Christie Loh, Today Online 29 Dec 07;
You "switched off" each time it appeared in the media or bristled at the way it was mangled and misused.
What is the one word you would like to be rid of as you bid farewell to 2007?
Weekend Today asked several people for their pick of not-so-hot words.
Global warming
"The news has been all about flooding and disasters and the phrase 'global warming' has been heard a lot this year. When I'm out at sea, it sickens me to see plastic bags and rubbish and it's not just in Singapore. But I think we should try to look on the bright side, like getting people to appreciate nature more, rather than scaring people with images and facts."
National sailor Roy Tay, who won a gold medal in the 2007 SEA Games, on the skewed presentation of the effects of carbon dioxide on the environment.
Climate change
"The benefits of controlling global warming lie far off into the future. Why should the far-off generation always get priority over the immediate generation? Presently, poverty is still very high. There should be priority towards the present generation."
Professor Euston Quah, Nanyang Technological University head of economics, on how governmental talks and media reports tend to stress the long-term aspect of climate change and inevitably dull the average Joe's interest in the topic because he feels less connection with the far-off future. The global debate should also deliver "less rhetoric, more action", added Prof Quah.
Win-win
"It's used a bit too often in any context or line of argument, where people need to convince you of something."
Filmmaker Tan Pin Pin, whose latest screened work is documentary Invisible City, on the term that has been used to describe things such as the staging of the Formula One race here and Singapore's support for Malaysia's Iskandar Development Region.
P65
"It started out nice and fresh, but after a while, it got kind of boring and mainstream. I was a bit disappointed because I thought they would come up with alternative viewpoints reflective of the young."
Veteran Member of Parliament Charles Chong (born in 1953) on www.P65.sg, the blog set up by 12 younger MPs born after the nation's independence. The People's Action Party coined 'P65' after last year's elections, to describe the 12 newbies tasked with connecting with their peers, who will form the majority of voters by the 2011 polls.
KPI
"In our area, we all know there must be some form of measurement. But this KPI sometimes gets stretched to that point that it's misused and ends up being a numbers game. Some things, you can't measure."
Mr Henry Quake, executive director of Council for Third Age, a public-funded body tasked with promoting active ageing. What, for instance, should be the key performance indicator (KPI) for whether the council is successful in changing mindsets, he asked? Attendance of events?
Medical tourism
"Beyond the casual tourist coming here for executive screenings, there are many serious patients coming; they're not tourists. Many are looking for better care, at the terminal end, desperate or even quite poor. The news keeps focusing on the rich individuals, but don't forget the bottom of the pyramid, which is heavier."
Associate Professor Phua Kai Hong, who teaches health policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, on how public understanding of "medical tourism" here needs to be expanded.
Governance
"The governance issue arose with NKF (National Kidney Foundation) and this emphasis is taking away attention from the fact that there's a lot of good work going on out there by charities that do good well. The real challenge is to find more good people to come and work in the sector. Then governance should not be so much of an issue."
Mrs Tan Chee Koon, CEO of the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, believes the structures are already in place for good governance and hopes the negative spotlight currently on the charity sector will soon dissipate.
Local
"Today's audiences are increasingly exposed to a wide variety of artistic influences and productions from around the world. So, when artists create works, there needs to be a less parochial mindset. We need to be conditioned to think beyond our shores and develop artistic standards that can transcend boundaries and be enjoyed by audiences everywhere."
Mr Benson Puah, CEO of The Esplanade Company, hopes artistic works and mindsets here will become less "local".
Medals
"It's the spillover effect from last year's Asian Games and during this year's SEA Games, performances were gauged in terms of medal prospects and wins. It is the most overused word in sports ... In Singapore, there is too much focus on medals and winning. Sometimes, you learn far better lessons from losing than winning."
Ms Annabel Pennefather, International Hockey Federation vice-president and Singapore National Hockey Federation president, would like to see the nation measure sporting success in different ways.
Costs
"From the very beginning of the year, we started to hear about rising property costs and business rentals … Next year, we hope to see more stable growth without the big spikes we have seen this year."
Mr Phillip Overmyer, chief executive of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce, on how businesses are feeling the heat from rising costs. He listed factors such as Indonesia's ban of sand and granite exports to Singapore, the GST hike and growing wages.
Inflation
"The Government will probably have to do more to help. But it isn't just about that. It's about having everybody see that we're part of the circle of life, so that employers see that if they hire the auntie or the uncle — as opposed to the three other foreign people — he's doing much more for the community than just paying a wage to somebody."
Dr Gillian Koh, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, on how the issue of the rising cost of living – and with it, inflation – has dominated 2007. While Dr Koh hopes to hear less of the I-word in 2008, she says rising costs will continue to be a major issue in the New Year.
