“If the proceedings were chaired by an experienced, legally trained chairman, or if there were present such a person as a member…the proceedings could and indeed would have progressed more expeditiously.”

- The concerns of an unnamed lawyer cited by Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan to illustrate the need for a senior lawyer to chair or be a member of Singapore Medical Council disciplinary tribunals. This will prevent hearings from veering into “frivolous” matters without objection from the doctors on the tribunal.

“While it is inverse cultural insensitiveness to pre-censor a culture’s heritance
for the misconceived appeasement of another, it is at the end of the day, just a cheap toy.”

- Bhaskaran Kunju, commenting in the Temasek Review, on McDonald’s decision to leave out the pig character from its Doraemon toy collection that featured the animals of the Chinese zodiac. The move earned the ire of netizens and Chinese and Muslim customers alike.

 

Rescuing our biracial children from the cracks of our CMIO (Chinese, Malay, Indian and Others) template and giving them a label that properly describes them will accord proper recognition and inculcate nationalist pride that is well deserved.

- Letter writer Liang Kaicheng, in The Straits Times Forum, on the new ruling to allow Singaporeans of mixed heritage to use ‘double-barrelled’ race classifications on their identity cards.

It is one thing to encourage ourselves with the traditional attributes of the zodiac animals. But it is another to cling on to superstitions against children born in the Year of the Tiger.

- Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong admitting concern over the dipping fertility rate which may dip further due to Chinese superstitions over the ‘Tiger year’; previous Tiger years saw births dip by close to 7 per cent.

“With inertia and tensions evident among the superpowers, Singapore can actively rally middlepower nations to exert effective diplomatic pressures accordingly. Greater participation in global climate conferences and forums would also provide platforms for local non-government organisations (NGOs) to gather new ideas, generate more hype, and create more synergy back home.”

- Letter writer Kwan Jin Yao in TODAY on the reorganisation of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change. The body, headed by government leaders, will hone its focus both on formulating and implementing mitigation measures locally, as well as play a bigger role in international negotiation strategies.

‘Why not adapt the concept for Singapore and have a nature trail in the city centre with butterflies as the main attraction?’

- Margaret Clarkson, an American who was part of a Nature Society of Singapore project to create the 4km-long butterfly trail in the Orchard Road area. The idea stemmed from the 4km-long Freedom Trail in Boston in the United States, that takes visitors to 16 landmarks.

The question is whether a global city like London, New York or Paris can be sketched out on the drawing board. Can the urban buzz so unique to Boston or Madrid be created in a test tube?

- Paul Gilfeather, TODAY’s principal correspondent, in a commentary on the Economic Strategies Committee recommendations and what it takes to be a global city.

There is nothing free about letting a room of people gawk at your breasts.

- Dana Lam, President of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) on a “Fill my Cups” promotion by the bar OverEasy. Women who had bigger breasts received more drinks. The organisers said the publicity stunt was just in “good fun”, but others took offence, calling it sexist and distasteful.

It is wrong to say ‘not in my backyard’. Where are we going to house the poor who cannot afford to buy an HDB flat?

- Indranee Rajah, Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC, on the outcry by Tampines and Pasir Ris residents over plans to build rental flats near their districts.

The ESC Crib Sheet

The seven-prong map set out by the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) on 1 February will grow Singapore to become a ‘high-skilled people, innovative economy and distinctive global city’. Here’s what the map entails:

BOOST INNOVATION, DEEPEN SKILLS
To achieve higher levels of annual productivity of 2 to 3 per cent and thereby grow Gross Domestic Product by 3 to 5 percent, the ESC recommends a national drive to ramp up on-job training and enterprise innovation.

ENHANCE SINGAPORE AS A GLOBAL HUB
Drive high-value manufacturing, financial, business and research and development (R&D) services to develop Singapore into a premier and strategic base for Asia and beyond.

DEVELOP A VIBRANT AND DIVERSE CORPORATE ECOSYSTEM
Apart from multinational companies, support and grow a wide mix of large and small firms to build a ‘multiplier effect’ through the networking and partnerships forged in a diverse corporate landscape.

FOCUS ON R&D AND COMMERCIALISATION
Boost investments and capacity in R&D and R&D commercialisation to secure Singapore as ‘Asia’s Innovation Capital’.

DRIVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Continue to diversify energy sources so that scarcity does not limit growth while growing energy efficiency by looking into renewables.

BOOST LAND EFFICIENCY
Increase Singapore’s land efficiency – for instance, by developing a new waterfront city at Tanjong Pagar.

BUILD A DISTINCTIVE HOME
Grow, deepen and support the skills, productivity, cultural talents and creativity of Singaporeans, while attracting diverse pools of talent to be part of the nation’s growth and development.

Read more at www.esc.gov.sg