired of this
... I think it is very unproductive
to do this in the election. We
would like to move on to the
issues we want to focus on, and
our campaign theme.
Mr Low Thia Khiang
Workers party chief
Top: PAP candidate for Fengshan SMC Cheryl Chan during a walkabout in the area yesterday. Above: WP
chairman Sylvia Lim (left) introducing her partys candidate Dennis Tan to Fengshan residents. Photos: Ray Chua
you look at the speeches of the Prime

Minister, we have been focusing and
we will continue to focus on what this
election means for Singaporeans.
Mr Low, who was lending his support to the WP Nee Soon GRC candidates, said it was unproductive
to continue engaging the PAP on the

issue. We have actually answered
the questions, but they keep on coming back (with) the same questions,
looking at the same angle, and I think
there is no end to it, said Mr Low.
He added that the issue had already
been discussed over and over again,

including at a two-day debate in Parliament. What they are coming up
(with now) is basically the same thing
again. I am getting tired of this ... I
think it is very unproductive to do this
in the election. We would like to move
on to the issues we want to focus on,
and our campaign theme, he said.
Mr Low reiterated that the town
councils latest audited accounts for
the financial year 2014/15 have been
submitted and made public. Singaporeans can make (their) own judgment, he said.
Rather than we going round and
round in circles and theres no end to it
... This is an election, the election is important. I expect this to be a landmark
election, and our campaign theme is
Empower Your Future, we want to
look towards the future, he said.
At the WPs first rally on Wednesday, party chairman Sylvia Lim
sought to debunk what she described
as myths about AHPETC that were
spread by the PAP.
On Thursday, the Ministry of National Development issued a point-bypoint rebuttal, in which it referred to
an article by The New Paper which
stated, among other things, that
the AHPETC had tried to claw back
S$450,000 from its former managing
agent, FM Solutions & Services.
At a walkabout in Fengshan with
other WP candidates yesterday, Ms
Lim was asked by the media to comment on the MNDs rebuttal. She said:
Im just appalled that the ministry is
asking us to confirm a New Paper report which has a lot of inaccuracies.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AMANDA LEE
He urges voters to envision the country 15 years from now
Dont let polls excitement cloud

long-term view, ESM warns
Former PM says a bleak future
awaits the Republic if it is
exciting but politically unstable
Ng Jing Yng
jingyng@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE Beyond
the excitement
generated by the hustings, Singaporeans should be thinking about the
long-term stability of the country
when they head to the ballot box, said
Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok
Tong yesterday as he echoed a point
previously made by several Peoples
Action Party (PAP) leaders.
Noting that the Republic is a very
well-run, orderly society, Mr Goh
said: The excitement comes only
during GE (General Election), once
in four or five years, so naturally
Singaporeans are very seized by the
election.
But he pointed out: Its all right to
have excitement over these nine days,
but after Polling Day, what kind of Singapore do we have?
Do you want to have a very exciting Singapore, which means that politically its not so stable, or do you want
life to resume like before the election,
where you go to work, take the MRT,
make a living and settle into orderly
Singapore?
Im concerned (about) our longer-term stability, beginning with this
election ... because I look at the region,
and countries around us are politically
uncertain.
Mr Goh was speaking to report-
Marine Parade GRC candidate Goh Chok Tong during a walkabout at Serangoon Avenue 3 yesterday.
Mr Goh says he thinks the PAP will do all right this GE. Photo: Ernest Chua
AHPETC a national issue

as it concerns values, integrity
Laura Philomin
lauraphilomin@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE Emeritus Senior Minister
Goh Chok Tong yesterday argued that
the Workers Partys (WP) management of Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol
East Town Council (AHPETC) is a national issue, not just a municipal one,
as it concerns values and integrity.
If I am in charge of a town council
and I run it any way I like as long as I
have not run afoul of the law ...
Yes, there is accounting, disclaimers and so on, but I am not in jail that
is a values issue. Where is the transparency? Where is the accountability
and responsibility? said Mr Goh, referring to WP chief Low Thia Khiangs
charge this week that the Peoples Action Party (PAP) has exaggerated the
There is still
a segment of
people who
have not yet
decided who
to vote for.
But I think
most people
have decided,
either for us or
for the other
side. What
percentage
it will be, we
dont know.
Mr Goh Chok Tong
Emeritus
senior minister
AHPETC issue for the past two years

and that the subject has not resulted
in any criminal charges.
Weve got to put (it) across that
these values and the issue of integrity is what underpins Singapore, said
Mr Goh, who added that the Opposition has to prove its capability in running town councils before it can think
about running a country.
Mr Goh was speaking to reporters
after a walkabout on Serangoon Avenue 3, which is part of Marine Parade
(GRC).
Adding that he was not running
the election campaign, Mr Goh nevertheless said he did not believe that
the PAPs entire campaign is focused
on the AHPETC issue only.
But it has given the PAP an advan-
tage to seek a clarification, he said,

and added that the PAP would return
to the topic of leadership renewal.
I believe the PAP must come
back to what we are seeking: We are
seeking a mandate for the agenda,
he said.
He added: PAP will tell people
what is it they want to do for Singapore over five years and 10 years, beyond leadership renewal. Everybody
knows the importance of leadership
renewal, but what programmes do you
have under the new leaders?
About the mood on the ground in
Marine Parade GRC compared with
the 2011 GE, Mr Goh said he had noticed two big changes, which have resulted in citizens who are much more
open, much more supportive and much
more assertive in support of the PAP.
Older voters, who were already
supportive of the PAP in the previous
elections, are very forthcoming this
time, Mr Goh said.
He felt that it could be because of
the Governments recognition of their
ers on Serangoon Avenue 3 during a

walkabout with fellow Marine Parade
candidate Seah Kian Peng.
Mr Goh, who was Singapores second Prime Minister from 1990 to
2004, said he is not concerned with
this GE as he felt the ruling party will
do all right.
Its going to be a tough fight. The
PAP must fight for every vote and
we cannot take things for granted.
We now face more opposition parties ... We have to fight for every vote
through sincerity, service to nation
and service to people, he said.
His concern is about the subsequent two GEs.
If we are written up by analysts,
foreign investors, commentators,
journalists as a politically unstable
country 10 years from now (or in)
15years time, then I think you have a
big problem and younger people like
you will have a very bleak future,
MrGoh told the reporters.
Mr Goh said that he had learnt
from founding Prime Minister Lee
Kuan Yew to take a 50-year view of
Singapore.
I had sat down in a meeting between Mr Lee Kuan Yew and (late
China leader) Deng Xiaoping. Deng
Xiaoping thinks in terms of 100 years,
200years.
In 1978, I met him ... he was not
concerned about China in 1985 or 1990
or 2015, but China in 2050. Where will
Singapore be in 2050? We all have big
worries.
Adding that he wanted to put the
GE in context, Mr Goh said: It is
very important that at this election,
we must understand the issues.
A lot of excitement but, please,
for goodness sake, we have to decide
for ourselves how to have a stable
Singapore.
... Its not in PAPs hands. Its in
the peoples hands ... Youve got to decide how to have a stable Singapore,
five years, 10 years down the road for
yourselves, he said.
status as pioneers.
They came forward, shook hands,
took pictures and so on. They were
very open about their feelings, he said.
I think the recognition of the pioneers
was a very important element ... Its not
the money but the recognition.
Smartphones have also had a positive multiplier effect, with people taking pictures and sharing them on social media platforms, he said.
Mr Goh said he sensed that most
voters have already made up their
minds about who to vote for.
In the past, the (undecided) voters were higher in the last election because issues were ... in the air. This
time I think they more or less are settled, he said.
There is still a segment of people who have not yet decided who to
vote for.
But I think most people have decided, either for us or for the other
side. What percentage it will be, we
dont know ... but my general sense is
most people have decided.
Facilities upgrading a key

plank for PAP in Hougang
Lee also wants to hold community-bonding
activities and strengthen Hougang spirit
Celene Tan
celenetan@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE Speaking at his inaugural
General Election rally yesterday, the
Peoples Action Party (PAP) candidate
for opposition stronghold Hougang Single Member Constituency made an impassioned plea to voters, urging them
to give him the opportunity to work
with them to improve their livelihoods.
Mr Lee Hong Chuang, 45, stressed
that the PAPs goal has always been to
care for the livelihood of the people.
We know that education is the foundation of livelihood, employment is
the capital of livelihood, income is the
support of livelihood, and social safeguards are the social safety net of livelihood, he said during the rally held
at an open field near Defu Avenue 1.
His rally was held in conjunction
with the other PAP candidates contesting in Aljunied Group Representative Constituency. Hougang SMC has
been held by the opposition Workers
Party (WP) since 1991.
Speaking predominantly in Mandarin, Mr Lee outlined three key development plans he had for Hougang resi-
Hougang
needs more
hardware
and software
to cater to
the needs of
the elderly.
I hope to
build a more
convenient
environment
(for them).
Mr Lee
Hong Chuang
PAP candidate
for hougang smc
dents: Facilities upgrading, community

bonding activities and measures to
strengthen the Hougang spirit.
The f irst plan highlighted by
MrLee will dovetail with the demographics of the mature estate by accelerating the pace of upgrading and
enhancing the facilities to improve the
ease of mobility for the elderly.
Hougang needs more hardware
and software to cater to the needs of
the elderly, Mr Lee said. I hope to
build a more convenient environment
(for them). He hopes to organise more
recreational activities for residents to
let them enjoy a good life, good health,
and good overall well-being.
The second plan Mr Lee detailed
was to increase the number of community bonding activities to foster greater
cohesiveness among residents.
Last but not least, he spoke about
strengthening the Hougang Spirit,
which to him comprises the personal
touch, being caring and having a resilient kampung spirit.
He noted that there are low income
families, single parent families and the
elderly in Hougang who may require
assistance. Our neighbours help them
(the less privileged), but there is a limit to what they can do individually,
MrLee said. I encourage all residents
to play a part in helping these low-in-
PAP supporters at the rally at an open field near Defu Ave 1 yesterday. Photo: Wee Teck Hian
come families. Lets all work together

to strengthen the Hougang spirit.
He said he would make full use of
the resources available from the Government, Voluntary Welfare Organisations and other sources to support
these families. Mr Lee, who is a father
of two, has been volunteering for more
than 26years. Since last September,
the senior IT manager has chaired the
Hougang Community Club Manage-
ment Committee.
His rival is incumbent Mr Png Eng
Huat of the WP, who has held the seat
since he garnered 62.1 per cent of the
vote in a 2012 by-election.
Many five-years have gone, many
elections have passed. For yourself,
for your family, for your children, for
your future generations I hope you
will not delay (voting for the PAP) any
longer, Mr Lee said.
Residents at centre of everything we do: PAPs Cheryl Chan

Siau Ming En
The PAP team has been

here and weve been
serving the Fengshan
residents for many years. For
the past few years, we have
always put residents welfare first.
siaumingen@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE Drawing on her decadelong experience as a grassroots volunteer, the Peoples Action Partys
(PAP) candidate for Fengshan Single
Member Constituency, Cheryl Chan,
yesterday reminded residents of the
upgrades the area has seen over the
years and pledged to continue improving the maturing estate.
(So) what does the PAP team
stands for? The PAP team has been
here and weve been serving the Fengshan residents for many years. For the
past few years, we have always put residents welfare first. Residents are at
the centre of everything that we do and
will continue to be so, said Ms Chan.
In her maiden election rally speech
delivered in Bedok North, the 38-yearold, who has lived in Fengshan for
many years, said she has seen how
the PAP helped upgrade lifts and
homes, build sheltered walkways,
playgrounds, and revamped fitness
corners, among other things.
While much has been done to create a vibrant estate, she said that
more can be done. For instance, all
eligible blocks have been selected for
the Home Improvement Programme.
Of course, everything comes back
to food. We have (also) upgraded our
favourite Block 85 market, she added,
Ms Cheryl Chan
pap candidate for fengshan smc
Ms Cheryl Chan
was supported
by Mr Raymond
Lim (left) and
Manpower
Minister Lim Swee
Say (right) at her
maiden rally.
Photo: Raj Nadarajan
alluding to buzz generated by opposition Workers Partys (WP) chairman

Sylvia Lim after she posted an Instagram photo of herself having oyster
omelette at a Fengshan hawker centre.
Fengshan SMC has been freshly
carved out of East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC) for the
polls. Both the ruling party and the WP
will be fielding first-time candidates,

with latter fielding shipping lawyer
Dennis Tan, 45. This is also the first
time the PAP is fielding a female electoral debutant in an SMC since 1988.
Ms Chan, who is the head of secondary industries at The Linde Group
(Gas & Engineering), started volunteering in 2005 in grassroots organi-
sations at Fengshan. She pledged to

help the elderly and underprivileged
children going forward.
Ms Chan was supported during her
rally by the PAP team contesting in the
East Coast GRC, including Manpower
Minister Lim Swee Say, Senior Minister of State (Trade and Industry & National Development) Lee Yi Shyan and
Minister of State (Defence and National
Development) Maliki Osman, who attested to her character and capabilities.
Former Cabinet minister Raymond
Lim whom Ms Chan is replacing
for instance, said he has never known
her to panic in pressurising situations
and she reacts calmly to all problems.
Yesterday, Ms Chan also likened nation-building to running a marathon,
noting that the PAP is committed to
running the race with Singaporeans.
In this General Election, I urge all of
you, residents, friends and supporters,
to consider what is important for this
nation to move forward together and
what type of ... candidates do you want
to put in Parliament.
10
Potong Pasir has undergone extensive upgrading under PAP MP Sitoh Yih Pin, and though residents acknowledge the benefits, they say the construction has caused much inconvenience. Photo: Wee Teck Hian
Constituency focus: Potong Pasir SMC
Town leaves rustic label in

the dust, leaving some anxious
VALERIE KOH
valeriekohsf@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE For
a long time, Potong

Pasirs name was practically a byword in Singapore for words such as
quaint and rustic.
But in the past four years, those
qualities have changed considerably.
An NTUC FairPrice supermarket and
a Singapore Post outlet have rolled into the neighbourhood, bringing convenience to residents who once had
to buy groceries from provision shops
and use postal services provided by a
bookstore that doubled up as a post
office.
For the first time, residents also
have a POSB branch and even a gym
in the heart of the town.
Covered walkways have gone up
and nearly all Housing and Development Board blocks have lifts that stop
on every floor. A mixed-use development comprising a condominium and
mall located behind the MRT station
is currently under construction.

Potong Pasirs residents have long
gone by without such amenities, which
are deemed standard fare in other
housing estates. But although they
are not complaining about the added
convenience provided by the upgrades
in infrastructure, the extensive makeover has presented some downsides.
Drilling and clanking noises from
ongoing construction work have become part of everyday life; so too the
dust coating the floor tiles in homes.
Small businesses are feeling the heat
as their earnings take a hit, with demand falling as more people shop at
the newly opened supermarket. Already, at least one provision shop has
had to fold.
The changes to the neighbourhood
came about after a watershed General
Election (GE) in 2011, in which the Peoples Action Partys (PAP) Sitoh Yih
Pin won the single-seat ward on his
third attempt, by a razor-thin margin
of 114 votes over the Singapore Peo-
Whenever
I take taxis
home, my
driver tends
to associate
my home with
Mr Chiam.
I feel quite
proud of that.
Mr Low Jun Wei
Potong Pasir resident
ples Partys (SPP) Lina Chiam.

The seat had been held for 27 years
by Mrs Chiams husband, Mr Chiam
See Tong, after he defeated the PAPs
Mr Mah Bow Tan in 1984.
But in 2011, Mr Chiam ventured out
of Potong Pasir to lead an SPP team to
contest in the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC
and failed to dislodge the PAP team
led by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.
In next weeks poll, Potong Pasir,
which is the smallest of 13 single-seat
wards, with 17,389 registered voters, will see a straight fight between
MrSitoh and Mrs Chiam, 66. The
constituencys boundaries have remainunchanged.
During his tenure, Mr Chiam,
who is now 80, ran a tight ship with
the town councils funds, in order to
carry out upgrading work in the estate, which included major rewiring
work, building interaction parks and
linkways, as well as repainting and reroofing public housing blocks.
He ran a tight ship because, apart
from a barrier-free access project in

2011, Mr Chiam did not receive funds
from the Community Improvement
Projects Committee, which can be
tapped by all PAP-managed town
councils. That was why new amenities would come with plaques or signboards, stating the date of completion, and also to signify their pride at
what they managed to do for residents
despite having limited resources.
Today, few of these quirks remain,
after an extensive upgrading project
spearheaded by Mr Sitoh.
When TODAY visited the neighbourhood last month, an old signboard
for the Potong Pasir Neighbourhood
Park beside Block 136 was still standing.
But the park, which had been demolished, was in the midst of beingrebuilt.
During a press conference last
month, Mr Sitoh presented an evaluation of his performance as the Potong
Pasirs Member of Parliament (MP).
Since the 2011 GE, he has completed more than 120 projects and programmes for its residents, he said.
While covered walkways have
been built, car parks on Potong Pasir
Avenues 1, 2 and 3 have been refurbished under the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme. Forty-eight housing blocks have been retrofitted with
lifts that stop at every floor, a project
under the Lift Upgrading Programme
Continued on page 11
11
that had cost the town council a whopping S$8.7million.

About 900 flats on Lorong 8, Toa
Payoh were identified to benefit from
the Home Improvement Programme
and the Enhancement for Active Seniors scheme.
More high-rise condominiums line
the horizon and new amenities have
brought much convenience to residents. The S$7 million Potong Pasir waterfront lining a 400m stretch
along Kallang River was opened two
months ago.
Mr Sitohs manifesto for the next
five years lists another 22 projects, including lift upgrading for a final eight
blocks in Potong Pasir.
Residents whom TODAY spoke to
said life in the neighbourhood has become easier since the infrastructuralimprovements.
Before the supermarket opened last
year, residents could buy groceries
only from the wet market or provision
shops around the neighbourhood. If
they wanted more options, they would
have to traipse to the nearby Nex mall
in Serangoon or to ToaPayoh.
In the past, if I wanted to buy
meat, I would have to go to the wet
market very early in the morning,
said Madam Lim Lian See, a 64-yearold retiree. Now that theres an
NTUC FairPrice supermarket, I can
go anytime I want.
But businesses in the neighbourhood such as Xin F&K Medical Hall,
which doubles up as a provision shop,
said they have seen their earnings fall
after the supermarket opened.
Weve been affected. The supermarket offers promotions for pioneers. We cant do that because our
profit margin is already very low, said
Mr Hoe, a 50-year-old shop assistant.
He estimated that the stores takings
have dropped by about 3 to 4 per cent
over the past year.
Residents other bugbears include
the inconvenience brought about by
the ongoing construction.
Full-time national serviceman
Leroy Lee, 21, felt that the new sheltered walkways were a perk, but noted
that many paths were also blocked because of the ongoing upgrading works.
(Clockwise from
top left) A coffee
shop at Block 137.
A new sheltered
walkway beside
Potong Pasir
Community Club.
The new NTUC
FairPrice at the
community club.
An old futsal
court behind the
basketball court,
as seen from the
community club.
Residents say life
in the neighbourhood has become
easier since the
improvements
were completed.
Photos: Wee Teck Hian
Retiree Lilian Tan, also lamented about the hassles that have come
with the construction work: Its a construction junkyard, with all the drilling and building. Its so inconvenient
and dusty now.
The Block 122 resident added that
even though the car park in her estate
had been rebuilt because of concrete
spalls, the number of lots in it remains
limited.
Every time we come back, we
have to circle round and round to
find a parking lot. A multistorey carpark would have been better, said
MdmTan, 67.
Food choices are also limited compared with those offered in coffee
shops and fast food joints, pointed
out housewife Liew Yoke Mui, 55. She
hopes to see more dining outlets opening in theneighbourhood.
Despite the physical changes, residents said the kampung spirit remains strong in Potong Pasir. Beautician Sun Jing Xuan, 36, felt that the
small estate stands out from other
towns because it is more intimate.
When I go to the coffee shop, all
the neighbours will say hi. Its heartwarming, she said.

Her husband Charles Lim, 48, gave
another example of the strong neighbourly ties: Knowing that his fatherin-law does odd jobs, neighbours
would often ask him to collect their
newspapers or paint their walls, and
pay him when the job wascompleted.
Reflecting on the SPPs loss of Potong Pasir in the previous GE, Mr Lim,
who is a tour guide, mused that the
towns changing demographic might
have been a contributory factor.
There are many new residents
here now, and theyre unlike the older
generation who supported Mr Chiam
for so long, he said.
School bus attendant Mary Yee, 57,
felt that Mrs Chiam lacked the prominence of her husband, and said residents might be less familiar with her.
Four years after stepping down as
MP, Mr Chiams name remains synonymous with Potong Pasir.
Whenever I take taxis home, my
driver tends to associate my home
with MrChiam, said engineer Low
Jun Wei, 29. I feel quite proud of that.
12
Tin Pei Ling fires back

over motherhood comment
HON JING YI
honjingyi@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE The National Solidarity
Partys (NSP) Cheo Chai Chens assertion that his Peoples Action Party
(PAP) opponent Tin Pei Lings status
as a new mother is a weakness has
drawn backlash from the public, not
least from Ms Tin herself, who took
to Facebook to refute his comments.
In a Facebook post yesterday morning, Ms Tin, who faces Mr Cheo in
MacPherson Single Member Constituency, pointed out that she went back
to work two weeks after delivering her
baby on Aug 5 because she wanted to continue serving. I am confident
that even as a mum, I can continue to
focus on my work in MacPherson,
wrote Ms Tin, maintaining that she is
committed to the constituency.
She also spoke up for new mothers,
saying they should not have to choose
between motherhood and a career.
Women today are well educated and
certainly capable of contributing in
the workplace and in society. Hence,
I want to build a Singapore in which
more women can successfully manage family and work responsibilities
at the same time. What this needs are
Government and employer support,
strong family ties with husbands playing active roles, and societal understanding and accommodation.
Besides Mr Cheo, Ms Tin is also
facing the Workers Partys (WP) Bernard Chen in the single-seat ward.
When evaluating his opponents
during an interview with TODAY on
Thursday, Mr Cheo, who was speaking in Mandarin, had said: The PAPs
Tin Pei Ling has been working very
hard. But she has just given birth, so
voters should let her go home and rest,
and take care of her child.
In general, mothers love their chil-
The PAPs Tin Pei Ling with residents in MacPherson. Ms Tin

says she is confident that even as a mum, I can continue to
focus on my work in MacPherson. Source: Tin Pei Lings Facebook page
dren, so they spend a lot of time with

them. If voters choose her, she might
focus more on her child than on her
voters. This is her weakness.
His comments drew criticism from
some netizens, while other PAP members also waded in. In a Facebook post,
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said he
had spent four months as a medical
house officer delivering babies and
tending to recuperating mothers. I
know physically what they have to go
through, just after delivery, he said.
He said he had advised Ms Tin to do
less house and market visits since she
had delivered recently, but Ms Tin is
obviously not taking my advice and
has pushed on. Mothers are strong,
very strong when motivated ... Those
Voices
Cheos
remarks on
mothers discriminatory,
disempower
women 22
who dare to challenge mothers

beware! Dr Ng wrote.
Minister in the Prime Ministers
Office Grace Fu called Mr Cheos
comments unjustified and outdated. The work of an MP (Member of Parliament) is demanding,
but many women MPs have proven
that they can be as effective as their
male counterparts, she said, citing
the PAPs Ms Sim Ann, Ms Low Yen
Ling and Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar
as examples. Mr Cheos comment
that voters should let her go home
and rest... is a reminder that our
work to change societal attitudes
is far from done.
In a statement, NSP secretarygeneral Lim Tean assured that
his party supports mothers of all
kinds. Citing two women in his
party who are mothers, Ms Kevryn
Lim and Ms Nor Leila Mardiiiah
Mohamed, he said: There is no
question that mothers are strong,
and there is no question that any
woman, mother or not, is any less
able than her male counterpart.
Ms Lim, who is standing in Sembawang Group Representation Constituency, shared the statement,
adding: I believe Miss Tin, like all
mothers and myself, can also be a career woman of (her) own and manage (her) time respectively without
neglecting anyone in the family.
At a walkabout yesterday,
Mr Cheo told reporters he was joking. On Thursday, he also told TODAY he thought the WPs Mr Chen
was inexperienced. Mr Chen, 29,
is new to elections and is the youngest candidate fielded by the WP
this time.
In her post, Ms Tin, herself the
youngest candidate when she made
her political debut in 2011, noted:
I should add that neither should
youth be seen as a disadvantage.
She added: It is good that young
Singaporeans are paying attention
and getting involved in the GE. It
shows that young Singaporeans
are willing to stand up for (their)
beliefs and work hard to achieve a
better future for our country.
Theres always room for more women in politics: Grace Fu

SINGAPORE There is space for greater female participation in Singapore
politics and even in the higher levels
of political office, said Minister in the
Prime Ministers Office Grace Fu yesterday, adding that it is only a matter
of time before qualified female candidates with the right experience will
come to the fore.
Ms Fu, who is the Peoples Action
Partys (PAP) candidate for Yuhua
Single Member Constituency (SMC),
told TODAY during a morning walkabout that the primary reason for
her optimism on greater female participation in politics is that both genders now enjoy equal opportunities in
schools and education based on merit.
Ms Fu, who is also the Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Environment and Water Resources, said
that times have changed as compared

to the pre-1965 generation, when families experienced financial constraints,
therefore, limiting the opportunities
for women to be educated.
If you look at literacy only
60per cent of women (then) were educated. During my time, only 10 per
cent (of women were) in the university
cohort, she noted.
In her view, this has contributed
to a limited pool of tertiary-educated
women with the necessary work experience in senior positions and the
tested ability to serve residents on
the ground, resulting in a situation
where women are currently underrepresented in local politics.
(Now) almost 100 per cent of women go to school, and the pipeline (of talented candidates) is very strong. So, I
I think its just

a matter of
time before
youll see
more women
being able to
take up that
role (of representing their
constituents
in Parliament).
Ms Grace Fu
Minister in the Prime

Ministers Office and
the PAPs candidate
for Yuhua SMC
think its just a matter of time before

youll see more women being able to
take up that role (of representing their
constituents in Parliament), she said.
She highlighted that there is already a trend of greater female participation in politics.
Ms Fu added that she was heartened to see more female candidates
coming forward to contest in the current General Election (GE), from both
the PAP and the Opposition.
She stressed that this was a positive development for Singapore as a
whole.
When asked if there is still room
for empowering women in Singapore,
Ms Fu said: I think the PAP represents a Singapore that has lots of opportunities for women We will do
more to try to support women to have
NSP candidate
will run town
council directly
if elected
SINGAPORE If elected as Member of
Parliament (MP) for MacPherson, the
National Solidarity Partys (NSP) Cheo
Chai Chen will run the town council
serving the constituency directly. He
said this is to avoid a situation like the
ongoing Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol
East Town Council (AHPETC) saga.
In a flier he distributed during a
walkabout at MacPherson yesterday,
Mr Cheo, noting the tussle between the
Peoples Action Party (PAP) and Workers Party (WP) over AHPETC, wrote
that the party was very concerned.
The party will not let an incident
such as TC general manager is also
the boss of its contractor happen, he
wrote. He also said he would establish
a fund to support low-income groups.
Mr Cheo, 64, a former Singapore
Democratic Party MP for Nee Soon
Central from 1991 to 1997, is facing the
PAPs Tin Pei Ling and the WPs Bernard Chen in MacPherson.
In his message, he defended the partys decision to contest in MacPherson
after initially saying it would not, reiterating what he told TODAY in an earlier interview that the WP was arrogant for skipping the second round of
Opposition talks to avoid three-corner
fights last month, and for not responding to the NSP when it reached out to
the party for bilateral talks. Our party
promotes cooperation among all Opposition (parties), this is the (wish) of
many Singaporeans, he wrote. But it
is regretted, there is an arrogant Opposition party (that) does not want
to (cooperate). Thus, we will have a
three-corner fight in this coming General Election in this constituency.
Mr Cheo entered politics in 1988 a
member of the SDP. He joined the NSP
in 2006 and was part of its Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency team in 2011. HON JING YI
both work and family.

Going forward, she said what may
be necessary is to have more childcare support, including more flexible
arrangements for women.
How do we get companies to have
a more flexible work arrangement? Allowing women more options, encouraging them to start a family these
are all important issues that were just
beginning (to look into), she added.
Commenting on her chances at the
polls against the Singapore Democratic Partys (SDP) candidate Jaslyn Go,
Ms Fu highlighted her decade of experience working with residents in the
neighbourhood, but stressed that she
believed the GE is a time for everyone
to reflect on their options and choices,
and to look at issues with a sense of
responsibility.
Its every vote that counts, and Im
going for every single one, she said.
Tang Chee Seng
13
WP proposes small start for through-train plan

sues with the current sorting system
imposed by the PSLE, where the different streams in secondary schools
might affect the confidence levels of
students who are labelled not as intelligent as their counterparts.
Exams are necessary to help children assess their abilities and make
Plan not to overhaul system,

but to move away from stressful
nature of schooling here
Ng Jing Yng
SINGAPORE The morning after the
Workers Party (WP) mentioned at
its election rally the idea of a 10-year
through-train programme as an alternative for some students in Singapores education system, WP candidate Yee Jenn Jong went into greater
detail on how such a proposal could be
implemented.
It would start small, with two
schools in each zone north, south,
east and west and with about 100
students each year.
The intention is not to overhaul
the education system, but to gradually move away from the stressful nature of schooling here, said Mr Yee, a
member of the WPs five-man team
running in Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency, yesterday.
He was speaking to reporters after
a walkabout in Serangoon Avenue 3.
Mr Yee said he had received feedback from Singaporeans, who wanted to know if the through-train programme will mean overhauling the
entire school system.
The WPs 10-year programme,
from Primary One to Secondary
Four, would allow students to bypass
the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). It is aimed at reducing
the stress level created by high-stakes
examinations.
Mr Yee added: We are not saying
that they should immediately disband
the current system ... Id like to emphasise (that this) is a very gradual
process. In fact, the through-train
programme might not be for everybody, but for those who hope for an
alternative to the traditional education path, he said.
Mr Yee pointed out that only by
trying out such an alternative arrangement would it allow parents to
be aware of other routes beyond the
tried-and-tested.
Data collected from the group
of students who have undergone a
10-year through-train programme
might also help the Government to decide if it might be possible to do away
with the PSLE altogether in future,
he added.
Mr Yee said the programme could
start off with schools that already
have an affiliation practice between
the primary and secondary schools.
While some have pointed out that
the WP proposal might result in transferring pressure to the Primary One
level instead of Primary Six as parents rush for schools with the throughtrain programme, Mr Yee said there is
no need to introduce it in top schools.
Instead, it could be implemented in
neighbourhood schools.
He also pointed out a number of is-
We are not
saying that
they should
immediately
disband
the current
system ...
Id like to
emphasise
(that this) is a
very gradual
process.
Mr Yee Jenn Jong
WP candidate for
Marine Parade GRC
decisions on their future, he stressed,

but it might be more helpful to impose such tests when the children
are older.
The Government is also trying
to move away from this overly excessive meritocratic system ... Over the
past 20 to 30 years, we have moved
our education system into a too highly

competitive one, where the grades you
achieve early in life make a whole lot
of difference, he said.
Mr Yee added: One of the ways
to decelerate this is to provide some
alternative ... Now, (parents) have no
(other) choice.
14
Supporters at the Workers Party rally at Yishun Stadium yesterday. WP chief Low Thia Khiang charged that, contrary to the PAPs statements that it has always delivered on its promises, it has gone
back on its word after dangling certain carrots before the electorate during election season. Photo: Don Wong
WP warns against return to pre-2011 dark ages

The vote for the Opposition
had forced the PAP to
wake up, says Sylvia Lim
NG JING YNG
SINGAPORE The Government has
made some policy U-turns to improve Singaporeans lives, but Workers Party (WP) leaders last night
warned voters not to take this as a
cue to return to a system that is dominated by one party.
At its third rally of the election campaign a pace only surpassed by the
Peoples Action Party (PAP) WP
leaders kept hammering home one
message to the assembled throng: Do
not choose a return to the dark ages
of a system dominated by one party by
not letting up in the push to entrench
the Oppositions voice in Parliament.
Rebutting the message put out by
several PAP leaders that policy changes made over the past four years were
in the works before the previous election, WP chair Sylvia Lim said: The
PAP has been trying in this election
to convince you that many changes
we see around us started before 2011.
They are afraid that the WP will take
credit for the changes. But the credit
belongs to the voters.
These changes, she said, including

moving from a for-profit model for the
public transport system, which saw
overcrowded buses, to one that saw
the Government spending S$1.1 billion
to buy 1,000 state-owned buses. The
slowing of the inflow of foreigners after 2011 was another example.
The vote for the Opposition had
forced the PAP to wake up, she
said, urging voters to keep up the
pressure on the PAP and make the
PAP work harder. Ms Lim also said
the PAPs MPs would not be an effective check on a PAP Government, repeating a charge made by another WP
MP, MrPritam Singh, on Wednesday.
Citing the 2013 Population White Paper, she said the WP MPs had voted
against it, but even though PAP MPs
made speeches critiquing the paper,
not one voted against it.
She then took a jibe at PAP chief
Lee Hsien Loong, who called the Opposition a mouse in the House for its
performance in Parliament.
A PAP MP may think he roars like
a tiger in Parliament, but the PAP MP
is a real mouse in the House, a little
white mouse, said Ms Lim.
Party chief Low Thia Khiang, who
followed Ms Lim to the lectern, took
up the drumbeat. Saying that the PAP
Government of today is no longer like
the foresighted one of the past, he added that the country should not have
a Government that flip-flops in policy

and only makes last-minute adjustments when problems arise.
Going back to one-party rule might
mean that policies can change at the
Governments whim and fancy, he
said, adding: If you vote in all the
PAP MPs into Parliament, the PAP
will think that you are giving them
your mandate and supporting whatever they have done. He added: The
future of Singapore needs a strong
Opposition presence in Parliament to
hear the peoples voices and avoid taking wrong policy approaches.
Mr Low also charged that, contrary to the PAPs statements that it has
always delivered on its promises, it
has gone back on its word after dangling certain carrots before the electorate during election season.
For instance, the PAP had said it had
not considered raising the Goods and
Services Tax before the 2006 election,
he said, but did so in July the following year, and the explanation by then
Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong was
that the PAP would choose unpopular
policies that were good for Singapore
in the long term, and that it was part
of politics. I urge voters to be careful.
During the election, the PAP is like a
cat, but after being elected, it will be
like a ferocious lion, said Mr Low.
Ms Lim also questioned the sincerity of the PAP. She pointed to a
A PAP MP may
think he roars
like a tiger in
Parliament,
but the PAP
MP is a real
mouse in the
House, a little
white mouse.
Ms Sylvia Lim
WP chair and
Candidate for
Aljunied GRC
comment made by Prime Minister

Lee Hsien Loong in 2006 which he
subsequently apologised for that if
there were more Opposition members,
he would have to spend time thinking
of how to fix the Opposition, instead
of running the country.
She asked: Is the PAP being nicer
to you now because they really care
about you? Or is the PAP doing what
PM Lee said what it would do when
the Opposition number reaches 10,
buy your vote? Is this why the PAP
is spending so much to fix the WP?
she said.
Quoting a resident, she ended her
plea for votes with a residents anecdote. She said the resident likened the
PAP to the white clouds and the WP
to the blue sky, and said: The white
clouds can be blown here and there
(and) can turn grey and even black,
but the blue sky will always be there.
Another speaker at the rally, Hougang candidate Png Eng Huat, said
that even after the watershed events
of 2011, the Opposition was outnumbered in the House, and its objections
to policies were inevitably overruled.
Calling on voters to increase the
number of Opposition MPs in Parliament, and thus their effectiveness,
he said: (The Government) can pass
many Bills in the House, even with half
of the (PAP MPs) on holiday or eating
orh luak in Fengshan.
15
WP reprises issues
of 2011 to attack
Govts performance
LOUISA TANG
louisa@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE In the third day of hustings, Workers Party (WP) candidates who spoke at Yishun Stadium
yesterday tackled hot-button issues
such as transport, housing and the
inflow of foreigners topics that had
dominated the campaign trail in the
previous General Election (GE) four
years ago.
Referring to major train breakdowns recently, candidate for East
Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC) Gerald Giam criticised
transport operator SMRT and what
he said was the Governments lack of
adequate planning for the renewal and
replacement of rail assets.
Nee Soon GRC candidate Luke Koh,
one of the WPs new faces who spoke at
the rally, also called for the nationalisation of the public transport system.
Mr Giam added: WP calls for a
not-for-profit, Government-owned,
national transport corporation to own
and manage all rail and bus assets.
This will minimise cost and increase
efficiency and better ensure that
maintenance and renewal are done
in a timely fashion, insulated from the
profit pressures that other transport
operators face.
On the Central Provident Fund
(CPF) savings scheme, the WPs East
Coast GRC candidate Leon Perera
said he did not feel that retirees who
receive S$600 to S$1,000 a month
under the CPF Life Scheme could live
comfortably.
From Silver Support, from next
year onwards, you may get S$100
more, at most S$250 more a month,
said Mr Perera. Do you think this is
enough to retire on? I dont, and neither did most who attended the Prime
Ministers National Day Rally last
year. They said they needed S$2,000
a month to retire on.
Reiterating the partys proposal in
its manifesto, Mr Perera said that the
Government should pay out to members part of the long-term difference
between CPF interest rates and the investment returns of Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC. This is because
CPF monies are used by the GIC for
investment.
East Coast GRC candidate Daniel
Goh, who was the first to take the podium, dedicated most of his speech to
the Governments population policy.
Rather than focusing on managing
foreign labour, he said, the Government should instead concentrate on
encouraging higher labour force participation among senior workers, female workers wanting to re-enter the
workforce and those who have lost
their confidence.
Mr Giam chimed in, suggesting
that the inflow of foreign labour should
be reduced so more jobs could be filled
by Singaporeans.
In what is becoming a key tenet of
the WPs policy proposals, Mr Giam
and Mr Koh also called for the introduction of a national minimum wage
of S$1,000 a month.
Mr Giam added: The minimum
wage would reduce the inflow of foreign labour, so there will be more
jobsto fill.
Raising wages will attract more
Singaporeans in the workforce to fill
jobs, and will also improve productivity and reduce turnover because workers are more motivated and less likely
to switch jobs, said Mr Giam.
(Top) Workers Party candidates for Nee Soon GRC, from left are Mr Gurmit Singh, Ms Cheryl Loh,
Mr Kenneth Foo, Mr Luke Koh and Mr Ron Tan waving to the audience at a rally at Yishun Stadium
yesterday where some innovative symbols of support were on display (above). Photos: Don Wong
16
Party seeks fair universal health insurance scheme
SDP takes aim at

PAPs comments
about healthcare
Neo Chai Chin
chaichin@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE Continuing his focus on
alternative healthcare policies, Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Paul Tambyah yesterday took
aim at what two Peoples Action Party
(PAP) candidates said about healthcare in recent days.
The PAPs East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC) candidate, Manpower Minister Lim Swee
Say, had said on Thursday that MediShield Life a universal insurance
scheme to protect against large hospital bills that takes effect from November would significantly reduce
the burden on Singaporeans who are
hospitalised.
Government subsidies will reduce the bill for a person staying two
nights in intensive care after an operation, and 10 nights of recovery, from
$20,000 to $30,000 to about $8,000
and $10,000, Mr Lim had said.
If you are on MediShield, your
burden will drop by about half, to
about $4,000 to $5,000. Come Nov 1,
under MediShield Life, it will drop to
about $3,000, he had said.
Professor Tambyah, an infectious
diseases expert, said MediShield Life
still requires those aged 80 and under
to pay a deductible each policy year
of S$1,500 for C-Class wards and
S$2,000 for B2 wards amounts that
he said many elderly cannot afford. A
deductible is the amount one has to

pay before insurance kicks in.
Mr Lim also did not tell residents
that co-insurance under MediShield
Life ranges from 3 to 10 per cent and
that there is a maximum claim limit
per year, said Prof Tambyah. He maintained that the scheme is based on
profits, not people.
Prof Tambyah also addressed the
PAPs Tanjong Pagar GRC candidate
Chia Shi-Lus comments that a system
of free healthcare would entail a long
waiting time for cancer treatment.
The SDP is not asking for free
healthcare, but a fair universal
health insurance scheme, said Prof
Tambyah, who is contesting in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.
Under the British system, which
Dr Chia had cited, patients have to
wait for elective surgery, but not emergency surgery, Prof Tambyah added.
Speakers at the SDPs rally in
Bukit Panjang yesterday also spoke
up against the high cost of living and
the need for the party to have a presence in Parliament.
Secretary-general Chee Soon Juan
said the SDP wants Central Provident
Fund (CPF) savings returned to retirees, higher interest rates for CPF savings, an increase of the Governments
portion of healthcare expenditure from
30 per cent to 70 per cent, and free taxi
rides for those above 80 years old for
essential medical appointments.
He said the SDP wants a more com-
passionate society and one with unfettered minds.

SDPs Bukit Panjang candidate
Khung Wai Yeen, a 34-year-old account manager, spoke about a Member of Parliaments role to scrutinise
Bills. He said residents have said PAP
incumbent Teo Ho Pin is a very nice
guy and an auntie killer who organises many social events for the elderly.
Promising he would do more for
the elderly, Mr Khung said: I will
SDP supporters
at a rally heard
speakers talk
about the high cost
of living and the
need for the party
to have a presence
in Parliament.
Photo: Jason Quah
make your childrens life less stressful by lowering the cost of living. I will
make them less worried about high
healthcare costs. I will make them
happier by making HDB (flats) truly
affordable.
When your children... are less
stressed, less worried and happier,
they will have the time to spend with
you. Is that better than going for a
line-dancing class or a trip to Malaysia to eat durian?
PAPs current leaders have lost

touch with ordinary Singaporeans
SINGAPORE Leaders from the Peoples Action Party (PAP) are losing
touch with the plight of ordinary
Singaporeans, especially the poor,
said Singapore Democratic Party
(SDP) candidate Sidek Mallek at
his partys rally in Bukit Panjang
last night.
The candidate for HollandBukit Timah Group Representation Constituency (GRC) said: (I
am) angry that the Prime Minister and the PAP ministers refuse
to understand the plight of the lower-income Singaporeans, who are
struggling daily just to make a decent living here. Yet, we see them,
(with) their million-dollar salaries,
living in (their) ivory towers, being
distant from the people.
Mr Sidek also took issue with
the PAPs claims that opposition
parties are not credible, with no alternative policies, saying that the
SDP has worked hard on our economic policy paper. He noted that
the SDP has proposed, among others, the introduction of a minimum
wage and retrenchment insurance
for those out of a job.
Another speaker at the rally,
Mr Sadasivam Veriyah, the SDP
candidate for Bukit Batok Single
Member Constituency, charged
(I am) angry
that the Prime
Minister and
the PAP ministers refuse
to understand
the plight of
the lower-income Singaporeans, who
are struggling
daily just to
make a decent
living here.
Yet, we see
them, (with)
their milliondollar salaries,
living in (their)
ivory towers,
being distant
from the
people.
Mr Sidek Mallek
Singapore Democratic Party candidate
for Holland-Bukit
Timah GRC
that the PAP is no longer the same.

A similar claim had been made
by Singaporeans First candidate Dr
David Foo, who said that the current
PAP leaders fell short of their predecessors, such as founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and former Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee.
At SingFirsts rally at Jurong Stadium on Thursday, Dr Foo had said:
The PAP of old had foresight ... Now,
what (has) happened?
SDPs Mr Sadasivam said while
Singapore is a rich and developed
country, it was due to the work of past
leaders. The leaders of the past were
committed ... they were concerned
about you, they cared for you.
He also told the crowd at the rally
that he was a former PAP grassroots
leader, working for its former Member of Parliament Dr Tan Cheng Bock,
whom he called his mentor.
Dr Tan lives in Holland-Bukit
Timah GRC, where the SDP is facing
a PAP team led by Minister for the
Environment and Water Resources
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.
In a Facebook post on Thursday,
Dr Tan said he had attended the SDP
rally at Choa Chu Kang, where he met
its candidates. He also said he would
be attending a PAP rally last night.
Alfred Chua
17
HON JING YI
SINGAPORE The Peoples Action Party
(PAP) is trying to make this election

about municipal issues, but Singaporeans must not fall into this trap and lose
sight of the national issues at hand,
said National Solidarity Party (NSP)
acting secretary-general Lim Tean at
his first rally speech yesterday.
Mr Lim, who was the last of nine
speakers at the partys first rally, which
took place on Woodlands Drive 75 in
Sembawang Group Representation
Constituency (GRC), called on voters
to elect candidates who will best represent them on critical issues such as
the rising cost of living.
If we were electing estate managers to run your estate, I will be the first
to admit I am not qualified, said Mr
Lim, who is standing in TampinesGRC.
Describing the PAP manifesto as
one that dwelt upon misguided nostalgia for the past 50 years and fearmongering, Mr Lim said: Do not fall
into the trap of the PAP, who are trying
to persuade you to ignore national issues and to concentrate on local issues.
He added: When you forget national issues, when your Members of
Parliament do not speak up for you in
Parliament on national issues, what
do you get? You get an influx of foreign workers, you get overpopulation,
you get (the) relentlessly rising cost
of living, and you get policies like no
withdrawal of CPF (Central Provident
Fund) upon hitting 55, which is what
all Singaporeans agreed to originally,
said Mr Lim.
In subsequent NSP rallies for the
rest of the campaign period, MrLim
said he would be elaborating on issues
NSP urges voters

to keep their focus
on national issues
NSP Sembawang GRC candidate Spencer Ng at the partys rally opposite Block 687A, Woodlands Drive 75
yesterday. Mr Ng said voters can defend their own rights by electing the Opposition. Photo: KOH MUI FONG
such as the CPF and the influx of foreigners and their impact on Singaporeans job security.
We will allow PAP to talk about is-
sues that are not relevant to peoples

lives if they want to, said Mr Lim.
The NSP candidates who spoke
yesterday included party president
and Tampines GRC candidate Sebastian Teo, who called the Pioneer
Generation Package an attempt by the
PAP to woo older voters back into supporting them.
NSP candidate for Sembawang
GRC Ms Kevryn Lim, who at 26 years
old is the partys youngest candidate,
criticised the PAP for failing to listen
to the people and for leaning too much
on its past achievements.
I am very young, and I have my
own opinions, but that doesnt mean
that I only do what I want to do. I like
to listen to the opinions of others,
whether its from people who support
or oppose me, because I know I can
learn more, and learn how to solve
problems, said Ms Lim in Mandarin.
But the Government now does not
listen to you. That is why you have to
vote us into Parliament, so that we can
be your voice.
She added: The PAP keeps praising itself for what it has achieved these
past 50 years and how well it has done.
We thank them, and without them we
wouldnt have Singapore as we know it
today. But now, it is the year 2015. We
should set our sights on the future.
Mr Spencer Ng, who is also standing in Sembawang GRC, also urged
people to vote for the Opposition, adding that Singaporeans should not let
the PAP have the absolute power to
do whatever they want, whenever they
want, in Parliament.
If we keep condoning the PAPs
policies to carry on, then we deserve
to be replaced by foreigners ... commonly known as foreign talent, because we are not doing anything to
defend our own rights. It is your duty
and my duty to make sure this does
not happen, said Mr Ng.
Ruling party criticised for using grassroots to engage with residents

LEE YEN NEE
leeyennee@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE The National Solidarity
Partys (NSP) Sembawang Group
team has been walking the ground
to personally address residents
needs, unlike the Peoples Action
Party (PAP), which depends on their
grassroots leaders to engage with
thecommunity.
This was the message of NSP Sembawang GRC candidate Eugene Yeo,
who spoke at his partys first rally yesterday in the constituency.
(The PAP Members of Parliament)
tell us they remain here and work for
us, but their actions often do not reflect that statement, said Mr Yeo, who
is also head of the partys youth wing.
A visit to a Meet-the-People session
entails a few hours waiting time, only
to be greeted by a grassroots leader,
who notes the issue on paper and has
the MP or minister countersign.
The minister comes, drops by,
says Hi to you, (has) a good handshake with you and says, Thank you
for your time, said Mr Yeo.
Adding that he and his team have
the heart and commitment, he said:
We apologise for only starting to

walk the ground (in) the last one to
two months, (but) we walk the ground
ourselves and dont depend on grassroots people.
Describing his team, Mr Yeo noted that three of them are aged 40 and
below Mr Spencer Ng, Ms Kevryn
Lim, and himself. Pointing out that the
median age range in the constituency
is 30 to 48 years old, he said the team
can understand the needs of the many
young families living in Sembawang.
He said that NSP candidates Abdul Rasheed and Mr Yadzeth Haris,
meanwhile, bring with them experience and can also relate to the minor-
Mr Cheo Chai
Chen, the NSPs
candidate for
MacPherson,
at the National
Solidarity Party
rally opposite
Block 687A,
Woodlands Drive
75 yesterday.
Mr Cheo said at
yesterdays rally
that one-third of
the MPs should
be from the
Opposition.
Photo: Koh Mui Fong
ity communities in the area.

Were a very balanced team with
different ethnic groups, different age
groups, he said.
Mr Yeo also called for more opposition presence in Parliament. He noted
that although the PAP garnered only
60.1 per cent of the votes in the 2011
General Election, they continue to
dominate the House with 90 per cent
of the seats.
Mr Cheo Chai Chen, the NSPs candidate for MacPherson, also said at
yesterdays rally that one-third of the
MPs should be from the Opposition.
This will allow more robust debates on
government policies and prevent the
PAP from dominating the discussions.
His call echoed that of Singaporeans
First chairman Ang Yong Guan, who
on Thursday said that 30 opposition
MPs will make the Parliament more
balanced, and that of Workers Party
chief Low Thia Khiang, who said that
at least 20 opposition MPs are needed
in the House.
Meanwhile, other NSP candidates
continued to raise of the issue of the
inflow of foreigners, warning of its
consequences on cost of living and
pressure on infrastructure.
Mr Choong Hon Heng, NSP candi-
date for Tampines GRC, described life

in Singapore as fish living in a tank,
and questioned why other fish did not
live in the South China Sea.
Honestly, were just one red dot.
How can you crowd us with so many
other fishes ... ? he said. We know who
is a Chinese Singaporean, and who is a
Chinese from other countries.
The presence of immigrants has
also pushed up prices of daily commodities, and the increase in cost of
living is a burden on many Singaporeans, he said.
This overcrowding will also affect
our jobs ... In Singapore, all the small,
obedient fishes, well be replaced by
foreign talent not only from the higher
echelon, but also from the middle level
and lower income level, he said.
Mr Yadzeth said that the income
levels of Singapore citizen households
have not caught up with the rise in
cost of living here. In particular, the
Malay-Muslim community has lagged
behind, he said.
Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said
more can be done to help raise the
education level of the Malay-Muslim community and to help youth at
risk, but what have they done? said
MrYadzeth.
18
MPs should speak up for citizens first: Pwee

SPP candidate slams Minister
of State (Transport) Josephine
Teo for not speaking up for
citizens over train breakdowns
VALERIE KOH
SINGAPORE Likening Members of Parliament (MPs) to middlemen between
the Government and citizens, Mr Benjamin Pwee said their focus should be
airing constituents concerns before
trying to explain policies, as he took
a potshot at his teams competition in
Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency.
While train breakdowns have
stayed in the public spotlight in the
past four years, Mr Pwee criticised
his Peoples Action Party opponent
Josephine Teo for not speaking up for
citizens. Mrs Teo is Senior Minister of
State (Transport and Finance).
Speaking at a rally at Toa Payoh
Stadium, Mr Pwee, who is part of a
Singapore Peoples Party (SPP) slate,
said: The role of MP is a person who
understands the issues that you have,
turns and faces the Government, and
tells them (what) the issues that our
constituents are not happy about,
and where policy changes need to
be made.
There are times when the MP
needs to turn and face the people,
and represent the Government and
explain the policies to you, but I think
that must happen only after an MP
first has heard you.
Another candidate, Mr Law Kim
Hwee, spoke about the plights of unemployed mature professionals, managers, executives and technicians
(PMETs), and suggested setting up a
registry to help them find jobs.
If youre a PMET (and) youre
prepared to work for a lower pay, we
(Above) Candidate
Bryan Long
speaking at the
rally held at the
Toa Payoh stadium
yesterday as an
SPP supporter
(right) reacts
during a speech.
Photos: Ray Chua
form among ourselves a group and

say, Bosses, if you want to employ
someone with experience ... but (is)
prepared to accept lower pay, then
come to us, said Mr Law, 55, a former marketing manager.
He also suggested establishing
a pension scheme for all Singaporeans aged 65 and above, and pay them
S$200 monthly.
Mr Pwee took to the stage after
rally-goers were roused by a short
speech by veteran opposition politician and SPP chief Chiam See Tong,
who showed up with his wife to support the team. The 80-year-old, who
was MP for Potong Pasir for 27 years,
but is not contesting in this election,
was greeted with loud cheers and applause when he arrived.

While he had initially planned to sit
and speak, Mr Chiam, who suffered
two strokes in recent years, went to
the podium and delivered a 10-minute
speech on Central Provident Fund issues. Singaporeans must not stop
asking the Government when they can
pay back all the money that theyve
gotten back to the people of Singapore, he said.
Im sorry I start and stop because
of my sickness. Thank you very much.
The people of Bishan-Toa Payoh forever, he said, drawing raucous cheers
from the crowd as he raised his fists.
SPP chairman Lina Chiam, who
is running in Potong Pasir SingleMember Constituency, also took aim

at transportation issues.
The transport problem is only a
symbol of all that is wrong with the
PAP. But its also a red warning sign,
said the 66-year-old.
I ask that tonight you support the
team of Bishan-Toa Payoh the same
way as youve placed your faith and
trust in Mr Chiam.
Winding up the three-hour rally,
Mr Pwee said: Every one of us here
on stage ... is honoured to continue
with Mr Chiams legacy. And the only
way that this legacy can continue is if
you put us in Parliament and continue
the legacy and work of Mr Chiam.
19
Elections Dept clears the air on

PMs photos on campaign posters
Statement comes in response to
Opposition asking if use of
PM Lees campaign photo in all
constituencies is against rules
VALERIE KOH
SINGAPORE The Elections Department (ELD) has said political parties
are free to put up posters with their
leaders photos in whichever constituencies they are contesting, although
these count towards the quota allowed
for the particular area.
The clarification comes after two
Opposition candidates asked over the
past few days if electioneering rules
allow the pictures of Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong, who is secretarygeneral of the ruling Peoples Action
Party (PAP), to be used in all constituencies that the party is fielding candidates in.
Singapore Peoples Party chair
Lina Chiam was the first to cry foul
over Mr Lees posters being tacked
in the Potong Pasir Single Member
Constituency (SMC) she is running
in. On Tuesday, she posted a picture
on her Facebook page showing a poster with Mr Lees face under her campaign poster, accompanied by a caption, Is the Prime Minister standing
in Potong Pasir SMC?.
Mrs Chiam is facing off against the
PAPs Sitoh Yih Pin, who defeated her
in the last election in 2011 with 114 votes.
Mrs Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss, a
candidate from Mrs Chiams party,
went further in challenging if the move
was fair. She said on her Facebook
Two SPP candidates have questioned if electioneering rules allow the pictures of Mr Lee Hsien Loong, the
PAPs secretary-general, to be used in all constituencies that the party is fielding candidates in. Today File Photo
page on Thursday that she had written to the ELD to ask if the practice
follows the spirit of the legislation.
The candidate in Mountbatten SMC
added: This issue is a matter of principle (that) I feel strongly needs to be accounted for. It potentially impacts other constituencies across the country,
although I only have standing to write
in as the candidate for Mountbatten.
Responding to queries, the ELD
said yesterday: Under the law, the
face of the political partys leader can
be used in the posters for the candidates standing for that political party,
since voters would be able to identify
the political party leader with that political party. This has been the practice in past elections.
It added that the specific quota for
each constituency applies to all the
posters and banners put up by the
party, regardless of whose picture
they carry.
Mrs Chong-Aruldoss, who is fighting against the PAPs Lim Biow Chuan
SDA cries foul

after campaign
posters removed
Its election posters caught the eye with
their short, snappy slogans when they
went up this week. Now, the Singapore
Democratic Alliance (SDA) has cried foul
at the removal of a number of them along
Pasir Ris Drive 1.
About 20 posters from at least 12 poles
have disappeared, the SDA said yesterday.
Its very disappointing to see such acts
of sabotage in an effort to undermine our
hard work. We urge residents to work with
us and report any suspicious characters to
the police, SDA chairman Desmond Lim
said in a press release.
The SDA said the posters will be
replaced, and while its volunteers are on
the ground, it urged residents to help
by being on the lookout, too. When
contacted, Mr Lim said the SDA will
decide whether or not to make a police
report.
The party is not dampened by the
foul play, however, and said it has made
significant progress in the contest for
Pasir-Ris Punggol Group Representation
Constituency (GRC).
Besides its home visits to collate
grievances and build rapport with
constituents, the SDA said its outreach
included accompanying senior citizens
from Pasir Ris West to their dental
appointments and giving out packets of
rice to needy residents.
The SDA has put up 2,500 posters in
the GRC where it won 35.2 per cent of the
votes in the 2011 General Election.
Besides the usual candidate portraits,
the poster designs include slogans such as
55, return CPF that touch on perceived
hot-button issues. Amanda Lee
in a rematch of the 2011 election battle, also asked why SG50 billboards
featuring the PAPs candidates are
not taken down during the hustings,
given that National Day was three
weeks ago and these billboards are
being paid for with taxpayers monies.
In response, the ELD said: The
SG50 billboards do not fall under election advertising. The rules governing
the display of election posters and banners under the Parliamentary Elections Act would, therefore, not apply.
SingFirsts second rally to turn spotlight on PAPs strategy, slogan

SINGAPORE The Singaporeans First
(SingFirst) party will turn the spotlight on the Peoples Action Partys
(PAP) plan of action and slogan at its
second rally tonight, party leader Tan
Jee Say said yesterday.
I will talk about the PAPs strategy, their slogan, what it means, and
whether there is any sincerity in it or
not, said Mr Tan.
At SingFirsts first rally on Thursday, Mr Tan defended his partys proposal to introduce monthly cash allowances for elderly citizens.
He also took issue with comments
from the PAPs Indranee Rajah about
the Government placing Singaporeans front and centre of its policies,
and criticised the Governments move
to reduce the target for productivity
growth to 2 per cent from 3 per cent
midway through its 10-year economic
restructuring plan.
Mr Tans latest comments came
ahead of a walkabout at Strathmore
From left: Mr Melvyn Chiu, Mr Fahmi Rais and Mr Chirag Desai of the SingFirst party.
Mr Fahmi has said the reception from residents has been encouraging. today file photo
Avenue under the Tanjong Pagar

(GRC) yesterday. SingFirst is making
a bid for the GRC, which has not been
contested in 24 years.
The Opposition partys five-man

team is up against the Peoples Action
Party team helmed by Mr Chan Chun
Sing, Minister in the Prime Ministers
Office and labour chief.
I will talk
about the
PAPs strategy,
their slogan,
what it means,
and whether
there is any
sincerity
in it or not.
Mr Tan Jee Say
Secretary-general
of Singaporeans
First party
As a new party that is making its

first impression with voters, SingFirst is working doubly hard to reach
out to voters in Tanjong Pagar, said
Mr Tans running mate Fahmi Rais.
The Opposition candidates aim to go
door to door, covering the entire GRC,
to reach out to residents.
Mr Fahmi indicated that the reception from residents has been encouraging. He said: Nobody (has) said we
are not welcome, everybody gives us
a smile. There may be one or two who
may be indifferent, but by and large,
they are excited (to be voting).
Mr Tan added: There was this old
lady who asked us, What do we do?
Where do we go (to vote)? It is a basic
right of a citizen. To be deprived of a
vote for 24 years is just not right for a
modern, democratic society.
SingFirst is fielding 10 candidates
this General Election. Its other fiveman team is contesting in Jurong
GRC. ALFRED CHUA
20
CPF issues dominate

Reform Party rally
The Central Provident
Fund (CPF) system was the dominant
theme at the Reform Partys (RP) first
rally yesterday, with six out of the partys 10 speakers expounding on how
the national savings scheme is inadequate for retirement.
Known for his critique of CPF issues, the RPs candidate for Ang Mo
Kio Group Representative Constituency Roy Ngerng devoted some 20
minutes on the podium to calling for
reforms to the scheme, as many elderly
Singaporeans still cannot save enough
to retire, said the 34-year-old blogger.
Singaporeans should be allowed to
withdraw their CPF savings at age 55
and with higher returns, said Ngerng,
who repeated previous speakers calls
for greater transparency on how CPF
monies are being used. Ngerng was
successfully sued by Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong for defamation for
a blog post in connection with how
funds in scheme are managed.
The RP has also pledged to give
elderly Singaporeans an additional
SINGAPORE
S$500 per month to ensure retirement adequacy, should the party be

elected into Parliament. The party is
contesting 11 out of a total of 89 seats.
Ngerng also reiterated the RPs vision to make public housing more affordable, so that Singaporeans will not
have to fork out too much from their
CPF savings to pay for housing loans.
If you believe in equality then
you have to create policies that are
equal, he said. I believe that we can
see a Singapore where everyone is
united regardless of who you support,
that we will help one another to move
along in society.
Ngerng also recounted his experience as a former healthcare worker
when he met low-income patients who
were unable to apply for Medifund due
to the cumbersome and time-consuming application process. Many
of them stopped treatment because
they needed to earn enough money,
he said. The Opposition must be voted
into Parliament to fight for (Singaporeans) and make policies that protect
them, he said.
Refuting Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tongs earlier comment
that the Peoples Action Party (PAP)
is its own check, Ngerng said: Who
does the PAP check? The PAP does
not check itself. It only knows how to
check Opposition If we wait for PAP
to do their own check, then sooner
or later, the PAP will checkmate on
Singaporeans.
Mr Ngerngs team-mates M Ravi,
46, and Osman Sulaiman, 40, also
spoke about what they felt was the
ruling partys fear-mongering tactic.
The PAP government rules by fear,
said Mr Ravi. They tell us our neigh-
From left: Reform

Party candidates
Mr Jesse Loo,
Roy Ngerng
and Mr Kenneth
Jeyaretnam at
the RPs rally at
Yio Chu Kang
Stadium last
night. Six of the
partys 10 speakers
touched on how
the CPF scheme is
inadequate
for retirement.
Photo: Robin Choo
bours are there to get us, they tell us

that globalisation will affect us and
the Opposition will ruin Singapore
and you must give (the PAP) all the
power, he said, calling for people to
fight for their democratic rights.
Ms Osman said the Government
propagates fear among the people by
drawing parallels between Singapore
and Greece. Let us make no mistake.
We are not Greece. Greece overspends
by the billions. Singapore underspends
on our social safety net as compared
to other developed nations.
The Reform Party will hold its second rally at Clementi Stadium today.
KELLY NG
RP chief slams Han Hui Hui for adopting creative approach to truth
SINGAPORE Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam yesterday repudiated independent candidate Han Hui
Huis reason for contesting in Radin
Mas Single Member Constituency, accusing her of adopting a creative approach to truth.
At her rally on Thursday, Ms Han
had said there was a risk the constituency would have seen a walkover because the RPs candidate Kumar Appavoo was lacking an assentor for his
nomination until the 11th hour.
Discrediting her yesterday, Mr Jeyaretnam in a press release described
Ms Hans account as a character as-
sassination on Mr Kumar, and gave

his version of what had happened on
Tuesday. Mr Kumars paperwork was
in order and he had arrived ahead of
nominations opening, he added.
There were two returning officers
seated at the counters. Ms Han went
to one and was observed by our candidate to be taking a very long time to
put in her paperwork. This may well
be because she was assisted by Socialist Front Chairman Mr Ng Teck
Siong, who notoriously failed to get his
nomination papers in on time for Tanjong Pagar in (the 2011 General Election), said Mr Jeyaretnam.
He was referring to how a team of

independents fronted by Mr Ng was
disqualified from standing in Tanjong Pagar GRC after submitting their
nomination papers late, making the
constituency the only walkover that
time. Mr Ng also took to the podium
during Ms Hans rally.
Ms Hans account, Mr Jeyaretnam
added, was wholly fabricated from
start to finish.
He said: Her reasons for failing to
find a place within an Opposition party, and therefore her reason for being
sent by Socialist Front into a threecornered fight, are just a smear. It is
Her reasons
for failing to
find a place
within an
opposition
party ... are
just a smear.
Mr Kenneth
Jeyaretnam
Reform party chief,
on ms han hui hui
ironic that this team is now fabricating a story in order to take credit for
preventing a hypothetical walkover in
Radin Mas.
While the RP had been very supportive of Ms Han and her rallies on
the Central Provident Fund system,
Mr Jeyaretnam said her creative approach to the truth was a reason RP
had decided not to field her.
Earlier this month, Ms Han was
seen taking part in the RPs walkabouts in the Teck Ghee ward under
Ang Mo Kio GRC, but did not say outright if she had intended to join the
party. KELLY NG
21
TAN WEIZHEN
weizhen@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE Unchecked population
growth is the mother of all problems in the Republic, and its impact
can be seen in the countrys job market, infrastructure and housing sector, charged Peoples Power Party
(PPP) secretary-general Goh Meng
Seng yesterday.
Speaking at his partys maiden rally held at Bukit Gombak Stadium last
night, Mr Goh stressed that the PPP
is not xenophobic or against foreigners, but that it opposes the Peoples
Action Party (PAP) governments
ruthless, irresponsible population
growth policy.
He added: In all aspects of our
lives, our jobs, our public spaces,
our MRT breakdowns are because
of overpopulation; our hospitals; our
housing problems.
The PPP team comprising market
research director Syafarin Sarif, as
well as newcomers Mr Lee Tze Shih,
a property consultant, and finance
manager Low Wai Choo is pitting itself against the PAP in Chua Chu Kang
Group RepresentationConstituency.
Mr Goh also said local professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) have been affected by
foreigners coming to Singapore.
They want Temasek Holdings and
GIC to invest in places like China and
India. They sign free-trade agreements with them. In return, we open
our doors wide ... There will always
be younger, cheaper foreign PMETs
who want to come to Singapore. Do
you want them to replace our own
PMETs? he asked.
Mr Goh also spoke out against what
he called efforts by the ruling party to
smear the Opposition, referring to
the PAPs attempts at raising town
Impact seen in job market, infrastructure, housing sector
Unchecked population
growth the mother
of all problems: PPP
Mr Goh Meng Seng thanking a supporter after the rally at Bukit Gombak Stadium yesterday. He said the PPP
is not against foreigners, but that it opposes the PAP governments population growth policy. Photo: Ernest Chua
council management issues during its campaign. Various ministers

have spoken out about poor financial
management by the Workers Partyrun Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East
Town Council, attacking the opposition party for continuing to mislead

and run away from answering important questions.
The PAP will say we cannot run a
There will always

be younger, cheaper
foreign PMETs who
want to come to Singapore.
Do you want them to
replace our own PMETs?
Mr Goh Meng Seng
Secretary-general of the PPP,

to the crowd at yesterdays rally
town council. Ask the PAP, is it sure

that all the Members of Parliament
under its slate can run a town council? I dont think all of them can. They
employ people to do it. So whats the
big deal? he asked.
Continuing on his rhetoric against
the impact of foreigners entering the
country, Mr Lee spoke about the competition faced in the workplace by local
students who cannot gain entry into
Singapores universities or afford to
further their studies abroad.
The PAP has told us that they allow only 20 to 25 per cent of university places for you and your children ...
Those without the means to study overseas have to fight with foreigners who
graduate from second-tier, third-tier
universities, or even people with fake
degrees or degrees from degree mills.
They are making our people disadvantaged, he said.
Noting that property prices have
risen faster than incomes, he called for
a shift away from treating housing as
asset enhancement tools. Residential
property should be viewed as places
to live in, and not used for speculative
investment, hesaid.
Mr Lee also called for the scrapping of some housing rules, such as restrictions on selling within five years.
In her speech, Ms Low said she
would fight for subsidies for single
parents, as she is one herself. She also noted that the current lack of subsidies for tertiary education.
SDAs list of grievances: CPF, population, educational system

SINGAPORE In its first rally at these
hustings, the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) rolled out a list of
grievances it has against the ruling partys policies, with the Central
Provident Fund (CPF), the Population
White Paper and the educational system featuring prominently.
Candidate Harminder Pal Singh
said the SDAs stand on the CPF was
very simple: Singaporeans were
promised their hard-earned money
at the age of 55, but now have to wait
increasingly longer.
Saying that Singaporeans have
told him that they may never be able
to stop working because the Minimum Sum keeps increasing, he proposed that they be given the option
to get their money back from the age
of 55.
Mr Sunny Wong, another member
on the SDAs slate for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, questioned whether the Government thought Singaporeans cannot handle their finances at that age.
Are we idiots? Are we stupid? No,
were not, he said.
In his brief address to supporters
(From left) The SDAs Mr Ismail Yaacob, Mr Ong Teik Seng, Mr Abu Mohamed, Mr Arthero Lim, Mr
Harminder Pal Singh, Mr Desmond Lim and Mr Sunny Wong at yesterdays rally at Pasir Ris Park. Photo: Daryl Kang
last night, SDA chairman Desmond

Lim took up the cudgels against immigration, citing how crowded the
trains have become over the years and
offering a bleak vision of the rights of
local-born citizens should the population reach 6.9 million.
Adding to the issue, Mr Wong said
the party was not against foreign talent, but was concerned about competition for jobs: Were against those here
who take the jobs away from us when
our locals actually have the capabilities (needed).
The SDA also wants to see changes
in the educational system, with its call
to do away with streaming one of the

few policy alternatives emerging from
its rally at Pasir Ris Park, which was
delayed for almost 45 minutes because
of lighting issues.
We need to abolish (these) systems
of testing that are making our population divided, said Mr Singh, who added that those who do well academically have a ... sense that theyre better,
and on the other side, those who dont
do well are losing theirself-esteem.
The SDA yesterday also criticised
Social and Family Development Minister Tan Chuan-Jin for his Facebook
comments in July about old folks who
collect cardboard for a living and how
some may treat it as a form of exercise, according to a student project.
Relating his observations overseas,
SDA candidate Arthero Lim said: I
hardly see the situation (in China as)
I have seen in Singapore old folks
with sicknesses (who) cannot afford
medication and have to clean tables,
work as cleaners, push cardboard.
The SDA is expected to host another two rallies during this campaign
period. Amanda Lee
22
voices
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Cheos remarks on new mothers

discriminatory, disempower women
From Vanessa Tan Yu Bee
As a new mother who plays multiple

roles as a social entrepreneur, professional speaker, author and full-time
masters student, I read with disappointment the report Tin Pei Lings
new status as a mum is a weakness:
Cheo (Sept 4).
Women have fought hard to be on
an equal footing, and for their contributions to the workforce and family to
be recognised, with their male counterparts.
However, MacPherson candidate
Cheo Chai Chens words indicate that
equal status between men and women
in Singapore, a globalised city, is still
a mirage.
His words sounded discriminatory and seemed to imply that mothers, new or otherwise, cannot focus on
both career and motherhood. I beg to
differ.
With help from my supportive husband, family and friends, I returned to
MacPherson opposition candidate Cheo Chai Chen (left)

seemed to imply that mothers cannot focus on both career
and motherhood. TODAY FILE PHOTO
work, speaking before a 400-strong audience at a womens conference, the moment my baby turned two months old.
I am grateful that my talk was well
CPF scheme offers security,

unworthy of Oppositions enmity
From Teh Oh Kian
Corrections
In WP still trying to mislead and run
away from answering questions: PAP
(Sept 4), we reported National
Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan
saying that the Aljunied-HougangPunggol East Town Council has been
trying to claw back S$45,000 from
FMSS (its formerr managing agent).
This figure is incorrect. It should be
S$450,000.
In Oppositions call to freeze foreign
manpower not realistic: Swee Say
(Sept4), we reported Manpower
Minister Lim Swee Say saying that the
number of foreign PMEs (professionals,
managers, executives) on Employment
Passes and S-Passes dropped from
45,000 a year to 30,000 last year. The
latter figure is incorrect. It should be
13,000. And the Manpower Ministry has
clarified that Mr Lim meant that the
numbers refer to the annual growth.
We apologise for the errors.
Political parties should not harp on

the Central Provident Fund (CPF) issue, as no other investment is safer
than the CPF.
Nonetheless, a coin has two sides:
There are bound to be stakeholders
who support the system and some
CPF contributors who are against it,
because they wish to have full control
of their money.
Thoughtful CPF contributors
would look to the unexpected rainy
days as we age.
If we have more than the Basic Retirement Sum and have monthly withdrawals to cater for our simple daily
expenses, we can stand upright and
live honourably.
If we do not have any secured CPF
sum, the burden on either our family members or the country would
begreat.
The probability of our living long
after the retirement age is high, since
Singapore has been able to offer one of
the best medical facilities and services
in the world.
If we do not have any CPF savings,
I would not be surprised if our grandchildren may have to support three
If we do not
have any
CPF savings,
I would not
be surprised
if our
grandchildren
may have to
support three
generations:
Their children,
our children,
who will
be old by
then, and us.
Eventually,
the family
may become
divided.
generations: Their children, our children, who will be old by then, and us.
Eventually, the family may become
divided.
Some would inevitably be neglected and become a liability to the community in particular and the nation
ingeneral.
I would not be surprised if a big
percentage of retirees use up all their
withdrawn CPF savings within a few
years should they not know how to
manage their money wisely.
It is not uncommon to hear of retirees who had been wowed into highrisk investments by financial planners
and lost all their savings.
How is this not a lesson to others,
especially the spenders?
Rather than spend more than S$5
for a cup of coffee, we seniors enjoy a
cup of nice Hainanese coffee for just
S$1.
It may be harsh to say that spenders are not worth helping if they face
poverty in old age because of their extravagance previously, but let us be
fair to taxpayers.
Finally, with the amendments to
enhance the different CPF structures, these issues should not surface
again.
received, and nearly 100 copies of my

books were sold, with extra funds
raised for a non-profit. It was not easy,
especially without domestic help, but
it was fulfilling.
Such comments about working
mothers are disempowering to women, undermining the important role
of fathers in raising children, and disempowering to the ideals that Singapore is trying to champion: A country
where children are well cared for and
families are supported.
At a familial level, raising a child
requires teamwork the collaborative efforts of the father, mother and
other relatives who function as carers. At a national level, it is a collaborative effort between the state and
thefamily.
That is where Mr Cheo comes in, if
elected. And regardless of the election
outcome, it is imperative that his heart
is in serving the residents he represents and in giving a voice to those
who have none.
Opposition must
say how it will
support seniors
who lose savings
From Haj Mohamed
Decades ago, many Singaporeans who were ill-informed about

the Central Provident Fund (CPF)
were sceptical about the scheme.
Thus, some of them colluded
with their bosses to contribute less
to their CPF in the belief that their
take-home pay would be higher.
Ironically, I have met a few of
them who wished they could have
contributed more to their CPF in
their working life, seeing the huge
lump sum they received when
theyretired.
Regrettably for some, their financial independence was shortlived when they lost their lump
sum in business ventures, helping relatives or spending on entertainment. The reality is: A few of
us may be money savvy, many of
us are not.
Political parties who suggest,
say, returning CPF savings earlier should also suggest how they
would support those seniors who
lose those savings in one way or another in a short span of time.
23
24
singapore
first initiative under Action Plan For Successful Ageing
S$40 million targeted

to aid growth of senior
volunteerism movement
SINGAPORE A Silver Volunteer Fund
will be established to champion a
national senior volunteerism movement, with the Tote Board pledging
S$10million for the next five years.
The fund will support the training
of seniors as volunteers and build capabilities in various community organisations to recruit, develop and
support seniors as volunteers.
The S$10 million has been matched
by the Government, and the Presidents Challenge will throw its weight
behind the movement to raise another
S$10 million in donations. This will also be matched dollar-for-dollar by the
Government, which would bring the
fund to a targeted size of S$40 million.
The Presidents Challenges support was announced by President
Tony Tan at the opening ceremony of
the National Senior Volunteer Month
2015 yesterday.
This is the first initiative under
the Action Plan For Successful Ageing unveiled by Minister Gan Kim
Yong, Minister-in-Charge of Ageing
and chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Ageing last month.
The fund will also support programmes that offer volunteer opportunities to seniors, volunteer training,
establishment of volunteer manage-
Through
senior
volunteerism,
we can
harness the
immense
creativity,
energy and
talents in
our older
Singaporeans.
President Tony Tan
at the opening
ceremony of
the National
Senior Volunteer
Month 2015
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Part-time or
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ment systems, as well as provide recognition for volunteers.

It can also serve as a platform for
organisations to offer seniors volunteer opportunities in areas such as
aged care, health and wellness, arts
and heritage, horticulture, learning
and community development.
To encourage more seniors to
come forward as volunteers, the National Volunteer and Philanthropy
Centre will introduce a new senior
volunteerism category in the annual
Presidents Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards for deserving senior
volunteers.
In his speech at the ceremony yesterday, Dr Tan said: Many in our pioneer generation will continue to play
an important part in nation building.
Though Singapore is faced with a rapidly ageing population, our seniors in
the next one to two decades will be
healthier, more active and more talented. We are already seeing the
emergence of a generation of modern active agers in Singapore older
Singaporeans who are more educated, more confident and with so much
more to offer.
He added: Through senior volunteerism, we can harness the immense
creativity, energy and talents in our
Senior volunteers from RSVP Singapore performing at the opening ceremony

of the National Senior Volunteer Month. They joined members of the Urban
Street Team for a freestyle football performance. Photo: President Tony Tan / Facebook
older Singaporeans. Through senior

volunteerism, older Singaporeans can
be a positive new social force in our nation building beyond SG50, helping to
drive our nation forward in the years
to come.
In a media release, Ms Anthea Ong,
the president for Womens Initiative
for Ageing Successfully (WINGS), a
volunteer host organisation that helps
women to embrace ageing with confidence, said: We want to do more
to engage our community of more
than 6,000 WINGS women to volunteer for WINGS and our mission
partners. With the Silver Volunteer
Fund, we can now build more capacity and opportunities in meaningful
volunteerism.
Mr Edmund Song, executive director of Retired and Senior Volunteer
Programme (RSVP) Singapore, who
organised the National Senior Volunteer Month this year, said: The setting
up of this fund will give a much needed

boost to the growth of senior volunteerism in Singapore. It is a strong signal by
the Government to encourage our seniors to keep active and healthy through
meaningful volunteer activities, which
will also at the same time create a giving and caring Singapore society.
The Presidents Challenge Silver
Volunteer Fund will be administered
by the Council for Third Age. More details on the fund application process
and eligibility criteria for volunteer
host organisations will be released
next year.
The national senior volunteerism
movement was one of the initiatives
included in the whole-of-nation Action
Plan. The aim of starting the movement is to encourage seniors to age actively through volunteerism, and the
target is to reach out to an additional
50,000 seniors to participate in volunteer activities by 2030.
Senior volunteer finds joy in making others happy

SINGAPORE Thrice a week, 66-yearold Lily Kow can be found either teaching Sudoku or conducting information
technology classes for senior citizens,
or training caregivers on various
chair exercises for wheelchair-bound
elderly folk.
Such volunteer activities are part
of her weekly routine since the mother
of two retired at the age of 55.
Ms Kow, and another active volunteer, Ms Noorjahan Kamaruddin ,
55, were cited by President Tony Tan
Keng Yam during the opening ceremony of this years National Senior
Volunteer Month held at the HDB Hub
in Toa Payoh yesterday.
Ms Kow started volunteering as
a young adult, helping out at the Singapore Association for the Visually
Handicapped (SAVH).
While she stopped volunteering af-
ter she started working and got married, her passion for helping others remained strong.
I found joy in sharing my knowledge and bringing happiness to the
less fortunate, she said.
Following her retirement, Ms Kow
started to be active in volunteer work
again. For the past 10 years, she has
been involved in several voluntary
welfare organisations (VWOs) including the SAVH; Womens Initiative for
Ageing Successfully (WINGS); Tsao
Foundation; and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme.
For Ms Kow, her biggest challenge
as a volunteer is not about learning
new skills and conducting training,
but managing her time to help the
various VWOs. Sometimes, programmes from the VWOs may coincide, but I need to choose various pro-
grammes (to volunteer) and manage

my schedule, she said.
One of her many memorable moments during the past decade as a
volunteer is while teaching a Sudoku
class at WINGS.
Ms Kow recalled having a participant who did not know anything
about the puzzle game, but ended up
being addicted to Sudoku by the time
the class ended. Seeing them happy,
makes me even (happier), she said.
Throughout her years of volunteering, Ms Kow said she had met
senior citizens who were not keen on
volunteering because of family commitments or disapproval from their
spouses. Ms Kow said: I will always
ask them to search themselves and
(discover) what they enjoy doing, then
find the happiness to do it (voluntarily). MARISSA YEO
25
singapore
Ang Mo Kio case is third murder reported this week

SINGAPORE A 39-year-old man has
been arrested following a murder that
took place in Ang Mo Kio yesterday,
and will be charged in court today.
According to the police, a call requesting for assistance along Ang
Mo Kio Avenue 8 was made at about
8am. Upon the arrival of the officers, a
50 trees planted to
offset carbon footprint
of Green Building Week
SINGAPORE The Building and Con
struction Authority (BCA) added
50trees to Bedok Town Park yesterday to offset the carbon footprint
of events held during the Singapore
Green Building Week.
The carbon-friendly planting came
amid the week-long green building
event, which is now into its seventh
run and set to end on Sunday. The
Building Week plays host to more than
30,000 participants from more than
55 countries, attending 24 events.
Over at Bedok, 90 tree planters
marked the SG50 festivities and commemorated a decade of green buildings in Singapore.
The tree-planting event was jointly
organised by the BCA, the Singapore
Green Building Council, Reed Exhibitions and Marina Bay Sands.
It was also part of the National
Parks Boards Clean and Green SG50
Mass Tree Planting initiative, which
aims to plant 5,000 trees from endSeptember to October this year.
TODAY Shop to Win grand draw

Mr Tan Cheng Hwee has won the S$30,000 grand prize in the
TODAY Shop to Win draw.
Having seen the advertisements in TODAY, he decided to
try his luck, and has been taking part in the draw since last year.
Mr Tan, who spent S$34.40 on groceries at FairPrice Xtra
in nex, said: I didnt think that I would win as the chances were
very slim. Im elated. This is the first time Ive won such a big
prize. I want to thank the organisers.
Thirteen weekly winners and one grand prize winner were
drawn during the Shop to Win campaign, which ran from May
25 to Aug 30. Those who spent at least S$30 in two receipts
at participating outlets or brands stood to win S$10,000 in the
weekly draw and S$30,000 in the grand draw.
PHOTO: KOH MUI FONG
48-year-old man was found lying motionless at the location.

The police added that the victim was
taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where
he was pronounced dead about an hour
later. The suspect will be charged
with murder, which carries the death
penalty.
The Ang Mo Kio case is the third

murder to be reported this week.
On Tuesday, Vivien Teoh Yi Wen,
26, was charged with the murder of
her husband in their home in Bukit
Panjang. Gordon Yeo Han Tong, 33,
sustained slash and stab wounds and
was pronounced dead at the scene by
paramedics at around 1.19am on Monday morning.

On Thursday morning, the body of a
23-year-old woman was found in a multi-storey car park in Toa Payoh.
The suspect in the case, a 24-yearold man, will also be charged in court
with murder today.
26
world
Natural gas deals between

two countries run into pricing,
funding and other problems
BEIJING They have met more than
a dozen times and stood shoulder to
shoulder during the military parade
here. But the once-vaunted relationship between the Chinese president,
MrXi Jinping, and Russias leader,
MrVladimir Putin, has come under
strain as the economies of their countries have faltered.
Two landmark energy deals signed
last year for Russian natural gas to
flow to China have made little progress
and were barely mentioned when the
two men met for talks after watching the show of weapons on Thursday
on Tiananmen Square. The bilateral
trade that was predicted to amount to
more than US$100 billion (S$142billion) this year instead reached only
about US$30 billion in the first six
months, largely because of a reduced
Chinese demand for Russian oil.
Mr Putin has enjoyed basking in
the stature of Mr Xi, who leads one
of the worlds largest economies. But
with the recent stock market turmoil
in China and the slowest economic
growth in a quarter-century, Beijing
will be unable to provide the ballast
Putin has sought against economic
sanctions imposed on Russia by Europe and the United States after its
annexation of Crimea, not to mention
plummeting oil prices worldwide.
Russia was dependent on China
growing and driving the demand for
its commodities: Oil, gas and minerals, said Ms Fiona Hill, a Russia specialist at the Brookings Institution in
Washington. China was an alternative to Europe.
The linchpin of the relationship between Mr Xi and Mr Putin was a May
2014 accord on a 30-year deal for China
to buy natural gas from fields in Eastern Siberia, for a reported US$400billion with first delivery between 2019
and 2021. During the signing in Shanghai, Mr Putin bragged that the deal
was an epochal event, and expressed
relief that Russia, under pressure from
European sanctions, would be able to
diversify its gas sales.
But the price was never formally
announced, and it is possible that with
plunging energy prices, the deal will
have to be renegotiated, said MrJonathan Stern, chairman of the natural gas research programme at the
Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
in Britain. The Chinese wanted the
gas for its depressed north-east region, and the Russians had started to
prepare for its delivery, but there has
been only limited drilling, he said.
Another deal, for natural gas from
Western Siberia, was initialled by the
two leaders in November in Beijing, but
financing Issues Jeopardise Completion of Beijing-Moscow fast rail link by 2018 World cup
Faltering Russia, China economies

strain friendship between Putin, Xi
a formal contract that was expected to

be signed in Beijing during MrPutins
current visit appears to have fallen by
the wayside, Mr Stern said.
This is the contract which Putin
could have signed this week, but we understand will not, partly because Chinese gas demand now looks much lower than previously thought, he said.
Further complicating that deal is
Russias inability to pay for the pipelines, and the question of whether
China needs the Russian gas badly
enough to finance their construction,
said Mr Edward Chow, senior fellow
at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
China will have to pay for the construction, one way or another, given
Russias financial crunch, he said.
A Chinese expert on Russia, who is
usually sanguine about the relationship with Moscow, said the deal had
also run into pricing problems.
The negotiations face many difficulties due to the plunge in the price of
gas, said Mr Zhao Huasheng, director
of the Center for Russia and Central
Asia Studies at Shanghais Fudan University. We have to recalculate all the
costs and try to push for a price cut.
In Moscow, similarly, optimism
about China substantially helping
Russia out of its economic problems
has faded. The big hope that China
is going to provide a lifeline to sustain
Russia through the sanctions and the

falling oil price is not working, said
MrAlexander Gabuev, an analyst of
Russian-Chinese relations at the Carnegie Moscow Center.
It is a symbolic relationship with a
small, volatile economic base, he said.
The Kremlin elite was disappointed that nothing has materialised as
quickly as the Russians hoped.
Russian demand for Chinese manufactured goods is down 40 per cent,
from this time last year, Mr Gabuev
said. The volatile ruble has made Chinese investors wary, and attempts to
get the countries banking sectors to
work together have not borne much
fruit, he added.
Because the goal of US$100 billion
in trade with China looks impossible
to reach this year, the US$200billion
the countries had projected by 2020
might also prove overly optimistic,
Russian officials say.
The big energy deals are not the only victim of the economic slowdowns.
A fast rail link that China had said
it would build to Beijing from Moscow is in doubt because China, which
is an expert at such construction, is
demanding that Russia pay for it. The
nearly 800km first leg, between Moscow and Kazan, was scheduled to open
before the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
But work has yet to start, and it is unlikely to, Ms Hill said.
Russian President
Vladimir Putin
(centre) and
Chinese President
Xi Jinping (right)
at a parade
commemorating
the 70th
anniversary
of Japans
surrender during
World WarII,
at Tiananmen
Square in Beijing
on Thursday. The
friendship between
the two men has
been striking
and captured the
attention of both
countries, because
each man likes to
project an image
of power and even
daring. Photo: AP
The Russians wont have the money to pay for it, and the Chinese are not
going to do it for free, she said.
The friendship between Mr Putin
and Mr Xi has been striking and captured the attention of both countries,
because each man likes to project an
image of power and even daring. At
global gatherings, they almost strut
on the stage together. At a meeting of
Asian leaders in Bali in 2013, Mr Xi
presented Mr Putin with a birthday
cake. In Beijing in November, Mr Putin demonstrated for Mr Xi the finer
points of a Russian mobile phone.
Their apparent mutual admiration
has been all the more noticeable because of the long and rocky relationship during the Cold War between
communist China and the Soviet Union, when the countries were ostensibly on the same side but nearly came
to a nuclear showdown in 1969 over a
border war. The tenure of MrMikhail
Gorbachev at the helm of the Soviet
Union sent shudders through the Chinese Communist Party, and still does.
There has never been a close relationship until recently, Ms Hill said.
The success of China has bred the
interest of Russia. Even though Chinese growth was slowing, China still
seemed brighter to the Russians relative to the downswings in Europe and
Ukraine and to their own economic
problems, she said. THE NEW YORK TIMES
27
world
Migrant chaos mounts

while divided Europe
stumbles for response
LONDON The struggle among European leaders to develop a coherent
response to the spiralling migrant
crisis has intensified as fresh calls for
a bloc-wide plan were met with recriminations about the continent being swamped with Muslims.
Even as wrenching photographs
of a drowned three-year-old Syrian
boy riveted world attention and galvanized public demands for action, the
leaders first fumbling efforts seemed
only to highlight Europes divisions,
as they bickered over who should take
responsibility for the migrants rather
than unifying around a new policy.
The chaos was searingly illustrated by a daylong standoff in Budapest
and its outskirts, where hundreds of
migrants crammed into trains they
thought were bound for Austria and
Germany, only to be herded into camps.
The hundreds of thousands of
migrants pouring into Europe this
summer have posed a third great
challenge to the continent in the last
decade. Yet, neither of the first two,
the euro crisis and the war in Ukraine,
posed the same degree of divisiveness
between left and right, rich and

poor, east and west. And both, for all
the anger and debate they sparked,
seemed ultimately manageable.
The migrant crisis seems different. With war, instability and poverty
spreading through Africa and the Middle East, a prosperous and peaceful
Europe is proving a powerful attraction to potentially millions of people
who have wearied of the constant turmoil and day-to-day struggles. There
is little sign the flow will soon subside.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban of
Hungary, where thousands of desperate migrants remain stranded, delivered a series of incendiary comments
on Thursday, saying that Europes
Christian roots were being threatened and insisting the problem is a
German problem, not Europes.
Nobody would like to stay in Hungary, he told reporters in Brussels. All
of them would like to go to Germany.
German chancellor Angela Merkel,
rejected Mr Orbans assertions, saying
Germany was doing only what is morally and legally required of every European Union country in accepting its
A migrant holding a sign yesterday in

Hungary, which lacks preparedness in
coping with the migrant influx. Photo: Reuters
fair share of the migrants. She urged

others to do their part, with quotas
and rules that are fair and take into account what is possible in each country.
French President Francois Hollande said he had reached agreement
with Ms Merkel on a permanent and
obligatory mechanism to allocate migrants across the bloc, saying: I believe that today what exists is no longer enough. We will need to go further.
But there is no consensus. Mr Orban
rejected the idea of mandatory quotas,
as did the Polish and Slovak governments, which said they would accept
only Christians, and in small numbers.
British Prime Minister David Cam-
The president of
the European
Commission (EC),
Mr Jean-Claude
Juncker, whose
proposal for
mandatory quotas
for migrants was
rejected in June, is
considering
allowing some
countries to provide
money instead of
taking migrants.
The EC is preparing
proposals for
setting up reception
and screening
centres in Italy and
Greece and is
making another
effort at pushing
member states to
share the burden.
But in a fashion
typical of the bloc,
the process is
cumbersome and
slow. Only after a
preparatory
meeting of interior
and justice ministers
on Sept 14 will a
summit meeting of
European leaders
be considered.
eron at first rejected the idea of mandatory quotas, but yesterday announced
that the UK will provide resettlement
to thousands more refugees in light
of the worsening humanitarian crisis.
Mr Cameron said on Thursday that
as a father I felt deeply moved by the
boys death and that Britain would fulfil its moral responsibilities.
Hungary has emerged as a potent
symbol of Europes struggle to come
to terms with the migration crisis, as
well as its lack of preparedness to cope
with an influx of migrants from Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere.
The migrants have no desire to
stay in the country, where Mr Orbans
centre-right government has made it
abundantly clear they are unwelcome,
and would prefer to travel to Germany.
Under EU rules, however, migrants
are supposed to file for asylum in the
country where they enter, before moving on to their final destination. In
practice, the migrants are often given no final destinations and become
the responsibility of the country that
registered them.
After first encouraging migrants to
pass through the country, he changed
course on Thursday, following the letter of the law while complaining that
the system was broken.
We Hungarians are full of fear,
he added. People in Europe are full
of fear, because we see that European
leaders, among them the prime ministers, are not capable of controlling the
situation. THE NEW YORK TIMES
28
business
retail revamp caters to busy lifestyles
Introducing the
next meal-time
hotspot: 7-Eleven
The convenience store
giant is restructuring
its business, with a keen
focus on its ready-to-eat aisle
Rumi Hardasmalani
rumih@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE Succulent chicken braised
in soya sauce, well-blended sour-andspicy chilli sauce, fragrant rice cooked

in chicken stock, ginger and pandan
leaves, with just the right amount of
oil. The quintessentially Singaporean
dish, chicken rice, now finds itself at
the core of 7-Elevens strategic game
plan as the convenience store giant
strives to remodel its business, with
a keen focus on its ready-to-eat aisle.
We quietly tested it in two stores
last month, and it has sold four times
more than our bestseller, Mr David
Goh, chief executive officer of 7-Eleven, told TODAY. It is the first product
launch under our change in direction
business plan. Our renewed focus on

ready-to-eat meals is the key pillar of
our new business strategy.
This focus on ready-to-eat meals
takes a strong leaf out of the stores
counterpart in Japan, where 7-Eleven is one of the top three players in
the ready meals market. In addition
to stocking a 24/7 selection of bento
boxes, onigiri, sushi, ramen sandwiches and other prepared meals, Japans
7-Eleven even offers a meal delivery
service via its website, 7meal.
Given the trend towards busier lifestyles in Singapore, strong consumer appreciation of the convenience of
ready meals will ensure that retail
volume sales growth remains robust
here, Euromonitor noted in a report
in April.
Earlier, we used to go with our
meal producers ideas on new launches, but this time we looked at what
locals are eating every single day.
We went around looking for the best
chicken rice in Singapore, tasted lots
of it with experts ... (and) created a
(Top) The new

Heat and Eat
section at 7-Eleven
at Shell Paya Lebar
with its expanded
culinary selection,
which is key to
the convenience
stores business
plan, says 7-Eleven
CEO David
Goh (above).
Photos: Jason Ho
better-quality version of it than what

is available at coffee shops and hawker
centres, added Mr Goh. By the end
of September, the ubiquitous dish of
local hawker centres, restaurants and
even some high-end hotel cafes will be
rolled out in 100 7-Eleven stores, and
in all stores come November.
The bid to become Singapores
next meal-time hotspot comes amid
challenging times for 7-Eleven, which
faced with a tight labour market,
high rentals and more stringent liquor regulations has shuttered about
60stores in the last two years.
7-Eleven, which is the largest player in the convenience store space with
a market share of about 60 per cent,
currently operates about 500 stores,
down from its peak of 600 stores five
years ago.
In the last few years, we have
closed more stores than we (have)
opened, said Mr Goh. This has now
stabilised. Having consolidated and
redeployed resources, we may be

opening as many, if not more, stores
than we closed over the next couple
of years.
7-Eleven was hit hard when the
new liquor laws restricting the retail
sale and public consumption of alcohol
were introduced in April.
Overnight, we saw a 30 per cent
decline in alcohol sales, said MrGoh.
Some of our franchises handed
stores back to us as they could not
sustain (them). Alcohol accounts for
about 10per cent of 7-Elevens sales,
he added.
To expand its offering, 7-Eleven is
aggressively restructuring its operations to reinvigorate its entire business model, as it seeks to move beyond
merely being a convenience store.
In a sharp departure from its
earlier portfolio, which largely comprised confectioner y products,
drinks, snacks, magazines and liquor, 7-Eleven is now making space
for more household items, too. These
include dry groceries such as cooking e ssentials, canned food, laundry b
asics, stationery, personal care
items, and healthcare products.
The company has been rolling out
this product portfolio revamp at about
50 neighbourhood stores since July,
and is presently reviewing the product
strategy for its stores in commercial
and tourist hubs.
We have an ageing population.
Our family household size has become
smaller, we do less cooking at home,
and people are more pressed for time.
We are aligning ourselves with these
trends. It is an opportunity for us to
create a store that provides for everyday needs, said Mr Goh. Space is (at
a) premium, hence there is a greater
need to rationalise and free up space
for the top 20 per cent of items that
contribute 80 per cent of (our) sales.
At the same time, the company is
implementing other changes such as
store expansion, layout r edesign, sales
process redesign, and automation.
Our system changes and automation plans, aimed at reducing lost sales
opportunities due to a lean workforce,
will be implemented in the third and
fourth quarter of this year. Through
process redesign, we are trying to
simplify work for our salespeople, otherwise it will be difficult for us to retain and recruit (salespeople), noted
Mr Goh. Almost all of 7-Elevens stores
are staffed by one person.
Furthermore, in a move to beef
up its services portfolio, which largely i ncludes bill payments and phone
card top-ups, 7-Eleven is in talks with
domestic as well as private banks to
enhance its cash withdrawal services. At present, it has tie-ups with DBS
and POSB for consumers to make
cash withdrawals from their bank accounts at 7-Eleven stores islandwide.
29
sports
world cup holders and favourites have vulnerabilities
All Blacks not invincible,

says England rugby legend
Martin Johnson
says battle for the
Webb Ellis Cup
will be fascinating
Noah Tan
noahtanyw@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE World No 1 New Zealand
may be favourites to win the Rugby

World Cup again this year after their
2011 triumph at Aucklands Eden
Park, but the Sep 19 to Nov 1 tournament could throw up a few surprises
for the fans.
Former England captain Martin
Johnson believes the All Blacks, captained by star flanker Richie McCaw,
are far from invincible, with Australia, France, South Africa and England
expected to post strong challenges
to the defending champions bid to
win the coveted Webb Ellis Cup for
the third time.
Johnson, Australian try-scoring
ace Joe Roff and former Welsh stalwart Tom Shanklin were in town
yesterday for An evening in the locker room hosted by MasterCard at
the St Regis Hotel.
New Zealand are the favourites for the tournament, but theyre
definitely beatable, said Johnson,
who captained England to their sole
World Cup triumph, in Australia in
2003. Theyre used to dominating
and winning games, but their recent
loss (27-19) to Australia at the Rugby Championship last month showed

that they have vulnerabilities, and it
gives other teams hope of beating the
mighty All-Blacks as well.
A lot of teams will be eyeing the
World Cup and thinking that this year
could be their year. Australia have
done well and shot up the rankings
so theyre one to look out for, while
the likes of France and South Africa
will also fancy their chances, and even
England as well. Its really unpredictable and we could see a few shock results during the tournament.
Roff, a World Cup winner in 1999,
also echoed the sentiment as he added yesterday: There arent many
chinks in their (All Blacks) armour,
Relentless Robshaw the

right choice for England
LONDON Chris Robshaw is not many
peoples idea of a star man, least of
all the England captain himself, yet
game after game and year after
year, when the analysis is done, it is
the flanker whose numbers routinely
come out on top.
From the day he was appointed as
coach Stuart Lancasters first captain four years ago reputedly only
because Tom Wood was i njured
Robshaw has been relentlessly written off as a natural openside, not
to be mentioned in the same breath
as the likes of Richie McCaw, David
Pocock and Sam Warburton.
Coach Warren Gatland did not
even think him worth a place in his
2013 British and Irish Lions squad.

Even if Robshaw were to lead England to World Cup glory this year,
there would undoubtedly be critics complaining that somebody else
would have hoisted the trophy with
more panache.
Robshaw, always calm, always
polite, has never shown the slightest public annoyance at the relentless questioning of his pedigree,
responding instead by going out and
doing his job to the best of his ability.
Like fellow flanker Richard Hill,
one of the unsung heroes of Englands 2003 World Cup-winning
team, much of Robshaws work is the
unglamorous grunt of ruck, smother,
they are a very good side and they

deserve to be the benchmark. They
showed what they can do against
Australia (in the Bledisloe Cup) and
in a 10-minute period put away a
match with such clinical precision
and thats what they call the psychology of the All Blacks aura.
They will cruise through the
pool matches then hit the finals when
teams will lift themselves because
theyre playing the All Blacks. I dont
see them as an unbeatable team, and
its the most even World Cup weve
ever seen.
World Cup hosts England endured
a disappointing campaign in 2011,
when they crashed out to France in the
quarterfinals, and the world No 6 team
spoil, and his personal tally of more
than 500 tackles in four years under
Lancaster is more than double that of
any other player in the squad.
It is true that he is not a natural
ball-snaffler at the breakdown, but
he almost never gives away penalties
in such situations, something few of
his more high-profile rivals could
ever claim, and that makes him so
highly prized by coaches.
Martin Johnson, the only player from outside the southern hemisphere to lift the Webb Ellis Cup,
was never a man for Churchillian
speeches and says he appreciates
the way that Robshaw leads primarily through performance.
He came into the job very young,
he had some tough decisions early on
and got some criticism for it, but hes
come out and done very well, said
(From left) Joe

Roff; Deborah
Goldingham,
MasterCard head
of marketing for
South-east Asia;
Martin Johnson
and Tom Shanklin
in Singapore
yesterday in
conjunction with
MasterCards
An Evening
In The Locker
Room event.
Photo: MasterCard
In the big
games under
pressure, one
glaring error
can make the
difference,
so that
consistency
in a
pressurised
environment
is what every
coach wants.
Martin Johnson
former england
captain and
team manager
will face another stern challenge this

year after being drawn in the Pool of
Death alongside world No 2 Australia, Wales (5), Fiji (9) and Uruguay (19).
With only the top two teams in
each of the four pools advancing to the
next stage, Johnson admits his countrymen, who are coached by Stuart
Lancaster, will have to be at their very
best right from the get-go in order to
have any hope of progressing far.
Its going to be a tough time for
England because both Wales and
Australia are very strong teams who
have the ability to win the tournament, said the 45-year-old, regarded as one of the best locks to have
played the game. So England will
have to perform in every match, although homeground support could
be the deciding advantage for them.
They have competent players,
with good experience in certain areas, as well as strength in depth. They
can go a long way this year, but will
have to be at the top of their game in
order to succeed.
Among Englands 31-man squad
for the World Cup are captain Chris
Robshaw and flanker James Haskell,
but it is the controversial inclusion
of centre Sam Burgess that has set
tongues wagging.
Burgess was called-up to Lancasters squad despite having only
played one international match since
making the cross-code switch from
rugby league 10 months ago.
But Johnson, who was manager of
Englands national side from 2008 to
2011, threw his support behind Burgess selection. They must have
been really confident in Burgess
abilities since they decided to choose
him, he said. Admittedly, its a gamble, but it could pay off. Maybe they
will start him off on the bench but it
wouldnt surprise me if you see him
starting games in due time.
Johnson. Most importantly hes consistent. We get very carried away with
what player X can do but Chris does his
job very well and thats what you want.
The guys who can flash occasionally, but can also drop right down,
they kill you at Test-match level.
In the big games under pressure,
one glaring error can make the difference, so that consistency in a pressurised environment is what every
coach wants, and people see Chris
maintaining his performance levels whatever the situation and know
they have to match that.
For all his supposed weaknesses,
Robshaw has led his team to victories
over every team in the world apart
from South Africa, and with Lancaster still juggling options all over his
pack, having a go-to, uber-reliable
performer is gold dust. REUTERS
30
sports
Iceland defeat the

Netherlands and
Wales beat Cyprus
in two big upsets
LONDON Unsung Iceland and Wales
took big steps toward qualifying
for the European Championships
on Thursday (yesterday morning,
Singapore time), and they do not
intend to take the long road to the
expanded 24-team tournament just
because there are more ways to
qualify.
Iceland stunned 10-man Netherlands 1-0 in Amsterdam and lead
Group A, while Gareth Bale scored
a late goal for Wales in a 1-0 victory
in Cyprus to give the British squad
a three-point lead over Belgium atop
Group B.
Iceland have never qualified for a
major tournament, while Wales only
appearance came at the 1958 World
Cup in Sweden.
We know what we have to do,
said Bale, 26.
We are a strong team, we are together. We know what our capabilities are. We have earned the right to
be in this position.
Meanwhile, Graziano Pelle saved
Italy from embarrassment against
Malta again, securing a 1-0 win
against their 160th-ranked opponents to move the Azzurri in command of Group H.
Pelle also scored in a 1-0 victory
at Malta in October.
The top two finishers from the
nine groups qualify automatically for next years tournament in
France.
The best third-placed team also
qualify automatically, and eight more
teams can qualify through a playoff.
Surprises galore at
Euro 2016 qualifiers
A look at Thursdays Euro 2016 qualifying matches
GROUP A
GROUP B
GROUP H
Arjen Robbens (picture) first match as

Netherlands captain was over inside a
half hour as he limped off the Amsterdam Arena pitch injured and had to
watch from the sideline as his team lost
1-0 to group leaders Iceland.
Danny Blinds debut as national
coach went from bad to worse in the
33rd minute when referee Milorad Mazic
showed defender Bruno Martins Indi
a direct red card for making a striking
movement with his arm as he fell to the
ground in a tackle with Kolbeinn Sigthorsson. Blind was highly critical of Martins Indi, calling his foul unbelievably
unprofessional.
Gylfi Sigurdsson converted a 51stminute penalty for Icelands only goal after Gregory van der Wiel brought down
Birkir Bjarnason. In other qualifiers, the
Czech Republic came from behind to
beat Kazakhstan 2-1 to stay second, and
Latvia drew 1-1 with Turkey.
Wales are one win from qualifying for

their first major tournament in 58 years
after Gareth Bale (picture) powered in an
82nd-minute header to clinch a 1-0 victory in Cyprus.
Wales, who reached an all-time high
ninth in FIFAs rankings hours earlier,
have a three-point lead over Belgium.
Marouane Fellaini, Kevin De Bruyne and
Eden Hazard gave Belgium a 3-1 victory
over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
With three games remaining, Israel
stayed two points further back after
routing Andorra 4-0.
Beating Israel on Sunday will secure
Wales first trip to a tournament since the
1958 World Cup.
Italy took command of the group

after scraping out a 1-0 win over Malta
with a second-half goal from Graziano
Pelle (picture).
It appeared that Pelle used his shoulder or arm to redirect in a cross from Antonio Candreva in the 69th minute. But
it was not clear if the goal should have
been disallowed.
Italy are level on 15 points with Croatia, who were held 0-0 in Azerbaijan and
are likely to lose a point for fan trouble
pending an appeal.
Norway, who won 1-0 at Bulgaria, are
next with 13 points, followed by Bulgaria with eight, Azerbaijan with five, and
Malta with one.
In Azerbaijan, the closest either side
came to scoring was a shot off the crossbar from Croatias Ivan Perisic in the second half. AP
Singapores AFC U-16 Cship dream ends
Fo l l o w i n g N o r t h
Koreas convincing 7-0 rout of Cambodia in their opening match of the
Asian Football Confederation (AFC)
Under-16 Championship qualifiers
on Wednesday, many had expected
Singapores Under-15 squad to suffer
the same fate when the two teams
faced off at the Jalan Besar Stadium
last night.
Instead, the Republics young
footballers put on a determined display to give the Koreans a real run
for their money, before they were
eventually beaten 3-0 by the defending champions.
The defeat was the Singapore
Under-15s second of the tournament after their 5-0 loss to Thailand two days ago, effectively ending
their hopes of advancing to the next
stage of the championship. Only the
top team from each of the 11 groups,
and the four best runners-up, will
earn their tickets to the final in
India next year.
Despite the loss, Singapore U-15
head coach V Selvaraj was happy
SINGAPORE
with the teams performance.

This is possibly the best performance that Ive seen from my team
in terms of work rate, spirit and
togetherness, he said.
I played a few new boys and
they showed a lot of courage and
we were defensively much better.
But we played against a better team
who was tactically and technically
stronger.
There are still areas of improvements, especially in front of goal,
because we still have the problem
of putting the ball into the back of
the net.
Flush with confidence following their win over Cambodia, the
North Koreans flew out of the blocks
against Singapore, but failed to make
their early possession count as they
squandered several opportunities
early in the match.
Despite taking a while to find
their feet, Selvarajs charges came
close to opening the scoring through
Afiq Ehwan, but the midfielder failed
to connect with Daniel Matins dan-
North Korean captain Kim Pom Hyok taking the fight to

Singapore Under-15 players Afiq Arzhy (No 23) and Khairul
Hairie (21) in their match at the AFC Under-16 Championship
qualifier yesterday. Photo: Raj Kiran Chobey / Voxsports
gerous right-wing cross into the box.

The deadlock was eventually broken in the 15th minute when North
Korean defender Yun Min fired in a
pinpoint free kick from just outside
the box that left Singapore goalkeeper Kevin Wong with no chance.
Singapores fierce resistance was
broken twice more in the second half,
with midfielder Kye Tam volleying
into the top corner in the 70th minute, before substitute striker Ri Song
Jin added gloss to the scoreline with
a third in stoppage time.
I appreciate the individual tactics and teamwork of Singapore,
they played positively and were quite
good, said North Korea head coach
Kim Yong Hun. We need to improve
on our attack and teamwork for our
next match against Thailand.
In the nights earlier match, Cambodias journey in the competition
also came to an end as they fell 1-0
to Thailand.
North Korea will next battle Thailand for top spot of Group H on Sunday, while Singapore will hope to end
their campaign with a win when the
team faces Cambodia in their final
group match. NOAH TAN
31
sports
Pirellis plans to change tyre

pressure a disaster: Hamilton
Driver attacks 5psi increase to be made at this weekends Italian GP
MONZA Lewis Hamilton has said

that Pirellis plans to improve safety by increasing tyre pressures will
be a disaster, just as Bernie Ecclestone issued a thinly veiled rebuke to
the drivers for criticising the beleaguered tyre manufacturer.
Though Sebastian Vettel has
offered his support to Pirelli and
markedly softened his tone after his
fierce criticism of its tyres in Belgium, Hamilton spoke out against
changes planned for this weekends
high-speed Italian Grand Prix. Pirelli is planning to increase tyre pressures to alleviate the issues seen
in Spa-Francorchamps, something
Hamilton strongly opposed.
In terms of putting the pressures
up, I dont think its the right thing,
said the world champion. But I dont
think any of us have tried 5psi more
because they are not designed to
have 5psi more, they work in a range.
So we will be moving out of the
optimum range of the tyre, well be
using a different part of the tyre,
which means more wear, less grip.
Its going to be a disaster.
Vettel had accused Pirelli of
threatening his life after a spectacular blowout in the Belgian Grand Prix,
but here he was much more conciliatory. Weve been looking very closely
into the issue we had, he said.
They have been very, very professional, have handled it with extreme
care, very seriously, things are going
the right way, and our target now is
to improve the situation and make

progress.
Formula One management followed his remarks with a rare statement that absolved Pirelli of blame
for the terrifying tyre explosion in
Spa-Francorchamps.
Sent under Ecclestones direction, the release instead implied that
Ferrari and Vettel were at fault.
The statement read: Within the
constraints of safety considerations,

which are always paramount, Formula One encourages Pirelli to provide
tyre compounds with performance
limitations because tyre degradation contributes to the challenge and
entertainment of a Formula One race.
Pirelli provides strong guidance
to competitors about any performance limitations of the tyres. Competitors should heed Pirellis expert
Ferrari technicians
testing a pit stop
at the Monza
racetrack in Italy
on Thursday.
Pirelli has blamed
debris on the track
and prolonged
usage for tyre
cuts in Belgium.
Photo: AP
F1s chief executive is

a strong supporter of
Pirelli, in part because
of the millions it spends on
trackside advertising. It seems
almost certain that Pirelli
will win the contract to
supply tyres from 2017
onwards instead of Michelin.
advice when setting their race strategy and tactics, and if they do not it
is at their own risk. We are entirely
satisfied that Pirelli was not at fault
for any tyre-related incidents during
the Belgian Grand Prix.
F1s chief executive is a strong
supporter of the Italian manufacturer, in part because of the millions
it spends on trackside advertising. It
seems almost certain that Pirelli will
win the contract to supply tyres from
2017 onwards instead of Michelin.
Most of the drivers, including
Nico Rosberg, who also suffered a
blowout in Spa, backed Pirelli but
said more needed to be done. Jenson
Button confirmed he and other drivers had been in constant dialogue
with Pirelli, Ecclestone, and motorsports governing body FIA.
However, Button conceded that if
the issue was cuts in the tyre, caused
by debris or kerbs as Pirelli said
on Thursday in its full explanation
of Vettels blowout he could not
understand why changing tyre pressure would make any difference.
Romain Grosjean, who was following Vettel two laps from the end
of the race when the Germans tyre
exploded, was far more strident in
his criticism. I dont think its a good
explanation, he said. I dont think
anyone is happy with the fact that its
a cut. Seb didnt go off track, there
are kerbs and you can use them.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
McIlroy to race Day,

Spieth for No 1 spot
LONDON Rory McIlroy faces a fight
from Jordan Spieth and Jason Day
to retain his world No 1 ranking at
the Deutsche Bank Championship
which started in Boston yesterday but will do so recognising that
currently he is third best of the trio.
McIlroy lost the No 1 tag to Spieth in the last tournament the Northern Irishman appeared at, the USPGA two weeks ago. But courtesy of
the v agaries of the ranking system,
McIlroy regained it last week without even playing as he rested his
left ankle following the torn ligament
that forced him to skip the Open
when Spieth missed the cut at The
Barclays in New Jersey.
Not only does Spieth have another
chance to usurp McIlroy, but Day,
the Australian who followed up his
USPGA breakthrough with a sixshot victory on Sunday, can a lso
scale the summit should he prevail
at TPC Boston and McIlroy and Spieth both finish third or worse. These
permutations have given the second
event of the FedEx Cup play-off series

an enthralling backdrop, with McIlroy possessing an obvious chance to
restate his credentials. Im sort of
holding this ranking based on how I
played last year, said McIlory. But
if you went on a one-year system,
youve got to say Jordan (is the world
No 1), and then Jason.
McIlroy also requires a decent
finish because of the FedEx standings. With Day leading and Spieth
in second, McIlroy is 15th and only
the top five will be guaranteed the
US$10million (S$14.2 million) bonus
if they win the season-ending Tour
Championship in Atlanta.
The 26-year-old has set himself
this ambition, together with retaining the Race To Dubai, the European Tours equivalent. On Wednesday,
Keith Pelley, the European Tours
chief executive, allowed McIlroy to
remain eligible for the Order Of Merit, despite the player not planning to
fulfil the minimum 13 events.
McIlroy has only played nine so
McIlroy requires a decent finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship to retain his world No 1 ranking
against challenges from Jordan Spieth and Jason Day. Photo: Getty Images
far and will only tee up in three of

the four tournaments that comprise
the F
inal Series.
Pelley said he arrived at the controversial verdict because he was
convinced that he (McIlroy) could
not commit to any further tournament participation without risking
further injury and persistent weakness to the ankle. But McIlroy suggested his wish not to play more than
two events in a row had little to with
his injury. Obviously, theres a physical element to it, but previously and
going forward its more mental, said
McIlroy. The Daily Telegraph
32
sports
lower-ranked contenders topple big names
Favourites crash out of US Open

Fourth seed
Wozniacki exits,
Konta delivers
upset of the day
against Muguruza
NEW YORK As her second-round
match against Garbine Muguruza on
a hot Thursday afternoon dragged on,
Johanna Konta caught herself glancing at the courtside clock. Oh, okay,
Konta recalled thinking. Weve been
here for a while.
The longest womens match in US
Open history consumed 3hrs 23min
on Court 17, where Konta, a 24-yearold Briton, nibbled on bananas. She
recalled the teachings of Juan Coto,
her mental coach. And she ultimately
persevered through the conditions to
oust the ninth-seeded Muguruza, 7-6
(7-4) 6-7 (4-7) 6-2.
I left everything out there, said
Konta, ranked No 97.
Fa n s who g at her e d at t he
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center might have expected the
tournament to settle into a predictable rhythm after three days of relative chaos and scorching temperatures, but Konta was among the
players who continued to surprise.
American women again made
their mark: Seven were assured of
advancing to the third round,
including Shelby Rogers, a 22-year-old
qualifier ranked 154th, who defeated
Japans Kurumi Nara in straight sets.
Among the American men, No 13
John Isner and Donald Young won
second-round matches. Isner defeated Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets,

while Young a onetime prodigy
who has found mid-career stability
at age 26 again played well, easing
past Aljaz Bedene, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
No 28 Jack Sock was not as fortunate. Up by 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 1-2 against
Ruben Bemelmans, Sock appeared
Wozniacki
(picture, top)
lost to Cetkovska
while Muguruza
(picture, above)
was beaten
by Konta. Photos:
Getty Images, AP
to faint early in the fourth set and

was forced to retire as trainers tended to him. About three-and-a-half
hours after the match, Sock said in a
statement that he was feeling better.
Shortly after Socks incident
on the Grandstand, Denis Istomin
retired from his match against Dominic Thiem, bringing the total retirements in the mens singles draw to
12, a record for a Grand Slam event
in the Open era.
No 3 Andy Murray survived a second-round scare, coming back from
two sets down to defeat Adrian Mannarino of France, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1, 6-3,
6-1, at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Roger Federer made short work
of his second-round opponent, Steve Darcis, winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 in 1hr
20min and ripping 46 winners to just
eight by Darcis, a Belgian veteran.
Fourth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki also lost, falling in a marathon
match, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6, to 149th-ranked
Petra Cetkovska in 3hr 2min in the
last match of the night session.
Cetkovska, a crafty Czech who
had upset Wozniacki at Wimbledon
in 2013, led by a double break at 4-1 in
the second set before her nerves and
Wozniackis steely resolve extended
the match into a third set.
But Wozniacki, the Open runnerup last year, could not capitalise on
the momentum, and she failed to convert any of her four match points.
Cetkovska dominated the tiebreaker,
which ended with Wozniacki hitting
a backhand into the net.
I said its now or never, Cetkovska said in an on-court interview of
saving the four match points. And I
just went for it.
Hewitt goes down with a

fight in New York farewell
Lleyton Hewitt waved
goodbye to the US Open on Thursday, with the tenacious Australian
dragged kicking and screaming to
the Flushing Meadows exit by countryman Bernard Tomic.
A player who constructed a career
around a relentless fighting spirit
that became his calling card, Hewitt
NEW YORK
was never going to leave the US Open

without a struggle and went down
swinging until the very end, falling
6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5. I left it all out
there again, said Hewitt, a two-time
Grand Slam winner. A great atmosphere, it was nice to be able to turn it
into a decent match.
Set to retire after next years Australian Open, Hewitt may have lost a
step and his groundstrokes are not
as ferocious as they once were, but
the 34-year-old showed he has lost
none of his combativeness during an
enthralling 3h, 27min second-round
slugfest.
Hewitt gave Tomic, and the other
young Australian players who have
made headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks, a demonstration of what it takes to be a winner,
battling back from two sets down to
give his fans one final thrill.
Im just very competitive. Ipride
Hewitt showed
the gritty spirit
for which he is
famous and
made Tomic work
hard for the win.
Photo: Reuters
The upset of the a f ternoon

belonged to Konta, who prolonged
a string of recent disappointments
for Muguruza, who has won only
one match since reaching the final
at Wimbledon in July. I think I am
very tough on myself sometimes,
said Muguruza, who committed 59
unforced errors. Its hard when you
lose. Its always been like this.
Against Muguruza, Konta survived plenty of stressful situations
and some adversity at the end of the
second set.
Trailing in the tiebreaker by 5-3,
Konta was serving when Muguruzas
return was called long. The ruling
was overturned after a successful
challenge by Muguruza. But rather
than have the two players replay the
point, the chair umpire awarded it
to Muguruza, saying that the original out call had been late enough
that Konta who had missed her
next shot should not have been
impaired by it.
Konta was upset, but Muguruza
closed out the tiebreaker to send
the match to a third set. Given the
circumstances and the heat, Konta could have folded like a souffle.
Instead, she broke Muguruzas serve
to start the third set and then broke
her again to race out to a 4-0 lead.
The victory was the most significant of her career. In the third
round, she is scheduled to face No 18
Andrea Petkovic.
I really am just enjoying competing, Konta said. Im happy I get to
be in the third round of the US Open.
There arent that many people in the
world who can say theyve done that.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
myself on getting the most out of

myself, said Hewitt, who is set to
take over as his countrys Davis
Cup captain. I was able to somehow find a way. Thats what Ive been
renowned for in my career.
Playing on the grandstand court
in the shadow of the Arthur Ashe
Stadium where he won the 2001 US
Open final against Pete Sampras,
Hewitt arrived sporting a no-nonsense expression and his trademark
worn-backwards baseball cap.
While Hewitts will to win remains
intact, his skills have dulled, unable to
convert two match points when leading 5-3 in the fifth to seal what would
have been a fairytale victory.
I knew from the point when he
was coming back, it was not going to
be easy because I kept thinking about
watching his matches in the past,
how he got out of them, said Tomic,
who moves on to meet 12th-seeded
Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
He is a huge legend to me. I
always looked up to him. I am sure a
lot of people think he is a great legend, not just myself, so for me it was
a privilege. REUTERS
Saturday, 5 September 2015
Therealestate
The hidden stories of joo chiat unveiled in a new guide 34
Feted Musician
Dick Lees concert
was a nice reminder
of the mans work 35
Quick Eats
Ready meals can

be healthy
and flavourful 35
The right time

Singer-songwriter
Kevin Mathews
releases new ep 36
Artwork: Crys Lee
34
culture&lifestyle
Photo courtesy of Choo Yilin
Jeweller Choo Yilin unlocks the secrets of the neighbourhood with a guide and activities
Serene Lim
serenelim@mediacorp.com.sg
hat does luxury artisan jewellery have

to do with Nyonya
dumplings? Plenty,
when youre located in the heritage neighbourhood of
Joo Chiat.
That was exactly what the founder of eponymous jewellery store, Choo
Yilin, thought about when she opened
her outlet there in May last year.
With the support of Singapore Tourism Boards (STB) Kickstart Fund,
Choo has created a walking trail guide

and map called The Secret Joo Chiat,
which was launched earlier this week.
The guide is aimed at visitors who
might be coming for the Formula 1
Singapore Grand Prix season this
month and who want to check out the
neighbourhoods best-kept secrets
when it comes to food and shopping.
Along with the usual Joo Chiat suspects featured (such as Katong Antique
House and Chin Mei Chin Confectionery) are smaller and newer businesses
such as floral shop The Bloom Room,
brass and silver jewellery makers Stale
& Co and Malay-Muslim cake store
Kak Wans Kitchen. In addition, a host
of activities have been lined up, rang-
ing from an afternoon of tea and tour

at Kim Choo Kueh Chang to a watercolour painting lesson of objects such
as Peranakan kuehs and shophouses.
Weve always felt that Joo Chiat is
a hidden gem, offering experiences that
could not be replicated in any part of
the world, explained Choo. Holding
this during the F1 season was a natural
choice because of the increased footfall
of cosmopolitan tourists. We wanted
to demonstrate that Joo Chiat was as
worthy a place for a visit as Orchard
Road or Marina Bay Sands.
We personally felt that if done
right, Joo Chiat would offer an experience that was completely irreplaceable, even to the most cosmopolitan
tourists, given the strong heritage influences of the neighbourhood.

The STBs Cultural Precincts
Development director Kenneth Lim
said Secret Joo Chiat is in line with
STBs approach to Quality Tourism,
in which locals engage visitors and
help shape the Singapore experience.
Similar initiatives supported by
the STB include the heritage walking tours of Chinatown organised by
the Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng Citizens
Consultative Committee during key
festivals such as Chinese New Year
and Mid-Autumn; and Artwalk Little
India, a three-year public art project
in collaboration with LASALLE College of the Arts that tells the precincts
35
culture&lifestyle
Music review: The Adventures Of The Mad Chinaman Upsized
Madly,
Dick Lee
Local brand Prima Taste hopes to

change approach to on-the-go eating
The singers updated

show tracks a career
that spans four decades
Marguerita Tan
features@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE Fried rice paradise,
nasi goreng, very nice, thats her
specia-ya-lity, ninety-nine varieties In case youve forgotten, Dick
Lee is more than just the guy who
wrote Home. Since his first album
Life Story in 1974, which contained
the heartfelt title track, the singersongwriters career has spanned an
impressive four decades.
And there is no better showcase
for Lees stellar musical journey than
The Adventures Of The Mad Chinaman. During its first iteration in 2011,
he recounted his beginnings as a wee
piano-loving lad in the 1960s all the
way to the debut of his iconic alter ego
The Mad Chinaman in 1989.
For the upsized, SG50 version
held at the Esplanade Concert Hall
on Thursday night, Lee extends the
story by including his highly successful forays into Japan and Hong Kong
in the 1990s as both a performer and
songwriter, which is still unmatched
by any other Singaporean artiste to
this day.
In the sold-out, one-night-only
show, Lee took the audience (both
young and old, although judging by
those who sang along, mostly the latter) on a two-hour trip down memory
lane. Backed by a six-piece band, the
now much grey-haired-yet-still debonair singer looked dapper in a tailored
pink suit with a tiny yellow flower
pinned on the jacket lapel.
As in all his one-man shows, Dick
talks a lot on stage. Then again, hear-
story through installations, films, music and other creative works.

Travellers to Singapore are increasingly seeking in-depth experiences, including the exploration of our
precincts that offer rich heritage and
culture. We saw the development of a
self-guided map as a good way to galvanise the businesses to come together
in telling the unique story of Joo Chiat,
which many visitors find fascinating,
added Lim.
The additional tours, promotions
and workshops held will help drive
footfall to Joo Chiat and offer visitors
a deeper appreciation of Singapores
multicultural heritage.
Celebrating Singapore,
celebrating Joo Chiat
One common theme for the stores

and eateries featured in The Secret
Joo Chiat is the fact that these businesses have one local heritage inspi-
Healthier ready
meals are a reality
Dick Lee performed his familiar hits at the Mad Chinaman Redux concert.
ing him talk about his past as we

watch black-and-white photos and
short films from his childhood and
what Singapore fashion was like decades ago was always bound to bring
on the laughs.
But it wasnt all talk, of course:
The best of Dick Lee is most evident
in the song interludes. He kicked off
with 1989s The Mad Chinaman and
drew the audience in with the haunting Bunga Sayang from 1994, which
was incidentally used by film-maker
Royston Tan in his segment in the acclaimed SG50 film 7 Letters.
He then performed a disco medley
with Melbourne-born soul/funk musician Dru Chen, complete with a Barry
Gibb-like falsetto (although you could
say that the 59-year-old showed his age
somewhat in some of the disco moves).
And there were lots more, including a repertoire of songs that made his
name (from his first single, Life Story,
to the title track of his acclaimed 1984
album Life In The Lion City), and a
medley of songs he loves to hate,
such as Boney Ms Hooray! Hooray!
Its a Holi-Holiday.
The most rib-tickling bits, though,
were the National Day songs, which
Lee had ingeniously tweaked to come

up with Standing Trial In Singapore,
One People, One Nation, 1MDB (an
ode to our neighbours up north)
and, in time for next weeks General Election, Count On Him (PM Lee),
Singapore.
Elsewhere, you had a lively rendition of the Indian-flavoured Mustapha, featuring homegrown musician
Govin Tan on the tabla, while Sukiyaki
and Lovers Tears reminded the audience of Lees successful stint overseas,
where he would write hits for the likes
of Jackie Cheung and Sandy Lam. Despite his questionable Cantonese accent, Dick gamely and commendably
performed two of his Hong Kong hits
without, he quipped, understanding a
word he was singing.
The memorable night ended with
perhaps his most memorable songs:
Fried Rice Paradise and Rasa Sayang
banned on Singapore radio when
they were first released because of
improper use of English, he said
and the enduring Home for his encore.
Dick Lee thoroughly deserved the
standing ovation he got in the end
heres to more adventures, upsized
or otherwise.
ration. While it might be obvious for

institutions such as popiah skin shop
Kway Guan Huat or Peranakan museum The Intan, others take a subtler
but no less Singaporean approach.
For example, at leather craft store
J Myers Company, the owners work
with leather supplied from a local
tannery to support a fellow Singaporean business, while pet store Bubbly
Petz stocks pet outfits designed and
sewn in Singapore. Getting these businesses on board with the project also
proved that the kampung spirit is very
much alive in Joo Chiat.
It actually wasnt tough at all as
the community here at Joo Chiat is
incredibly supportive, said Choo.
Weve built friendships with the different vendors around the area during our time here, so they were really
quite excited to be involved.
What was most challenging instead was nailing the map of Joo Chiat. It was created from scratch using
watercolour illustrations and contains

details and anecdotes about each business. Choo and her team walked up
and down Joo Chiat consistently to familiarise themselves with every turn
and corner since June this year.
Choo declined to reveal the cost of
the project, saying that she was glad
to get The Secret Joo Chiat done with
the STBs backing.
And The Secret Joo Chiat doesnt
end when the chequered flag is waved
at the F1. There are plans to do more
during the Christmas period, including
bringing a piece of Joo Chiat to town.
In the meantime, anyone can get
a piece of Joo Chiat thanks to a digital version of the map, which is available for download on the Choo Yilin
website. Joo Chiat continues to surprise every day, summed up Choo.
Those who have been living in the
neighbourhood for over 20 years also
tell us that they continuously discover
fresh things ever so often.
SINGAPORE Prima Tastes local food sauce kits have long

been a lifesaver for the Singaporean expatriate living abroad
since they debuted in 2000.
But now, the homegrown brand hopes to change the way
consumers here think about convenience food and it is doing so with its latest range of products, which they launched
this week.
Called Prima Taste Ready Meals, the products are riceand-protein meals based on Primas popular sauce kits already on the market, sealed in reheatable pouches.
There are currently four offerings, retailing at S$6.50
each at select Fairprice outlets: Curry Chicken With Rice,
Nonya Sambal Chicken Rice, Beef Rendang With Rice and
Chicken Claypot Rice. Major supermarkets will carry the
products from next month.
In addition to being targeted at busy Singaporeans for
whom eating is part of enjoying life, said Lewis Cheng,
general manager and executive director of Prima Food, the
meals are designed to be healthy too.
The rice used is a combination of white (75 per cent) and
wholegrain basmati (20 per cent), as well as multigrains such as
millet and barley, which make up the remaining five per cent.
The products also contain prebiotics and are MSG-free, and,
like all the products in the brands range, are certified Halal.
We have seen research data that shows consumers going
for healthier food products is a growing trend, Cheng said.
As part of its push in the direction of healthier products,
the company launched its Wholegrain LaMian in July, an
instant noodle made using its Superfine Wholegrain Flour,
available in laksa and curry flavours.
Prima started as a flour mill, so we went back to what we
do best, Cheng said.
It took the company two years of research and development to produce a fine flour from wholegrains, which
yields noodles that are soft without being brittle. These new
products were launched with the hope of helping consumers rethink some of their views on eating.
There are two perceptions: One is that healthy food
does not taste good. The other is that convenience food is
not healthy and not tasty. These are the two main perceptions we are trying to break, said Cheng, who hopes that
these ready meals will not be thought of as something you
eat because you have no choice.
You eat it because you want to eat it, he added.
The possibilities, Cheng said, are limitless because the
ready meals do not require refrigeration, so even people on
yachts can depend on them. They can be heated in the microwave or by steeping them in boiling water. Its even more
convenient than chilled or frozen food, he said.
However, he acknowledged that it will take a bit of time
to educate consumers and let them experience the product.
Someone might look at this and say, Oh, is it shelf stable?
Is it because it contains a lot of preservatives? said Cheng,
adding that that is not the case, thanks to advancements in
heat sterilisation technology which affords the meals a shelf
life of up to 12 months.
These meals are just the beginning for Prima Taste.
Cheng said the company will be introducing new products in phases with more food flavours already in the works.
MAY SEAH
Prima Taste
Ready Meals
chicken
claypot rice.
36
culture&lifestyle
New Music
Being in the present

Musician Kevin Mathews
new release is all about
living in the moment
HON JING YI
Mention Singaporean
singer-songwriter Kevin Mathews
name to young, aspiring indie musicians here, and what you will see are
looks of admiration.
It is not only because Mathews is a
music man through and through. The
54-year-old founded bands such as
The Watchmen and Popland back in
the 1990s and has come up with some
memorable songs such as the No 1 hit
My One And Only, as well as I Love
Singapore, The High Cost Of Living
and Pasir Ris Sunrise.
He has helped with the music for
films such as Eric Khoos Mee Pok
Man, as well as Invisible Children,
Lucky 7 and The Carrot Cake Conversations, among others.
He has been instrumental in the
music scene as a mentor under the
National Arts Councils Noise Music Mentorship Programme and for
the Esplanade Youth Budding Writers Programme, and as a judge for
the 2009 and 2010 editions of the
Baybeats Festival.
He also runs artiste management
company KAMCO Music, through
which he helps manage the careers
of Singapore music acts such as
TypeWriter and Lydia Low. Along the
way, he has helped curate various music showcases such as Stagefright and
Original Sing; and is the man behind
events such as the upcoming Power Of
Pop Songwriters Gallery that showcases up and coming musicians. He
even finds time to run pop culture blog
Power Of Pop.
In the past few years though,
Mathews has been channelling a
SINGAPORE
Kevin Mathews
will release his new
record Present
Sense this month.
Kevin Mathews/
The Groovy
People will
perform at
Artistry Cafe
on Sept 18.
Tickets at S$20
and S$30 (from
kevinmathewsartistry.peatix.
com).
large part of his energies to creating his own new music, including 2013s full-length release Emo
FASCISM and 2014s four-track
EP #alpacablues.
He will be releasing his latest album Present Sense, which he said
is his best record yet. Mathews will
launch the album at Artistry Cafe on
Sept 18.
The albums title reflects what
Mathews always tries to remind
himself to enjoy the present and
to relish being able to live a life filled
with music.
I am worried about the future constantly, its part of my personality, he
said. Especially in the last five years,
when theres been a bit of uncertainty
about what happens next. But Ive also
learned how to live in the moment.
Thats what Present Sense is all
about to live in the moment.
And at the moment, the best thing
about his work in the music business
is the fact that he gets to meet likeminded folks.
The advantage of having done

stuff for more than 20 years, and
finding people who first heard my
music when they were 12 or 13 years
old, is that I have met a lot of people,
and their stories are quite interesting, said Mathews, who has mentored acts such as Obedient Wives
Club, In Each Hand A Cutlass,
Lost Weekend, Cashew Chemists,
Pleasantry, Adia Tay, Jaime Wong,
JAWN, The Little Giant, Joie Tan
and Theodora.
One of the guys who is playing
with me now, Nelson Tan (who also plays in progressive rock band
In Each Hand A Cutlass), said he
was inspired to become a musician
because of my music. Previously,
(music director) Jonathan Lim also came up to me and said, Kevin,
your CD was the first CD I bought.
That was, to me, mind-blowing.
And it is very humbling, because
you feel a sense of responsibility,
and you feel people do look up to
you. It is very important to use
that influence because there is so
much talent here, he added.
Still, Mathews admits that his
musical journey has not been an
easy one. Since he quit his job as a
lawyer five years ago to pursue music full-time, Mathews, who doubles
up as a teacher at Republic Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic,
has been looking over (his) shoulder financially.
I do everything freelance now,
so, technically, there is no security,
and there is a bit of uncertainty, he
mused. But that is what makes it
interesting. Everything is new and
everything is different.
However, Mathews has no regrets. I was in the legal industry
for 20 over years, whether it was in
practice or corporate. I quit mainly
because I couldnt handle the stress
anymore, I was practising very long
hours and couldnt commit to being in the music scene. It was very
hard. It all came to a head, and I
just decided to quit and do something different.
He added: Its tough, but also
satisfying and rewarding.
Spore Chinese Orchestra collaborates with NAFA

students for concert
Photo: SCO
SINGAPORE The Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) is collaborating with students from
Nanyang Academy Of Fine Arts (NAFA)
for a free concert titled Beyond Music on
Sept 23, 7.30pm, at Lee Foundation Theatre
in NAFA Campus 3.
Led by SCO resident conductor Quek Ling
Kiong, the programme will feature autumn-
themed pieces in conjunction with the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. These include:
Hao Wei Yas Flowers On A Moonlit Autumn
River, Pin Wei Changs Autumn Moon Over A
Placid Lake and Peng Xiu Wens Songs Of Autumn. NAFAs plucked strings section will be
performing Liu Qings Dancing In The Moonlit Night, while NAFA chamber music will
perform Xie Pengs Ling Long, which won the
2002 Chinese Chamber Music gold award.
The finale will see the SCO and NAFA students performing together two acclaimed
Chinese orchestral pieces: Lo Leung Fais
Autumn and Peng Xiu Wens Moon On High.
The collaboration is part of SCOs initiative to promote arts development in
Singapore. To register for free tickets, visit
http://beyondmusic1509.eventbrite.sg.
SINGAPORE Election fever may have

swept through the countr y, but
things have been busy in the arts
scene, too. There were a handful of
announcements about events taking place in November: A darker
Beauty World, directed by Dick
Lee, will feature television actress
Jeanette Aw as Lulu; the Affordable Art Fair Singapores teaser
for its year-end edition is an ongoing exhibition of young artists; and
details were revealed regarding the
sixth edition of the M1 CONTACT
Photo: Nicola Anthony
Turning secrets
into art
SINGAPORE That secret you have
been keeping to yourself for the
longest time could now become
a work of art.
British artist Nicola Anthony
is currently inviting members of
the public to share their secrets
anonymously for a new art
installation. Titled Secret Ingredient, the site-specific lightand-language installation will
comprise secrets shared by the
public and geographical secrets
of Telok Ayer.
The publics private thoughts
will be handwritten by Anthony
and will take the shape of paths
she had mapped while walking
around the neighbourhood.
The artwork will be part of
her eponymously titled exhibition, which is curated by Daniela Beltrani. It will run from Oct 15
to Nov 30 at bistro and art space
SPRMRKT.
Interested members of the
public can share their secrets
through confession slips available
at SPRMRKT (until Oct 6) or directly to the artist (on Oct 11); on the
artists website (http://www. nicolaanthony.co.uk/confessions); or
as a public post on the Secret Ingredient event page on Facebook.
For more info on the event,

visit https://www.facebook.com/
SPRMRKTfeatures.
Contemporary Dance Festival.

Meanwhile, the National Arts
Council (NAC) held its annual Patron Of The Arts Awards ceremony,
which included 21 recipients of a special SG50 Arts Patron Award. It was
announced that S$53.8 million were
donated to the arts sector last year.
There were organisational changes, too, with the appointment of the
13th board of council members for
the NAC and a new chairperson for
the National Library Board: Chan
Heng Kee replaces Yeoh Chee Yan,
who steps down after six years. Elsewhere, Epigram Books announced
that 68 writers had submitted entries for the Epigram Books Fiction
Prize, Dick Lee held a one-night only
concert and the Singapore International Festival of Arts continued its
run by bringing a circus into town.
MAYO MARTIN
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14
THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY

ARTS & DESIGN
Series on Drug Wars

For Netflix Viewers
By JEREMY EGNER
Say yes to your life, Nancy

Reagan commands near the end
of the first episode of Netflixs new
series Narcos. Its a moment
from the Just Say No speech
that she delivered with her husband, President Ronald Reagan,
in 1986. And when it comes to
it as a police matter something
drugs and alcohol, she continues,
youre going to handle with weapjust say no.
ons, Mr. Padilha said. Youre
Cut to a drug dealer kneeling in
gonna put a lot of people in jail and
a Colombian field who pleads No,
youre gonna kill a lot of people.
no, no, no, Pablo, no, before being
The men charged with stopping
shot in the head.
Escobar are Steve Murphy and
Its a sequence that encapsuJavier Pea, portrayed by Boyd
lates both the style and substance
Holbrook and Pedro Pascal. The
of Narcos, a series about the
characters are based on the actubloody rise of the Medelln cartel
al Drug Enforcement Administrain Colombia in the 1970s and 80s.
tion agents who helped Colombian
Shot in Colombia and produced
police track Escobar, who was ulby the Brazilian filmmaker Jos
timately killed in 1993.
Padilha, the show mixes news
Though Narcos is largely
clips with fictional portrayals to
fictional, Mr. Padilha noted the
recount the birth of cocaine trafbroad strokes are historically acficking and the morally ambigucurate and based on research as
ous efforts to fight it by authorities
well as input from the agents.
in both Colombia and the United
An international cast includes
States.
performers from Brazil, ArgentiPablo, of course, is Pablo
na, Chile and Colombia, several of
Escobar, the drug kingpin, here
whom spent time in Bogot during
played with simmering menace
its violent nadir in the late 1980s
by the Brazilian actor Wagner
and early 90s.
Moura.
More broadly, the Latin AmeriFor Netflix, Narcos represents another ambitious, international undertaking as the service
seeks new subscribers
outside of the United
States. Currently available in over 50 countries,
the service aims to be
in 200 by the end of 2016,
and in the past year it
has added expansive international productions
DANIEL DAZA/NETFLIX
like (the mostly admired)
Sense8 and (the much
Netflix aims to be in 200 countries
less so) Marco Polo
by late 2016. A scene from Narcos.
to its lineup. (Club de
Cuervos, Netflixs first
can actors in the cast relished the
Spanish-language show, debuted
opportunity to tell the Medelln
last month, and Marseille, a
story through a native prism.
French-language series, will go
Youre going to see the Colombiinto production soon.)
an heroes of the story, Mr. Moura
In Mr. Padilha, Netflix has partsaid.
nered with a former documentariShot primarily in Bogot, much
an (Bus 174) who kept his didacof the show features subtitled
tic edge when he moved into narraSpanish dialogue.
tive films. His Elite Squad movFor the actual D.E.A. agents,
ies, Brazilian blockbusters that
Narcos represents another
starred Mr. Moura as an ethically
crack at a story they felt was poorerratic police commander, offered
ly told in reports like Killing Paban entertaining but cynical and
lo, the 2001 book about the hunt
controversial look at corruption.
for Escobar, which Mr. Murphy
(The depictions of police brutality
said implied, inaccurately, that he
riled both law enforcement offiand his colleagues collaborated
cials, who found them unfair, and
with Colombian vigilantes.
many residents, who thought they
Mr. Padilha hopes the Medelln
glorified violent cops.)
story will be only the first chapter
Narcos is similarly pointed.
in a multiseason series that tracks
It implicates traffickers like Escothe illegal drug trade through the
bar, depicted as a megalomaniac
succession of cartels that have
smuggler who stumbled upon a
controlled the supply to the Amerproduct with profits as large as his
ican market, up to the present day
self-image but also an American
troubles in Mexico.
drug policy that declared war on
You just renew the gangsters
the suppliers without doing much
and play out the same drama, he
to address the demand. Once you
said.
construe a war on drugs, you see
Portraying the
battle against the
Medelln cartel.
PHOTOGRAPHS ABOVE AND BELOW BY TOBY MELVILLE/REUTERS
Banksys Bleak Take on Theme Parks

By CHRISTOPHER D. SHEA
WESTON-SUPER-MARE, England Rain appropriately pelted

down for much of a Sunday afternoon on the late August weekend
that marked the opening of Dismaland, the anti-Disneyland created by the artist Banksy in this
beachside town.
Theyre intentionally being so
rude, said a visitor, Andrea Griffiths, 28, of Dismaland staff
members who greet visitors with
an angry pat down.
It is hilarious because I mean,
were British, were so polite, Ms.
Griffiths said.
Dismaland, a satirical take
on a theme park, features grumpy
guards, funereal games and art by
about 60 artists, including Banksy,
Damien Hirst and Jenny Holzer.
The exhibition, which runs
through late September, includes
new and old artwork by Banksy,
including a pool with mobile boats
full of figurine immigrants in what
apparently is the English Channel.
One installation on the site billed
as only for children features a
trampoline and a stand offering
small loans with interest rates of
several thousand percent.
The exhibition also has an undoubted political edge: the artist
Shadi al-Zaqzouq rolled a sheet over
his artwork and scrawled R.I.P.
GAZA across it.
Naomi Woodspring, 66, an academic visiting from nearby Bristol,
contrasted Banksys show with
an installation based on Thomas Mores Utopia in London.
Banksys exhibition is a visioning of real change, she said, It
pushes us to envision a whole other
way of being, and to begin to live
that way of being.
Shortly after the website for
Dismaland went up before the
opening, the ticketing function
crashed, prompting speculation
ONLINE: NO MICKEY MOUSE
A slide show on Banksys vision of

the anti-Disneyland:
nytimes.com Search Dismaland
YUI MOK/PRESS ASSOCIATION,

VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Exhibits at Dismaland, which

runs through late September in
a beachside town in England.
that the ticketing issues were part of
Banksys doom-and-gloom concept.
Clare Croome, a spokeswoman for
Banksy, said the site had crashed
after receiving six million hits per
minute.
Banksy is mostly known for graffiti works that pop up in unexpected
urban locales. His last major display
was a series of political murals that
he unveiled in Gaza in February. In
2009, he staged an exhibition featuring dozens of his own artworks
at the Bristol City Museum. That
show was also kept secret before it

opened.
Details on how Dismaland
came together have not been disclosed. In an email, Zaria Forman,
a New York artist with work in the
exhibition, said that Banksy had
approached her around eight weeks
ago about participating in the show,
and that she was given a general
idea of what the exhibition would
include. She said she had been instructed not to answer certain questions about Banksy.
In a wry and somewhat elliptical
interview with The Guardian about
the exhibition, Banksy called Dismaland a theme park whose big
theme is theme parks should have
bigger themes.
He also said, I asked myself:
What do people like most about going to look at art? The coffee. So I
made an art show that has a cafe, a
cocktail bar, a restaurant and another bar. And some art.
13
ARTS & DESIGN
Solo Rock n Roll, and He Likes It

By JON PARELES
Sometime around 2011, Keith

Richards was ready to retire from
his life in rock n roll. Approaching half a century with the Rolling
Stones, he had done it all. I know
what luck is. Ive had a lot, he reflected in an interview.
Hes the archetypal rock guitarist: the genius wastrel, the unimpeachable riff-maker, the architect
of a band sound emulated world-
I cant remember
what I played
before anyway.
wide, the survivor of every excess.
Onstage, he is at once a flamboyant
figure and a private one, locked in a
one-on-one dance with his guitar,
working new variations into every
song.
I never play the same thing
twice, he said. I cant remember
what I played before anyway.
With the Stones in hibernation
after a tour that ended in 2007,
Mr. Richards took two and a half
years to write (with James Fox) a
best-selling memoir, Life, that

re-examined his tours, trysts, addictions, mishaps, arrests and accomplishments. After Life was
published in 2010, he was enjoying
being a family man and a grandfather. Retirement was a real possibility.
I thought, thats the craziest
thing I ever heard, said Steve
Jordan, Mr. Richardss longtime
co-producer and drummer on his
solo projects. He felt comfortable
with where he was, Mr. Jordan
said. But knowing Keith, to not
have him pick up an instrument and
play, it was weird. When youre a
musician, you dont retire. You play
up until you cant breathe.
Mr. Jordan nudged Mr. Richards
in a different direction: back into the
recording studio to make his first
solo album in 23 years, Crosseyed
Heart, to be released September
18. I realized I hadnt been in the
studio since 2004 with the Stones,
Mr. Richards said. I thought: This
is a bit strange. Something in my life
is missing.
Its a straightforwardly old-fashioned, rootsy album that could
have appeared 20 years ago. The
instruments are hand-played, the
vocals are scratchy growls, and the
songs revisit Mr. Richardss favorite idioms blues, country, reggae,
Stonesy rock for some intriguing

storytelling. The album was recorded on analog tape. I love to see
those little wheels go around, Mr.
Richards said.
Eased onto a couch at his managers Manhattan office, Mr. Richards, 71, alternated between a Marlboro and a drink. He was wearing
an ensemble only he could pull off:
a striped seersucker jacket over
a black T-shirt decorated with a
Captain America shield, black corduroy jeans and silvery-patterned
running shoes. A woven headband
in Rastafarian red, gold and green
held back his luxuriantly unkempt
gray hair. A silver skull ring was, as
usual, on his right hand as a reminder, he has said, that beautys only
skin deep.
In a conversation punctuated by
his wheezy, conspiratorial growl of
a laugh, he was a man at ease with
himself as a rock elder. Its all a
matter of perspective and which
end of the telescope youre looking
at, he said.
Nobody wants to croak, but
nobody wants to get old, he said.
When the Stones started, we were
18, 19, 20, and the idea of being 30
was absolutely horrendous. Forget
about it! And then suddenly youre
40, and oh, theyre in it for the long
haul. So you need to readjust, and of
The genius
wastrel and
survivor of
every excess,
Keith Richards,
71, is releasing
a new album.
HEDI SLIMANE
course kids happen and grandchildren, and then you start to see the
pattern unfolding. If you make it,
its fantastic.
Mr. Richardss solo career started amid strife in the Rolling Stones,
a period in the late 1980s that he has
called the bands World War III.
Mick Jagger, his partner in songwriting and producing, had chosen
to make solo albums with younger
collaborators. Mr. Richards decided to dig into his own, bluesier
music, anchored by Mr. Jordan on
drums.
His enduring attachment is to
music, and to his guitar. I get into
a very warm relationship with the
guitar. I sleep with it at times, he
said. There would be no Satisfaction if I hadnt been sleeping with
the guitar in the bed that night.
Apparently I woke up in the middle
of the night and hit a button on this

new thing at the time, a cassette
machine. But I did this all either in
a dream or in my sleep and wrote
Satisfaction. Without the guitar
being right next to me I wouldnt
have done it. Not that I sleep with
it every night the old lady would
complain. (He has been married to
Patti Hansen since 1983.)
A new documentary, Keith Richards: Under the Influence, will be
shown via Netflix beginning September 18. It includes recording
sessions for Crosseyed Heart and
glimpses of the Rolling Stones past.
In the documentary, he observes:
I aint a pop star no more, yknow?
And I dont want to be.
Pop fame, he now insists, was
never his goal. I only did it by accident, he said. All I wanted to do
was play.
K-Pop Makes Incursion

Into Hip-Hop Territory
By JON CARAMANICA
Earlier this year, the Internet

grabbed hold of It G Ma, a video
by South Korean rapper Keith Ape,
and spread it wide.
Then the controversy started.
The clear precursor to It G Ma
(meaning never forget me) was
U Guessed It, by the young Atlanta rapper OG Maco.
Im aware of the Koreans that
mocked me and took my sauce. Im
not impressed. Im not inspired.
I think its kinda lame. To each his
own, OG Maco wrote on Twitter
earlier this year. I didnt have grills
or extra jackets and lean cups, he
added, so why did they? Black stereotypes. Lame.
Keith Ape, 22, who has been rapping for only a few years, got a better reception at recent show in New
York. Until his trip to the United
States, hed only interacted with
American rappers online. When
he met them, they embraced me
with open arms, he said recently,
speaking through a translator. Hes
spending most of his time in Los Angeles, working on music with American rappers and producers.
When he was 17, he dropped out of
school, hoping to make hip-hop his
career. His parents are in the arts
his father is a music professor, his
mother a painter.
Hed listened mainly to South Korean hip-hop before being exposed
An unauthorized
remake hit alerts the
rap world to Korea.
to Nass 1994 album, Illmatic.
The more he researched American
hip-hop online, the more he became
infatuated with its rowdier side, especially the music from the South.
He suggested that It G Ma was
an implicit response to the increasing absorption of hip-hop into Korean pop music, or K-pop, from boy
bands and girl groups to novelty
acts like Psy.
Obviously, I didnt grow up in
that American social structure,
around people slinging drugs or
things like that, said Keith Ape. It
G Ma, he added, is not necessarily
a rap about struggle, but its definitely using the method of a turn-up
to appeal to people who are antisocial, people not accepted in whats
considered mainstream, people who
feel alone and disconnected.
The initial version of It G Ma
wasnt sold anywhere, partly because of legal concerns. Keith Ape
and his Cohort rappers didnt contact OG Maco or any other artists
whose songs theyd been remaking
because, he said, we never imag-
CHAD BATKA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
The South Korean rapper Keith Ape performing at a club in New York in April.
ined it would become as big or popular as it did. We werent trying to sell
these records it was a fun thing to
do.
Since It G Ma, American artists
have been in touch about collaborating with Keith Ape. After he releases a handful of new songs, there
are plans for an extended version
of It G Ma with distinct new sections. One will feature rapping by
the K-pop star CL, one of the most
famous faces and voices in all of
K-pop. She and G-Dragon of BigBang are K-pops global ambassadors artists whove incorporated
the sounds of American pop and hiphop and fed it back out with signature panache.
Keith Ape and OG Maco met at the
South by Southwest festival in Texas in March.
He was being sincere, OG Maco
said. I took a certain joy in that he
was able to succeed doing his version of something I made.
It likely helped that an arrangement was soon reached: OG Maco

would be credited with part of the
publishing royalties of It G Ma. He
declined to be on the songs remix,
though.
At South by Southwest, after he
and Keith Ape spoke, they posed for
a picture together, middle fingers
extended for the camera, and posted
it to Instagram.
Thats how cultural exchange is
supposed to happen, OG Maco said.
12

PERSONALITIES
SA M EL L I OT T
Prototypical Cowboy
Broadens His Repertoire
By CARA BUCKLEY
dlebar, have, over the decades, become synonymous with stoic, steely
dudes: usually cowboys, followed
by bikers, pilots and military men.
That Mr. Elliott has been able to remain the man guys want to be and
gals want to be with is a testament
to his indisputable charm.
In Grandma, Mr. Elliott said, he
was able to stretch beyond the characters he normally plays. It was a
real catharsis, in a positive way, he
said.
Mr. Elliott and his wife, the actress Katharine Ross, have been
living here in their rambling, Southwestern-style seaside home for
some 40 years, first in a house that
burned to the ground, then in a trailer, and finally in this home.
It is hard to pinpoint when
Mr. Elliott became Hollywoods prototypical cowboy, but for Mr. Elliott, it was
in the late 90s, in The Big
Lebowski. By that time, he
was eager to switch things
up. He recalled thinking:
Even in a Coen brothers
movie, I cant play one of
their wacky characters, I
gotta play a cowboy.
Since then, Mr. Elliott
said, his resistance to playing cowboys has softened
to gratitude. I used to
grouse about it, Mr. Elliott
said of the typecasting. I
BRYAN SHEFFIELD FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
really realized it was nothing but good fortune to be
Gentlemanliness comes
in any kind of a box in this
business. You know what I
natural to me. Thats the
mean?
Tall, slim and as toothway I was raised.
some as ever, he still fits
the part. Mr. Elliott exudes
old-fashioned assuredness and
drew crowds despite its limited recalm.
lease. (It was a co-star of that film,
Gentlemanliness comes natural
Mary Kay Place, who slyly called
to me. Thats the way I was raised,
Mr. Elliott an ingnue.) He aphe said. Thats part of the deal.
peared in another Sundance indie,
Mr. Elliott always knew he wantDigging for Fire, and in February
ed to act, and after singing in cherreturned to the television series
ub choirs and appearing in small
Parks and Recreation to play the
theater productions and musicals
vegan hippie Ron Dunn.
My voice became bass very
But it is Mr. Elliotts turn as a
early on, he said he moved back
spurned lover in Grandma, which
to California at age 20. (His early
stars Lily Tomlin, that has garchildhood was spent in Sacramento
nered him some of his warmest rebefore a move to Oregon.) He had
views yet: He brought a ferocious
a breakout role of sorts, as the lead
emotional rawness to the part that
in Paramounts Lifeguard, from
caught critics and even the director
1976.
off-guard. Varietys Scott Foundas
During fallow career periods, Mr.
raved that Mr. Elliott had, in 10 minElliott cashed in on his rich baritone,
utes on screen, created a fuller,
doing voice-overs for various adverricher character than most actors
tisers Ram Trucks, the National
do given two hours.
Cattlemens Beef Association and
What he does in that moment in
Coors beer.
some ways became the emotional
Mr. Elliott feels hes done his best
core of the film, said Paul Weitz,
work in ages in the three indie films.
who wrote and directed GrandBut the one thing he still dreams of
ma. Youre not used to the idea
doing is singing in a stage show; he
that this person is going to expose
passed on a chance to be in Annie
himself as an actor.
Get Your Gun with Reba McEntire
Mr. Elliotts resonant baritone
years ago, and is still haunted by it.
growl, which still weakens the
Id love to do a musical, he said. I
knees of female fans, and mustache,
could pick it up real quick.
rendered in multiple shades of hanMALIBU, California Not too
long ago, the actor Sam Elliott, who
has spent much of his 46-year career being typecast as Americas
cowboy, was referred to as a male
ingnue.
At 71, Mr. Elliott is not young, and
anyone whos witnessed the knowing gleam in his eyes wouldnt for
a second peg him as innocent. But
with lauded performances this year
in three indie films and guest spots
in two acclaimed television series,
Mr. Elliott is clearly doing well.
In May, he was named best guest
performer in a drama series at the
Critics Choice Television Awards
for his work on FXs Justified. The
film Ill See You in My Dreams
ED ALCOCK FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
S GOLNE ROYAL
Steady Companion for a French Leader

By ELAINE SCIOLINO
Araud in Washington in May, the
dent and the imaginary first lady,
former United States Secretary
said Grard Miller, a psychoanaPARIS Franois Hollande, the
of State Madeleine K. Albright
lyst and filmmaker whose docupresident of France, and Sgolne
questioned her about President
mentary on Ms. Royal was shown
Royal, a senior cabinet minister
Vladimir V. Putin, Ukraine and
on France 3 television recently.
who once ran for that post herself,
the nuclear negotiations with Iran.
Sometimes the imaginary can behave an exceptionally complicated
While other ministers may have
come real. Shes perfect in the two
relationship.
asked the ambassador to take over,
roles, because it doesnt cost the
The two lived together for 25
Ms. Royal did not hesitate to give
French an extra centime.
years, raising four children over
lengthy, and diplomatically vague,
Increasingly, she has been seen
that time. Then they broke up in
responses.
as Mr. Hollandes stand-in for
2007 over an infidelity that Ms.
Ms. Royal has so dramaticalstate occasions and his companRoyal made public a month after
ly expanded her authority that
ion for others. When Pope Francis
she had lost that years election for
the magazine LObs featured her,
touched down on French soil for the
president.
smiling and with arms crossed,
first time in his papacy with a visit
Ms. Royal nonetheless camon a cover in May with the title La
to the European Parliament in Nopaigned for Mr. Hollande, 60,
Vice-Presidente.
vember, Ms. Royal was the senior
when he ran successfully for the
Just dont call her the de facto
French official there to greet him.
presidency in 2012, even though
first lady. No, Im not the first laAfter the deadly attacks against
the other woman in that romantic
dy! she said. Im not the queen of
a satirical newspaper and a kotriangle, the journalist Valrie TriFrance, either, even if my
erweiler, was his official
name is Royal.
live-in companion.
No, Im not the first lady. Im not
Even Ms. Trierweiler, 50,
Ms. Royal also kept
has acknowledged the unher sang-froid when Ms.
the queen of France, either.
breakable Hollande-Royal
Trierweiler reportedly
bond. They share an undemanded that the longbridled taste for politics, she said
sher supermarket last January,
time political and personal partner
in an interview with the newspaper
she traveled to Israel to represent
of Mr. Hollande be kept out of his
Le Parisien. Power is their reason
France at the memorial services.
government.
for living, their mutual obsession.
She accompanied Mr. Hollande
But now Ms. Royal, 61, is back in
Ms. Royal does not see herself as
on an official trip to Cuba and the
the corridors of power. During a
a French Hillary Clinton, who surCaribbean in May, and when the
cabinet reshuffle in April 2014, she
vived the infidelity of her president
king and queen of Spain came to
was named minister for ecology,
spouse to emerge as a political figParis for a state visit in June, she
sustainable development and enure in her own right. Hillary came
was next to Mr. Hollande to greet
ergy, the third in cabinet rank after
into politics because her husband
them on the steps of the lyse
prime minister and foreign miniswas in politics. Not I, she said. I
Palace, standing where a first later. And, unofficially, she fills other
had my own political identity from
dy might. (And Ms. Trierweiler?
job descriptions.
the beginning.
She has now exited from both the
The position of vice president
She also brushes off as irrelevant
lyse and Mr. Hollandes life, redoes not exist in France; neither
all questions about her personal
placed by the actress Julie Gayet.)
does a role like that of the first lalife.
Ms. Royal cites her life in politics
dy of the United States. But armed
All the personal setbacks, they
and her presidential candidacy
with ambition, raw political intumatter nothing to me, she said.
as evidence of her international
ition and large doses of charm, Ms.
Whats important is my political
standing, and takes on subjects far
Royal seems to have slipped into
identity, not my identity as a womfrom her dossier. At a dinner at the
both roles.
an.
residence of Ambassador Grard
Shes the imaginary vice presi-
11
PERSONALITIES
M I ST Y CO P EL A N D
Pioneering Ballerina
Draws New Fans
By MICHAEL COOPER
dance lessons at a Boys and Girls
Club, and recalled her early doubts
Misty Copeland was becoming
when she first realized, somethe most famous ballerina in the
what to her surprise, how few AfriUnited States making the cover
can-American women had made to
of Time magazine, being profiled
the top ranks of the countrys leadby the news program 60 Minutes,
ing ballet companies.
growing into a social media sensaI had moments of doubting mytion and dancing ballets biggest
self, and wanting to quit, because
roles on some of its grandest stagI didnt know that there would be
es. But another role eluded her: She
a future for an African-American
was still not a principal dancer.
woman to make it to this level, she
That changed June 30 when Ms.
said. At the same time, it made me
Copeland, 32, became the first Afriso hungry to push through, to carry
can-American woman to be named
the next generation. So its not me
a principal in the 75-year history of
up here and
American Ballet
Im constantly
Theater.
So its not me up there saying that its
Even as her
everyone that
promotion was
its everyone that
came before me
celebrated by
that got me to
her many fans, it
came before me that got this position.
raised questions
Over the past
about why Afrime to this position.
year, whenever
ca n-A merica n
Ms. Copela nd
dancers, particdanced leading
ularly women,
roles with Ballet Theater, her perremain so underrepresented at top
formances became events, drawing
ballet companies in the 21st centularge, diverse, enthusiastic crowds
ry, despite the work of pioneering
to cheer her. After she starred in
black dancers who broke racial
Swan Lake with Ballet Theater
barriers in the past. And it showed
becoming the first African-Amerihow media and communications
can to do so with the company at the
have changed in dance, with Ms.
Metropolitan Opera House the
Copeland deftly using modern tools
crowd of autograph-seekers was so
an online ad she made for Under
large that it had to be moved away
Armour, a sports clothing company,
from the stage door.
has been viewed more than eight
In a break with ballet tradition,
million times to spread her fame
Ms. Copeland was unusually outfar beyond traditional dance circles,
drawing new audiences to ballet.
spoken about her ambition of beAt a news conference when the
coming the first black woman to be
announcement was made, Ms. Conamed a principal by Ballet Theater,
one of the countrys most prestipeland spoke about taking her first
JULIETA CERVANTES FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
Misty Copeland and James Whiteside in Swan Lake with American Ballet Theater.
gious companies. She wrote about
her goals and struggles in a memoir
published last year, Life in Motion:
An Unlikely Ballerina.
Leading dance companies and
schools, including Ballet Theater,
have begun efforts to increase diversity in classical ballet, but there
is a long way to go. Jennifer Homans, the author of Apollos Angels, a history of ballet, said that
ballet had fallen far behind other art
forms making what she called the
phenomenon of Ms. Copeland all
the more important.
The dearth of black women in top
ballet companies has been attributed to a variety of factors, from the
legacy of discrimination and lingering stereotypical concepts of what
ballerinas should look like to the

lack of exposure to training opportunities in many communities.
In ballet, principals earn not only the respect of the dance world
but are also paid more, dance bigger roles and see their photos in
programs, as well as their names
in larger type. Ms. Copeland last
seemed on the verge of promotion
in 2012 after a breakthrough performance in the title role of Stravinskys The Firebird, but she was
sidelined by injury.
During a performance of Swan
Lake, cheers for Ms. Copeland repeatedly stopped the show. Smartphones came out to record her curtain calls. Afterward, girls carried
copies of her illustrated childrens
DA N - EL PA D I LL A P E RA LTA
The drumming
of papeles was the
background music
to my life.
From a Lack of Documents to a Doctorate

By LIZ ROBBINS
As Dan-el Padilla Peralta toggled

fluidly between worlds for much of
his life ancient and modern, poor
and privileged, Dominican and
American there were times when
he could forget he was a child without a country.
He found refuge in New Yorks
libraries, the Greek and Latin
texts speaking to him even before
he could speak their language. He
would copy entire orations, memorizing for inspiration.
But always, the fear would return:
He could be deported. His mother
brought him to the United States
from Santo Domingo, the capital of
the Dominican Republic, when he
was 4, and they overstayed their
tourist visas. He has wrestled with
the consequences ever since.
The drumming of papeles was
the background music to my life,
Dr. Padilla said, intoning the Spanish term for legal documents.
Now he hopes that by telling his
life story, he will be able to further
the discussion on immigration policy, which has become a contentious
issue on the American presidential
campaign trail. In Undocumented: A Dominican Boys Odyssey
From a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy
League, he recounts the extraordinary arc from poverty to the elite
all-boys Collegiate School in Manhattan, to an Ivy League school,
Princeton University in New Jersey, then Oxford, where he earned
a masters in philosophy, and Stanford University in California, where
he earned a doctorate in classics.
At age 30, Dr. Padilla is at Columbia University in New York as a
postdoctoral fellow in humanities,
and, next summer, he will return
to Princeton as an assistant profes-
sor of classics. He has a work visa,

but is not yet a citizen, a status he
hopes will soon change because,
in March, Dr. Padilla married an
American whom he had dated for
six years. He is still waiting for his
green card application to be considered.
His mother, Maria Elena Peralta, came to New York for the end of
her high-risk pregnancy when she
was carrying Dr. Padillas brother,
Yando. The boys father, frustrated
by his low-paying jobs, returned to
the Dominican Republic three and
a half years later. She risked staying illegally when she saw how her
oldest son was already excelling in
school.
The family had little to eat and
lived in homeless shelters and subsidized housing. But her oldest son
was happy if he was learning. He
rescued reading books from the
book, Firebird, to be signed, and

several adults held copies of the
memoir she wrote with Charisse
Jones. The crowd cheered when she
emerged from the theater. A man
shouted: Principal! Principal,
Misty! Principal, dear! A woman called out, Congratulations,
Misty!
Before signing autographs and
posing for pictures, Ms. Copeland
addressed the crowd in a quiet voice
choked with emotion.
Thank you so, so much for your
support it means so much to me
to have you all here, she said. Its
such a special day for me, and for so
many people who have come before
me. So thank you for being here on
this amazing day.
DAMON WINTER/THE NEW YORK TIMES
trash, she recalled. At age 8, after

finishing Peter Pan, he tried to retell the plot, lecturing his 3-year-old
brother.
A volunteer art teacher at a homeless shelter noticed young Dan-el
reading a book about Napoleon. The
teacher, Jeff Cowen, befriended him
and steered him to his alma mater,
Collegiate.
When Dan-el started Latin as
an eighth grader at Collegiate, his
teacher, Stephanie Russell, was
taken aback at how he had not only
read Plato, but also had thoroughly
absorbed it.
His intellectual gifts were what

jumped out at me, Dr. Russell said.
Dr. Padillas life story has inspired a musical, Manuel Versus
the Statue of Liberty, written and
produced by a Princeton alumna,
Noemi de la Puente.
Dr. Padilla said that his wife, Missy, a social worker, was teasing him
recently that he still could not enjoy
his success. To explain his pessimism, Dr. Padilla cited Homers Iliad, where two jars stood on the floor
of Zeus palace, one containing bad
things, and the other a mixture of
good and bad. There was no vessel
of all good things.
I live, in part because of the conditioning of my childhood and adolescence, in this state of expectation
that something really bad is about to
come our way, Dr. Padilla said.
10

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Scientist
Answers
Oceanic
Riddles
How Parents Pass On

Their Math Anxiety
By JAN HOFFMAN
By KATE GALBRAITH
SAN DIEGO In 1942, at the

height of World War II, a young
military scientist learned of the
Allies plans to invade northwestern Africa by sea to dislodge the
nearby Axis forces.
The scientist, Walter Munk,
hastily did some research and
found that waves in the region
were often too high for the boats
carrying troops to reach the beaches safely. Disaster could loom. He
mentioned it to his commanding
officer.
They must have thought about
that, Dr. Munk, now 97, recalled
being told. But the young scientist
persisted, calling in his mentor at
the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to help.
They devised a way to calculate
the waves the boats could expect to
face. Their work helped the boats
land in a window of relative calm,
and the science of wave prediction took off, becoming part of the
planning for the D-Day landings in
1944.
Such feats explain why Dr. Munk
is sometimes called the Einstein of
the oceans. Colleagues describe
him as a courtly man with an uncanny ability to search out important problems at just the right time.
In addition to wartime wave
forecasting, Dr. Munk has done pioneering research in ocean sound
transmission, deep-sea tides and
even climate change, though some
of his work in the field has been
controversial.
Even today, well into his eighth
decade of scientific work, he continues to tackle projects ranging
from using underwater sound signals to measure warming ocean
temperatures to how wind causes
the Gulf Stream.
Born in 1917 to a banking family
of Jewish heritage, Dr. Munk grew
up in Vienna. His parents later divorced, and his mother sent him
to a school in upstate New York in
1932.
After taking night classes at Columbia University in New York,
he decided to leave banking and
gained admission to the California Institute of Technology, where
he studied applied physics. While
spending the summer of 1939 near
a girlfriend in the oceanside community of La Jolla, part of San Diego, he landed a job with Scripps
(now part of the University of California, San Diego), where he has
worked most of his career.
His seafaring work includes
some notable moments in world
history. Days before nuclear tests
were performed at Bikini Atoll in
1946, Dr. Munk and a colleague
dropped dye in the water to assess
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVES, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
Walter Munk, top,

standing, preparing an
instrument raft in 1952
near Eniwetok Atoll,
the hydrogen bomb test
site, where he measured
the ocean for a potential
tsunami. Left, Dr. Munk
at home.
SANDY HUFFAKER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
how quickly radioactive materials

would flush out of the lagoon.
Near the test site of the far more
powerful hydrogen bomb on Eniwetok Atoll in 1952, he monitored
the ocean for a potential tsunami.
It did not happen, though Dr. Munk
and his crew were doused by radioactive rain and had to toss their
clothes overboard.
The high point of his career, as
Dr. Munk calls it, came in 1991,
when he traveled to Heard Island,
a remote spot in the Southern Indian Ocean, to test long-range sound
signals in the ocean.
The goal of the Heard Island ex-
Walter Munk helped

win a war and spur
climate research.
periment was to determine whether a sound generated from the
South Indian Ocean could be heard
in other corners of the world. The
speed at which the sound signals
traveled could provide useful data
on warming ocean temperatures,
Dr. Munk reasoned, because the
sound would travel slightly faster
as the ocean warmed.
Hours before the experiment
was to begin, Dr. Munk was awakened by a call from Bermuda. From
thousands of kilometers away, the
listening post had already heard
the sound. As it turned out, the
Bermuda post had heard the brief
sound check that technicians had
made while preparing for the full
test.
And that was the best news that
Ive ever heard, Dr. Munk said.
The Heard Island broadcasts became known as the sound heard

around the world.
But Dr. Munks zeal for using
ocean sounds to measure climate
change created trouble a few years
later. In 1994, as part of a Scripps
project, he sought to install a sound
transmitter in the Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary off the
coast of California to help measure
ocean temperatures changing
over time.
But environmentalists feared
that the broadcasts would hurt
whales, which navigate and find
food by means of their own sonar
and feed in the sanctuary. The
Natural Resources Defense Council asked for and received a public
hearing in an effort to halt the project.
What happened here was a
head-on collision between Walter Munk and whales. And that
was the perception, recalled Joel
Reynolds, a council lawyer.
Dr. Munk and Scripps agreed
to move the listening post farther
off the coast and prioritize a study
of the sounds effects on marine
mammals.
Dr. Munk still yearns to use
sound to measure the warming
ocean. I am convinced that you
can do good underwater acoustics
without hurting the whales, with
some sensible precautions, he
said.
Nowadays, as he forges ahead on
wind, waves and other projects, he
occasionally forgets the times of
meetings and gets around with a
walker. But he remains a frequent
presence in Scripps, walking the
halls of a building that now bears
his name. The secret to his longevity?
I like my work and I like my life,
and I enjoy doing it, he said.
A common impairment with lifelong consequences turns out to be

highly contagious between parent
and child, a new study shows.
The impairment? Math anxiety.
Means of transmission? Homework help.
Children of highly math-anxious
parents learned less math and were
more likely to develop math anxiety
themselves, but only when their parents provided frequent help on math
homework, according to a study of
first- and second-graders, published
in Psychological Science.
The more the math-anxious parents tried to work with their children, the worse their children did in
math, slipping more than a third of a
grade level behind their peers.
The parents are not out to sabotage their kids, said Sian L. Beilock
of the University of Chicago. But we
have to ensure their input is productive. They need to have an awareness of their own math anxiety.
Comforting a homework-distressed child, by saying, Im not a
math person either, and thats O.K.,
is not a good message to convey,
she said.
Math anxiety, some studies show,
can afflict 10 percent to 20 percent
of adults. Math anxiety affects not
only test taking and grades but also
self-esteem.
Mark H. Ashcraft of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said the
condition can feed upon itself. On
challenging math problems that
require a lot of working memory,
math-anxious people fall apart, he
said. Their working memory is consumed by worry and anxiety, and
they dont have enough left over to
do the math.
Many adults identify middle-school algebra as the onset of
math anxiety. Research has shown
that it can begin earlier.
In a 2010 study, Dr. Beilocks team
found one significant factor, particularly for young girls: math-anxious
elementary schoolteachers, almost
90 percent of whom are female.
But the effect of math-anxious,
homework-helping parents is a newly discovered factor.
Parental math anxiety is exacerbated whenever schools introduce
new methods of learning math, said
Harris Cooper, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke
University in North Carolina.
Educators cant take math, turn
it into Greek, and say, Mom, Dad,
will you help your kid with this, and
not expect to get a wha? he said.
On the Facebook page of The New

York Times, Theresa Ellson of Sandpoint, Idaho, described her anxiety
while helping her daughters with
Common Core math: Ive taken
to labeling math homework by how
many glasses of wine it takes me to
peel myself off the ceiling after Im
done. That was a two-glasser, after
whatever it is were calling long division. And thats for fourth-grade
math homework.
A small comfort: The homework-helping, math-anxious parents did not have a negative effect
on their childrens reading ability,
the new study said.
How can math-anxious parents
help their children at math? Dr.
Cooper suggests that parents create a math-positive environment
by modeling math behavior. The
game plan: Tell your child, You
have your math homework, and I
have mine, he said, and show them
whenever you count your change,
calculate when dinner will be ready,
look at prices in a grocery store.
Then there are the extremes that
Homework help
can lead to worse
outcomes in school.
Tara Sweeney went to.
Mrs. Sweeney, of Floral Park,
New York, acquired her math anxiety in the third grade, when she had
to stand in front of the class and recite multiplication tables. When her
older son was in the third grade, she
would scan his math homework and
email it to her husband, who was
working in Europe.
He would conference-call us because I was so paralyzed with anxiety, Mrs. Sweeney said. I would
yell, Im done with it, I cant do it!
Finally she said to herself, Math
isnt going away.
So she studied the schools math
curriculum. She asked teachers
for manuals and lesson plans and
watched videos.
Some of the other moms are annoyed at me, Mrs. Sweeney said.
But I didnt mind putting in that
time, because I needed to feel confident. I dont want my sons to be as
math-anxious as me.
And, she noted, in the last year
or so, I actually think the math has
gotten a little easier.
BOB STAAKE
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Volcanic Eruption Darkened the World, and the Arts

By WILLIAM J. BROAD
In April 1815, the most powerful

volcanic blast in recorded history
shook the planet in a catastrophe
so vast that, 200 years later, investigators are still struggling to grasp
its repercussions. It played a role,
they now understand, in icy weather, agricultural collapse and global
pandemics and even gave rise to
celebrated monsters.
Around the lush isles of the
Dutch East Indies modern-day
Indonesia the eruption of Mount
Tambora killed tens of thousands
of people.
More surprising, investigators
have found that the giant cloud of
minuscule particles spread around
the globe, blocked sunlight and produced three years of planetary cooling. In July and August 1816, killer
frosts in New England ravaged
farms. Hailstones pounded London
all summer.
A recent history of the disaster,
Tambora: The Eruption That
Changed the World, by Gillen
DArcy Wood, shows planetary effects so extreme that many nations
and communities suffered waves
of famine, disease, civil unrest and
economic decline. Crops failed globally.
The paper trail, said Dr. Wood,
a University of Illinois professor
of English, goes back again and
again to Tambora.
The year without a summer
was how 1816 came to be known.
The gargantuan blast 100 times
bigger than Mount St. Helenss in
Washington State and its ensuing worldwide pall have been the
subject of increasing study over the
years.
Before it exploded, Tambora was
the tallest peak in a land of cloudy
summits. It lay atop the tropic isle
of Sumbawa, its spires rising nearly
five kilometers. Villages dotted its
slopes.
IWAN SETIYAWAN/KOMPAS, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS; LEFT, THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD
The eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in 1815 obscured the skies and influenced artists like the creator of Frankenstein.
On the evening of April 5, 1815,
flames shot from its summit and the
earth rumbled for hours. The volcano then fell silent.
Five days later, the peak exploded with a roar heard for hundreds
of kilometers. Rivers of molten rock
ran down the slopes. Days later, the
mountain collapsed, its height suddenly diminished by 1,500 meters.
An estimated 100,000 people died.
The repercussions were global,
but no one realized that the widespread death and mayhem arose
from the eruption. It was scientists
who began to stitch together the big
picture. Dr. Wood expands the portrait in his book, which is due out in
paperback this month. It lays bare
three years of planetary mayhem,
as well as the origins of fictional demons.
The exploding mountain heaved
some 50 cubic kilometers of earthen
A giant, engulfing
ash cloud cooled
the globe for years.
matter to a height of more than 40
kilometers. While coarse particles
soon rained out, finer ones traveled
the high winds in a spreading cloud.
The global veil reflected sunlight
back into space, so the planet cooled
and tempests arose.
The particles high in the atmosphere also produced spectacular
sunsets, as detailed in the famous
paintings of J.M.W. Turner, the English landscape pioneer.
The story also comes alive in local dramas, none more important
for literary history than the birth
of Frankensteins monster and the
The Butterfly, the Ant and the Oregano

By NICHOLAS WADE
It may be hard to imagine a

mnage trois, satisfactory to all, in
which one tries to dislodge another
with a toxic gas and a third eats the
offspring of the other two. But such
an arrangement exists.
The story begins with the Large
Blue, a butterfly that lays its eggs
on the wild oregano plant. The caterpillar munches on the plants
flower buds for two weeks and one
night drops to the ground. Then, the
caterpillar gets adopted by a red ant
known as Myrmica. The caterpillar tricks an ant into thinking it is
a stray grub from the ants nest by
adopting the grubs posture and exuding a scent that mimics that of the
ants species.
Taken underground to the Myrmica nest, the caterpillar gorges on
the ants larvae for 10 months, increasing its weight nearly 50 times
until it is time to turn into a pupa and
A bad relationship
that works wonders
for three species.
then a butterfly.
The Large Blues association
with ants has been known for more
than a century. Only recently have
researchers started to explore how
the butterfly pulls off the feat of detecting the underground nests of a
single species of ant to which its caterpillars are adapted. (The butterfly, widespread in Europe, seeks out
a single species of the Myrmica family of ants, but the particular species
varies from one region to another in
the Large Blues territory.)
Researchers led by Dario Patricelli and Emilio Balletto at the Uni-
versity of Turin in Italy and Jeremy A. Thomas of the University of

Oxford have developed evidence
that the oregano plant is the crucial
mediator between the ants and the
Large Blue butterfly.
To fend off ants and other threats,
the oregano plant exudes toxic
fumes. But Myrmica ants have
evolved the ability to detoxify carvacrol, the principal ingredient of
the oreganos defense system. The
Myrmica ants may not particularly
like carvacrol, but they do like living
near oregano plants because the potent chemical keeps ant competitors
away.
The oregano plants are less
pleased when a Myrmica ant colony tunnels beneath them. They
double their output of carvacrol, Dr.
Thomass group reported recently
in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. And this, the scientists say,
is the cue for female Large Blues
human vampire. That happened on

Lake Geneva in Switzerland, where
some of the most famous names of
English poetry had gone on a summer holiday.
By 1816, Switzerland was beginning to reel from the bad weather
and failed crops. Mobs stormed
bakeries after bread prices soared.
That June, the cold and stormy
weather sent the English tourists
inside a lakeside villa to warm
themselves by a fire and exchange
ghost stories. Mary Shelley, then 18,
was part of a literary coterie that
included Percy Shelley, her future
husband, as well as Lord Byron.
Wine flowed, as did laudanum, a
form of opium.
Mary Shelley came up with her
lurid tale of Frankenstein, which
she published two years later. And
Lord Byron hit on the outline of the
modern vampire tale, published
later by a compatriot as The

Vampyre.
Dr. Woods book documents many other repercussions of the planetary chill, devoting a chapter to a
cholera pandemic of 1817 that began
in India and globally killed tens of
millions of people.
He also profiles the wintry chill in
Yunnan Province in China, a land of
mountains and jungles. Rice crops
there quickly failed, and famine
gnawed deep for years. In July 1816,
Dr. Wood noted, the province had
unprecedented snows.
Dr. Woods portrait of global volcanic ruin offers a kind of meditation on the difficulty of uncovering
the subtle effects of climate change,
whether its origins lie in natures
fury or the invisible byproducts of
human civilization.
It is, Dr. Wood remarked, hard to
see and no less difficult to imagine.
The Large Blue

butterfly fools ants,
eating their young.
may lose a few colonies to
Large Blue caterpillars,
but the oregano provides
protection against ant rivals. The Large Blue exploits the oregano-Myrmica association to gain
safe underground nurseries for its brood.
The Large Blue belongs
ROBERT THOMPSON/BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION,
to the lycaenids family of
VIA EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
butterflies, which originated some 80 million years ago.
to lay their eggs. An extra strong
The first lycaenids most likely had
whiff of carvacrol signals the fact
a close relationship with ants, said
that beneath this plant is a nest of
Naomi E. Pierce of Harvard UniMyrmica ants.
versity. Most lycaenids today retain
The Large Blue-oregano-Myrmisome kind of relationship with ants.
ca system holds advantages for all.
And several species, including the
The oregano sacrifices more than
Large Blue, have independently
a dozen of its flower buds to each
evolved the ability to twist the usuLarge Blue caterpillar, but benefits
al food-defense relationship into a
because the growing caterpillar
predatory association with their
can wipe out the ants that are irriprotectors.
tating its roots. The Myrmica ants

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015 8
MONEY & BUSINESS
A Warning on China
Seems Prescient
Kenneth Rogoff has long
warned of a potential financial
crisis in China.
Mr. Rogoff, a professor of economics at Harvard University, accurately predicted
the eurozone
debt crisis and for
years has been
telling anyone who
would listen that
China posed the
ESSAY
next big threat to
the global economy. He is starting
to look right, again.
In economics, things take longer to happen than you think they
will, and then they happen faster
than you thought they could, Mr.
Rogoff said recently, repeating a
favorite line from Rudi Dornbusch, the German economist.
Mr. Rogoff, who is a chess
grandmaster, has made a career
of studying financial crises.
After the 2008 financial crisis,
Mr. Rogoff co-wrote This Time
Is Different, a seminal book
that examined eight centuries
of financial crises. Every financial crisis, he and his co-author,
Carmen M. Reinhart, concluded,
stems from the same simple problem: too much debt.
To understand the wild machinations of the stock market in recent days around the world, look
no further than Chinas astounding debt load and sputtering economy and its ability to infect the
rest of the world.
China is the classic This time
is different story, Mr. Rogoff
said, rattling off all the different
rationalizations for why the country convinced itself and many
others that it could load up on
debt but was somehow immune
to the laws of economic gravity.
He cited the governments control
over the markets, the hundreds
of millions of workers migrating
to cities and the countrys saving
rate of about 30 percent of disposable income as just some of the
reasons China was said to be impervious to a severe downturn.
Its very vulnerable, Mr. Rogoff added. There is a lot of debt.
How much debt remains an
open question, given the opacity
of Chinas market. The countrys
debt load rose to $28 trillion
by mid-2014 from $7 trillion in
2007, according to a report by
the consulting firm McKinsey &
Company, China. At 282 percent
of G.D.P., Chinas debt as a share
of G.D.P., while manageable, is
larger than that of the United
States or Germany, the McKinsey study said. Several factors
are worrisome: Half of loans
are linked directly or indirectly
to Chinas real estate market,
unregulated shadow banking
accounts for nearly half of new
lending, and the debt of many
local governments is likely unsustainable.
The question becomes, how in-
ANDREW
ROSS
SORKIN
STUART GOLDENBERG
Ad Blockers Imperil Web Economics

By FARHAD MANJOO
The great philosopher Homer

Simpson once memorably described
alcohol as the cause of and solution
to all of lifes problems. Internet
advertising is a bit like that the
funder of and terrible nuisance
baked into everything you do online.
Advertising sustains most of the
content you enjoy on the web. But
ads and the vast, hidden, data-sucking machinery that they depend on
to track and profile you are routinely the most terrible thing about the
Internet.
Now, more and more web users
are escaping the profusion of online advertising by installing an
ad blocker. This simple, free software lets you roam the web without encountering any ads. With an
ad blocker, your web browser will
generally run faster, youll waste
less bandwidth downloading ads,
and youll suffer fewer annoyances
when navigating the Internet.
Ad blocking has been around for
years, but adoption is now rising
steeply. That has spurred a debate
about the ethics of ad blocking.
Some publishers and advertisers
say ad blocking violates the implicit
contract that girds the Internet
the idea that in return for free content, we all tolerate ads.
But in the long run, there could
be a hidden benefit to blocking ads
for advertisers and publishers: Ad
blockers could end up saving the ad
industry from its worst excesses. If
blocking becomes widespread, the
ad industry will be pushed to produce ads that are simpler, less invasive and far more transparent about
the way theyre handling our data
or risk getting blocked forever if
they fail.
Its clear to us that the ads ecosystem is broken, said Ben Williams, a spokesman for Eyeo, the
German company that makes
Adblock Plus, the most popular
ad-blocking software. What we
need is a sea change in the industry
to get to a place where we have a
Nearly 200 million

people use software
to avoid online ads.
PAULO NUNES DOS SANTOS

FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
Sean Blanchfield of PageFair,

which tracks ad blocking,
says people are going to get
accustomed to having an adfree mobile experience.
good amount of better ads out there,
ads that users accept.
The industry may not have much
time to wait. Adobe and PageFair, an Irish start-up that tracks
ad-blocking, recently estimated
that blockers would cost publishers nearly $22 billion in revenue
this year. Nearly 200 million people
worldwide regularly block ads, the
report said, and the number is growing fast, increasing 41 percent globally in the last year.
Today, ad-blocking is mostly restricted to desktop web browsers.
But iOS 9, Apples latest mobile operating system, will include support
for blockers when it becomes available in the fall. Several ad-blocking
firms are now creating apps for the
new OS.
Whats likely to happen is that
of the 200 million people who use ad
blocking now, lets say half of them
have iPhones theyre all going to
install one of these things, said Se-
an Blanchfield, the chief executive of

PageFair. Then theyll start telling
all their friends about this amazing
app that saves your battery, saves
your data and speeds up the web,
and its likely to go viral.
Its important to note that PageFair has its own stake to consider,
and some have accused the company of self-interested alarmism. The
company also sells technology that
allows web publishers to determine
if users are running blocking software and then serves them ads
anyway, going around the blockers.
PageFairs strategy to mitigate
users outrage is that it will only
show ads that arent intrusive,
Mr. Blanchfield said. That means
the ads wont feature animations,
wont block content, and wont load
trackers that report what you do
on a web page.
PageFair is just one of the firms
trying to create an ecosystem that
produces better ads. AdBlock Plus
created Acceptable Ads, which
sets a standard for ads that the software will let users see despite having ad-blocking turned on. Ghostery
makes a plug-in that lets users find
and block online tracking tools
the code in a page that sends data
about your surfing habits to marketers.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau has been working to create
clearer guidelines for the trackers
coded web pages. Scott Cunningham, the general manager of the
bureaus technology lab, said, As
weve watched the incidence rate
of ad blocking, weve said, O.K., its
time for us to put the clamps onto
some of the areas we havent addressed yet.
terconnected is Chinas economy

to the rest of the world? Thats
exactly what investors have been
trying to determine as Chinas
government has devalued its currency and tried and failed to
stabilize its plummeting stock
market. The drop has been worsened, in part, by debt as overextended Chinese speculators who
borrowed money to buy stocks
are now being forced to sell, creating a vicious cycle.
How does all that ricochet to
emerging markets? Mr. Rogoff
said in discussing the effect of
Chinas slowdown on commodity
producers like Brazil, whose
economy is in a tailspin.
Look at Russia. Its amazing
they havent had a financial crisis
yet.
Mr. Rogoff is not the first person to identify China as a potential risk. Earlier this year, Henry
M. Paulson Jr., the former United
States Treasury secretary, said,
Frankly, its not a question of
if, but when, Chinas financial
system will face a reckoning and
have to contend with a wave of
credit losses and debt restructurings.
There are significant political
reasons China needs to convince
Viewing the cause

of financial crises
as too much debt.
the world and its own citizens
that it can manage its convulsing
financial markets and slowing
economy. Financial meltdown
leads to a social meltdown, which
leads to a political meltdown, Mr.
Rogoff said. Thats the real fear.
Mr. Rogoff pointed to another
factor that has contributed to Chinas financial woes.
The crisis in Tianjin fed into
the mix, he said, referring to the
deadly explosion on August 12 in
the port city, which killed more
than 100 people. Mr. Rogoff said
the explosion had undermined
the credibility of the Chinese government because so many questions remained unanswered.
So, does Mr. Rogoff believe
that China is headed for a terrible
hard landing that will lead to a
global recession?
Mr. Rogoff says he believes the
last several weeks have raised
the prospects of a meaningful
crisis. But with Chinas trillions
of dollars in reserves, he thinks
the country may have sufficient
tools to prevent a calamity that
spreads across the globe at
least for now.
If you had to bet, Mr. Rogoff
said, youd still bet theyd pull it
out.
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WORLD TRENDS
Human actions threaten the future of the vulture. In a Kenyan

reserve, zebras crossing a river and vultures feeding on wildebeest.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY BEN C. SOLOMON/THE NEW YORK TIMES
Vulture Populations Wane in Africa, Poisoned by Man

By MARC SANTORA
MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE, Kenya Each summer,

500,000 wildebeests die along the
treacherous migration from the
Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the Masai Mara National
Reserve in Kenya. And with death
come the scavengers, none more
important than the vulture.
But the population of the birds
that once feasted on that misfortune
are collapsing, part of a broader decline that throws off ecosystems and
illustrates the far-reaching effects
of poaching, poisoning and other
human interventions.
The overall global picture for
vultures is abysmal, said Darcy
Ogada, the assistant director of
Africa programs at the Peregrine
Fund, an organization dedicated to
saving birds of prey.
In the first major study of the
30-year decline of Pan-African vultures, scientists found that popula-
tions of eight species of vultures had

declined an average of 62 percent.
Seven of those species had declined
at a rate of 80 percent or more over
three generations.
In some parts of Africa, vultures
are slain by poachers who poison
carcasses hoping to kill the birds so
they will not circle overhead and signal park rangers. A vulture can spot
a dead elephant in less than 30 minutes, but it can take a poacher more
than an hour to hack off ivory tusks.
No vulture, no warning.
Here on the Mara, one of the
greatest natural strongholds left
on the planet, the vultures are the
unintended victims of poisoning of
carcasses that is meant to kill large
carnivores, like hyenas, in an effort
to protect Masai livestock.
Across Africa, the threats to wildlife are myriad, but much of the attention is focused on the stately animals of the savanna, like lions and
elephants.
ONLINE: SAVANNAS JANITORS
A video on the decline of

the vulture in Africa:
nytimes.com Search vultures
Everyone forgets about the Ugly

Bettys of this world, said Munir Z.
Virani, who directs the Africa and
South Asia programs for the Peregrine Fund.
Anthony Ole Tira, who is Masai
and the co-owner of the Matira Bush
Camp in the reserve, stood by a river
and pointed to scores of rotting carcasses. One week earlier, 900,000
wildebeests had plunged headlong
into the river in a panic. Thousands
were trampled to death.
That was normal. The rotting remains were not.
Ten years ago, this would have
been cleaned by now, he said.
There are a lot of places along the
Mara River that are not as clean as
they once were because there are

not enough vultures.
Over tens of millions of years, vultures have evolved into the most efficient cleaners in the natural world.
Because of their highly acidic gastric juices, they can eat flesh infected with a variety of diseases without
getting ill. When the vultures feast
on diseased meat, picking the carcass clean, the threat of wider infection ends.
Dr. Virani hopes that the population decline can be halted and reversed before it reaches the kind of
critical situation found in India and
other parts of the world. It is not too
late, he said.
The Peregrine Fund has started
a program with the Masai people
to change attitudes about using poisons. Ole Sairowa, 67, a village elder,
said that the use of poisons started
two decades ago when the government provided a dangerous white
powder to kill feral dogs. A decade
An Extremist Criticizes
Raids on Palestinians
By JODI RUDOREN
and ISABEL KERSHNER
OFRA, West Bank Yehuda

Etzion does not regret helping plant
bombs in the cars of Palestinian
mayors and plotting to blow up the
Dome of the Rock in the 1980s, nor
does he express remorse. But he has
reconsidered the role of violence in
the quest for a Messianic kingdom
of Israel as he contemplates a new
generation of radicals he sees as
bastardizing their shared ideology.
The aging right-wing extremist,
along with much of the Jewish world,
was outraged by the firebombing in
July in the West Bank village of Duma that killed an 18-month-old boy
and his father.
Mr. Etzion, 64, said he takes partial responsibility for not reaching out to the young zealots to try
and straighten out their thinking,

which he described as a childish,
distorted and even vulgar interpretation of Jewish texts.
Having spent the decades since
he was released from prison in 1989
mostly writing and editing books,
this force of the Jewish Underground issued a one-page declaration, gave an interview to a conservative newspaper and went on television to condemn the Duma arson.
Mr. Etzion said if he knew the perpetrators, he would turn them in to
the police, prompting a backlash
from some friends.
I can hardly find words strong
enough to say how I distance myself from them and reject them,
Mr. Etzion said at his home in Ofra, the West Bank settlement he
helped found 40 years ago. Vio-
Violence has no
role now. On the
contrary, whats
needed now
is some quiet.
YEHUDA ETZION
an Israeli right-winger
AHIKAM SERI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
lence has no role now, he said. On

the contrary, whats needed now is
some quiet, an environment for letting a seedling grow. You need conditions, and violence contradicts
those conditions.
Mr. Etzion always opposed attacks on random Arabs: He saw
the mayors as legitimate targets,
the heads of the snake, but argued
against his comrades 1983 gunand-grenade attack on the Islamic
college in Hebron.
To visit with Mr. Etzion is to see
the differences and connections
between the old underground and
the current youth, against a backdrop of an Israel growing more religious and settlements ever more
entrenched.
The extremists of the 1980s were
educated army veterans fathers
in their 30s with a lot to lose. The
Israeli authorities describe todays
as mainly dropouts who do drugs,
recruited as young as 13 and generally unmarried. But they share their
predecessors goal of replacing the
democratic state with a post-Zionist
theocracy as well as some of their
tactics: Duma and the maiming of
the Arab mayors marked the end
later, he started to notice fewer vultures.

Now we are worried they are not
coming back, he said.
Dr. Virani cited the effort to bring
electricity to communities across
Africa through the construction
of wind farms and power plants as
one that, if not carried out carefully,
could endanger vultures and other
birds.
For now, the vultures continue to
play their role in the natural drama
that unfolds during the migration.
On a recent morning, it took them
20 minutes to pick the bones of a wildebeest carcass clean.
It seemed efficient. But Mr. Tira
said the job used to be accomplished
much faster, by many more vultures.
In five minutes, they would be
done, he said. If the vultures continue to disappear, can you imagine? This whole beautiful place will
become one stink pit.
of the 30-day mourning period for

Jews killed by Palestinians.
Sefi Rachlevsky, a columnist for
the leftist Haaretz newspaper who
wrote a book about Jewish Messianism, said he wouldnt really believe Mr. Etzions mea culpa.
To say that somebody who is still
working to make the biggest flames
about the Temple Mount, that he
changed something about his ideas,
thats nonsense, Mr. Rachlevsky
said.
Mr. Etzion described as cowardly the attacks todays radical youth
carry out against Palestinians.
Still, Mr. Etzion blamed Israels
evacuation of Gaza Strip settlements a decade ago for inciting the
ire. The young people ask themselves, Who is the state? Is the
state on the side of the house that
was built in the land of Israel, or on
the side of the bulldozer that has
come to destroy it? he said. The
more the youth decide the state is
the bulldozer, they say, Im against,
and Im ready to throw a firebomb
at the bulldozer.
WORLD TRENDS
Apps and Social Media

Are Migrants Lifelines
Continued from Page 1
Thessaloniki, Greece, about $1,900,
includes travel by car to and from
each side of the border with a twohour walk across. We have cars going every day, the trafficker boasts.
One user asked whether there was a
family discount for multiple passengers. And in case one doubts the offers veracity, the post has 39 likes.
The Trafficking to Europe group,
with about 6,000 members, is merely
one corner of a new world of social
media available to Syrians and others making the perilous journey to
Europe.
Syrians are helped along their
journeys by Arabic-language Facebook groups like Smuggling Into the
E.U., with about 24,000 members,
and How to Emigrate to Europe,
with about 39,000.
The discussions are both public
and private, requiring an invitation
from a group administrator. Migrants share photos and videos of
their journeys taken on their smartphones.
The groups are used widely by
those traveling alone and with traffickers. In fact, the ease and autonomy the apps provide may be cutting
into the smuggling business.
Right now, the traffickers are
losing business because people are
going alone, thanks to Facebook,
said Mohamed Haj Ali, 38, who
works with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in Belgrade,
Real-time updates on
arrests, routes and
border guards.
Serbias capital a major stopover
for migrants.
Originally from Syria, Mr. Ali has
lived in Belgrade for three years,
helping migrants and listening to
their stories. At first, he said, most
migrants passing through Serbia
had paid traffickers for most or all
of their trip.
But as tens of thousands completed their journeys, they shared their
experiences on social media even
the precise GPS coordinates of every stop along their routes, recorded automatically by some smartphones.
For those traveling today, the
prices charged by traffickers have
gone down by about half since the
beginning of the conflict, Mr. Ali
said.
The only part of the journey that
most migrants still pay traffickers
for, he said, is the crossing from
Turkey to Greece. Many migrants
now feel able to make the rest of the
journey on their own with a GPSequipped smartphone and without
paying traffickers.
Mr. Ali noted the popularity of
Facebook groups such as Smuggle
PETER NICHOLLS/REUTERS
A charging station at a migrant camp in Calais, France. Next destination: Britain, many hoped.
Yourself to Europe Without a Trafficker.
Syrians are not idiots, he said.
Mr. Aljasem, encountered in the
park, said he kept in touch with his
21 siblings in five countries through
WhatsApp, which requires only an
Internet connection.
The Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees
has distributed 33,000 SIM cards
to Syrian refugees in Jordan and
about 85,000 solar lanterns that can
be used to charge cellphones.
For the U.N.H.C.R., there is a

shift in understanding of what assistance provision actually is, said
Christopher Earney of the refugee
agencys innovation office in Geneva.
Pawel Krzysiek of the International Committee of the Red Cross in
Damascus, Syria, said smartphones
enabled refugees to exchange information and interact with international agencies rather than just receive information passively.
A popular Facebook page in Syria
reports real-time counts of mortar

rounds falling on Damascus and
maps of their locations, allowing
users to avoid certain areas, Mr.
Krzysiek said.
Mohammed Salmoni, 21, from Kabul, Afghanistan, who had stopped
to charge his phone at a newspaper
kiosk in Belgrade, credited it with
saving his life.
He used it to navigate a 40-hour
walk across the Afghan province of
Nimruz to Zahedan, Iran. It was
very dangerous, he said.
But Dr. Kimmels audience is

growing. U.N. Women, the United
Nations arm dedicated to gender
equality, is going to work with Dr.
Kimmel to develop a series of workshops for men on college campuses.
In May, the American Mens Studies
Association held a three-day workshop on Teaching Mens Studies
simply because the demand to teach
it is suddenly so high, the organization said.
That urgency is the

product of a few things,
Dr. Kimmel said. For
starters, the discussion of womens equality seems to be everywhere, with new attention being paid to the
role men play in helping
women achieve equality, and why its good for
them, too. Over the last
40 years, theres been a
shift in gender roles, yet
most academic study
has focused solely on
its impact on women.
A recent survey found
that four in nine men
said it was harder to be
a man today than it was
in their fathers generation, with most citing
womens economic rise
OWEN SMITH
as the reason.
If we had a better understanding
of men, how many of the worlds ills
could we solve or, at least, attempt
to?
There is a Pentagon document,
Dr. Kimmel said, in which Lyndon B. Johnson is quoted saying he
didnt want to pull out of Vietnam
because he wouldnt be viewed as
manly.
This is the president of the United States proving his masculinity.
Mens Studies Is Suddenly in Demand

Continued from Page 1
masculinity affected their experience.
Dr. Kimmel is the founder and
director of the Center for the Study
of Men and Masculinities at Stony
Brook University on Long Island,
New York, which will soon start
the first masters degree program
in masculinities studies, (plural)
to acknowledge that there is more
than one way to be a man, Dr. Kimmel said.
For 40 years, Dr. Kimmel has
been promoting the understanding
of men and boys. He is the author
of more than a dozen books, among
them, Angry White Men, Manhood in America: A Cultural History, Guyland: The Perilous World
Where Boys Become Men and the
Cultural Encyclopedia of the Penis, of which he was a co-editor.
The case for womens studies has
long been clear. The first programs
were founded in the 1970s during
the height of the womens movement. Womens studies produced
research, theory and activists who
worked to write women into the
history books from which theyd
been largely absent. Its safe to say
that without womens studies, we

would not have many of the gains
that women have made over the last
45 years, said Barbara J. Berg, an
American history scholar.
Our job was to give people new
ideas and to persuade them that
they were true, said Catharine
R. Stimpson, one of the pioneers of
womens studies programs, and
dean of the graduate school of arts
and sciences at New York University. It was to prove the pay gap
between men and women, and to
show the disparity in money spent
on mens and womens health. The
mere fact that we count the number
of women in state legislatures
that we go through that exercise
is because of womens studies.
But until recently, mens studies
never really seemed necessary. Literature was essentially a study of
the things men wrote, art history an
exercise in what men painted. The
joke was that mens studies already
existed, said Dr. Berg, the author
of Sexism in America: Alive, Well,
and Ruining Our Future said. It
was just history.
But a program for the study of
masculinity, Dr. Kimmel said, would
incorporate scholarship across dis-
ciplines from social work to literature to health. It would ask questions like: What makes men men,
and how are we teaching boys to fill
those roles? It would look at the effects of race and sexuality on masculine identity and the influence of
the media and pop culture. It would
also allow scholars to take unrelated phenomena male suicide and
the fact that men are less likely to
talk about their feelings, say, or the
financial collapse and the male tendency for risk-taking and try to
connect the dots.
Were looking at it as a science,
said Daphne C. Watkins, the president of the American Mens Studies Association, the first woman to
hold that post. Many men still define masculinity as someone who
can provide for his family, who can
wrestle a tiger and protect.
What I would love to see is for us
to broaden those definitions, she
added.
Masculinities studies brings with
it varying degrees of skepticism.
Some academics have suggested
that its too trendy to be of serious
academic inquiry. Others fear that
it could siphon money away from
womens studies.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015 4
WORLD TRENDS
When Insight
Strikes
Poignant life lessons can come
when you least expect them, and
at any age. Just take the recently
acquired, post-60 mantra adopted by the blogger Dominique
Browning:
LENS
Im too old
for this.
It partly
applies to
physical tasks
that the body
is less able to
handle with
age but is
mostly about the mind. I spent
years, starting before I was a
teenager, feeling insecure about
my looks, Ms. Browning wrote
in The Times. Now, she doesnt
allow herself to get caught up in
such destructive thoughts.
If she happens to put on a few
kilos: No big deal. Nothing to
lose sleep over. She is also, she
noted, too old to try to change
people. So when toxic people or
sour, spoiled people make their
A matter of when to
insist on rigor and
when to just let go.
way into her life, Im simply
walking away.
This way of approaching things
is liberating, Ms. Browning
wrote: I spare myself a great
deal of suffering, and as we all
know, there is plenty of that to be
had without looking for more.
This approach applies at any
age, and the same can be said for
a revelation shared by the Times
writer Nick Bilton: We should
always do our best work, because
we never know the role it might
play in someone elses life.
He took that lesson from an
anecdote involving Steve Jobs
and a waitress, in which the Apple co-founder did not hesitate to
insist on top-of-the-line service
For comments, write to
nytweekly@nytimes.com.
from her. She had chosen waitressing as her profession, Mr.

Jobs reasoned, and therefore
she should be the best.
That notion came to Mr. Biltons
mind this spring when he was caring for his mother, who had cancer.
After she was given a prognosis
of having just two weeks to live,
he devoted that time to serving as
her personal chef and put his heart
and soul into the work.
She particularly loved shrimp.
So when she was craving it one
night, he ordered some from a
nearby Thai restaurant. Arriving
to pick up the food, Mr. Bilton
observed in the restaurant a
dozen men and women frantically slaving over the hot stoves
and dishwashers, with busboys
and waiters rushing in and out
and Mr. Jobs words came to
mind. To those employees, the
day must have seemed like any
other. What they had not known is
that the meal they cooked for Mr.
Biltons mother that night would
turn out to be her last.
Of course, doing your best work
is easier said than done when so
many jobs are tedious. Part of
the problem, as the psychology
professor Barry Schwartz wrote
in The Times, is that work is often
structured on the assumption
that we do it only because we
have to.
It doesnt have to be this way,
he argued, because most people
prefer jobs that are meaningful.
Employers benefit, too: Research
has shown that workplaces that
offered employees work that was
challenging, engaging and meaningful, and over which they had
some discretion, were more profitable than workplaces that treated
employees as cogs in a production
machine, Mr. Schwartz wrote.
He proposed giving employees
more say in how they do their
jobs, giving them opportunities
to learn and grow, and listening
to what they have to say. Most of
all, he wrote, it should be clear to
each employee how her job improves peoples lives with the
caveat that the work should, in
fact, improve peoples lives.
Bosses, take note.
TESS FELDER
A friend
watched
Steve Jobs
insist on
good service
from his
waitress.
She had
chosen the
work, Jobs
reasoned.
BRIAN BLANCO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
The
Russian
economy
has
entered a
recession.
Customers
at Arinas
Hangout.
SERGEY PONOMAREV FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
Russians Feel Inflations Squeeze

By SABRINA TAVERNISE
RAMENSKOYE, Russia A basic barometer of economic activity

in this tidy town south of Moscow is
the pirozhok, a small pie filled with
cabbage and meat that is a staple of
the Russian diet.
In good times they sell briskly,
snapped up by hungry commuters
at Arinas Hangout, a shop near the
train station. But sales are down by
almost half, a reflection of Russias
economic slump.
There were just physically fewer
people, said Irina A. Safonova, the
owner of the shop, which on a recent
weekday was serving pies to a trickle of customers. We used to have
lines. Now look at it.
Russians are experiencing the
first sustained decline in living standards in the 15 years since President
Vladimir V. Putin came to power.
The ruble has fallen by half against
the dollar, driven by the plunging
price of oil, the lifeblood of Russias
economy. As a result, prices of imported goods have shot up, making
tea, instant coffee and childrens
clothes suddenly, jarringly expensive.
Making matters worse are the retaliatory bans that Russia placed on
food imports after the United States
and the European Union imposed
sanctions for its actions in Ukraine,
a policy that last month saw the
government destroy thousands of
tons of what it said were illegally
imported foodstuffs. The reduced
supply means that what remains
costs more. Russians are paying a
third more for sunflower oil, a fifth
more for yogurt and three-quarters
more for carrots compared with a
year ago, according to government
statistics. (The Western sanctions
have driven up the cost of borrowing for Russian companies, but they
have not had a direct role in the inflation that is raiding Russian pocketbooks.)
Alexandra Odynova contributed
reporting.
Inflation has reduced the purchasing power of Russian wages by

more than 8 percent in the second
quarter, compared with the same
period last year, according to Russias Central Bank. And in a sign
that the worst is far from over, the
economy contracted by a steep 4.6
percent in the second quarter, compared with last year, and officially
entered its first recession since
2009.
Its horrible, said Elena Shcherbakova, a 47-year-old shoe saleswoman whose income, based in
part on commissions, has fallen
nearly a third since last year. She
says she now shops at discount supermarkets, buys the cheapest kind
of sausage and carefully counts containers of yogurt instead of throw-
A pull between
propaganda and
empty refrigerators.
ing them into her cart the way she
used to.
Russians have an immense capacity for stoicism. And Mr. Putins
popularity ratings have remained
high since last years annexation of
Crimea.
Still, the math is proving tricky. In
a draft budget released in July, the
Ministry of Finance proposed halting the practice of raising pensions
to keep up with inflation, a move that
would deliver a blow to Mr. Putins
most loyal base. Investment has collapsed since the Western sanctions,
which also blocked Russias ability
to borrow on global markets.
They have no way out, said Sergei Guriev, a professor of economics
at Sciences Po in Paris. Unless oil
prices go up, they are really looking
at a dead end.
Mr. Putins opponents argue that
the nationalist talk washing over

Russia is designed to distract attention from the fragile economic
situation. They describe it as a battle in every Russian home between
the television (the source of propaganda) and the refrigerator (whose
shrinking contents could eventually
prompt discontent).
In Moscow, some in the educated upper classes agree. All that
Ukrainian noise covers up our
internal problems, said Maria
Novychkova, a manager in a textile
company, where employees are on
four-day workweeks.
The crisis in Ramenskoye has
been gradual but destructive. The
town has tried to modernize in recent years, with a new airport and a
PepsiCo juice factory.
Ms. Safonova first noticed a drop
in business last fall. There were fewer commuters to Moscow, and those
who remained spent less freely.
The checkout clerks at the Kopeika
supermarket had their wages cut.
Then in March, PepsiCo announced
that the juice factory in town was
closing, citing the bad economy.
By summer, the pie shops sales
had dropped by nearly half, and Ms.
Safonova had to lay off four of her
eight employees.
Across Russia, the crisis has
prompted a collapse in consumption. International airline travel has
fallen almost a fifth since last year,
and car sales are down 36 percent in
the first half of this year.
Still, the discontent seems to bypass Mr. Putin.
Honestly, we are so proud he is
our president, said Vyacheslav,
75, a retired factory manager, who
refused to give his surname, as he
steered a mostly empty grocery
cart through a Kopeika supermarket. Thanks to him, we have all of
this, he said, gesturing toward a
glass display case of beet and potato
salads, fried eggplant and chicken.
Then he called his wife to tell her
that they were out of the cheapest
hot dogs.
WORLD TRENDS
Myanmar Crusader
Alienates Supporters
By THOMAS FULLER
YANGON, Myanmar Framed

photographs of Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi, the Nobel laureate, cover the
walls of his small living room, but
U Myo Khin, a longtime democracy activist, has harsh words for the
woman he idolized for years as a
crusader against dictatorship.
Generation, were largely passed
The goal is still democracy, but
over. Those decisions prompted
her behavior is authoritarian, said
anger and defections. A number of
Mr. Myo Khin, who was a political
defiant members of the party were
prisoner for 12 years. She is losing
expelled.
people like us who have been strong
As the controversy grew, Ms.
supporters.
Aung San Suu Kyis response came
It was taboo for years among deacross to some as imperious and
mocracy activists in Myanmar to
condescending. The N.L.D. is a pospeak ill of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi,
litical party, and we have rules, she
who became a global icon of democwas quoted as saying. If you cant
racy and a symbol of resistance
follow these rules, you cant work for
against oppression when Myanmar
the N.L.D.
was ruled by a brutal military junta.
The countrys Constitution, writAny criticism of The Lady, as she is
ten by the military junta before it
known here, was seen as abetting
handed over power to a quasi-civilthe generals.
ian government in 2011, allocates
But as elections approach
one-quarter of the seats in Parliacontests described by some as a
ment to the military. This means
once-in-a-generation opportunity
democratic forces, if they do not alfor democratic forces Ms. Aung
ly themselves with the army, must
San Suu Kyi is being criticized by
gain two-thirds of the elected seats
activists, commentators and into have a simple majority.
tellectuals. They accuse her of an
uncompromising approach
to managing her party. They
question her decision to ally
herself with a now-marginalized former general. And they
say she is missing an opportunity to build a grand coalition
of democratic forces, including
minority ethnic groups whose
support may be crucial after
the election.
She has made enemies with
the people she needs, said U
Sithu Aung Myint, a columnist
with a reputation for nonparYE AUNG THU/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE GETTY IMAGES
tisan commentary. She lacks
The leadership style of Daw Aung
strategic thinking, and she is
not a clever politician.
San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate,
For a woman who sacrificed
has been called authoritarian.
the better part of two decades
fighting dictatorship, much
Moreover, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi
of that time under house arrest, it
is barred from the presidency by a
is deeply paradoxical that a word
clause in the Constitution that disalincreasingly used to describe her
lows anyone with a foreign spouse or
is authoritarian, even among her
children from becoming president.
allies in her party, the National
Her husband, who died in 1999, was
League for Democracy.
a British citizen, and so are their two
Asked what he thought of the
sons.
term, U Nyan Win, the partys
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyis critics
spokesman, did not hesitate.
say her alliance with Thura Shwe
I agree, he said.
Mann, a former general in the junta
But he said that Burmese political
who leads one faction of the military
culture has long featured hierarchiestablishment but is widely discal decision-making, and her party
liked by other factions, rattled the
is no exception. He painted a picmilitarys top brass. In August, Mr.
ture of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, who
Shwe Mann was purged as the head
turned 70 in June, as overworked,
of the Union Solidarity and Developstruggling to delegate power and
ment Party by the president and his
not always getting accurate inforbackers in the military.
mation about the day-to-day deciDaw Nyo Nyo Thin, an indepensions within the party.
dent member of the Yangon regional
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi declined to
Parliament, says she has been conbe interviewed for this article.
fused by Ms. Aung San Suu Kyis
Her party came under its heaviest
decisions.
criticism during the selection proIs the Nobel laureate authoritarcess of candidates for the Novemian? We have many stories, Ms.
ber 8 election. Some of the leaders of
Nyo Nyo Thin said. But this is not
the democracy movement, former
the time to speak out.
political prisoners known as the 88
A party stumbles
in its push for
democratic change.
MOHAMED AZAKIR/REUTERS
Garbage in Beirut reflects the governments inability to manage basic services, stirring protests.
Trash, and Anger, Pile Up in Lebanon

By ANNE BARNARD
BEIRUT, Lebanon Mohammad Rizk sat glumly in his sandwich shop, waiting for customers.
The scent of roasting chicken mingled with the stench of a trash pile
just outside. The garbage heap
now dominated the curb where his
drive-by clients once idled.
Mr. Rizk, 39, has a degree in economics. Yet without clout in any
of Lebanons sect-based political
parties, he said, he could not get a
job in that field, and found himself
making shawarma in a hole-in-thewall shop. It was a lot he accepted
until this summer, when political
gridlock halted trash collection, a
relatively reliable public service
in a country with precious few of
them, and sent protesters into the
streets.
Enough. This is enough, said
Mr. Rizk, declaring that he would
join the demonstrators if only he
could afford to leave the shop. No
electricity we said, O.K. No water we said, O.K. But the trash?
The mounting garbage piles are
one indignity too far, the ultimate
physical manifestation of a failed
political system that has left the
state unable to perform even the
most basic functions so goes the
central complaint of the demonstrators, who call their movement
You Stink.
After a bloody 15-year civil war
ended in 1990, power and resources in Lebanon were essentially
divided up among the former combatants in a system of sectarian
political patronage. The perpetual
inertia of the government, ranked
the fourth least efficient on earth
by the World Economic Forum, ob-
structs everything from the grand

to the mundane.
That is bad enough in ordinary
times, but these are not ordinary
times: The chaotic, murderous
conflict next door in Syria has
forced Lebanon, a nation of four
million people, to shelter more
than 1.3 million refugees.
They told us that this system
was preventing civil war, and
thats why the Lebanese people
tolerated it, Maroun Khoreish, a
retired general, said at a demonstration, where he joined a group
of young activists from a range
of backgrounds at a sidewalk ta-
A system that fails to

provide steady water
or electricity.
ble in front of a cigar shop. But
these young people say enough is
enough. And they are right.
The garbage crisis is only the
latest sign of political dysfunction.
There has not been a president for
more than a year, but Lebanese
barely notice, they often joke, since
the government does so little for
them normally.
For instance, the country cannot
generate enough power to meet its
needs, forcing people to pay for private generator subscriptions or go
without power for hours each day.
No new power plant has been
built for decades. Among the reasons: The political parties cannot
agree on who would reap the spoils,

and in part because the network of
generator operators politically
connected, of course would lose
money.
And in a nation whose water resources are the envy of some of its
neighbors, municipal water flows
only at certain hours on certain
days. You can tell which hours
because that is when streams of
water from unrepaired pipes flow
down the street.
Many families use salty well water to make up the shortfall, or buy
water to fill tanks for daily use. It is
delivered in trucks by private companies. People also pay for bottled
drinking water.
Teachers regularly go on strike;
otherwise, said Dalal Zawawi, a
protester, they simply would not
get paid on time. Communities
south of Beirut arose in protest
after a landfill near the town of
Naimeh exceeded its capacity and
the government failed to come up
with a solution. Demonstrators
blocked the road to the landfill,
touching off the trash crisis.
Even Syrians fleeing war pronounce themselves shocked at the
lack of infrastructure in Lebanon.
In Basta, a woman stepping
through garbage while out shopping said she had gone to demonstrations not only because food
was rotting in her refrigerator because of power cuts, but because
economic woes were forcing her
family to live apart: Two of her
five children had gone abroad to
find work and another was about
to leave.
Im suffocating, she said. We
are living in stagnation.
WORLDTRENDS
INTELLIGENCE/MONA ELTAHAWY
Moroccans protesting against

the arrest of two women over
their dress at a market in
Agadir, and against the assault
of a gay man in Fez.
The Morality Police

Of the Middle East
Cairo
At the end of June, Egypts backlogged courts found time to try and
convict Reda al-Fouly on charges of
inciting debauchery. Less than a
month later, two other women were
jailed on the same charge, after
complaints accusing them of outraging public decency.
All three women are belly dancers whose supposed crime was to
perform in immoral videos on
YouTube. The women danced in
costumes that revealed a lot of leg
and cleavage
In much of the Middle East, inciting debauchery is like violating
national security. It is a catchall
flexible enough to use against a
variety of moral opponents and is
mobilized to unite people in righteous indignation. Recent cases in
Egypt, Sudan and Morocco are a
reminder that women and gay men
are often targets. Prosecuting such
moral crimes enables conservative regimes and their societies to
congratulate themselves on their
ability to control women.
The day after Ms. Fouly was
sentenced to a year in prison (later
reduced to six months), Egypts top
Mona Eltahawy is the author of
Headscarves and Hymens: Why
the Middle East Needs a Sexual
Revolution and a contributing
opinion writer. Send comments to
intelligence@nytimes.com.
prosecutor was assassinated by

a car bomb. Then, in July, jihadist
insurgents in the northern Sinai
region staged an audacious series
of attacks on security forces. Now
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has
issued a counterterrorism law that
includes a controversial measure
prohibiting journalists from reporting anything about the militants
attacks that deviates from the official line.
Given this backdrop of a security crisis, when Egypts military-backed regime and its opponents of armed militants are locked
in a deadly struggle, involving
arbitrary arrests and sham trials,
bombings and assassinations,
YouTube videos of belly dancers
are hardly what comes to mind as
a prime example of dangerous incitement. But instead of throwing
out the cases against the dancers as
an absurd waste of time and money,
the courts pursued them.
To be sure, Egypt is not the only
majority-Muslim country in the
region obsessed with policing womens bodies. In neighboring Sudan
in June, 10 students women from
the ages of 17 to 23 were charged
with indecent dress after being
arrested outside their church in
Khartoum. The women, who were
from the civil-war-torn Nuba
Mountains region of the country,
were all wearing long-sleeved
shirts and either skirts or trousers
FADEL SENNA/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE GETTY IMAGES
customary forms of dress for

Christians in their native South
Kordofan. If convicted, they could
be sentenced to 40 lashes.
Article 152 of Sudans criminal
code allows Sudans morality police to punish women for going unveiled or even for wearing trousers.
Such laws are socially divisive:
Sudanese women from affluent or
politically connected backgrounds
can often escape flogging and just
pay a fine. Less advantaged women
bear the brunt.
Morocco, a monarchy with an
elected Islamist government, has
seesawed between relatively progressive social positions and strict
adherence to morality provisions
in its penal code at times, with an
apparent political motivation. In
April, for example, Hicham Mansouri, an activist with an organization that supports investigative
journalism, received a 10-month
prison sentence for adultery. (The
woman reported to be his partner,
who told the court she was separated from her husband, received a
similar sentence.) Mr. Mansouris
supporters said the arrests were a
retaliation for their investigation of
state surveillance.
But Morocco has also provided
a refreshing antidote to the perils of morality laws. In July, two
Moroccan women were acquitted
of charges of gross indecency for
wearing skirts that were said to be
too flimsy and skintight. They were
arrested in Agadir after shopkeepers, who had heckled and harassed
the women, reported them to the
police. Under Moroccan law, an offense involving public obscenity
carries a penalty of up to two years
in prison. The charges incited a national outcry. Hundreds of lawyers
offered to defend the women, more
than 27,000 Moroccans signed a petition to free the women and thousands more held rallies in Agadir
and in Casablanca.
At a time when murderous thugs
behead, rape and sexually enslave

in the name of their self-declared
Islamic State, you would think that
hemline heights and dcolletage
would rank lower on the Middle
Easts list of moral outrages.
It is a mistake, though, to think
that only Islamist movements like
the Muslim Brotherhood obsess
over morality. Nominally secular
regimes will often outdo religious
conservatives in the decency
contest. Rights groups say the
current regime in Egypt has carried out the harshest crackdown
against the gay community since
the Mubarak era far worse than
anything that occurred under
President Mohamed Morsi of the
Muslim Brotherhood during his
year in office.
The lesson is that respectability
politics has the power to unite military regimes and religious zealots
alike.
We will truly be free only when
morality and decency no longer
depend on policing the length of a
womans skirt, criminalizing suggestive videos or trapping vulnerable groups with the catchall of debauchery accusations. What is more
indecent: torture, beheadings, car
bombs and mass incarceration or
a glimpse of a womans skin?
The reality is that we are all in
chains so long as we punish those
whom society judges debauched
and deviant. It is time to rid the
Middle Easts penal codes of these
morality laws that serve only the
hypocrites and misogynists.
Fasting-to-Death Ritual Clashes With Indian Law

By ELLEN BARRY
and MANSI CHOKSI
PUNE, India All week, people

streamed in and out of the handsome bungalow where the Lodha
family lives.
On a bed in a corner of a large sitting room, surrounded by a crowd
of reverent visitors, the familys
92-year-old patriarch, Manikchand
Lodha, was fasting to death. It was
the culmination of an act of santhara, a voluntary starvation undertaken every year by hundreds
of members of the austere, ancient

Jain religion.
Three years earlier, a fall left
Mr. Lodha bedridden. First he renounced pleasures like tea and
tobacco. Then things he loved, like
television. He gave up medicine,
even refusing an air mattress to
ease his bedsores. On August 10,
he took the ancient vow and gave
up food and water. When he died
August 16, the house was festooned
with bunting.
Look at us do we look like we
INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY
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are in mourning? said Sunita, Mr.

Lodhas daughter-in-law. We are
celebrating, because one of our family members has achieved something great.
Mr. Lodha took the vow on the
same day that a high court judge in
the state of Rajasthan declared the
fast to be a form of suicide, which is
illegal under Indian law.
This is a thorny constitutional
question for India, which enshrines
the right to both life and religious
practice. Religious rituals are interwoven with everyday life. Indian
leaders, from Gandhi to Narendra
Modi, have observed fasts.
On August 31, the nations Supreme Court suspended the ban.
The stay will probably remain in
place for at least four years until the
decision comes up for a hearing.
Jains, who number around six
million, are prominent in Indian
business circles they dominate
Manikchand Lodha,
a member of the Jain
religion, took a vow of
santhara and fasted
until he died in August.
A judge has declared
the practice suicide.
SERENA DE SANCTIS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
the diamond industry but they also occasionally choose to cast it all
aside to live as barefoot, wandering
monks, renouncing family and business and relying on charity for food.
In 2006, an activist named Nikhil
Soni filed a court petition arguing
that santhara violated the Indian
prohibition of suicide. He also contended that the practice was used to
free families of the burden of caring
for the elderly.
Jain leaders are mobilizing to appeal to the Supreme Court, and led
protests across the country.
In the meantime, families are no

longer publicizing their relatives
fasts the way they once did, in newspapers and posters.
Babulal Jain Ujjwal, who publishes a newsletter on Jain affairs from
Mumbai, has counted an average of
450 santharas a year over the last
six years, but he said that reports
had dropped off sharply this spring,
perhaps because families were
keeping them secret.
Santharas are happening, there
is no doubt about that, but they are
happening quietly, he said.
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INTERNATIONAL WEEKLY
In collaboration with

Copyright 2015 The New York Times
MCI (P) 047/07/2015
Mens
Studies
Is Suddenly
In Demand
By JESSICA BENNETT
Michael Kimmel stood in front of

a classroom. What does it mean,
the 64-year-old sociology professor
asked the group, most of them undergraduates, to be a good man?
Caring, a male student in the
front said.
Putting others needs before
yours, another young man said.
Honest, a third said.
On a whiteboard, Dr. Kimmel
listed each term under the heading
Good Man. Now, he said, tell me
what it means to be a real man.
Take charge; be authoritative, a
sophomore said.
Take risks, a sociology graduate student said.
It means suppressing any kind of
weakness, another offered.
I think for me being a real man
Trying to learn why

mental illness and
violence afflict men.
meant talk like a man, said a young
man whod grown up in Turkey.
Walk like a man. Never cry.
Dr. Kimmel pointed to the Good
Man list, then to the Real Man list.
Look at the disparity. I think American men are confused about what it
means to be a man.
This is mens studies: the academic pursuit of what it means to
be male in todays world. Each day,
it seems, there is another news story about men in crisis: mental illness, suicide, terrorism, rape, mass
shootings, jetliner crashes or young
black men being killed by the police.
We have a mass shooter in the
U.S. every few weeks, Dr. Kimmel
said. And every time it happens, we
talk about guns. We talk about mental health. But we dont talk about
how all of these mass shooters are
male. We need to understand how
Continued on Page 5
INTELLIGENCE
Crackdown on how
women dress. PAGE 2
ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE GETTY IMAGES
Technology has transformed this refugee crisis. Migrants checked their phones after arriving on the Greek island of Kos.
Phones Are Lifelines for Migrants

By MATTHEW BRUNWASSER
BELGRADE, Serbia The

tens of thousands of migrants
who have flooded into the Balkans in recent weeks need food,
water and shelter, just like the
millions displaced by war the
world over. But there is also
one other thing they swear they
cannot live without: a smartphone charging station.
Every time I go to a new
country, I buy a SIM card and
activate the Internet and download the map to locate myself,
Osama Aljasem, a 32-year-old
music teacher from Deir alZour, Syria, explained as he
sat on a broken park bench in
Belgrade, staring at his smart-
WORLD TRENDS
An idol is criticized
in Myanmar. PAGE 3
phone and plotting his next

move into northern Europe.
I would never have been able
to arrive at my destination without my smartphone, he added.
I get stressed out when the battery even starts to get low.
Technology has transformed
this 21st-century version of a
refugee crisis, not least by making it easier for millions more
people to move. It has intensified the pressures on routes
that prove successful like
this one through the Balkans,
where, the United Nations said
recently, about 3,000 people a
day were crossing the border
from Greece into Macedonia.
In this modern migration,
smartphone maps, global positioning apps and social media

have become essential tools.
Migrants depend on them to
post real-time updates about
routes, arrests, border guard
movements and transport, as
well as places to stay and prices, while keeping in touch with
family and friends.
The first thing many do once
they have successfully navigated the watery passage between
Turkey and Greece is pull out
a smartphone and send loved
ones a message that they made
it.
Much of the change is driven by the tens of thousands of
middle-class Syrians who have
MONEY & BUSINESS
Crisis in China is seen

as inevitable. PAGE 8
been displaced by war. Such

tools are by no means limited
to them, and are also used by
migrants from Africa and the
Middle East to Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
Traffickers advertise their
services on Facebook like any
legitimate travel agency, with
dynamic photographs of destination cities and generous
offers.
On the Arabic-language
Facebook group Trafficking to
Europe, one trafficker offers a
50 percent discount for children
under 5. The 1,700 euro price of
the journey from Istanbul to
Continued on Page 5
ARTS & DESIGN
Keith Richards making

his own music. PAGE 13
53
54
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U.S.

downplays naval moves

5 Chinese vessels seen off

Divided Europe stumbles to

We set you thinking

HAZE EXPECTED TO LINGER

MCI (P) 021/06/2015

24-hour PSI expected to be in high end

working to transform area again

SINGAPORE Prime Minister Lee Hsien

Loong threw his weight behind the

SPP candidate Benjamin

You vote for

US to levy sanctions on Chinese hackers ahead of Xi visit

cial espionage from China. Three US

visit. Proponents argue that the US

today Saturday 5 September 2015

VESSELS NOW HEADING HOME

exercise, and theyve already started

warnings to the crew of an American

US to levy sanctions on Chinese hackers ahead of Xi visit

after it, said people familiar with the

which will include a 21-gun salute and

geted, since it would cut them off from

passes every year. The Philippines,

today Saturday 5 September 2015

Mixed US job report keeps

and-a-half-year low and an acceleration in wages kept alive the prospects

Hazy conditions in Spore to persist in coming days

of the 24-hour PSI creeping into the

ated Singapores offer of an assistance package to Indonesia to help

JAKARTA After a much-publicised

today Saturday 5 September 2015

Indonesia scraps bullet train plan

we will pick the better one. The more

pressed regret over the scrapping

gin construction next year and would

No conclusion in sight for TPP talks, says Malaysian Trade Minister

provisions would curb access to affordable generic medicines. Critics

economy and trade. We will be left out

HOT NEWS General Election 2015

today Saturday 5 September 2015

Plans for transforming Aljunied spelt out

PAP team in Aljunied

He is familiar with the area, having

vote for my team, vote for them, they

neighbourhood. Mr Lee said he has one

Field in front of Blk 136 Petir Road

Bukit Panjang SMC

Peoples Action Party

Field of Former Hong Kah Primary School,

Hong Kah North SMC

Singapore Peoples Party

Field in front of Blk 128C Punggol Field Walk

Punggol East SMC

Field of Choa Chu Kang Secondary School,

Choa Chu Kang GRC

Peoples Action Party

Field along Commonwealth Ave,

Holland-Bukit Timah GRC

Singapore Democratic Party

Field in front of Blk 895A Tampines Street 81

National Solidarity Party