NUss Distinguished & outstanding Member Awards
NUss Distinguished & outstanding Member Awards
NUss Distinguished & outstanding Member Awards
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THE GRADUATE JUly - SepTeMber 2011 A pUblicATioN of THE NATioNAl UNivERsiTy of siNGApoRE sociETy<br />
The Magazine of The National University of Singapore Society July - September 2011<br />
<strong>NUss</strong> <strong>Distinguished</strong><br />
& <strong>outstanding</strong><br />
<strong>Member</strong> <strong>Awards</strong><br />
Mr Gopinath Pillai,<br />
Mr Ernest Wong Thian Yow<br />
and Professor<br />
Dr James Newton Boss<br />
recognised for their<br />
significant contributions<br />
Post-General<br />
Election Dialogue<br />
political candidates electrify<br />
members with frank discussions<br />
NUSS AGM 2011<br />
New members elected into<br />
Management committee
President’s Message<br />
Dear <strong>Member</strong>s<br />
In this issue of The Graduate<br />
we feature special interviews<br />
with winners of the 2011 NUSS<br />
<strong>Distinguished</strong> and Outstanding<br />
<strong>Member</strong> <strong>Awards</strong>. These<br />
longstanding members have not only<br />
distinguished themselves in their chosen<br />
fields, but have also unselfishly devoted<br />
their time and share their expertise with us<br />
for the betterment of NUSS.<br />
At the Annual General Meeting (AGM)<br />
held on 29 April 2011, the six resolutions<br />
that were tabled were all carried and I<br />
would like to thank members for their<br />
support and for taking the time to<br />
participate in our Society’s affairs. The<br />
AGM also saw eight members elected to<br />
the Management Committee and I would<br />
like to extend a warm welcome to the two<br />
new faces, Mr Jeffrey Khoo Poh Tiong and<br />
Dr Paul Wang Syan.<br />
At the same time, I wish to put<br />
on record our deep appreciation to<br />
Dr Rosemary Khoo and Mr Siva S Retnam<br />
who have stepped down because of other<br />
personal commitments. As Chairperson<br />
of S-Connect Sub-Committee, Rosemary<br />
championed the causes of active ageing<br />
and lifelong learning; while Siva, who has<br />
served on the Management Committee for<br />
more than 10 years, contributed much to<br />
NUSS particularly in the areas of Sports &<br />
Recreation and Finance.<br />
As part of our continuing effort to<br />
promote and nurture a more creative,<br />
innovative and enterprising generation, the<br />
Society partnered NUS Enterprise to launch<br />
the Innovation and Enterprise Award this<br />
year. Supported by the National Research<br />
Foundation’s University Innovation Fund,<br />
these <strong>Awards</strong> aim to recognise individuals<br />
and companies within the university<br />
and the alumni community who have<br />
achieved significant accomplishments in<br />
entrepreneurship and innovation.<br />
The <strong>Awards</strong> were presented to the<br />
recipients at The Enterprise Connection<br />
networking dinner at Kent Ridge Guild<br />
House on 19 April 2011. Attended by some<br />
450 entrepreneurs, innovators as well<br />
as NUSS members, the event featured<br />
keynote speaker, Mr Eduardo Saverin, cofounder<br />
of Facebook, who inspired many<br />
budding entrepreneurs in the audience to<br />
pursue their dreams.<br />
In early May, Singaporeans witnessed a<br />
watershed moment in the nation’s General<br />
Election history with the highest number<br />
of contested seats since independence, and<br />
with political parties fielding the largest<br />
number of younger candidates. Seven<br />
promising young politicians, who had<br />
contested in the election, accepted our<br />
invitation to participate in a Post GE2011<br />
Dialogue on 26 May.<br />
Unlike last November’s Pre-Election<br />
Political Dialogue where representatives<br />
from major political parties spoke on<br />
what their parties stood for and the hot<br />
button issues that were in the minds<br />
of most Singaporeans, this time, the<br />
speakers came in their personal capacity<br />
and it was indeed a privilege to hear them<br />
articulate their views and experiences on<br />
GE2011, and the motivations driving<br />
them to be a part of our nation’s new<br />
political landscape.<br />
The closed-door session was<br />
moderated by Dr Lam Peng Er and was<br />
well attended by over 400 members and<br />
invited guests. I would like to once again<br />
thank Dr Lam and all the speakers –<br />
Mr Gerald Giam (WP), Ms Harn Ho (RP),<br />
Mr Benjamin Pwee (SPP), Ms Nicole Seah<br />
(NSP), Mr Harminder Pal Singh (SDA),<br />
Dr Vincent Wijeysingha (SDP) and<br />
Mr Alex Yam (PAP) for their participation.<br />
As this issue goes to print, preparations<br />
are well underway for us to host the 6th<br />
NUSS Professorship Lecture which will be<br />
delivered by Professor Andre Geim, winner<br />
of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, on<br />
7 July 2011.<br />
Professor Geim will speak on his<br />
groundbreaking discovery in graphene, a<br />
one-atom thick, 2-dimensional crystalline<br />
material which has a breaking strength<br />
200 times greater than steel and is able to<br />
conduct heat 10 times faster than silver.<br />
Graphene is known to be the thinnest and<br />
strongest material ever found. Touted as<br />
‘the next big thing’, such a discovery could<br />
change everyday life for humanity and we<br />
can expect many to turn up to listen to one<br />
of the greatest minds in Physics.<br />
Finally, it gives me great pleasure<br />
to announce that the Society will<br />
be conferring the NUSS Honorary<br />
<strong>Member</strong>ship on Mr Lee Kuan Yew at<br />
a conferment ceremony to be held at<br />
Kent Ridge Guild House on 29 July 2011.<br />
Mr Lee’s visionary and transformative<br />
leadership of Singapore has enabled our<br />
country to make remarkable progress since<br />
independence.<br />
We are indeed privileged to have the<br />
opportunity to recognise his immense<br />
contributions to the nation with the<br />
highest accolade that NUSS can bestow<br />
on such a distinguished person.<br />
Johnny Tan<br />
President<br />
JUL-SEP 2011 THE GRADUATE 1
JULY-SEPTEMBER 2011<br />
11<br />
14<br />
4<br />
Cover Story<br />
A Watershed<br />
election<br />
The Graduate spoke<br />
to analysts and<br />
politicians on why<br />
this year was such a<br />
watershed moment<br />
for Singapore’s<br />
political history.<br />
8<br />
InSIghtS<br />
Post-general<br />
election<br />
Dialogue<br />
The Post-General<br />
Election Dialogue<br />
was recently held<br />
at the Kent Ridge<br />
Guild House where<br />
candidates from the<br />
different political<br />
parties were invited<br />
on their own personal<br />
capacity to share<br />
their thoughts on the<br />
recently concluded<br />
general election.<br />
11<br />
hIghlIghtS<br />
Annual<br />
general<br />
Meeting<br />
2011<br />
Two new members<br />
were elected, six<br />
re-elected while<br />
another eight will<br />
continue to hold office<br />
for another year.<br />
14<br />
Club neWS<br />
Appreciation<br />
Dinner<br />
Mr Gopinath Pillai,<br />
Mr Ernest Wong Thian<br />
Yow and Professor<br />
(Dr) James Newton<br />
Boss were awarded the<br />
<strong>Distinguished</strong> <strong>Member</strong><br />
and Outstanding<br />
<strong>Member</strong>s respectively<br />
for their significant<br />
contributions to NUSS,<br />
NUS and the wider<br />
community.<br />
18<br />
SPeCIAl rePort<br />
Sustaining<br />
Singapore’s<br />
Future<br />
Encouraging sustainable<br />
development is<br />
one of the ways the<br />
Singapore government<br />
is embracing to mitigate<br />
the energy challenges<br />
ahead.<br />
25<br />
lIvIng<br />
back Pain<br />
getting you<br />
Down<br />
Experts give their tips<br />
on mitigating back<br />
pains and keeping<br />
your spine supple.<br />
28<br />
CAreer<br />
Managing<br />
People<br />
Inspire your<br />
subordinates without<br />
micro-managing<br />
30<br />
trAvel<br />
bites of<br />
northern Italy<br />
Go on a foodie road<br />
trip in Northern<br />
Italy and discovers<br />
gastronomic delights<br />
plus marvellous<br />
architecture along the<br />
off-beaten track.<br />
46<br />
Money<br />
Key Questions<br />
to Ask When<br />
buying a<br />
Financial<br />
Product<br />
Advice on financial<br />
products that suit your<br />
long-term goals<br />
nuSS Club neWS<br />
1 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE<br />
22 HIGHLIGHTS<br />
39 SNAPSHOTS<br />
40 SPORTS<br />
50 DINING<br />
54 CALENDAR Of EvENTS<br />
8<br />
30<br />
Cover Photo BY YAP YEW PIANG<br />
NUSS <strong>Distinguished</strong> <strong>Member</strong> Mr Gopinath Pillai<br />
(seated) and NUSS Outstanding <strong>Member</strong>s<br />
Mr Ernest Wong Thian Yow and Professor (Dr)<br />
James Newton Boss.
Kent ridge guild house<br />
9 Kent Ridge Drive<br />
Singapore 119241<br />
Tel: 6779 1811<br />
fax: 6778 8095<br />
Email: secretariat@nuss.org.sg<br />
The Graduate is the quarterly publication of The National University of Singapore Society (NUSS)<br />
Suntec City guild house<br />
3 Temasek Boulevard<br />
#05-001 Suntec city Mall<br />
Singapore 038983<br />
Tel: 6779 1811<br />
fax: 6887 3802<br />
nuSS Patron<br />
President S r nathan<br />
bukit timah guild house<br />
1f cluny Road<br />
Singapore 259602<br />
Tel: 6779 1811<br />
fax: 6469 6019<br />
eDItorIAl<br />
Editor: Khalil Adis<br />
Art Director: S t leng<br />
contributing Writers: tan Chung lee, Axer goh<br />
contributing Photographer: yap yew Piang<br />
for advertising enquiries, please email: thegraduate@nuss.org.sg<br />
The Graduate is produced by the corporate communications department of NUSS.<br />
nuSS Advisory Panel<br />
gerard ee, Professor tommy Koh, Professor Arthur lim, Wong Ah long<br />
nuSS Management Committee 2011/2012<br />
OffIcE BEARERS<br />
President Johnny tan Khoon hui<br />
Vice President David ho Peng Cheong<br />
Honorary Secretary yip Kum Fei Honorary Treasurer Wong Peng Meng<br />
Honorary Assistant Secretary Paul Wang Syan (Dr) Honorary Assistant Treasurer Darryl Chong yi Wey<br />
cOMMITTEE MEMBERS<br />
Mohan balagopal, Chong hoong Sang, Fong Poh him (Dr), Jeffrey Khoo Poh tiong, Joshua vM Kuma (Dr),<br />
lai Kim Seng, Chandra Mohan K nair, Archie ong liang-gay, Francis Pavri (Dr), toh yong Soon<br />
SUB-cOMMITTEE cHAIRPERSONS<br />
Alumni Development & University Relations Darryl Chong yi Wey<br />
community care Archie ong liang-gay<br />
cultural Fong Poh him (Dr)<br />
Disciplinary Chandra Mohan K nair<br />
finance Wong Peng Meng<br />
House, food & Beverage Chong hoong Sang<br />
Intellectual Pursuit Joshua vM Kuma (Dr)<br />
<strong>Member</strong>ship David ho Peng Cheong<br />
S-connect Francis Pavri (Dr)<br />
Sports & Recreation Mohan balagopal<br />
Secretariat Management team<br />
chief Executive Officer tong hsien-hui ceo@nuss.org.sg<br />
finance Director ong Cheng lee (Ms) chenglee@nuss.org.sg<br />
Operations Director Sasidharan Pillai sasi@nuss.org.sg<br />
<strong>Member</strong>ship Director Jenny ng (Ms) jennyng@nuss.org.sg<br />
Assistant Director, corporate Affairs Almeta Chia (Ms) almeta@nuss.org.sg<br />
Senior Manager, facilities and Sports complex Administration richard Chitrakar richardc@nuss.org.sg<br />
Senior Operations Manager (BTGH & ScGH) Desmond lim desmondlim@nuss.org.sg<br />
Adam Park guild house<br />
7 Adam Park<br />
Singapore 289926<br />
Tel: 6779 1811<br />
All rights reserved. copyright 2011. Reproduction in whole or part of the magazine is strictly prohibited without the expressed permission of the publisher.<br />
The views of the contributors are entirely their own and do not necessarily represent those of NUSS or the Management committee.<br />
NUSS does not endorse all products and services featured in the magazine’s advertisements, except for its own advertisement(s).<br />
Printed in Singapore by Times Printers Private Limited MIcA (P) 152/03/2011
Cover Story<br />
it is hard to quantify the effect the key issues had on a voters as a significant proportion of young adults were voting for the first time, said Dr Koh.<br />
Social media revolution,<br />
a more engaged citizen<br />
and the fall of Aljunied<br />
GRC were among some<br />
noteworthy events that<br />
made this year’s general<br />
election so electrifying.<br />
Here, The Graduate spoke<br />
to analysts and politicians<br />
on why this year was such<br />
a watershed moment<br />
for Singapore’s political<br />
history. Text and photos<br />
by Khalil Adis<br />
4 THE GRADUATE Jul-Sep 2011<br />
this year’s general elections<br />
was indeed a watershed<br />
moment for Singapore as it<br />
marked many firsts for the<br />
nation.<br />
For instance, it was the first time<br />
that all seats were contested, with the<br />
exception of a walkover at Tanjong<br />
Pagar Group Constituency Representative<br />
(GRC).<br />
It also marked the first time many<br />
Singaporeans were finally able to exercise<br />
their right to vote and partake<br />
in the democratic process.<br />
Perhaps, most significantly, it was<br />
the first time that the ruling People’s<br />
Action Party (PAP) saw one of its GRC<br />
fall to the opposition.<br />
Previously thought to be impregnable,<br />
the loss of Aljunied GRC to<br />
The Workers’ Party witnessed the PAP<br />
losing five seats, along with Foreign<br />
Minister, Mr George Yeo.<br />
Although the PAP was returned to<br />
power, securing 81 out of 87 Parliament<br />
seats, it was the party’s worst<br />
showing by far.<br />
The PAP secured a vote margin<br />
of 60.14 percent, down from the<br />
66.6 percent it secured in the 2006<br />
election.<br />
Hard to pinpoint<br />
Despite a drop in vote margin, analysts<br />
disagree when asked if the key<br />
issues had impacted voters’ decision.<br />
The key issues that dominated this<br />
year’s general election included public<br />
housing affordability, the influx of<br />
foreigners, the rising cost of living, security<br />
lapses and transportation woes.<br />
According to Dr Gillian Koh,<br />
Senior Research Fellow at the Institute<br />
of Policy Studies, it was the quality of<br />
candidates from the various opposition<br />
parties that made a difference.
“It is necessary to note the quality<br />
of the slate that the different<br />
opposition parties presented which<br />
made the opposition politicians more<br />
electable than in previous elections,”<br />
says Dr Koh.<br />
Dr Koh also noted that it is difficult<br />
to gauge support for the PAP as<br />
more constituencies were contested.<br />
“It is important to note also that<br />
more constituencies were contested<br />
and many contested the first time<br />
in decades. The last contest in the<br />
Marine Parade area was in 1992, so it<br />
is very difficult to gauge support for<br />
the PAP based on previous results,”<br />
says Dr Koh.<br />
In addition, Dr Koh said it is hard<br />
to quantify the effect the key issues<br />
had on a voters as a significant proportion<br />
of young adults were voting<br />
for the first time.<br />
“There was about 26 percent of<br />
post-75ers voting either because they<br />
had just come of age or again because<br />
their constituency was contested and<br />
it is not clear what the effect of that<br />
is. This is reinforced by the possibility<br />
that they also tend to get a lot of<br />
their information online and this adds<br />
yet another dimension as to how they<br />
form their opinions leading up to the<br />
vote,” says Dr Koh.<br />
Social media revolution<br />
Many would also agree that this<br />
year’s election generated the kind of<br />
excitement and fervour that was not<br />
seen in previous elections.<br />
Political apathy appeared to have<br />
dissipated with the use of social media<br />
by the various political parties to<br />
reach out to young voters.<br />
“There was certainly wider and<br />
more creative use of social media<br />
such as the use of posters and videos<br />
in the elections. People could also<br />
watch rallies and interviews unfiltered<br />
in their own time and were not<br />
hindered by the number of rallies they<br />
could attend in a night. We saw the<br />
emergence of new media stars,” says<br />
Dr Koh.<br />
The new media star is of course<br />
Ms Nicole Seah from the National<br />
Solidarity Party (NSP).<br />
Within a span of days, she became<br />
the country’s number one politician<br />
with 105,152 ‘likes’ to date on her<br />
Facebook page.<br />
“Honestly, I was taken aback by<br />
the results. I don’t think I expected<br />
such massive feedback. The main<br />
thing was voters were looking for a<br />
political figure that they could resonate<br />
with. I think they were looking<br />
Ge 2011 tHe DIfferenCe<br />
Cover Story<br />
“It is necessary to note the<br />
quality of the slate that the<br />
different opposition parties<br />
presented which made<br />
the opposition<br />
politicians more<br />
electable than in<br />
previous elections.”<br />
for someone whom they felt was<br />
authentic and maybe that’s why my<br />
message resonated with the younger<br />
voters,” says Ms Seah.<br />
Dr Koh also notes that social<br />
media is a powerful tool as it allows<br />
the public to share their thoughts<br />
and opinions.<br />
“The key influences come from<br />
the fact that netizens can share their<br />
views freely and people can see<br />
how many like-minded people there<br />
are out there; also there are certain<br />
images, certain material that are<br />
Wider and more<br />
creative use of<br />
social media meant<br />
people could watch<br />
rallies and interviews<br />
unfiltered in their<br />
own time and the<br />
emergence of new<br />
media stars.<br />
Dr Gillian Koh<br />
Senior Research Fellow<br />
Institute of policy Studies<br />
lee Kuan Yew School of public policy<br />
National university of Singapore<br />
shared very quickly and shifts the<br />
tide of opinion, from Ms Nicole Seah<br />
to certainly MM Lee Kuan Yew’s<br />
comments about Aljunied. It is also<br />
a medium that does not undertake<br />
to write up the full background of<br />
any policy or political issue, unlike<br />
say the journalists in mainstream<br />
media,” says Dr Koh.<br />
While social media is a force to<br />
reckon with, Dr Koh still has her<br />
reservations.<br />
“I wonder how much that matters<br />
for new and young voters, and for<br />
Jul-Sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 5
Cover Story<br />
Ge 2011 tHe GrC SySteM<br />
“To abolish it<br />
outright may<br />
not serve the<br />
original purposes<br />
of ensuring a<br />
minority race<br />
representative<br />
in the group.<br />
Maybe what is<br />
needed is to have<br />
smaller GRCs<br />
with one minority<br />
candidate and<br />
two or three<br />
others.”<br />
Mr Harminder Pal Singh<br />
Singapore Democratic Alliance<br />
“Redrawing is<br />
very worrying.<br />
I’ve done my<br />
walkabout in<br />
Serangoon where<br />
I tell the residents<br />
that they are now<br />
in Marine parade<br />
GRC.”<br />
Ms nicole Seah<br />
National Solidarity party<br />
6 THE GRADUATE Jul-Sep 2011<br />
Crowds at a political rally: Dr Koh said it is hard to quantify the effect the key issues had on a voters<br />
as a significant proportion of young adults were voting for the first time.<br />
people who find that they suddenly<br />
get to vote after years, if not decades<br />
of not having to do so. Would it affect<br />
what really sticks in their political<br />
consciousness? Would it affect how<br />
they view different parties and politicians?”<br />
asks Dr Koh.<br />
Wither the GrC system?<br />
With the fall of Aljunied, there has<br />
been many calls online and among<br />
the opposition parties to do away<br />
with the GRC system.<br />
“We should revert back to all single<br />
member constituencies (SMC),”<br />
says Mr Gerald Giam from The Workers’<br />
Party.<br />
“It is fundamentally opposed to<br />
the concept of democracy. I do not<br />
know whom I’m voting for. I do<br />
not know how many votes they got<br />
and whether or not each individual<br />
prospective MP won. It has to go,”<br />
says Dr Vincent Wijeysingha from the<br />
Singapore Democratic Party.<br />
“Redrawing is very worrying.<br />
I’ve done my walkabout in Serangoon<br />
where I tell the residents that they are<br />
now in Marine Parade GRC,” says<br />
Ms Seah.<br />
However, others disagree.<br />
“What weakness? I thought that<br />
Aljunied proves that you quite simply<br />
have to mount a good team. Each<br />
man or woman counts,” says Dr Koh.<br />
“To abolish it outright may not<br />
serve the original purposes of ensuring<br />
a minority race representative in<br />
the group. Maybe what is needed is to<br />
have smaller GRCs with one minority<br />
candidate and two or three others.<br />
This will be more representative of<br />
the general population too. Having<br />
larger groups may not be necessary,”<br />
says Mr Harminder Pal Singh from the<br />
Singapore Democratic Alliance.<br />
Others have also accused the PAP<br />
of redrawing the GRC boundaries as a<br />
form of gerrymandering.<br />
However, Mr Alex Yam from<br />
the PAP says redrawing is necessary<br />
so that MPs can do their job more<br />
effectively.<br />
“Redrawing electoral boundaries<br />
have a lot to do with population size.<br />
With more and more people, will an<br />
MP still be able to do his job?” he<br />
questions.<br />
One thing, however, remains certain<br />
– the public’s desire for changes<br />
in policies.<br />
“The desire is there. The challenge<br />
is to take it the desire to the<br />
next level. It has to go right down in<br />
the civil service to the policy level,”<br />
says Mr Benjamin Pwee from the<br />
Singapore People’s Party.<br />
Note: The political candidates were expressing<br />
their views on their own personal capacity.
SInGAPore’S 2011 eleCtIonS<br />
Political Implications<br />
for A Globalising City<br />
Singapore faces a delicate balancing act in<br />
ensuring local issues are tackled head on while<br />
striving for economic growth in its bit to be a<br />
global city. By victor r Savage<br />
The 2011 Singapore elections<br />
results was a sobering experience<br />
for the ruling people<br />
Action party (pAp), the only<br />
party in power since 1959<br />
and one that Singapore’s populace have<br />
grown to equate with government, nationalism<br />
and Singapore. This reflection<br />
however is not concerned with a critical<br />
analysis of why the pAp lost its Group<br />
Constituency Representative (GRC)<br />
five seats, the ‘mistakes’ it made or why<br />
the Singapore electorate lost faith with<br />
their leaders. It is a broader conceptual<br />
contextualization of what the elections<br />
results represent in a globalising city.<br />
Given that the city-state has just gone<br />
through its best economic performance<br />
in 2010 (14.5 percent growth) and still<br />
economically sizzling in the first quarter<br />
of 2011 (8.3 percent growth rate), the<br />
pAp’s elections results have called for<br />
political recalibration.<br />
There are several ways of interpreting<br />
what global cities like Singapore<br />
have to handle with regard to domestic<br />
politics. Firstly, one has to accept that<br />
most cities are spatial and social<br />
traps. Citizens in cities develop often<br />
long residential comfort zones and<br />
networks, job security and social ties<br />
which embed them in residential areas<br />
and their urban settings.<br />
Singapore more than other cities<br />
is perhaps the penultimate spatial and<br />
social trap because as a city-state its<br />
citizens have less spatial mobility in the<br />
country – Singaporeans cannot pack up<br />
and move to other cities when the going<br />
gets difficult as Americans or Australians<br />
can do. This is compounded further<br />
when one realises that nearly all of<br />
Singapore’s food, natural resources and<br />
energy are imported which makes its<br />
citizens vulnerable to changing global<br />
market forces.<br />
Singaporeans are more territorially<br />
embedded since 90 percent of<br />
them own their homes. This immobility<br />
magnifies local political issues if<br />
the government chooses to neglect or<br />
ignore them. The opposition hammered<br />
home the realities of the high costs of<br />
living, unaffordable housing, transport<br />
problems, social injustice, the growing<br />
inequality of wealth and relative poverty<br />
that clearly resonated with Singapore’s<br />
middle income workers, aged residents<br />
and poorer citizens. In the latest 2011<br />
global competitive rankings, Singapore<br />
has fallen into third place behind the<br />
united States and Hong Kong principally<br />
because of its high inflation and<br />
costs of living.<br />
Younger Singaporeans, however,<br />
with greater academic qualifications<br />
and technical competence or talent,<br />
have the best mobility – the world is<br />
their oyster! When they are disgruntled<br />
and dissatisfied, they emigrate<br />
elsewhere.<br />
Secondly, the tragedy of all global<br />
cities is that globalisation and urbanisation<br />
unfortunately can increase<br />
inequalities which in turn create pools<br />
of relative poverty. No city, no matter<br />
how wealthy can claim it does not have<br />
poor residents. The noted geographer,<br />
Doreen Massey, shows even a World<br />
City like london has poor people. This<br />
widening of the income gap is a political<br />
issue in many World Cities (such as<br />
Tokyo, New York and paris).<br />
poverty and poor people are relative<br />
issues and while Singaporeans on<br />
average are richer than most Southeast<br />
Asians, it does have poor citizens in<br />
comparison to its rich residents. For<br />
the ruling leadership this relatively poor<br />
group was belatedly acknowledged in<br />
the elections as those people falling between<br />
the cracks. However, compounding<br />
this relative poverty issue is the fact<br />
that Singapore’s leadership has created<br />
a political system of elitism – the top<br />
echelons of government and private<br />
sector corporations remain highly paid<br />
and carry all the exclusive trappings of a<br />
highly stratified society.<br />
The widening income gap and<br />
relative poverty has become politicised<br />
because the government has allowed<br />
knowledge-based foreign workers to fill<br />
the ranks of the thousands of multinational<br />
and transnational corporations<br />
operating in Singapore. equally, talented<br />
and educated Singaporeans have also<br />
risen in the income ladder but they<br />
Cover Story<br />
have become a minority in the maze of<br />
foreign commercial corporations. Singaporeans<br />
that do not make the global<br />
city grade in professional expertise are<br />
thus seen to be left behind.<br />
Thirdly, global cities are also<br />
cosmopolitan, with accepted pools<br />
of foreigners defining their global<br />
identity. No global and World City is<br />
culturally monolithic. In a way, being a<br />
global city means benchmarking with<br />
the best in order to complete. Singapore<br />
alone has 2, 880 financial institutions<br />
which in 2010 managed assets of<br />
over uS$1.1 trillion.<br />
Singapore, with 5.1 million people,<br />
in 710 sq km, tapping into 2 percent of<br />
total global trade, needs to adapt and<br />
upgrade its labour force in order to sustain<br />
itself. The nature of all global cities<br />
is to compete by keeping options open,<br />
attracting talent and knowledge-based<br />
workers, and expanding the pool of local<br />
educated people. Singaporeans want<br />
a Singaporean Singapore which requires<br />
political deft handling by any government<br />
sourcing for foreign expertise.<br />
Fourthly, as a global city, the<br />
elections threw up stark contrasts<br />
about the global-local nexus. unfortunately<br />
global cities need to wade<br />
into international flows to maintain<br />
spatial networks and the heightened<br />
importance of ‘relational’ spaces and<br />
social systems. Yet, on the other hand,<br />
the government needs to monitor the<br />
local pulse to ensure it does not ignore<br />
grounded issues. The art of politics is<br />
the ability for government to fine tune<br />
a balance between global economic<br />
capture and domestic citizenry concerns.<br />
In short, there needs to be a<br />
morphing of cosmopolitan mindsets<br />
within embedded heartland aspirations.<br />
If global cities are shibboleths for<br />
neo-liberalism and cosmopolitan values,<br />
then the Singaporean domestic politics<br />
of tomorrow must ensure the local politics<br />
of the ‘little people’ must remain in<br />
sync with Singapore’s wider international<br />
status as a place of quality living.<br />
Victor R Savage is<br />
an Associate Professor<br />
in Geography at<br />
the National University<br />
of Singapore<br />
(NUS) and NUSS<br />
member. These are<br />
his personal views.<br />
Jul-Sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 7
Cover Story<br />
Post-General election<br />
Dialogue at nUSS<br />
promising young politicians were invited to share their views and experiences on<br />
the recent General election and also the motivations driving them to be part of<br />
our nation’s new political landscape.<br />
the mood was an electrifying<br />
one as candidates from the various<br />
political parties descended<br />
upon the Kent Ridge Guild House for<br />
the Post-General Election Dialogue<br />
held on 26 May.<br />
Headlined, ‘A Watershed Election’,<br />
the invited candidates were attending<br />
the dialogue session on their personal<br />
capacity where they shared their<br />
thoughts and took questions from<br />
NUSS members about the recently<br />
concluded general election.<br />
Although mobbed by their fans,<br />
some of the invited speakers managed<br />
to take time out to speak to<br />
The Graduate about their campaign<br />
highlights<br />
“I didn’t really feel a specific high<br />
Mr Johnny Tan, Mr Benjamin Pwee, Mr Gerald Giam, Dr Vincent Wijeysingha, Mr Harminder Pal Singh, Ms Nicole Seah, Ms Ho Soak Harn, Dr Lam Peng<br />
Er and Mr Alex Yam.<br />
8 THE GRADUATE Jul-Sep 2011<br />
Active participation by NUSS members during<br />
the Q&A session.<br />
at a certain significant event per say.<br />
I think throughout it, it was really<br />
the little things that mattered. For<br />
example, when someone came up to<br />
me and said I have never voted for<br />
Mr Benjamin Pwee (second from left) with<br />
Mr Johnny Tan (extreme right) and invited<br />
guests at the dialogue session.<br />
the past 20 years and now you are<br />
giving me that chance or if someone<br />
came up to me and said “I want you<br />
to be my voice”, those were the most<br />
gratifying thing because that is why I
Political candidates shared their views and experiences frankly with invited NUSS members.<br />
Invited members soaking up the electrifying atmosphere at the dialogue session.<br />
am here in the first place,” says<br />
Ms Nicole Seah<br />
“I think it was being able to meet<br />
people and confirm to ourselves that<br />
the kind of issues we were raising<br />
were the people’s issue. So we were<br />
not wrong. We weren’t on the wrong<br />
track. It translates into a win for us.<br />
However, the fact that such a significant<br />
percentage of the population<br />
voted for the opposition as a whole<br />
meant that people are changing their<br />
mindset about how people are governed,”<br />
says Dr Vincent Wijeysingha.<br />
“It was probably the huge support<br />
shown by WP supporters at the rallies<br />
and on the ground. For those who<br />
joined us as volunteers, I was truly<br />
touched by all their support,” says<br />
Mr Gerald Giam.<br />
A watershed moment<br />
This year’s election was indeed a<br />
watershed moment as it saw many<br />
quality candidates from varying background<br />
coming forward to contest as<br />
political candidates in all wards.<br />
This has given many Singaporeans<br />
the opportunity to cast their votes for<br />
the first time.<br />
It was also significant as it saw<br />
the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP)<br />
securing its lowest vote margin in<br />
history.<br />
Cover Story<br />
This then prompted Prime Minister<br />
Lee Hsien Loong to reshuffle his<br />
cabinet with the promise to listen<br />
intently to Singaporeans’ concerns.<br />
Behind closed doors feedback<br />
Held behind closed doors, the political<br />
candidates shared their views and<br />
experiences frankly with invited<br />
members.<br />
Opening the dialogue was<br />
Mr Gerald Giam.<br />
“The PAP responds best when<br />
it performs poorly. This is the first<br />
election in a long time when a lawsuit<br />
was not involved,” says Mr Giam.<br />
Agreeing with his comments is<br />
Ms Ho Soak Harn.<br />
“The PAP ran a clean election.<br />
However, it remains to be seen what<br />
the PAP would do to tackle unaffordable<br />
housing and the increasing<br />
cost of living. The formation of the<br />
ministerial committee to look into the<br />
pay of minister’s salary is a good sign<br />
as it shows they are listening to the<br />
public,” says Ms Ho.<br />
Ms Nicole Seah said she noticed<br />
people were more accepting of opposition<br />
parties.<br />
“In the past, when I was doing<br />
my walkabout, people would slam<br />
their door in my face. However, this<br />
time, people are opening up to us,”<br />
says Ms Seah.<br />
Dr Vincent Wijeysingha also<br />
agreed on the changing political<br />
landscape.<br />
“The political climate today is very<br />
different. A party like the PAP does<br />
not concede to failure easily. They<br />
were reeling from the result of the<br />
election,” says Dr Wijeysingha.<br />
Mr Benjamin Pwee said there<br />
is a strong desire for change from<br />
Singaporeans.<br />
“The desire (for change) is there.<br />
The challenge is to take it (the desire)<br />
to the next level. It has to go right<br />
down in the civil service to the policy<br />
level,” says Mr Pwee.<br />
Mr Harminder Pal Singh said<br />
local issues dominated the general<br />
election.<br />
“Singaporean’s first policy was a<br />
hot topic. We have to learn to work<br />
together regardless of which parties<br />
we are from,” says Mr Singh.<br />
Agreeing, Mr Alex Yam said he<br />
aims to connect with Singaporeans.<br />
“My focus in the days ahead will<br />
be our roots and links. We shall never<br />
forget who have contributed regardless<br />
of their party colour,” says<br />
Mr Yam.<br />
Jul-Sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 9
Cover Story<br />
Q&A session<br />
During the question and answer<br />
session, many members wanted to<br />
know if there will be genuine changes<br />
post-election.<br />
“People say PM Lee means<br />
business. I’m taking a wait-and-see<br />
approach. After the 2006 elections,<br />
a lot of sweeteners were promised.<br />
After six months to a year, it was<br />
back to status quo. Currently, our key<br />
performance index (KPI) is economic<br />
growth. Our economy is the best but<br />
inside, our heartware is empty,” says<br />
Ms Seah.<br />
One member specifically raised an<br />
issue where the ruling party appears<br />
to be a bunch of “yes men”.<br />
“As a member of the PAP, I’m not<br />
a rubber stamp,” says Mr Yam, correcting<br />
members’ perception.<br />
Others also wanted to know the<br />
real reasons why the GRC boundaries<br />
are constantly redrawn, as they<br />
believe it gives unfair advantage to<br />
the PAP.<br />
Responding to members’ query,<br />
Mr Yam said redrawing was necessary<br />
as it allows PAP MPs to better serve<br />
their residents due to changing population<br />
size and demographics.<br />
However, other political parties<br />
disagreed.<br />
Mr Alex Yam responding to questions from the floor.<br />
10 THE GRADUATE Jul-Sep 2011<br />
“Redrawing is a short-term tactic<br />
by the PAP so they do not lose,” says<br />
Ms Seah.<br />
“Redrawing should be done six<br />
months to one year before the elections<br />
and not one month before,” says<br />
Mr Giam.<br />
In the meantime, Dr Wijeysingha<br />
said the true test of the PAP’s sincerity<br />
behind the redrawing of the GRC will<br />
be Potong Pasir.<br />
“Politics is a dirty game. Whether<br />
they will dissolve Potong Pasir will<br />
be a real test,” says Dr Wijeysingha,<br />
drawing thunderous applause from<br />
the floor.<br />
Moving ahead<br />
With the general election now concluded,<br />
the various political parties<br />
said there are lessons to be learnt<br />
which they want the PAP to look into.<br />
One such issue is the need for genuine<br />
feedback from grassroots leaders<br />
so that PAP MPs will not second<br />
guess each other.<br />
Meanwhile, Dr Wijeysinga<br />
said there is a need to inculcate<br />
mutual respect.<br />
“We need to jettison draconian<br />
laws. We need to inculcate more<br />
respect for each other’s views. For<br />
good or bad, the SDP has been on the<br />
Mr Gerald Giam shaking hands with fellow<br />
members.<br />
forefront of democracy. The SDP will<br />
continue to do what it does – removing<br />
the fear that lurks in society,” says<br />
Dr Wijeysingha.<br />
Despite the debate and various<br />
issues raised, the dialogues session<br />
ended on a high note with everyone<br />
agreeing that there are qualities worth<br />
admiring in each political party and<br />
that they have Singapore’s best interest<br />
in mind.<br />
“I do admire the NSP for taking<br />
time to talk to residents. The PAP<br />
does have a strong mandate and<br />
needs to move forward with the<br />
voices of the people,” says Mr Yam.
<strong>Member</strong>s sharing a light moment as they cast their votes.<br />
More than 200 members attended<br />
this year’s Annual<br />
General Meeting (AGM),<br />
held on 29 April at the<br />
Kent Ridge Guild House. Greeted by<br />
hawker-style buffet delights, members<br />
took the opportunity to mingle with<br />
each other before adjourning to the<br />
Guild Hall for the election and to vote<br />
on resolutions.<br />
Eight members, including two new<br />
faces were elected and six resolutions<br />
were passed.<br />
This year, there were nine<br />
nominees vying for the eight vacancies<br />
in the Management Committee<br />
2011/2012.<br />
However, as one nominee<br />
withdrew, the remaining eight were<br />
automatically elected into the new<br />
Management Committee, including<br />
two new faces.<br />
The two are Dr Paul Wang Syan<br />
and Mr Jeffrey Khoo Poh Tiong. Six<br />
members from the previous Committee<br />
comprising Dr Fong Poh Him,<br />
Mr Lai Kim Seng, Mr Chandra Mohan<br />
K Nair, Mr Johnny Tan Khoon Hui,<br />
Mr Toh Yong Soon and Mr Wong<br />
Peng Meng were re-elected.<br />
New resolutions passed<br />
When the meeting moved to the six<br />
proposed Resolutions pertaining to<br />
absent and outstation membership,<br />
spouse members, reduced entrance<br />
fee for postgraduates, new graduates<br />
and postgraduates who join within<br />
four to six years of their graduation,<br />
electronic communication and<br />
a pledge of $1 million to help needy<br />
students enrolled for studies at NUS<br />
University Town, members’ discussion<br />
was focused and differing<br />
opinions were expressed respectfully<br />
and in good spirit. After a passionate<br />
HIgHlIgHts<br />
Annual general Meeting 2011<br />
Two new members were elected, six re-elected while another eight will continue to<br />
hold office for another year.<br />
ANNuAl geNerAl MeetINg<br />
Date: 29 April 2011<br />
Venue: Kent Ridge Guild House<br />
More than 200 members attended this year’s<br />
Annual General Meeting.<br />
This year’s AGM was chaired by Mr Johnny Tan,<br />
President of the NUSS.<br />
jul-sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 11
HIgHlIgHts<br />
discussion, members voted and all<br />
resolutions were carried.<br />
Making a difference<br />
Having been successfully elected,<br />
the two new members said they<br />
would like to make a difference by<br />
contributing to the continued success<br />
of NUSS.<br />
“I would like to build on the success<br />
we had with the NUSS Karaoke<br />
competition and various mini<br />
events. I also plan to organise more<br />
innovative culture related events for<br />
this coming year with my team. In<br />
particular, I will be spending some<br />
effort in organising the production of<br />
an album comprising of Singaporecomposed<br />
materials performed by<br />
talents from NUSS. We also have a<br />
number of fundraising events to support<br />
throughout the year that needs<br />
President: johnny Tan Khoon Hui<br />
Vice President: David Ho peng Cheong<br />
Honorary Secretary: Yip Kum Fei<br />
Honorary Treasurer: Wong peng Meng<br />
Honorary Assistant Secretary: paul Wang syan (Dr)<br />
Honorary Assistant Treasurer: Darryl Chong Yi Wey<br />
12 THE GRADUATE jul-sep 2011<br />
a lot of attention and effort to realise<br />
them. It will be a busy year ahead<br />
and beyond. The Cultural Sub-<br />
Committee is not only about music.<br />
There is also the arts and drama that<br />
have to be encouraged and nurtured,”<br />
says Mr Khoo.<br />
“For the last 12 months, I have<br />
been volunteering my time serving<br />
in the iConnect Task Force. I have<br />
learnt much and gotten a lot of satisfaction<br />
serving with fellow NUSS<br />
members,” says Dr Wang At the<br />
close of the AGM shortly before midnight,<br />
Mr Johnny Tan thanked two<br />
outgoing members, Dr Rosemary<br />
Khoo and Mr Siva Retnam, for their<br />
hard work and contributions.<br />
He also extended a warm welcome<br />
to the new incoming Management<br />
Committee before calling the<br />
AGM to a close.<br />
tHe Nuss MANAgeMeNt CoMMIttee 2011/2012<br />
Committee <strong>Member</strong>s:<br />
Mohan Balagopal<br />
Chong Hoong sang<br />
Fong poh Him (Dr)<br />
jeffrey Khoo poh Tiong<br />
joshua VM Kuma (Dr)<br />
lai Kim seng<br />
Chandra Mohan K Nair<br />
Archie Ong liang-Gay<br />
Francis pavri (Dr)<br />
Toh Yong soon<br />
Nuss eNdowMeNt<br />
FuNd For<br />
utowN studeNt<br />
AdvANCeMeNt<br />
HAViNG achieved a majority<br />
support from members at the<br />
AGM 2011, the society has<br />
established the Nuss endowment<br />
Fund for uTown student<br />
Advancement.<br />
The society has pledged to<br />
raise $1 million to be met by 31<br />
December 2016 providing financial<br />
assistance to disadvantaged<br />
singaporeans enrolled for studies<br />
at uTown.<br />
The society is pleased to<br />
announce that Dr Della lee and<br />
Mr lee seng Gee, Chairman of the<br />
lee Foundation, have contributed<br />
a sum of $1 million towards the<br />
Nuss endowment Fund for<br />
uTown student Advancement.<br />
As a gesture of the society’s<br />
deep appreciation, the Guild Hall<br />
at Kent Ridge Guild House will be<br />
renamed the Della & seng Gee<br />
Guild Hall.<br />
The unveiling will take place on<br />
13 july 2011.
New MANAgeMeNt CoMMIttee MeMber<br />
Mr JeFFrey KHoo PoH tIoNg<br />
With his passion in music and culture, members can look forward to an<br />
exciting year ahead with arts and entertainment events.<br />
FOR Mr jeffrey Khoo poh Tiong, serving Nuss is a calling.<br />
Mr Khoo works at a private equity firm involved in the agriculture and food<br />
industry. As a General Manager, he travels extensively throughout Asia looking<br />
for value in companies.<br />
“i naturally gravitate towards looking for value in any activity i drive. it is<br />
important to make fellow volunteers appreciate the value in their participation,<br />
as not all things can be measured in terms of dollars and cents,” says Mr Khoo.<br />
Having been an Nuss member for the past 17 years, Mr Khoo said he enjoys<br />
the modern facilities and participated in various programmes organised by the<br />
previous Management Committee members.<br />
“This time round i would want to dedicate my time and effort to give back<br />
to the society that i call my second home,” says Mr Khoo.<br />
last term, Mr Khoo served on the Karaoke special interest group and<br />
also on the intellectual pursuit sub-<br />
Committee.<br />
With an interest in music and the<br />
arts since young, Mr Khoo said this will<br />
help add value to the society. indeed,<br />
Nuss recently benefitted from his contribution<br />
with the 2011 Nuss Karaoke<br />
Competition.<br />
Moving forward, members can expect<br />
an exciting year ahead with culture<br />
related events, fundraising and arts<br />
activities to be spearheaded by Mr Khoo.<br />
“it is important to<br />
make fellow volunteers<br />
appreciate the value in<br />
their participation, as<br />
not all things can be<br />
measured in terms of<br />
dollars and cents.”<br />
New MANAgeMeNt CoMMIttee MeMber<br />
HIgHlIgHts<br />
dr PAul wANg syAN<br />
Dr Wang’s fulfilling experience serving in the iConnect Taskforce led him to<br />
run for elections to serve Nuss.<br />
DR paul Wang syan<br />
leads an active and<br />
healthy lifestyle. Therefore,<br />
it came as no surprise<br />
that he aspires to<br />
promote healthy living<br />
and lifelong learning as<br />
a member of the Management<br />
Committee.<br />
A strategic planning<br />
Director for NeC<br />
Asia pacific, Dr Wang<br />
brings with him more<br />
than 20 years of working<br />
experience in both<br />
the private and public<br />
sectors where he has<br />
worked in various management<br />
positions.<br />
A strategic planning<br />
Director for NeC Asia<br />
pacific, Dr paul brings<br />
with him more than<br />
20 years of working<br />
experience in both<br />
the private and<br />
public sectors where<br />
he has worked in<br />
various management<br />
positions.<br />
Dr Wang, however, is no stranger to Nuss. Having served<br />
in the iConnect Taskforce for the past 12 months, Dr Wang<br />
decided to run for elections as he wants to make a contribution<br />
towards Nuss. “i believe i could channel my energy to<br />
support Nuss activities,” he says.<br />
jul-sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 13
Club news<br />
nuss APPreCiAtion Dinner | 8 April 2011 | Kent Ridge Guild House<br />
From left: Mr David Ho, Mr Wong Ah Long, Professor (Dr) James Newton Boss, Mr Gopinath Pillai, Mr Ernest Wong Thian Yow, Mr Gerard Ee and<br />
Mr Johnny Tan.<br />
luminary members honoured at<br />
nuss Appreciation Dinner<br />
Mr Gopinath pillai named <strong>Distinguished</strong> <strong>Member</strong> while Mr ernest Wong Thian Yow<br />
and professor (Dr) James Newton Boss named Outstanding <strong>Member</strong>s.<br />
nUSS members came out<br />
in full force to recognise<br />
and honour its <strong>Distinguished</strong><br />
and Outstanding<br />
<strong>Member</strong>s at an<br />
Appreciation Dinner held on 8 April.<br />
Picked by a judging panel comprising<br />
NUSS Advisory Panel members<br />
Mr Gerard Ee and Mr Wong Ah<br />
Long; and NUSS President Mr Johnny<br />
Tan, three luminary NUSS members<br />
were selected for both awards.<br />
“Tonight, we gather to recognise<br />
the contributions and celebrate the<br />
<strong>outstanding</strong> accomplishments of<br />
some of our longstanding members.<br />
In particular, we will be presenting<br />
the NUSS <strong>Distinguished</strong> and Outstanding<br />
<strong>Member</strong>s <strong>Awards</strong> to three<br />
of our members who have made<br />
significant and lasting contributions<br />
to NUSS and the wider community,”<br />
14 THE GRADUATE Jul-Sep 2011<br />
Guests toasting to Mr Gopinath Pillai’s recognition as NUSS <strong>Distinguished</strong> <strong>Member</strong>.
said NUSS President Mr Johnny Tan,<br />
in his opening speech.<br />
Indeed, the three selected recipients<br />
have made significant contributions<br />
to the Society and Singapore in<br />
their own ways.<br />
Mr Gopinath Pillai, recipient of<br />
the <strong>Distinguished</strong> <strong>Member</strong> Award,<br />
for instance, played a pivotal role in<br />
persuading the Development Bank of<br />
Singapore (DBS) to finance the construction<br />
of the old Kent Ridge Guild<br />
House (KRGH) during the Society’s<br />
early days.<br />
Most significantly, he helped to<br />
successfully secure the members’<br />
mandate to increase the entrance fee<br />
from a mere S$15 to $2,000.<br />
That helped bring in close to<br />
1,800 members and added $1.8 million<br />
to NUSS’ development fund.<br />
“I feel very honoured and very<br />
privileged. I never expected this so<br />
I’m very happy. Very touched,” says<br />
Mr Pillai.<br />
Likewise, Mr Ernest Wong Thian<br />
Yow, recipient of the Outstanding<br />
<strong>Member</strong> Award, was instrumental in<br />
shaping NUSS to what it is today.<br />
During his tenure as President<br />
from 1971 to 1973, he personally<br />
oversaw the completion of the Evans<br />
Road Guild House by tapping on his<br />
contacts for building materials and<br />
manpower resources.<br />
“I feel very honoured. As far as<br />
I’m concerned, I am just an ordinary<br />
member,” says Mr Wong.<br />
Recalling the early years when<br />
NUSS was still in its infancy stage,<br />
Mr Wong said he was proud to be there<br />
when the Society needed him the most.<br />
“I was most proud when I was<br />
Club news<br />
Mr Gopinath Pillai, recipient of the<br />
<strong>Distinguished</strong> <strong>Member</strong> Award, for instance,<br />
played a pivotal role in persuading the<br />
Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) to<br />
finance the construction of the old Kent<br />
Ridge Guild House (KRGH) during the<br />
Society’s early days.<br />
involved in developing the Society at<br />
a time when it was in a very critical<br />
situation. We almost lost a building,<br />
the properties and all. I was part of<br />
the team that had to resurrect it,”<br />
says Mr Wong.<br />
Another recipient of the Outstanding<br />
<strong>Member</strong> Award is Professor (Dr)<br />
James Newton Boss.<br />
Professor (Dr) Boss joined NUSS<br />
in 1983 and was involved in the Community<br />
Care, Community Service and<br />
<strong>Member</strong>ship Sub-Committees as well<br />
as the Orchard Guild House Steering<br />
Committee.<br />
He was also the Chairperson of<br />
the 50th Anniversary NUSS Lecture<br />
and is currently serving in the Intellectual<br />
Pursuit Sub-Committee and<br />
the Editorial Panel.<br />
“Receiving this award today is another<br />
milestone for me into my collection.<br />
That’s one of those things I look<br />
forward to – my contribution towards<br />
society,” says Professor (Dr) Boss.<br />
Long Service <strong>Awards</strong> were also<br />
presented at the dinner to 13 members<br />
who had volunteered their services<br />
in the various Sub-Committees<br />
continuously for at least five years.<br />
long serviCe<br />
AwArD reCiPients<br />
10-Year long service<br />
• Mr Chong Hoong Sang<br />
• Mr Chua Hock Huat<br />
• Mr Yip Kum Fei<br />
5-Year long service<br />
• Dr Ang Wai Hoong Catherine<br />
• Mr lee Choy peng eddie<br />
• Mr Mohan Balagopal<br />
• Mr lee Jim Teck edward<br />
• professor (Dr) James Boss<br />
• Mr phua Chun Yen Alvin<br />
• Mr Joseph Y Hassan<br />
• Mr Dinesh Singh<br />
• Dr Joshua VM Kuma<br />
• Mr Toh Yong Soon<br />
From left: Mr Johnny Tan, Mr Mohan Balagopal, Professor (Dr) James Newton Boss, Mr Joseph Hassan, Mr Yip Kum Fei, Mr Chong Hoong Sang,<br />
Dr Joshua Kuma, Mr Eddie Lee, Mr Edward Lee, Mr Dinesh Singh and Mr David Ho.<br />
Jul-Sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 15
Club news<br />
luminary members honoured at nuss Appreciation Dinner<br />
Mr gopinath Pillai<br />
NuSS <strong>Distinguished</strong> <strong>Member</strong><br />
NUSS from my time has grown to be<br />
a very large Society and it has done well. However,<br />
it could do more, in the sense that it could bring<br />
together more graduates because many of the<br />
graduates, once they leave the university, majority<br />
of them do not keep a link with the university.”<br />
16 THE GRADUATE Jul-Sep 2011<br />
Mr Gopinath pillai cuts an imposing<br />
figure as he spoke to The Graduate<br />
prior to receiving his award.<br />
Best known during his term as Chairman<br />
of NTuC Fairprice Co-operative limited,<br />
Mr pillai graduated with a Bachelor<br />
of Arts from the then university of Malaya<br />
in 1961.<br />
At the university, he was a noted activist<br />
with the Socialist Club.<br />
This had caused the Singapore government<br />
to take notice of him as a rebel of<br />
some sort, something Mr pillai had readily<br />
acknowledged during his acceptance<br />
speech after receiving his award.<br />
His revolutionary spirit, however,<br />
proved useful as he went on to establish<br />
an illustrious career in the private sector<br />
where he held senior positions in firms<br />
such as Intraco limited and Inno pacific<br />
Holdings ltd.<br />
He then went on to forge a career as a<br />
diplomat where he served as Singapore’s<br />
High Commissioner to pakistan and Singapore’s<br />
Non-Resident Ambassador (NRA)<br />
to Iran.<br />
Mr pillai is currently an Ambassadorat-large<br />
as well as the Chairman of the<br />
Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) at<br />
the National university of Singapore (NuS).<br />
Despite his many contributions to<br />
NuSS, Mr pillai feels more can be done.<br />
“NuSS from my time has grown to be<br />
a very large Society and it has done well.<br />
However, it could do more, in the sense<br />
that it could bring together more graduates<br />
because many of the graduates, once<br />
they leave the university, majority of them<br />
do not keep a link with the university. I<br />
think NuSS must find a way to forge that<br />
link. I think that must be the mission,” says<br />
Mr pillai.<br />
He also would like to see NuSS as a<br />
think centre.<br />
“The body of graduate should also<br />
look at national issues not as a political<br />
gimmick but as an objective educated<br />
body,” says Mr pillai.<br />
In closing, Mr pillai hoped more fresh<br />
blood would come onboard to help the<br />
Society grow further.<br />
“Join NuSS and make it stronger.”
Mr ernest wong thian Yow<br />
NuSS Outstanding <strong>Member</strong><br />
Mr ernest Wong Thian Yow is<br />
seen by many as a visionary<br />
and a maverick.<br />
As president from 1971 to 1973, he<br />
was at the helm when the Society was<br />
asked to vacate its premises at Dalvey<br />
estate. When a dilapidated house at 15<br />
evans Road was offered to the Society,<br />
it was his never-say-die attitude and faith<br />
that made the completion of the evans<br />
Guild House possible.<br />
When he was president again from<br />
1982 to 1984, he led a group of founding<br />
members and established the first Kent<br />
Ridge Guild House.<br />
From its humble beginnings at Dalvey<br />
estate, NuSS has now grown to four<br />
guild houses across Singapore.<br />
Still, Mr Wong would like to see NuSS<br />
expanding beyond Singapore.<br />
“It is about time that NuSS considers<br />
moving overseas as many of our graduates<br />
are travelling a lot, taking up either<br />
temporary or permanent positions overseas.<br />
The Society will be well placed to<br />
have a presence in some of the overseas<br />
Professor (Dr) James newton boss<br />
NuSS Outstanding <strong>Member</strong><br />
Professor (Dr) James Newton Boss<br />
has received so many awards and<br />
accolades in his lifetime.<br />
So much so that his wife used to tell<br />
him: “You are putting a lot of things into<br />
the showcases.”<br />
Indeed, beyond NuSS, professor (Dr)<br />
Boss’ contribution to Singapore and<br />
society-at-large is his invention of a new<br />
composite material to substitute the<br />
cumbersome and heavy metallic implants<br />
in hipbone replacement surgery.<br />
This invention won him the Gusi<br />
peace prize in 2008 which is considered<br />
the Asian equivalent of the Nobel peace<br />
prize.<br />
professor (Dr) Boss’ contributions<br />
extends beyond Singapore.<br />
He was featured among prominent<br />
individuals in the biographical record of<br />
Who’s Who in the World 27th edition<br />
2010 and 28th edition 2011.<br />
In addition, he is one of the 16 Singaporeans<br />
to have been knighted in Rome<br />
by the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem<br />
of Rhodes and of Malta.<br />
Club news<br />
My advice is<br />
to get more involved<br />
in the affairs of the<br />
Society beginning with<br />
standing for elections<br />
in the Society and then<br />
contributing in whatever<br />
your skills are. Whatever<br />
talents that you can<br />
contribute, use them.”<br />
cities where we can provide for them,”<br />
says Mr Wong.<br />
Moving forward, his vision is to see<br />
more members contributing to NuSS.<br />
“My advice is to get more involved in<br />
the affairs of the Society beginning with<br />
standing for elections in the Society and<br />
then contributing in whatever your skills<br />
are. Whatever talents that you can contribute,<br />
use them,” says Mr Wong.<br />
I would love to see<br />
younger members to be<br />
more participating in<br />
the society, the university<br />
and society-at-large.”<br />
Having been an NuSS member for<br />
close to 30 years, professor Boss said<br />
serving the Society during its 50th anniversary<br />
was his proudest moment.<br />
“I was the chairperson when I<br />
organised the grand dinner for the 50th<br />
anniversary a few years ago, including<br />
the 50th Anniversary NuSS lecture. I was<br />
very happy because it was successful and<br />
the system works,” says professor Boss.<br />
like his contemporaries, professor<br />
Boss would like to see more young<br />
people making a difference to NuSS.<br />
“I would love to see younger members<br />
to be more participating in the<br />
society, the university and society-atlarge,”<br />
says professor Boss.<br />
Jul-Sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 17
Special RepoRt<br />
18 THE GRADUATE Jul-Sep 2011<br />
encouraging<br />
sustainable<br />
development is<br />
among some of the<br />
ways the Singapore<br />
government is<br />
embracing to<br />
mitigate the energy<br />
challenges ahead.<br />
By Khalil adis<br />
Sustaining<br />
Singapore’s<br />
Future
the global drive for sustainable<br />
development and the<br />
urgency to look for alternative<br />
forms of energy have<br />
never been greatly felt<br />
until the global economic downturn<br />
took the world by surprise in 2008.<br />
During the Lehman Brothers’ era<br />
crisis, oil prices fluctuated significantly<br />
causing much uncertainty in the<br />
energy market.<br />
A Bloomberg news report, for<br />
instance, showed oil prices reaching<br />
a high of US$147 a barrel in July<br />
2008 before dipping to $32 a barrel in<br />
December 2008.<br />
By October 2009, oil prices had finally<br />
stabilised and established a trading<br />
range of between $60 and $80.<br />
Nevertheless, global uncertainties<br />
still remain.<br />
Fresh from a post-Iraq war era,<br />
oil rich Middle East continues to be a<br />
volatile region.<br />
Meanwhile fossil fuels are rapidly<br />
depleting in supply.<br />
For a vulnerable and small country<br />
like Singapore, the search for alternative<br />
and renewable energy sources is<br />
no longer an option.<br />
Government’s initiative to<br />
tackle energy challenges<br />
With no natural resources and hinterland<br />
to fall back on, Singapore took a<br />
bold step in January 2008 to formulate<br />
a national strategy for Singapore’s<br />
sustainable development.<br />
The government set up the Inter-<br />
Ministerial Committee on Sustainable<br />
Development (IMCSD) to prepare the<br />
country to avert similar scenarios in<br />
the near future.<br />
It did this in the context of emerging<br />
domestic and global challenges.<br />
The IMCSD was co-chaired by<br />
former National Development Minister<br />
Mah Bow Tan and former Environment<br />
and Water Resources Minister<br />
Dr Yaacob Ibrahim.<br />
Their portfolios have since been taken<br />
over by Ministers Khaw Boon Wan<br />
and Vivian Balakrishnan respectively.<br />
IMCSD’s members include the<br />
Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transport<br />
and Ministry of Trade & Industry.<br />
“Today many of us are concerned<br />
about higher fuel prices and everincreasing<br />
demand for resources.<br />
While we must tackle these impor-<br />
tant issues, the uncertainties remind<br />
us that we cannot just look at our<br />
present needs, but should think ahead<br />
to secure our future. Singapore is our<br />
home, not just for the current but<br />
also future generations,” says former<br />
National Development Minister Mah<br />
Bow Tan.<br />
Special RepoRt<br />
New sustainable blueprint<br />
launched<br />
Indeed, the recession in 2008 was<br />
the worst ever to hit our shore since<br />
independence.<br />
For the first time, the city-state<br />
had to dig deep into its reserves to<br />
weather the storm and to keep its<br />
economy afloat.<br />
The Inter-Ministerial<br />
Committee on<br />
Sustainable<br />
Development has<br />
come up with various<br />
strategies and initiatives<br />
that it believes are<br />
needed for Singapore to<br />
achieve both economic<br />
growth and a good<br />
living environment for<br />
the next two decades.<br />
“Today many of us are concerned<br />
about higher fuel prices and everincreasing<br />
demand for resources.<br />
While we must tackle these<br />
important issues, the uncertainties<br />
remind us that we cannot just look<br />
at our present needs, but should<br />
think ahead to secure our future.<br />
Singapore is our home, not just<br />
for the current but also future<br />
generations.”<br />
Mah Bow tan<br />
Former National Development Minister<br />
Jul-Sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 19
Special RepoRt<br />
With this in mind, the IMCSD has<br />
come up with various strategies and<br />
initiatives that it believes are needed<br />
for Singapore to achieve both economic<br />
growth and a good living environment<br />
for the next two decades.<br />
Called the ‘Sustainable Blueprint’,<br />
it maps out Singapore’s energy use for<br />
the next two decades.<br />
“By planning now for Singapore’s<br />
sustainable development in the next<br />
10 to 15 years, we ensure two key<br />
things. First, we can be more efficient<br />
in using resources to grow our<br />
economy and stay competitive. Second,<br />
we can ensure that, even as our<br />
population grows, all of us continue<br />
to enjoy clean air and clean water in<br />
an attractive, quality living environment,”<br />
says former National Development<br />
Minister Mah.<br />
When<br />
completed, Six<br />
Battery Road<br />
is expected to<br />
improve energy<br />
efficiency<br />
by about 20<br />
percent.<br />
Six Battery Road.<br />
20 THE GRADUATE Jul-Sep 2011<br />
According to the BCA, the estimated<br />
retrofitting cost to upgrade all existing<br />
buildings owned by government agencies<br />
will be about $500 million over the next ten<br />
years. This will lead to substantial energy<br />
savings of $120 million per year.<br />
Real estate industry taking<br />
the lead<br />
Recognising that Singapore’s built up<br />
environment is responsible for most<br />
carbon emissions and energy consumption,<br />
the Building and Construction<br />
Authority (BCA) took the lead in<br />
2006 by implementing the First Green<br />
Building Masterplan.<br />
Under this masterplan, all new<br />
public buildings and those undergoing<br />
major retrofitting works are<br />
required to meet the minimum stand-<br />
ards of environmental sustainability<br />
that is equivalent to the Green Mark<br />
Certified level.<br />
BCA Green Mark is a green building<br />
rating system to evaluate a building<br />
for its environmental impact and<br />
performance.<br />
In 2009, the industry soared to<br />
even greater heights.<br />
That year, the IMCSD and BCA<br />
launched an ambitious target that will<br />
require at least 80 percent of the buildings<br />
in Singapore to achieve the BCA<br />
GReeN BuildiNGS<br />
CapitaCommercial Trust (CCT) in May last year, announced<br />
plans to retrofit its existing office building at<br />
Six Battery Road.<br />
Retrofitting works commenced in October 2010 and will be<br />
executed in phases until 2013 at a total capital expenditure of<br />
approximately $92 million.<br />
Six Battery Road will feature an iconic “green” wall with living<br />
green plants that will be constructed in the main lobby.<br />
When completed, Six Battery Road is expected to improve<br />
energy efficiency by about 20 percent.<br />
For its effort, Six Battery Road was awarded the 2010<br />
Green Mark platinum certification by the BCA.<br />
This makes it the first existing<br />
office building in Singapore to receive<br />
this accolade.<br />
City Developments limited (CDl)<br />
has also done their bit.<br />
In 2009, it achieved new milestones<br />
with the launch of 7 & 9 Tampines<br />
Grand and Tampines Concourse.<br />
7 & 9 Tampines Grande use Solar<br />
photovoltaic and Solar Thermal<br />
panels on its roofs and façades.<br />
Totalling 2, 080 sq m, the panels<br />
are the largest use of its kind in a<br />
11 Tampines Concourse. commercial property in Singapore.<br />
In 2008, Tampines Grande was<br />
awarded the BCA Green Mark platinum - the highest rating<br />
given to green buildings in Singapore.<br />
Meanwhile, 11 Tampines Concourse broke new grounds in<br />
2009 by being the first CarbonNeutral development in Singapore<br />
and Asia pacific.<br />
This commercial building utilises innovative building materials<br />
to reduce the usage of natural resources in the construction<br />
process, and reduces its carbon emissions to “net zero”<br />
annually.<br />
11 Tampines Concourse building was awarded the BCA<br />
Green Mark Gold in 2009.
Green Mark Certified rating by 2030.<br />
To achieve this, the BCA rolled out<br />
its Second Green Building Masterplan.<br />
This roadmap sets out specific<br />
initiatives to achieve a truly sustainable<br />
built environment in Singapore<br />
by that said year.<br />
When fully implemented, the<br />
Second Green Building Masterplan<br />
will result in annual savings of S$1.6<br />
billion in terms of energy cost reductions.<br />
To encourage existing building<br />
owners to upgrade their buildings’<br />
energy performance, the BCA introduced<br />
a bold S$100 million Green<br />
Mark Incentive Scheme for Existing<br />
Buildings, called 2(GMIS-EB), to<br />
jumpstart the ‘greening’ of existing<br />
buildings in the private sector.<br />
This cash incentive scheme aims<br />
to encourage private owners of existing<br />
buildings to undertake retrofitting<br />
works to achieve improvement in<br />
energy efficiency.<br />
When the co-funding scheme is<br />
fully implemented, private building<br />
owners would be able to enjoy collective<br />
energy savings of about $120<br />
million per year.<br />
The government is also taking<br />
the lead by requiring all medium or<br />
large new air-conditioned public sector<br />
buildings to achieve the highest<br />
Green Mark accolade, the Green Mark<br />
Platinum award.<br />
In addition, all existing public sector<br />
buildings are required to achieve<br />
the Green Mark Gold Plus Award<br />
by 2020.<br />
According to the BCA, the estimated<br />
retrofitting cost to upgrade all<br />
existing buildings owned by government<br />
agencies will be about $500<br />
million over the next ten years.<br />
This will lead to substantial energy<br />
savings of $120 million per year.<br />
Green spin-offs<br />
According to Dr John Keung, CEO of<br />
BCA, the Second Green Building<br />
Masterplan will provide a boost to<br />
the ‘green collar’ job market.<br />
Some 18,000 green specialists at<br />
the PMET level are expected to be<br />
trained over the next 10 years in the<br />
development, design, construction,<br />
operation and maintenance of green<br />
buildings.<br />
This will include upgrading of<br />
existing personnel and bringing in<br />
new entrants for this high growth<br />
area to develop a highly skilled ‘green<br />
collar’ workforce to support our vision<br />
towards a more sustainable built<br />
environment.<br />
Special RepoRt<br />
Private homeowners can install a Solar Photovoltaic system or use a Solar Water Heater to tap on<br />
alternative forms of energy.<br />
GReeN tRivia<br />
Green buildings equal productive workers<br />
expeRTS say workers in green<br />
buildings tend to be more productive.<br />
Mr Ishan palit, president & chief<br />
executive officer of TÜV SÜD Asia<br />
pacific, said improving ventilation and<br />
eradicating the use of painted surfaces<br />
that produce gaseous substances can<br />
significantly improve health of workers.<br />
“Health has a direct impact on<br />
TÜV SÜD’s<br />
Palit: Improve<br />
ventilation<br />
and eradicate<br />
use of painted<br />
surfaces.<br />
productivity as it not only improves a workers ability to operate at maximum<br />
efficiency but reduces the number of sick days they take,” says Mr palit.<br />
TÜV SÜD Asia pacific is a firm that provides consulting and research<br />
studies on how to make a building green plus providing certification for<br />
green buildings.<br />
alternative forms of energy equal savings<br />
on utility bills<br />
By tapping on to alternative forms of energy, consumers can save 20 to 50<br />
percent off their electricity bills monthly.<br />
“For private homeowners, one good way to tap on alternative form of<br />
energy is to install a Solar photovoltaic system. Another alternative is to use a<br />
Solar Water Heater using the heat captured from the sun to heat up the water<br />
used for bathing,” says Mr peter Goh, Director of Business Development<br />
at Chloros Solutions pte ltd.<br />
Chloros Solutions pte ltd is a green start up that was incorporated in<br />
October 2010 by Mr Goh, who graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Social<br />
Science at the National university of Singapore (NuS).<br />
Funded by SpRING Singapore under the yeS! Scheme as of March 2011,<br />
his firm provides green technology consultancy and project management<br />
services. elaborating, Mr Goh said consumers using a solar water heater can<br />
reduce their electricity consumption that is usually used in conventional<br />
water heaters. They can expect their Return-On-Investment (ROI) in five to<br />
seven years.<br />
However, there are limitations.<br />
Both solar solutions are applicable on landed properties only.<br />
Jul-Sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 21
HIgHlIgHts<br />
sPoRts & RECREatIoN NIgHt<br />
Date: 9 April 2011<br />
Venue: Kent Ridge Guild House<br />
this year’s Sports & Recreation<br />
Night saw NUSS<br />
members coming together<br />
to celebrate their sporting<br />
achievements over<br />
sumptuous buffet dinner with ‘live’<br />
burlesque entertainment on 9 April.<br />
<strong>Member</strong>s had earlier spent the entire<br />
day indulging in the Inter-Section<br />
Games (ISG), leading to the Sports &<br />
Recreation Night where members from<br />
all the sports sections came together<br />
for a night of celebration.<br />
Four different sports and games<br />
comprising bowling, darts, badminton<br />
and balut were played across different<br />
locations.<br />
The special cabaret-style performance<br />
by dance group, Morlesque, the<br />
entertainment was a welcome respite<br />
after a day’s of games and sporting<br />
activities.<br />
good showing by table tennis<br />
and soccer teams<br />
This year, the bowling section was<br />
responsible for organising the Sports &<br />
Recreation Night.<br />
The table tennis section swept<br />
most awards at this year’s ISG. It<br />
emerged second place for three games<br />
– bowling, darts and badminton.<br />
This was followed by the soccer<br />
team who emerged champions in<br />
bowling and third in balut.<br />
An organising member of the bowl-<br />
22 THE GRADUATE jul-sep 2011<br />
<strong>Member</strong>s from all the sports sections came<br />
together for a night of celebration.<br />
sports &<br />
Recreation Night<br />
<strong>Member</strong>s were entertained with cabaret-style<br />
performances after a day’s of sports and games.<br />
ing section said playing the different<br />
sports have helped build camaraderie<br />
and bonding among each other.<br />
“The participation and camaraderie<br />
that you have with your friends is very<br />
much enjoyable compared to just being<br />
centred in your own game,” says<br />
Mr Lim Shoo Hoe, convener of the<br />
bowling section.<br />
Milestones achieved for 2010<br />
The Sports & Recreation Night is also<br />
a celebration of the achievements that<br />
the Sports & Recreation Sub-Committee<br />
had achieved in 2010 in its bid to<br />
reach out to more members.<br />
“For Sports & Recreation, in the<br />
year 2010, the milestone is we have<br />
opened up the sports facilities to all<br />
our members which number about<br />
15,000,” says Mr Chong<br />
Hoong Sang, bowling<br />
advisor for NUSS.<br />
One of the initiatives<br />
introduced is concessionary<br />
rates to encourage<br />
members to use<br />
the facilities during the<br />
off-peak period.<br />
Moving forward, the<br />
Sports & Recreation Sub-<br />
Committee said it has set<br />
new goals for 2011.<br />
“We have identified promising<br />
sports sections. The idea is to grow<br />
each section, increase participation,<br />
widen our network and interassociation<br />
games,” says Mr Mohan<br />
Balagopal, balut section member and<br />
Management Committee member.<br />
The ISG is an annual event<br />
where all sports sections in NUSS<br />
come together to participate in the<br />
various games.<br />
Inter-section games<br />
ResulTs<br />
BowlINg<br />
1 soccer section<br />
2 Table Tennis section<br />
3 Golf section<br />
DaRts<br />
1 Badminton section<br />
2 Table Tennis section<br />
3 Balut section<br />
BaDMINtoN<br />
1 Golf section<br />
2 Table Tennis section<br />
3 Darts section<br />
Balut<br />
1 Bowling section<br />
2 Badminton section<br />
3 soccer section
highlights<br />
the Ridge Reading Room Opens<br />
Award-winning Singapore author, Ms Suchen Christine lim, graces opening at the<br />
Kent Ridge Guild House.<br />
the Ridge Reading ROOM<br />
Date: 12 April 2011<br />
Venue: Kent Ridge Guild House<br />
the Ridge Reading Room<br />
opened its door on 12<br />
April with the NUSS Book<br />
Club holding a reading<br />
session featuring Singaporean<br />
award-winning author Ms<br />
Suchen Christine Lim.<br />
The Reading Room is part of the<br />
redevelopment plan for Kent Ridge<br />
Guild House (KRGH) under Phase 2.<br />
Under this plan, a facility is to be<br />
provided for to accommodate a space<br />
for quiet reading and a niche library<br />
of books for references and loans.<br />
Although work on Phase 2 was<br />
completed in April 2010, the Reading<br />
Room was launched a year later to give<br />
the S-Connect Sub-Committee time to<br />
brainstorm on how the facility should<br />
be structured and administered.<br />
Facilities<br />
As S-Connect activities cater to members<br />
who are 50-years-old and above,<br />
it was considered appropriate that the<br />
library should maintain a collection of<br />
materials.<br />
As such, books, reports and magazines<br />
related to issues on ageing were<br />
included.<br />
The quiet reading space has a<br />
selection of magazines and newspaper<br />
with four computers for use by<br />
members.<br />
The library is where the present<br />
collection of books is kept and displayed.<br />
It covers a range of reading<br />
interests from fiction to anecdotal<br />
history and politics.<br />
In all, there are approximately<br />
500 well-chosen volumes in the<br />
collection.<br />
In January 2010, the facility was<br />
named the ‘Ridge Reading Room’.<br />
Monthly book session<br />
NUSS members can look forward to<br />
a book reading session every month<br />
Singaporean award-winning author Ms Suchen<br />
Christine Lim reads her books, Rice Bowl and<br />
Fistful of Colours.<br />
plus an opportunity to meet invited<br />
authors.<br />
At the first reading book reading<br />
session, for instance, Singaporean<br />
award-winning author Ms Suchen<br />
Christine Lim was invited to read<br />
her books, Rice Bowl and Fistful of<br />
Colours.<br />
“We will be reading a book every<br />
month. Of course, if circumstances<br />
permit, we will have another reading<br />
Behind-the-scenes with dOnald wyatt<br />
The S-Connect Sub-Committee has been busy with the behind-the-scenes<br />
work and preparing the required facilities leading up to the launch of the<br />
Ridge Reading Room. donald wyatt, an NUSS member, has the details.<br />
FoR almost a year leading up the<br />
launch of the Ridge Reading Room, the<br />
S-Connect Sub-Committee was busy<br />
brainstorming on how the facility should<br />
be structured and administered.<br />
The library Committee, comprising Ms<br />
lim Bee lum, Dr Catherine Ang and yours<br />
truly, drew up with the rules and regulations<br />
governing the use of the room which<br />
were subsequently approved.<br />
<strong>Member</strong>s were also assigned to attend<br />
to the Ridge Reading Room.<br />
For instance, Ms lim, who was a<br />
former Head of Hon Sui Sen Business<br />
School library at the National university<br />
of Singapore (NuS), worked with the<br />
by an author. We will explore for<br />
more of Singapore’s authors who can<br />
come for a reading,” says Dr Francis<br />
Pavri, a book club member who helps<br />
organise such activity.<br />
The Ridge Reading Room is now<br />
open for browsing and borrowing.<br />
designer of the building project on the<br />
design and layout for the Ridge Reading<br />
Room.<br />
She also handled the collection and<br />
cataloguing of the materials.<br />
The committee also came up with<br />
novel ideas to engage members.<br />
one of the activities proposed by the<br />
S-Connect Committee was ‘project Heritage’.<br />
This project is a collection of the personal<br />
stories and achievements of NuSS<br />
members over the years since 1954.<br />
The NuSS Management Committee<br />
has since endorsed the project.<br />
The NuSS Heritage project collection<br />
will be worked on in due course.<br />
Jul-Sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 23
HIgHlIgHts<br />
<strong>NUss</strong> Karaoke Competition 2011<br />
Females ruled at this year’s competition sweeping all top three awards<br />
<strong>NUss</strong> KARAoKE<br />
CompEtItIoN 2011<br />
Date: 21 March 2011<br />
Venue: Kent Ridge Guild House<br />
Although there were<br />
equal numbers of male<br />
and female contestants<br />
at this year’s NUSS<br />
Karaoke Competition,<br />
the women proved to be the hot<br />
favourites by making a clean sweep<br />
for all the top three award categories.<br />
Ms Chen Jing Wen emerged winner<br />
while Ms Chiu Kai Ling and Ms<br />
Janice Goh were the first runner-up<br />
and second runner-up respectively.<br />
“It was great. I thought it was a<br />
tough fight between the first runner-up<br />
and second runner-up,” says Ms Chen.<br />
Ms Chen admits she had no formal<br />
training but has been joining the<br />
competition ever since she became<br />
an NUSS member.<br />
“We have regular singers over at<br />
Suntec City Guild House. We sing at<br />
least once a week over there,” says<br />
Ms Chen on how she prepared for the<br />
competition.<br />
According to Mr Jeffery Khoo,<br />
convenor for the Karaoke Section, this<br />
year’s competition saw changes in<br />
the scheduling of the different singing<br />
categories.<br />
“For this year, there was a change.<br />
The previous two years, we had a<br />
separate English and Chinese competition.<br />
This year, we merged both<br />
together,” says Mr Khoo.<br />
Judges, comprising Mr Archie Ong,<br />
Mr Desmond Wang and Ms Zhuang<br />
Su Feye, based their decisions on each<br />
contestant’s voice quality and diction.<br />
The NUSS Karaoke Competition<br />
is an annual competition open to<br />
members.<br />
the Karaoke section is a newly<br />
established interest group for Karaoke<br />
enthusiasts. It hopes to identify talented<br />
individuals and provide them with<br />
opportunities to perform at the Society’s<br />
functions and events. For enquiries, please<br />
contact Stefanie Ho at 6586 3741 or email<br />
stefanieho@nuss.org.sg<br />
24 THE GRADUATE JUL-SEP 2011<br />
Winner Ms Chen Jing Wen (above); With NUSS President Johnny Tan are Ms Chiu Kai Ling (below)<br />
and Ms Janice Goh (bottom).<br />
REsUlts<br />
Winner – Ms Chen Jing Wen<br />
1st Runner-up – Ms Chiu Kai Ling<br />
2nd Runner-up – Ms Janice Goh<br />
Consolation prizes:<br />
Mr Kelvin Choo<br />
Mr Stanley Chen<br />
Ms Diana Ho<br />
Mr Poh Zi San<br />
Mr Liu Soon Leong
That so many of us have<br />
problems with our back<br />
should come as no<br />
surprise when you realise<br />
what a complex structure<br />
the backbone is.<br />
Stretching from the base of the<br />
skull to just above the buttocks, the<br />
backbone is made up of 33 vertebrae,<br />
more than 30 muscles, numerous<br />
ligaments, multiple joints, and<br />
connecting or intervertebral discs.<br />
With so many parts making<br />
up the spine, things can easily go<br />
wrong.<br />
Discounting injury from<br />
accidents, most back pain stems<br />
from daily activity<br />
A dull ache in the upper back,<br />
for example, can be caused by sitting<br />
at the computer for hours on end<br />
without proper back support.<br />
This is mostly from muscle strain,<br />
and most people recover after six<br />
weeks – provided the problem is not<br />
aggravated by the same old habits.<br />
However, the most distressing<br />
form of back pain by far is lower<br />
back pain, as it involves more than<br />
just muscle.<br />
Lower back pain is a very<br />
common complaint for a simple<br />
reason.<br />
Since the lowest part of the spine,<br />
the lumbar spine, is connected to<br />
your pelvis, it is where most of your<br />
weight-bearing and body movement<br />
take place.<br />
The most common cause of<br />
lower back pain<br />
“One of the most common causes<br />
of lower back pain is a slipped disc.<br />
Also known as a herniated disc<br />
or prolapsed intervertebral disc<br />
(PID), it is a condition when the<br />
core of one of the discs between<br />
the vertebrae protrudes through a<br />
tear in its covering. If the protrusion<br />
occurs along the spinal canal, it<br />
living<br />
Back Pain getting You Down?<br />
eight in 10 adults can expect to experience some form of back pain at some<br />
stage in their lives. The good news is that good habits, including correct<br />
posture, can reduce your chances of this troublesome ailment.<br />
How to tell if your<br />
slipped disc is serious<br />
• The pain is aggravated when you<br />
bend in any direction.<br />
• It lasts a long time, and is not<br />
relieved by standard types of<br />
medical management.<br />
• There’s numbness, burning or a<br />
pins-and-needles sensation in<br />
the legs.<br />
• You find it difficult to pass urine,<br />
or have little control urinating.<br />
If your slipped disc is serious enough<br />
to require surgery, do consider<br />
keyhole surgery. “Keyhole surgery<br />
for slipped discs allows for accurate<br />
removal of the slipped discs, with<br />
minimal damage to surrounding<br />
normal tissue. patients thus are able<br />
to shorten their hospital stays, experience<br />
less pain and return to activities<br />
sooner,” Dr Yue Wai Mun, senior Consultant,<br />
Department of Orthopaedic<br />
surgery, singapore General Hospital.<br />
jul-sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 25
living<br />
can compress on the nerves which<br />
control the legs and sometimes even<br />
those controlling bladder and bowel<br />
functions,” said Dr Yue Wai Mun,<br />
Senior Consultant, Department of<br />
Orthopaedic Surgery, Singapore<br />
General Hospital.<br />
For young people, a slipped disc<br />
often occurs suddenly.<br />
You could be lifting a large object<br />
and before you know it, you’ve put<br />
your back out.<br />
Hint: Always bend your knees,<br />
sort of in a squatting position when<br />
lifting anything heavy from the<br />
ground.<br />
A slipped disc could also happen<br />
gradually through repetitive injury,<br />
such as playing tennis or golf. With<br />
this kind of injury, all you may need<br />
is complete rest in bed for a few days.<br />
Hint: Learn the proper technique<br />
and stance of a sport that<br />
requires swinging or bending.<br />
In older people, a slipped disc<br />
is often the result of wear and tear.<br />
Degeneration of the spine means the<br />
intervertebral discs are less capable<br />
of cushioning the spine, with different<br />
degrees of severity.<br />
Seek medical advice and<br />
treatment if necessary if any back<br />
pain lingers.<br />
Always bend<br />
your knees,<br />
sort of in a<br />
squatting<br />
position<br />
when lifting<br />
anything<br />
heavy from<br />
the ground.<br />
26 THE GRADUATE jul-sep 2011<br />
A slipped disc could also happen gradually through repetitive injury, such as playing tennis or golf.<br />
Detecting The<br />
Severity of Back Pain<br />
A THOrOuGH medical history and<br />
physical examination is done before<br />
tests are ordered. The tests below<br />
can rule out conditions such as<br />
infection, fractures or even cancer.<br />
X-raY. Checks for fractures or<br />
other problems in the bone<br />
CT SCan. similar to an X-ray but<br />
shows greater detail.<br />
Mri. Detects conditions including<br />
slipped discs, nerve root compression,<br />
infections of the bone or<br />
spinal canal, fractures and tumours.<br />
nerve ConDuCTion STuDY or<br />
eleCTroMYograM. Helps determine<br />
the presence of nerve abnormality<br />
and distinguish between<br />
nerve root and muscle disease.
Keeping back pain away<br />
• Physical therapy is important<br />
in the treatment of low back<br />
pain. In the initial period, you<br />
may need combinations of heat,<br />
traction and physiotherapy<br />
massage. As the pain subsides,<br />
the therapist may introduce<br />
exercises to relieve stress and<br />
also to strengthen the back. Doing<br />
them regularly can help to<br />
further reduce the pain as well<br />
as protect the back from recurrent<br />
attacks of pain.<br />
• Different types of medication<br />
may be prescribed for different<br />
types of back pain. Among the<br />
most common are non-steroidal<br />
anti-inflammatory drugs, or<br />
nSaiDS, although they are often<br />
prescribed purely for pain relief<br />
rather than for anti-inflammatory<br />
effects. NsAIDs are taken<br />
only when required, as there<br />
are some side effects. always<br />
consult a doctor for this.<br />
• Muscle relaxants help to<br />
reduce muscle spasm and<br />
stiffness that occurs during<br />
a pain attack. sedatives and<br />
tranquillisers may be taken<br />
at night to ensure a restful<br />
sleep. Ice packs, hot packs or<br />
heating lamps, ointments and<br />
medicated plasters of various<br />
kinds can ease the condition,<br />
but it is important to remember<br />
that these aids, like massage,<br />
soothe but do not cure.<br />
• More serious treatment options<br />
include radiofrequency ablation,<br />
which uses heat to destroy<br />
the nerve’s ability to transmit<br />
pain, spinal cord stimulation to<br />
electrically block out pain and<br />
spinal injections with anaesthetic<br />
to reduce pain or reduce<br />
inflammation.<br />
Tell Me, DOCTOr<br />
My back pain has not improved despite treatment. What should i do?<br />
You should go for an X-ray of your lower back to exclude conditions such<br />
as tumours. Magnetic resonance imaging or MrI can show up a prolapsed<br />
intervertebral disc (pID) or nerve compression. Besides X-ray or MrI, there<br />
are bone scans, CT scans or myelogram, which are all tests to investigate<br />
back problems.<br />
aside from a slipped disc, what other causes of recurrent back are there?<br />
spinal canal stenosis (the word stenosis refers to “narrowing”) is another<br />
cause of recurrent back and leg pains. In older people, a condition termed<br />
lumbar spondylosis (where joints of the spine wear out) can result in occasional<br />
back pain. Osteoporosis or softening of the bones can occur in the<br />
elderly, resulting in back pain. patients who have had a previous history of<br />
cancer elsewhere, and having persistent back pains, should seek a medical<br />
opinion. less common conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing<br />
spondylosis and various types of infections can also afflict the spine.<br />
living<br />
TiPS<br />
a healthy back<br />
• If you sit too long, take time<br />
out to stand and stretch. same<br />
too with gardening or anything<br />
that requires you to be in the<br />
same position for long periods<br />
at a time. Modifying the activity<br />
means you are less likely to<br />
strain the back.<br />
• If you are doing something that<br />
causes your back to hurt, stop<br />
and rest or stop altogether.<br />
• If yours is a desk job, invest in<br />
an ergonomic chair that supports<br />
your back properly.<br />
• Be sure your back and neck<br />
are properly supported when<br />
you sit or sleep. Get expert<br />
help in choosing your mattress<br />
and pillows – you can upset<br />
the alignment of your spine if a<br />
mattress is too soft, or a pillow<br />
too high.<br />
• lose weight: If your weight<br />
is causing excessive pressure<br />
on your spine, weight loss can<br />
reduce your discomfort.<br />
• lift objects properly: Always<br />
bend your knees so your arms<br />
are at the same level as the<br />
heavy object you plan to lift.<br />
• exercise is vital for a healthy<br />
spine. Best for the back are<br />
stretching exercises like pilates<br />
or yoga. If you have never been<br />
in the habit of doing exercise<br />
or if you already have had an<br />
injury to your spine, talk to your<br />
doctor or physical therapist before<br />
you start on any exercise<br />
routine.<br />
OrTHOpAeDIC and spine patients can now have less invasive<br />
surgeries, faster recovery times and improved outcomes. All this, due<br />
to 3D Fluoroscopy with stealth navigation or Medtronic O-arm that<br />
allows surgeons a multidimensional view of the patient’s anatomy<br />
during the operation, monitor the status of surgery as well as verify<br />
surgical changes with 3D volumetric images before the patient<br />
leaves the operating suite.<br />
The article was contributed by Singapore Health Services (SingHealth) which offers more than 40 clinical specialties across Singapore with two tertiary hospitals, five National Specialty Centres for<br />
Cancer, Heart Neuroscience, Eye and Teeth and a network of primary healthcare clinics.<br />
jul-sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 27
Career<br />
The art Of<br />
Managing People<br />
A company’s most valued asset is its people. Find out how you can get the most<br />
of your staff without micro-managing. By axer Goh<br />
according to recent<br />
research, CEOs have<br />
cited high quality staff<br />
as the top factor that has<br />
contributed most to the<br />
growth of their company.<br />
Interestingly, finding, hiring and<br />
retaining qualified employees have<br />
also become one of their biggest<br />
operational challenges in managing<br />
their company’s rapid growth.<br />
One of the top reasons people<br />
usually give for leaving their job is<br />
more often than not, their immediate<br />
superior or management.<br />
Managing people should no<br />
longer be simply viewed as just<br />
a responsibility, but an extremely<br />
important skill that managers should<br />
constantly hone and improve to deal<br />
with the diverse personalities and<br />
cultures in a team or company.<br />
Compound that with an acute<br />
global shortage talent across all<br />
industries, it has become more critical<br />
28 THE GRADUATE jul-sep 2011<br />
that business managers know exactly<br />
what energises and motivates their<br />
staff in order to keep its invaluable<br />
human capital within the organisation.<br />
Here are some management<br />
insights on how managers can<br />
effectively get the most out of their<br />
staff, and motivate them to put in their<br />
best not just for a day – but always.<br />
adopt a People-Focused<br />
Culture<br />
There is a reason why some of the<br />
world’s top organisations attribute<br />
their success to their people.<br />
By treating their employees as the<br />
most valuable asset of the company,<br />
they achieved impressive results and<br />
became more competitive across<br />
many fronts.<br />
Such companies tend to create<br />
a favourable brand perception<br />
(internally and externally) by treating<br />
their staff right, and naturally become<br />
desired employers to work for.<br />
A people-focused culture<br />
energises the employees, and inspires<br />
them to achieve more than what they<br />
think is possible, especially if they<br />
know they are part of the company’s<br />
growth and success.<br />
Employees enjoy coming to work<br />
where their contributions are valued,<br />
and morale is increased when they<br />
given more responsibility, autonomy<br />
and freedom.<br />
They are more likely to articulate<br />
the company’s shared vision and bring<br />
their best ideas to work.<br />
Empowering staff also gives them a<br />
sense of responsibility.<br />
It motivates them to be more<br />
independent and do what needs to be<br />
done without being told and makes<br />
them feel they have a significant<br />
impact on their work.<br />
Be a Leader, Not a Manager<br />
Many business managers are often<br />
trapped in the daily operations of
unning their companies or assigned<br />
divisions.<br />
The point is, micro-managing all<br />
aspects of a business would probably<br />
make you a strong manager but not a<br />
great leader.<br />
In today’s world, to remain<br />
competitive and stay ahead of the<br />
game, the organisation requires<br />
inspiring leaders who can inject<br />
enthusiasm into the work environment<br />
and make employees excited about<br />
their job, as opposed to having staff<br />
simply executing orders issued by a<br />
conservative and rigid management<br />
who depress and control.<br />
A great business leader moves<br />
people to extraordinary performance<br />
and is able to communicate his vision<br />
to his staff and get their buy in.<br />
Genuine leadership cleverly<br />
uses talents to bring about real and<br />
limitless productivity, as employees<br />
begin to emulate and internalise their<br />
leaders’ positive attitude and approach<br />
to work, especially when these leaders<br />
support them wholeheartedly in<br />
whatever they do.<br />
To bring out the best in people,<br />
never lead by intimidation or by your<br />
own corporate standards.<br />
It is more important that you earn<br />
the trust, respect and consideration<br />
of your people so that they are<br />
encouraged to put in exceptional<br />
performance for you and the company.<br />
People do what they have to do<br />
for a manager but they will offer their<br />
very best for a great leader.<br />
encourage risk Taking &<br />
Innovation<br />
When a company becomes too<br />
entrenched in rules, regulations,<br />
guidelines and policies, it kills<br />
creativity and innovation within the<br />
workplace.<br />
Employees will clock in their hours<br />
daily and perform their assigned<br />
duties as contracted, with hardly any<br />
interest in achieving the company’s<br />
mission, vision and goals.<br />
An organisation that does not<br />
challenge its people to think, create,<br />
innovate and contribute will only give<br />
rise to more people with a “why rock<br />
the boat” mentality.<br />
Build a culture that encourages<br />
and empowers people to take certain<br />
level of risks.<br />
With the knowledge that mistakes<br />
are permissible, employees would be<br />
more open and proactive in sharing<br />
their thoughts, ideas and opinions on<br />
how to make things better.<br />
Many innovative products and<br />
ideas in the world such as sticky<br />
notepads, white-outs and band-aids<br />
are the brainchild of ordinary people<br />
and staff in the company, giving those<br />
organisations a significant competitive<br />
advantage within their industry.<br />
A relentless focus on continued<br />
innovation, entrepreneurial creativity<br />
and experimentation would allow<br />
employees to contribute more value<br />
to the organisation than just their<br />
time at work.<br />
Employees are undoubtedly the<br />
best creative resource for innovative<br />
An organisation<br />
that does not<br />
challenge its<br />
people to think,<br />
create, innovate<br />
and contribute<br />
will only give<br />
rise to more<br />
people with a<br />
“why rock the<br />
boat” mentality.<br />
ideas and solutions as they are<br />
closest to the business, its customers<br />
and processes.<br />
The best way to tap into that<br />
exceptional pool of resource is to<br />
instil confidence by showing trust and<br />
celebrating those who are willing to<br />
take risk, and supporting those who<br />
try and fail.<br />
The ability to recognise, nurture<br />
and harness intellectual capital for the<br />
benefit of the organisation will lie on<br />
the kind of corporate culture you have<br />
created for your people.<br />
Stretch and Challenge<br />
Constantly challenge your staff by<br />
setting and exacting the highest<br />
standards, spurring them on<br />
to achieve what are seemingly<br />
Career<br />
impossible targets.<br />
By ensuring that everyone is<br />
working to meet these standards, you<br />
are engendering enthusiasm among<br />
the workforce and generating a<br />
competitive spirit within the company.<br />
When a company involves and<br />
ignites its people to make such stretch<br />
targets a reality, they get excited about<br />
the work and are eager to achieve<br />
the vision by maximising their own<br />
capabilities.<br />
In the process, they may even<br />
surpass themselves and end up doing<br />
much much better than they originally<br />
thought they could do.<br />
Keep up the energy of the<br />
organisation and recruit people who<br />
share the same kind of passion for the<br />
work you do.<br />
Live the action every day and<br />
inject fun, challenges and opportunities<br />
into your business so that<br />
employees look forward to coming to<br />
work and contributing their best to<br />
the company.<br />
Ms Axer Goh is a<br />
Manager (Contracting<br />
division) with recruitment<br />
firm, Robert<br />
Walters.<br />
jul-sep 2011 THE GRADUATE 29