Abbas Abu Amin
Singapore
“I believe that sports activities play also a very important part in building up our national consciousness. When we send our competitors abroad to compete in international competitions, they do more than competing in skills, sports and physical fitness but, more importantly, they represent our whole nation, irrespective of their racial, c…”
“The MediShield Scheme was introduced in July 1990. I would like to know the number of members who have benefited from such a scheme. It was reported recently that members between 50 and 60 years of age form 20% of all those members who have opted out of the MediShield Scheme.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head P be reduced by $10 in respect of Code PA 1500 of the Main Estimates. Sir, the statistics available tend to suggest that there is an increase in the utilisation of health services.”
“In my view, MUIS could provide assistance to the Islamic schools in the following areas: firstly, getting qualified people as teachers, secondly, professional training for teachers to upgrade their performance, thirdly, streamlining a curriculum of equal standard to that of secular schools for all madrasahs, and, fourthly, financial assis…”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his reply and beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $30,208,500 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $3,585,000 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head O -”
“Sir, since many speakers before me have already expressed their concern regarding the redevelopment and restructuring of Government acute hospitals, I would just like to get clarification or assurance from the Minister on two matters. First, would the interest of the poor patients be safeguarded?”
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“Sir, in the meantime, could the Ministry assist in providing sufficient bus feeder services to the MRT station from the Polytechnic, University as well as the HDB Ayer Rajah Estate?”
“Sir, perhaps the Ministry could assist in informing the owners to expedite the resettlement problem.”
“Sir, I would like to get assistance from the Ministry to expedite the resettlement of some squatters in Alexandra Terrace, as I understand this area is now flooded with quite a number of non-Singaporeans who cause problems to our local residents.”
“Sir, are the existing enforcement actions adequate to cope with the drug problem that we have in Singapore? In view of the recent development in the tactics and techniques used by drug takers and ant traffickers to bring in supplies from outside Singapore, could additional measures be introduced to tighten further the control and restrict the movement of our youths to go in and out of the causeway. I feel that the fight against drug taking and drug trafficking must be intensified. Sir, I agree with the comment made by my colleague, the Member for Tanah Merah, that there is a general feeling that the drug addicts have too good a life in the DRCs. For example, they have better and regular meals than they used to have at home. My question is, whether the rehabilitation programme and the activities carried out in the DRCs could be made tough enough to deter or discourage the drug addicts to be in the DRCs for a second time.”
“My Ministry, together with HDB and the Ministry of Community Development, will carefully assess the cost, maintenance and the results of peacetime uses of shelters built in the first phase. We will be guided by the results of this pilot project in seeking to implement a wider emergency shelter programme. Now, the final point raised by the Member for Toa Payoh about providing protective walls on HDB void decks. This could be considered by the people who are planning these shelters because the idea is to provide shelters in the HDB blocks which will accommodate the people. If over and above these shelters you still need to provide other protective measures, these can be considered.”
“In October 1986 it was announced that future HDB development will incorporate construction of shelters. Stage one of this programme will last five years to cover HDB's sixth housing programme. Sir, these shelters will not only provide protection for the civilian population in an emergency, but will have to be put to good use during peacetime. The construction of the shelters in HDB estates has commenced. The first eight HDB apartment blocks with shelters are expected to be ready by the end of this year. These are located in Pasir Ris and Jurong West estates. By 1993 it is anticipated that a total of about 829 blocks with shelters would have been built. This forms the scope of the first phase of shelter construction. It is a pilot project which can yield vital information for expanding our emergency shelter programme in the future. Peacetime uses for these shelters. I think this is a very important aspect of our emergency shelter programme. The shelters would have to be put to good use during peace time. This will ensure that shelter space is well used and properly maintained. There are proposals to use HDB shelters as RC centres, child-care centres, library, study rooms and space for social and recreational activities by the residents in the neighbourhood. Sir, my Ministry, the Ministry of Community Development, People's Association and HDB are presently looking into the possible uses of shelters under peacetime. Community leaders will, of course, be consulted. Since this is the first time that Government has embarked on such a programme, there is a need to assess the result of the first phase of shelter construction.”
“And subsequent in-camp training will refresh the reservists in their skills not only at the individual but also at the group or unit level, helping to maintain overall operational readiness and the ability to respond to emergency. Some of the reservist units have also taken part in public exercises conducted in constituencies such as community spirit exercises and emergency exercises such as food distribution, water and blood collections during their in-camp training. The training period for a CD unit will vary depending on the type of tasks that they are charged with. For example, rescue battalions are expected to undertake complex and long duration rescue operation. These men undergo in-camp training of up to 18 days. Subsequently, this period of in-camp training is reduced to six days as they get more experience. Zone units which are required to perform basic functions such as rendering first-aid, evacuation and simple rescue undergo up to nine days of in-camp training. And when they have more experience, the unit's ability improves, then the in-camp training is reduced to two days. And there is, of course, the annual in-camp periods which are kept at a minimum to ensure that each unit is capable of performing its given role at any time when needed. Sir, with this positive support from our reservists, we are confident that we will be able to build up a credible Civil Defence capability for our nation. The SCDF will continue to build up its level of expertise and widen its pool of trained CD personnel through a well-structured and dedicated training programme. Sir, the Member for Toa Payoh also asked about the progress of construction of shelters in the HDB estates and also how will these shelters be put to peacetime uses.”
“Together, they will be responsible for performing rescue operations, managing and operating civil defence facilities, such as shelters, and organizing the population to cope with emergencies when the need arises. Training and exercises are therefore given high priority within the Singapore Civil Defence Force. Sir, the roles and functions of the Civil Defence personnel are diverse, ranging from simple first-aid skills to complex tasks such as organizing the population for evacuation to shelters and conducting massive rescue operations using a wide variety of equipment. To meet such diverse requirement, training of a wide variety of skills is needed. Faced with these complex and variety of tasks for its functional units, the Civil Defence Force has drawn up appropriate training programmes to ensure that each unit is trained and capable of carrying out its designated role. These training programmes are specially tailored according to the unit's tasks. Sir, the training provided to CD's reservists covers individual skills such as first-aid, fire fighting, basic rescue and evacuation, and vocational skills such as radio communication, heavy plant operation, driving, vehicle and equipment maintenance and so on. Reservists with leadership qualities are given command responsibilities. They are then provided with additional training to fulfil their roles as leaders. They are taught subjects such as operation procedures, man- management skill, civil defence system and equipment. Sir, the reservists, apart from their individual and vocational training, are also trained to operate in groups or units to undertake specific missions. This training is conducted in the form of exercises and proficiency tests.”
“Sir, I know that several improvements and changes have been made to the training programme and the training syllabus for training of full-time Construction Brigade national servicemen. I would like to know from the Minister whether further progress has been made to ensure that the discipline, work attitude and the skills training of these young trainees are being enhanced. What is the general attitude and response of the contractors, sub-contractors and supervisors who handle these young national servicemen at the worksite? I believe, Sir, the contractors, sub-contractors and supervisors can do a lot more to motivate our young national servicemen in their work attitude. Finally, Sir, can we have more publicity to inform the parents and the general public of the good work done by these trainees and their contributions as part of the Civil Defence Force and also a component of the Total Defence Force? Dr Lee Boon Yang: Sir, the Member for Toa Payoh asked whether the Singapore Civil Defence Force has a well-structured training programme for its reservists. In any organization which aspires to be effective, training is essential and the Singapore Civil Defence Force which was formed in 1982 is no different from any other organization. Charged with the task of providing the mainstay of our nation's civil defence capability, the Force has a small core of regular officers and staff. They set directions and support a pool of full-time national servicemen serving in the Construction Brigade and an even larger component of the Civil Defence Reservist Unit and also constituency-based civil defence volunteer units.”
“Sir, I am more than satisfied with the Minister's elaborate reply and I would like to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $1,389,159,200 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $228,193,900 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. 2.50 pm Head M -”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Code LL 3000 of the Main Estimates. Sir, we are all aware that VITB plays an important role in providing relevant skills in vocational and technical training to our workers. In view of the changing needs and demands of new technology, I would like to know what new courses are available to our workers, besides the already existing courses such as BEST (Basic Education for Skills Training) and MOST (Modular Skills Training). Are there special courses available for those workers who have a low educational level?”
“Sir, I beg to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“What steps has the Ministry taken to prevent trainees of the College of Physical Education from opting out of the teaching service after graduation, thus wasting public funds which are used to sponsor their studies in the PE College? The last question is: are PE teachers who are sent to schools and junior colleges fully utilized to teach wholly physical education, the subject area which they are specifically trained for? Or are they also being asked to teach other subjects as well?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Code LF 3000 of the Main Estimates. Sir, physical education is an essential and integral part of the all-round education of a child. Besides physical and skills development, activities such as team games are conducive to character moulding and the inculcation of desirable personal and social attitudes. They provide good opportunities for peer group interaction among students within the school and with those from other schools. Games and sports can also help to develop inter-racial harmony right from the young students. I am glad that the Ministry of Education is aware of this important aspect of education and has established the College of Physical Education in 1984 aiming at providing qualified physical education teachers to implement the schools' physical education programme more effectively. If you want to have excellence in sports in the year 1990, a start has got to be made from the schools and we must have qualified physical education teachers to start the programme. I would like to know the progress of this College of Physical Education. How long will it take for the Ministry of Education to provide all schools in Singapore, especially the secondary schools, with the required qualified physical education teachers? In the meantime, are there sufficient in-service courses being organized to ensure that an adequate number of teachers are able to take physical education in the schools? Next, of the number of PE teachers graduated so far, how many have signed on to remain in the education service? Some of them, I understand, are now working in private health clubs where there are better incentives available for them.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to support the Central Provident Fund (Amendment No. 2) Bill. The Amendment Bill deserves our support as it contains improvements to the original Act. For example, in the Amendment Bill, clause 4 (section 25B(4)), the spouse of the joint-owner is allowed to use his or her contributions in the Fund to pay for the whole or part of the premium which the joint-owner is likely to pay under the new Scheme. This means that both spouses can be covered under the Home Protection Insurance Scheme (HPIS) even though one of the spouses is not a CPF member. Another improvement in the Amendment Bill can be found in clause 5 (section 27(1)) which makes the HPIS effective on the execution date and not to be delayed for one month as in the original Act. This means that HPIS members will benefit from an early start of the insurance. The Bill can be further improved. For example, the new section 25(5)(a) of the Amendment Bill states that the HPIS does not apply to a member if he is 55 years of age or above. Since the Government is now trying to encourage our workers to continue working after 55 years of age, will the Minister consider extending the age limit for the HPIS to, say, 60 years old? Section 25A of the amended CPF Act actually bars a person who is not in good health from joining the Scheme. Perhaps the Minister could explain to this House in greater detail the kind of illnesses that would prevent a person from joining the Scheme. Finally, Sir, may I get clarification from the Minister: when will the Scheme be implemented, and whether the CPF Board will give sufficient information to its members before the implementation of the Scheme.”
“I would like the Minister to clarify some of the points that I have here. (1) Based on the current collective agreement, what is the percentage of contributors in the age groups of 55-60, 60-65, and above 65 years old? These are the age groups that are directly affected by the new scheme. (2) Will the public sector take the lead in raising the retirement age from 60 to 65 years? (3) How will these proposed CPF rates affect the public sector employees who are on the pension scheme? Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (Yuhua)( In Mandarin): I would like to ask some questions. First, I would like to express my support for the Minister's suggestions about these new CPF measures. Just now the Minister announced the long-term CPF rates for workers below 55 to above 65 years old. Would the Minister let us know in greater detail the time-frame for these measures, whether it is over a period of three years or five years or ten years for the gradual implementation of the varying contribution rates. Another point is about the decreasing rate of CPF contributions for workers under 55. Will the Minister take into consideration their ability and needs for saving for old age, Medicare and public housing?”
“I am asking a question later on, Sir. Mr Deputy Speaker: No. Could you ask your question now?”
“Sir, I wish to commend the Hon. Minister for the efforts made in introducing the long-term CPF rates of contribution. The proposed scheme is a step towards consolidating our efforts at safeguarding the interests of our people, especially the older workers. When successfully implemented, the new CPF scheme ---”
“Supplementary question, Sir. Is there a plan to build another primary school in the Constituency, as two primary schools in Pasir Panjang have already closed down within the last five years?”
“Financing of the Singapore Sports Council (21) That the sum to be allocated for Head J be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead JL-01 of the Main Estimates.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendments stood on the Order Paper Supplement -”
“And this has led to anxiety about the possible long-term effects of VDUs, especially radiation. In order to prevent any misconception of the ill effects of working with VDUs, it is necessary for the Ministry to circulate guidelines suitable to local application. This would be useful to allay the fear of some employees working with VDUs. Sir, I understand that a number of countries like Japan, the United Kingdom and Denmark, have already formulated their own guidelines. It would be useful for the guidelines to emphasize on the following: (1) Is the radiation from VDUs harmful to health? (2) Does a worker need any protective devices such as spectacles, screens, aprons or any form of devices against the radiation from a VDU? (3) Would the eyesight of an employee be affected by working long hours with a VDU? (4) Could the radiation from a VDU harm an unborn child of a pregnant woman working with a VDU? There are many other questions that I would like to raise. Perhaps I would like clarification from the Minister.”
“Noise in the work place is a health hazard and noise induced deafness is a leading occupational disease in Singapore. The number of confirmed cases of NID has increased from 90 in 1983 to 606 in 1984 and 1,423 in 1985. The Ministry of Labour introduced the Factories (Medical Examination) Regulations in May 1985. The regulations made it compulsory for employers to arrange for pre-employment and periodical medical examination for their workers who are exposed to a wide range of health hazards including noise. More than 27,000 workers were medically screened for NID in 1985. Out of this group, more than 1,400 are new cases of NID. I also understand that 50% of these NID cases come from the metal working industries. It is noted that there is no cure for noise induced deafness, either medical or surgical. Loss of hearing in whatever degree cannot be recovered. Therefore, it is important that all practical and feasible measures must be taken to combat NID. Workers must be made aware of such disease. In this regard, I would like to know what initiative does the Ministry take to encourage such awareness among the employers as well as the workers. Is there an overall improvement in the situation since the introduction of the Factories Medical Examination Regulations in 1985? Sir, my last point is on the VDUs or visual display units safety. The development in technology in the field of microelectronics and information processing has given rise to rapid growth in office automation in most areas of industrial activities and VDUs have been widely used at the work places. This has given rise to the problems of maintaining the health of the VDU operators. It is reported that some people have suffered such symptoms as headaches and tired eyes.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead RI-00 of the Main Estimates. Under this amendment on industrial health, I would like to confine myself to three points only, owing to time constraint. They are safety committees, noise induced deafness (NID) and, lastly, visual display units (VDU) safety. Safety committees. The Factories Safety Regulations stipulate the composition of safety committeesand also on the duties of this committee, such as inspection of factory, investigation in accidents or dangerous occurrences, to assist in organizing activities to promote safe conduct of work in factories. With the introduction of the Factories Safety Regulations in 1975, safety and health at work places became self-regulated. This is a positive step in the right direction. However, I understand there are still a number of companies which have not formed safety committees. I would like to know what steps the Ministry is taking to ensure that all companies comply with these regulations. Safety committees which are formed merely to satisfy the law should also be checked. Could the Ministry take stringent measures to ensure that safety committees are formed in accordance with the requirements under the regulations? Sir, we should not compromise on the safety and health of our workers. On the other hand, it may be worth while for the Ministry to consider recognizing the good efforts made by successful safety committees in line with that accorded to QC circles. Companies which engage less than 50 workers but have voluntarily formed effective safety committees should also be given due recognition. I would now like to touch on noise induced deafness (NID).”
“Therefore, their purchasing power was not affected very much but this year there may be a 1% increase in the cost of living. Therefore, in considering wage increases I hope that the National Wages Council will give these workers a little bit of encouragement. Here, let me express my hope that with the tripartite cooperation and united efforts of the Government, the employers and the employees, our economy will recover soon.”
“There is another example, an oil refining service company which has signed a two-year agreement with the workers' union on wage restraint but, in less than one year, because certain non-unionized workers wanted to leave their service, the company started to readjust the wages. This action has also broken the wage restraint agreement. There is another factor we should take into consideration. In implementing wage reform, as some companies are already discussing with the workers' unions about the link-up of wages to performance and profitability and productivity of the workers and the company, we should not be too hard and fast on wage restraint but be flexible by adjusting the wages according to changes in such factors. With such flexibility, our flexible salary system can be carried out well. Yet another factor that we should consider is the salary conditions of our neighbouring countries, such as those prevailing in South Korea and Taiwan. It has come to our knowledge that they have high economic performance this year, so they may be adjusting their workers' salaries accordingly. This will be to our advantage and beneficial to our competitive position. Finally, to sum up, we support the broad principle of wage restraint, but it should be flexible, varying in accordance with different performances and conditions of individual companies. If we predict the growth rate at the end of this year to be higher than the present, then the National Wages Council should consider in its annual wage recommendations giving better treatment to the lower salaried workers. We should give consideration to such workers because in the past year their wage increase was -0.9%. What is fortunate is that our living costs have not been raised.”
“In principle, in order to let our economy recover fully, in other words, to achieve our competitive position as in 1981, I agree to the wage restraint policy, but if you exercise it too stringently there could be some difficulty. At present, there is considerable volume of investment in our country. In the third quarter of this year, investment commitments increased by 36% over the same period last year, namely, $430 million. These new investments are to set up new factories and to recruit workers to begin production. At the same time, some companies are expanding their factories and recruiting more wokrers. The demand for larger factories is also unprecedentedly great, in fact, the second highest ever. All these factors will affect the supply and demand of our labour market. We are concerned whether, under the pressure of this labour market situation, severe wage restraint can stand the test or not. Since the wage restraint policy was announced, the unions and the workers have been abiding by such agreements. But some irresponsible companies have begun to dispense with this agreement. For example, a textile company had concluded an agreement on wage restraint with the union after some great effort and under the auspices of the Labour Department. But less than half a year later, the company on its own volition asked to dispense with the agreement on wage curbs, giving the reason that it had to conserve existing workforce and to facilitate recruiting new workers. The company suggested higher wages and increasing the allowance for the second shift workers.”
“Let me touch on salary policy and economic development. With the reduction in CPF contribution and other cost cutting measures coupled with wage restraint, our economy is recovering its competitive edge. The Economic Survey pointed out that with increasing foreign demand our economic growth has been 1.9%. To reach the position of 1981, we have to continue with our wage restraint for one more year. Talking about wage restraint, some people including some Members of Parliament, confuse it with flexibility in salary system or wage reform. I think this concept is quite wrong and confusing. Some people are concerned that during the period of economic recovery, some workers may withdraw from exercising wage restraint or undergoing wage reform. We must not overlook or cast doubt on our workers' sincerity and reasonableness in exercising wage restraint or wage reform. We must be able to distinguish between what is a salary curb and what is flexibility in wage policy. Salary curb or wage restraint is a temporary measure to curb wage costs and help economic recovery. On this topic, our unions and our workers' attitude is that every year there should be a review of this salary curb. On flexibility of wages or wage reform, the view of our unions and workers is that we fully support wage reform on a long-term basis. We have expressed our attitude on this. In other words, we hope that our wage system would be linked up with the profitability and productivity and the performance of the workers and the companies. We should not doubt the sincerity of our workers in this respect. But I have something to say on wage restraint for another year.”
“I am not moving, Sir. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (Yuhua)( In Mandarin): Sir, today I would like to touch on two questions. One is on the future trend of the use of CPF and the other is about wage restraint. Under the impact of economic recession, our Government has implemented various cost reducing measures in order to revive our economy. As a result, our economy is recovering slowly. However, there are people like the Member for Potong Pasir who are of the opinion that our wages are rather high and have even suggested to the Minister that part-time work should not be paid CPF by the employer. He claims himself to be the spokesman of the masses. But the eyes of the people are bright enough. When talking about CPF, is he thinking in terms of the people's pockets or his own purse? They are able to recognize that he is thinking in terms of his own purse and how to pay less CPF because he himself is an employer having some workers. Sir, in order that the various measures on cost reductions can be effective in helping the recovery of the economy, we are not raising the CPF contribution rate this year. In order that employers could plan their costing and employees could plan their future livelihood, I hope the Minister could give us a plan or some inkling, for the coming three years at least, of the policy trend on CPF, because at the moment our policy on the reduction of CPF rate is on a two-year basis. After these two years, which ends with the present year, there should be some indication or a pointer to the trend of our CPF policy. In considering the future trend of CPF policy and in order that we may better dispose of this matter, the Minister should also take into consideration the people's retirement benefits, the housing need and Medisave scheme.”
“Sir, I would like to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. 5.00 pm The time allotted for Head N having expired, the following amendments were not proceeded with:-”
“Sir, this 5-day work week has been well received, particularly by the working mothers who have been making a vital contribution at the time when the labour market situation was tight. On 16th February 1987, the Ministry of Finance issued a directive to all Government departments and statutory boards to cease the practice and to revert to the normal 5 1/2-day week by 1st April 1987. The Ministry of Finance should explain explicitly to the affected staff the rationale for such a move. A mere simple statement would not be able to clear misimpressions about the Government policy. I feel that statutory boards which have been given autonomy to decide on their personnel matters should continue to be given that flexibility to adopt their personnel policies as they are the ones who could understand their requirements well.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead NI-01-1210 of the Main Estimates. Sir, I would like to raise two issues under this amendment. (1) Upgrading the lower income group of workers; and (2) the statement made by the Ministry of Finance on the 5-day work week. Sir, under the present civil service technical scheme of service, including statutory boards, emphasis is given to paper qualifications. As a result of such emphasis, quite a number of long serving and loyal staff who do not have good education but have vast practical experience and exposure are not promoted. These lower level employees, namely, the daily-rated and Division IV officers are stagnated and disappointed at the maximum of their salary scale. I feel that more weightage perhaps could be given to practical ability, good performances and experience rather than paper qualifications. I would also like to inquire from the Minister what efforts are being made to train or retrain these lower income group of employees and whether funds, such as the Skills Development Fund, can be readily made available to upgrade this category of workers. I would now like to touch on the alternate 5-day work week. We all know that civil servants are expected to perform a minimum of 42 hours and up to 44 hours per week. There are many patterns of working hours, one of which is the alternate Saturday off. I understand that one statutory board has introduced this scheme for about 10 years now and have found it to be successful. The introduction of such schemes has improved the morale of the staff and it does not incur any additional expenses. In fact, productivity of the staff is known to have increased.”
“Sir, I am satisfied with the detailed explanation given by the Senior Parliamentary Secretary and I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Dr Koh Lam Son:- Civil Defence Allowances (13) That the sum to be allocated for Head Q be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead QD-03-1410 of the Main Estimates.”
“Are there plans to motivate the national servicemen to feel that they are contributing positively to the national service? They feel that the Construction Brigade is not as important as the Police or the SAF, but I feel that this is part of their contribution to the total defence and I think they should be encouraged to be more proud of their national service training. Sir, what I can gather is that normally there are not many problems during the first three months of basic military training and also during the one-month skills training organized by the Construction Brigade in conjunction with the VITB. Problems normally occur after these basic courses. Perhaps more dialogue or discussions could be held with the contractors or subcontractors to help the supervisors understand the problems of our young national servicemen so that they can be positive in their attitude and contribute positively towards the national service training. I feel there is a lack in publicity especially with regard to the second scheme that has been revised for improvement. Perhaps the Ministry could consider giving more publicity to the nature of this training scheme and also to inform the parents because most of them have this misconceived idea that the problems that occurred in the first 17 intakes still exist for this particular new scheme. I would like the Ministry to enlighten me on this.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head Q be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead QD-02 of the Main Estimates. Sir, since the introduction of national service Construction Brigade in 1981, two training schemes were introduced and several changes and improvements were made in the basic military training as well as in the skill or vocational training. I would like to ask for more details regarding the new training scheme and what improvements have been achieved to reduce or eliminate the earlier problems of poor work attitudes and absence without leave (AWOL) cases among the national servicemen. Sir, I understand that there is still a need to improve communications or inter-personal relations especially between the national service trainees and the work site supervisors. Although steps are being taken for remedial action, I still feel that much more could be done by the work site supervisors or contractors or subcontractors to improve communication and human relations. Work site supervisors can play an important role to motivate the young national servicemen and to persuade them, if possible, to join the construction industry when they have completed their full-time national service training, especially when they are equipped with the necessary vocational training. Sir, I feel that the employers should be enlightened in detail on understanding the Construction Brigade's scheme in detail so that they could contribute to the success of the whole Construction Brigade. I would like to know what further progress is made to upgrade and improve the working conditions of the Construction Brigade's national servicemen who are deployed at the various work sites.”
“Financing of the Vocational and Industrial Training Board (34) That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead LL-00 of the Main Estimates. Relocation of the Vocational and Industrial Training Board Headquarter's Division (35) That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead LL-01-8221 of the Development Estimates. The sum of $1,385,211,300 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $383,743,900 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.”
“Development of the College of Physical Education (31) That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead LF-01-8211 of the Development Estimates.”
“Extra-Curricular Activities (10) That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead LC-05-1210 of the Main Estimates. Encik Wan Hussin bin Hj Zoohri: Computer-aided Instruction for Primary Schools (11) That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead LC-04-8101 of the Development Estimates.”
“Sir, when will this plan be finalized? And would it be possible for the HDB to discuss with the community leaders regarding additional facilities and amenities required to meet the need of the residents, shopkeepers and stallholders in the estate?”
“Adopt the import system similar to that of the Central Fish Wholesale Market. It would be more effective if the authority could ban or control those illegal sellers. Sir, the stringent control of pesticides used on fruits and vegetables to meet the environmental sanitation requirements and the publicity given to this perhaps would help to attract more tenants and customers to buy from the wholesale centre rather than buying from any other sources. Next, reduce the rentals to help the present tenants ride over their difficult times now. Lastly, provide a bus service since the bus station at West Coast Highway was built four years ago. Perhaps I would raise this again under another amendment under a different Ministry later on.”
“Now I would like to deal with the plight of the vegetable and fruit wholesalers at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre. The merchants at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre have approached me on several occasions about their problems and grouses. I would like to know what is the main objective of Government in building this trading centre. What is the main role and what are the prospects of the wholesalers at this centre? The shop tenants gave up the convenience of their former low-rental places and moved into the wholesale centre in response to the call by URA, in the belief that the wholesale centre would be the only and the largest central trading area for vegetables, fruits and dried food in Singapore. They are surprised that other wholesalers still exist in Joo Chiat Road, Thomson Road, Woodlands Road and Teck Guan Street. They feel that this is an unfair competition as wholesalers in other areas do not pay rentals and are more conveniently located. Besides, the Malaysian fruit and vegetable traders, especially the fruit traders, do not have to pay any tax, rentals or PUB bills, etc. and they sell their goods direct to the retailers without going through the wholesale centre. These practices affect the merchants' business at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre. Some merchants have shifted out or are preparing to shift out from the centre to the roadside to sell their goods. Most of the wholesalers find it difficult to do business in this vast wholesale centre. The relevant authority could help to alleviate the problems of the merchants by, I suggest, first, building more car parks and loading and unloading lots for the tenants and improving the design of the building. The stalls and the vegetable paths are too small and too narrow, especially at Blocks 9, 10 and 12.”
“Sir, I have two issues to raise. They are Pine Grove HUDC housing estate and the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre. Under Pine Grove HUDC estate, I would like to enquire on the following. The Pine Grove RC has requested for facilities to enhance the housing estate but so far there has been no positive action from the Ministry of National Development. We understand the problems faced by residents during the "no-buy back" policy by the HDB recently. At the Parliament sitting on 27th October 1986, the then Minister for National Development said that HDB would consider the provision of these facilities. Could the Ministry elaborate what plans it has to enhance the estate outlook? How many units are still vacant in the Pine Grove Phase 1 and Phase II respectively? What is being done to market these empty units? One way is, of course, by enhancing and adding popular recreational facilities to attract the would-be buyers. Next, what is the vacant land next to Pine Grove adjoining the canal to be used for? This land is not the big URA land adjoining Clementi Road/Commonwealth Avenue West but rather immediately facing Pine Grove Block 1C and Block 1D and 1F respectively. This piece of land has been neglected for the past three years with the exception of occasional grass-cutting. Would the Minister consider allowing a resident living in Pine Grove to upgrade by returning his earlier flat to HDB and paying the difference in price between his earlier flat and the latter? For example, from a 3-room to a 4-room or to a maisonette or from an apartment to a maisonette in the same estate. My last query on Pine Grove, Sir, is: would the Town Council concept be subsequently introduced in this area? If so, with which adjoining area would it be merged?”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, before I withdraw my amendment, I would like to get the assurance from the Second Minister for Defence to monitor and, if need be, to review the teaching of the Code of Conduct so as to enhance the process of nation building in the SAF. Sir, I would like now to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The time allotted for Head K having expired, the following amendment, standing in the names of Encik Wan Hussin bin Hj Zoohri and Mr Chai Chong Yii, was not proceeded with:- National Day Celebration Expenses (5) That the sum to be allocated for Head K be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead KA-04-2610 of the Main Estimates. The sum of $2,173,753,090 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $180,000,000 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head S -”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I was talking about the important role played by the SAF in nation building when we were interrupted by the lunch break. Sir, nation building is a long and tedious process, as explicitly explained by the Member for Bukit Batok. One way of instilling a sense of patriotism and for our young soldiers to take NS training seriously and take pride in the SAF is through the proper teaching of Code of Conduct. There are six rules, and with your indulgence, Sir, I would like to read only three rules: Rule (1) We always honour our Nation. We will do everything to uphold it and nothing to disgrace it. Rule (2) At all times, we must bear in mind that we are the protector of our citizens. Rule (3) We are loyal to the Armed Forces and we take pride in our unit, our uniform, our discipline, our work, our training and ourselves. In order to be effective this subject must be taught by competent instructors or, better still, by the commanders themselves. I would like to seek assurance from the Second Minister for Defence whether there is an effort to revive and review the teaching of the Code of Conduct in the Singapore Armed Forces.”
“What I would like to know is whether the Ministry of Defence is still conducting these lessons, and how effective and how serious are these lessons taken.”
“Like schools, where every school-going child has a place, the SAF should also take in all eligible young men into the NS training and train them, educate them, discipline them and mould them to be loyal and patriotic to the country. Sir, while I welcome the assurance that more and more young Malays will be absorbed into the SAF, I would like to see that this be fulfilled, cautiously of course, but within the shortest possible time. Otherwise we will lose the opportunity to produce loyal and patriotic Singapore Malays. In 1967, at the early stage of our SAF build-up, the then Minister for Defence, Dr Goh Keng Swee, introduced the Code of Conduct. Several senior commanders and also several civilians, prominent leaders, gave very long and useful courses to our commanders at all levels, whether they are divisional commanders, battalion commanders, company commanders and so on. What I wish to ask is whether these Code of Conduct lessons are now properly being taught by instructors who them- selves are motivated so that they can permeate that sense of patriotism to our young national servicemen. For the information of Members of this House, in the early days in 1967, every soldier had to keep this [indicating], to learn and, if need be, to memorise some of those points just to make sure that they understand this. I doubt whether our soldiers do carry this nowadays, or whether they take this as just a low priority lesson in their classrooms where more priority is given to physical training and other forms of weapon training. To me, this is important because you can have all the best facilities, the best weapons, but if the hearts and the minds are not behind those weapons, you will never motivate them to be patriotic.”
“Sir, I have certain observations to make with regard to this amendment. First, I would like to say that I am quite happy with the increase in the Defence budget. Whatever the economic situation may be, we should not curtail our Defence expenses and compromise on the state of operational readiness and upgrading of the Armed Forces. Sir, last year I raised the question of improving the training and retraining of our reservists and upgrading the other capable other-ranks to be more responsible by giving them appointments that will be on par with their high position in their civilian professions. I would like to know whether relevant courses are available for these intelligent young leaders at the lower ranks to upgrade themselves and be promoted to the higher command posts. The other point that I would like to raise again this year is the need for all soldiers, whether regulars or reservists, to be imbued with the correct attitude with a sense of pride and commitment and to play their part seriously as defenders and protectors of the nation. Sir, we must always inculcate a sense of patriotism among young national servicemen. There are two institutions that play important roles in moulding the minds and the hearts of our young citizens and instilling in them the sense of belonging, the sense of dedication and loyalty to the nation. First, the schools through the flag-raising ceremony, singing of the National Anthem and the reciting of the pledge. Another institution is, of course, the Singapore Armed Forces. The SAF plays a more important role in nation-building in the context of a multi-racial and multi-religious society.”
“Yes, long before the Member for Potong Pasir came into this House.”
“For the information of Members of the House, the Malay MPs have been continuously discussing with the young leaders of the Government on how best we can work together towards this. The only mistake the Malay MPs have done is that they did not publicize what they have done. I think that is the greatest mistake and I would suggest that most probably this should be done in the open and we explain to our society what we have done so far.”
“I take strong exception to what he said that the Malay MPs are doing nothing. They should speak up now.”