Ahmad Haleem
Singapore
“Sir, it is a pity that the Hon. Minister has given a very big "No" to my request. But nevertheless, I would like to clarify on the 5.15 gallons. It is for one round. In a grand prix there are 40 circuits and the total consumption is only 206 gallons. It is not very much.”
“They expect other hawkers to draw in business for them so that when business is good, they will then come in. As a result of this attitude we have a lot of vacancies in the new markets. In such an event, we notice that, after a short time, the Housing Board will also adopt the same practice, i.e.”
“Sir, I notice that in the Establishment List under this Subhead, the number of staff has remained constant for FY 77 and FY 78, although we have had several campaigns during this period. The last one was the Safety First campaign held last year after which many motorists and jaywalkers were booked.”
“Sir, earlier this year, I asked and was happy with the answer given by the Senior Minister of State for National Development about a piece of land at the corner of Henderson/Telok Blangah Roads. This piece of land will be cleared of derelict houses and be made into a garden.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would just like the Senior Minister of State to clarify one point. He has said that the HDB is responsible for all defects for the first 12 months. What happens when major structural defects are discovered after the period of 12 months?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Senior Minister of State has mentioned the expansion of the terminal buildings in four phases. What about the runways? Will the two runways in the 21st century be able to cater for aircraft landing and taking off considering that the peak hours at the airport are between 6.00 p.m. and 10.00 p.m.?”
The complete record
Every one of 92 lines we hold for Ahmad Haleem, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 1 of 2.
“Of these, 14 have already been formed, 25 are in the protem stage and the remaining 15 are in the pipeline. The ratio is roughly one committee member to 10 units of flats. There is no shortage of volunteers. Many who have come forward are professional men, lawyers, accountants, senior executives, company directors, officers from the Army, Police and Customs, teachers, clerks, etc. A measure of the success of these committees can be gauged from the following examples. One block of 96 units organised a children's Christmas party last year and they got every child in the block with at least one parent or relative to take part, a total of 140 children. Another block of 76 units organised a get-together for the block and 160 persons took part. There are many other examples I could quote. People do want to be neighbourly but many need a bit of help to get started to overcome their initial reservations. From these Block Committees, members of the residents' committee and the CCC can be selected who are thus truly grassroots leaders of the community in day-to-day contact with the people. I would now like to take this opportunity to thank you, Sir, for your kind indulgence, the Clerk of Parliament, members of the staff, the press, and Members of this House, for all their help during the past two years. 4.05 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Motion moved by the Member for Serangoon Gardens. I heartily support the call of the Acting Minister for Social Affairs to "get people out of their cocoons, to develop community spirit and pride in their nation". When the CCCs were first formed, they served the need to foster closer relations between the people of the various communities, clans, associations, kampongs, etc. But with high-rise living in our modern housing estates, such associations have become somewhat dislocated and less effective in the re-creation of similar associations in the new living environment. The move to form residents' committees is timely. But residents' committees are formed to cater for upwards of 1,000 units of flats, whereas the previous kampongs and villages comprised only 100-150 households. I feel that the residents' committees alone will not be able to provide adequate impetus to promote the aims of an integrated society, simply because their area of responsibility is too large for volunteer work and thus they will be too remote from the individuals they seek to motivate and serve. Each block of flats has between 76 and 290 units. Therefore, we can consider each block as a kampong. What could be better than to encourage the residents of each block to form individual committees to promote neighbourliness and mutual help, to enhance security and safety and to encourage cleanliness. People living in housing blocks are more willing to come forward and volunteer their services if they can see immediate benefits to themselves, their families and their homes. This has been my experience in Telok Blangah for the past 18 months. A total of 54 Block Committees needed to be formed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a supplementary question. Can the Senior Minister of State let us know when the secondary school will open its doors?”
“The problem of dental care is very important. From the point of view of our Islamic faith, our Prophet encourages that we brush our teeth five times a day before Prayer. This is not just to show our handsomeness. If a young man like me has got no teeth I will look ugly. At the same time, those who often suffer from toothache will know the experience. So, for those children who are afraid to go to the hospital for extraction, let us not give excuses that their parents are reluctant to send them to the hospital because they have to incur expenses. There will then be a situation where the people of Singapore will be a toothless society! Mr Ng Kah Ting: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, it has been said of this Government that it always introduces a painless Budget and increases taxes throughout the rest of the financial year, whether they be taxes on motorcars, petrol, etc. This year's Budget was not exactly painless. There were new taxes but there were also tax reliefs, for example, those on personal income tax. But, on the other hand, there were tax increases on motorcars. On the whole, Sir, in my view, it was a good budget. Therefore, my question is: why was it necessary, so soon after the Budget, to increase the attendance fees payable by persons who are very sick or who are in need of immediate medical attention? The increase in fees was announced by the Minister for Health in a Ministerial statement on 23rd March and came into effect, of all days, on 1st April, as pointed out by the hon. Member for Potong Pasir.”
“If the reason is simply that we need more revenue, because of the increases in medical expenditure, I think the community will understand it and make an attempt to pay. But if we say that one of the reasons for the increases is that people in the community do not know how to use the A & E Departments, then I feel that this is an insult to their intelligence because they have been taught, through education, to use the hospitals since the times when bomohs and sinsehs were common. Now, suddenly when they visit the hospitals they are accused of abusing the facilities. If an ordinary person is sick today and he has to go to work tomorrow for the sake of his family, he has to be medically treated and remain healthy to maintain them. Perhaps, in the final analysis, he feels that he can make a little contribution to the country that he loves. But we charge him for abusing the facilities. I think that kind of statement should be retracted by the Minister. I can give an illustration of an actual incident. A person was living in Changi when his mother fell sick at 4.30 a.m. He went out early in the morning and took a taxi. He was not sure whether it would take one hour to reach the hospital. There were no buses. He went to the A & E Department with some money. On arrival the doctor said, "It is nothing. Just give her two or three pills." When he reached home he discovered that the pills just cost $1 whereas the trip had cost more, in addition to the waste of time and energy. And we say that this is ignorance l We find here that on the one hand we teach the people how to use the facilities but on the other we expose them of being ignorant. I sincerely hope that the Minister would reconsider this, particularly for the sake of children at schools.”
“Will it not mean that the increase will be borne by the parents? From this it can be seen that the increase in fees this time will greatly increase the expenditure on medical charges for all the households in our country. May I ask how out ordinary workers are going to bear this burden? The increase of Government medical treatment charges will no doubt provide private practitioners with a very good excuse to adjust their charges. Therefore, I earnestly hope the Minister will be able to reconsider the revision for increased charges. Encik Sidek bin Saniff (Kolam Ayer)( In Malay): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the problem before us is a basic one. It is an issue which directly involves the whole community. The community can accept an increase in TV licences because it is more concerned with entertainment. People can accept an increase in PUB charges because there are elements of costs which can be saved as a result of the world crisis. Nevertheless, the fact is that there are people who will be unhappy if the Minister concerned build a luxurious building and a swimming pool on top of it, as in the case of the new PUB building. About a decade ago in 1964, 40% of the people's incomes ranged between $100 and $200 only. Now there are 18% within the group earning between $100 and $200. If they were to see a swimming pool on the top of a tall building, which they cannot make use of, they will feel that their money has been spent unreasonably. If a person is given an opportunity to pay a lower rate of charges he would appreciate it more than a show of such beautiful things. However, the principle of conservation is there. Today, we have incurred the wrath of the people for the increased charges at hospitals. But more importantly, we should give reasons for such an increase.”
“Now, the increase in public medical charges this time will undoubtedly increase the burden of our workers and people of all strata. The increase of attendance fees at the A & E Department at the General Hospital is as high as 150%. This is really shocking. Of course, I am convinced of the evidence produced by the Minister for Health. I do not doubt that there has been an excessive utilisation of medical services. But I must point out that the large majority of our workers and people do not have a good understanding of medical matters. A sudden symptom of illness in the still of night or pain and suffering occurring in the small hours of the morning very often causes them to lose their head. So they are taken to the hospital. And perhaps after medical examination, it turns out that they are not seriously ill. But this is not their fault, and they should not be penalised for this, because nobody will trouble himself to go to the hospital for an injection and to take medicine without any reason. As regards the increase of 50 cents in the attendance fee at the OPD, this will undoubtedly increase the burden of the broad masses of our workers. In fact, everybody may fall ill at any time. The Government has the duty to look after the health and hygiene of the people. Therefore, the increase of medical charges this time is entirely unreasonable. Since this increase will not curb the number of people going to the Government's OPDs for treatment the motive is obviously to increase Government's revenue at the expense of our citizens who fall ill. Is this reasonable? Regarding the increases in dental treatment charges, the intention is more thought provoking. We know that every cent that a student or child has comes from the parents.”
“Perhaps the Ministry of Health could also help in getting the mass media to publicise where doctors and drug stores are available in the evenings and weekends so that people need not go to the A & E Departments. In this way, they can have a choice of either going to the outpatient dispensary or to the clinic which is open in the evenings and weekends. In this way, congestion at the A & E Departments will be lessened and there is no need to increase the fees. I hope the Minister will reconsider this point. Mr Tan Cheng San (Paya Lebar)( In Mandarin): Sir, according to the revision of charges for Government medical services made by the Minister for Health in this House on the 2 3rd of last month, the attendance fee at the OPDs will be increased by 50 cents, that is, from $2.50 to $3 on working days and by $1 on Sundays and public holidays. The attendance fee at the A & E Departments in the General Hospital will also be increased from $4 to $10 and there will be great increases for dental charges for adults, students and children. Everybody knows that when a person is ill, he will generally look for medical treatment in order to get well and continue with his work to maintain the livelihood of his family. The medical facilities in our country are very advanced in this region. This is a fact which everybody recognises. Because of this, our people have been able to live in peace and remain in good health for the past many years. There have been few outbreaks of dangerous and infectious diseases in our country. In any case, the situation was quickly put under control and the disease did not spread. All this could be attributed to the diligence and the high degree of vigilance of the Ministry of Health and its staff at all times.”
“Sir, I rise in support of the Member for Potong Pasir. I think the Minister said that the reason for the increase in charges of the A & E Departments was the congestion at these departments. May I say that increasing the fees is really not the right way to decrease congestion. After all, in the evenings and weekends many people who are ill do not really know where to go. So the logical place to go is the hospital. Many people do not even know that it is an A & E Department. All they are concerned with is to go to the hospital to seek treatment. They cannot tell whether or not their illness is serious. If we increase the fees they will think that the best way is to go to the quack doctors or seek self-medication which, in the long run, will cost more to this country because their illnesses will get more serious and will require hospitalisation. We will, therefore, need more beds to accommodate these people. So instead of doing that why do we not have one outpatient dispensary open for 24 hours a day on a rota basis? It can be published by the mass media - the press, radio and television - that such and such an outpatient dispensary will be open 24 hours a day. Anybody who is ill but not serious can go to this outpatient dispensary for treatment if he or she wishes. In this way congestion at the A & E Departments will be lessened. There are others who normally do not go to the outpatient dispensary but go to private doctors. However, in an emergency in the evenings or during the weekends they find that their own doctors are not available. They may not know the doctor's home telephone number and they do not know where to go. They too turn to the A & E Departments for treatment.”
“Sir, it is a pity that the Hon. Minister has given a very big "No" to my request. But nevertheless, I would like to clarify on the 5.15 gallons. It is for one round. In a grand prix there are 40 circuits and the total consumption is only 206 gallons. It is not very much. He also mentioned about the efforts made by the Ministry of Home Affairs. I understand that even with stiffer penalties the number of hell riders is not decreasing. They are actually on the increase. As I said in my speech earlier on, the aggression of youth cannot be contained. I shudder to think of the day when Singapore succeeds in containing the aggression of all our youths. And should there be any external aggression, all our youths would not be able to stand up to fight because all the fight in them would have been smothered. On the other hand, if this state of affairs continues and there is no relief to the pressure, one fine day there is going to be one mighty bang and we will all be in trouble. In any case, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn.”
“On the safety factor, we could seek the advice of the International Federation of Automobile. It has been found that in properly organised circuits, spectator deaths have been zero and driver deaths have mainly been during practice when they were trying out new equipment and parts. The present hell driver situation in Singapore could result in many deaths of spectators because there are no safety precautions. There are some who think that motor racing is wasting energy. Let me give Members an example. If 20% of Singapore's 130,000-odd motorcars drove for ten miles on a Sunday morning for social visiting or recreation, the total fuel consumption, assuming an average consumption of 30 miles per gallon would be 8,666 gallons or 39,000 litres of petrol. Whereas a race on a Sunday involving 80 entries over a 3.35 miles circuit would consume an insignificant 5.15 gallons or 23.2 litres of petrol. On the income side, one grand prix and forty weekly mini grand prix stock car racing and other smaller events together with advertisement income would gross an estimated $1.5 million. In time, Singapore could become one of the Formula I racing circuits of the world, bringing with it, the prestige to our country, and not to mention, the increased tourist trade. Motor racing is one of the most popular spectator sports in the world and we should cater for the people in Singapore who are keen motor racing enthusiasts.”
“If the Minister does not understand what stock car racing is, it is racing using standard cars which we find on the roads. A permanent circuit will not completely solve the problem of hell drivers and riders. However, it will definitely remove a large majority of adherents from these groups as they would have a safe, expertly supervised place to race. The circuit will, of course, also cater for the responsible mature motoring enthusiast who has at present no place to pit his skills against others and who would not dream of racing on the public roads. ft would also be a safe and suitable place for the police to test their pursuit cars, for police and army driver training, for go-kart and bicycle racing and even jogging and walkathons. I am sure that the Singapore Sports Council together with the Singapore Motor Sports Club would have no difficulties in setting up and running such motor sports facilities. I understand that a total of 400,000 spectators attended the last Singapore Grand Prix in 1973 and I am sure there would be sufficient public support to more than sustain the upkeep and running of the circuits without them being a financial liability to the Government. There are many possible sites for the building of these circuits, and one of them is the area of reclaimed land between the Pandan reservoir and the sea. But perhaps a more suitable site is the circuit that the Ministry of Defence is getting for their drivers. A little coordination and cooperation would save a lot of money and an additional $1 million to $1.5 million would be sufficient to cater for the needs of the grand prix and mini grand prix circuits and the oval. The Ministry of Defence can make use of the place during the week days and the weekends can be used for motor racing.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head W be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code WD-01 of the Main Estimates. Throughout history, mankind has continually thought out and created ways of releasing his aggressive and competitive energies. When he was not engaged in wars and combat for political aims, he challenged his fellows in the joust and the chase and delighted in the risks and dangers of competition. In his desire to win the laurel wreaths, the roman charioteer would risk life and limb while the spectators urged him on to more daring exploits. In modern times too, the young and the brave are no different, and they too have the desire to flirt with death. The horse has given way to the internal combustion engine and the knight's shining armour has become the skin tight suit and crash helmet. After two world wars, Members of this House will remember the political agitation that was taking place. The risks and dangers were all there. Now in the seventies, we are politically stable, and there is no war to be fought. The competitive spirit finds expression in other ways - in studies, in sports and in the pursuit of one-upmanship. Whilst some may excel in football or squash, and others in tennis or swimming, there are many who are particularly adept in driving or riding. The rebelliousness of youth and hell rider problem are not new. We cannot legislate away the natural aggression of youth and if we persist in denying the controlled and healthy outlet of this drive, we must expect to find it being manifested in some other more destructive forms. Would the Hon. Minister consider providing a permanent grand prix circuit together with a mini grand prix circuit and an oval for stock car racing?”
“Sir, I notice that in the Establishment List under this Subhead, the number of staff has remained constant for FY 77 and FY 78, although we have had several campaigns during this period. The last one was the Safety First campaign held last year after which many motorists and jaywalkers were booked. But the number in the Establishment List has remained constant. I understand from certain quarters that there seems to be a bottleneck in the department processing the summonses, i.e. the clerks who actually make out the summonses. The reason why immediate action was not taken was that the clerks could not cope with all the summonses that are sent to the department. Apparently the work load has increased ten-fold but the number of staff has remained the same. I wonder if the Minister can explain the situation.”
“They expect other hawkers to draw in business for them so that when business is good, they will then come in. As a result of this attitude we have a lot of vacancies in the new markets. In such an event, we notice that, after a short time, the Housing Board will also adopt the same practice, i.e. if a hawker does not move in within a month, a notice will be sent to him and if, after three reminders the hawker still does not move in, then his stall will be withdrawn and allocated to another person who needs it. The Government's policy on itinerant hawkers or outdoor hawkers is that we hope in the next five years to be able to resettle all street hawkers and outdoor hawkers, whether they be food hawkers, fish and meat hawkers or sundry goods hawkers. We want to resettle them into designated markets or food centres within the next five years. Gradually the number of these itinerant or outdoor hawkers will decrease until they disappear from the roads. I hope the Member will be satisfied with my answer now.”
“Sir, I do not think the hon. Senior Parliamentary Secretary has answered my question. He has touched on something which I did not ask. I asked about the itinerant hawkers, that is, those who are now on the streets, who have been allocated hawker stalls. He says that they do not have the pioneering spirit and that they do not want to move in first, and this is causing poor business for those who have already moved in. He also said that there are 69 empty stalls in Telok Blangah market. But many other hawkers have moved in, and half the market is still empty. So unless we can get the hawkers to move into the market, the business will not pick up. The Ministry must be prepared to take enforcement action against those who do not want to move into the market. Their licence fee could be increased on an escalation basis. If they still do not want to move in, then cancel their licences and give them to someone else. Then we can fill up all the stalls in the market. If there are no street hawkers, the people will go to the. market. There will then be better business. 5.00 p.m. Mr Chor Yeok Eng( In Mandarin): Sir, the Member for Telok Blangah says that I have not replied to one of his points, the itinerant hawkers. On the other hand, I think I have already answered him about the vacancies in the markets. According to the statistics, there are 69 vacancies. But he says that half the market is empty. I have already said just now that every new market is provided, as far as possible, with stalls offering a wide and complete range of goods or commodities. But these hawkers do not want to be pioneers in the business. To put it even more bluntly, they do not want to be scapegoats where they have to sacrifice business in the early stages.”
“Sir, the present ruling is that hawker licences will be issued only to those people aged between 40 and 60 years. Yet in my meet-the-people sessions, there are many persons over the age of 60, who are fit and who have difficulty in getting alternative employment, coming to see me and asking if I could help them to get a hawker's licence. Obviously, if they are over 60 years old it is not possible at this time. May I ask the Hon. Minister to consider granting hawker licences to such people if they are medically fit. Secondly, in Telok Blangah estate there are vacant stalls in the hawker centre. When I inquired into the reasons for these vacancies, I was told that itinerant hawkers were supposed to move into these vacant stalls but they have refused to do so. This is rather unfair to those hawkers who are already in the centre because it is a chicken and egg situation. The members of the public are not patronising this hawker centre because there are not enough hawkers plying their trade, and hawkers are not moving in because members of the public are not patronising the place. May I suggest that there should be strict enforcement of the rules on those hawkers who refuse to move in. After having been allocated stalls in the hawker centre, if they refuse to move in, then their licence fee should be increased on an escalation basis. If after a period of time they still refuse to move into the hawker centre, then their licences should be cancelled and given to more deserving cases.”
“Sir, I have an amendment standing in my name, i.e. amendment No. (4) on the subject of hawkers. Can I speak now, Sir?”
“Sir, in view of what the Senior Minister of State has said, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. 3.30 p.m.”
“Minister to consider launching a Keep Left campaign in Singapore soon and also, in conjunction with the enforcement section of the Traffic Police, to take action against motorists who refuse to keep left.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head O be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code OF-01 of the Main Estimates. Sir, I wonder whether the Hon. Minister has any statistics of traffic accidents in Singapore caused by mechanical failure. At present, commercial vehicles in Singapore are required to undergo yearly road-worthiness tests. Unfortunately private vehicles are not presently being tested. Judging by the condition of some of these private vehicles on the road, they are lethal weapons because of the poor condition they are in. I wonder if the Minister will consider introducing similar tests for private vehicles. Secondly, I have here a copy of the Highway Code. There is a rule on Keeping Left. It says "Always keep left. Unless overtaking, turning right or making a U-turn, then keep right." I brought up this matter last ear as well but I was told then that there would be road safety campaigns and that things would improve. Unfortunately, I do not think the situation on our roads is any better now than it was last year. If we were to compare the traffic condition in Singapore with that of some of the major cities in this region, then yes I agree that the traffic condition in our country is good. But if we were to compare it with some of the Western capitals, then I think our traffic condition here is rather poor. I think the major cause of the poor traffic condition is the failure of our drivers to keep to the left. If we can get our drivers to keep to the left, I am certain that the number of vehicles on the road will be reduced because traffic flow will improve and therefore vehicles need to spend less time on the road. This will mean fuel saved and thus savings in foreign exchange. So I would like the Hon.”
“Sir, in view of the explanation given by the Senior Minister of State, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Senior Minister of State has mentioned the expansion of the terminal buildings in four phases. What about the runways? Will the two runways in the 21st century be able to cater for aircraft landing and taking off considering that the peak hours at the airport are between 6.00 p.m. and 10.00 p.m.?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head O be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code OC-02 of the Development Estimates. Sir, we have been told that the Changi Airport will bring us into the 21st century and that planning for this airport has taken care of all contingencies right up to the 21st century. I seem to remember that the same words were said when Paya Lebar Airport was built and that it was supposed to last for about 30 years. Within 10 years we already have problems and just 20 years after the building of Paya Lebar Airport we will be moving to Changi. I wonder if adequate provision has been made for Changi Airport to cater for any expansion that may be required and if so, whether this expansion will be done ahead of time. In other words, like the Paya Lebar Airport, the new arrival hall was built only when there was insufficient room. And within two years of building this arrival hall we have to abandon it as we am moving it to Changi. It is the same with the navigational aids that will be installed at Changi Airport. I hope that these aids are sufficiently advanced so that they will not be obsolete on the day it begins operation. The aids to navigation at our airport must be really up to-date so that the record of Singapore's safety factor will be maintained. Would the Minister elaborate and ensure that Changi airport will cope with the demands of Singapore in the 21st century?”
“It is in practice as a norm now, Sir. There are so many cases -”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not believe the Hon. Senior Minister of State had the correct up-to-date information regarding the PSA billing system. In fact, everything that I have said is currently practised. For instance, the rounding up of tonnage. He has said that any figure below 0.5 of a tonne is rounded down, and if it is above 0.5 of a tonne it is rounded up. But in practice the PSA will charge; whether it is 0.01 of a tonne above or below a tonne, it is always rounded up to the nearest tonne. Secondly, he says that the railing charges will only come into operation after seven days. This was the case up to last year. But sometime in the middle of last year, PSA changed the rule and just arbitrarily says; "After 72 hours, regardless of whether the goods are on rail or not railing charges will be charged." He has also said that if the inability to clear the cargo lies with PSA, then PSA will waive the charges. Unfortunately, in practice this is not so. The PSA completely refuses to listen to the consignees and will continue to charge them. One of the points I have raised concerns the container storage inside the PSA which is supposed to be computerised. Sometimes the computer has a malfunction and the PSA cannot find the container. When it is finally found, say, ten days later, the PSA will still charge storage fees as from the first day. It is the PSA's fault and yet it imposes a charge. I would ask the Senior Minister of State whether he could please make an investigation. It is not an isolated case. This happens daily for every consignment. I cannot pick one particular instance. He can go to any importer or any transport agency and they can give him ten examples in one day. I think there is a need for an investigation into this matter.”
“This is in spite of the fact that the consignee has no control over the location or handling of his container within PSA and thus should not be held financially responsible for any delays. The PSA has four gates through which it can process outgoing containers but only one gate is always open. Whilst this is normally sufficient, it often happens that when several ships come in at the same time, there are a lot of containers to be cleared and still only one gate is open. A consignee may receive his container by the 71st hour but because of long queues at the gate he may have to queue up for three to four hours. Payment of storage charges is calculated according to the time the container arrives at the gate and payment is made in cash at that time. If because of waiting at the gate the 72 hours grace period has expired, the consignee must then pay store rent from the beginning. He will thus incur charges of $48 for a 20-foot container and $96 for a 40-foot container. In the business of clearing container cargo from PSA, the consignee is completely at the mercy of the PSA and effectively the PSA is making millions of dollars of profit by being inefficient. This profit is being made at the expense of the country as a whole. When all this unjust profit is deducted from the total, I wonder if the PSA would actually be making any profit at all. Would the Minister consider carrying out an investigation into the matters I have raised?”
“If the same consignment is charged at 60 tonnes and is cleared on the 73rd hour, the total PSA charges would amount to the exorbitant sum of $426. From this simple exercise, it is evident that the PSA has made a profit of $324 or 318%. I can assure the House that examples such as I have given are commonplace. I would heartily agree that the PSA should impose railing and storage charges on consignments where the consignee has made no effort to clear his cargo within the grace period. But where every effort has been made by the consignee and through no fault of his own he has been unable to clear his cargo, then he should not be penalised. Containerisation of cargo has become a feature of modern cargo handling and the PSA is proud of its container handling facilities which have been built at great cost. In the discharge of containers, a procedure similar to that for general cargo is followed and a similar grace period of 72 hours is allowed. A consignee is informed by the PSA of the time at which he is to have his equipment standing by to receive his container, but as is often the case PSA's own equipment is not available at the stated time to clear the cargo and delays of anything up to 24 hours are common. This means that the consignee's own equipment which is expensive to run is left idle waiting for the PSA to do the job. In spite of their computer system, the PSA is often unable to locate a particular consignment and if the PSA takes, say, 10 days to locate and supply the necessary equipment to clear the container, then store rent is charged to the consignee from the very first hour at $12 per container per day for the 20-foot container and at $24 per container per day for the 40-foot container.”
“No, Sir. For clarification, let me explain the procedure to be followed when a ship is discharging cargo at PSA. The cargo is initially stored in a godown near the wharf and PSA keeps records of the order of discharge of the cargo and its placement in the godown. A grace period of 72 hours is then allowed. If the consignee can clear his cargo within that time, then he does not incur railing or storage charges. This would seem simple enough. However, in practice the consignee is often not able to clear his cargo within the grace period through no fault of his own. He may have made every effort to locate and clear his cargo but is unable to do so because of factors such as: His cargo is buried under cargo belonging to other consignees and therefore cannot be reached; or the cargo is heavy and given the limited PSA mechanical handling capacity, no equipment is available to extricate his cargo: or even with the help of the PSA tracer he is unable to locate his cargo at all. The PSA, however, does not take any account of these difficulties, and from the 73rd hour onwards railing charges at $3.50 per tonne are imposed together with storage charges at 40 cents per tonne per day from the very first day. Regard is not given to the fact that no railing has been carried out and that the consignee has made every effort to clear his cargo. Thus the consignee is made to pay dearly for PSA's shortcomings. 6.00 p.m. Referring to my earlier example of the consignment shown on the bill of lading as 51 tonnes, let us compare the charges. If the consignment is charged at 51 tonnes and is cleared by the 72nd hour, the total PSA charges would be $102.”
“Sir, earlier this year, I asked and was happy with the answer given by the Senior Minister of State for National Development about a piece of land at the corner of Henderson/Telok Blangah Roads. This piece of land will be cleared of derelict houses and be made into a garden. Therefore, it was rather distressing to learn that the Resettlement Department has written to the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura. copied to the management committee of the mosque, that the mosque which is situated at the corner of this piece of land will also have to be demolished. Sir, this mosque serves the spiritual need of about 6,000 Muslims currently residing in Telok Blangah Drive and Telok Blangah Heights. Unless this piece of land is required for immediate redevelopment, I feel that this mosque should be allowed to remain, as it serves a purpose. The management committee of the mosque has assured me that they will demolish the mosque on their own accord when the HDB is actually ready to redevelop this piece of land. I hope the Senior Minister of State will consider this request.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would just like the Senior Minister of State to clarify one point. He has said that the HDB is responsible for all defects for the first 12 months. What happens when major structural defects are discovered after the period of 12 months? Will the HDB be responsible for them, or will it be the responsibility of the home owners?”
“Sir, in view of the explanation given by the Senior Minister of State, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code N C-04 of the Main Estimates. Last year Singapore saw a disturbing phenomenon. After three days of torrential rain our clean and green city was turned into a great puddle. We have all heard the explanation given to this House by the Hon. Senior Minister of State that the rapid road deterioration was caused by diesel spillage. Now, if this is the sole reason, then we can expect the problem to be a perennial one. Last year for the first time as far as I can remember there was such large scale deterioration and therefore it is highly improbable that diesel spillage alone was the cause. From observations made at the time, it was noted that the deterioration did not necessarily occur in places where there had been heavy diesel spillage or that the roads were necessarily old. I wonder if the PWD had carried out a survey to ascertain whether most, if not all, of the deteriorated roads were the work of one or perhaps two contractors and whether there was proper control of the quality of materials and workmanship. Would the Hon. Minister please tell the House what steps have been taken to ensure that there will not be a repetition of the occurrence? It is bad enough to see a few patches of road deteriorating through wear and tear, but to see the city roads turned into a succession of puddles almost overnight is certainly intolerable.”
“Sir, I am happy to note that the Minister proposes to make a survey on the renovation of flats by owners. What I am saying is, before the HDB puts in the finishes like tiles and flooring, it should give the people who intend to do their own renovation the option to say, "No, we do not want your finishes. We will do it ourselves." In this way, the HDB will not waste money in doing the flooring and the tiling, which may have to be hacked out if renovation work is done by the owner. Another matter is the income ceiling which I do not think the Minister has answered. One Member mentioned about people living in one-room flats could not move to a bigger flat, because their total family income has exceeded the income limit of $1,500 per month. The situation is that the head of the family is in the middle age and the children are grown up. If they were to buy a house that is more expensive than they can really afford, then when the children got married and move out they will have difficulty in paying the instalments for the house. What they really need is a three-room flat. But under the rules they are forced to buy a five-room flat or a HUDC flat. So when the children move out, they would be left with the flat and in their old age they may find it too expensive to maintain the five-room flat. They cannot really afford to hold the flat because when they retire they will have no money in the CPF as all of it would have been used to pay up for the flat. What I am saying is that only the income of the head of the family and his wife should be considered in the purchase of an HDB flat. Otherwise we will get people buying bigger flats when they do not really need it or cannot really afford it.”
“As they begin to have children and when these children reach school -going age, the need for bigger flats like 3-room flats would become a necessity. By this time, savings in the CPF and the income of the worker would have progressively increased to enable him to purchase an apartment or meet the necessary expenses for rental and other costs. The HDB rules governing acceptance of application for renting flats should be reviewed. It is high time the HDB came out with a more rational rule which will not impose hardship on the working class as opposed to the self-employed.”
“Similarly, this young couple will find it very difficult to rent a three-room flat if they have to pay about $130 for rent and PUB bill. I am only making a very safe estimate that the rent is $90 and the PUB bill is $40. It could be more. 6.15 p.m. There is another case of a young couple whose combined gross income at the time of marriage and application for rental flat was $600 and was forced to rent a three-room flat. But for reasons beyond their control, one of them was retrenched and their combined income has come down to $300. In this case, hardship follows when a sizable part of the family income goes to meet the rent and PUB bill. Sir, in the case of the self-employed, like small contractors, provision shopowners, petty traders, taxi drivers and some prosperous hawkers, their income is not assessed. Thus even if they earn more than $500 or more than $800, all they have to do is to make a statutory declaration to the effect that their income is less than $400 or $500 and they are eligible for a 1-room flat or a 2-room flat as the case may be. This strikes one as a most unfair rule against workers who form the majority of those making significant contributions to the growth of the Republic's economy. On the one hand, we want our workers to be thrifty and put aside something for a rainy day. On the other hand, the HDB is bent on syphoning most of a worker's earnings by imposing the burden of a larger flat on him much against his will. We cannot agree with the HDB's contention that this is done to minimise over-saturation of smaller flats which may not be needed in the future. There will always be a need for smaller flats particularly amongst the younger workers in the early years of their marriage.”
“Those whose total family gross income is less than $500 and $400 are only eligible for a two-room flat and 1-room flat respectively. According to the HDB. gross income includes overtime pay and allowances. For wage-earners, overtime and other allowances are not fixed income. Thus, a young married couple whose combined gross income at the time of application for rental flat is $501 or slightly above would be forced to rent a three-room flat. But the HDB does not realise that it is quite difficult for a young couple to make both ends meet by renting a three-room flat. In Boon Teck Constituency, I have cases of young workers who sought my advice and assistance. One young industrial worker has just completed his national service and earns a monthly salary of $510 including overtime pay and other allowances. He has to support his parents and he is planning to settle down. He is not allowed to apply for a two-room flat because his gross salary is more than $501 but his actual take-home pay is $430.95 after deduction of 15 1/2% CPF which he has to pay. His overtime pay and shift allowance are not fixed. If the employer withdraws his allowance and overtime pay, his actual income is about $320. Definitely, HDB is forcing him to live beyond his means. Last Friday, another young married couple came to seek my assistance because the HDB has arbitrarily decided to transfer his application for a two-room flat to a three-room flat as his total family income is $605. His wife is an electronic operator drawing a salary of only $205 including overtime and shift allowance and her husband's salary is $400. His actual take-home pay is not more than $500. His wife is expecting a baby.”
“When their children subsequently marry the flat is not large enough to hold all the members of the family and, given current trends, many young married couples move into their own homes soon after marriage. This eventually leaves the parents with a larger flat than they can actually afford to pay for on their incomes alone and they encounter difficulty in maintaining their payments as they approach retirement. Whilst we must encourage young people to care for and help to support their parents in their old age, they cannot be expected to make payments on their own flats and continue to help their parents meet their liabilities which they were committed to at a time when they were living with their parents. If the children's income had not been included in the initial application, then chances are that the parents would have qualified for a smaller, less expensive flat which they would have a good chance of completely paying for before retirement. Even if one child stays behind in the family home, the drop in income for the household in a larger flat would be great and would create an unnecessary financial r burden on the one remaining behind with the parents. May I suggest that in such cases the income should be calculated solely on the basis of the income of the breadwinner and his wife. This problem will lessen on its own in time to come as the two-child family becomes the norm, but for the present may I suggest that this matter be given urgent consideration. Mr Phey Yew Kok: Sir, the HDB allocates flats based on combined gross income of the family. Those whose total family gross income is $501 to $800 can only rent a three-room apartment.”
“He would then either supply and fit such finishes through his own contractor or could supply them to be fitted by the HDB or HUDC contractor on payment of a service charge. A cut-off date for exercising such an option could be set and anyone who has not made his selection by that date will be supplied with finishes from the basic plan and will be charged accordingly. Many of the owners of 5- and 4-room HDB flats too spend quite large sums of money on renovations and incur similar waste. The pressure to produce low-cost housing in the minimum time is now being reduced. There are 49,000 people on the waiting list and 30,000 units are being built per year. It would therefore seem feasible to consider making more allowance for individual taste and desires of new HDB and HUDC flat owners. Here is a point which goes a step further than what the Member for Bedok has just said. At the present time and for some years to come, there is a group of citizens who are encountering difficulty in becoming owners of HDB flats because of the income ceiling rules. I am referring to those who are now middle aged and whose families were born before our current family planning programme came into effect. These people often have five, six or even more children. The husband and wife together may earn a monthly income of only $500 - $600 but their children are also working and earning good incomes. Nowadays daughters as well as the sons hold good jobs and the present practice of including the children's income with that of the parents means that either such parents are forced to apply for HUDC housing or if their combined income is less than $1,500 but more than $1,200 they must take a larger flat than the parents can really afford or want.”
“Sir, the growth of our new towns and Housing and Development Board blocks of flats is a credit to Singapore and is a feature which is much admired and studied both at home and abroad. The apartments being built by the Housing and Urban Development Company also meet the need for middle income housing and large numbers of these new home owners undertake quite extensive renovations to further improve on their flats. In the course of making these improvements there is considerable waste of time, labour resources and materials as many people hack out their bathroom and kitchen tiles and replace them with new ones. There is also much hacking of the screeded floors in flats in order to lay marble, terrazzo or tile finishes. In the HUDC flats too, a high percentage of owners reject such items as the kitchen cabinet and servery which are included with the price of the flat and these costly items are also wasted. All this and other waste is expensive, especially as the materials used are imported and represent foreign exchange. Our labour resources too are limited and much time is wasted in ripping, removing and making good the damage to walls, floors etc. and unblocking pipes and drains which become clogged as a result of the hacking and cement mixing. May I suggest that the Hon. Minister seek ways to minimise this wastage perhaps by allowing for more options to be offered to buyers. A basic plan could be prepared to include perhaps one or two choices of flooring, bathroom and kitchen wall and floor tiles. The buyer could then be given the option of accepting these or of taking over the flat without these finishes at a reduced price.”
“Coloured posters showing the correct mode of dress for the different uniforms should be produced and prominently displayed to serve as reminders and to ensure that due respect is paid to the uniform by avoiding incorrect placement of badges of rank etc. Comparative ranks of the services and their different uniforms and formation signs should be prominently displayed to enable easy recognition and relation of one branch or battalion to another. This knowledge would instil a sense of pride and com- radeship into the hearts of our personnel.”
“A judicious lifting of the security blanket on information on our weapons systems which is not truly secret would make such information available to potential recruits and would thus stimulate this interest. Probably of greater importance is the fact that it would provide a more meaningful system of classification of information within the service. 4.15 p.m. The quality, style and correct wearing of uniforms is another matter for consideration. The uniforms presently issued to Armed Forces personnel, whilst they may be of good quality cloth are very poorly stitched and finished. The size is non-standard and the fit is generally poor. Stricter quality control should be exercised to ensure smart and well fining uniforms. There should also be some differentiation between uniforms worn for combat and non-combat duty. Heavy boots and drill are not the most suitable wear for personnel engaged in purely administrative duties. Lighter, more comfortable uniforms, would be more acceptable under these conditions. There is also considerable room for improvement in the design of uniforms for female personnel. Even the uniforms of many schoolgirls are smarter and more attractive. Keeping our ladies in outdated styles and black socks does not reflect a smart modern force. Female personnel on non-field duties should be encouraged to wear make-up and personal grooming should be included in their recruit training. This would attract more girls to the Armed Forces and at the same time would boost both their morale and the general morale of the male personnel. If we were to draft our girls into national service, as the Hon. Prime Minister mentioned earlier, then making them look more lady-like would help to make the medicine easier to swallow.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in the drive to recruit more regulars into the Armed Forces, would the Hon. Minister consider the following suggestions for a more exciting recruitment campaign? The annual SAF display always generates great public interest and is enthusiastically attended by many young people. Would it not be possible to create a mobile exposition, perhaps of the three services combined which could tour the community centres to spark the interest of potential recruits and disseminate information on career prospects and Service-life in general? The Army might display examples of the types of weapons in use and photographs or short films on Army manoeuvres. A tank or armoured vehicle would stimulate considerable interest. The Air Force could show mock-ups of aircraft control panels, flying suits and the like and the youngsters could have the opportunity to try on a flying helmet. The navy too would have many interesting classes of vessels to show in photographs or on film and mock-ups perhaps of the bridge of a torpedo boat. Would the Hon. Minister also consider reviewing the classification of information in the armed services. Much of the information pertaining to our weapons systems would appear to be over-classified as most, if not all, of the specifications of the systems currently in use can be obtained from books and magazines which are easily available and are certainly not in any sense secret. The serviceability, numbers and disposition of our weapons systems should be matters of secrecy but over-classification should be avoided as this is self-defeating. When everything is marked Secret or Top Secret the classification very soon loses its significance and the importance of safeguarding certain vital information could well be lost as it becomes too commonplace.”
“Sir, although the answer is not entirely satisfactory, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $5,968,780 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $45,538,200 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head J -”
“Sir, could the Minister give an indication of time as to when he might be able to make a decision on this matter?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head I be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code IF-01 of the Development Estimates. Sir, in line with the Government policy to provide recreational facilities for the people, may I suggest that the Hon. Minister look into the feasibility of opening up our reservoirs for the pursuit of non-polluting water sports, such as sailing, boating, rowing, sculling and paddle boating. At present the facilities for these water sports are located at various spots along the coast, and as such are subject to tide conditions. They are also generally restricted to members of clubs. Opening up the reservoirs would create opportunities for the casual boater to hire a boat and enjoy sailing or rowing in safe and pleasant surroundings. Perhaps the Singapore Sports Council could operate such a boat-hire service. Our schools and institutes of higher learning could be encouraged to include rowing, sculling and even sailing in their extracurricular activity programmes, thus opening up a wider range of sports activities to our youngsters. Races, competitions and perhaps an annual carnival could be arranged. As all these sports are non-polluting, the water in the reservoirs would not be in any danger of contamination. These facilities could be enjoyed at any time of the day as the reservoirs are non-tidal. They should not be too expensive to set up as the only requirement would be for a few wooden jetties to be built and for provision to be made for the various classes of boats. 4.00 p.m.”
“Sir, in view of the answer from the Senior Minister of State. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head P be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead DAA 1101. Sir, at the moment, the meteorological service provided through our papers is inadequate and I am aware of the joke that whatever is the forecast, you just think of the opposite and that is the truth. But I think our meteorological service in Singapore can provide us with a more reliable forecast. I am thinking more in terms of a longer one-week forecast of possible weather fronts coming to Singapore. This will help our people to plan their activities during the weekend. Perhaps if inclement or hot weather is expected during the weekend, they can plan ahead of time and this will also be of service to our service industries like the lighterage business, the transport business and the stevedoring business. Knowing what kind of weather is coming up, they can plan for the situation and perhaps save some money in the process and help to increase our productivity. So I would like to ask the Minister if it is possible to arrange perhaps through the Culture Ministry the release of a more detailed meteorological forecast for publication in our papers and also through the RTS.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have two very minor questions. When the new arrival hall is being built, will adequate car parks also be built to accommodate the extra number of cars? At present during peak hours on any day, all the car parks, even those in the cargo complex, are fully taken up. It is almost impossible to find parking space. The other question I want to ask is this. After 1982 when Changi Airport undertakes the role of unscheduled flights and cargo flights, will the present services provided by Seletar Airport also be transferred to Changi Airport? If so, what will be the future role of Seletar Airport?”
“Sir, when I say ``minor'' just now, I do not mean unimportant. Had HDB been found to have major faults, I think some of us would not be sitting in this House today. Like a marriage, it is the minor faults in a relationship that in the long run breaks up a marriage. It is the same thing here. It is the minor matters that will bring up big problems in future.”