Ahmad Mattar
Singapore
“Sir, I would like to urge the Minister, the newly appointed panel chaired by Mr Hsuan Owyang, and certainly the people in charge of Channel 12 Pte Ltd, to look into the quality of Malay programmes on Channel 12. There is not much point in increasing the number of hours of Malay programmes on Channel 12 if quality is not there.”
“Because if SBC conducts those surveys or SBC administers the people meter, what other conclusions can we get? Finally, Sir, I would like to urge the Minister, and certainly the General Manager of SBC, to re-look into SBC's programmes.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, Encik Ibrahim Othman has asked a number of questions on Muslim divorces. On the actual number of Muslim divorces registered in 1992, the answer is 1,002.”
“45 pm Sir, on wakaf properties, the House may want to know that the first development project comprising four units of terrace houses at Duku Road has been completed. This year, two more projects at Lorong L and Lorong G, Telok Kurau, will be launched.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am aware of that circular. Unfortunately, my Public Health Officers have reported that despite the circular there has not been any improvement to the littering problem. Even till this morning, Sir, when we inspected Potong Pasir, littering was still evident.”
“Sir, the question has been answered and the photographs have also been labelled with the time they were taken. My point is that if the Member claims that his constituency does not have a littering problem, then there should not be any litter at any time of the day, 5.30 am regardless.”
The complete record
Every one of 769 lines we hold for Ahmad Mattar, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 10 of 16.
“INCOME TAX (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Income Tax Act (Chapter 141 of the Revised Edition)", recommendation of President signified; presented by Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam; read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. ESTATE DUTY (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Estate Duty Act (Chapter 137 of the Revised Edition)", recommendation of President signified; presented by Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam; read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. EMPLOYMENT (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Employment Act (Chapter 122 of the Revised Edition)'" presented by the Minister for Labour and Second Minister for Law and Home Affairs (Prof. S. Jayakumar); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. COMPANIES (AMENDMENT) BILL (As reported from Select Committee) Order for Third Reading read. 3.48 pm”
“CRIMINAL LAW (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS)(AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act (Chapter 112 of the Revised Edition)", presented by Mr Chua Sian Chin; read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. PENAL CODE (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Penal Code (Chapter 103 of the Revised Edition)", presented by Mr Chua Sian Chin; read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. ARMS OFFENCES (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Arms Offences Act, 1973 (No. 61 of 1973)", presented by Mr Chua Sian Chin; read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. HUDC HOUSING ESTATES BILL "to make provisions for the establishment of bodies corporate comprising the owners of flats in the housing estates known as HUDC housing estates to take over the maintenance and management of those estates from the Housing and Development Board, and for matters connected therewith", presented by the Minister for National Development (Mr Teh Cheang Wan); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. RUBBER ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE (INCORPORATION) (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Rubber Association of Singapore (incorporation) Act (Chapter 200 of the Revised Edition)", presented by the Minister for Finance and Minister for Trade and Industry (Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed.”
“Jayakumar (on behalf of the Prime Minister); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNALS BILL "to make provision for the establishment, jurisdiction and powers of Small Claims Tribunals and the appointments, powers and duties of Referees in such tribunals and the administration of justice therein; and to make consequential amendment to the Subordinate Courts Act (Chapter 14 of the Revised Edition)", recommendation of President signified; presented by Prof. S. Jayakumar; read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. CRIMINAL PROCEDURE CODE (AMENDMENT NO. 2) BILL "to amend the Criminal Procedure Code (Chapter 113 of the Revised Edition)", presented by Prof. S. Jayakumar; read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. LEGAL PROFESSION (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Legal Profession Act (Chapter 217 of the Revised Edition)", presented by Prof. S. Jayakumar; read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. PARLIAMENTARY MEMBERSHIP BILL "to vary the number of elected Members of Parliament", presented by the Minister for Law (Mr E. W. Barker); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. ROAD TRAFFIC (AMENDMENT NO. 2) BILL "to amend the Road Traffic Act (Chapter 92 of the Revised Edition)", presented by the Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Chua Sian Chin); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the House may recall that in September 1975, the Administration of Muslim Law Act was amended for the implementation of the Mosque Building Fund Scheme. The objective of this Scheme was to ensure a steady source of funds for mosque building purposes. Under this Scheme, all Muslim employees were required to pay a monthly contribution of 50 cents to the Fund through the Central Provident Fund Board. In July 1977, the Mosque Building Fund contribution was increased from 50 cents to $1 per month. This increase was necessary to ensure the availability of funds for the mosque building purposes. The Government has now decided that Muslim employees can also make regular contributions to the Council on Education for Muslim Children (Majlis Pendidikan Anak-anak Islam) or Mendaki. Mendaki has launched many projects to uplift the educational attainment of Muslim children and requires a steady source of income to finance these projects. The monthly contribution payable by Muslim employees will be fixed at 50 cents initially. Necessary amendments to the Administration of Muslim Law Act will be introduced in due course and the collection of contributions will commence soon after the amendments come into effect. BILLS INTRODUCED 3.38 pm CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore", presented by the Minister for Labour and Second Minister for Law and Home Affairs (Prof. S. Jayakumar) (on behalf of the Prime Minister); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 50 of the Revised Edition)", presented by Prof. S.”
“Members of the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura are appointed under Section 7 of the Administration of Muslim Law Act which provides that the Majlis shall consist of: (i) a President to be appointed by the President of Singapore; (ii) the Mufti; (iii) not more than five members to be appointed by the President of Singapore on the recommendation of the Minister; and (iv) not less than seven members to be appointed by the President of Singapore, from a list of nominees to be submitted by the President of the Majlis. The list of nominees shall consist of persons nominated by such Muslim societies as are prescribed for the purpose by the Majlis. Persons to be considered for appointment to the Majlis must satisfy the following:- (i) be a male Muslim; (ii) be a citizen of Singapore; (iii) be above the age of 25 years; and (iv) be conversant with the Muslim religion. The Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura has adopted the following criteria for prescribing Muslim societies who are to be invited to submit nominees. (i) the society must actively promote Islam; (ii) it must represent the interests and aspirations of Muslims; and (iii) it must have a good following. Members of the Majlis hold office for a period of three years and are eligible for re-appointment. IMPLEMENTATION OF NWC 1983 RECOMMENDATIONS 3. Mr M.K.A. Jabbar asked the Acting Minister for Labour if he will state the number of companies or employers who have implemented the National Wages Council's 1983 recommendations.”
“They will be located at Jalan Eunos/changi Road; Yishun Avenue 7, Yishun Ring Road; Jurong East Central/Jurong East Street 21; Bukit Batok East Avenue 5/Bukit Batok East Avenue 2; Telok Blangah Way, Telok Blangah Rise and Tampines Avenue 3. Sites for mosques to be built in Bedok New Town and Clementi New Town have not been selected yet. MAJLIS UGAMA ISLAM SINGAPURA (SELECTION OF MEMBERS) 2. Mr M.K.A. Jabbar asked the Acting Minister for Social Affairs if he will inform the House how members of the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura are selected.”
“Another mosque, Masjid Darul Aman, is being built at the junction of Jalan Eunos and Changi Road which, when completed in 1986, can accommodate about 3,000 worshippers, Finally, two mosques in the Serangoon/Jalan Kayu area with a combined capacity for 300 worshippers were demolished and the En-Naeem Mosque (Hougang) was built to cater for 1,400 worshippers. The eighteen mosques in Singapore that were demolished had a total capacity for 4,130 worshippers. The seven new mosques that were built since 1975, however, have an aggregate capacity for almost four times this number. (ii) Number of new mosques which have been completed and their locations The Mosque Building Fund (MBF) Scheme was implemented in 1975. To-date, seven mosques have been built in Housing and Development Board Estates. They are:- Name of Location Date of Existing Mosque Completion Capacity _____________________________________________________________ 1 Muhajirin Braddell Road (Toa Payoh) 8.4.77 1,400 2 Mujahidin 590 Stirling Road 9.10.77 2,500 (Queenstown) 3 Assyakirin 550 Yung An Road (Jurong) 30.4.78 2,700 4 An-Nur Admiralty Road (Woodlands) 20.4.80 2,800 5 Al-Muttaqin Ave 6 Ang Mo Kio 21.9.80 2,700 6 Al-Ansar Bedok North Ave 1 14.6.81 3,000 CONSTRUCTION OF MOSQUES (cont.) Name of Location Date of Existing Mosque Completion Capacity _____________________________________________________________ 7 En-Naeem Tampines Road/Hougang 27.11.83 1,400 Ave 3 The total capacity of these seven mosques is 16,500. (iii) Number of Mosques to be built in the next two or three years and their locations Eight more mosques will be built in the next two or three years. Sites for six of these eight mosques have been accepted by MUIS.”
“(i) Old mosques which have been pulled down (Cols. 1465 - 1468) pulled down - List of mosques built by MUIS since 1975 and old mosques demolished since 1968 by Postal District (Cols. 1465 - 1468) Eighteen mosques in Singapore and seven mosques in the southern islands have been demolished since 1968. Their names are listed in of Appendix 1 (Cols. 1465 - 1468). The mosques in the southern islands, namely, Pulau Bukom Kechil, Pulau Brani, Pulau Seraya, Pulau Semakau, Pulau Sekijang Pelepah and Pulau Sudong are no longer required because all the islanders previously living there have been rehoused in Singapore. With regard to the mosques in Singapore, three in Postal Districts 12, 13 and 19, with a combined capacity for 650 worshippers, were demolished, but in their place MUIS built Masjid Muhajirin in Toa Payoh which can comfortably accommodate 1,400 worshippers. Three mosques in Postal Districts 7, 9 and 10, with a combined capacity for 1,050 worshippers, were demolished and in their place MUIS built Masjid Mujahidin in Queenstown which can accommodate 2,500 worshippers. One mosque in Kampong Tuas with a capacity for 100 worshippers was demolished and Masjid Assyakirin in Jurong was built to accommodate 2,700 worshippers. Masjid Sembawang with a capacity for 180 worshippers was demolished and Masjid An-Nur with a capacity for 2,800 worshippers was built. In the Geylang/Changi Districts, eight mosques with a combined capacity for 1,800 worshippers were demolished, but Masjid Al-Ansar which was built by MUIS can cater for 3,000 worshippers.”
“Sir, I am not passing the buck. He asked me a question whether there will be special provision so that the handicapped can go into the trains. And I said that these are technical details. He can raise them when we debate the Ministry of Communications' budget.”
“Sir, we are debating the Budget of the Ministry of Social Affairs. If he wants to discuss technical aspects. of the MRT, how the tube is constructed, how the coaches are going to be designed, I suggest he raises them in the Committee of Supply on the Ministry of Communications.”
“Sir, no one says that they cannot make use of the MRT. If somebody is willing to bring a handicapped or wheel-chair bound person down into the tube station, he can make use of the MRT. When the MRTC says that they are not making provision for the disabled or the handicapped, it does not mean that they are barring them from using. They can, but they are not providing special facilities for them. As I said, they do this with the interest and welfare of the disabled persons at heart.”
“I thought by answering his question in this Chamber, I have made it public already.”
“Sir, I have a strong suspicion that whenever a Minister gives a reply, the Member for Anson is not listening. I have said that the MRTC made a decision not to provide provisions for the handicapped so that in case of calamities (not that we want calamities but should there be one) they would not be victims of the calamity. As a result of that, we have appointed a Committee on Barrier-free Environment for the Aged and Disabled in Our Land Communication Systems. And, of course, consultations were held between the MRTC and the Ministry of Social Affairs and the relevant Ministries concerned. And we fully agree with the views of the MRTC. As I said, they arrived at this decision with the interest and the welfare of the handicapped, the disabled and the aged at heart. He asked, "What about the other countries? Why can't we learn from them?" Hong Kong does not have provision for the disabled in the MRT. Have I answered your question?”
“Firstly, to function as a central statistical source of reference for organizations providing services to disabled people and, secondly, to provide disability profiles so as to facilitate planning and provision of services for disabled people. With the establishment of this Registry, we know that there are about 12,000 disabled persons today on record. The Ministry is in the process of updating the particulars of these registered disabled persons, and so far we have been able to update the particulars of 8,848 of them. We have found that 421 of them had either passed away or left the Republic. Then he mentioned about this wheel-bound person who met me at the exhibition at Lucky Plaza. True, he handed me a letter of appeal to the MRTC to consider provisions for handicapped persons like himself. I think the MRTC has given a reply to such requests and it has been very widely publicized by the local press. When the MRTC said that they were not going to include provisions for the handicapped, I think they were doing it with the welfare of the handicapped at heart, because in case of a calamity, the handicapped trapped in the MRT stations would be the victims of the calamity. So I think the MRTC having taken these into considerations have therefore decided not to provide special provisions for the handicapped in order to minimize risk on them. Arising from this, a Committee on Barrier-Free Environment for the Aged and Disabled in Our Land Communication Systems has been set up to consider what alternatives or what measures to be taken so that handicapped people, if they cannot make use of the MRT can at least make use of our land transportation system. The Committee's report is in the final stage of preparation.”
“These welfare services include individual and family counselling, financial assistance and referral services for the disabled. For FYs 82 and 83 alone, a total of 903 disabled persons and their families were given various forms of supportive help. 4.45 pm Now, let me deal with employment of disabled persons. Contrary to our earlier belief, Sir, a large number of disabled persons are in gainful employment. A survey of 5,570 disabled persons revealed that about 51% of them had CPF contributions credited to them. These people have been found jobs through the combined efforts of the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Labour. My Ministry, Sir, has an incentive scheme for employers to accept the disabled into the workforce. Under the scheme the employer is reimbursed for the first 1 1/2 months' salary paid by him to the disabled whom he has employed. Transport and meal allowances are also provided under this scheme for the disabled employee during the first two weeks of his employment. This is to sustain him in his employment until he gets his first pay packet. The Ministry of Labour also manages the Disablement Resettlement Scheme. This Scheme assists disabled persons to gain economic independence through on-the-job training, and during the period of training they receive a monthly allowance of $150 from the Ministry. In addition they also receive a monthly allowance of $60 from their employer. Disabled persons who have enrolled themselves in commercial schools also receive the monthly allowance of $150. In addition they are also entitled to free tuition fees and textbooks. Now I shall come to the indirect services. First, the maintenance of a Central Registry of Disabled People. Now the aims of this Registry, Sir, are two-fold.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the way the Member for Anson has been talking for the last 10 minutes would give one the impression that the PAP Government has done nothing for the disabled in the last 25 years. And I would like to take this opportunity to inform him what the Government, through the Ministry of Social Affairs, has done for the welfare of the disabled persons. The Government provides direct as well as indirect services. I shall deal with the direCt services first. The Ministry of Social Affairs provides annual block grants and per capita grants to nine voluntary welfare organizations dealing with disabled persons to meet their recurrent expenditure, Eight of these voluntary organizations receive annual block grants and they are the Singapore Association for the Deaf, Singapore Association for Retarded Children, Society for Aid to the Paralyzed, Spastic Children's Association of Singapore, Singapore Association for Mental Health, Association for Educationally Subnormal Children, Singapore Cheshire Home, and the Vocational Assessment and Placement Centre of the Singapore Council of Social Service. The Singapore Association for the Blind also receives per capita grant per head per day. The Ministry has also been providing instructors to the Singapore Association for the Blind and the Singapore Association for the Deaf in addition to the block and per capita grants mentioned earlier. With regard to the details on the Singapore School for the Deaf which the Member for Anson has touched on, my colleague, the Minister of State of Education, has agreed to reply to him. Sir, the Ministry also provides welfare services to disabled persons of all ages and their families.”
“Because with the developments I have mentioned just now, there will be sufficient beds in the pipeline to meet the increase in demand up to 1985.”
“Sir, the answer is no, not in the immediate future. 4.30 pm”
“If I may stress once again, Sir, the Government, through the Ministry of Social Affairs, has adopted an integrated approach in the provisions of care for the aged. That is why we are asking for the participation of the family, the community and the State. So it is not true to say that the Government is not doing anything.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as far as the supportive services are concerned, as the Member for Anson and Members of the House are aware, there is a Committee on the Problems of the Aged chaired by my colleague, the Minister for Health. He will be presenting the report of the Committee to Parliament soon. It is premature for me at this stage to disclose what recommendations he will be making as far as the aged is concerned. The Member for Anson, as usual, has come up with a smear on the Government. He says that the Government only knows how to appeal to voluntary organizations, that it does not do anything on its own for the aged, although it can spend $11 million on National Celebrations. Sir, at present there are some 1,200 elderly persons, mostly with no families in Singapore, living in Government welfare homes. The two hospitals which I mentioned just now, the Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Woodbridge Hospital, provide chronic sick wards to accommodate the invalid aged who could not be taken care of in their own homes. Then we have the Home Nursing Foundation which was established by the Ministry of Health to provide nursing care for the chronic sick in their homes. The Government has been actively promoting community participation in the provision of services for the aged. This is in line with the Government's philosophy on care for the aged, that is, we should adopt an integrated approach in the provisions of care for the aged. This calls for participation from the family, from the community and from the State. These services are rendered in the form of residential care, day-care, befriender scheme and recreational activities. At present, there are about 4,000 beds available for accommodating the aged and destitutes in Government welfare homes, hospitals and residential homes.”
“In response to a call by the Ministry, the following voluntary charitable organizations are planning or have started to provide institutional care for the aged sick: - The Phor Kar See Evergreen Home: They have already set up a home with a capacity of 100 beds for the aged sick. I believe the home is in operation now. Then we have the Bible Presbyterian Welfare Services. They too, I believe, have started the Ling Kwang Home for senior citizens. This home has 50 beds for the aged sick. Next, we have the Methodist Welfare Services with a Home for the Aged Sick at St. George's Road, with 40 beds. The Lions Club of Singapore plans to run a Home for the Aged Sick in Toa Payoh Rise for 100 persons with plans for future expansion. The Singapore Buddhist Welfare Services is building what they call the "Grace Lodge" which is scheduled for completion sometime this year. This home will have 50 beds for the aged sick. Then we have the Salvation Army which has begun to accept the aged sick cases into its Lee Kuo Chuan Home for the Aged. What I said last year was that we had a surplus of places for homes for the aged, but we are certainly short of places for homes for the aged sick. This is the reason why we are appealing to voluntary organizations to set up more homes for the aged sick.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first of all, I would like to deal with the specific problem faced by the Muslim man who the Member for Anson claims to be his constituent. He has also claimed to have approached a number of voluntary organizations running such homes, and the answer so far is that it is difficult for them to accommodate this particular patient because of dietary restrictions. I would like to assure the Member for Anson that he can refer that case to me on one condition, that the person concerned must be a constituent of Anson Constituency and that he is a Singapore citizen. As far as sufficiency of places in Homes for the Aged is concerned, what I said in last year's Budget, and I believe the Budget before that, was that we have a surplus of places in Homes for the Aged, and that is why we are not encouraging organizations to set up more Homes for the Aged lest these homes will become dumping grounds. But we are certainly short of Homes for the Aged Sick. I think the problem still remains today. There are now, Sir, two hospital wards, one in Tan Tock Seng Hospital and the other in Woodbridge Hospital, for the chronic sick, run by the Government with a total capacity of 150 beds. In addition, there are three Homes for the Aged Sick run by the Society for the Aged Sick, the Sree Narayana Mission and the Franciscan Nuns, with a total capacity of 570 beds. I agree that the total capacity so far we have today is not sufficient to cater to the needs of the aged sick that we have in Singapore and that is why the Ministry of Social Affairs has been calling voluntary organizations to set up more homes for the aged sick.”
“Sir, I would take note of the suggestion by the Member for Kaki Bukit that we should widen the responsibilities of JHDs in the organization of Islamic events in Singapore. With regard to why pilgrims from Singapore have registered with LUTH in Malaysia to go on pilgrimage, this is a reciprocal arrangement. MUIS also receives Malaysian pilgrims who have been given permission by LUTH to go with MUIS because they have relatives in Singapore. This is a reciprocal arrangement which we allow from time to time, for Muslim pilgrims in Singapore to go with their relatives in Malaysia if they want to just as LUTH allows Malaysian pilgrims with relatives in Singapore to go to the pilgrimage with MUIS. The Member for Pasir Panjang wants to know the causes for the pilgrims to be stranded in Jeddah International Airport. It arose from a misunderstanding between the officers of Saudi Arabian Airline at Jeddah International Airport and the Syehs handling the pilgrims' departure over the re-confirmation of air tickets before the departure. As a problem of this nature would take some time before it could be resolved, the pilgrims concerned therefore missed their scheduled flights to Singapore. Nonetheless, I have received reports that they were well looked after by officers of the airline until they were put on the first available flight to Singapore, I would like to say that our Embassy in Jeddah and also the Saudi Embassy here in Singapore should be commended for the assistance they rendered in resolving this problem. As I said, we hope that this incident will not recur in future.”
“Publicity for the Family Day Care Scheme includes pamphlets and a booklet entitled "Choosing Good Day Care for Children", advertisements on bus panels, car stickers, announcements over the radio, filmlets screened over TV and classified advertisements placed in newspapers. Since July 1983, my Ministry has been promoting the concept of workplace childcare centres to both the private and public sectors. My Ministry has approached the National Productivity Council as well as several employers with a large female workforce to familiarise them with the concept of workplace childcare centres and to explain the types of assistance the government will give to encourage them to set up workplace childcare centres. One workplace childcare centre has already been set up at Chartered Industries of Singapore. Another four workplace childcare centres will be set up soon. My Ministry now provides 4 basic courses in early childhood education and 2 specialised courses. The training is intended to upgrade the quality of childcare services offered in the childcare centres. To date, 115 persons have benefited from the training. PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM (Steps to improve) 18. Mr S. Chandra Das asked the Acting Minister for Communications what additional steps will be taken to improve the public transport system especially buses in view of the Government policy to curb motor-car ownership.”
“It is not the intention of the Government to encourage the attitude that senior citizens are a class apart for whom special policies and programmes should be drawn up. Able-bodied senior citizens who, for one reason or another, are not in gainful employment face the problem of boredom and social isolation during the day when their children are at work and their grandchildren at school. To alleviate this problem, the People's Association and Residents' Committees have set up 60 recreational centres in community centres and HDB void decks. It is intended to open more such centres and to involve the inactive senior citizens themselves in the management of the centres. In 1982, my Ministry introduced a "Befrienders' Service" in the Tiong Bahru constituency as a pilot project to cater to the needs of senior citizens who are single and living alone or are home-bound and unable to cope with the demands of living in the community. Under the project, a pool of concerned citizens befriend, advise and assist them and act as points of contact in times of need. The project will be extended to another two constituencies soon. With regard to child-care systems, my Ministry runs a Family Day Care Scheme under which children of working mothers are matched with housewives selected as care-givers and a Workplace Childcare Centre Scheme under which factories are encouraged through a system of subsidies to set up child care centres. In addition, my Ministry provides training for childcare centre staff. The Family Day Care Scheme was launched in October 1980. Since then, out of 7,292 requests for assistance, 1,943 have been successfully matched.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I will be very brief. I have taken note of all the suggestions made by the hon. Member for Kaki Bukit on how the SSC should go about doing things, and I will certainly direct the SSC to consider them. But I disagree with the Member for Kaki Bukit that the National Stadium is a "white elephant." Since 1976, the Singapore Sports Council has earned revenue sufficient to pay for the upkeep of the National Stadium. The utilization rate of the National Stadium in 1982 was 244 bookings. The Football Association of Singapore hosted a number of tournaments in 1982. They were the Lion City Cup, the Asian Youth Tournament, the Merlion Trophy and the Asia-Oceania Final Qualifying Match of the World Cup Tournament. And these matches accounted for some periods of usage of the National Stadium in place of the Malaysia Cup. On the usage of the covered area, the exhibition space under the gallery of the National Stadium was fully utilized for commercial rentals except for an area of 170 square metres which was used regularly as a reception area for seminars and rhythmic exercise classes. Two of the fringe car parks have been converted for overnight bus parking while one area, Car Park D, has been converted to house four fast-food restaurants.”
“I am not too sure. I hope the Minister for National Development is here to answer that. The HDB would never do such a thing: asking the applicant to get someone to be called the adopted son. I doubt it! Anyway, coming back to Public Assistance allowances, the rates are fixed at a certain percentage of the Minimum Household Expenditure determined by the Statistics Department of the Ministry of Finance. For a two-person household, the Public Assistance Allowance is $110 a month and that represents 50% of the Minimum Household Expenditure. So for this particular old lady, if her adopted son earns a declared income of $350, it is more than what a two-person household needs. Therefore, she is not entitled to the Public Assistance Allowance. Even if the Member were to appeal to me, even if he were to bring her to my office or anywhere he wants me to meet her, the answer is still no.”
“Whatever it is, she has used that person to get tenancy of an HDB flat.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, the Public Assistance rates are fixed as a percentage of minimum household expenditure. In this particular case of the lady and her bumboat son -”
“Sir, under the circumstances she is now in, the answer is no.”
“About signing the withdrawal letter. She told you that she did not sign, and you admitted that you did not know whether she was telling the truth or not. I am telling you now that she was not telling you the truth. As regards the second case, since the person concerned came to see him only last night, therefore, I cannot make any comment. As he said just now, he will be writing to me on this case. I will give my judgment when I receive his appeal.”
“He also stated that if he made the facts of the case known publicly, which he did (it was reported in the Straits Times), Singaporeans would hang their heads in shame of the Government's action in taking away Public Assistance of $80 per month from a poor, old, lonely woman of 78 who has not a single relative or anyone to look after her. And he himself admitted just now that he did not know whether Madam X told him a lie or not. I am telling him now that Madam X told him a lie. 5.15 p.m.”
“Madam X, a widow aged 79, was an itinerant cake hawker. She stopped work in 1971 due to old age. She went back to China to visit her only son in 1971 with her life savings of about $7,700. She returned to Singapore after spending three to four months in China where she had exhausted all her savings. She applied for Public Assistance in 1972. As she was reported to be without means of support, she was assisted with PA with effect from February 1972. She was then living alone at Block 28, 219 Jalan Membina Barat. Her case was reviewed in September 1982. Investigations revealed that Madam X had shifted to her present residence at Jalan Bukit Merah on 1st July, 1982, to live with one Mr Y, who was recorded in the HDB tenancy list as her adopted son. Mr Y, a bachelor, is a bumboat driver with no fixed employer. He has a declared income, as the Member put it just now, of $350 per month nett and is supporting Madam X who is also in receipt of Robin Welfare Aid at $30 per month from my Ministry. Later Madam X and her adopted son called at the Ministry to request a final payment in October 1982 and to withdraw from Public Assistance. In view of the above findings her request was acceded to. Her voluntary statement of withdrawal from Public Assistance was witnessed by her adopted son. I have got it here. It was thumb-printed by Madam X. Her thumb print is there. Sir, on 5th November, 1982, the Member for Anson wrote to me to ask for the restoration of Madam X's Public Assistance without delay and that all monies withheld from her over the past weeks be refunded to her. The Member believed that the sum of $30 is not enough for Madam X to maintain herself.”
“Chaired by me personally, membership of the PARC comprises my two Parliamentary Secretaries, three Members of Parliament and senior officials of the Ministry of Social Affairs. Besides reviewing cases, fresh applications which are assessed by officials as unsuitable for the grant of PA are also referred to the PARC for a decision. In addition, Sir, the PARC considers all appeals for reconsideration made by hon. Members on behalf of their constituents, including the Member for Anson. Hon. Members are welcome to refer appeals to this Committee. I can assure the Member for Anson that his cases will be heard by this Committee as well. Next, I will try to inform the Member how a recipient of PA signs the statement of withdrawal. In the course of investigating applications for Public Assistance or reviewing existing cases, applicants or recipients who have the means of support and are not in need of Public Assistance usually withdraw their applications and request the Ministry not to make further investigations into their family lest they be embarrassed if we find out how much they earn. Sir, the usual practice is to record a voluntary statement of withdrawal from the applicant or recipient to this effect. The signed statement is usually witnessed by a family member, or his relatives or friends in the presence of the applicant or recipient. If there is any feeling on the part of the Member for Anson that the Ministry harasses or coerces any applicant or recipient into making a statement, this is not so. Sir, in 1982 a total of 390 cases voluntarily withdrew from public assistance. Let me come to the next case of the lady with the bumboat man. Sir, since the Member for Anson did not disclose the name of this lady, I shall do likewise. Let us call her Madam X.”
“First of all, we need five columns. The PA rates prior to 1973 were: Dependants Maximum Head of Over 16 Under 16 per Household Wife yrs of age yrs of age Household $ $ $ $ $ January 1962 21 10 8 5 90 January 1973 28 18 12 12 70 In fact, the 1973 rates were actually higher than the rates in 1962 for each of the four categories of recipients, namely, Head of Household, Wife, Dependant below 16 years of age and Dependant above 16 years of age. However, while the 1962 rates allowed payment for up to a maximum of 12 dependants if they were under 16 years of age or 7 dependants if they were above 16 years of age, the 1973 rates and all subsequent rates up to the present day only allowed payment for a maximum of 4 members in each family. For this reason the maximum amount payable to a household in 1973 was, therefore, lower than in 1962. Moreover, to continue a scale of PA rates which allowed payment for more than 4 members of a family would not have been in keeping with the Government's family planning policy. Let me reiterate to the Member for Anson once again that this Government is pragmatic and honest. We are not ashamed to admit that there was a decrease in the maximum payable per household. There is nothing to hide. We have introduced far more stringent measures than the meagre reduction of $20 of the maximum allowance payable to each household. I hope I do not owe him anything more as far as PA rates are concerned. Before I go on to answer the rest of his questions, let me, first of all, inform him that all recommendations for withdrawal of Public Assistance as a result of reviews by the Public Assistance Section of my Ministry are carefully considered by the Public Assistance Review Committee (PARC) at its monthly meetings.”
“Sir, first of all, let me settle an old score with the Member for Anson, and that is his query whether there was a reduction in the Public Assistance (PA) rates after this Government took over. If I can refresh his memory, Sir: his question to me a year ago was whether I would confirm that there had been reductions in the rates after 1973. For the information of the Member for Anson and for the information of the rest of the House, PA rates prior to 1973 were, if the Member for Anson would care to take down -”
“Sir, as far as the Ministry of Social Affairs is concerned, we have been providing instructors to the Singapore Association for the Blind and the Singapore Association for the Deaf. In addition, Sir, we provide an annual block grant and per capita grant to meet the recurrent expenditure of the respective Associations. As far as the Disabled Persons Section of my Ministry is concerned, Sir, it generally directs its welfare services to the 15-44 year age group, as this is the category of disabled persons who are most suitable for employment. Since the special education of disabled children comes under the purview of the Minister of Education, my colleague, the Minister of State of Education, has consented to reply to all the questions raised by the Member for Anson.”
“If it is an hospice, then it should come under the purview of the Ministry of Health rather than the Ministry of Social Affairs. Anyway, if the Rotary Club had written to the Ministry of Social Affairs to set up an hospice, then it has not come up to me for consideration. So I do not know whether the Member wants to check if it was the Rotary Club and whether they had written to the Ministry of Social Affairs or to the Ministry of Health for consideration.”
“Sir, with regard to the adequacy of staff in the Woodlands Home for the Aged, at this point of time I am satisfied with the number of staff running the Home. The Member for Anson said that a charitable organization has applied to the Ministry to set up an hospice. That application has not come up to me yet. I do not know when this application was made by the organization. Could the Member tell me when?”
“This Home provides a period of respite to the families concerned while their mentally retarded children or members are being looked after by the Home for a temporary period of two or three months. Once the patient recovers, he or she will be sent back to his/her family again, and then in comes a new patient to be looked after by the Home. The Member for Anson also touched on the inmates of the Woodlands Home for the Aged. As far as the Woodlands Home for the Aged is concerned, 48 of the inmates require personal care such as changing and assisting to the toilets; these are the non-ambulant. 100 of them are semi-ambulant. Those who require nursing care will be sent to the chronic hospital at Woodbridge Hospital. The Member also spoke of an institution which is being asked to pay for the water it consumes at commercial rates. As far as I know, an institution is usually asked to pay for the water it consumes at commercial rates only if the institution also includes a private residence e.g. home of the Matron, and a common water meter is used. But if the organization or people running the institution apply for a separate water meter for the Home, then it will not be asked to pay for the water it consumes at commercial rates. It will get some concessions. With regard to the Member's suggestion that I take up the case of charitable organizations having to spend within the year 80% of the donations received or else the money would attract income tax, this is being looked into by my Ministry as a result of appeals from charitable organizations in Singapore.”
“Apart from these five voluntary charitable organizations which have positively responded to the call by the Ministry to set up Homes for the Aged Sick, the Salvation Army which is essentially a Home for the Aged has also begun to admit chronic cases into their Lee Kuo Chuan Home for the Aged. Mr Chairman, Sir, with these various projects in the pipeline, the need for Homes for the Aged Sick will be met at least for three to four years, beyond which there is definitely going to be an increase in demand, and we will have to look into it again when the time comes. My Ministry will closely monitor the demand for admissions to Homes for the Aged Sick and the supply situation. We will also work closely with voluntary charitable organizations on the admission criteria to prevent abuse by families who might deposit their aged sick parents to these Homes at the slightest excuse. The Government's philosophy is that institutionalization should be resorted to only as a last resort. The Government will encourage and continue to coordinate the provision of home-help services such as the nursing services provided by the Home Nursing Foundation and the Neighbourhood Befriender Scheme. All these facilities will enable families with sick members to care for them in the family home. Of course, there are also disabled persons with behavioural problems and they can be quite a strain on the families. These are the ones for whom families would request institutional care - particularly those families with mentally retarded members. For this category of disabled persons we have, for the time being, the Tampines Home run by the Singapore Association for Retarded Children.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, first of all, I shall deal with the need for Homes for the Chronic Sick as touched upon by the Member for Anson. There are at present two hospital wards for the chronic sick run by the Government with a total capacity of about 150 beds. As quite rightly mentioned by the Member for Anson, in addition to these two wards, there are also other Homes for the Chronic Sick run by the Society for the Aged Sick, the Sree Narayana Mission and the Franciscan Nuns with a total capacity of about 600 beds. In response to a call by the Ministry of Social Affairs, a number of voluntary charitable organizations are planning to set up Homes for the Aged Sick and among them are: (1) the Phor Kar See Home. They will be setting up a Home for the Aged Sick with a capacity of 100 beds. This Home is scheduled for operation next month. (2) Next, we have the Bible Presbyterian Welfare Services. They too are planning to set up a Home for the Aged Sick. As you know, Sir, this Aged Sick Home, to be called the Ling Kwang Home for Senior Citizens and with a capacity of about 50 beds, will be completed by the end of this year. (3) The third group which has responded to our call is the Methodist Welfare Services. They are planning to run a Home for the Aged Sick with a capacity of about 30 beds at St. George's Road. (4) The Lion's Club of Singapore too has responded to the call and they are planning to set up a Home for the Aged Sick with an initial capacity of about 100 beds in Toa Payoh Rise. They have assured the Ministry that they are prepared to expand as and when the need arises. (5) The fifth group which has responded to our call is the Singapore Buddhist Welfare Services. They are setting up a Home with a capacity of about 30-40 beds to be operational in 1984.”
“For this year, Sir, a sum of $10,000 has been approved for rental and I hope MUIS will be able to rent larger premises for use as a clinic with this increased provision. Bigger premises will ensure that there will be proper examination rooms for the doctors and a recovery room for sick pilgrims who need constant attention of the doctors and nurses. Another facility that the medical team needs in the Holy Land as suggested by the Member for Kaki Bukit, and I think the Member for Kampong Ubi as well, is transportation. However, I have been told that there are no motor vehicle rental firms in Makkah. Nonetheless MUIS will try to find alternative ways to secure transportation for the medical team. I think I have answered all the points. 3.45 p.m.”
“MUIS can only appeal to our pilgrim brokers in Singapore not to engage the services of a Saudi Sheikh whom they know is unable to provide the pilgrims under their care with satisfactory accommodation, food, and transportation because he (the Saudi Sheikh) already has a large number of pilgrims under his charge. In this respect, Sir, I will ask MUIS to find out from the Saudi Embassy here whether or not it is possible for the Saudi Government to draw up a list of Sheikhs in Makkah from which pilgrim brokers in Singapore can choose, as suggested by the Member for Geylang Serai. Have there been any adverse comments from pilgrims or pilgrim brokers about the new arrangements? The answer is no. There have been no adverse comments from Muslim members of the public on the new procedures to be adopted this year for the Haj. Pilgrims are aware that it is to their advantage to register with MUIS before going on the Haj as they will be taken care of by the medical team should they fall ill. Moreover, Sir, MUIS welfare officers are also on hand to help them should they encounter any problems during the Haj. On the medical team of MUIS, the Member for Kaki Bukit and the Member for Kampong Ubi commented that the space used as the clinic is too small. I quite agree with them, Sir, that the medical team accompanying the pilgrims on the Haj last year did not have a large enough clinic in Makkah to work in. According to reports I have received, the space available was rather crammed for the two doctors and the four nursing officers. But I was told that the clinic was air-conditioned, which helped to relieve somewhat the crowded atmosphere in the room.”
“Although the number of pilgrims who joined the MUIS-sponsored flights in 1982 was only 675, the actual number of Singapore pilgrims taken care of by MUIS in the Holy Land was about 2,300. The increase in the workload for MUIS this year will be in the registration of pilgrims, seeing to their inoculation and other preparations before departure. The workload of MUIS staff in Jeddah and in Makkah, Mina and Madinah, the three Holy Cities, will not be increased much because MUIS has been taking care of all the Singapore pilgrims in the last few years, irrespective of whether they went on MUIS-sponsored flights or not. Number of applications for pilgrim brokers' licence. Sir, 64 applications for the pilgrim brokers' licence were received by MUIS on the closing date of applications. They are being processed now by MUIS and successful applicants will be informed of the outcome next month. MUIS will ensure that only those who have the requisite experience in pilgrimage work and who have been rendering satisfactory services in the past will be given the licence. Will the pilgrim brokers be inconvenienced as a result of the new arrangements announced by the Saudi Arabian Government? The role of pilgrim brokers remains unchanged under the new arrangement. They will continue to provide personal service to those pilgrims who prefer to have pilgrim brokers run errands for them. Will MUIS ensure that the number of pilgrims taken care of by any one pilgrim broker is not too large to manage? Sir, in this respect MUIS cannot prevent any Sheikh in Makkah from taking care of too large a number of pilgrims.”
“(d) MUIS will be able to decide the number of medical and nursing personnel required to take care of the Singapore pilgrims in the Holy Land and the amount of medical supplies that the team will have to bring along with them. (e) Pilgrims travelling either by SIA or SAUDIA will fly direct to Jeddah with a short stopover in either Dhahran in the case of SIA or Riyadh in the case of SAUDIA. They will no longer have to disembark at Bangkok or any other city enroute to catch a connecting flight, which they had to do previously when they flew other airlines. The question is, will this new directive by the Saudi Arabian Government cause inconvenience and pose problems for the pilgrims? Sir, MUIS does not envisage that there will be any inconvenience caused to pilgrims because of their having to travel by SIA or SAUDIA this year. SIA has had experience in transporting MUIS pilgrims on the Haj from 1975 to 1978. MUIS was satisfied with the in-flight services rendered by SIA during that period. The Airline had shown that it was sensitive to the requirements of the pilgrims especially in the food provided, in the seating arrangements on board for families and relatives travelling together, and in the provision of as many Muslim cabin crew as possible. As SAUDIA is the national airline of the Saudi Government, it is likely that facilities at Jeddah Airport will be readily available to them. Next question, can MUIS cope with the handling of such large numbers of pilgrims? So far 557 persons have registered with MUIS to go on the Haj this year. More are expected to register in the coming months. MUIS is confident that it will be able to take care of the larger number of pilgrims this year with the experience gained in previous years.”
“Now I shall turn to the favourite subject of pilgrimage arrangements, but before I proceed to answer the points raised by hon. Members I would like to inform the rest of the House what this pilgrimage arrangement is all about. Sir, from this year onwards, all pilgrims going on Haj will be required to register with MUIS before Haj visas can be issued by the Saudi Arabian embassy here, and have to travel either with SIA or the Saudi Arabian Airline (SAUDIA). They will not be allowed to travel with any other airline. In other words, Sir either they travel with their national airline (which is SIA in the case of Singapore pilgrims), or with SAUDIA. This is a requirement of the Saudi Arabian Government and is applicable to all pilgrims the world over. Having briefly stated the new scheme introduced by the Saudi Arabian Government with effect from this year's Haj, I shall now attempt to answer the points raised by hon. Members. I shall divide the subject into a number of broad headings. First, benefits of the new arrangement to Muslims in Singapore. Sir, the benefits under this new arrangement are: (a) All pilgrims will pay the same return airfare agreed to with the two airlines. The fare for this year will be $2,100. MUIS will need to work closely with only the two airlines on matters affecting travel arrangements for pilgrims. (b) As all pilgrims will have to register with MUIS before they can obtain their visas from the Saudi Embassy, MUIS will know the exact number of pilgrims performing the Haj this year and in subsequent years. (c) In cases of death, MUIS can expeditiously relay the news to the relatives or next of kin whose addresses will now be known to MUIS through the registration.”
“He then appeals to the Singapore Airlines to lower its fare to Jeddah so that pilgrims can fly SIA for their Haj. Finally, the Member suggests that we should learn from our neighbouring country about the scheme to facilitate Muslims to perform the Haj. But, first, let me deal with the computerization programme of the Muslim services. Sir, a new format was adopted for the computerization of the "fitrah" records in 1980. Each year, before letters are issued to heads of households advising them of the amount of "fitrah" they have to contribute, the records of those whose particulars have changed in the course of the year, are first updated. 195,957 particulars stored in the computer in 1980 were updated in 1981. The "fitrah" records have to be constantly updated because of changes in the particulars of "fitrah" payers. A major exercise was carried out recently to change the addresses of all Muslims living in high-rise buildings following Government's decision to re-number highrise buildings. Plans are also in hand to computerize the records of the Registry of Muslim Marriages and the Syariah Court. It is expected that the system will be implemented towards the end of this year. Computerization of these records will help in a faster retrieval of information and more timely generation of data and reports for management use. To answer the question from the hon. Member for Telok Blangah, I am satisfied with the progress of the computerization programme in respect of the Muslim services. On his suggestion that we should learn from neighbouring countries, I can only say that MUIS is always prepared to consider schemes which could be adapted to suit the needs of Muslims in Singapore and this includes Tabung Haji of Malaysia.”
“It is hoped that the Centre will become the focal point for all major "dakwah" activities in the Republic. With such activities centralized in the Islamic Centre, it is expected that there will be closer rapport among Muslim organizations in future. There will be a management committee made up of experienced Muslim personnel to ensure that the Centre is properly utilized, administered and viable. When will the Islamic Centre be ready? Sir, a firm of architects has been appointed by MUIS to design the Centre and execute the project. Discussions have been held between MUIS officials and the architect concerned and plans have been drawn up for the proposed Centre. These will be submitted to the relevant authorities for approval and construction will commence as soon as the plans are approved. The project is expected to be completed in 1985. How will the Islamic Centre be financed? The proposed Centre will cost about $5 million. Presently, MUIS has about $3 million to meet part of the construction cost. MUIS will obviously have to work hard to raise the balance required. How to ensure that the Islamic Centre is properly utilized by the Muslim public? Sir, the objective of building the Islamic Centre is to place its facilities at the disposal of non-political Muslim organizations. A management committee will be formed to ensure that the Centre is properly utilized and that there is a fair allocation of its facilities to the Muslim public who apply to make use of them for their functions. 3.30 p.m. Next, I shall turn to the issues raised by the hon. Member for Telok Blangah. First of all, the Member wants to know if I am satisfied with the computerization programme of the Muslim services.”
“Sir, the Member for Pasir Panjang wants a clarification on the objectives of the proposed Islamic Centre to be developed by MUIS. He also wants to know how best the Centre, when built, can help Muslim organizations in Singapore, how it will be financed and how to ensure that the Centre will be properly utilized by the Muslim public. Sir, for the past one and a half decades, Muslims in Singapore have experienced problems in getting a suitable venue for religious functions involving large numbers of participants. They have expressed the need for an Islamic Centre so that major functions sponsored by local Muslim organizations could be centralized at a place which they can proudly call their own. MUIS is aware of the need for an Islamic Centre and after many years of exploring the proposal to build one, has finally decided that there is a strong case for one to be built for use by members of the Muslim community in Singapore. MUIS was successful in obtaining a piece of land behind the Muhajirin Mosque at Braddell Road for the proposed Centre. How can the Centre help the Muslim organizations in Singapore? The Islamic Centre, Sir, will have a multi-purpose hall, auditorium, lecture rooms for conferences, seminars, training courses, talks, forums, etc. The Centre will also serve the general educational and other social needs of Muslim organizations as there will be meeting rooms, office spaces for rental, guest rooms, Quran study rooms and library. The provision of guest rooms will help solve accommodation problems encountered by Muslim organizations when inviting foreign Muslim religious dignitaries to give lectures in Singapore. Non- political organizations can also apply to make use of the Centre's facilities for their activities or functions on payment of a fee.”