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.”
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“Mr Chairman, Sir, since a number of MPs have raised the issue of CWO, I beg your indulgence to allow me to reply. Mr Chairman, Sir, if you recall, the law on CWO requires a littering offender to perform unpaid work in relation to the cleaning of any premises, with a view to his or her reformation, for the protection of the environment and the environmental public health. Sir, a littering offender is defined here as any person who has deposited, placed, dropped, left behind or thrown away any refuse, bag, food container, etc, etc, in a public place. Again I would like to emphasise here that the intent of the law is to reform the offender so that we can protect the environment and the environmental public health of the majority of the population against the irresponsible actions of the minority few. To realise the intent of the law, it is necessary to bring the littering offender to a place where there is litter for him or for her to clean up. The CWO, therefore, has the following ingredients: (a) a lesson to be learnt - this is the reformative aspect of the law, Sir; (b) the offender feeling a sense of shame; and (c) public interests, since the CWO has to be done in a public place. So, if one accepts the CWO, then one must also recognise and accept its ingredients. It is not possible to accept the CWO and yet cannot come to terms with the offender feeling a sense of shame. Doing the CWO in the privacy of an old folks' home, for example, will not achieve the intent of the law, which is to reform the offender; to make him understand the damage that can be caused to the environment because of littering; and to make him realise the efforts needed to remove the litter. Sir, my Ministry is administering the law in a balanced and rational way.”
“I must apologise to Dr Chen, Sir. I note his suggestion and certainly will discuss the matter further.”
“With regard to Mr Koo's suggestions on refundable deposits, I will certainly forward them to the various workgroups for their consideration. 4.15 pm Now, I come to some of the queries raised by Dr Wang Kai Yuen. Sir, my Ministry has always allowed drainage reserves along canals to be better made use of apart from their normal function as an access for the maintenance of the canals. Sir, the Parks and Recreation Department built a park connector, comprising jogging-cum-cycling track along the Kallang River between Bishan Park and Braddell Road. In fact, the Parks and Recreation Department has also planned to build similar connectors along Geylang River, Sungei Tampines, Kallang River and Ulu Pandan Canal. Sir, the designs of park connectors are carried out in close consultation with my Ministry to ensure that the provision of park facilities such as jogging and cycling tracks within the park connectors also cater for the maintenance needs of the canals. Furthermore, the designs of these park connectors are carefully scrutinised by an inter-Ministry panel to ensure that they are tastefully and aesthetically integrated with the surrounding environment.”
“The media too plays an important role in educating Singaporeans to be pro-green. I am happy to say that the media have given supportive coverage of the green movement in Singapore. And I see the media as an invaluable partner in keeping the green issues on our national agenda. Sir, Mr Koo Tsai Kee basically wants to know whether the Ministry of the Environment will consider the use of economic instruments for pollution control and environmental management. In fact, economic instruments have been used in the past by the Government for pollution control and environmental management. For example, the bidding system used to control the import of ozone-depleting CFCs and halons is one example. Under this bidding system, limits are placed on the quantities of the chemicals to be imported into Singapore each year and companies have to bid for their right to import these chemicals. If you recall, Sir, some time in 1991, tax adjustments were introduced to make unleaded petrol cheaper than leaded petrol. This is yet another example where economic instrument had been used to promote the use of unleaded petrol in Singapore. Sir, the six inter-Ministry workgroups, formed to formulate Action Plans under the Green Plan, have proposed economic instruments to be used in order to achieve the objectives of the Plan. And the workgroups on resource conservation and clean technologies, for example, have indeed recommended that we use financial incentives and assistance schemes to promote energy efficiency, waste minimisation and clean technologies. We are seeking public feedback on these recommendations before finalising them around the middle of this year.”
“Encik Ibrahim Othman is also correct in suggesting that we ought to focus our attention, our energy and our efforts on our young who are more amenable to change. Sir, my Ministry's environmental education programmes are aimed at four main target audiences: the students, the general public, the business community, and the social and community groups. For the students, we have on-going programmes aimed at: (i) making them more aware of the need to reduce waste; (ii) helping them to learn to appreciate the tremendous efforts that went into the cleaning of our rivers; and, of course, (iii) making them aware of the need to keep our rivers clean. My Ministry also works very closely with Principals and Environmental Education Advisors of schools and we help them to conduct talks and organise exhibitions on environmental subjects. For the information of this House, my Ministry has also set up an Environmental Resource Centre which houses more than 10,000 publications and about 200 video tapes with easy access to students and members of the public. Sir, I must at this point mention that the Ministry of Education is our partner in spreading the Green Message. Subjects of the environment have been incorporated into the school curricula. Principals and teachers have formed environmental clubs and a lot of efforts are being put into organising environmental education projects. We are also reaching out to members of the public through grassroots organisations. My Ministry supports these organisations by providing educational materials and speakers to them. We also mount exhibitions at community centres or at sites selected by the grassroots leaders themselves. Sir, may Ministry also publishes a special bi-monthly newsletter called Our Environment for these grassroots organisations.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, as we all know, the Singapore Green Plan which was published in May last year outlines my Ministry's vision to develop Singapore into a model Green City by the year 2000. Sir, the thrusts of the plan have already been made known. I will not be discussing them here. As mentioned by Dr John Chen, in support of the Green Plan, six inter-Ministry workgroups were formed to formulate Action Plans in the following areas: environmental education, environmental technology, resource conservation, clean technologies, nature conservation and noise. And again, as mentioned by Dr Chen, the six workgroups have already submitted their recommendations and my Ministry is currently seeking public feedback on these recommendations before we finalise them around the middle of this year. Coming back to the issues raised by Dr Chen, several of these workgroups have recommended economic instruments to be used in order to achieve the objectives of the Green Plan. These include providing incentives to promote resource and energy conservation as well as to promote the growth of companies in the field of environmental technology. One proposal, in particular, calls for the existing investment incentives and financial assistance schemes administered by the EDB to be extended to companies in the field of environmental technology. We will certainly consider this proposal. I fully agree with the Member for Thomson GRC that the process of educating the population to be more aware of the need to protect the environment and environmental public health is one that takes a lot of stamina and perseverance. The same could also be said of any effort that is aimed at attitudinal change.”
“NATIONAL HERITAGE BOARD BILL "to establish the National Heritage Board, to transfer to it the National Museum, the National Archives and Records Centre and the Oral History Department and to repeal the National Archives and Records Centre Act (Chapter 193 of the 1985 Revised Edition) and section 21 of the Science Centre Act (Chapter 286 of the 1985 Revised Edition) and for matters connected therewith", presented by the Minister for Information and the Arts (BG George Yong-Boon Yeo); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. RETIREMENT AGE BILL "to provide for a minimum retirement age for employees and for matters connected therewith", presented by the Minister for Labour (Dr Lee Boon Yang); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. FIRST SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1992 TO 31ST MARCH, 1993 (Paper Cmd. 4 of 1993) Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [Allotted Day]. [Mr Speaker in the Chair]”
“SUPPLY BILL "to provide for the issue from the Consolidated Fund and the Development Fund of the sums necessary to meet the estimated expenditure for the financial year 1st April, 1993 to 31st March, 1994", recommendation of President signified; presented by the Minister for Finance (Dr Richard Hu Tsu Tau); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. GOODS AND SERVICES TAX BILL "to provide for the imposition and collection of goods and services tax and for matters connected therewith", recommendation of President signified; presented by Dr Richard Hu Tsu Tau; read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. CONTROL OF PLANTS BILL "to consolidate and amend the law relating to the cultivation, import and export of plants and plant products, the protection of plants and plant products against pests and diseases, the control of the introduction of pests into Singapore, the use of pesticides, the measures pertaining to the development and improvement of the plant industry in Singapore and for purposes connected therewith, and to repeal the Agricultural Pests Act (Chapter 5 of the 1985 Revised Edition), the Controlled Plants Act (Chapter 59 of the 1985 Revised Edition) and the Export of Plants (Control) Act (Chapter 101 of the 1985 Revised Edition)", presented by the Minister for National Development (Dr Richard Hu Tsu Tau); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed.”
“I will, Mr Speaker. 1.29 pm BILLS INTRODUCED PAWNBROKERS (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Pawnbrokers Act (Chapter 222 of the 1985 Revised Edition)", presented by the Minister for Law (Prof. S. Jayakumar); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (1992 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. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Presidential Elections Act (Chapter 240A of the 1992 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. SUPREME COURT OF JUDICATURE (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Supreme Court of Judicature Act (Chapter 322 of the 1985 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. SUBORDINATE COURTS (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Subordinate Courts Act (Chapter 321 of the 1985 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.”
“I will ask my Public Health Officers to do an enforcement blitz on Potong Pasir, and I will report to you.”
“What I am saying is that littering happens everywhere.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, no littering offender was apprehended in the vicinity of Block 103, Depot Road during the latter part of 1992. Enforcement was stepped up in January this year when the area became more littered. Of the 10 litterbugs caught, five lived in Block 103 itself. All the 10 culprits were at the ground floor when they committed the offence. Aside from enforcement action, the Town Council and my Ministry did a house-to-house visit to advise residents not to litter. There is now less litter in the vicinity of Block 103 and the littering problem has been brought under control. The problem of littering in housing estates is not peculiar only to Block 103, Depot Road. It exists in other blocks and in other Town Councils as well. Potong Pasir is also not spared. My Ministry has actively campaigned against littering and attempted to educate members of the public not to litter. At the same time, tougher laws are enacted to deal with the hard-core litterbugs. We hope that the recently enacted Corrective Work Order (CWO) will deter them from littering.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not have the figures on the success rate. On the Member's suggestion to make attendance at Marriage Guidance Course and Islamic Religious Course compulsory, I will certainly ask the Registry of Muslim Marriages to consider the idea. PURCHASE OF HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD FLATS (Raising of eligibility income ceiling) 2. Dr Tan Cheng Bock asked the Minister for National Development whether the Housing and Development Board will consider raising the present eligibility income ceiling of $6,000 so that more Singaporeans can purchase HDB flats.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are a number of existing programmes in place to help Muslim couples intending to get married. These have been implemented by the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) and the Syariah Court with the help of MUIS and the Mosque Management Committees. For instance, all couples intending to marry are urged to attend Marriage Guidance Courses conducted at 19 mosques. The majority of them do so. The ROMM provides counselling services to all couples when they declare their intention to marry. However, those couples identified by the ROMM as lacking in religious knowledge are referred to the 19 mosques for religious counselling. They subsequently attend the Marriage Guidance Courses at these mosques. Sir, MUIS, Syariah Court and the ROMM are working out further measures to help bring down the number of divorces. One good example is the constant review of existing programmes to gauge their effectiveness. As far as the welfare and well-being of the children of affected families is concerned, it is being looked after by MUIS. Under its Financial Assistance Scheme, MUIS provides assistance to affected families in need. This takes the form of financial assistance, study grants for the children, and even payment of certain debts incurred by the families. MUIS also refers some of the cases needing counselling to Malay/Muslim organisations where such counselling is available. School-going children are referred to MENDAKI and other Malay/Muslim organisations for tuition.”
“Of this number, Sir, 3% were repeat offenders and another 13% committed serious littering offences. Had the CWO been introduced at the beginning of this year, it would mean that about 16% of littering offenders apprehended in the first seven months of this year would be dealt with under the CWO scheme. Mr Mohamad Maidin has suggested that if offenders are cleaners themselves, they should be subjected to other forms of punishment, because cleaning is something which they do every day. I will ask my Ministry to look into the suggestion. Maybe they should be made to do something else other than cleaning. With regard to Mr Ho Peng Kee's suggestion that perhaps those who are carrying out the CWOs should be counselled at the same time, I certainly welcome that suggestion although at this point of time only those who commit minor littering offences and made to pay composition fines will be subjected to counselling. I certainly welcome his idea that even those who are carrying out the CWOs be also counselled by the Ministry. I will certainly take up his suggestion. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Dr Ahmad Mattar]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. SMALL CLAIMS TRIBUNALS (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 2.03 pm”
“Sir, Dr John Chen mentioned that the Bill is designed to shame the offender, and he is right in that. Sir, the aim of the CWO is to reform or rehabilitate the offender so that, hopefully, he will not in future litter again, which otherwise would cause problems to the environment and environmental public health. The form of punishment prescribed in the Bill will serve as a deterrent against littering. But really, Sir, the bottom line is that one can choose not to litter and this choice is not a difficult one to make. Therefore, anybody who chooses to litter must, at the same time, be prepared to face the consequences. If we go along with suggestions made by Mr Chin Harn Tong, Encik Ibrahim Othman and a few others, namely, that the offenders be made to carry out the CWO in charitable homes, away from the glare of publicity, then I am afraid the objective of the Bill will be lost. For it to be an effective deterrent, the CWO will have to require the offenders to clean and pick up litter in public places, such as beaches and parks. Of course, offenders on CWO will be supervised by public health inspectors of my Ministry. With regard to students who litter, my Ministry will be drawing up some guidelines to assist principals. True, Sir, up to this point of time, school principals have not been given guidelines by the Ministry of the Environment to deal with such students. However, I have been made to understand that besides being counselled by the school principals, some of these students are also being made to pick up litter in the school compound. Dr Chen also wants to know the number of people caught littering this year. Sir, there were about 2,000 littering offenders apprehended in the first seven months of this year.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first of all, I would like to thank hon. Members who have spoken on the Bill. I shall attempt to give replies to the points they have raised. Sir, as I have mentioned in my speech, the Corrective Work Order (CWO) is intended for recalcitrant littering offenders and also for those who commit serious littering offences. My Ministry will decide whether an offence is serious or not and refer those considered serious to the Court for hearing. If the court is satisfied that it is expedient that the offender should be made to clean up litter at a public place, with a view to his reformation or protecting the environment and the environmental public health, then the court shall issue a Work Order to the offender. Of course, in making the Corrective Work Order the court will take cognisance of the offender's physical and mental condition as well as his suitability for carrying out the Work Order. A serious littering offence is one which will directly cause pollution or give rise to cleansing problems. Dropping or throwing out or leaving behind bags of refuse, styrofoam boxes, packets of food, old furniture, are some of the good examples I can think of. What the Environment Ministry may consider as minor littering offence would be littering with cigarette butts, or car park coupon tabs, and things like that. For minor offences, Sir, the offender will be offered a composition fine of $150. He is also expected to undergo a counselling session conducted by the Ministry. However, Sir, if an offender who has committed a minor littering offence is a recalcitrant offender, then I am afraid he will not be offered a composition fine. Instead, he will be asked to appear in Court and may be liable for a CWO.”
“With the enactment of the Environmental Public Health (Amendment) Bill, 1992, recalcitrant littering offenders and those who commit serious littering offences which directly cause pollution or give rise to cleansing problems will be liable to be issued with a Corrective Work Order by the courts. Offenders issued with a Corrective Work Order will be asked to report to a designated public place and will be assigned areas to clean up under supervision. The Corrective Work Order will only be issued to offenders who are 16 years of age or above. The duration of work will not exceed three hours. If an offender fails to comply with any of the requirements of the Corrective Work Order, he may be summoned to appear before the court and the court may order him to pay a fine not exceeding $5,000 or may convict him to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two months. School children who litter will be dealt with according to the current practice which is to report them to their parents and to their school principals. In addition, my Ministry is considering making errant students attend a counselling session which my Ministry will conduct. This Bill, presented before Parliament, seeks to introduce a greater deterrent against those who litter. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, littering is still very much a problem in Singapore. Unsightly litter can still be seen frequently polluting our canals and drains. The same ugly litter is also seen all over the housing estates, especially in the evenings and early mornings, before the army of cleaners come to clear them away. The majority of us who do not litter have to bear with the unsightly litter thrown by the very small minority. It is difficult to understand why there are those who persist in throwing litter out of their windows or out of their cars or when they are moving about in public places. They can very easily do the right thing. There are the refuse chutes in the homes for those who live in flats, the ash trays in cars for those who drive and smoke, and the thousands of litter bins placed all over Singapore for the pedestrians to use. Singapore is our home and we must treat our 'home' with due respect and help keep it clean. If we can keep Singapore clean, we will not need so many workers to sweep up the mess. Public funds can then be better utilised elsewhere. Town Councils will also find that they do not need to spend so much on public cleansing. Littering is an anti-social act that can be stopped. All it takes is a bit of effort on the part of everyone. Over the years, the Government has mounted campaigns after campaigns to educate the public not to litter. It is noted also that the fines imposed have not been sufficient deterrent to make people take that extra bit of effort to put litter in its proper place. The Government, therefore, has decided that those who persist in littering or who commit serious littering offences will be made to clean up litter found in public places.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, last month, my Ministry received many public complaints of strong and persistent smell from the Colex Compost Plant at the old Toh Tuck Road. Before that, there were occasional complaints of paint smell. The strongest smell was a result of changes in the composting process. On my Ministry's instructions, Colex has reverted to the original process and the smell has stopped. The Government is examining whether composting can continue at its site and, if allowed, the operator will be required to have effective odour prevention measures.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, currently, markets and food centres that will not be affected by redevelopment have 2,100 vacant stalls, and of these, 327 are cooked food stalls and the remaining 1,773 are market-produce stalls. All vacant cooked food stalls are being reserved for stallholders affected by redevelopment. This is because the number of stallholders to be relocated is more than the vacancies. For the market-produce stalls, the Ministry of the Environment is examining how best these vacancies can be taken up. Once finalised, details will be made known. REAR SEAT BELT REQUIREMENTS (Grace period) 3. Dr Arthur Beng Kian Lam asked the Minister for Home Affairs, in respect of the rear seat belt requirements to take effect from 1st October 1992, whether the Traffic Police will consider giving motorists a grace period during which the Traffic Police can conduct a campaign to educate and advise motorists on the need for rear seat belts.”
“COOKED FOOD AND MARKET-PRODUCE STALLS (Vacancies) 2. Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for the Environment how many cooked food and market-produce stalls under the management of the Housing and Development Board and his Ministry are still vacant and whether these stalls will be re-opened for application.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, extensive publicity on dengue fever and Aedes mosquito through the print and TV media as well as educational materials that have been widely distributed to members of the public, have indeed heightened awareness amongst the general public. And this was confirmed by results of a survey conducted recently by my Ministry. But, nonetheless, Sir, my Ministry will make special efforts to reach out to as many people as possible, including foreign maids, foreign workers, school principals, grassroots leaders, estate managers, etc. I would like to emphasize, Sir, in order to bring the disease under control we need the support of everyone. Mr Chin is quite right in saying that swing-fogging is currently the most effective method of killing adult mosquitoes. But unless we can literally wipe out all the adult mosquitoes, those that escape will continue to breed if breeding grounds are made available. Then we are back to square one. Therefore, in our vector control operations, emphasis is on the permanent elimination of breeding habitats. If we can deny the mosquitoes a chance to breed and multiply, we can keep the mosquito population so low that it no longer poses a threat. That is what we have done in our efforts to control malaria. We are able to keep the Anopheles mosquito population so low that malaria is no longer a problem, as I have said earlier on in my answer to Mr Chandra Das. However, in the case of the Aedes mosquito, Sir, my Ministry finds the task a bit harder because this species of mosquito breeds mainly in homes and we cannot be present in people's homes all the time to check and make sure that there are no breedings. That is why, in order to bring the disease under control, I must emphasize, once again, that we need the support of everyone.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, malaria is not a problem in Singapore today. Through effective vector control measures by the Ministry of the Environment, we are able to keep the population of Anopheles mosquito, which transmits the disease, very low. Because of this, Singapore was declared malaria-free by WHO in 1982. All cases of malaria reported in recent years were imported cases. In other words, the victims contracted the disease outside Singapore. My Ministry will continue to be vigilant against the re-introduction of malaria in Singapore. For the information of this House, Sir, for some years now, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have been having biennial meetings to discuss and exchange information on malaria. From 1990 onwards, these biennial meetings have been subsumed under the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore (BIMS) Border Health Conference. And for the information of Mr Das, the next BIMS Border Health Conference will be hosted in Singapore in November this year.”
“I would like to say that, but at the moment I think it is still serious. Therefore, we need to get the cooperation of everyone.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Aedes mosquito problem is still serious. In 1991, there were 2,178 reported cases of dengue fever or dengue haemorrhagic fever and six deaths. In the first eight months of this year, there were 1,964 cases and one death. For the same period last year, there were 1,417 cases. Mosquito breeding within premises is still prevalent. In the first eight months of this year, my officers carried out some 440,000 inspections and found 4,919 instances of breeding. In other words, there were 12 instances of breeding for every 1,000 inspections. Last year, Sir, some 990,000 inspections were carried out and there were 7,273 instances of breeding. This works out to 7 instances for every 1,000 inspections. My Ministry will continue to educate the public on the danger of the Aedes mosquito. Vector control operations have also been stepped up. Every day, some 200 Public Health Inspectors are deployed for this purpose. More stringent enforcement action was introduced this year. In the first eight months of this year, 2,268 households with mosquito breeding within their premises were fined. Two repeat offenders were charged in court. Another 1,066 non-residential premises found to be breeding mosquitoes were also dealt with in court.”
“The total amount of fines and composition fines collected by the Ministry of the Environment was:- Year Amount 1990 $4,888,040 1991 $3,754,610 1992 (up to June) $1,802,400 FINES COLLECTED BY THE TRAFFIC POLICE 4. Mr Ling How Doong asked the Minister for Home Affairs what was the total amount of fines and composition fines collected by the Traffic Police in 1990, 1991 and 1992 (up to June).”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are three posts of Muslim Religious Teachers-cum-Counsellors in Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS). Two of the posts have been filled. One Religious Teacher-cum-Counsellor is attached full-time at Selarang Park Centre and the other at Sembawang Centre. MUIS has invited applications to fill the third vacant post but so far has not been able to recruit any suitable candidate. MUIS will shortly invite applications again to fill the vacancy. ORGANISATIONS SETTING UP POLITICALLY MOTIVATED EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES 5. Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for Education whether he allows organisations to set up educational facilities, such as kindergartens, whose objectives are not purely educational but are also politically motivated.”
“Yes, Sir, we have taken a long time because we do not want to rush into it, without considering all the issues concerned. Mr Speaker, Sir, in any policy or proposal affecting stallholders, careful consideration will have to be given to minimise the displacement of hawkers and, where possible, every opportunity will be given for them to continue their trade. That is the reason why, admittedly, we have taken a long time on this matter. DRUG REHABILITATION CENTRES AND PRISONS (Number of Muslim Religious Teachers-cum-Counsellors) 4. Encik Harun bin A. Ghani asked the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs how many permanent Muslim Religious Teachers-cum-Counsellors are attached to drug rehabilitation centres and prisons, and when the required number of such Teachers-cum-Counsellors will be reached.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Cuppage Road Market is situated in Cuppage Centre which is owned by Pidemco Land. As far as I know, Pidemco Land has plans to redevelop the site. I am sorry I do not know the details of the redevelopment plan. As regards Cambridge Road Market, it belongs to HDB and, as far as we know, the market will not be affected by any future redevelopment. As such, it will come under this scheme.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Government's policy is to divest itself from the management of markets and food centres over time. My Ministry is now studying the option for divestment. One option is to allow existing stallholders to buy over the stalls on a term lease in markets and food centres not affected by redevelopment and details are now being looked into.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the opening of the Telok Ayer Festival Market has certainly brought some night-life to that part of the city. With regard to the problem of heat and stuffiness, the matter is being looked into by the company that now operates the Market. UDMC CONTROLLED PREMISES AT SEMBAWANG NAVAL BASE (Eviction of tenants) 8. Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for Law why tenants at the UDMC controlled premises at Naval Base, Sembawang are being evicted.”
“When we are ready, we will announce the plan.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as a policy, the Government's long-term plan is to devolve itself from the management of markets and food centres. The details on how this could be done are being looked into. However, Sir, I would like to draw a distinction between the privatisation plan for markets and food centres in general and that of the Telok Ayer Market. The Telok Ayer Market, Sir, is a national monument, and to put the building to better and more creative use, it was tendered out as a food and entertainment complex with a festival market ambience. Its success will bring some night-life back to the city.”
“Because the cost of their new mosque far exceeded their original budget, the Mosque Management Committee faced a serious cash flow problem and had to seek financial assistance - major part of it in the form of loans - from MUIS and other mosques. MUIS' guidelines on the renovation and rebuilding of old mosques are to ensure that such problems will not happen again in future. At present, there are many fund-raising projects organised by mosques, madrasahs and Muslim organisations. As all of them are raising funds from the same pool of people, MUIS intends to allow application for rebuilding of old mosques in phases as in the MBF programme. In this way, the Muslim public will not be unduly burdened with multiple projects that require their generous support. Encik Ibrahim Othman also asked whether MUIS would set up a company to handle its wakaf development projects. Mr Chairman, Sir, for the moment, there is no such plan as the number of wakaf development projects is too small. 4.00 pm”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I hope the House will bear with me the speed I have to go with my replies. (In Malay): Mr Chairman, Sir, I am responding to the points raised by Encik Ibrahim Othman and Encik Harun Ghani as Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs. Allow me to reply to Encik Ibrahim Othman first. As we know, in 1975, MUIS launched the Mosque Building Fund (MBF) for the construction of mosques in housing estates. Since then, MUIS has collected over $46 million and has built 15 mosques. MUIS is committed to build six more mosques, one under Phase II, ie, Masjid Alkaff Kampung Melayu, and 5 under Phase III of the Mosque Building Programme. While collections under the MBF is about $4 million a year, the average cost of each mosque has increased to more than $6 million. Therefore, MUIS' priority is to build new mosques in HDB housing estates. At the moment, MUIS does not have funds for the renovation or reconstruction of old mosques, a point raised by Encik Ibrahim Othman. Therefore, if a Mosque Management Committee wants to rebuild its mosque, it will have to raise funds on its own. MUIS will only approve the project if the committee has raised at least 75% of the building cost. This control will ensure that the project will proceed smoothly and is not abandoned midway for lack of funds. I hope the financial problems faced by Masjid Hasanah in Teban Gardens will not recur in future. Had the Masjid Hasanah Management Committee been more modest and prudent in their building plans, the funds that they had collected would have been sufficient to pay for the cost of rebuilding the mosque.”
“Existing chemicals, yes, definitely. The fact that hazardous and toxic chemicals are classified under the Poisons Act means that we know the nature of these chemicals before we can classify them under the Poisons Act. The Poisons Act only lists chemicals that are hazardous and toxic. Dr John Chen Seow Phun: I thank the Minister for the reply and I thank you, Sir, for finishing the debate in good time.”
“The answer is yes. The Ministry of the Environment, together with the Ministry of Health, is constantly looking into new chemicals that are out in the market.”
“And we would assist any country to investigate into the illegal dumping of waste, either coming from Singapore or transhipped through Singapore.”
“One of the important factors that the Ministry will ensure at this stage is that all wastes generated by the proposed industry can be safely managed and disposed of in Singapore. As a result of these measures, Sir, there are now adequate facilities in Singapore to treat and dispose of waste produced by industries here. Export of waste on a selective basis may be allowed for recycling and reuse provided the importing countries have proper facilities and provided that the importing countries approve the import of such waste. To prevent illegal export of waste, we are now working very closely with our immediate neighbours, Indonesia and Malaysia, on the procedures to identify and also to monitor the movement of these wastes. On the alleged involvement of a Singapore company in the illegal dumping of toxic waste in Pantai Remis in Perak, we have received a preliminary report from the Malaysian authorities. And as the case is now before the Malaysian courts, all I can say at this point of time is that Singapore will cooperate with the Malaysian authorities investigating the incident, and any prejudgment of the outcome of the incident may prejudice any proceeding in the Malaysian court. As the case is still before the court, and until the full facts are established, any talk at this stage about the issue of compensation or to bring this case to the International Court of Justice, as has been suggested by some quarters in Malaysia, is premature. As far as Singapore is concerned, we will prosecute any Singapore company involved in illegal dumping provided that company has committed an offence under Singapore laws. Before I end, Sir, I would like to reiterate that Singapore does not condone any illegal dumping in any country.”
“Licences are also needed from PCD for the transportation of dangerous quantities of hazardous substances. These quantities are specified in the Poisons (Hazardous Substances) Rules. Again, before approval is given, PCD will check and ensure that the containers or tanks used comply with international standards and are adequately labelled with information required in an emergency situation. And the travel time and transportation routes are generally restricted to within daylight hours and to roads that avoid, as far as possible, congested areas and water catchments. Under special circumstances, mobile escort may be required. Sir, from 1st April this year, drivers of vehicles which carry hazardous substances in dangerous quantities must also have successfully completed a training course. This training course was first started in 1990. It is a course jointly developed by the Ministry of the Environment, PSA and the SJCDF. To-date, we have trained more than 400 drivers, including drivers of Malaysian vehicles, carrying hazardous substances in dangerous quantities in Singapore. Emergency plans for industries that store and transport hazardous substances have also been drawn up. The Ministry of Home Affairs is leading a multi-agency team to finalise the coordination of these emergency plans into a national contingency plan to deal with any major accident involving hazardous substances in Singapore. Finally, let me deal with the subject of toxic and hazardous waste as raised by Encik Ibrahim Othman. First of all, all proposed industries are vetted by the Ministry of the Environment at the planning stage before they can ever be set up in Singapore.”
“Sir, to control the emission of sulphur dioxide, we have already in place controls over the level of sulphur content in fuel. Currently, my Ministry requires the sulphur content in fuel used by industries to be less than 2% by weight. And for industries which are operating near residential areas, the sulphur content in fuel used must be even lower than 0.5%. And, of course, these limits are regularly reviewed. As a result of these measures, Sir, the levels of sulphur dioxide in the air in Singapore today are low and well within acceptable standards. 2.15 pm On the subject of forest fire, Sir, Singapore is currently working very closely with the other ASEAN member countries to address the problem of haze from forest fires. Indonesia will be convening a meeting of ASEAN officials in May this year to look into the interim as well as long-term solutions to the problem of haze from forest fires. Expertise outside ASEAN will be needed. Dr John Chen and this House may be pleased to know that Australia has offered to assist. Dr John Chen, I believe, also wants to know the guidelines and procedures for storage, handling and transportation of hazardous substances in Singapore. A poisons licence or permit is required by anyone who imports, sells, stores and uses hazardous substances listed under the Poisons Act. But before a licence or permit is issued, the Pollution Control Department (PCD) of my Ministry will check and ensure that the hazardous substances are safely stored outside water catchments and in proper industrial areas, away from population centres. In addition, technical requirements pertaining to proper design, proper management and also proper control of the storage spaces used must be complied with.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, the subject of indoor air quality is new and the Ministry of the Environment is looking into it. In fact, Sir, a programme to monitor the indoor air quality of commercial buildings has started recently. The programme is on-going and data are still being collected. ENV will also look into setting guidelines on indoor air quality. So much on indoor air quality. I now move on to outdoor air quality. Sir, the two main sources of air pollution in Singapore are industries and vehicles. We, therefore, make sure that all industries set up in Singapore install and maintain all the necessary pollution control equipment to keep emission to levels specified in our Clean Air Act. We have also introduced more stringent vehicular emission standards to keep down emissions from our petrol-driven as well as diesel-driven vehicles and motor-cycles. As a result of these measures, the level of pollutants in the air in Singapore today is well above safety standards, as recommended by the World Health Organisation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). However, as the number of vehicles increases and industrial activities grow, the total emissions from these sources will also increase correspondingly. It is for this reason, Sir, that pre-emptive measures have been taken to reduce emissions from these sources in order that the good air quality that we enjoy can be preserved. The use of unleaded petrol and the use of catalytic converters are examples of pre-emptive measures needed to stamp rising levels of pollution from an increasing car pollution. And with the use of catalytic converters, the emissions of other pollutants, like carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, can be further reduced.”
“On the subject of waste minimisation raised by Dr John Chen, Sir, my Ministry hopes to achieve a reduction in waste output from domestic and trade premises through the active participation in waste recycling by the community and also by the business corporations. Sir, looking at the things households throw away today, one can see that a lot more could be separated at source for recycling. For example, paper used for wrapping, discarded mails, old magazines, old telephone books, could easily be put together with old newspapers and sold, or be given to the rag-and-bone man. Likewise, Sir, plastic containers and metal cans can also be separated at source for recycling. Sir, in the past one year or so, my Ministry has been actively promoting waste recycling and I am happy to say that the idea is fast catching on and there is now a much greater awareness among the population on waste recycling. More and more waste recycling schemes have been organised in housing estates, in schools, offices, hotels, and I am confident that as more and more people make a conscious effort to recycle their waste, the target of 0.9 kilogram per capita per day, though difficult, can be achieved. My Ministry is also working with the Singapore Manufactuers' Association (SMA) to encourage manufacturers to review their manufacturing processes, to see how best they could cut down on the amount of waste they produce. Manufacturers are also encouraged to cut down on unnecessary packaging so that consumers would have less to discard as waste. Anyway, anyone who is interested in starting a waste recycling scheme in his house, office, or neighbourhood, may contact my Ministry for advice and assistance.”
“Talks are also given to school children so that they, in turn, can bring home the message to their parents, grandparents, siblings or even to their maids. There are also pamphlets and booklets published and these are widely distributed to residents through the help of RCs and other grassroots organisations. Public health inspectors of my Ministry, Sir, are sent out daily to look out for possible breedings in housing estates. Having said that, Sir, I would like to stress that dengue fever cannot be controlled completely without the active participation of the community. Sir, knowing about the disease and knowing about how to prevent Aedes mosquitoes from breeding is not good enough. The community must also make a concerted effort to look for possible breeding grounds in their homes. Sir, all its takes to trigger off an outbreak of dengue fever in a neighbourhood is for a few homes to breed Aedes mosquitoes. It is for this reason, Sir, that my Ministry has decided to take a tough stand against those found breeding Aedes mosquitoes in their homes. We should not allow the carelessness or indifference of a few to cause a health threat to the majority in the neighbourhood. For the information of this House, Sir, in the months of January and February this year, nearly 180 residents were booked for breeding Aedes mosquitoes in their homes. Mr Teo Chong Tee also wants to know if there are chemicals of some sort that can stop the breeding of mosquitoes. The answer is, yes. Granulated insecticides, which can be used effectively to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in receptacles or containers, can be purchased from most plant nurseries, from certain Shell petrol stations, as well as from all the seven Environmental Health Offices of the Ministry of the Environment.”
“We, however, welcome as much assistance and cooperation as possible from members of the public and agencies such as town councils. To the public-spirited who wish to help, I would like to inform them that they could report littering offence to ENV and we will prosecute the offender, provided of course that the person who reports is prepared to testify in court if the need arises (I stress, only if the need arises). To those who still persist in littering, I appeal to them to make a little bit more effort and be a little bit more considerate. There is really no excuse for anyone in Singapore to litter today as we have more than ample litter bins put up at public places. The locations and number of litter bins put up are constantly reviewed so that pedestrians should be able to find one easily and not be unduly inconvenienced. As for the motorists, I am afraid they have got to wait until they alight before they deposit their litter in the litter bins. But if, for some reasons, they have got to smoke while driving, please use the ash tray in the car for the cigarette butts and the match sticks. 2.00 pm I thank Encik Ibrahim Othman and Mr Teo Chong Tee for speaking on the subject of dengue fever which is certainly of some concern to us right now. Sir, there has been a resurgence of dengue fever in the Southeast Asia region in recent years and Singapore has not been spared. We have experienced a number of localised outbreaks in the last four years with the most recent outbreak, as quoted by Encik Ibrahim quite rightly, occurring in the Seleter Hills area. Fortunately, the outbreak has since been brought under control. Sir, my Ministry places great emphasis on public education, through TV, radio and the print media.”
“Sir, I think Mr Teo must have also got wind that the new generation markets to be built by HDB in new town centres will be tendered to single operators. Yes, the Government is considering that possibility. But at the same time I would like to inform the House that as a policy, Government, in the long term, plans to devolve itself from the management of hawker centres and from the management of wet markets. So if stalls in new wet markets are to be leased directly to members of the public, as suggested by Mr Teo Chong Tee, then Government will still have to manage these new wet markets. If that is the case, then the Government's long-term policy to devolve itself from the management of wet markets or hawker centres can never materialise. On littering, Sir, I agree fully with Mr Chin Harn Tong and Mr Teo Chong Tee that it is still very much a problem with us in Singapore. The number of persons caught littering rose from about 7,500 in 1987 to 10,056 in 1990, as quoted by Mr Teo Chong Tee. But in 1991, the number of persons caught littering fell to 4,250, again as quoted by Mr Teo Chong Tee. But here, Sir, how I wish I can claim credit for the drop and how I wish I can claim that the Clean and Green Week or Captain Green, the mascot, has been responsible in bringing down the number of persons caught littering. But the true fact is that the drop happened as a result of HDB's withdrawal of its officers from housing estates when it handed over the management of these housing estates to town councils. However, I would like to assure Mr Chin Harn Tong that ENV definitely has not relaxed on its enforcement and also public education programmes against littering.”
“They are also required to have only one set of prices which must be applicable to each and every customer, regardless of whether the customer is a local or a tourist. I now turn to the subject of cleanliness at food centres which has been raised by Mr Chin Harn Tong. Sir, the problem of non-clearance of soiled crockery and left-over food happens only in food centres where there is no proper system of the cleaning of tables. This problem does not happen in food centres where the stallholders make use of contractors to provide a centralised table cleaning service. To-date, Sir, more than 20 food centres in Singapore are using such centralised services. ENV is now working with hawker representatives from the other food centres as well as representatives of town councils to similarly implement the centralised table cleaning system. Sir, listening to Mr Teo Chong Tee speak on the relocation problem amongst hawkers, I think he is under the impression that the building of new markets is accompanied by the demolition of old markets. Sir, if you recall, I mentioned just now that Government has decided that wet markets will be built in new HDB town centres. Therefore, it is not true to say that old markets have to be demolished to make way for new ones. Old markets, however, will still be demolished if they are affected by public projects like road widening. Even in such a case, a new wet market may or may not be built depending on the demand for a replacement market and also on the availability of land in the vicinity. However, in the event that a new market is built to replace an old one that is demolished, Government will consider giving preference to the affected stallholders in the allocation of stalls in the new wet market.”
“Sir, while still on the subject of poultry slaughtering, Mr Teo wants to know whether a survey has been conducted by my Ministry to find out consumers' acceptance of abattoir-slaughtered poultry, or what we call dressed poultry, and whether the business of the stallholders has been affected in any way by the phasing out of poultry slaughtering in wet markets. Sir, ENV's finding is that consumers have accepted abattoir-slaughtered poultry or what we call dressed poultry. This is based upon the fact that there were no adverse comments from consumers nor complaints from stallholders that their business from walk-in customers has been affected by the switch. As far as the stallholders are concerned, besides the continued patronage of walk-in consumers, their supply business to restaurants and other retail food outlets has not been affected in any way by the switch from poultry slaughtering at the stalls to selling dressed poultry obtained from poultry abattoirs. Now, I move on to the subject of display of prices in food centres, as raised by Mr Chin Harn Tong. Sir, hawkers in every market and food centre are required to display price lists at their stalls. This is a requirement under the Environmental Public Health (Market) Regulations of 1969. Sir, in the case of the Newton FoodCentre, the stalls were having different sets of price lists, some of which were on the menu, some of which were in different languages. This has caused confusion to customers, particularly the tourists. The stalls at Newton Food Centre are now required to display their prices clearly, without any ambiguity between the prices stated and the food to be sold.”
“Sir, both Members want to know the progress of phasing out of poultry slaughtering in wet markets, and in particular, Encik Ibrahim wants to know the measures taken to ensure that the dressed poultry sold to Muslims are slaughtered according to Muslim rites, in other words, they are halal. Sir, the programme to phase out poultry slaughtering in wet markets is done to coincide with the development and commissioning of poultry abattoirs. To-date, a total of 199 poultry stallholders in 39 wet markets within the Singapore River and Kallang Basin catchments have stopped slaughtering poultry at their stalls. Instead, they are now selling dressed poultry obtained from licensed poultry abattoirs. Another 292 poultry stallholders in 62 wet markets will give up poultry slaughtering by March next year, and this will complete the programme to phase out poultry slaughtering in wet markets. For the information of Encik Ibrahim Othman, poultry slaughtered according to Muslim rites will have the word "halal" on the tag tied to the dressed poultry. The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) is looking into the matter. Sir, to ensure that the dressed poultry sold at wet markets are fresh, a concern expressed by both Encik Ibrahim and Mr Teo, my Ministry will soon require dressed poultry to be tagged to show the date of slaughter and the name of the abattoir that does the slaughtering. So for Muslims, over and above the date of slaughter and the name of the abattoir, the word "halal" will also appear on the tag, as I have mentioned earlier.”