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Independent Singapore
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
Weekends too short? How Singaporeans feel about a 4-day work week
SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user wanted to know how others in Singapore feel about a four-day work week, adding that they personally find that weekends are too short. In a Jun 8 (Sunday) thread on r/askSingapore, u/Adventurous_sushii asked if others on the platform would feel more well-rested if the working week were one day shorter. With the current set-up, having only a two-day weekend is insufficient, since the post author wants ' to rest + do the things I want + catch up on admin and household chores at home.' However, they were uncertain whether others felt the same way, but added that last year, when more three-day weekends allowed them to take Mondays off, they found that they felt 'better mentally' when they returned to work. By far, the top comment is one where a Reddit user wrote, 'Only if it's really a 4-day work week.' In workaholic Singapore, it's not unusual for people to engage in work-related activities even when they're out of the office, such as taking calls, responding to emails, and writing reports. Other countries, meanwhile, such as Australia, have introduced the 'right to disconnect,' which means workers are allowed to let work calls or emails go unanswered. Moreover, employers who breach the law may potentially be subject to fines. In 2020, Member of Parliament Melvin Yong (Radin Mas) called for the government to consider a similar 'Right to Disconnect' legislation. 'Let me reassure critics that I am not calling for rigid laws that specify working hours, nor am I calling for Singaporeans to be less productive, and certainly not for Singapore to be any less competitive,' he said at the time, adding, 'It is simply about ensuring that our workers have protected time to rest.' On Reddit, one commenter wrote, 'I had the arrangement for a 4-day work week, but my customers kept contacting me on the 5th day, and I couldn't ignore it. Ended up returning to a five-day work week.' 'As a teacher, much of my weekends are currently dedicated to marking assignments, doing lesson prep for the following week, and other miscellaneous odds and ends. We had a couple of extra Monday holidays in May, and I can vouch that the extra day has been invaluable in letting me get my work done, while still having more time to myself. The three days don't even need to be back-to-back. Just a little added break from the daily grind would be much appreciated,' another weighed in. 'Totally agree. I feel that life is more balanced with a four-day work week, honestly. With two days of rest, the first day, I would need to spend half a day doing housework and still recovering from the five work days. Sunday is the only actual day I feel like an off day, but yet you think of tomorrow, needing to work again, spoils it all, and being tired again, but if Monday is off, you feel like you got a real full two days to recover,' a commenter added. /TISG Read also: The four-day work week dream
CNA
15-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
GE2025: Are independent candidates a new force to be reckoned with?
For the first time in 53 years, an independent candidate received more than 35 per cent of vote share, performing better than some smaller opposition parties. Jeremy Tan, who ran in Mountbatten SMC, and Darryl Lo who contested in Radin Mas SMC, join Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards to talk about lessons learnt from their campaigning and their future after GE2025. Here is an excerpt of the conversation: Steven Chia, host: Are there other parties wooing you guys? Have you been talking to them? Darryl Lo, independent candidate for Radin Mas SMC: Just smaller parties for now. Because I think insofar as my campaign (went), it probably didn't hit the mark whereby bigger parties are interested in my candidacy. Jeremy Tan, independent candidate for Mountbatten SMC: For myself, just having conversations with just generally everybody. I don't think, other than the PAP, everybody is very satisfied with their performance in general. I think they are mostly quite disappointed in their performance. If it was an ideal situation, we wanted to see the Workers' Party increase its vote share. We wanted to see PSP, SDP, maybe get a seat or two, then some NCMP (seats) for people like us. But that totally did not happen. We kind of went back to status quo. Steven: How do you read that? The results, we got to admit, were surprising for many, but it basically is a clear sign that the population is choosing to go in this direction. How do you feel about that? Jeremy: I read that in terms of how in places where the Workers' Party contested, the absolute votes increased and was higher than the PAP, but yet the PAP still has more seats, and the Workers' Party didn't gain any additional (seats). So going forward, I will do some political advocacy on the boundaries, because we want to be able to speak directly to our residents, walk the grounds, but we don't know which wilderness we are walking to, honestly. Otelli Edwards, host: So you're worried about 2030. Is it going to your decision whether you're going to stand in the next election? It hinges on the electoral boundaries? Jeremy: Yes, because I'm a resident of Marine Parade (Braddell Heights GRC) and that is where I experienced a walkover. So now I must consider honestly how to tackle Marine Parade and also Mountbatten at the same time, because I don't know if Mountbatten would be part of Marine Parade. Anything could happen. MacPherson has been in and out of Marine Parade multiple times. Steven: And you have a similar view on that right, Darryl? Darryl: Yeah. Because I've been living in Radin Mas for most of my life. And I think in this (election) for instance, part of West Coast was also included in Radin Mas, so we wouldn't know how the boundaries are going to shift in 2030. I think a lot of people are asking, 'Oh, why don't you walk the ground earlier? Why don't you do walkabouts earlier?' But you won't know which ground you're walking.
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CNA
15-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Deep Dive - GE2025: Are independent candidates a new force to be reckoned with?
Deep Dive Play For the first time in 53 years, an independent candidate received more than 35 per cent of vote share, performing better than some smaller opposition parties. Jeremy Tan, who ran in Mountbatten SMC, and Darryl Lo who contested in Radin Mas SMC, join Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards to talk about lessons learnt from their campaigning and their future after GE2025. Deep Dive - GE2025: Are independent candidates a new force to be reckoned with? For the first time in 53 years, an independent candidate received more than 35 per cent of vote share, performing better than some smaller opposition parties. Jeremy Tan, who ran in Mountbatten SMC, and Darryl Lo who contested in Radin Mas SMC, join Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards to talk about lessons learnt from their campaigning and their future after GE2025. 21 mins Deep Dive - GE2025 results: A closer look at the strong PAP mandate and the opposition strategy Voters gave the People's Action Party and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong a clear mandate in GE2025. What accounted for the result and why couldn't the opposition parties make good on gains from the last election? Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards speak to Associate Professor Eugene Tan from the Singapore Management University and Dr Reuben Ng from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. 23 mins Deep Dive - WP's Jasper Kuan on the 3-hour chat with former chief Low Thia Khiang that convinced him to run for GE2025 East Coast GRC candidate for the Workers' Party Jasper Kuan admits this may not be the right 'season' for him to jump into politics because of his three young children. But he tells Steven Chia how a three-hour conversation with Low Thia Khiang changed his mind and why as a former Gifted Education Programme teacher, he believes the education system needs structural changes. 20 mins
CNA
26-04-2025
- Politics
- CNA
GE2025: PAR says 'safer' for Singaporeans to vote opposition to challenge 'unjust PAP policies'
SINGAPORE: It is "safer" for Singaporeans to vote for opposition candidates who can challenge "unjust PAP policies", People's Alliance for Reform (PAR) chief Lim Tean said on Saturday (Apr 26). He was one of 11 candidates who spoke at the PAR's first rally of the election, held at Northlight School in Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency (GRC). Addressing the crowd, Mr Lim said he would "go in and be like a tiger and a lion and fight for you" on issues like the cost of living, public housing, job security and immigration. The PAR's team for Jalan Besar GRC comprises Mr Chiu Shin Kong, a 51-year-old private tutor and a newcomer to politics, 62-year-old businessman Mohamad Hamim Aliyas, 53-year-old nurse Sarina Abu Hassan, and 42-year-old preschool educator Vigneswari V Ramachandran. They face a People's Action Party (PAP) team comprising Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, Ms Denise Phua, 66, Dr Wan Rizal, 46, and Mr Shawn Loh, 38, a former senior civil servant and a new entrant to politics. Denying the PAP a "blank cheque" in parliament was also a constant refrain repeated by the PAR hopefuls. "There is no check and balance in the state system. So the opposition are like QCs (quality control) who ensure the approval of a product," said Ms Sarina. CHICKEN RICE OR PASTA? The PAR, formed in 2023, comprises Peoples Voice, the Democratic Progressive Party and the Reform Party. The alliance is fielding 13 candidates across six constituencies – Jalan Besar and Tanjong Pagar GRCs, and Potong Pasir, Radin Mas, Yio Chu Kang and Queenstown Single Member Constituencies (SMCs). The PAR is proposing to remove the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for essential items like food, groceries, utilities, education, healthcare and medical services. The alliance is also calling for free school meals, free education up to university and free healthcare for every Singaporean child. On Saturday, PAR candidates reiterated these messages while discussing the rising cost of living. Mr Lim, who is the candidate in Potong Pasir SMC, claimed that PAR's proposals could be funded from the government's Budget without raising taxes or using the reserves. Tanjong Pagar GRC candidate Mr Prabu Ramachandran proposed rent control to keep costs down for Singaporeans. The cost of public housing was brought up by many speakers. Ms Han Hui Hui, who is running in Tanjong Pagar GRC, called for land costs to be frozen and gradually reduced in order to bring down housing costs. Ms Sarina and Radin Mas SMC candidate Kumar Appavoo also linked lowering the cost of living to raising Singapore's total fertility rate, as families would be less stressed. Some candidates objected to the salaries paid to mayors and Cabinet ministers. Mr Lim called for a 70 per cent reduction to the prime minister's salary to "normalise society", without explaining how he arrived at this figure. "The sole purpose of a national budget is to decide the society we want," he said. "It is like giving a housewife a sum of money every week, and with that sum of money, the housewife has to decide what type of food to put on the dinner table. Do you want to put maybe a S$5 chicken rice meal for your family, or a S$10 chicken rice meal for your family? Or do you want to serve them with S$20 pasta? "Now, the national budget, we decide on the priorities we want. We decide on what our society should look like. If we want to give free healthcare, we want to give free education, other things will have to give. Less benefits, less privileges, to the rich and the powerful." Mr Lim pointed to the Founders' Memorial, the "bloated civil service" and MRT stations that are "empty during the day" as examples of wasteful government spending that could be eliminated. IMMIGRATION AND "SINGAPOREAN JOBS" Almost all of the candidates took issue with the government's immigration policy and its impact on society, especially job security for locals. "Singapore has always been a global city. But if you feel the opportunity shrinking, if you feel like a stranger in your own land, you're not alone. It's not about shutting doors, it's about protecting your own, even as we welcome others," said Mr Nadarajan Selvamani, a candidate in Tanjong Pagar GRC. Mr Lim said that he would fight to "cut net immigration by a lot" if elected into parliament, without elaborating. He claimed that a majority of Singaporeans were "uncomfortable with the number of foreigners in this country", but "don't like to be labelled racist or xenophobic or nativist". "It is wrong when in two generations, you introduce so many foreigners into a country that Singaporeans today are looking at you and wondering what you're talking about when you talk about the Singapore identity," he said. He and Dr Michael Fang, the PAR's candidate for Yio Chu Kang SMC, took aim at Singapore's Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) with India. Mr Lim described CECA as a "labour arbitrage agreement" where "the employer takes advantage of cheaper foreign labour, brings them in, and the higher cost Singaporean worker is displaced or replaced". Mr Chiu, part of the PAR's team in Jalan Besar GRC, questioned whether multinational corporations who received tax breaks and other incentives to do business in Singapore have carried out technology transfer to local workers. Mr Prabu said the PAR "will put Singaporeans to the front of the queue again for education, for employment and entrepreneurial opportunities".
Straits Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
GE2025: 92 out of 97 seats to be contested on May 3, walkover in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC
GE2025: 92 out of 97 seats to be contested on May 3, walkover in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC Follow our live coverage here. SINGAPORE – Singapore will see 92 out of 97 seats contested in the May 3 general election, following several surprises on Nomination Day, including the first walkover since 2011. A five-member PAP team in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, where the WP was expected to field a team, was elected unopposed when nomination proceedings ended at noon. Other unexpected developments on April 23 included the last-minute redeployment of several heavyweight ministers – among them Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong to the four-member Punggol GRC – and the long-awaited confirmation of the WP's line-up. Senior counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal was confirmed as part of WP's Punggol GRC team, setting the stage for what looks to be one of the fiercest electoral battlegrounds this year. Two PAP stalwarts – Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean and Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat – did not appear on any nomination forms and have retired from politics. A total of 211 candidates filed their papers on Nomination Day. The PAP was the only party to field candidates for all 97 seats in 33 constituencies. Its largest opponent, the WP, is fighting for 26 seats across eight constituencies. The PSP, which contested the largest number of seats of any opposition party in 2020, is fielding a scaled-back contingent of 13 candidates in six constituencies. Prospective candidates and their supporters began gathering at the nine nomination centres on the morning of April 23. The exception was Kong Hwa School, where fewer than 10 WP supporters showed up. As the clock ticked towards the noon deadline, it became clear that the PAP team for Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC would be elected unopposed. It is the first time any constituency has seen a walkover since 2011, when Tanjong Pagar GRC went uncontested after a team of independents submitted their nomination papers late. This year, multi-cornered fights will take place in five-member Ang Mo Kio, Sembawang and Tampines GRCs, as well as the single seats of Potong Pasir and Radin Mas. Tampines is the most hotly-contested of the five, with three opposition parties – the WP, National Solidarity Party and People's Power Party (PPP) – set to go up against a PAP team led by Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli. In Ang Mo Kio, the PPP team will face up against opponents from the PAP and Singapore United Party, while voters in Sembawang will see the PAP, NSP and Singapore Democratic Party on their ballot papers, Those in Potong Pasir will choose between the ruling party, the People's Alliance for Reform (PAR) and the Singapore People's Party. Finally, the PAP and PAR will both be contesting Radin Mas, along with 28-year-old Darryl Lo, an independent candidate. The single seat of Mountbatten will be the only one to see a contest between two new faces – the PAP's Gho Sze Kee and independent candidate Jeremy Tan. In 2020, the PAP won 61.23 per cent of the popular vote, and was returned to power with 83 out of 93 seats. However, it lost a second GRC - Sengkang - to the WP. That year, the WP won 10 seats in Aljunied, Sengkang and Hougang. The PSP narrowly lost West Coast to the PAP, and two of its candidates – Mr Leong Mun Wai and Ms Hazel Poa – were subsequently installed as Non-Constituency MPs. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
