Abdullah Tarmugi
Singapore
“As I have said, in most, if not all cases, we have a multi-disciplinary team to assess. In other words, even the protector himself or herself is subject to the assessment of this team. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.”
“Sir, I think that is a convenient tack to say. But AMP and others must also realise that the new policy applies to all NGOs which are co-located at community buildings, and not only to AMP. TRIPARTITE COMMITTEE ON PORTABLE MEDICAL BENEFITS (Progress report) 5.”
“Sir, this is precisely what we are talking about, ie, it is not just a question about numbers per se, and I would like to refer to what Mr Noris Ong said, about having three or more children, if we can afford it. This means, as I mentioned just now in my speech too, that we do not want children to be a burden.”
“At present, Sir, the policy is we will support up to three children. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Abdullah Tarmugi].”
“My Ministry will continue to look into ways of removing the obstacles couples face in having children. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. Dr S. Vasoo (Tanjong Pagar): Sir, we already have had eight days of long debate. I would be concise and you would be very relieved if all other speakers after me would be concise.”
“So we would leave it as it is and we only pay for working women. It is really to compensate the loss in income. He asked about the provision in the Bill on "lawfully married to the child's natural father". This is, as I said earlier, because we want to encourage child birth within wedlock and the family remains intact.”
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“Sir, I would like, first, to take Dr Ho Tat Kin's question on the public assistance scheme, and also his views on measures to publicise help schemes to the potential recipients. Sir, my Ministry cannot agree more with Dr Ho on the need for families in distress or families who need help to know the kind of help that they can get in the community. And they should be helped to gain access to such help institutions in the community. Creating awareness of this network of services in the community is not easy. The normal publicity channels, eg, the media, are not enough. Because my experience, as a journalist, is that we can have news in the media, we can have items in the newspapers, but somehow people do not read them. Even people who can read do not know about many happenings. So it is a difficult exercise. A multi-pronged approach is needed to disseminate the kind of information we have on these help institutions in the community. The usual avenues like brochures, information booklets and directories are being compiled by my Ministry, and also the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). These information materials are given to community centres, the FSCs, grassroots organisations and the VWOs. In January this year, for example, the Ministry published a directory of services to help low-income families. This is a compendium of all the services that are available in Singapore, and this is disseminated very widely. If the Member wishes to have copies, we can certainly provide him with some. The directory will serve as a quick reference guide to the public, and also to all VWOs on the service providers who are in the community.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates for the financial year 1997/1998, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“With regard to funds for Constituency Sports Club, CSCs, as the Member knows, are given subsidies to organise and run their activities for residents. In fact, recently, the SSC has increased the quantum of these subsidies to CSCs to reflect the higher costs and also to cover a wider range of activities. With regard to the employment of full-time Sports Managers at CCs, this may not be a viable proposition due to manpower constraints, and really there is limited space in the CCs. However, each CSC is assigned a Sports Officer, based at the SSC and paid by the SSC, whose job is to guide and assist the CSC in promoting and organising sports at the community level. With the establishment of the RSFCs, there will be five full-time staff at each RSFC. Their job is to help the CSCs within their region to promote Sports for Life programme to the community. Indeed, Sir, there has been a lot of progress in the Sports for Life programme launched by the PM last year.”
“I am happy to report that since September 1996 when PM launched the programme, we have had very good progress. Public education programme was mounted in all the mass media to popularise and promote the programme. I will give Members some examples of the progress that we have made. The Sports for Life Fitness Tests, for example, we had quite a good turnout. We had more than 12,000 people participating in the three physical fitness tests that we had during the period October 1996 to June 1997. And this number is expected to grow significantly as more test centres are put up. It is worthy to note that of the first-timers who took part in these tests, about two-thirds were senior citizens and housewives. SSC gymnasiums are also extremely popular. These gymnasiums at Clementi, Woodlands, Tampines, Kallang and Delta saw increasing patronage since they started. Working adults in fact form one of the largest target groups in the Sports for Life programme. Indeed, many working adults are coming to the programme. The SSC also actively promotes a total of 20 Learn-to-Play schemes and again these have been well attended. Again, between October 1996 and June 1997, a total of 46,000 people had participated in this programme. In the national mass events there are 11 altogether again, between the period of January and June this year, we attracted about 103,000 participants. Progress in the setting up of Regional Sports and Fitness Centres (RSFCs) - to-date there are three RSFCs at Clementi, Tampines and Woodlands. Another three will be built. They will be at Bedok, Toa Payoh and Yio Chu Kang. They are expected to be ready by the end of the year. Altogether, by the year 2000, we expect to have 15 RSFCs island-wide.”
“And for this year, if the number breaks the quota again, we will certainly appeal to the Saudi Arabian authorities. Mr Hawazi suggested that if the quota is not sufficient for us, why not take up the unused quota of the other countries in the region. Except for perhaps Indonesia and Malaysia, the quota for the other countries in the region, I think, is not that big in the first place. Indonesia and Malaysia, in fact, are also having problems with their quota because inevitably, again, each year the number who wants to go to the haj is bigger than the quota provided to them. So it is unlikely that we are able to take up the unused quota from Malaysia and Indonesia. With regard to the unused quota from the other countries in the region, the quota is really small. So we do not really see the need to go into all these problems of trying to persuade or negotiate the unused quota from the other countries. So we will make do with the quota that we have and certainly, as I said earlier, we would appeal to the Saudi Arabian authorities each year. The last question which Mr Hawazi asked was the kind of cooperation that MUIS receives from the Muslim travel agents or the Association of Muslim Travel Agents (AMTAS). So far, we have been able to work together. We have frequent discussions and dialogues with AMTAS. In fact, just earlier this month, I attended a dialogue with them and they took the opportunity to give us feedback on the problems on the ground and also we took the opportunity to tell them the concerns that we had over the haj programme. So there will be these continued discussions and negotiations between MUIS and AMTAS. Dr Ho Tat Kin asked for the progress that has been made in the Sports for Life programme.”
“These programmes will be implemented by organisations which have been mentioned earlier by Mr Hawazi, that is, organisations like Mendaki, Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) and the Young Women's Muslim Association (or PPIS). There would be an advisory panel for MDU, comprising leaders of MUIS, Mendaki, AMP, Syariah Court and also the PPIS. On the question of haj, Mr Hawazi asked what is the public acceptance of the new registration system introduced by MUIS. The system has been introduced and the first phase was in fact put into effect from 14th July and it ended yesterday. The first phase comprises registration of those who have not gone to the haj and they were registered for the haj between 1998 and the year 2002. That is the first phase. The second phase is for those who want to go to the haj, including those who have gone to the haj previously and want to go to the haj again from 1998 up to the year 2002. This second phase will start on 15th September. Essentially, the system is on a first-come-first-served basis and it allows the potential pilgrims to plan ahead when he or she wants to go to haj because it is for a five-year period. It is easier. So the feedback that we have received so far is that it is a much simpler system and it enables them to plan ahead for their haj. He also asked whether there are efforts by MUIS to get a bigger quota. Indeed, Sir, MUIS every year, since the time of Mr Zainul Abidin, has been trying to get a bigger quota for Singapore. The official quota for Singapore is 3,000 pilgrims per year. And inevitably, since it was started, the number has hovered between 4,000 and 5,000 a year. So we have had to appeal to the Saudi Arabian authorities to increase the quota. So far, we have had success in our appeals.”
“It has devolved, among other things, the korban, or the sheep sacrifice tendering system, and also part of the organisation of the Prophet Muhammad's birthday celebration ceremony and the National Koran Reading competition. These will be fully devolved in time. In the devolution of its functions, Mr Hawazi will be happy to know that MUIS will continue to supervise and guide the Mosque Management Boards in their new role. For the new Korban Committee, for example, MUIS has a permanent representative on the Committee who will help to assist and advise the Committee on the tender process and contractual provisions. Other key activities will also be closely monitored by MUIS. With regard to the problem of unmarried graduates, this has been a problem faced by the Muslim community. In fact, the problem in the community is more serious than the other communities because of the higher female-male ratio in the tertiary institutions especially. In this regard, Sir, we have plans for the development or the setting up of the Marriage Development Unit (MDU), as I mentioned earlier, in MUIS. The original objective of the Unit was to reduce the high divorce rates among Muslims. But we thought that instead of trying to look into the problem of divorce only, we could perhaps widen the role of the Unit to include also marriage preparation and the problems of unmarried female graduates. MUIS will be looking into the funding provisions of the Unit and it will be submitting to Government on the amount of funds that will be required to set up and run the Unit. MUIS will be playing a coordinating role. In other words, MUIS will not implement the programmes that will be organised by the Unit.”
“MUIS also, quite apart from these sources of funds, still needs Government's continued help in funding, especially to continue its critical institutional support and funding. The Government is actually funding the establishment posts of the Secretariat. In the last five years, the grants have been more or less increasing, depending on the annual output plan that MUIS Secretariat puts up. 5.45 pm In view of the many challenges ahead, I have asked MUIS to review the composition of the Secretariat so that it will have the necessary talents to lead the Muslim community into the 21st century. To attract these talents, definitely appropriate salaries and rewards will have to be worked out, and this will also be looked into. I have also asked MUIS to consider doing more to help strengthen the integrity of the family unit by looking at a more comprehensive approach to reducing divorce rates. Separate programme grants for MUIS have been asked for, so that MUIS could set up a Marriage Development Unit (MDU) to look into divorces and also into the unmarried graduates which Mr Hawazi mentioned just now. Let me go to Mr Hawazi's question. MUIS appreciates the cooperation and support by the mosques. Over the years, MUIS' programmes have been supported by the mosques and they are well run. And the mosques, I think, are now in a better position to handle or manage their own projects. MUIS sees the devolvement of some of its activities to responsible bodies like mosques, so that it can focus its attention on policy issues, coordination and other pressing issues affecting the Muslims in Singapore.”
“Sir, I would like to thank Mr Zainul Abidin, the Member for Cheng San GRC, for applauding the work of MUIS and the increasing role that MUIS is playing nowadays in a multi-racial setting. He asked whether more help could be given to MUIS in terms of manpower, including secondment of manpower, and also funding. MUIS' functions have been widening, as has been mentioned by Mr Zainul Abidin. It will be facing many challenges ahead, especially in the next millennium. Therefore, it means that it will have to have the best thinkers and intellectuals in the community to provide the religious and modern administrative leadership in a country like Singapore. More professionals and other graduates will be needed. In fact, the number has been increasing in MUIS now. Last year, for example, 12 graduates were recruited by MUIS to head its various departments. MUIS has also set aside a scholarship fund amounting to $1 million to recruit among the brightest in the community to undergo undergraduate studies and they will be bonded to serve in MUIS when they come back. As to secondment of civil servants to MUIS, this will be looked into as and when we require their services. But we will try to develop ourselves with our own resources through these scholarships which I have mentioned and also through the recruitment of more graduates and professionals. MUIS' programme, as mentioned earlier by Mr Zainul Abidin also, has got increasing widespread support by the community and it has several sources of funds . These include what you call the Baitumal fund, the Mosques Building Fund, the madrasah fund, the wakaf fund and also the zakat and fitrah fund. These are expected to provide an income of about $31 million in the current fiscal year.”
“I do not remember mentioning collaboration with self-help groups.”
“Thank you for the feedback on the difficulties in trying to implement the checklist. Certainly, we can consider such briefings to the grassroots leaders. The Member can bring it up formally with the Ministry, and we will certainly look into it. With regard to the drop-in centre, in fact, we have asked Pertapis to start it..”
“To encourage and facilitate better coordination and networking amongst the various agencies working with youths, we have the National Youth Council to produce what we call a networking guide. This will provide information on the various roles and connections that there are between schools, VWOs, the Police and the courts, and MCD, in identifying and helping delinquent youths. We are also increasing the public education on family life and my Ministry is coordinating that. We will be going into family values, pre-marital counselling, the kinds of services that are available on parenting courses, marriage preparation and so on. 5.00 pm If you remember also, in the IMC, we recommended that a research be carried out on families. I am happy to report that MCD has commissioned a national study on families in Singapore to collect data on the condition of families here so that we would be better able to work out programmes for families. In fact, Sir, almost all the recommendations have been implemented except two, that is, the establishment of stand-alone drop-in or recovery centres for the after-care of recovering addicts, and the setting up of a Juvenile Drug Rehabilitation Centre. We have more or less jettisoned or put these programmes on hold simply because the numbers are really small. So it would not really be cost effective for us to set up a separate drug rehabilitation institution for juvenile drug addicts. As for drop-in centres, instead of building new ones, we would rather that the existing half-way houses put aside an area for such drop-in facilities to be set up. I think I have replied to most of the Members. The questions on the People's Association will be answered by Mr Wong Kan Seng and my Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Chan Soo Sen.”
“Then there are the Family Service Centres (FSCs). There are now 21 FSCs run by the various VWOs and we hope to have 34 by the end of the century. Government has also increased the recurrent funding for FSCs. In addition, we have also funded the training programmes for social workers who are working in FSCs to enhance their skills, especially when they have to work with families with a range of problems. Then there is the programme for low income families. To help low income families to tide over their financial problems, my Ministry is exploring into how we could extend help to needy families in purchased flats, with their conservancy and utilities charges. Children from low income families attending child care centres will also receive financial help to pay the deposit and fees for these child care centres. To better reach the lower-educated who cannot read the various publications that we have, we will also be conducting programmes to reach out to them and to acquaint them and make them aware of the various help that exists in the community. We also have an early detection project. The early detection programme helps families and individuals to nip in the bud social problems that may arise. We have formulated and disseminated a checklist of early detection and referral to grassroots organisations and schools and also the child care centres to help them refer families needing help to social service agencies. Members may be interested to know that the Ministry of Education has also started to encourage schools to use an early detection checklist to identify high-risk students. Indeed, MOE has institutionalised the position of counsellors in schools to provide guidance to students. We also have help for juvenile delinquents.”
“If the centres feel that they want to have higher standards, they want to provide better care and they want to have a higher staff ratio to look after the elderly, certainly they can. In fact, there are many centres who think that they can provide better quality service. They, in fact, engage more people to look after the aged. But having said all that, if the Member has got centres which have ideas which will increase productivity, reduce manpower, certainly my Ministry would like to hear from them. Indeed, not only my Ministry but I think the whole Government would like to hear ideas which will reduce manpower and yet increase productivity. Lastly, Sir, I would like to address the views of Dr Yaacob. Dr Yaacob asked about the progress of the Inter-Ministry Committee (IMC) on Dysfunctional Families, Juvenile Delinquency and Drug Abuse which I chaired. I am glad to report that there has been progress in implementing the recommendations of the IMC. There is a committee, as I have mentioned earlier, chaired by my Permanent Secretary, to monitor the implementation of the various recommendations of the IMC, for example, the Before and After School Cares (BASCs). If you remember, the BASCs and Family Service Centres (FSCs) are some of the main recommendations of the IMC. Since November 1996, we have been co-financing the BASC. To-date, there are 67 non-profit BASCs catering to about 4,400 children. Apart from this, there are also about 30 private centres. My Ministry will be working with voluntary welfare organisations who are interested in setting up BASCs because we will require many, many more BASCs in future. So if the VWOs are interested in setting up BASCs, these VWOs or schools could certainly come to us and we will assist them in any way we can.”
“But child care centres are a different proposition altogether because they are really more like commercial ventures. They do not receive recurrent funding by the Government. The objective of child care centres is actually different: they are to encourage mothers to go to work. Working mothers who have children with perhaps nobody else to look after could put their children in the child care centres so that they can go to work. So the objective of the child care centres is different from the day care centres for the aged which Mr Hawazi mentioned. Mr Hawazi felt that for MCD to specify the staff-patient ratio is hindering the running of day care centres for the elderly. It is not the intention of MCD to stifle the productivity or ideas for these centres to be more effective or to run their programmes more efficiently. But we have to set standards, and if you set standards, you therefore have to set the level of care that we have to put in place to achieve these standards. We have to specify the facilities that are to be provided, the size, the space that will be needed, the kind of programmes, and the kind of staff that would be required to be employed. So it is not the intention of MCD to prevent the centres from putting into effect their own ideas. If indeed these centres have ideas which are better than MCD's, and which are more productive and efficient, certainly my Ministry would like to hear them, and if they can be implemented, certainly we would implement them. But, for the time being, I think the minimum standards will stay and the staff-client ratio will have to stay. Anyway these are really minimum standards.”
“This would also help tackle the juvenile delinquency problem in our community. MCD will also provide full per capita grant to identified voluntary organisations that will be providing counselling and rehabilitation programmes for family violence cases referred to by the court for mandatory counselling. So, quite apart from the funding to these organisations, the Ministry will also be funding several courses and workshops for frontline social workers in the voluntary sector, namely, in the area of family violence and child abuse, something which I think is very close to Dr Vasoo's heart. We will continue to look into how we could help our VWOs to do their work more effectively and we are very cognisant of the problems that they have to face almost every day in trying to raise funds, and from the same pool of donors. If I can go on next to Mr Hawazi's question. He asked what kind of help the Ministry could give to families with frail or aged parents. He was suggesting that the subsidies for day care centres for the aged should perhaps be similar to those given to child care centres. Subsidies to child care centres are given to those children of working mothers. Working mothers are given $150 subsidy or $75 if it is a part-time child care centre. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] 4.51 pm But day care centres are run by voluntary welfare organisations. They receive recurrent Government funding. This is to enable them to ensure that their programmes are affordable and families are encouraged to use the centres. Many of these are non-profit organisations and non-profit centres, and they do in fact further subsidise families or the aged who could not afford to go to these centres. So there is already a mechanism to help families of the frail or aged.”
“But certainly we would look into how we could further alleviate their funding burdens by looking into the kind of funding system that we could put into place. My Ministry will be doing a review of the approach to the allocation of projects and also the allocation of funds to VWOs. We will review the current funding arrangements, including recurrent funding of VWOs. The House may also wish to know that quite apart from the 50-50 recurrent funding that we have for VWOs, we also have other kinds of funding arrangements. For example, we have per capita funding and programme funding. In per capita funding, it is almost 100%, in a sense that it depends on the number of cases which the VWO is handling, and for each case we pay the cost which the organisation has to handle. In programme funding, it is 100%. But these are usually for programmes which the Government devolves to the community. For example, old age homes, we have just devolved one to be run by a Methodist Group just this weekend. I am also happy to announce that the Government will be extending financial assistance to several new and existing programmes. For example, we would be providing funds for recurrent expenditure to crisis centres because these centres were not previously funded by Government. So we will now fund crisis centres. This would actually come into effect immediately, in July. Crisis shelters are those residential facilities set up to help individuals and families in distress or abused. My Ministry will also be providing full programme funding to seven voluntary agencies which will be working with the Police, MCD and Ministry of Education in the implementation of the Police Caution Cases Guidance Programme for juvenile offenders.”
“The problem about social workers is this: many of them, after having graduated from the National University of Singapore or wherever, with a Social Work degree, do not end up as social workers. This is because of various reasons, for example, better pay, better prospects elsewhere. They are being snapped up by firms like PR and consultant firms. So there is a lot of leakage from the social workers' pool that we have. I do agree with the Member that we should improve the service conditions of social workers and also their salaries. In this regard, the Member may be pleased to know that my Ministry would be looking into this problem specifically and also how we could improve the service conditions and the pay structure of the social workers. We hope to work with the Public Service Division on this and we hope that the hon. Member for Tanjong Pagar would support us in our cause and give whatever ideas or inputs that he has on the problem. 4.45 pm Dr Vasoo also asked about the efforts to increase the Government funding for voluntary welfare organisations. He was wondering whether the 50-50 Government funding or formula could be increased to about two-thirds. Sir, Members may not realise it, but the Government has indeed been increasing the funding for voluntary welfare organisations. If you remember, in 1991, the capital grant for VWOs was increased from 50% to 80%. Last year, it was increased further from 80% to 90%. In fact, VWOs now pay only 10% of the capital cost of whatever they want to develop. Government will also always be looking into ways of how to help voluntary welfare organisations not only in funding but also in terms of training, getting premises for them, consultation, and whatever.”
“Hopefully by the end of this year or by early next year, the improved protocols and mechanisms would have been put in place, and therefore we would be in a position to manage child abuse better. Before I give too much hope, child abuse is something which I do not think we can eliminate altogether in our society. Although we can improve procedures, protocols and coordination, I hope Members would not expect that child abuse would be totally eliminated from society. But certainly, I think with these mechanisms in place, the management of child abuse would be improved and hopefully in turn reduce the number of child abuse in our community. Dr Vasoo also raised the question of manpower and salaries of social workers. I cannot agree with him more, Sir, about the need for social workers nowadays. What with the increase of crimes and problems and what with the increasing number of the aged among us, certainly we do need a lot more institutions and a lot more services to handle these problems. Also, due to the increased affluence of our community, people are more aware that such things ought to be tackled and looked into. I do agree with him, and I support his feeling, that we ought to have more social workers, especially properly qualified ones. The demand for social workers would increase and the need is especially great for trained social workers. We need, for example, Sir, about 50 new social work graduates each year for the next three years. We have asked the Social Work and Psychology Department of the NUS, which Dr Vasoo heads, to increase the intake of social work students. Happily, he had responded. Even then, Sir, the number is not enough and we intend to ask the Department to further increase the number of social work graduates that it can produce.”
“The Ministries involved, namely, my Ministry, the Ministry of Home Affairs, specifically the Police, and also the Ministry of Health, specifically again the hospitals, are now in the process of finalising the review of their respective protocols and procedures. An Inter-Ministry Working Group chaired by my Permanent Secretary is overseeing and monitoring the review work done by these various Ministries. Mainly, they want to address the gaps that may exist in the existing protocols and mechanisms. They also want to ensure better coordination among the various Ministries which means, therefore, that they have to come together more frequently, discuss more frequently and not simply each agency doing its own work separately. We are also putting in place multi-Ministry and multi-disciplinary mechanisms at different levels. An example would be what we call the Child Abuse Team (CAT), which was set up in MCD in April last year. This team reviews and assesses all cases of child abuse brought to the attention of MCD. In this team, we involve psychologists, the police, the social welfare workers and experts whose input we feel could help in the handling of the child abuse cases before them Sir, child abuse is a very difficult problem. It is a very multi-faceted problem, which therefore needs a multi-disciplinary approach from all concerned. It cannot be dealt with by a single Ministry because it involves the family, emotions and sometimes injuries which the hospital may have to come into play. As I said earlier, the work of the COI has been completed and the Ministries are in the process of reviewing their protocols.”
“We are thinking of trying to extend the detention in cases where the court deems fit for the juvenile to be again put aside from society for the time being. These are the areas which we are looking into on the CYP and we hope that the greater sentencing options and also the greater ability of the courts to be able to handle juvenile cases would hopefully reduce the number of juvenile delinquents. Dr Vasoo also asked about the management of child abuse. Specifically he referred to the Committee of Inquiry (COI) on Child Abuse, which I set up earlier in the year. The House may wish to know that the COI was an administrative arrangement directed by me to objectively assess the management of child abuse, and review the protocols not only of MCD but also of the Ministry of Health, the Police and the hospitals because they are the ones who are also involved in the management of child abuse. The COI made recommendations in nine broad areas which deal mainly with the systems and procedures of how these various agencies handle child abuse. The nine areas touched upon are: training of MCD officers, the Police and medical staff; assignment of staff in handling child abuse cases; supervision of child abuse cases; procedures and protocols of the relevant authorities; preparation of medical reports by doctors; inter-agency coordination and consultation; establishment of a child abuse register; the role of officials in the different authorities and agencies, such as the role of the Police and the Child Welfare Officers, and they are also thinking of the powers to be given to the hospitals.”
“This is an option which allows the court to bring together people affected by the juvenile's offending behaviour before the court decides what the sentence would be. In other words, they would discuss the reparation, and how the offender atones for what he has done to the victim. It could comprise an apology or even some kind of payment. The other one is the community service order which is something we have been thinking about for some time and it is something which has been suggested by members of the public. This involves the juvenile delinquent performing some kind of public service or community service to make reparation for his or her offence. We are also thinking of a weekend detention or periodic detention order. These are options which will enable the court to allow juveniles who have committed a crime or a fairly serious offence but whose academic record or family background is quite satisfactory in the sense that they could still carry on with their education because they may be good in their education, but something has to be done for them to pay for their crime. So during the weekends, they could participate in some kind of structured rehabilitation programme before they go back to their homes during the week days. We are also thinking of probation with detention. This would enable the court to require the probationers to be detained at the centre for a short time to undergo what we call a "short, sharp and shock" treatment, which would benefit some offenders. We are also thinking of the courts' powers to extend an existing order. In other words, an order has been given by the court towards a juvenile offender.”
“With that as a preamble, I would like now to address the various issues raised by Members. 4.30 pm Dr Vasoo raised the issue of whether there was a need to amend the Children and Young Persons Act in view of the various problems such as juvenile delinquency and problem youths that are increasing nowadays. The Government, Sir, adopts a multi-pronged and multi-disciplinary approach to address the problems of juvenile delinquency. This also includes legislation. The Ministry is right now reviewing the Children and Young Persons Act (CYP). This is actually in response to the recommendation by the Inter-Ministry Committee (IMC). The IMC recommended that the Children and Young Persons Act ought to be amended so that we could better tackle the problems of juvenile delinquency in our midst. We are looking into several things in the CYP. I will not go into the details of every provision that we are going into. But let me give Members the main provisions. One area which we are considering to amend is to provide for new sentencing options in the courts for the treatment of juvenile delinquents and also for those who are beyond parental control. We are thinking about weekend detention, for example. We are thinking of periodic training, community service and also family conferencing. That is one part. The other part we are thinking of is to include families in the rehabilitation of their children. We would be stressing on parental involvement. We want to require parents to participate and cooperate in the rehabilitation programme of their children as well as in the assessment of their children. If I can elaborate a little bit on the new sentencing options. As I mentioned earlier, we are thinking of family conferencing.”
“Sir, first, I would like to thank Members for their views, comments and concerns. I am really touched by the passion with which they spoke about the old, the young and also the family. I am also encouraged by the calls for more help for the voluntary welfare organisations, because these are the organisations which provide very useful work and help to the Ministry. I would like to take this opportunity to record my appreciation and thanks to these voluntary welfare organisations for all their help and the work that they have done. They have certainly helped the Ministry achieve its various objectives. Sir, various Members have spoken about the importance of prevention instead of just trying to tackle the symptoms of our social problems. I cannot agree with them more. In fact, the Inter-Ministry Committee, which I chaired, stressed the importance of preventive measures in trying to tackle our social problems. But programmes, whether they are preventive, rehabilitative or whatever, done either by the VWOs or by the Government, can only complement and supplement what the family can do. The bottom line is that the family must be the start of preventive measures. Families need attention. They need nurturing, they need strengthening. We work hard for our daily living, to improve the living condition of our families. But I think we should work equally hard to improve the relationships between members of the family. Perhaps we have to think whether we could forgo that golf game, forgo that night out with the boys, or even the mahjong game with our friends, to be with the family and to pay attention to the family. Sometimes we take our family for granted. Then, if something goes wrong, we ask ourselves, what went wrong when in fact the problem lies in the family itself.”
“There are at present 71 mosques and 7 new ones planned under Phase III of the Mosque Building Programme (MBP). Some 14 mosques are affected by approved public schemes or being phased out. MUIS is making a thorough review of the MBP to meet both capacity and replacement needs. Masjid Majapahit falls within the Development Guide Plan (DGP) for Jurong West. It has been earmarked for redevelopment as public housing by HDB. MUIS is aware that the DGP has projected a growth in dwelling units to 95,800. The other mosque in Jurong West, Masjid Assyakirin, will not be able to accommodate the demand for prayer space should Masjid Majapahit not be replaced. The MUIS study will take the national needs and specific situations like that of Jurong West into consideration in the new MBP. The new MBP will be reviewed with the relevant authorities as the national plan for mosque development. chart - Projected COE Quota for 1998/99, COE Quota for 1996/97-1997/98 (Cols. 1183 - 1184)”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member may be pleased to know that the Government will build a sports and recreation centre in Choa Chu Kang New Town. The Centre which will service the residents of Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang New Towns is bounded by Choa Chu Kang North 5 and Choa Chu Kang Street 53. The two constituencies will be linked by a light rail system and residents from both areas will have easy access to the sports and recreation facilities. The sports and recreation centre will be an integrated sports complex comprising swimming pools, a multi-purpose stadium hall and an outdoor stadium. Construction of the centre is scheduled to start in November this year and the Centre is expected to be ready by the end of 1999. It will cost the Government $58.4 million. ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1997 TO 31ST MARCH, 1998 (Paper Cmd. 2 of 1997) Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [3rd Allotted Day]. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Head R (cont.) - Resumption of Debate on Question [24th July, 1997]. "That the total sum to be allocated for Head R of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100." - [Mr Chew Heng Ching]. Question again proposed. 12.37 pm”
“Mr Speaker, this is a matter which has been decided upon by the Saudi government with regard to pilgrims. The pilgrims are encouraged to use Saudi Air. ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1997 TO 31ST MARCH, 1998 Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [2nd Allotted Day]. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Head Q -”
“Mr Speaker, the stand of MUIS in respect of such pilgrims is that MUIS would not accept nor encourage them to obtain any visa outside Singapore. This matter will be discussed further in the Committee of Supply. With regard to whether they are required to pay $200, so far, MUIS did not collect any such amount from them. If we do, it means we are providing recognition to them. This issue will have to be studied further. With regard to services rendered at Makkah, MUIS does not take into consideration whether or not the pilgrim pays the $200 administrative fee because MUIS will provide the necessary assistance when needed.”
“Mr Speaker, the administrative fee of $200 for each haj pilgrim helps pay the costs of the various administrative, medical and welfare services provided by MUIS to our pilgrims. MUIS helps to ensure that all the haj arrangements for Singapore pilgrims are smooth and incident-free. A team comprising Assistant Pilgrim Officers and a Religious Officer accompany the pilgrims during the pilgrimage to advise pilgrims on haj rituals, religious matters and welfare services. Sufficient medical supplies and equipment will be brought into Saudi Arabia during the haj. Several premises are rented in Makkah, Medinah and Mina to be used as clinics and offices. These clinics are managed and served by a team of doctors and nurses from Singapore who are paid allowances. Two ambulances have been purchased to serve our pilgrims. From 1994 to 1996, the amount collected are as follows: Year Amount collected $ 1994 740,421 1995 823,156 1996 970,900 The amounts collected, Mr Speaker, Sir, have to be supplemented by donations from MSE Angullia Wakaf for the purchase of medical supplies.”
“Sir, may I be allowed to reply in Malay?”
“Sir, the number of applications approved under the Public Assistance Scheme in 1996 was 466 cases out of a total application of 1,518. For 1991, 379 cases were approved out of 972 applications. The amount disbursed to successful applicants, Sir, amounted to $4,548,500 in 1991 benefiting 2,332 households in 1991. And the amount disbursed in 1996 was $4,498,300 benefiting 2,008 households. MAJLIS UGAMA ISLAM SINGAPURA (Collection of administrative fee from Muslims performing haj) 3. Encik Harun bin A. Ghani asked the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) why Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura collects $200 each from Muslims who are going to perform haj and (b) how much was collected from 1994 to 1996 and how the money was spent.”
“Sir, I would not give a definite answer to this simply because we have to look at each individual case closely. For every family the number of children going to various institutions varies and we will have to look at the actual expenditure and burden on the family. But certainly, for each and every case, Mendaki looks carefully at the circumstances of the family. TOWN COUNCIL CLEANING CONTRACTORS (Employment of workers from non-traditional sources) 5. Mr Chew Heng Ching asked the Minister for Labour, following his Ministry's review on the shortage of cleaners faced by Town Council contractors, whether he will now allow these contractors to employ workers from non-traditional sources.”
“On the second question whether a family with an income of $2,000 and one child in university is better off than a family earning above $3,000 but with five school-going children, it really depends on the actual expenditure of the family. A person could be earning thousands of dollars a month but the expenditure may be high. This is also tied up to the Member's first question, ie, whether we do consider the per capita income. The answer is, we do. In other words, we look at each case on its own merits. Those whose income is $2,000 and below will be given full subsidy whereas those whose income is between $2,000 and $3,000 the subsidy will vary up to 70% and this will take into consideration the per capita expenditure of the children.”
“This would not benefit the Malay community in the long term. Mendaki therefore has no plans to raise the income ceilings for the TTFS Scheme at the present moment.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy (TTFS) Scheme administered by Mendaki has two very important objectives:- (1) To enable the better-off Malays to help the less well-off in the community; and (2) To build a self-reliant community standing tall with the other communities in Singapore. When the TTFS Scheme was introduced in 1991, we deliberately set the income ceilings higher than were necessary, so that the scheme could phase in gradually as incomes of Malay households rose year by year, and tertiary education became more affordable to Malay families. This has happened. Mendaki has generous study loans and scholarship schemes to help Malay families who have genuine difficulties paying the partial or full fees. No Malay student admitted to our polytechnics or universities has been deprived of the opportunity to go to these institutions because of this scheme. Apart from these, the Government also gives out Edusave Merit Bursaries and the Edusave Scholarships in schools, ITEs, polytechnics and universities. These are also open to Malay students. They will alleviate the financial burden of households who also have children in school and other educational institutions. The money saved from the TTFS Scheme goes to Mendaki, not the Government. It has helped Mendaki to fund programmes to help many more less successful members of the Malay community who are in need of help. These include the Weekend Tuition Scheme and the Learning Support Programme for Normal stream students. The Mendaki Awards are also funded from these savings. Raising the income ceilings for the TTFS Scheme would mean cutting back on these other activities which have played an important part in raising education standards of the community.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have no doubt that this Government will honour its promises and commitment to ensure adequate minority representation in Parliament. Singaporeans, especially the minority communities, can be assured of this. However, whether future governments or the Opposition will honour this commitment, there is no guarantee. For instance, while the PAP in fulfilling its commitments puts up more than one minority candidate in certain constituencies or even minority candidates in some single member constituencies, the Opposition is not obliged by law to do likewise. It is not easy to find good candidates, not just any candidate, to stand for election; harder still for minority candidates, because of the smaller base. I have been involved with helping to scout for Malay candidates and this has indeed been the case. So it can be tempting for parties interested in forming the Government to use this as an excuse to omit or put up only a token number of minorities in their slate in any election. We have to monitor this situation closely, Sir. I agree with the Prime Minister that it may be worth considering legislation at a future date to further refine the mechanics of minority representation in our Parliament. Sir, I support the amendment.”
“If we couple this with the Prime Minister's plan to create CDCs among the GRCs, it at once becomes apparent how clause 14 of the amendment is indeed an improvement to the GRC concept. However, Sir, the proposed increment raises the concern that minority representation in Parliament and therefore in national politics could be compromised. If this is indeed true, then it is a serious concern as it impinges on a fundamental basis of the GRC concept, ie, of ensuring a multi-racial Parliament in Singapore. Sir, I too share this concern, not so much because I belong to the minority community, but because what we are doing is the right thing to do. I have received feedback from concerned individuals and professionals in the Malay, Indian and Eurasian communities on this issue. I have brought them up to the Prime Minister's attention and had discussed the matter with him. He understands and empathises with these concerns and fears. Sir, it is crucial for multi-racial representation in the political life of this country to be preserved. This dovetails our belief and commitment to multi-racialism. The inter-racial harmony that we have enjoyed so far also owes much to the fact that no community feels that its concerns and legitimate interests are totally ignored or neglected or that it feels left out in the political processes in this country. And unless the various communities here find a place in Singapore life and a role in determining the destiny of Singapore, they will not feel a sense of belonging to this still young nation. I am therefore heartened by PM's reiteration of his assurance that adequate multi-racial representation in Parliament will be preserved even with this proposed amendment to the Constitution.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to confine my speech to clause 14 of the Amendment Bill which seeks to raise the maximum number of MPs in a GRC to six. Like Mr Maidin, Sir, I too regret that Mr Cheo regrets the formation of GRCs. Either he is naive or he does not really fully appreciate the reasons for the formation of GRCs. Sir, I have no doubt that the GRC concept is an improvement in our political development because ultimately it is the voters and residents who benefit from the arrangement. The GRC Members of Parliament, like any single-member constituency Member, will have to serve the constituents in his division. But apart from this, his continued tenure in Parliament will also have to depend on the performance of his other colleagues in the GRC. In other words, it is to his interest that his colleagues, regardless of their ethnic origins, do their jobs well and with the support of their residents. This provides a self-checking mechanism within a GRC. It means collective responsibility where under-performance by any MP in the GRC affects the votes of the whole cluster. All this makes the MP a team player, ever vigilant of his own performance as well as that of his other colleagues. The all-round effect, Sir, is a raising of the total quality of service to residents by their representatives in Parliament. This shatters the myth that one strong MP can carry other weaker or ineffective MPs in the GRC, especially given the increasingly higher expectations of voters nowadays. It follows, therefore, that in a five or six-Member GRC, the amount of team work and the need for strong leadership increases.”
“I share the Member's concern over the Winny Ho incident. I will be convening a Committee of Inquiry to investigate on the handling of the case by MCD, hospitals and the Police. The Committee will be chaired by a Permanent Secretary from another Ministry, and will include at least one member who is not a civil servant. I shall give a fuller answer on completion of this Inquiry. In the meantime, I have reiterated my instruction to my officers that they should accord top priority on the safety of children in the management of child abuse cases. If in doubt, they should err on the cautious side in the protection of children.”
“As I said, we are reviewing the situation and we will make recommendations as appropriate. INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS IN SINGAPORE (Non-admission of Singaporeans) 5. Mr Lew Syn Pau asked the Minister for Education why Singaporeans are not permitted to send their children to International Schools in Singapore.”
“Sir, I have mentioned why the Government is not involved in the building of halfway houses. As I said earlier, it is because VWOs are doing a good job and they could cater to the needs of their clients better. With regard to the kind of help given by Government in terms of buildings and equipment, among the help given are tax exemptions for donations for charitable purposes, release of State land or premises with rental subsidy to cover market rental and of HDB premises at concessionary rental, waiver of development charges, assistance for recruitment of staff, free medical treatment to clients who are eligible and exemptions for COE and vehicle taxes. Crisis centres are currently not funded by Government as they do not fall under the category of "approved projects" for Government funding. My Ministry, however, is looking at the need for additional assistance to these organisations to enhance their work and services they are providing to help individuals in crisis. The review includes the possibility of them being put under the Government financial assistance schemes. In other words, we will help them in the set-up costs and also operating costs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are six halfway houses or crisis centres in Singapore, and the seventh is in the pipeline. These centres cater to individuals and families in distress and who need temporary shelter. They also cater to children who are abused or in need of care and protection, girls in moral danger, neglected wives and women with marital crisis, battered husbands, men with personality or emotional problems and families with financial or other difficulties. Some of these centres also provide support services and social skills training for their clients, eg, counselling, helping victims of abuse, career guidance, job placement and referral to other agencies. Where necessary, my Ministry provides supportive help to individuals and families who need shelter who are referred to by these centres. The help includes financial assistance, job placement, assistance in accommodation and placement of children in schools. My Ministry will continue to monitor the need for such centres and will assist VWOs to set up new ones, if necessary. My Ministry will not itself build and operate such halfway houses or crisis centres. VWOs with their specific objective of providing temporary care and shelter to help those in need are more focused and effective and are better placed to provide such services to help individuals and families in the community.”
“Sir, as I mentioned earlier, of the 65 applications presented since the Tribunal began its first hearing at the end of June, some are still being heard and are in various stages of proceedings. The Tribunal would try to attend to the cases as soon as it can but it would depend on the difficulties and complexities of the cases. With regard to whether the Tribunal will be integrated with the courts, I think it is a bit too early to tell. We are just five months into the implementation of the Act and we will wait for some time before we consider the question of integration. LOWERING OF FOREIGN MAID LEVY 2. Dr Wong Kwei Cheong asked the Minister for Labour whether his Ministry will consider lowering the foreign maid levy from the current $330, especially for families where mothers work, as lowering of the levy will make it more attractive for them to join the workforce to lessen the burden of the household.”
“I assure Members of this House that my Ministry and the Tribunal are closely monitoring the situation and will take the necessary steps to educate all parties involved on the purpose of the Tribunal and their rights at the appropriate junctures. Dr S. Vasoo (Tanjong Pagar GRC): Sir, I would like to ask the Minister what is the waiting time for the cases to be heard by the Tribunal. The other supplementary question is: what are the future plans to integrate the work of the Tribunal with the Family Court?”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to report that the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents began operation on 1st June this year. 12 members, including the President, Mr K S Rajah, have been appointed to serve on the Tribunal. The Tribunal meets once a week on Thursday mornings. As at 15th September, 1996, 10 sittings have been held for either mention or hearing. The number of applications has dropped from 74 in June to 23 in July and to 16 in August. Only five applications were registered in the first two weeks of September. The Tribunal adopts a non-adversarial approach in settling disputes on maintenance issues within the family. Conciliation Officers in the Tribunal conduct mediation between parties to help them reach a settlement in a more amicable way. When the parties are unable to make a settlement, a hearing will be scheduled for the Tribunal to make an order to determine the outcome of applications. 65 applications for maintenance have been presented before the Tribunal since it convened its proceedings at the end of June 1996. 35 of these applications have been settled 28 were maintenance orders, five were dismissed applications, one application was withdrawn and no order was made for maintenance for one application. The other applications are in various stages of proceedings. Of the 28 maintenance orders made by the Tribunal, 17 applications were successfully settled through mediation, in other words, they were not even heard. The full legal provisions of the Act are thus being tested. The experience is still new to the Ministry and the Tribunal and the officers are fine-tuning the work processes as well as their conciliation techniques. They are also learning from the experiences of the Courts.”
“There are indeed issues which we feel may be advisable in the long term but not at this moment in time at least; for example, maintenance for husbands. I am keeping my mind open about it. Perhaps, who knows, in the next century, the matter may be raised again and we may be better prepared to consider that. But for the moment, let the men maintain their wives. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Third time and passed. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed." - [Dr Lee Boon Yang]. Adjourned accordingly at Twenty-six Minutes to Four o'clock pm to a date to be fixed. WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER NOT ANSWERED BY 1.30 PM PURCHASE OF FLATS BY LOWER INCOME FAMILIES 12. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for National Development whether the Government will increase the grants to lower income families who are first-time applicants to help them purchase 3-room flats either from the Housing and Development Board or the open market.”
“And I think this is shared by many men outside this House, and certainly after you have heard the "ayes" from this House, that it is the view of most of the Members of this House here. I would like to respond to Mdm Yu-Foo. She asked whether it would be possible in the current amendment that working women could indeed get a bigger share of the matrimonial assets. The possibility is there, because the court will take into consideration all the circumstances leading to the divorce, including the non-monetary contribution to the home. She also asked whether it would be possible for us to strengthen family life and to give better help to women in trouble and maintenance enforcement. The answer is yes. We can do it administratively and, certainly, I give the House the assurance that my Ministry will be looking into the administrative ways of how we could coordinate the work between the Government, the VWOs, the courts and the Police. We will certainly do that. Mr Chen has insisted that the Women's Charter is for the protection of women. Indeed, it is. That was the whole objective of legislating the Women's Charter and the main thrust of the Charter still remains today. I think we should let the Women's Charter remain as a legislation which protects women. It may be that it has been enlarged to protect the family and other members of the family, but mainly the emphasis is on the protection of women. And I think it should remain that way. Sir, the amendments have been thought out very carefully. It has been debated quite extensively in this House, in my Ministry, with the voluntary welfare organisations and also in the Select Committee itself. We did not arrive at the conclusions easily.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, first, I would like to thank the Members of the House who spoke on the Bill, especially Dr Soin for her impassioned speech for women. I must say that I empathise with many of her feelings. And I must say too that many people, many males indeed, empathise with what she said. But the fact of the matter is that there are also many people who feel otherwise, even women. To say that all women feel the same way is not true. Even during the representations, the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO), which is an umbrella women's organisation, spoke against the maintenance for husbands, even in a limited way, because they thought that it would impose further burdens on the wife who is already burdened with the duties in the family and maybe perhaps also with duties as a worker. I can understand her eagerness to extend maintenance payments to husbands, especially in the light of current debate on women being accused of not playing their part in society. I do not want to get involved in this male/female argument. I want to stay above all these. She mentioned that there is some incongruity between section 61 and section 45 of the Women's Charter. Section 45 of the Women's Charter existed since 1961, as she mentioned. Maintenance for husbands was never in the Act and nobody made any squeak about it. It was only recently when a review of the Women's Charter was made that somehow along the way people say that section 61 is now contrary to section 45. I understand that things have changed and things are changing. But at this moment in time, I think the general view is that, as has been mentioned by Mr Kenneth Chen, the Member for Hong Kah GRC, it is the husband's duty to maintain his wife morally and legally.”
“The law, especially the Women's Charter, can only help regulate wisely and justly the multi-faceted nature of our relationships within the family. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“I am heartened, Sir, that there is the desire that we must do what we can, and exhaust all means available in the community to help save a family from breaking up. The Committee shares this spirit of harmonious resolution and has recommended amendments to the Bill to empower the court to refer parties to attend reconciliation, mediation or counselling sessions, where necessary. The provisions are reflected in clause 10 under new sections 47A and 47B. In conclusion, Sir, three broad concepts underlie the proposed amendments to the Women's Charter. The first concept is the relatively straightforward one of making technical improvements to the Charter, so that it becomes more consistent, more coherent. The second is the emphasis on harmonious resolution and healing in the aftermath of family discord. To this end, a number of the proposed amendments empower the court to refer the parties for reconciliation, mediation or counselling. At least, the courts now have the ability to gently guide them back on the path of recovery if there is hope. And where there is no hope or where the parties have completely given up, the third concept comes in, ie, to seek to alleviate the hardship experienced by all sides to the conflict. For example, the proposed amendments towards a stricter and fairer outcome on issues relating to maintenance and division of matrimonial assets provide for more avenues for the distressed party to seek assistance. Sir, the law alone cannot prevent family disputes from arising. It takes the concerted effort of community groups, individuals, the Government and, in particular, individual members in the family to ensure the well-being of the family and its members.”