SINGAPORE – Parliament passed amendments to transport laws on May 8 that will subject key Singapore companies to greater regulatory scrutiny, after Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat allayed fears that doing so would affect innovation and growth in the industry.
Separately, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam delivered a 51-minute statement to stress that Singapore’s war on drugs cannot let up.
At the close of the sitting, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah stood to note that this was Mr Lee Hsien Loong’s last sitting as prime minister, and that cake would be served to mark the occasion.
Here are the key takeaways:
Critical transport firms Bill will not impact industry: Chee Hong Tat
The Transport Sector (Critical Firms) Bill will not negatively impact the industry as suggested changes to the law will not create significant compliance costs or interfere with private commercial decisions and day-to-day operations, Mr Chee said.
The Bill, passed on May 8, lets the transport authorities classify key companies under their purview as designated entities and subject them to more controls.
Several MPs were concerned that such changes would disadvantage foreign companies and discourage new investments.
Mr Chee said the Bill is aimed at preparing Singapore for extreme scenarios in the future, rather than addressing existing risks or current issues.
“For example, we cannot rule out the risk of malicious actors gaining control and adversely influencing our key transport entities, jeopardising the provision of essential transport services in Singapore,” he said.
Why it matters:
The Bill is the latest in a series of moves by countries, including Singapore, to protect nationally strategic assets.
It comes on the heels of the Significant Investments Review Act, which gives the Government powers to screen major investments in entities critical to national security interests.
Mr Chee said the Bill for critical transport firms is more targeted, and only key companies that are not readily replaceable owing to their significant market share or specialised expertise will be designated.
Essential transport services that are covered include public bus and rail services, passenger and cargo air services at Changi Airport, and port and maritime services such as bunkering.
Death penalty an ‘effective deterrent’ in war on drugs
It is not easy for policymakers to decide to have capital punishment, but evidence shows that it is necessary to protect society.
This was the message Mr Shanmugam drove home as he combated critics of Singapore’s tough stance against drug traffickers in a 51-minute speech.
A small group here, he said, had in recent years sought to evoke sympathy towards drug traffickers by presenting an image of an unfair criminal justice system stacked against them.
Later naming five parties, including Mr Andrew Loh and Ms Kirsten Han, he said these activists had portrayed a former death row inmate as a victim of unfortunate circumstances, but did not mention the harm caused to victims by traffickers or the number of lives wrecked by drugs.
He pointed out that contrary to activists’ claims about weakening support for the death penalty, surveys conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs show that support for the punishment here rose in the last two years.
Why it matters:
Singapore’s hard stance against drugs has halved the number of drug abusers arrested here every year since the 1990s, but the threat has not gone away, Mr Shanmugam said.
The number of drug abusers arrested in 2023 was up by 10 per cent to 3,101, from 2,826 in 2022, according to statistics from the Central Narcotics Bureau released in February.
The number of cannabis users arrested in 2023 was the highest in a decade, jumping 17 per cent to 277 that year, from 236 in 2022.
READ MORE HERE: Singapore waging war against drugs; death penalty effective deterrent: Shanmugam
No further action against Israeli embassy officer who will be sent home
Mr Shanmugam confirmed that a police report had been filed over a March 24 post by an officer from the Israeli embassy in Singapore on the embassy’s Facebook page, but no further action will be taken.
He added that the Israeli ambassador had in a recent meeting apologised for the post, saying it was wrong, not authorised, and that such an incident would never happen again.
The post, which has since been taken down due to its insensitive nature, claimed that Israel was mentioned 43 times in the Quran but Palestine was not mentioned once.
Mr Shanmugam said he made the point to the ambassador that while embassies are entitled to have their point of view, Singapore would step in where the view carries the risk of undermining safety, security and harmony here.
Why it matters:
Embassies’ actions are covered by the principle of sovereign immunity, and foreign embassies and diplomatic staff in Singapore enjoy diplomatic immunity under the law.
This means that they are not subject to Singapore’s criminal jurisdiction, unless the right is waived.
Mr Shanmugam said the Government will intervene against acts that can affect Singapore’s social harmony, but in this case, the Attorney-General’s Chambers had been consulted, and decided that no further action would be taken.
If you have a few more minutes:
ERP 2.0 units’ early adopters can relocate their processing units for free
Motorists who already have the next-generation Electronic Road Pricing system (ERP 2.0) on-board units installed in their vehicles can choose to relocate their processing units to the driver’s footwell, from the front passenger’s footwell, for free.
Mr Chee said he was among the 18,000 early adopters of the ERP 2.0 units, and he is happy he is able to deactivate his payment card easily when he uses complimentary parking tickets.
This deactivation feature was among some of the recent enhancements to the ERP 2.0.
On the roll-out of distance-based charging, Mr Chee said it is still a “possible option” that the ministry has to study further, and that it is not an “inevitable outcome” of the ERP 2.0.
$60m to be clawed back from deals exploiting ‘99-to-1’ ABSD loophole
The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore will claw back about $60 million in additional buyer’s stamp duty (ABSD) and surcharges, said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong in a written parliamentary reply on May 7.
This comes as 166 of 187 private home purchases reviewed as at April 2024 were ascertained to have exploited the so-called “99-to-1” arrangement to reduce the rightful ABSD payable on the purchase of a residential property.
Under the “99-to-1” or similar purchase arrangements, the initial owner sells a partial interest in the property to another buyer within a short period of time.
Such a deal allows the buyer, who already owns other properties, to reduce the ABSD, while still becoming the new property’s co-owner and a co-applicant for bank loans to finance it.
