Newspaper Clippings

The Barracuda SG

On marriage, mergers and the dangers facing the PAP

MR NGIAM TONG DOW, (right) former permanent secretary and currently corporate adviser to Temasek Holdings, was keynote speaker at the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry luncheon last week. The Q&A session included discussions on Singapore's changing economic strategies and new political styles:

SUPPOSING you were to start your career all over again, doing the same job you were given in the 1960s or 1970s, do you think you would be as successful today in drawing another Maruzen Toyo or Sumitomo Chemical to Singapore?

The economic landscape for Singapore, as for the whole world, has changed. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has ushered in a new era of global knowledge-based competition.

In the 1960s, Singapore was one of a few developing countries that went out of their way to welcome foreign direct investment. Today, every country welcomes foreign direct investment. Under the WTO rules, all countries compete on equal terms. Being a small country, a mini-state, Singapore has learnt to compete globally. The rise of China, and soon India, has unleashed a seismic shock on Singapore and other Third World countries.

Though Singapore is said to have gone from a Third to First World country, the fundamentals of competition remain the same. These are political and social stability, rising levels of education, high rates of savings, hard work without a five-day week, thirst for knowledge, daring and drive.

If Singapore continues to have these qualities, we will continue to attract new industries; the Maruzen Toyos and the Sumitomo Chemicals of a new age.

You suggested that the Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS) effort to consolidate the local banks is misguided. Can Singapore accommodate more than two local banking groups when in Japan we would virtually be down to only three major banking groups soon?

In banking, as in any other field of enterprise, skills count more than scale. In fact, McKinsey, the management consulting firm, has advised a Singapore bank of which I was a director, that a bank must first skill up before it can scale up. In other words, people count more than size.

Back-room operations can be scaled up easily, but not business relationships, which have to be built up by real people.

I am a believer in growing our own timber, not in transplanting trees through acquisitions.

Cast your mind back to the front covers of Fortune magazine in the 1970s, which featured the stars of expansion through acquisition. Where are the conglomerates of yesteryear?<

Mergers, like marriages, will take place when both parties find a fit. It should not be driven by regulators or investment banks. The fees paid by Singapore banks involved in bank mergers around 2000 easily amounted to over US$100 million (S$170 million). This is the cost of what I consider to be MAS' mistaken policy on merging Singapore banks.

Have our banks become more profitable? More efficient? More effective? It has only led to a saturated, riskier mortgage housing loans market.

As business people operating in Singapore, we face a dual challenge. On the one hand, we want our head offices to bring more business to Singapore. On the other hand, there seem to be fewer business opportunities in Singapore now than in other countries. If you were in our position, what would you do?

This is really a question for the chief executive officers of multinational corporations and small and medium enterprises to answer.

One way to start is to identify the markets or market niches that Singapore is best placed to serve. Is it experienced manpower, logistics or financing? What is the unique asset that Singapore has, or can be found in Singapore?

I know of a Singapore company that has invested successfully in fruit farms in northern China. This company has been able to consolidate small peasant farms into a large-scale operation by providing central marketing, purchase of fertilisers and packing material, and research into better root stock. Most important of all, it provides the individual farmer tending his lot with the incentive to produce both in quantity and quality. The central company guarantees to purchase the out put at predetermined prices.

Singapore entrepreneurs and their foreign partners have to search long and hard for a workable business model. The Government can only point the way. The individual has to find the route.

Now that you're no longer involved in day-to-day government decisions, do you see government policies differently?

Yes and no. Government is good at setting macro-economic policies, but is quite hopeless when it comes to the nitty-gritty, which is what business is all about. The Government should resist the temptation to micro-manage the economy. For instance, it should leave banking to bankers.

Supposing you have a choice to be a Japanese Administrative Vice-Minister or a Singapore Permanent Secretary, which would you choose and why?

I have never worked in Japan's Ministry of Trade and Industry, so I do not know what (they) do or do not do.

My brief acquaintance with them shows that the Japanese Administrative Vice-Minister and the Singapore Permanent Secretary share one common overriding value, which is to serve our country with all our might and soul. We believe passionately in the progress and prosperity of our nation.

You have worked under two different prime ministers, namely Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. Please elaborate on their styles and characters.

Yes, I have had the privilege of serving under prime ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong. I can tell you that their hearts beat strongly for Singapore.

About elitism, what is your personal assessment of Singapore's new generation of leaders?

As I will be saying elsewhere, only the People's Action Party (PAP) can defeat itself. The two greatest dangers for the PAP, which has governed Singapore since 1959, are complacency and elitism.

By complacency, I mean flying on auto-pilot. Elitism means setting the national agenda only through the eyes and perspective of the upper middle-class educated elite.

Fortunately, the incoming Government, under Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, is learning to set policies by the pulse of the Housing Board heartlands. The recent changes in our baby policies is an example of leading with the heart rather than the head.

The Barracuda SG

German court bars nuns from wearing habits in schools

It rules that ban on teachers wearing Islamic headscarves must apply to nuns

BERLIN - A German federal court has ruled that a regional ban on Muslim teachers wearing headscarves in public schools must also apply to Christian nuns, news weekly Der Spiegel reported in an advance copy of its latest issue.

The magazine wrote that the Federal Administrative Court had ruled that a law passed in April in the south-western state of Baden-Wuerttemberg was unfair as it only applied to Muslim women yet permitted Christian symbols.

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Nuns, who often work in public schools in the predominantly Roman Catholic Black Forest region of the state, will now be barred from wearing their habits in the classroom.

'Exceptions for certain forms of religiously motivated clothing in certain regions are out of the question,' the federal judges of the court based in Leipzig, eastern Germany, wrote in their ruling as quoted by Der Spiegel.

A copy of the ruling could not be obtained yesterday.

The author of the state legislation, law professor Ferdinand Kirchhof, told Der Spiegel that nuns' habits were considered to be 'professional uniforms' in the region, and thus exempt from the religious symbols law.

Germany's highest tribunal, the constitutional court, ruled in September last year that Baden-Wuerttemberg was wrong to forbid a Muslim teacher from wearing a headscarf in the classroom.

But it said Germany's 16 states could legislate independently to ban religious apparel if it was deemed to unduly influence children, which has subsequently created a patchwork quilt of varying rules throughout the country.

Muslim groups have fiercely criticised the bans as compromising their freedom of religious expression.

Germany is home to more than three million Muslims, making Islam the country's third religion.

The German state laws tend to stop short of limits set by controversial new legislation in neighbouring France, which outlaws Islamic headscarves and other religious insignia in state schools outright, applying to both teachers and students. -- AFP

The Barracuda SG

Revamp of civil service quality drive

A CIVIL service movement to encourage workplace innovation and service improvement has been revamped this year in response to last year's frank critique by a top civil servant.

Permanent Secretary Bilahari Kausikan, who heads the ExCEL movement, declared last year the movement had lost its way.

He did so after a survey found that one in two civil servants preferred to stay away from the many Work Improvement Teams (Wits) set up to improve workplace efficiency.

The ExCEL movement - which stands for Excellence through Continuous Enterprise and Learning - includes older movements such as Wits but puts more emphasis on learning.

Mr Kausikan's diagnosis: Too many man-hours were wasted on elaborate preparations for the annual ExCEL convention, which included a competition between teams from various ministries and agencies.

As a result, this year's convention will be markedly different. According to a press release issued on Saturday by the ExCEL convention organising committee, the event on Wednesday will do away with the element of competition.

It will take just one day, unlike last year when it took four days for 100 judges to select 48 award winners from 400 teams.

Ministries and agencies will also be free to choose their tools for problem-solving and project format.

This is in contrast to the past, when teams had to stick to a standard format as laid out by the competition rules.

The committee said the revamped convention is intended to 'refocus attention on the fundamental purpose of ExCEL, which is empowerment'.

'ExCEL is about enabling public servants, regardless of rank, to contribute to improving the quality of public service in Singapore,' it added.

The Barracuda SG

Court pressed to shed light on freedom of religion

A Christian convert who can't register her marriage because she was once a Muslim demands her constitutional right

By Carolyn Hong

KUALA LUMPUR - When Ms Azlina Jailani wanted to get married several years ago, her life got complicated with court hearings and whispers behind her back.

The Christian convert could not register with the Registrar of Marriages because she is legally a Muslim.

In Malaysia, where a Malay is constitutionally also a Muslim, such complications are not new.

But increasingly lawyers say the country has to set clearer ground rules to govern all religious conversions.

Both Ms Azlina and her lawyer declined to be interviewed as her case is before the civil court.

She is seeking a declaration that she is free to practise the faith of her choice, and have the word 'Islam' dropped from her identity card.

The normal procedure would be to apply to the Syariah Court for approval, often a lengthy process.

Ms Azlina is trying to avoid this by falling back onto the constitutional guarantee on the freedom of religion.

Islamic and constitutional law professor Shad Faruqi told The Straits Times that there is a legitimate reason for requiring legal approval for conversions - prevent Muslims from evading the law by leaving their faith when caught for a religious offence.

Religion also carries a particular significance in Malaysia because of its implications for ethnicity, he said.

Former National Mosque imam Pirdaus Ismail said that as Islam has a special status in the Constitution, the country's laws are designed to protect the sanctity of the religion and its followers.

'However, the laws are implemented with a spirit of tolerance,' said the Umno Youth executive member.

The courts have seen several high-profile conversion cases recently. Earlier this year, a court heard a custody battle for two young children converted to Islam by their father after he became a Muslim. Their mother remained a Hindu.

The couple was awarded joint custody but daily care was given to the mother who must, however, bring the children up as Muslims.

Another recent case was that of four Muslims in Kelantan who renounced Islam after the Syariah Court ordered them to stop following deviationist teachings. They were subsequently jailed for violating this order.

Conversions from Islam, while few in number, have thrown up painful issues for Malaysia where religious differences often cause family and community rifts.

Reluctance to discuss this taboo subject has left uncertain how the constitutional guarantee of the freedom of religion applies to Muslims.

'We need the law to step in to provide clarity,' Prof Shad said.

Ms Azlina's case, to be heard by the Court of Appeal on Thursday, is seen as an opportunity for the court to shed light on the constitutional provision on religion.

'So far, there hasn't been any definitive pronouncement by the court on its application to Muslims,' said lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar who represented the four defendants in the Kelantan apostasy case.

That case ended in the Federal Court without a clear indication on this issue, and he is applying for a review.

The Barracuda SG

Bilingual policy to stay, but will be adjusted

Changes are needed to help students engage new economies, says MM Lee

THE bilingual education policy, despite its weaknesses, has benefited Singapore and will remain.

The challenge is to look at how to adjust it so students are given language skills to engage with the new world economies, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

Without the bilingual policy, Singapore's ethnic communities will not be able to interact with each other and build understanding.

Nor would Singapore have been able to develop a core group of people who can pass on vernacular languages and cultures to future generations, for example as teachers, writers and journalists, he said.

Also, if Singaporeans spoke only English, or Chinese, or Malay, or Tamil, Singapore's usefulness to the world would diminish, he noted.

Mr Lee launched into this defence of Singapore's 40-year-old bilingual policy during a meeting with clan association and trade union members, teachers and media editors.

He called the meeting to hear their views on proposals to make Chinese teaching more enjoyable, made by a committee set up to review Chinese language teaching.

He stressed several times that the focus on learning Chinese did not spell an end to the bilingual policy.

English remained the dominant, working language in Singapore, he assured his audience of more than 70, who included non-Chinese editors.

It remained government policy to equip students with English, as well as their mother tongue, whether Chinese, Malay or Tamil.

Singapore needs a group conversant in these languages, as well as Arabic, to engage the emerging economies in the region, he said.

'I assure you we are not going back to Chinese. This is only for specific purposes and we'll do whatever we're doing for the Chinese, for the Malays, the Indians... We must have the ability to reach out to China, to India and others... and the region around us, Indonesia.'

Mr Lee acknowledged that making students learn two languages means many Singaporeans cannot master both.

Citing his own experience, he said his children became fluent in both languages, after attending Chinese-stream schools for 10 years, and speaking English at home.

But now all three work in an English-speaking environment, English has become their dominant language.

He joked that friends such as former Cabinet minister Lim Kim San told him if his children had not become bilingual, he might have learnt earlier that most people cannot master both languages, and the problem would not have taken so long to resolve.

Learning two languages and not being able to master both is a trade-off that must be made.

For example, if Singapore became totally English-speaking, it would lose its value to the world. Its values would also be different.

Even if Singaporeans learnt only English in school, they could not be as fluent as native English speakers.

Similarly, no amount of language instruction in school can turn out Singaporeans who are as eloquent in Mandarin as those from China.

'What we're trying to do today is to find a way to maximise the trade-off for our children.'

A modular teaching approach allows schools to tailor teaching to students' needs, and gives parents options in choosing the kind of bilingual education they want for their children, said Mr Lee.

The Barracuda SG

Change needed as more speak English at home

MORE Chinese students are now from English-speaking homes and this is among the key reasons that prompted a review in the teaching of their mother tongue.

With nearly half of all Primary 1 students now using mainly English at home, up from more than 20 per cent since 1988, the teaching methods of the Chinese language have to be tailored to students' home environment.

So, a modular approach in teaching was proposed by the Chinese language review committee to enable students with different abilities to take the language to as high a level as they can.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, who chaired an Istana meeting yesterday to discuss the committee's report, admitted he had been overly optimistic in thinking people could master two languages.

The home environment is the most important factor in mastering a language, and the language climate prevailing in society also matters in keeping it alive.

While an individual may be keen to study Chinese, he may find that after he leaves school, his command declines as English is the dominant language in most workplaces.

'Nobody can be equally good in two languages. That's not possible,' he said.

Instead, parents need to judge the extent to which their children can master Chinese. As children have different language backgrounds, abilities and interests, schools need to be flexible in customising Chinese lessons.

'Most important is, don't turn the student off, which is what we have succeeded in doing. By forcing them to achieve the standard, we have turned off one generation, which is a great pity.

'They are fed up. They are forced by their parents, forced by their school. They have bad results, they hate it, they want nothing more to do with it, which I think is a tragedy.'

To cater to the different abilities of students, a modular approach will allow those with a weak foundation in Chinese to take bridging modules, while those who are strong can take advanced modules.

Parents can choose how much Chinese exposure they want their children to have. While few parents may want Chinese as a master language for their children today, this may change in 10 to 20 years.

Some parents, including English-speaking ones, may want their children to enjoy more exposure to Chinese in their early years.

If there is demand, a few schools should be allowed to use Chinese as the dominant language of instruction in the early primary school years.

There can be different outcomes for each child depending on his interest and ability.

Those who have interest in the language and culture may want to read Chinese studies at university to become journalists and teachers. These future language workers will play a key role in regenerating the language and culture and preserving bilingual education in schools.

A group of top students will also be nurtured to become bicultural, with the new Bicultural Studies Programme receiving much interest from parents.

Most will be equipped with a basic working capacity which they can build on to do business with the Chinese in China or Singapore, and to keep the cultural identity alive.

The Barracuda SG

Time to loosen up - this is an order
By Koh Buck Song

IN THE study of leadership, one discovers endless links between quite separate things. Research shows that people tend to be more motivated to work harder if bosses relate to them like key persons from their past, usually parents.

Sigmund Freud's perspective on psychoanalysis helps explain why Starbucks has a low staff turnover (four times below industry average) and high performance. Younger Starbucks staff, more used to getting room to manoeuvre at home, respond well in a workplace that includes them as 'partners' in decision-making.

This is 'transference' - projecting organisational expectations based on personal relationships.

In a Harvard Business Review article last month, Michael Maccoby, an American psychoanalyst, anthropologist and management consultant, observed that Westerners typically saw fathers and bosses as 'people who were helpful when needed but generally encouraged followers to be independent'.

Of course, there are strict Western parents too, but the generalisation is true: Western parents spare the rod and bring up children to be independent by age 18, if not earlier. So, Western employees appreciate getting the autonomy they are accustomed to at home.

Maccoby also found, with significant personal relationships extending beyond parents to others such as siblings, a team culture was more conducive.

By contrast, Asians - particularly ethnic Chinese in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore - 'wanted a father-manager who protected them and taught them. In return, they were willing to give the leader complete loyalty and obedience'. This follows from how the older generation raised offspring - to be seen, not heard. Thus, Asians are 'programmed' not to challenge authority whether in the office or society.

But there is a generational change happening now.

Maccoby found a new Asian trend: 'Young managers from Beijing, where the Cultural Revolution broke traditional family patterns, responded somewhat like the Westerners. They described the ideal leader as a good basketball coach who put people into the right roles, promoted teamwork, and knew how to adapt strategy to changing competition'.

The rise of Chinese individualism is personified in figures like American basketball star Yao Ming, a blend of Asian discipline and Western inventiveness. China's culture of family life has changed drastically, from a mix of control and benign neglect in large families previously, to today's liberation and close pampering of 'little emperors' in one-child families.

A similar shift has happened in Singapore. Children are being brought up differently now: Many parents want to give their children what they never had growing up: Asking awkward questions and making up their own minds.

How does this apply to the workplace? The many surveys showing high employee disengagement here suggest that leadership expectations are not being met. Employees who prefer less hierarchy and more peer teamwork feel hampered by old-style management. Over time, they lose the drive to show initiative, and also disengage.

These workings of 'transference' could explain why Singapore lacks entrepreneurial drive. Previously, following Dad's lead was instinctive and ingrained. Hence, the gravitation towards safe jobs. Now, young people are more adventurous but are still accustomed to rely on Dad for the good things in life.

Herein lies a fallacy in earlier thinking: Westerners are not 'genetically' more entrepreneurial or creative, so there is no reason to rely overly on foreign talent, or, worse still, stifle our own potential. It may just boil down to how we were brought up - much more nurture than nature.

This suggests the handicap can be overcome, although perhaps not entirely or easily, as we learn from Freud how deep and durable is the psyche, once formed. Still, what can be done to adapt Singapore's leadership culture to spur more entrepreneurship and the spirit of asking 'why not'?

One place to start is the effect of 'counter-transference' - opposite of 'transference' - when those in authority project their expectations as parents onto workplace subordinates. So, 'old-school' supervisors who expect staff to be like obedient children need to change their mindsets: Respect now has to be earned, not demanded.

This is relevant to the extent it is true that the current national desire to nurture more initiative may well be blocked at middle management levels.

But a solution may be at hand. If these 'old mindset' managers respond best to Freudian stimuli like top-down motivation, their bosses can try leading change by commanding them to loosen up. Why not?

The writer studied leadership at Harvard University.

The Barracuda SG

The way to creativity

It is precisely because we want pupils to be able to think more critically that out-of-syllabus questions are necessary. It will be unrealistic to set routine questions and expect pupils to turn out to be creative individuals.

In complaining that the increasing number of out-of-syllabus questions have rendered the exams unfair, we have missed the point of the exams and reduced them to nothing more than grades. Should grades and not education be the fundamental aim of studying, we will be in dire straits.

Poor results may lower the self-esteem of pupils, but they can equally be a good learning experience - that life is never smooth sailing. Even the very best students will falter, and it is a good way to train them to be robust and resilient. If they are unable to take a little setback, the young will have indeed gone 'soft' and we will have much to worry about our future.

KELVIN LIM HOCK SEONG

HARD WORK DOESN'T GUARANTEE RESULTS: I refer to Ms Grace Yong Fui Han's letter, 'A testing experience for pupils' (ST, Oct 13). Ms Yong commented that the PSLE was 'unfair to both the teachers and the students'. This is hardly the case. The PSLE aims to stream pupils into different bands. This would be achieved only if the papers set were challenging. The true test of ability lies in the application of contextual knowledge. This being so, sheer drilling and 'hard and incredibly boring work' do not guarantee results.

WONG ZI WEI

HOW IS MOE UNFAIR?: While I agree with Ms Grace Yong that the PSLE is not age appropriate and children will not learn best, I do not see how the test has become increasingly unfair.

The Ministry of Education did not instruct pupils to attempt top schools' prelim papers, nor was it stated that the questions would be similar to those from the PSLE Examination Questions 1999-2003. Instead, it has been emphasised repeatedly by MOE that the syllabus is not absolute. I am sure that it would be more meaningful reading an encyclopaedia or reference book than working incredibly hard on boring past-year papers from top schools.

We have always called for innovation, thinking out of the box, and this is precisely the direction MOE is moving towards. We should encourage our kids to read beyond the syllabus, encourage them if they do not do well and, most importantly, inculcate the point that scoring As is not everything.

TAN KUANG SHING

WHAT'S ANSWER TO $6M QUESTION?: I am really interested in finding out the solution to a question in the PSLE Science paper. A rod made of half iron and half wood was balanced in the centre. What will be the effect when the iron part is heated up?

Iron, when heated, will expand. Thus, the iron portion will now be longer and, using moments, it will move down. On the other hand, heating up the iron portion will cause a convention current in the surround-ing air, resulting in a force pushing the metal upwards.

The metal rod could go either way, or remain in its original position. It seems like there can be no correct answer, though there will be creative answers. I wonder how they will be graded.

CHUA CHIN SHENG

The Barracuda SG

Charities handle millions, so transparency vital

New proposals place no undue burden on smaller charities, says NCSS chief. Public confidence crucial for the sector to grow

By Theresa Tan

THE millions that Singapore charities collect and the growing number of such agencies asking the public for financial help prompted the proposals to make these bodies more transparent about their affairs, The Straits Times was told in an exclusive interview.

Explaining the thinking behind the recommendations made by a government- appointed panel of experts, Mr Gerard Ee, who is part of the group, pointed out that the 'standard must-have operating rules' charities have to abide by have not 'evolved' or kept up with the times.

Those were drawn up 'decades ago', said the president of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), the umbrella body for social service organisations here.

Then, there were fewer Institutions of Public Character (IPC), the official term used to describe charities like the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) as well as the Singapore Academy of Law. Donations made to an IPC can be deducted from the donor's taxes.

There are now 898 such bodies, and last year they received a record $512 million in donations.

Yet, there is no single body to look into issues which confront these institutions in a 'systematic and holistic' manner, said Mr Ee.

There are also no clear rules on what needs to be disclosed. Mr Ee said: 'It's time to come up with guidelines, benchmarks and best practices. The principle here is to show accountability to the stakeholders.' It was with this in mind that his 10-member council drew up the recommendations released on Sept 23. These include the controversial proposal that charities' top brass disclose their pay cheques.

A significant number of the recommendations focus on giving donors more information on how their donations are used, something that few of these institutions do, Mr Ee pointed out.

The recommendations have elicited a slew of protests from the institutions and the public.

Their basic argument against the suggestions, which include telling people how their donations are spent and standardising accounting and reporting requirements, is that compliance would raise administrative costs, leaving less for charity.

But Mr Ee countered: 'The principle here is to show accountability.'

For the sector to continue growing, maintaining public confidence is crucial, he argued.

He explained that the agencies are being asked to disclose only their top three executives' annual remuneration, and to indicate this in just salary bands, with the first band from $0 to $100,000, followed by subsequent increments of $50,000.

Listed companies have to submit to a similar practice, he added.

He stressed that the recommendations would not place undue burden on the smaller charities, as under the suggested three-tier approach, they would be subject to less rigorous requirements.

Some of the smaller charities were overwhelmed by the recommendations, he said, because they failed to realise that what they have to do to comply is minimal.

On the other hand, larger charities worry that donors may back off if they 'tell people they have so much money'.

But Mr Ee maintained: 'When you go out and ask for money, you have a responsibility to tell your donors how their money is spent and how the organisation is run, regardless of how much is given

The Barracuda SG

Chinese as you like it

FOREIGNERS often speak admiringly of Singaporeans' language ability. They are charmed by workaday speech that is switched from English to Mandarin or Malay and back again, and dazzled by formal communication in different languages used by the same speakers. Most Singaporeans have a sober view of their accomplishments: The English they use for work, commerce and play is passable, whereas the mother tongue or second language is just intelligible. For the Chinese-conversant, it is the other way around, although their Chinese tends to be stronger than is the English for the English-educated. Over the decades, bilingualism has served Singapore well despite the middling standards and the angst induced in one's school days. In response to social change and the clamour of some parents and educators, changes are now in store to make the teaching of Chinese more flexible. Any change can be accommodated, but it is important to stick to the bedrock principle that a working knowledge of two languages be not diminished. The rationale for the changes, to go before Parliament as a White Paper, is that Chinese has been shown to be hard to master, as a parallel language to English, so it needs to be customised for students of differing abilities. If this is not done, more will become less proficient in it, out of either disinterest or inability to cope.

Is this trend inevitable? The crucial social statistic to note is that a lot more Chinese households are using English for everyday communication. Education Ministry data show that in 1988, the families of 20 per cent of Chinese Primary 1 pupils spoke mainly English at home. The percentage has risen to 50 per cent. For such a short period, the increase has been startling. The presumption that the percentage will keep rising will be hard to disprove in a country which has English as the working language. It should be noted that young people in China are studying English with a vengeance, for its utilitarian value. On this basis, adjusting teaching methods to cater to cohorts of different aptitudes should be seen as a necessary correction, not a concession to a loud lobby. Chinese language specialists and community elders are sensitive to any suggestion that the teaching would be watered down to a point where students end up with superficial knowledge after formal school.

Aside from the modular approach, two other features of the recommendations command attention. Speech, reading and listening skills will be emphasised more than writing and the memorising of characters. This is a revolutionary change, but it has the cachet of successful experimentation in China. The change should have been brought in sooner, as writing skills in working life are far less of a requirement than reading and speech proficiency. Students should be encouraged to practise speaking Chinese outside of school. The second point is that examinations will be based on the new pedagogy. This is delicate ground: The Education Ministry has to set aside the teaching resources and effect a cultural change in classrooms, before exams can reflect faithfully the new model. On balance, students from English-speaking Chinese families should gain most from the changes proposed. Most of these households want their young to possess more than a nodding acquaintance with the language, for reasons of heritage and practicality. For the tiny minority who cling to English solely, like they would an inheritance, it is time to be realistic. Climate change is imminent. Their children are going to feel very exposed if they can handle only English.

The Barracuda SG

Donations line rag and bone men's pockets

Thefts of donated goods from Salvation Army collection bins so common security and collections have been stepped up

By Theresa Tan

ITEMS being left in The Salvation Army's collection bins to help the poor and needy are being stolen.

Secure work sheds and frequent sorting are among the measures the Salvation Army has taken to stop thefts. -- MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN
The thieves take mainly electronic items and cameras, along with anything that can fetch a decent price.

One man thought nothing of loading his truck with bags of goods left at its collection bin at its Upper Bukit Timah premises, even when a security guard asked him to stop.

Most of the thieves pull up at the bins in the dead of night in panel vans and cars.

The non-profit agency, which often gets tipped off by the public, suspects the thieves run rag and bone businesses.

The thefts are apparently so common, particularly around festive seasons when donations are at their highest, that the agency has had to tighten security at its seven collection bins.

About a year ago, it installed detectors with lights that switch on when someone approaches the bins.

The agency also empties the bins more frequently in the last few weeks of the year, when donations can add up to 20 tonnes a day, mostly of books, clothes and household items.

In 2001, the police caught a man fishing bags out of the bin at Marine Parade Central.

Mr James Tian of the Salvation Army said it has also caught one of its drivers stealing donated items. He was spotted by a member of the public moving goods from one of The Salvation Army's trucks to another vehicle during the day 'at a cemetery'. He has been sacked.

The Salvation Army began collecting used items to sell at its Thrift Stores in 1985 to fund social work programmes.

One regular donor, marketing communications manager Hong Lai Pheng, 27, was shocked to hear of the thefts.

She said: 'It's very unethical of these people.'

Mr Tian said those who need the items can write to The Salvation Army asking for them, instead of just helping themselves.

He explained: 'We'd rather people ask us. And if we have what they need, we'll give it to them.'

The group has started working with foreign communities here, such as Filipino maids and Indian workers, and either selling them necessities very cheaply or giving them away.

The Barracuda SG

More ways for women to have their say

Networks, dialogues for them to share their experiences

By M. Nirmala

MORE channels will be opened for the increasing number of women here who want to be involved in shaping the national agenda.

This could take the form of a network of groups linking women with similar interests so they can share experiences, meetings at the constituency level or closed-door sessions to exchange views with Cabinet ministers.

Minister of State (Finance and Transport) Lim Hwee Hua held out the prospect of more avenues for the voice of Singapore's constituency of women after chairing a series of dialogues to get feedback on issues covered by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech.

Having sat through five such meetings since last month, involving at least 500 women professionals and grassroots leaders, it was evident to her and fellow women MPs that participants wanted to be more involved in contributing to and shaping policy, she said last night.

The women, a majority of whom were 40 years old and above, had given 'excellent feedback', and more were willing to participate if there were other opportunities to do so, she said.

Speaking to reporters after chairing a session with about 100 women grassroots leaders at the Tampines Changkat Community Centre, she noted that they were not in the least bit apathetic, and there were those who have also come forward to do community work.

From the meetings, she found that older and married women tended to focus on issues related to health care, living costs - especially for the elderly - and stresses that they said were related to changes in education policies.

The younger women focused instead on opportunities for education and career prospects.

The sessions also found that women here have confidence in the new Cabinet of PM Lee, and were also encouraged by the increased representation of women in his administration.

For the first time in three years, three women were appointed as political office- holders.

Apart from Mrs Lim, Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon became Minister of State (Community Development, Youth and Sports), and Dr Amy Khor succeeded Mrs Yu-Foo as mayor of Southwest Community Development Council.

Mrs Lim added that since last year, women professionals have also been holding closed-door dialogues with Cabinet ministers, including Mr Lee and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Next month, a group will meet Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan to discuss health issues.

'We'd like to think the ministers enjoy all this. They get grilled and it's the only time they are in the minority,' said Mrs Lim.

And as such sessions have been so successful, the women MPs are now thinking of inviting ministers to hold similar dialogues with women in the Housing Board heartlands.

At last night's meeting, participants spoke on issues ranging from the need to teach filial piety to making the learning of Chinese and Malay more fun.

Dr Khor said she found the women's responses 'heartening and encouraging', and wants to organise 'synergy sessions' where successful women could network with younger singles and discuss topics ranging from career to marriage.

She added that there was a need to create more avenues for women to network, as they did not have quite the same opportunities to do so as men.

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