The Out-of-Bounds Index increases by 50 points.

Feb 2

In a move to deter people with lower incomes from turning to loan sharks, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) will lower the minimum annual income threshold for unsecured credit facilities, by the middle of the year, from $30,000 to $20,000. MAS and MinLaw say that they will do so “in recognition that individuals in this income bracket may have genuine need for unsecured credit from time to time.” +100

Feb 3

Speaking of the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) initiative to post anonymous messages on Internet blogs and forums in rebuttal of online criticisms of the party, PAP Member of Parliament Baey Yam Keng says, “The identity is not important. It is the message that is important.” This statement comes less than a year after Press Secretary to the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, K Bhavani, writes in a letter to Today newspaper that blogger Mr. Brown “should come out from behind his pseudonym to defend his views openly.” -100

Feb 6

The Government will foot the bill for security cameras to be fitted into every train and at every MRT station to detect terrorist activity, as well as mischief makers. +50