Punggol East Bulletin

May 2015

Welcome!

Meet-the-People Session

Dear Residents of Punggol East,

Blk 135 Rivervale Street

Every Monday except public holidays
7.30pm to 9.30pm

In this months publication, I have 2 matters to bring up:

1. High rise littering

Whats Coming Up
Tea with Li Lian
Date: 30 May 2015 (Sat), 4.00pm
Venue: Blk 115 Rivervale Walk
Date: 13 Jun 2015 (Sat), 4.00pm
Venue: Blk 121F Sengkang East Way
1-Day Kukup & Durian Tour

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

As mentioned previously, I do random estate inspection with the purpose of

finding out if the estate is reasonably maintained. Last week I was walking
around just before my weekly house visit and I was shocked to see this
before me (Photo 1 & 2).
This is the result of high rise littering. If you look closer at the picture, you
can even see bags of rubbish hanging from the trees. To convince myself
that the cleaner is doing his daily job, I went down the next day at a different
timing. This time I saw this (Photo 3).
The reason I am bringing this up is to remind all residents that high rise
littering is an offence. It is also an anti social behavior that we should
discourage. Such acts can be potentially dangerous to others. Moreover, it
causes the surroundings to be unpleasant. I would also like to encourage
family members to educate other members in the family such as young
children against such acts.
A notice to remind the culprit was put up at the lift lobby. This case was
referred to NEA for further action.

Date: 12 Jul 2015 (Sun)

Tour Fare:
Adult $68, Child (Age 3 - 12) $66
Ticket Sales:
Every Monday, 8.00pm - 9.30pm
Blk 135 Rivervale Street
SG50 Celebration Dinner

2. AHPE Town Council is hiring

Are you looking for a job?
Is estate management or people related industry an interest to you?
If yes, do send in your resume to ttdm2015@gmail.com
We have vacancies for:
- Property Officers/ Managers
- Customer Service Officers
- IT Assistants
- Finance Assistants

Date: 23 Aug 2015 (Sun), 8.00pm

Venue: Open Field at Blk 814 Hougang Central
Ticket Price: $45
Ticket Sales:
Every Monday, 8.00pm - 9.30pm
Blk 135 Rivervale Street

Thank you,

Enquiries: 8227 9434

Lee Li Lian

Highlights: Special SG50 Commemorative souvenir | Performance | Lucky

draw
punggoleast@wp.sg

Punggol East SMC

Punggol East Bulletin May 2015

Town Updates
1. eLink

Residents who are not using an

iPhone or Android Phone can still contact the Town Council by email (feedback@ahpetc.sg), online feedback
form or phone (6744-1033).
2. SPF Polcam

eLink@AHPETC is a free smartphone

application (app) introduced in 2013
by the Town Council.
The app enables residents to:
Submit feedback on-the-go
Report estate maintenance issues
View the previous feedback cases submitted by themselves
View the most recent feedback
submitted by other residents of
the Town
Find out who is their Member of
Parliament (MP) by keying in their
Postal Code
Find out when is the Meet-thePeople Session (MPS) held
Heres a simple step-by-step guide to
using the eLink app.

SPF Polcam will be coming to the following blocks in Phase 3B:

123, 124, 143-146, 123A-E, 124AD, 142A, 190A-C, 191A-C, 192A-C
Rivervale Drive; 125-133, 140-141,
126A Rivervale Street; 142, 147-156,
160, 185, 146A, 156A, 157A-D, 158AD, 159A Rivervale Crescent
3. Implementation of Electronic
Parking System (EPS)

Blk 102A (SK4) and Blk 103A (SK12)

Rivervale Walk. To facilitate the implementation, it will be necessary to carry
out modification works at the access
to the car parks for the installation of
the EPS equipment. The works will be
carried out from 6 Apr to 17 May 2015
from 8.00am to 6.00pm daily, except
on Sundays and public holidays.
4. More Wheelchair-accessible Bus
Services
Wheelchair-accessible Bus Services

Perkhidmatan Bas Akses Berkerusi Roda

From Monday, 30 March 2015, six more

Wheelchair-accessible Bus* Services will be launched
2015330 () *

Mulai Isnin 30 Mac 2015, enam lagi Perkhidmatan Bas* Akses

Berkerusi Roda akan diperkenalkan
30 2015,
*

140 159 201 324 405

41

There are already 182 Wheelchair-accessible Bus Services in operation

182 Bilangan 182 Perkhidmatan Bas Akses Berkerusi Roda telah dilancarkan

182

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17/17A, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29,
30, 32, 33, 34, 35/35M, 36, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43/43M, 45, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56,
57, 58, 59, 60, 62, 63/63M, 64, 65, 66, 69, 70/70M, 72, 73, 74, 76, 78, 79, 80, 82, 83, 85,
86, 87, 88, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98/98M, 99, 100, 101, 103, 105, 109, 111, 112,
113, 115, 116, 119, 120, 121, 123/123M, 124, 125, 128, 130, 131/131M, 132, 133, 135,
136, 138, 139/139M, 141, 142, 143/143M, 145, 147, 151, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 161,
162/162M, 163/163M, 165, 166, 168, 174, 175, 181, 182/182M, 183, 185, 186, 192, 194,
195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 222, 225, 228, 229, 231, 232, 235, 238, 240, 241, 242, 243, 261,
265, 268, 269, 272, 273, 282, 284, 285, 291, 292, 293, 315, 317, 325, 333, 334, 335, 354,
358, 359, 371, 372, 386, 400, 402, 403, 410, 502/502A, 506, 513, 518, CT8, CT18.
* Passengers-in-wheelchairs should only board buses with this wheelchair decal displayed on the windscreen.
*
* Penumpang Berkerusi Roda hanya boleh menaiki bas apabila pelekat kerusi roda dipaparkan pada cermin depan.
*

Company Registration Number : 199206653M

To offer feedback on our bus services, please call our Customer Relations Centre at 1800-287 2727 or visit www.sbstransit.com.sg
1800-287 2727 www.sbstransit.com.sg Untuk maklum balas mengenai perkhidmatan bas kami, sila hubungi

Pusat Khidmat Pelanggan di talian 1800 -287 2727 atau lungsuri lelaman www.sbstransit.com.sg

1800-287 2727 www.sbstransit.com.sg

HDB will be implementing EPS at the

following car parks:

Budget Feature
Excerpts from Li Lians Budget 2015 Debate Speech
The following are excerpts from Li
Lians speech in Parliament, delivered
5 March 2015. For the full text, please
click here.
Skills Future Credit
...One of the highlights of this years
Budget is that all Singaporeans
above the age of 25 will receive an
initial credit of $500 for work-related
courses... Apart from providing a $500
credit for work-related courses, we
will need to address factors that might
hamper the development of a culture
of continued self-development.
One reason why employees may not
be going for the required skills upgrade
could be the resistance they are get-

ting from their respective companies.

Training presents a prime opportunity
to expand the knowledge base of all
employees, but many employers find
the development opportunities costly... Hopefully, with the Government
formalising skills upgrading, we can
change employers mindset.
...This leads me to the cost of taking
up courses and whether $500 is sufficient for PMETs to adequately upgrade
themselves. Many valuable courses
may well exceed $500. I understand
from the Labour Minister yesterday in
this House that these credits are to be
used to pay the net value of courses
that are heavily funded. Will there be
a sufficient and robust list of approved
courses for individuals to choose from

that can be covered by the $500?

...There is still the supply of relevant
and accreditable courses that the
Budget did not address. Are individuals free to choose training providers?
Will there be enough relevant courses
for people to take? Will there be job
counsellors to guide and advise interested parties when it comes to choosing courses, especially the elderly or
those re-entering the workforce after
some time? Will there be a minimum
standard that trainers involved in these
courses need to fulfil? An example will
be, should these trainers be at least
ACTA certified? More clarity should be
provided on these questions.

punggoleast@wp.sg

(Continued on page 3)
Punggol East SMC

Punggol East Bulletin May 2015

Budget Feature (contd)

Skills Future Earn and Learn Programme
...In my speech on the motion on ASPIRE, I had shared my internship experience, listed down the advantages
and pointed out the challenges of
implementing internships and apprenticeship programmes.
To recap, there should be consistency
in terms of what students can expect
to gain during their internships. There
should be some formal programme
structure that ensures beneficial outcomes for both students and employers. There are situations where employers see interns as cheap labour
and are herded from one department
to another to fill gaps in any manpower crunches without any focus on their
development. While we do not want
to over-formalise practical training either, there must be some guidelines
to ensure that students do gain from
their experiences, are monitored and
get significant work-ready skills. This
should include having company orientations, regular mentorship and evaluation sessions and, of course, clearer
goals, timelines and outcomes, for
both students and the company.
There must be adequate consultation

between education institutions and

companies from identified industries
to ensure that programmes help students further develop their skills and
learning, while in line with the needs
and expectations of industries today.
Enhanced subsidies for mid-career
Singaporeans
...Subsidies of up to 90% will be
handed out to all Singaporeans aged
40 and above. These training courses
have to be funded by MOE and WDA,
that is to say, if one chooses a course
not funded by MOE and WDA, they
will not be eligible for subsidies. There
are
well-developed
professional
courses in the market that have been
proven to be useful. It will be good if
the range of courses can be expanded so that every Singaporean can be
given a choice to consider and benefit
from the subsidies.
The Government should also look at
lowering the eligible age to facilitate
mid-career changes, which was the
objective of this programme. By doing so, Singaporeans have the opportunity to build up their expertise
earlier and, thus, better contribute to
the workforce. This is especially useful for women who become mothers

and wish to change their career paths

in order to spend more time with their
children. The median age of mothers
at first birth was about 30.4 years and
30.5 years in 2012 and 2013 respectively. So, it would be reasonable to
lower the eligible age to 35 years so
that the scheme can benefit more Singaporeans who would be looking to
make that mid-career shift.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Madam, I am glad
that we are investing in our people
through lifelong learning. Regardless
of background, age, income or chosen industry, they should all be given
the chance to enhance their skills and
experiences to empower them to take
charge of their own career paths and
direction in life. As the Government invests more in this area, there is much
more we can do to facilitate how the
culture of self-development is developed successfully. Investment in people will pay off, especially when paired
with the right resources, a long-term
strategy and commitment that both
the Government and its people must
work towards to.

Li Lians COS cuts (Click on each image for links to the full text)

(Continued on page 4)
punggoleast@wp.sg

Punggol East SMC

Punggol East Bulletin May 2015

Parliamentary Work

Li Lians COS cuts (Contd)

NEW REQUIREMENT IN BUILDING

CODE FOR MINIMUM CLEARANCE
ALONG CORRIDORS (13 Apr 2015)

also does not allow the storage of

combustible materials along the corridors.

Ms Lee Li Lian asked the Minister for

National Development (a) whether the
revision to the Code on Accessibility
in the Built Environment requiring 1.5
metres of minimum clearance along
common corridors applies to buildings built before 1 April 2014; (b) if
so, whether there are plans to align
SCDF guidelines with this; and (c) if
not, whether Town Councils will need
to have two sets of by-laws for flats
built before and after 1 April 2014.

Town Councils (TCs) have a duty to

keep the corridors free from obstructions and comply with both BCAs accessibility requirements and SCDFs
guidelines. There is no need for two
sets of by-laws as TCs can exercise
their discretion in the wording of the
by-laws to meet the prevailing requirements and guidelines.

The Senior Minister of State for National Development (Mr Lee Yi Shyan) (for the Minister for National Development): Madam, to prepare for
an ageing population and to provide
wider access routes for people using
mobility aids such as wheelchairs and
walking frames, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) revised the
Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment in 2013 to require a minimum
corridor width of 1.5 metres for all
residential buildings. This applies to
new buildings and existing buildings
undergoing major retrofitting works,
with plans submitted for regulatory
approval on or after 1 April 2014.
The Singapore Civil Defence Forces
(SCDF) guidelines, on the other hand,
stipulate that there must be a clear
passage of at least 1.2 metres along
the corridors, so as not to impede firefighting and rescue operations. SCDF

Residents can also do their part in

removing corridor clutter to ensure
that passages are clear for a safe and
pleasant living environment for all.
EXTENSION OF BICYCLE CROSSINGS AT TRAFFIC JUNCTIONS (13
Apr 2015)
Ms Lee Li Lian asked the Minister
for Transport whether there are plans
to extend bicycle crossings at traffic
junctions to other parts of Singapore.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister for Transport (Assoc Prof
Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim)
(for the Minister for Transport):
Madam, the Land Transport Authority
(LTA) has implemented 14 signalised
bicycle crossings so far, and has firm
plans to build a further 38, mostly in
areas with existing cycling path networks. LTA is studying where else
these crossings should be implemented and we welcome suggestions from
Members.

Li Lians PE Experience
L: During one of the house visits, we
came across a passionate young
man, Darwase, who expressed interest to join as volunteer.
R: Did my first house visit to the
latest cluster of flats in Punggol
East on 7 May. Welcome to Punggol East :)
The Punggol East Constituency Committee (PECC) aims to bring residents together to interact and know one another better
through activities and community events.
The Punggol East Bulletin is published by the PECC editorial team, edited by Seah Poh Chuah, with photographs by Jacky Koh,
Ng Swee Bee and Adrian Sim. For enquiries and feedback on the bulletin, please email punggoleast@wp.sg
Volunteer with us to help MP Li Lian serve the residents of Punggol East
punggoleast@wp.sg

Punggol East SMC