S’pore’s overriding priority is to improve lives of its citizens: PM Lee

S’pore’s overriding priority is to improve lives of its citizens: PM Lee

 

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (file picture)

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the newly—elected PAP government has its work cut out for it after winning the people’s mandate for five more years.

Speaking at the 30th anniversary conference of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), Mr Lee said given the external environment, Singapore’s overriding priority is to improve the lives of its citizens.

To achieve this, it will firstly grow the economy by staying plugged into the world.

Next, it will attract investments and talents into Singapore and also encourage Singapore enterprises to diversify, expand and move abroad.

The government will also transform and upgrade the economy because it cannot grow simply by increasing the workforce indefinitely.

In this regard, it is also the Government’s objective to raise income across the board and this includes the middle income households and those at the lower end.

Mr Lee said: " We are interested in per capita GDP and not just total GDP and we want to improve incomes across the board and that includes the middle income households and the lower income households at the lower end."

Mr Lee added that this is a challenge for many countries in this era of globalisation and rapid technological change.

To achieve this, Mr Lee said the workforce must upgrade its productivity and this will be a challenging task for the next 10 years.

" We have to upgrade productivity than just go for expansion and that means very challenging tasks in the next ten years. (We have) to retrain workers now in the workforce so that they can be more productive and do better jobs. (We have) to educate future workers for the new economy so that when they come out of the education system, they are job ready and deployable."

— CNA/fa

Electric cars to the rescue in Japan

TOKYO

The areas pummelled by the earthquake and tsunami in March would surely be inhospitable for an electric vehicle.— With deep-tread tires and ample ground clearance, a rugged 4-wheel-drive Hummer or Jeep might seem the best choice for navigating through the wrecked cities of north-eastern Japan.

home buyers: Analysts

                                                                      # # # #      House Prices      # # # #

Build-To-Order flats                                                                            s$300,000 to s$500,000

Design, Build and Sell Scheme flats                              s$500,000 to s$750,000

Executive condominiums                                                                s$750,000 to s$950,000

So, on the road to transformation, instead of dismissing all proposals from the Opposition, related to issues such as housing, healthcare, education, immigration and cost of living, the PAP could acknowledge that they are made in good faith and therefore deserve some consideration.

#nOthing  is  IMpossible#

I hope the Government can shift its mindset on the value of supporting property prices and look into the issues more deeply. The recent measures to cool the property market are a start but more can and should be done.

business going on, says Mr Chiam

Ng Jing Yng

jingyng@mediacorp.com.sg

 

dIfferences  Of  . . . .  ? ? ? ?

a difficult choice

Aljunied voters cite need to be heard and MM’s

‘repent’ remark as reasons they voted for WP

Lin Yanqin and Christopher Toh

yanqinl@mediacorp.com.sg

The fear-mongering tactics, the need to have more alternative representation in Parliament, these were all things WP spoke about that are personally important to me ... The estate issues are not such a big deal.

Aljunied resident Koh Sock Ling

means for Singapore

COMMENTA RY

Simon tay

Simon Tay is chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.

ASEAN leaders saddened by George Yeo’s defeat at election

Sujadi Siswo

Indonesia Bureau Chief, Channel NewsAsia

sujadi@mediacorp.com.sg

ADAM SMITH'S FOUR MAXIMS

I. The subjects of every state ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state.

II. The tax which each individual is bound to pay ought to be certain, and not arbitrary. The time of payment, the manner of payment, the quantity to be paid, ought all to be clear and plain to the contributor, and to every other person.

III. Every tax ought to be levied at the time, or in the manner, in which it is most likely to be convenient for the contributor to pay it.

IV. Every tax ought to be contrived as both to take out and to keep out of the pockets of the people as little as possible over and above what it brings into the public treasury of the state.

INTRODUCTION