Tag Archives: Straits Times 18 Oct 2014

MUCH political attention has been paid to households in the bottom 20 per cent, whether as an indicator of how well the poor are doing, part of the income inequality picture, or even a suggested peg for ministerial salaries. Yet this bottom quintile is not necessarily a good representation of Singapore's neediest, even though it is treated as an important indicator.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew then asked me about the problems with the building design. For example, he wanted to know whether the corridors got wet when it rained - they did - and whether the building might be less warm if we improved the planting of creepers down some of the walls. He even wanted to know whether the pond next to the hospital flooded and overflowed to the hospital when it rained. The answer, fortunately, was no. This attention to detail by the boss matters. If the boss cares, everybody else up and down the line cares. If the boss does not care, standards can begin to slip.