Response to local issues by Phyllis

URL：http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_489836.html

IMMIGRATION & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers have uncovered more than 1,900 cartons of contraband cigarettes in two separate smuggling attempts.

The haul, worth close to $144,000 in duties and taxes, were intercepted at the Tuas Checkpoint and Jurong Wharf on Wednesday.

In the first case at Tuas Checkpoint, two Malaysians were caught with 1,800 cartons of cigarettes hidden in a modified compartment within the floorboard of a trailer during a routine check.

In the second case, ICA officers at Jurong Wharf boarded a vessel that had arrived from Batam for a routine check. They found 100 cartons of cigarettes hidden under the floorboard in a storeroom of the vessel.

The two Malaysian drivers and five Indonesian crew on the vessel are helping Singapore Customs with investigations.

I refer to “Contraband cigarettes seized” by Wendy Lim published on Wednesday. This piece of news announced the discovery of two cigarette-smuggling events by IMMIGRATION & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). In my opinion, Singapore government and relative authorities like ICA need to pay more attention to this kind of issues.

Firstly, cigarette smuggling is not a felony but it should be treated carefully. According to my online research, smuggling cigarettes carries a maximum penalty of three years jail for a first-time offender in Singapore. So it is not a felonious act comparing to others like drug smuggling. However, it can cause a lot of problems to the economy and social stability as it is often related to illegal trade, unfair competition or black market.

Secondly, Singapore needs to be concerned with smuggling. It is always said that it is easier to govern small countries like Singapore. But actually, the market of a small country could be more easily affected by various factors. Once the balance in cigarette market is broken because of contrabandage, the consequences will be quite serious and the situation will be hard to deal with. Therefore, it is important for the government to nip cigarette smuggling in the bud to ensure a stable society.

Response to local issues by Vivian

REFER to ‘Consider nuclear energy’. The Singapore Strategies Committee suggests that Singapore should consider using nuclear energy as an alternative energy resource because the global energy markets are getting tighter. It also indicates that the nuclear technology is advanced enough for easy design and safe operation.

As far as I am concerned, each controversy has advocators for pros and cons and the nuclear issue of Singapore is no exception at all. The increasing need for energy urges Singapore to accelerate its progress in generating electricity and other energy by itself rather than importing from other countries. As the nuclear technology developed, it becomes the most effective and efficient method to produce energy as to reduce the country’s reliance on oil and gas. As limited to its geographic size, the establishment of nuclear power reactor is more practical than solar energy or hydropower station for Singapore. However, recently it has been revealed that Germany, lying around 50 degrees latitude, has installed a solar energy generating capacity of 4,500 MW which is over 10% of our total electricity generation last year which is 100% fossil fuel based. Their share of electricity from renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal) is 15% in 2008. The most notable aspect of this sample is that Germany is a very typical cloudy country that is similar to Singapore. This disprove the idea that the cloud cover and the climate will disqualify Singapore as the user of solar energy. Nevertheless, the negative consequences of nuclear energy application cannot be neglected as it may leas to catastrophic effect such as nuclear diffusion. Furthermore, the exorbitant costs needed for the materials to build, generate energy a nuclear reactor and to maintain the reactor may turn into the burden which Singapore cannot afford. After all, I do not think it is an appropriate time for Singapore to adopt nuclear energy as its potential danger maybe a nightmare for Singaporean. Yet I believe one day Singapore will choose nuclear energy as we perfect this technique. Otherwise we may find new energy sources which may be more suitable for Singapore.

Response to local issues

News Response
I refer to the news “Singapore: more companies eyeing green label” by Tessa Wong that published on 10 Feb 2010. This article provides information of recent trend in growing application of green certificate of companies. In my opinion, both the government and the company play important roles in green and sustainable development
Firstly, the government’s effort in putting green concept into reality could not be ignored. As mentioned in the article, government has set several funds that worth multi-million dollars aimed at spurring research and development in this field. Moreover, the government’s policies to the construction of more green buildings motivate relevant corporations to develop green products and facilitate their investment environment within this field. These policies in the long term promote the use of green materials that exert negligible negative consequence on the environment.
Secondly, many companies take social responsibility of developing green products and benefit from them. Indian company's products bearing the mark are especially popular in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia; such is the remark of Mr. Shawn. This information shows that companies could not only protect environment but also thrive by these green products in the same time.
In conclusion, successful cooperation between government and companies trigger mutual benefit and make Singapore a better place for all residents.