You might have heard that the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement was recently put up for debate in Parliament on July 6.
Also known as CECA, the term has since become a shorthand on the forums and social media, referring to Indian nationals, sometimes in a derogatory manner, particularly those who work in Singapore.
The fiery debate saw, among other things, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung calling out the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) for repeatedly making false allegations about the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in question. So if you haven t been catching up with Parliament proceedings, we re here to give you the low-down on what went on brace yourself.
The Independent Singapore News Lee Hsien Yang and Hazel Poa ask why data was not provided.
Lee Hsien Yang and Hazel Poa ask why data was not provided for certain Parliamentary Questions of PSP
We were told that these Parliamentary Questions would be answered via the Ministerial Statement, but unfortunately the government did not provide the data requested, she said.
Photo: YouTube screengrab - Lee Hsien Yang, Hazel Poa
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Singapore Two days after Ministerial Statements on CECA and FTAs were read in Parliament, NCMP Hazel Poa asked why some questions she asked were not answered.
Her Jul 8 Facebook post with the questions was shared by Progress Singapore Party (PSP) member Lee Hsien Yang.
Tan Cheng Bock: Sowing the seeds of PSP s future to challenge PAP msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Plastics
It was also agreed that Indian goods entering Singapore would not be subject to any tariffs as soon as CECA came into force.
How do tariffs affect us as regular Singaporeans?
Higher tariffs means that customers need to pay more for the goods. By lowering and removing tariffs through CECA,
Singaporeans can save money on imports from India that are covered under the agreement.
This also means that there are
lower barriers of entry for Singaporeans looking to enter the Indian market through exports.
Still sounds a bit abstract, doesn t it?
What else does CECA have an influence on?
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A 47-year-old man who harassed staff at an eatery and threw a rainbow flag at them has been given a two-year conditional warning by the police.
In a written reply to Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai from the Progress Singapore Party, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said the police did not recommend prosecution after taking into account that no injuries were caused and the incident did not last for a long time.
The man also has a history of mental disorder, which may partly explain his actions, Mr Shanmugam added.
Instead, he was given a warning for an offence of intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress.