Alleged 8-Month Bonus

Ah… bonus, bonus, bonus.

I suspect I am in no position to complain about another person getting his bonus when I was earlier protesting in another blog post and justifying why I should get mine. After all, my current employer got a bail out from the government gahmen of its home country and they wisely decided against giving out a hefty bonus. In my case, it didn’t matter that the branch here was have a record year [in profits], and the foul up was in other locations. That’s not even mentioning that not all of my employer’s funding come solely from donations or gahmen funding.

So if you consider that I am being hypocritical for flaming the North West Community Development Council [NW CDC for short] for allegedly giving out a 8-month bonus to its staff ^{[citation needed]} while I justify my right to a bonus, perhaps you should look at some of these facts that I gathered from the Annual Report FY 2007 downloaded here.

See the above? The gahmen gives the NW CDC an annual grant of $1 per resident living in its district for funding its programmes, and the gahmen matches every dollar with $3 or $4 depending on how that money is raised. The gahmen also funds the operations of the CDC offices.

In other words, all of these money are donations and state money. Now recall our outrage when we heard the kind of pay and bonus TT Durai, former CEO of NKF, is getting? (And no, I am not implying or saying that there is any kind of misconduct such as those of Durai and the old NKF here.)

Now, let us take a look from which ministry did the gahmen fund the CDCs. Perhaps it is from the MCYS [see below]?

Hmm.. the MCYS. Isn’t this the very same ministry which decided that it was good enough for the needy taking grants to just have $1 more a day? If they are indeed financing the CDCs, perhaps they don’t have to be so tight with their purse strings anymore if they can look at how they can reduce their expenditure with regard to the CDCs.

You might be concerned that doing so might be of impact to operations of the CDC since the gahmen is where most of the money is coming from. So, let’s look at just how much money does the CDC have. According to figures for FY 2007, they have a whopping S$49.1 million in reserves. That means, for someone to get a 8-month bonus, the figures below would have substantially risen for FY 2008.

So why the heck should the gahmen still give them money considering their current reserves and when even the gahmen itself has cut salaries and bonus to reduce expenditure? In fact, while town councils justify their sinking funds by arguing that it is needed for emergencies, and perhaps even upgrading projects, what are these CDC reserves for? Isn’t part of the money the gahmen pays into these reserves an unnecessary burden the people like you and I have to bear? Perhaps the gahmen should consider giving the money back to all Singaporeans in the form of GST rebates or even, more job credits!

But all of above isn’t any more infuriating than the following:

Dr Teo Ho Pin said: “The mayors do not decide on the salaries, the increments, the bonuses of all our staffs at the CDC… We chair the CDCs, to spearhead the CDCs… I do not know the salaries, I do not know the bonuses of all my staff.”

[粤] 十问九唔知! [Cantonese: Sup Mun Gau Um Zee / Translation: 10 Questions, 9 Don't Know.]

I was actually expecting Teo Ho Pin to give the usual elitist Tali-PAP answer to justify just how outstanding these people are to deserve a 8-month bonus. I also wondered, when outstanding performance gets a 8-month bonus, then how much is average performance getting?

Sadly, Dr “Don’t Know” Teo doesn’t even tell us who might know. Perhaps he doesn’t even know who is the person we can ask either. In fact, It makes me wonder, is there anything he actually bothers enough to know? Even when there is no wrong doing here, it brings to mind former NKF Chairman Richard Yong, who during cross examination in court was exposed for not knowing what he signed when he awarded TT Durai with more money. Is he not required to even approve any of these things when both my branch and HR managers are required to sign on my bonus letter?

It is my considered opinion that this is a dereliction of duty when a person didn’t even consider it his responsibility to watch over the expenditure of something he chaired and spearheaded when it takes money from the gahmen. It is a gross failure to the very people who voted him. Thankfully, this time round he didn’t tell us to be grateful for these individuals, just as we should to the town councils which invested and lost money, even though “Don’t Know” Teo possibly also does not know who made the decision to invest that money. i.e. 凭父拢不知 [Hokkien: Lim Peh Nong Um Zai / Translation: Your father me all also don't know.]

But does he really not know, or simply just plain ‘bo-chup’ [Translation: Can't be bothered]? Here’s another piece of his ‘Teo-isms’:

Dr Teo Ho Pin then said: “The economy only start to worsen during the last 3 months of 2008. The performance of the economy during the first 9 months is still not bad. We have to look at the matter from the entire year’s perspective. Hence, it is not unreasonable for CDC staff to receive 8 months of bonuses.”

Familiar argument here! Because this is what some unhappy traders overseas used as argument when they tried to justify their ‘right’ to their bonus.

So do you not or do you know now, Dr Teo? Make up your mind!

Whatever the case is, as one of my netizen friend said, the Tali-PAP needs a new publicist. If the Tali-PAP does not want to consider that, then they should consider asking Dr ‘Toxic Asset’ Teo to retire before the next election. He clearly isn’t cut to be in whatever position(s) he is in now. Of course, they shouldn’t forget to ask ‘Wua Kan Seng’ to join him too when they are at that!

http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=24415.1

Look how disconnected they are

I shake my head when I see the whole story unfold before my very eyes.

It started off with an open letter to Dr Teo Ho Pin about Northwest CDC staff getting 8 months bonus in 2008. I also blog about it saying that its a good opportunity for the government to engage the new media. After several attempts to get official comments, Dr Teo finally replied saying that it’s confidential.

What kind of nonsense is that? We are not asking you to name who got exactly how much bonus. We just want to know if some staff got 8 months bonus. No need name the person out.

Then on Sunday, Dr Teo Ho Pin spoke to the media and said he don’t know the salary and bonus of the staff of North West CDC. OK, brilliant. From “confidential” to “I don’t know”. Perhaps “Confidential” is the new word for “I don’t know.” His interview with the media was very well drafted. Check out his interview with the media.

And Dr Teo squandered an opportunity to engage the New Media. (Gee…. I think I remember that phase from somewhere.) He could had reply directly to the source of this rumors which is the new media. But instead, he kept his silent until the mainstream media spoke to him. I thought you guys are going to leverage on the New Media? Well, I guess not.

So, it’s the People Association or Workforce Development Agency who decide on the salary and bonus of community development council staff. Not the Mayor. Then why didn’t you say so earlier Dr Teo? And now that it has been brought to your attention, don’t you, as a Mayor of North West CDC and a Member of Parliament of Bukit Panjang, feel that it is your duty and obligations to find out what exactly is going on in the CDC that is under your charge? Why are some of the staff getting such high bonus, especially during a recession?

No, it seems like you don’t know and you don’t care. All you want is this issue to get off your back. OK, since it is none of your business, everybody turn their attention at People Association and Workforce Development Agency.

And interestingly enough, before we can make enough noise, Mr Lim Boon Heng (hey, that’s my MP) steps out and defended the need for Community Development Councils (CDCs) to have flexibility in rewarding staff, pointing out that is how companies around the world operate. He stated that fixed monthly pay is kept down and the bonuses vary according to performance to motivate people to perform, because if a person does badly, he will not get the same high bonus. So this ensures that the reward system is fair and responsive to the needs of the organisation. He also advised people ‘not to begrudge the few people who got very high bonuses’.

Mr Lim, perhaps you don’t know that a lot of people in the private sector are having their salary and bonus cut because of this recession. (Some even lose their jobs) Are they not performing well? Nope, they got a pay cut because of the economic situation. I’m sure there are people in the private sector who are performing just as well as your staff in North West CDC. And if the people in the private sectors are getting their pay and bonus cut, why is the government sector getting excessive bonus? It’s shocking to see you defending the 8 months bonus. Are you so disconnected from the rest of Singapore to the extend that you think 8 months bonus is perfectly alright?

And come to think of it, now that we are in a recession, isn’t it about time we relook into the Minister’s salary?

In the mean time, the People’s Association said that salaries are in line with the National Wages Council’s guidelines, and that the association had moved to performance-based pay to reward and incentivise staff fairly and responsively.

Wow, for the past week, everyone kept quiet, saying it is confidential. Now everyone come out and talk about it. Although they never confirm or deny if any of the North West CDC staff (or staffs) got 8 months bonus, I think the answer is pretty clear already.

Now, the Salary and Bonus is based on National Wages Council’s guideline. If that is correct, then the high performance staffs in the private sectors should at least get 6 months bonus right? How can that be wrong? You mean the private sector don’t follow the NWC’s guideline meh? But if you think about it, if every private sector follow the NWC’s guideline and give their high performing staff 8 months bonus, I think some of them will be in financial problem soon.

And if PA and WDA really follow the NWC’s guideline and give 8 months bonus to their staff, I think we seriously need to relook into the NWC’s guideline. How the heck did someone get 8 months bonus? Even if we are not in a recession, 8 months bonus is a lot of money.

So can someone please justify why some of the staff at North West CDC received 8 months bonus? Did someone managed to find to cure to Singapore’s unemployment rate or something?

http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=24414.1

News Blackout

News Blackout

Since the online outcry has broken out over two staff from the Northwest Community Development Council (CDC) received bonuses of eight months last year, including the 13th month bonus, the ST and CNA have imposed a News Blackout over the following 2 news reports:
CDC bonuses explained
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_350846.html
Northwest CDC mayor says PA, WDA decide on staff pay, bonuses
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/415302/1/.html

Fortunately, the 2 news reports still can be found at: CDC bonuses explained
http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=sunkopitiam&msg=24248.1
Northwest CDC mayor says PA, WDA decide on staff pay, bonuses
http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=sunkopitiam&msg=24080.4

What is the reason for blacking out the news reports? How low can the 154th ST and CNA go?

http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=sunkopitiam&msg=24335.1

A classic Singaporean reaction

A classic Singaporean reaction to Singaporean streakers:

"Streaking 'fun' can lead to other crimes"
http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_350495.html

I'll post his comments in full (since he hardly said anything and the ST may not archive this to the end of days like the BBC does):

AFTER reading last Thursday's report, "Undergrad streakers expelled from NUS hostel", I would like to remind students that NUS stands for "National University of Singapore", and not "Naked University of Singapore".

I have nothing against drinking and having fun. However, running naked from one hostel to the next is something all schools and universities must prevent. Such "fun" can lead to other crimes.

Ace Kindred Cheong



This guy seems to possess future ministerial qualities ...

First paragraph - trying to impose his "authority" by "reminding" people of a useless piece of fact. Everyone knows NUS does not stand for the "Naked University of Singapore" ... your sarcastic remark does not tell anybody anything useful.

Second paragraph - Mr Cheong does the classic "fear factor" tactic of the ruling party - unsubstantiated paranoia about "other crimes". What other crimes are you alluding to, Mr Cheong? How are they related to streaking? Where do you get your crime statistics from that relates streaking to these "other crimes"?

As usual the Mainstream Media laps this kind of drivel up while rejecting other more thoughtful and interesting letters (you can see some of those on The Online Citizen or Wayang Party - I don't always agree with them, but I find those letters far more thoughtful about the issues we face as Singaporeans).

http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=24451.1

CDC bonuses explained

March 16, 2009

CDC bonuses explained
By Jessica Lim

Mr Lim said that reward system motivate people to perform, because if a person does badly, he will not get the same high bonus. -- ST PHOTO: STEPHANIE YEOW
COMMUNITY development councils (CDCs) need the flexibility to pay deserving staff bigger bonuses, People's Association (PA) deputy chairman Lim Boon Heng said on Monday.

Responding to questions about the online buzz generated after some staff at the Northwest CDC were reportedly paid up to eight months' bonus last year, Mr Lim said such payouts 'vary according to performance'.

VIDEO
Minister defends flexibility in rewarding staff
(1:18)
He did not touch on exactly how much the CDC's staff were paid, but said bonuses 'help to motivate people to perform, because if a person does badly, he will not get the same high bonus. So this ensures that the reward system is fair and responsive to the needs of the organisation'.

Mr Lim, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, added: 'In good times and in bad, there are good performers. And I think that particularly in bad times, we need people who give of their best and show example to the rest about what they can do to help the organisation.'

Pointing out that only a select few get high payouts, he said: 'I think we should not begrudge the few people who get very high bonuses.'

Several blog posts and threads dedicated to the issue of Northwest CDC's payouts have sprung up recently.

Many question the justification for such payouts, especially in light of the recession. Others say they are absurd in a time of growing retrenchments.

However, most ignored the fact that the bonuses were paid last year, when the economy was humming along right up till the last quarter.

When contacted, the PA, which decides bonuses and salaries of CDC staff, said its payments are in line with the National Wages Council's guidelines, and that it moved to performance-based pay in order to reward and incentivise staff fairly and responsively.

The PA added that only staff at the lower end of the salary range receive high performance bonuses. Such payments, it said, also help the organisation retain outstanding performers.

http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=sunkopitiam&msg=24248.1&search=y

Teo Ho Pin: Not “unreasonable” for the two CDC staff to receive eight months of bonus

Teo Ho Pin: Not “unreasonable” for the two CDC staff to receive eight months of bonus

Translated from Sin Ming Daily, 15 March 2009

According to an earlier report by 938live, a writer by the name of johnlaw2012 posted on the Channelnewsasia forum on the first of this month that two employees of Northwest Community Development Council received bonuses of 8 months last year, including the 13th month bonus.

In reponse to queries from radio958, Northwest CDC Mayor Dr Teo Ho Pin clarified that the pay of CDC staff is determined by the People’s Association.

He said: “The economy only start to worsen during the last 3 months of 2008. The performance of the economy during the first 9 months is still not bad. We have to look at the matter from the entire year’s perspective. Hence, it is not unreasonable for CDC staff to receive 8 months of bonuses.”

The People’s Association did not confirm or refute the rumors circulating on the internet. Earlier, PA also said that the salaries and bonuses of its staff are within the guidelines set by the National Wage Council.

http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=25048.1

First World, Third World

We've been busy working on a new project about migrant workers in Singapore. To call the last three weeks intense, would be an understatement. It's been an eye-opener. A real shocker. We've met more scumbags than we've ever met in our entire lives put together.

We've been yelled at and threatened, we've seen what it means to be in an unequal power relationship, we've heard truly horrendous stories of abuse, exploitation and torture, and we've had the police on us not once, but twice. We know our rights, so we are fine - a legal background helps - but each incident leaves us angrier and sadder than before.

We can't say much more right now (wait for the film), but there is something we want to share.

Two weeks ago, we discovered a cluster of containers off Jurong Port Road. Some workers had taken us there - this little settlement had been their home for almost a year.

The place was filthy and stank of urine and rotting garbage. There were rats and mosquitoes everywhere. The workers told us they were housed, 20 men to a container. Each container was ventilated by an air-conditioner that often broke down.

More than 200 men had to share five toilets. There were no shower stalls - just a big tank filled with water covered by a thin film of scum. The kitchen had 13 individual stoves but not all of them worked. The workers told us they often had to wait hours for their turn to cook.

Our friends paid their employer, Ocean Marine Engineering, $100 for the privilege of living in this dump. That's $2,000 for each container. Someone's clearly raking it in.

These so-called dormitories broke health, environmental and safety rules on so many levels, the mind boggles to comprehend. Yet it was - still is - operating here, in law-abiding Singapore. We learnt a little later that it had in fact been around for four years. FOUR YEARS. How on earth did the authorities miss this one?

Several days after our visit, a volunteer reporter from a community blog went to the same site and wrote an excellent story about it. We thought we'd finally see some action. We even heard that the Ministry of Manpower was on the case and cracking down. We hoped the workers who had been conned into paying so much for so very little, would get some compensation.

This past weekend, we went back to take a look. The containers were still there, still occupied by dozens of workers. A dead rat lay decomposing next to the kitchen where a young Bangladeshi man was fixing himself some lunch. The stench was awful - clearly, the situation was so bad the occupants had stopped noticing something as trivial as a dead rat.

Two workers told us they paid their employers $50 a month each. A third had only just arrived and wasn't sure how much he was going to be charged. They said some Ministry officials had visited. We're waiting to see what happens next.

For anyone interested in taking a look (yes, journalists from the local press, we're looking at you), the containers are located right next to the Singapore Press Holdings Print Centre. And yes, the irony does not escape us.

http://forums.delphiforums.com/sunkopitiam/messages?msg=24536.1