Jail for Lying

A woman was sentenced to one week's jail for lying about her address, which she did in order to give her daughter priority to be enrolled at a certain primary school (A week’s jail for woman who lied about address to enrol daughter in primary school, The Straits Times 13 Nov 2025 10:54 a.m., updated at 11:20 a.m.).

A person may be jailed for up to two years, fined or both for knowingly giving false information to a public servant and may be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $3,000 or both for giving false information when reporting a change of address, according to The Straits Times.

Imprisonment in this case seems harsh: the prosecution had asked for $13,000 fine only.

The district judge said a jail term was warranted, given the woman’s calculated actions and selfish motives.

The woman may not be named because of a gag order to protect the daughter's identity. This is unfortunate: the woman should have been named as it would have been a worse punishment. If it resulted in her daughter's identity being exposed, any repercussions fall squarely on the woman. It will be a significant deterrent for others thinking of doing what the woman did.

In any case, the school transferred out the daughter in October 2024 when she was in primary one, according to the report. Her classmates would be able to narrow down her identity.

Finally, what was the woman thinking when she told the school about a change in her daughter's address that would violate the conditions of, and invalidate, the priority enrolment?

Should Scammers Or Mules Be Caned?

With the passage of the Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill on 4 November 2025, scammers and their syndicate members and recruiters, and those who help them such as money mules who provide them with access to their bank accounts, SIM cards or SingPass credentials, face caning as part of their punishment in the future.

Ministry of Law is over-reacting to the scale of scams, in my opinion.

Scammers and others assisting them do not cause bodily harm to their victims, and caning should not be meted out upon their conviction, in my opinion.

For example, people convicted of simple theft are not caned.

People convicted of theft in a building, tent, or vessel or theft by a clerk or servant are not caned, unless there are aggravating factors.

Interestingly, on the same day, Parliament approved the removal of caning for acts that endanger the safety of passengers under the Railway Act.

Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Sim Ann explained, “These are generally offences that do not involve intentional harm to a person nor cause significant harm to the public, and for which we assess that the other penalties are adequate."

Interestingly, too, no caning is prescribed for people convicted of circulating obscene material to ten or more people, even if the victim is under 18 years old.

Reference

1. Law passed for scammers, mules to be caned after victims in Singapore lose almost $4b since 2020 (ST, published 4 Nov 2025, 3:55 p.m., updated 5 Nov 2025, 1:24 a.m.

Stupid Question or Stupid Person?

Consider this amazing exchange in Parliament on 5 November 2025.

Minister Chee Hong Tat: … But we need to adopt a sensible and calibrated approach and should refrain from a kneejerk over-reaction when cases happen from time to time. Similar to all major financial centres, it is not possible to have zero incidence given the complex nature of the financial services industry and the high volume of daily transactions. … Compared to other financial centres, many industry stakeholders already consider Singapore to have more stringent due diligence standards for high net-worth clients. If we were to tighten further to the point where processes become overly cumbersome, it will affect our competitiveness, deter legitimate investors and put many local jobs at risk. This is not the outcome we want for Singapore. … This is the approach we take in Singapore: risk proportionate not zero risk. MAS will continue to take a risk proportionate approach to maintain our status as a trusted financial centre. …

Member of Parliament Kenneth Tiong: … As more cases of criminality associated with family offices that have been set up in Singapore have come to light, will the Government start to work on the assumption that illicit money generated by scams and other cross-border crimes have already penetrated Singapore and therefore will the Government mandate enhanced due diligence on existing client relationships across all regulated financial sectors, not just new client onboarding?…

This is a sensible question or suggestion.

Chee:  … May I ask Mr Tiong to clarify if The Workers' Party's position is that we should adopt a zero-risk approach or would he agree with me that we should adopt a risk-proportionate approach  … ?

What was the relevance of Mr Chee's question? In addition to onboarding due diligence, Mr Tiong was suggesting ongoing due diligence. There was nothing in Mr Tiong's question to suggest that he or The Workers' Party advocated a zero-risk approach.

The Speaker should have asked Mr Chee to explain the relevance of his question in the context of Mr Liong's question or simply to answer Mr Liong's question, but he did neither.

Tiong: There is a pattern of ministers and public office holders asking very rhetorical, you know, like rhetorical questions which have no meaning ...

It is understandable why Mr Tiong was exasperated with Mr Chee's response.

Speaker Seah Kian Peng: You could just respond to him, to Minister.

Tiong: So the answer is no and I don't think and I don't think it is the Minister's point of view that we should in fact have a zero-risk approach, because it is impossible. So he is asking a stupid question.

Mr Tiong was saying that Mr Chee's question was stupid, not that Mr Chee was stupid.

Chee: Sir, I think it is not quite appropriate for Mr Tiong to use the word "stupid" when we are having a discussion in this House, I asked him a question what is his position and I respectfully ask him to withdraw that comment and to apologise.

…

Seah: Let me read what [Standing Orders 50 Section 4] says, "It shall be out of order to use offensive or insulting language about Members of Parliament." … [A]nd the use of such language about a fellow Member of Parliament is not par for the course.

Mr Seah was mistaken: Mr Tiong said that Mr Chee's question was stupid, not that Mr Chee was stupid. There is a crucial difference between criticising what another person says or does, and the person himself.

Several minutes later:

Chee: … MAS will continue to review our rules and procedures. I think Mr Tiong is mistaken that we do our checks only at the point of application and not on an ongoing basis.

Surely, that should have been Mr Chee's reply to Mr Tiong's question, instead of asking him about The Workers' Party zero-risk approach.

Note: The words spoken by each of the persons above were taken from video clips on the internet, which might have been edited by the entities posting them online.

Post-Graduate Early Childhood Educators

Early childhood educators will be able to pursue post-graduate studies under Early Childhood Development Agency's scholarship programme ("More support for early childhood educators to pursue studies", The Straits Times, 31 Oct 2025).

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development said "[W]e hope that an ECE (Early Childhood Education) scholarship will attract and nurture more passionate individuals ... who are committed to making a lasting impact in the early childhood sector."

Does a person really need a Master of Education or similar post-graduate qualification to be a better or more effective early childhood educator?

Or is it just another example of unnecessary paper chase?

Should the President's Wife Be in the Official Photo?

President Tharman Shamugaratnam presented President's Scholarships to three recipients on 14 August 2025.

The President's Scholarship is a state award, not a personal or private award.

Should the President's wife, Jane Itogi, be in the official photograph?

Defence Minister and Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Seng, who was also present at the function, was not included io the photograph.

Inward Looking Media

This is the front page of The Straits Times on 27 May 2025.

The main story focusses on Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's speech at the 46th ASEAN Summit (Plenary) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday.

Did none of the heads of government of the remaining nine ASEAN countries including the ASEAN chair Malaysia say anything newsworthy or more newsworthy than what PM Wong said?

Surely not.

The other report on the front page is about the National Day Parade in August.

So inward looking!

Finding Time to Tour a New Bus Interchange

Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Janil Puthucheary, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Sun Xueling and Director of National Trades Union Congress's U SME and Women and Family Unit Yeo Wan Ling toured the Punggol Coast Bus Interchange on 20 May 2025.

Mr Chee is Minister for Transport. It seems justifiable for him to tour the interchange. But is it necessary for a Cabinet Minister to tour a soon-to-be-opened interchange? Isn't it a waste of several hours of his time that could have been better spent looking after transportation matters?

Or, could it have been that Mr Chee had been informed by the Prime Minister that he would within the next few days relinquish his transport portfolio (this was announced on 21 May 2025), so no better time than now to spend a few hours touring the facility?

Neither Mr Janil nor Ms Sun was representing their respective ministries (at least I don't see the connection); they were present in their capacities as Members of Parliament for Punggol, within which the interchange is located. Did they take annual leave from their paid full-time jobs to tour the interchange?

(I won't comment on the relevance of Ms Yeo's present, other than that she is also a Member of Parliament for Punggol, since I am not familiar with NTUC's U SME or its Women and Family Unit.)

If Mr Chee, Mr Janil and Ms Sun can take time off from their work at their respective ministries to tour the interchange, is it any wonder why our Cabinet is so bloated with so many senior ministers, ministers, senior ministers of state, ministers of state, senior parliamentary secretaries and parliamentary secretaries.

No Brainer That Jeffrey Siow Will Be Appointed To Cabinet

The Straits Times published a report entitled MP Jeffrey Siow being considered for new Cabinet line-up on 17 May 2025.

MediaCorp's news also reported on 17 May 2025 that Mr Jeffrey Siow said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had spoken to him about joining the Cabinet.

Neither mainstream media seem content to wait for the official announcement.

Mr Siow gave up his position as second permanent secretary for trade and industry and manpower to join the People's Action Party and contest General Election 2025. Isn't it plainly obvious that he will be appointed to the Cabinet once he is elected (he was). Otherwise, why end his civil service career to be a backbencher?

What is so newsworthy about Mr Siow's being considered for a position in the Cabinet?

Why not speculate about other MPs, whether new or existing, whose inclusion in the Cabinet may not be so clear cut?

Updated 11:30 pm 19 May 2025

The Problem with Non-Vertical Walls

The Straits Times reported on a case in which a commercial unit at D'Leedon condominium in which the ceiling area (818 square feet) is much larger than the floor area (619 square feet) (https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/property-buyer-loses-590k-suit-against-real-estate-agent-era-in-rare-case-of-size-disparity, 9 May 2025).

The difference arises because at least one of the walls of the unit is not vertical.

However, under the law, the lot area is the bigger of the ceiling area and the floor area.

If a buyer thinks that the lot area is floor area, he will be in for nasty surprise.

Firstly, the buyer will have overpaid for the lot if he simply looks at the price per square foot of the lot area. For comparison purposes, should the price per square foot be based on the lot size or floor area or neither?

Secondly, the buyer may end up with a much smaller lot, in terms of floor space, than he thinks.

The problem is not limited to lots in which the ceiling area is larger than the floor area.

If the floor area is much larger than the ceiling area, it is also difficult to utilise the floor area adjacent to the non-vertical walls; it's essentially wasted space.

Even two vertical walls meeting at an acute angle can give rise to a small area that is of no practical use to the occupant. Such tiny spaces count toward the area of a lot and helps the developer to maximise his income-generating gross floor area of the land.

Conclusion: architects should not design buildings in which the walls are not vertical or the walls meet at acute angles. They serve no useful purpose to buyers or occupants.

Why is President's Wife in Official Networking Photograph?

 

Isn't it somewhat unusual for President Tharman Shamugaratnam's wife Jane Itogi to be in the photo together with World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Indonesian Minister for Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Singapore Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung?

What was her role, if any, in a "high-level networking" dinner (as described by The Straits Times) hosted by Temasek Foundation to address global pandemic preparedness.

If I'm not mistaken, none of our former presidents' spouses were included in official photos in similar functions.

Updated: 12:20am on 8 May 2025

Is The Straits Times Impartial in General Election 2025?

This is how the front pages of The Straits Times were presented to readers during the recent general election, starting from the day after nomination day to cooling off day.

Is The Straits Times neutral or does it function as the mouthpiece of the People's Action Party?

The Straits Times is the only English language newspaper published in Singapore. It is funded by taxpayers.

Updated: 5:30pm 8 May 2025

Impact of Electoral Boundary Changes on Votes

It has been posited that changes in electoral boundaries do not affect the country-wide distribution of votes.

It's not correct.

Die-hard PAP and Opposition supporters will vote PAP and Opposition, respectively, regardless of whether they are in one constituency or another.

But voters in the middle ground or who haven't made up their minds will assess the candidates standing for election in their constituencies.

If the candidates are incumbents, especially if they are from a constituency that the voters have moved to or have been moved to by the Electoral Boundaries Committee, have the incumbents lived up to the voters' expectations in Parliament (how often have they been present, how many questions have they asked and what is the quality of these questions, how often have they presented suggestions and what is the quality of their suggestions) and in looking after the constituents and the constituencies?

If the candidates are incumbents in single member constituencies that have been absorbed into group representation constituencies, the other members of the group will have to be assessed as well.

If the candidates are not the incumbents, do they or their party deserve your vote?

In conclusion, it's not correct to think that changes in electoral boundaries do not affect the country-wide distribution of votes.

People's Association Showcases MP's Achievements Ahead of General Election

Shortly before Nomination Day for General Election 2025, residents in Bukit Gombak SMC said they found a glossy 112-page document entitled Bukit Gombak A Home We Love in their letter boxes.

The document traces the developments in Bukit Gombak over the preceding five years under PAP MP for Bukit Gombak ward and Adviser to Bukit Gombak GROs, Ms Low Yen Ling.

Photographs of Ms Low appear throughout the document.

While the document does not say anything about voting for Ms Low or PAP, its timing is note worthy, serving to showcase just ahead of General Election 2025 what Ms Low has done for Bukit Gombak in the preceding five years (the last General Election was held five years ago). Ms Low is PAP's candidate for Bukit Gombak SMC in General Election 2025.

The document is produced by People's Association, an organisation funded by taxpayers.

Updated on 1:20pm 5 May 2025. Title amended by adding "MP's".

Losing Gan Kim Yong

Deputy prime minister Gan Kim Yong was moved from Chua Chu Kang GRC to Punggol GRC, presumably to fortify People's Action Party team in Punggol GRC against a strong The Workers' Party team led by Senior Counsel Harpreet Singh Nehal.

What if Punggol GRC voters voted out PAP and with it, Mr Gan?

1. PAP parachuted Mr Gan from a relatively safe Chua Chu Kang GRC to Punggol GRC. Should Punggol GRC voters feel compelled to vote for PAP just to keep Mr Gan in the Cabinet? Why should this responsibility fall on them?

2. Mr Gan would stand a higher chance of being re-elected if he stayed in Chua Chu Kang GRC although even there, there are uncertainties resulting from parts of Tengah being added to it and Bukit Gombak ward being removed from it and made into an SMC.

3. Mr Gan would stand a good chance of being re-elected if he were parachuted to an SMC. PAP used to think, and probably still thinks, that GRCs makes the party impregnable against the opposition. Until Aljunied GRC fell to WP in 2011 and Sengkang GRC fell, also to WP, in 2020. As more GRCs fall to the opposition, PAP may just abolish GRCs, which are absurd?

4. How important or indispensable is Mr Gan? He was not elected to PAP's Central Executive Committee late last year nor even co-opted, even though he was DPM then. So strange.

5. PAP should learn to govern with half the seats plus one in Parliament. Any more is a bonus.

6. The number of political office holders is mind boggling. There are ministers, senior ministers of state, ministers of state, senior parliamentary secretaries and parliamentary secretaries.