In less than four weeks, Singapore will elect its eighth president. Nomination Day will fall on Sept 13. Polling Day will be Sept 23. The election will be reserved for Malay candidates, since five terms have passed without a Malay president.
Thus, by Sept 23, Singapore would have elected its first Malay president in more than 46 years. The previous onewas Mr Yusof Ishak, the Republic's inaugural head of state. He died in 1970 before the end of his third term.
Three uncertainties confront Singaporeans at this juncture.
First, will there be a contest?
Supporters of former Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, 63, will probably sense the mantle of history moving towards their candidate. She is hitherto the only presidential hopeful who meets the criteria for automatic qualification.
She qualifies on her experience as Speaker, a post she held from 2013 to Aug 7 this year, when she stepped down to run for the presidency.
The others who have applied to run are Mr Farid Khan, 61, chairman of a marine services firm, and Mr Salleh Marican, 67, chief executive of a listed property company.
To qualify automatically, private sector candidates must have helmed a company with an average shareholder equity of $500 million in the three most recent years. Both Mr Farid and Mr Salleh fall short.
But it is too early for Madam Halimah's team to be measuring the drapes for the Istana office.
There may be others who qualify but have yet to declare their interest. All who want to run have to apply for certificates by next Monday.
Also, the Presidential Elections Committee has the discretion to qualify candidates via a deliberative track, if their experiences are comparable to the automatic criteria.
In 2011, the committee surprised many by clearing Mr Tan Jee Say. He too did not meet the explicit criteria, but it said his firm was "an organisation of equivalent complexity".
Still, Madam Halimah is undoubtedly the current front runner. She has served close to 40 years in public service and the labour movement. She was a union lawyer, an MP, deputy secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress, minister of state in two ministries, and the first woman to become Speaker of Parliament.
People also remember her fights on behalf of the underdog - whether vulnerable workers or pre-school children from low-income families.
She is the clear favourite to win at the moment, if there is a contest.
The second uncertainty: If there is a contest, will it be dignified?
Singapore has seen only two contested presidential elections: in 1993 and 2011.
The 1993 one, which elected President Ong Teng Cheong, is generally remembered as a tepid affair.
But 2011 saw four candidates surnamed Tan - dubbed the "Tan Quartet" - engaged in a vigorous jostle for the office. Observers said there was a politicisation of the presidency, with some candidates at times making promises on issues that clearly fell outside the constitutionally prescribed powers of the president.
To ensure this would not happen again, Parliament amended the laws to require that each candidate sign a statutory declaration that "he understands the president's role under the Constitution".
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing, who introduced the Bill in Parliament, stressed that making a false declaration "is an offence".
A campaign this year is thus likely to be calmer and more correct. But if the race is close, candidates may yet be tempted to take chances.
The third and final uncertainty: Will Singaporeans take to the concept of a reserved election?
The issue has been discussed for nearly two years, since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong asked a Constitutional Commission to look into the need for minorities to be elected to the highest office from time to time, to ensure it reflects Singapore's multiracial society.
This led to the "five-term hiatus" rule, paving the way for this election to be reserved for Malay candidates.
Some have expressed concern that the rule may erode meritocracy, since it seems to choose a president on factors other than merit.
The Government's response can be thus summarised: On principle, Singaporeans should decide on merit alone. But the evidence shows that many do consider race when voting. Meritorious minority candidates are hence less easily elected. To ignore this reality could cause more damage to the system, because Singapore would be forgoing multiracial representation, which is as important a value as meritocracy.
The "five-term hiatus" rule strikes a good balance, because it provides for a future where minority candidates might be elected in open elections. The rule would then fall out of use naturally, an outcome that all Singaporeans would hope for.
Dissenters may not come round to the Government's view via just theoretical argument. The issue might be settled only after Singaporeans live through a presidential term following a reserved election, and decide from the experience if the country is better off for it.
This would place a heavy burden on the next president.
The person has to show Singaporeans that he or she is every bit as capable of performing the roles and duties of president as one produced by an open election.
How Leslie Kee went from living in rental flat to earning $40k daily as top photographer
Leslie Kee cuts an arresting figure: a short man with a pencil moustache, beady eyes and thin lank hair combed back to reveal a high forehead. He emanates an intense urgent energy, often darting about, talking nineteen to the dozen.
The Singaporean may not be a familiar face here, but he is a big name in Japan where he regularly makes headlines in newspapers and appearances on TV. One of the country's top photographers, he is as famous as the celebrities he shoots, commanding daily fees of between $20,000 and $40,000.
He is influential Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto's go-to photographer for his collections and catalogues. Over the last two decades, he has shot thousands of fashion spreads and covers for magazines ranging from Vogue to Elle, campaigns for brand names such as Uniqlo and Anteprima, as well as countless celebrities including Lady Gaga, Beyonce, One Direction, Ayumi Hamasaki, Aaron Kwok and Faye Wong.
NHK, Japan's largest broadcaster, has appointed him as its official photographer and film director to chronicle, over four years, the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2020.
The world he operates in is one of glitz and glamour, a complete antithesis to the one he grew up in.
His late mother, he lets on, was a bar hostess who had two children out of wedlock with two different men. "My younger sister and I have never seen our fathers. We were raised by our grandmother," says the 46-year-old, adding that their home was a dingy one-room rental flat in Tiong Bahru.
Singaporean photographer Leslie Kee is a big name in Japan, where he regularly makes headlines in newspapers and appearances on TV. Commanding daily fees of between $20,000 and $40,000, he has shot thousands of fashion spreads and covers for magazines ranging from Vogue to Elle, campaigns for brand names such as Uniqlo and Anteprima, as well as countless celebrities. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
The former student of Bukit Ho Swee East Primary School and Victoria School was a taciturn and lonely child, often bullied and ostracised by other children.
When he was 13, his mother - whom he did not see much - asked him what he wanted for his birthday. He asked for a camera.
"I said I wanted to take photos so that my sister could remember her childhood. I have only one photograph of myself as a child," he says.
Four months after his mother gave him a Minolta X-700, she died of cancer.
"It was her first, and last, birthday present to me," he says.
To help with the household expenses, he started working part- time - four hours on weekdays, and eight hours on weekends - at a Japanese cassette factory after his mother's death.
Kee has published nearly 100 issues of his Super magazine since 2003. These are collaborative coffee-table books with famous art directors. PHOTO: LESLIE KEE
It changed his life.
At the factory, he was exposed to Japanese pop music for the first time. It was the start of a grand love affair with Japan and its people and culture.
"There was a room in the factory with fashion and music magazines. I was also very fascinated by the Japanese people who worked in the factory. They were so punctual, so disciplined, so different," says Kee, who would head to Liang Court and bookstores such as Kinokuniya to get his fill of Japanese publications and music.
When he was 17, his grandmother died. He and his sister went to live with one of his aunts. By then, he was putting his Minolta to good use, doing shoots for weddings. The camera gave him a voice.
"It gave me an opportunity to open my mouth and tell people that I wanted to take their photos. I probably shot about 50 or 60 couples and their weddings. They told me that I made them look good and made me believe I might have some talent," says Kee, who also scored gigs shooting concerts for a Philippine publication.
He enrolled in an engineering course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic after his O levels, but dropped out after a few months to work full-time at the Japanese tape factory before entering the army.
Kee was in town to shoot the stills for Eric Khoo's new film starring Japanese stars (front row, from right) Seiko Matsuda and Takumi Saitoh. PHOTO: LESLIE KEE
After his national service, he dug into his savings and went on a 20-month shoestring backpacking trip across India, Nepal, Tibet and other places.
"It made me realise that if you have a strong will, you can survive anything," says Kee, who took more than 5,000 photos of people, especially children, during his sojourn.
The call of Japan had, in the meantime, intensified. Upon his return in 1992, he worked at another Japanese factory for five months, saved up $3,200 and then left for Tokyo.
He had a plan all mapped out: Enrol in a three-month course to study Japanese and then look for part-time work so that he could afford to stay in Japan for at least a year.
"I just wanted to be there to watch concerts, buy CDs and learn the language."
Before his first month was up, he found part-time work as a dishwasher. The money allowed him to continue his studies at the language school for another nine months.
As his grasp of Japanese got better, he took on more part-time jobs, including a stint as a tout for a snack bar in the entertainment district of Shinjuku.
"I touted from 5pm until 5am. I could earn 1,000 yen an hour, and also got 10 per cent from the food bills of the patrons I took to the bar," he says, adding that he made about $200 a night from the gig.
By then, he had reinvented himself: He was no longer shy and reticent. "As a tout, I had to be interesting, smiley, chatty and funny," he says.
With his earnings, he bought himself a new set of cameras and enrolled in Tokyo's Visual Art School to get a diploma in photography.
To hone his skills, he would approach strangers on the streets and cajole them to pose for him.
After graduating in 1997, he spent more than a year knocking on the doors of photographers and studios, to no avail. It took a while before some small magazines started commissioning him to do small shoots for their features.
Because he acquitted himself well, better assignments came his way. An agent signed him on and made life a lot easier.
His big break came when Hong Kong magazine City got him to shoot Japanese-Taiwanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro.
The photos, used across 10 pages in the publication, caught the attention of other magazines including Vogue Taiwan, which contacted his manager.
"One month later, I shot a four- page Issey Miyake fashion spread for them. The next one was eight pages. Since then, I've been shooting 10 pages of fashion for Vogue Taiwan every month," he says.
His star also ascended in Japan. In just two years, he landed gigs to shoot big campaigns for the likes of Uniqlo and Shiseido. He was then barely 30.
Not long after, Jed Root - then a leading global creative agency for the fashion industry - wanted him in its stable and asked him to move to New York. By then, he had married a Japanese office administrator whom he had been courting for two years.
He mulled over Root's offer for nearly a year before biting the bullet. He could not persuade his wife to move to the United States, and the couple parted ways in 2001, barely two years after they got married.
His career thrived in the Big Apple. He was the rare Asian photographer whose works appeared in major American publications such as Elle, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar. He did campaigns for L'Oreal and Esprit and shot the who's who in fashion and entertainment, including Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Beyonce.
"I shot Beyonce for nearly six years - her campaigns, pamphlets, family portraits," says Kee, who in 2003 started publishing his Super magazine series. Ranging in themes from music to art to fashion, these magazines are collaborative coffee- table books with famous art directors. Almost 100 issues have been published to date.
Like the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks which took place three months after his arrival in New York, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami affected him deeply.
Inspired by the 1985 single We Are The World, recorded by some of the world's most famous artists to raise funds for famine relief in Africa, he decided to do a special Super Stars coffee-table book to raise funds for victims of the tsunami.
For more than two years, he travelled around Asia and shot 300 of its biggest stars - from Tony Leung Chiu Wai to Ayumi Hamasaki to Lee Byung Hun - for the self-funded charity book project, which left him in debt.
"People called me ridiculous and said that I should have just donated the money. The amount (about $20,000) raised was not important. No matter how much money I could come up with, there would be tonnes of people who could raise more. What was important was that there were all these artists who shared the same thoughts and wanted to contribute in spirit the way I did," he says.
"Can you imagine a film director getting all these artists to give their time and appear in one movie? That would not be possible. These artists did it because of their faith in me," says Kee, who has since published other coffee-table books to raise funds for several causes, including for mothers in need.
Despite the great strides he made in New York, his heart remained in Asia, especially Japan. In 2007, he returned to Tokyo. His career continued flourishing; he started exploring other subjects, including male nudity.
In 2013, it got him into trouble with the Japanese authorities, who arrested and put him in jail for two days for publishing nude images and exhibiting them in public.
His foray into male nudity, he says, is part of his growth as an artist. "A lot of people said and wrote nasty things about me, but I was just shooting cool-looking guys with beautiful bodies. Do you know how difficult it is to get people to trust me and agree to do this?" says the photographer, whose nude models include famous Japanese mixed martial arts fighter Yoshihiro Akiyama.
The episode, he admits, shook him up. "I thought I had ruined my career because of my belief in my art," says Kee, who has been in a relationship for the past 15 years.
But many celebrities stood up for him and tweeted their disapproval of his arrest. Nobuyoshi Araki, internationally famous for his erotic photography, told him: "This is the path you have to go through. This is the beginning of the journey that says you're an artist."
For six months, clients gave him a wide berth. But Yohji Yamamoto started the ball rolling and got him to shoot a new collection in Paris. Others followed suit and today his career is even stronger than before.
Kee, who worked with fashion label Gap on an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) awareness campaign in Japan, was in Singapore recently for three big projects: to be the stills photographer for Eric Khoo's new movie helmed by Japanese stars Takumi Saitoh and Seiko Matsuda; to shoot a new Singapore Tourism Board campaign for the Japanese market; and to direct a fashion film for Yamamoto's new collection.
Kee, who hopes to direct his first feature film before he turns 50, says he is in a good place.
"I have no car, no house, no children but I'm happy. I came from nothing and I'm not scared of losing anything. I've achieved quite a lot of what I wanted to achieve. I've made statements and I've inspired people."
Woman's decision to eat prawns despite allergy turns out to be fatal mistake
SINGAPORE - She knew she was allergic to prawns but Ms Khoo Siew Hong, 60, still went ahead and ate some, which turned out to be a fatal mistake.
She started itching after eating two prawns that her helpers had prepared for laksa on March 8. She then went limp and later died in hospital from an allergic reaction to the shellfish.
State Coroner Marvin Bay on Monday (Aug 21) said her death was a "truly unfortunate misadventure", and it shows how important it is to take food allergies seriously.
He said: "Allergic reactions to prawns and other shellfish can be unpredictable, with varying symptoms between different individuals. A single individual may not always experience the same symptoms during every reaction, which may have lulled Ms Khoo into a sense of complacency that such episodes could readily be addressed and controlled. Often, the allergic reactions become more severe with each exposure."
The coroner said Ms Khoo, who was unemployed and used a wheelchair to get around, lived with her sister and two helpers - Ms Rosemarie Bastareche and Madam Ten Ah Boh - in a flat at Lorong 3 Geylang.
On March 4, the four of them went to Shin Yeh restaurant in Liang Court shopping mall for lunch, where Ms Khoo ate some prawn dumplings without suffering from an allergic reaction. Four days later, at around noon, she wanted to eat the prawns prepared for the laksa, and her maids gave her two pieces.
About 2½ hours later, Ms Khoo complained of itchiness. Ms Bastareche gave her an antihistamine tablet, which was prescribed to her by a doctor from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).
About five minutes later, Ms Bastareche noticed that Ms Khoo's face had started to develop a rash, with some swelling. The rash soon increased in intensity. After about 20 minutes, Ms Khoo complained of breathlessness.
Ms Bastareche applied some medicated oil on her nostrils and alerted Madam Ten. When Ms Khoo went limp, the maid called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).
With the help of an SCDF officer on the phone, Ms Bastareche performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on Ms Khoo until paramedics arrived at 3.40pm.
She was rushed to TTSH and given 12 doses of adrenaline. However, she did not regain consciousness.
With her family's consent, she was taken off the ventilator, and died at about 9.50pm.
She was later found to have died from a severe allergic reaction or anaphylaxis linked to a food allergy. According to an autopsy report, she had an accumulation of fluid in her larynx - a symptom linked with an allergic reaction - and her lungs were congested.
The coroner said people who suffer from shellfish allergies must take certain precautions.
He said: "The only absolute way to prevent shellfish allergy is to avoid all shellfish and all products that contain shellfish. When dining out, it is prudent to ask how the food is prepared, and read food labels carefully."
PM Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech: All you need to know in 3 minutes
SINGAPORE - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, in his National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 20), highlighted three long-term issues integral to the future well-being of the nation.
They are: building up pre-schools, fighting diabetes and making Singapore a Smart Nation.
"These are things we can work on now... so that Singaporeans can start right, stay healthy, live smart," he said.
Here are nine key takeaways from his speech.
1. More pre-school places
About 40,000 pre-school places will be added in the next five years, bringing the total to 200,000.
This is to meet growing demand as more parents see the importance of pre-school education and more mothers return to work.
PM Lee noted that the shortage of pre-school places is mainly for children up to four years of age - a critical juncture of a child's development.
Children having a Chinese language lesson with Ms Chen Mei Ya in PCF Sparkletots Preschool @ Bukit Timah Blk 305 on May 24, 2017. ST PHOTO: JONATHAN CHOO
To address the problem, the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) will build more Early Years Centres in new HDB developments. A child who goes to one of these centres will have a place reserved in a nearby kindergarten run by the Ministry of Education (MOE) when he or she turns five.
The first four Early Years Centres announced in February this year are currently under construction in Punggol by NTUC My First Skool and PCF Sparkletots, and are expected to be operational in 2018.
2. More MOE kindergartens
Children having a snack at the MOE Kindergarten at Punggol View. PHOTO: MCI
While there are enough places for children aged five and six, PM Lee said the MOE must lead the way to raise pre-school education standards for this age group.
In the next five years, MOE will run 50 kindergartens - from the current 15 - to "influence and uplift" the quality of the whole sector.
3. New institute for pre-school teachers
Teachers and children participating in a learning activity at a PCF Sparkletots kindergarten. PHOTO: PCF SPARKLETOTS
Polytechnics and institutes now offer their own pre-school teacher training programmes.
Going forward, training will be centralised and brought under the new National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC). The aim is to provide better training and professional development for pre-school teachers, and to attract more people to join the sector.
PM Lee said the NIEC will follow in the footsteps of the National Institute of Education, which trains teachers in primary and secondary schools and junior colleges.
It will offer the full range of diploma and certification programmes and develop curricula with different specialisations, among other things. It will also provide students with training awards which will cover their fees plus an allowance.
4. Boosting pre-school spending
Children at an MOE kindergarten learning through music and movement activities. PHOTO: MOE
Having more than doubled its annual spending on pre-schools in the last five years - from $360 million in 2012 to $840 million this year - the Government will raise it further to $1.7 billion by 2022.
It is a heavy but worthwhile investment, said PM Lee. Access to affordable and quality pre-school will help level the playing field for young children, regardless of their family background.
He also urged young parents to do their part - by having more babies.
5. Four ways to fight diabetes
Residents participating in an Active SG event. PHOTO: MCI
One in nine Singaporeans has diabetes. Among those aged over 60, three in 10 are diabetic.
Calling it a very serious problem, PM Lee suggested four simple ways to fight it: go for regular medical check-ups; exercise more; watch your diet; and cut down on soft drinks.
He also noted that Singaporeans are putting on more weight as they eat more.
The average daily calorie intake has grown from 2,100 calories in 1998 - which is just about the right amount - to 2,600 in 2010. To put it simply, the increase is equivalent to the calories consumed from eating three extra scoops of ice cream a day.
6. Sugar - less is more
Bottles of drinks are seen on display at a vendor's stall. PHOTO: ST FILE
Some countries have tried to curb the consumption of soft drinks by imposing a sugar tax and introducing warning labels. But these measures have yet to be proven effective, PM Lee noted.
Singapore's first step will be to work with soft drink manufacturers to reduce the sugar content in all their drinks sold here, he said. This solution will help, but ultimately it is down to personal choice, he added.
The best solution? Drink plain water.
7. Every lamp post a smart lamp post
A sensor seen at a public drain. PHOTO: MCI
Moving on to the topic of Smart Nation, PM Lee said it is all about taking full advantage of IT to create new jobs and business opportunities, make the economy more productive and make people's lives more convenient.
One area IT can help is public safety and security.
A major project in the works, he said, is to make "every lamp post a smart lamp post" by allowing them to carry and transmit intelligence gathered from surveillance cameras and sensors installed islandwide.
This network of interconnected lamp posts could form Singapore's Smart Nation Sensor Platform. The platform aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to analyse video footage collected by various government agencies and sources to detect anomalies and predict situations such as potentially unruly crowds and traffic congestion.
8. Paying for gao lak with your smartphone
A demonstration of how the PayNow app works. PHOTO: PMO SINGAPORE
In China, even buying gao lak or chestnuts from a street vendor is done via e-payment methods such as WeChat Pay and AliPay.
This is one area Singapore is lagging behind, PM Lee noted.
Although Singapore has e-payments, there are too many different schemes and systems. PM Lee highlighted the need to simplify and integrate them into a single system such as PayNow, which is being offered by seven banks here. The new fund transfer option lets users transfer money to each other using just the recipient's mobile or NRIC number once an account has been linked.
9. New parking app by October
The new parking.sg app, which will launch in October. PHOTO: MCI
Besides major projects in Singapore's IT push, smaller ones to solve daily problems are also in the works.
One such example is the new parking app, parking.sg, which will launch by October.
The app, being developed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Housing Board and GovTech, will replace what PM Lee described as the "40-year-old solution" of tearing paper parking coupons.
With the app, motorists can pay only for the duration they park. The app also allows users to extend parking sessions remotely.
Man, 70, and daughter, 27, found dead at Pasir Ris block
SINGAPORE - A man was found dead at the foot of a Housing Board block in Pasir Ris on Sunday (Aug 20), and a woman believed to be his daughter was later found lying motionless in a flat in the same block.
The police told The Straits Times that they were alerted to a case of unnatural death at Block 560, Pasir Ris Street 51, at 1.30pm on Sunday.
A 70-year-old man was found lying motionless at the foot of the block. Investigations led to the finding of a 27-year-old woman lying motionless in a flat there.
They were both pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.
ST understands that the woman is the man's daughter. She was found with multiple stab wounds.
Man, 70, and daughter, 27, found dead at Pasir Ris block
SINGAPORE - A man was found dead at the foot of a Housing Board block in Pasir Ris on Sunday (Aug 20), and a woman believed to be his daughter was later found lying motionless in a flat in the same block.
The police told The Straits Times that they were alerted to a case of unnatural death at Block 560, Pasir Ris Street 51, at 1.30pm on Sunday.
A 70-year-old man was found lying motionless at the foot of the block. Investigations led to the finding of a 27-year-old woman lying motionless in a flat there.
They were both pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.
ST understands that the woman is the man's daughter. She was found with multiple stab wounds.
3 key topics for National Day Rally 2017: Pre-schools, diabetes and Smart Nation
Singapore has been placing emphasis on pre-school education, and announced plans to combat diabetes and step up digital payments and services to be a Smart Nation.
Ahead of tonight's National Day Rally, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will elaborate on plans in these areas, Insight looks at what has been done on all three fronts, why they are significant and what more could be done.
Boost for pre-schools
In February, the Early Childhood Development Centres Bill was passed. It holds childcare centres and kindergartens to higher and more consistent quality standards. Research shows that children with quality pre-school education are more likely to have stable careers and families.ST PHOTO: FELINE LIM
Just five years ago, improving pre-school education was a hot- button issue raised in a National Day Rally (NDR).
The issue had come under the spotlight after an Economist Intelligence Unit report ranked Singapore 29th out of 45 countries in standards of early childhood education.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted in the NDR that year that there were key operators and many different private providers, but added: "If you are going to raise standards considerably, it is going to mean more resources, higher costs... And if you are going to do that, without (passing) the costs to parents, the Government has to come in."
The Diabetes and Metabolism Centre at the Singapore General Hospital. If nothing is done, the number of diabetics under 70 here is expected to rise to 670,000 by 2030 and to one million by 2050. Diabetes is expensive. It already costs the country about $1 billion a year - and the figure is expected to climb to $1.8 billion by 2050.ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG
Singapore has one of the highest incidences of diabetes among developed countries, second only to the United States.
Among adults aged 18 to 69, 11 per cent - or one in nine - is diabetic. In 1998, it was 9 per cent. Among older people, the incidence is even higher.
Today, an estimated 450,000 adults here have diabetes, an illness that is a major risk factor for other serious medical problems such as heart attacks, stroke, blindness, gangrene resulting in amputations, and kidney failure requiring either a transplant or lifelong dialysis.
National Day Rally 2017: Soft drink companies pledge to reduce sugar in drinks
SINGAPORE - Makers of soft drinks in Singapore have pledged to cut down the amount of sugar in their drinks, as part of a national effort to help curb diabetes.
But the fight against the disease will not stop there, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his National Day Rally speech on Sunday (aug 20).
The Government is already looking at other solutions to help people reduce their consumption of sugary drinks, he added.
For instance, countries like Mexico have imposed a sugar tax, while Britain requires makers to place warning labels on drinks with a high sugar content.
"But it is not clear yet if these measures work... Nobody has found the ideal solution yet," Mr Lee said.
He devoted a third of his speech to diabetes, which affects an estimated one in three Singaporeans older than 60.
To stay clear of the disease, Mr Lee said: "Get a checkup, exercise more, watch your diet, cut down on sugar. It requires commitment, and adjustments to our habits, our lifestyles and diet - but the payoff is large and it can be done."
"Wholemeal bread instead of white bread. Teh O kosong instead of teh," Mr Lee said, sharing how he keeps his blood sugar levels in check. "But if the dessert is chendol, it can't be helped; I will just take a little bit."
The average Singaporean can expect to live up to 82 years, making its people one of the longest-lived in the world. But many will spend nearly a decade of this time in poor health, with the culprit often being diabetes.
Diabetes is often a silent illness, and its complications, ranging from kidney failure to heart attacks and strokes, can prove deadly, Mr Lee said.
Diabetes also becomes more prevalent as Singaporeans age, and is estimated to affect one-third of those older than 60.
But the Government alone cannot solve the problem, he added. It is a matter of personal responsibility.
He called on Singaporeans to go for regular check-ups to find out their state of health.
From next month, nearly 2 million Singaporeans will pay $5 or less for a basic health screening under the enhanced Screen for Life programme.
Said Mr Lee: "Don't take the attitude that it is better not to know. You must want to know because if you know about your condition, you can do something about it."
Don't sit on the results, he added, but see a doctor if there are any red flags in the medical report.
Apart from prescribing medication, Mr Lee said doctors are likely to advise people to eat healthy and exercise more as well.
Ideally, people should get at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week - whether it is from a dance class or Zumba session. Failing that, walking 10,000 steps a day can be an alternative goal.
For instance, why not walk to the MRT station rather than take a bus, Mr Lee suggested, or climb the stairs rather than waiting for the lift. "Let's all make the effort to walk a little bit more and work it into your daily routine," he said, adding that everyone in the audience would get a free step tracker from the Health Promotion Board (HPB).
According to a recent HPB study, more people are getting the recommended amount of physical activity every week. But this is not enough to offset the growing amount of calories that people are ingesting.
In 1998, Singaporeans were consuming around 2,100 calories a day. By 2004, they were downing 300 extra calories daily, or the equivalent of two extra scoops of ice cream, Mr Lee said.
And by 2010, this had risen by a further 200 calories; that is, a third scoop of ice cream and extra toppings.
"To burn off these three extra scoops of ice cream, you need to run more than an hour every day," he said. "Most of us don't do that, so obesity has gone up."
A final culprit is soft drinks, which contain a lot of refined sugar that is bad for the body and greatly increases a person's risk of diabetes.
This is especially problematic if it becomes an ingrained habit from youth, he added.
Government measures may help, but ultimately, what to drink is a personal choice, PM Lee said, adding: "The best is to drink plain water."
Para paddler Jason Chee fights on despite losing right eye
For the second time in his life, the world as Mr Jason Chee saw it darkened around him this April.
This time, as far as his right eye is concerned, it is a darkness that is forever. He has lost the eye that helped him win multiple medals for table tennis at the Asean Para Games (APG).
A naval ship accident in 2012 that robbed him of both his legs, his left arm and three fingers on his right hand, did not manage to stop him.
Now he is practising again for next month's APG, intoning a simple mantra. "Once a fighter, always a fighter. I'm a fighter," he said. "I still have one eye. I can be happy day by day."
The latest storm broke when the navy serviceman felt a sudden partial "blackout" in his vision one morning when he reported for work at Changi Naval Base almost four months ago.
The 34-year-old was diagnosed with choroidal melanoma (a cancer of the eye) after a tumour 1.5cm in circumference was found in his right eye. Given that the disease had not spread, doctors advised that removing his eye would be the best way to arrest the cancer.
Within a fortnight, he found himself wheeled into the operating theatre once again, about to lose yet another vital and irreplaceable part of his body.
STAYING POSITIVE
I've lost a lot. But life has to go on. Our biggest enemy is ourselves. We must defeat our fears and not be afraid of anything that we think we can't do. I don't want to see myself as a person with disabilities. I want to see myself as a cheerful, normal person.
MR JASON CHEE
Despite being a self-proclaimed optimist, Mr Chee said he, too, questioned the latest hand he had been dealt. He told The Straits Times yesterday: "I tried to find treatment to save my eye, but there was no way. I was quite down, and wondered why this would happen to me."
It was even harder for his elderly father, a 75-year-old retiree and a former vegetable seller, to accept the latest misfortune to befall his only child.
Yet Mr Chee has the toughness of one who has been in the navy for 13 years, and the resilience of an athlete who became a successful national para-table tennis player following his accident.
He also had a mother who spent her lifetime teaching him to face adversity head-on, before she died in 2011 of kidney failure at age 65.
A day before he checked himself into the hospital for surgery - coincidentally it was Vesak Day - the Buddhist did what his mother would have done: He went to the temple and prayed.
Mr Chee, who won a team gold at the 2015 edition of APG on home soil, said: "I can't prevent this from happening to me but I can control how I respond to it."
He remained stoic, just as he had through his accident five years ago. There was, however, a considerable amount of adapting to do.
Having lost some peripheral vision and depth perception, Mr Chee, who still does household chores and enjoys whipping up dishes like chicken curry, has to be more careful with his movements to avoid falls and injury.
Getting ready in the morning now takes an hour, 20 minutes more than before.
Picking up the table tennis bat again also required considerable effort.
When Mr Chee returned to training in the second week of June, three weeks after surgery, he found himself missing routine shots.
He said: "I kept missing, and kept hitting into the net. But my coach (Chia Chong Boon) was very patient with me, everyone was encouraging me, so I told myself I couldn't give up."
Rather than believe that life has been unfair, he wants people to see how undeterred he is. By picking himself up time and again, he hopes to inspire others.
He said: "Look at me - I've lost a lot. But life has to go on. Our biggest enemy is ourselves. We must defeat our fears and not be afraid of anything that we think we can't do.
"I don't want to see myself as a person with disabilities. I want to see myself as a cheerful, normal person."
His vision may not be like before, but this man of the seas still views life with admirable clarity.
A peek inside three beautiful bungalows in Singapore
From a plant-filled home to one inspired by traditional buildings to a futuristic-looking abode, these bungalows look good and offer luxurious living too
Thinking out of the concrete box, architects behind three homes here have put their own spin on bungalow architecture.
There are various types of bungalows around town, classified by the Urban Redevelopment Authority as developments that are at least 400 sq m. Many are in areas such as Bukit Timah, Faber Park, Jalan Binchang, Sunset Way and Westlake.
Many bungalows, however, are known to sit on much larger plots, with the biggest and most coveted of them being the Good Class Bungalows.
There are about 2,800 such bungalows on the island, each with a minimum plot size of 1,400 sq m - about a quarter the size of a football field.
The Straits Times visits three bungalows in Singapore.
Greenery all around
With this bungalow off Dunearn Road, it is hard to tell where the garden ends and the house begins.
The patio has a live edgewood table and is screened from the main road by cascading Vernonia elliptica creepers (above). A pavilion at one end of the pool offers views of the residential neighbourhood. PHOTO: TIM NOLAN
The long passageway - designed to run down the side of the house for fengshui reasons - that leads to the main door is decorated with tropical plants such as the bright red Heliconia marginata, the blood banana plant with its patterned leaves, and an old white frangipani tree.
The roofs of the car porch and patio, which are next to each other, are blanketed with shrubs and small plants. A balcony on the second level overlooks this mini garden and has a long bench built in, where one can rest and enjoy the greenery.
Rows of Vernonia elliptica, a creeper, cascade from the patio roof, creating a green "curtain" that partially shields the house from the main road.
Beyond the patio is a garden that is now home to two old trees - a tall Dalbergia oliveri, with its droopy branches and leaves; and a dense and layered Bucida molineti - salvaged from an empty land that was being prepared for a new development.
Towards the back of the house, a small courtyard is sandwiched between the living and dining rooms. A tall frangipani tree stands majestically in the centre, with a pond surrounding it.
The bungalow's architect, Ms Yong Ai Loon of architecture consultancy firm Timur Designs, says: "The house is a backdrop for the garden."
While many home owners shy away from having lots of greenery as plants can be hard to maintain, this owner - a businessman - pushed Ms Yong for a plant-filled abode.
So she worked with Mr John Tan, owner of Esmond Landscape and Horticultural, to make the owner's green dream a reality.
Mr Tan says: "The owner wanted plants to be a big part of his home, so I got involved right from the start. For him, getting the plants in was not an afterthought."
The 929 sq m house has two storeys, an attic and a basement. The old house that stood in its place was torn down and the new building - now home to the owner, his wife and their two children - was up in about 15 months.
The patio has a live edgewood table (above) and is screened from the main road by cascading Vernonia elliptica creepers. A pavilion at one end of the pool offers views of the residential neighbourhood. PHOTO: TIM NOLAN
Ms Yong and Mr Tan's collective greening effort was rewarded when the house recently won the Gold and Best of Category awards in the Design and Build segment at the Landscape Industry Association Singapore landscape award competition.
Greenery aside, the architect conceived a house with a seamless layout. The interiors are spacious, airy and bright, thanks to the large windows and openings in the facade that let sunlight through.
The first floor has been set aside for the living and dining rooms, which open up to a pool. At the end of the pool is a pavilion, from which you can take in the view of the quiet residential neighbourhood.
The patio has a live edgewood table and is screened from the main road by cascading Vernonia elliptica creepers. A pavilion at one end of the pool (above) offers views of the residential neighbourhood. PHOTO: TIM NOLAN
The bedrooms are on the second floor, while the attic is reserved for guests who stay the night.
In keeping with the nature theme, tones of green, brown and beige as well as natural materials such as wood and stone were picked for the furnishings and fittings. For example, the ceiling of the house is clad in teak, while a table in the patio is a live edgewood piece.
The owner, who declines to be named, says: "Even before the renovation, I decided that this house would have a huge garden and lots of plants. I wake up in the morning and I can hear birds singing in the garden. I love being close to nature."
Perfect fit for family of three generations
When it came to designing this Good Class Bungalow off Farrer Road, architects from RT+Q Architects took a leaf from the shape and structure of huts, barns and old tropical houses.
With its pitched roof, raw fair- faced concrete walls and timber sun-shading screens, verandas and gardens, this house is a modern-day interpretation that combines various features of these humble buildings.
The 1,200 sq m, two-storey house, which also has a basement, is home to a multi-generation family that includes two grandparents, their daughter and son-in- law and their three grandchildren.
To accommodate the need for the occupants' own private time and communal gatherings, the architects carved out separate wings for the older folk and the younger generation. These wings, which are off to the sides of the building, house bedrooms and library nooks.
The living room (above), dining area and a garden in The House With Shadows. ST PHOTO: FELINE LIM, MASANO KAWANA
The whole family comes together in the long communal block that runs down the centre of the bungalow. On the spacious first level, the family gathers for meals or parties. The living room upstairs has a floor- to-ceiling house-shaped display cabinet filled with Chinese antiques.
While the interiors are impressive, the outdoor area, which boasts gardens, a pool and a pond, is also stunning.
The daughter's wing is fronted by a manicured garden, dotted with two large mature Dalbergia oliveri trees. With their lush crowns and long branches, the 30-year-old trees form a screen between the house and the main road.
The architects also designed a double-height "dining box" on the first floor of this wing that opens up into this garden.
The living room, dining area (above) and a garden in The House With Shadows. ST PHOTO: FELINE LIM, MASANO KAWANA
Tucked behind is a pool, where overhanging trees drape over the pool's edge.
The true centrepiece of this house are a Japanese-themed garden and pond. The pond comes up to the sheltered veranda of the grandparents' bedroom and can be seen from the dining room.
Keeping to the style of such traditional gardens, there are stepping stones, gravelled surfaces and a thriving koi pond.
These outdoor zones bring nature to the doorstep of the home's occupants. The son-in-law , who is a landscape architect, collaborated with RT+Q on what would go into these garden spaces.
The living room, dining area and a garden (above) in The House With Shadows. ST PHOTO: FELINE LIM, MASANO KAWANA
The firm's director Rene Tan, who worked on the house with co- founder T.K. Quek and project architect Melvin Keng, says: "This house is unique for us because it is one of those rare moments where the form was largely driven by a landscape strategy, instead of an architectural one."
While the gardens dominate the space, the property was christened The House With Shadows because of the different lines and shapes it casts during the day.
It is competing against 16 other projects in the House - Completed Buildings category at the prestigious World Architecture Festival Awards held in Berlin.
The winner will be announced in November.
Futuristic facade, cosy interiors
The rounded, grey facade of this house, with two skylights punched into its roof, makes it look as if a spaceship has landed on top of a hill in Siglap. PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
It's a self-contained home that has everything.
ARCHITECT WARREN LIU on the house, which comes with a spacious living room, rooftop garden, gym and theatre, among other features
The rounded, grey facade of this house, with two skylights punched into its roof, makes it look as if a spaceship has landed on top of a hill in Siglap.
And though this futuristic-looking home is on a street chock-a-block with homes of varying sizes, the interiors are so spacious that its occupants say they do not feel they are so close to their neighbours.
The house belongs to a restaurateur and her husband. They have three children aged between 17 and 25 and both their mothers live with them. It has a built-up area of 852 sq m and was completed earlier this year after a 20-month renovation.
Besides the usual features of a house - a living room, dining room and bedrooms - the architects have fitted in a pool, a gym, an entertainment area and a private theatre that can seat up to 25 people.
Spacious living room. PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
The multi-purpose, two-storey bungalow with an attic and basement is the creation of a team from architecture practice A D Lab.
Mr Warren Liu, principal director at the firm, worked together on the house with associate director Lim Pin Jie and design executive Dawn Lim. He says: "It's a self-contained home that has everything."
The large family spends a lot of time at home and often entertains friends and family there, especially during the holiday season.
The restaurateur, who declines to be named, says: "I wanted to have a house that welcomes everyone. It's nice when the boys ask their friends over to hang out."
Rooftop garden. PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN FOR THE STRAITS TIMES
One of the nicest spaces in the house is the rooftop garden that is decorated with plants. A barbecue grill and an outdoor dining table with chairs complete the set-up.
While rooftop gardens are common in most houses today, this one steals the show with its view of the Marina Bay area and the Central Business District's soaring skyscrapers in the distance.
The architects orientated the rooftop towards the cityscape to take advantage of the unblocked landscape. Even the bedroom and communal spaces on the first and second floors have snatches of the city views. Mr Liu says: "We didn't have to try too hard. We let the view dominate the space."
