#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum: #GE2025 is more than abt winning seats
"As #Singapore marks 60th year of independence.. not merely a routine democratic exercise but a contest of ideas, credibility & renewal.. A maturing #democracy needs a #diversity of voices, credible opposition, & leaders with both head & heart. Voters, esp'ly e younger gen, r watching closely not just what candidates say, but how they say it, & whether they #walkthetalk.. #vote w clarity, courage & conviction"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-ge2025-more-than-just-a-matter-of-winning-seats

#LetterOfTheWeek
Make it easier for overseas Singaporeans to vote
🤔"To qualify to #vote, #overseas Singaporeans wld need to hv resided in #Singapore for an aggregate of at least 30 days within a 3-yr period before e day they register to be an overseas voter. Why is this so? Many Singaporean #citizens live overseas, promoting e #Singaporean brand by making their mark in overseas mkts & #society. They r no lesser citizens than those who live all or most of their lives in 🇸🇬"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-make-it-easier-for-overseas-singaporeans-to-vote

#LetterOfTheWeek
#Drinkdriving penalties shld be drastically raised🇸🇬
"The severe traumatic brain injury Mr Ng suffered left him permanently incapacitated & he won't be able to work again. Someone will also hv to care for him for e rest of his life. Te penalty for #dangerousdriving causing grievous hurt for 1st-time offenders is up to 5yrs’ jail. It's high time tt e penalties for drink #driving be drastically raised, esp'ly when it results in permanent disability or death"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-drink-driving-penalties-should-be-drastically-raised

#LetterOfTheWeek
🇸🇬Forum: Bullied in school, & so was my son, but with different #outcomes
"When I was being #bullied in #school, my #parents brushed off te #bullying by telling me not to be bothered by it. As a 14-yr-old girl, it was impossible to not be bothered by it. I was saved bec I had a best #friend in school whom I cld sit w during recess & not feel utterly #alone & #hopeless. I wished tt my parents had taken me seriously. The bully'g was real & it #hurt me badly"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-bullied-in-school-and-so-was-my-son-but-with-different-outcomes

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum: Evaluate effect of heat-reflective paint
"sun’s energy doesn't disappear. #Coolpaints increase several folds e amt of reflected solar radiation.. More #reflected #radiation will also boost chemical reactions in e air & lead to more harmful pollutants such as ozone & airborne particles being produced.. Trees will also be affected by tis.. it's necessary to #evaluate e application of heat-reflective #paint #comprehensively to mitigate #urban warming"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-heat-reflective-paint-may-not-be-solution-for-urban-warming

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum🇸🇬 Make it easier for those who win cases at #SmallClaimsTribunals to get their money
"Many successful SCT claimants may give up on enforcement bec process is too daunting, or they've to incur legal costs tt cld exceed their claim amt. This effectively rewards defendants who refuse to pay SCT orders.. While system works well up to #judgment stage, e #enforcement process needs urgent #reform to maintain SCT’s #purpose of providing #accessible #justice"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-make-it-easier-for-successful-court-claimants-to-get-their-money

#LetterOfTheWeek
🇸🇬Forum: #InternationalBaccalaureate #exam different for each student
"designed as #holistic framework w #student oppor choose what he's interested in study'g at standard/higher levels. IB exam is diff for each indiv based on #subject #combination, thus making tot scores out of 45 a poor point of reference.. It's not wrong to report facts, but present'g #statistics w/o proper context can be #misleading. Let’s not make #education abt numbers but abt people"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-ib-exam-different-for-each-student-so-scores-a-poor-indicator-of-performance

#LetterOfTheWeek
NRICs not shared the same way as full names
"We certainly don’t disclose our #NRIC nos routinely, not even for signing up for some business services.. While the #Singapore #Government is exempt fr the #Personal #Data #Protection Act, it shouldn’t be seen to adopt a cavalier approach, especially when private companies face strict #regulations & penalties. The spirit of #dataprotection needs #consistent #application across the board"
>>& #passport nos too!
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-nrics-not-shared-the-same-way-as-full-names-are

#LetterOfTheWeek
🇸🇬🏆How I reduce the chances of my #patients getting #longterm #nervepain from #shingles
"The cost of #shinglesvaccination, from $720-950, is beyond the reach of many of my patients. I thus adopt a different approach to reduce the chances of patients developing #postherpeticneuralgia.. Besides #vaccination, which does not guarantee lifelong immunity, the key to not developing long-term nerve pain is #early #diagnosis and the start of appropriate #treatment"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-how-i-prevent-my-patients-with-shingles-from-suffering-nerve-pain

#LetterOfTheWeek
🇸🇬Forum: Biggest challenge #hawkers face is #economics, not #consumer #culture
"Coffee shops changing hands for #millions of dollars shows tt many #investors see #coffeeshops as #speculative #assets to be flipped, rather than #businesses to be operated. Stall operators have suffered fr large #arbitrary #rent increases in such #kopi tiams.. #hawkercentres “play a role in moderating increases in #food #prices, thereby performing an important #socialservice”"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-biggest-challenge-hawkers-face-is-economics-not-consumer-culture

#LetterOfTheWeek
#Socialnetwork, #ecommerce #platforms shld also bear losses of scams
"Anyone who clicks on ad for sales of products placed on Facebook, Google, IG or anywhere else shld be assured tt it's been verified. There's no reason why #BigTech shld be allowed to make billions fr content they don’t vet. They're already free to #monetise our #personalinfo & bombard us w unwanted content.. platforms hv e means to stop it now. If they don't, they shld be forced by law"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-social-network-e-commerce-platforms-should-also-bear-losses-for-scam-victims

#LetterOfTheWeek
#STForum: Be more grateful to our grandparents
"though I live near my #grandmother & see her as often as 2-5X/week, I still don't think I'm spending #qualitytime w her.. The more I focus on my own #life, the further I feel fr her. My #family has dinner together on most Sundays. Even then, it’s my grandmother who cooks for us & takes care of us even in her #oldage. As a #society, we shld be more grateful & respectful towards our #grandparents" #agedsociety
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-be-more-grateful-to-our-grandparents

#LetterOfTheWeek
#Socialmedia #platforms need to do more against scam ads
"I've been actively reporting #scamads whenever I see them on #Meta’s platforms. The response I often get thru e support ticket is tt these ads aren't removed bec they didn't contravene guidelines.. When users actively report #scam #advertisements but e #platform doesn't remove them, it seems to be #wilfulmisconduct by e platform.. Is there any way to strengthen the #law to penalise such behaviour"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-social-media-platforms-need-to-do-more-against-scam-ads

#LetterOfTheWeek
Why people buy IPs? It’s a #longwait to see a specialist otherwise
"It’s not uncommon to wait up to 6mths to see a #specialist in a #publichospital when #referred by a #polyclinic .. If you have an Integrated Shield Plan (IP), you can choose & book a specialist.. To attract more to use only the #MediShield Life #insurance without IP coverage, the🇸🇬 #Ministry of #Health should #review & improve the #waiting time for #subsidised #patients to see specialists"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-why-people-buy-ips-it-s-a-long-wait-to-see-a-specialist-otherwise

#LetterOfTheWeek
#Deterrent signal needed to ensure trust in #healthcare
" #doctors possess significantly more #medical knowledge than their #patients. This #imbalance creates opportunities for potential #dishonesty.. Revoking a doctor’s ability to make #insurance & #MediSave claims for six months may be insufficient to deter such #offences.. In contrast, #fraudulent claims made against SkillsFuture were met with more severe consequences" #Singapore #governance #ethics
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/letter-of-the-week-deterrent-signal-needed-to-ensure-trust-in-healthcare

#LetterOfTheWeek
Improve effective access to #medical investigations
" #Patients suspected of #seriousillness & can't afford referral to private specialists hv to be referred to #public #hospital specialists thru e #polyclinic (as referrals fr pte Drs & GPs wld mean a higher cost subsequently for e patient). It may take sometime b4 they get to see e polyclinic specialist & investigations may stretch over weeks. By e time a serious illness is diagnosed, it may hv advanced"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-improve-effective-access-to-medical-investigations-for-everyone

#LetterOfTheWeek
#Doctors caught btw insurers & doing best for patients
"When asked to cover e cost for biopsy of benign or prob'ly benign lesions, many #insurers often refuse.. they also threaten Drs w non-compliance & removal fr #insurance panels.. if a biopsy isn't done & there's delayed #diagnosis, it isn't insurers who r held accountable or suffer.. The #patient bears e burden & poorer chances of cure, while e Dr will hv to bear e medico-legal responsibility" #health
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-doctors-caught-between-insurers-and-doing-best-for-patients

#LetterOfTheWeek
#Allianz’s proposed deal w Income #Insurance
"None of e “+ves” expressed by indust experts is a #social outcome. All r #financial outcomes. It's important not to conflate e success of #Income as a biz w e success of Income as a social #cooperative.. Say'g tt Allianz will honour e terms of exist'g policies means little for future terms, products & customers.. hope #NTUC Ent doesn't take a short-sighted view & kill e golden goose of our societal foundation"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-allianz-s-proposed-deal-with-income-insurance-deserves-intense-scrutiny

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum: Uncooperative HDB flat owners
"HDB seems to be accommodating an uncooperative owner, indirectly penalising a cooperative owner who's been working patiently w #HDB to resolve e issue.. #Recalcitrant flat #owners seem to be treated leniently, as reported in e media, over issues like #noisenuisance & excessive cluttering, sometimes for years. This soft #attitude reinforces the idea tt it pays to be wayward, & culprits can act with little repercussion"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-don-t-let-uncooperative-hdb-flat-owners-inconvenience-neighbours

#LetterOfTheWeek
Forum: HDB lease
"Fr time to time, concerns regarding #decayinglease of #HDB #flats surface in #Singapore. There needs to be a fundamental understanding tt when a property’s #lease expires, whether it's HDB or private #property, the land reverts to e state.. Prospective #buyers shld make #sounddecisions based on their age vis-a-vis the remaining lease on their property, & not expect any assistance when e value of their property drops w the decaying lease"
https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-buyers-are-aware-of-hdb-lease-length-when-purchase-is-made