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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“At present, Sir, the fine is $40 levied on both the owner and driver of the vehicle. Personally, I feel this fine is a bit too low. The Ministry of Communications and Information has agreed to raise the fine and is studying the amount by which it should be raised. The second option is raising the smoke emission standard for vehicles. At present ROV considers a vehicle as being smoky if it emits smoke at a level exceeding 64 HSU (Hartridge Smoke Unit). ROV has agreed to gradually raise the standard to 54 HSU. The third option, Sir, is raising the design specifications of new diesel engines before they are imported into Singapore. This proposal is still under study. The fourth option, Sir, is to limit the life-span of specialized vehicles such as mobile cranes and recovery vehicles to 20 years. A life-span of 20 years and 7 years has already been imposed by ROV on goods vehicles and taxis respectively. On this fourth option, ROV has yet to agree with the proposal.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, according to a survey conducted in January last year, about 19% of Singapore-registered diesel vehicles were found to be smoky. In a separate survey conducted in June last year, about 85% of Malaysian-registered diesel vehicles were emitting black smoke. My Ministry works with the ROV to step up enforcement on Singapore registered vehicles in April 1987. Between April and October 1987, a total of 7,067 vehicles were summoned by ROV for emitting black smoke. A second survey carried out in November last year showed that the number of Singapore-registered vehicles that were found to be emitting black smoke had dropped from 19% to 9%. Our enforcement efforts will continue. Sir, enforcement against smoky Malaysian-registered vehicles was also stepped up in September 1987 with about 190 vehicles summoned each month. By November 1987, the number of smoky Malaysian-registered vehicles dropped from 85% to 24%. Enforcement and monitoring actions are still continuing. Sir, my Ministry will continue to act against smoky vehicles on the road and will work with ROV to maintain the improvements that have been achieved. For the information of the Member for Boon Teck and for the information of this House, a joint Committee comprising officers from the Pollution Control Department of my Ministry, the Ministry of Communications and Information, the Ministry of Home Affairs, ROV, Traffic Police and the Ministry of Trade and Industry, was formed in 1987 to study measures to control smoky vehicles. The Committee is chaired by the Pollution Control Department of my Ministry. Sir, various options are being considered by the Committee. The more significant ones include raising the fines for smoky vehicles.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I must apologise to the Member for Changi for an oversight. Sir, the programme of converting vacant market produce stalls to cooked food stalls started in early 1981. This conversion was carried out to provide sufficient cooked food stalls for the resiting of licensed street hawkers and in this programme, Sir, some 398 vacant market produce stalls were converted to 153 cooked food stalls. This programme was completed last year.”
“I will certainly encourage the Member to proceed with his proposal and, if successful, I will encourage the other constituencies to follow. I am much obliged, Sir.”
“It is also difficult for us to determine which licensee should be held responsible if my Ministry finds the stall to be dirty and insanitary. It is because of these and other logistical problems that we are not allowing the sharing of stalls. But I am prepared to consider allowing sharing of stalls if a Town Council can convince me and my Ministry that there is no practical problem with such an arrangement and, more importantly, that public health standards are not compromised. Finally, Sir, let me turn to the proposal put forth by the Member for Kaki Bukit. Sir, if we recall, the Member plans to carry out a carrot rather than the stick type of approach to solve littering problems in his constituency. In his scheme of things, Sir, the cleanest blocks in the constituency will be duly rocognised and plaques installed at lift landings of the blocks concerned. This, he said, would boost the morale of the residents of the block. Sir, I think the proposal by the Member for Kaki Bukit is a good one. The individual residents are involved and made aware of the advantages of keeping the environment clean. Sir, it is vital that residents of housing estates are proud of the environment they live in and help sustain the cleanliness of this environment through good personal habits. Their active participation, Sir, and cooperation is very important, otherwise our efforts to keep public areas clean and litter free will always be an uphill task. Sir, the proposal by the Member for Kaki Bukit will certainly complement the many talks, exhibitions and campaigns organized by my Ministry together with the HDB, the CCCs and the RCs to inculcate in the people the need to keep HDB housing estates clean.”
“Sir, I will certainly look into the Member for Boon Teck's proposal to blacklist food establishments with very poor food hygiene practices so that members of the public can avoid patronizing them. I now turn to the Member for Yuhua. She is not here. The Member wants my Ministry to relax its restriction on the placing of tables and chairs outside the refreshment area of an eating shop along corridors or public concourses. Sir, five-foot ways, corridors or public concourses are for pedestrians and members of the public to use as accesses. These places are not intended for placing of tables and chairs for eating out. It is important, Sir, that some orderliness has to be maintained. But please do not get me wrong, Sir. My Ministry is not against dining out under the open skies, so to speak. But first of all, such refreshment areas must be planned as part of the licensed premises so that all the necessary facilities to be provided with outside refreshment areas could be considered at the planning stage. The outdoor refreshment area could then be licensed as part of the eating establishment. Singapore is not the only country in the world with such strict laws, as the Member for Yuhua made it out to be yesterday. I know of at least three other countries - the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan. Whilst still on the subject of hawkers, Sir, I would like to clarify why my Ministry is not prepared to consider allowing a hawker stall which is used only for part of the day to be rented out to another who wants to run it whenever it is not occupied. Sir, my Ministry does not think it feasible nor practicable for two licensees to share a stall as it may give rise to disputes.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, when the House rose yesterday, we could only manage with very brief replies to points raised by the Member for Boon Teck and the Member for Changi, especially on matters pertaining to food hygiene and food handling. In particular, Sir, both Members would like to know whether my Ministry's current system of checking on these two very important aspects of public health is adequate. Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to give them more detailed replies. Sir, every eating establishment and foodstall is checked at least once a month. Random food samples are taken for laboratory analyses. If a licensee or his foodhandler is found to commit an offence under our regulations, he will be ticketted and prosecuted in Court. Re-inspection will be made to ensure that corrective measures are taken and that the offence is not repeated. Sir, under our regulations, offenders upon conviction are liable to a maximum fine of $500 for the first offence and a maximum fine of $1,000 for each subsequent offence. In addition, my Ministry, as we all know, has already implemented the Points Demerit System for food hygiene offences. A recalcitrant offender stands to have his licence suspended or even revoked if he accumulates a certain number of demerit points over a period of time. Sir, another point I would like to stress is that all food vendors in Singapore are continuously educated on proper food and personal hygiene habits. Guidelines and pamphlets on these topics are handed out to them from time to time. So they should all know the requirements of the law. Those who are summoned are not ignorant of the law but are often the persistent offenders.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates for the financial year 1988/89, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“Sir, before we are guillotined under this cut, I would like to assure Members of this House that my Ministry does not intend to go about closing down wet markets unless a market has a very high vacancy position and the viability of the market is in doubt. But my Ministry will not be building any more wet markets and neither will HDB in their new or redeveloped housing estates.”
“Sir, with regard to the proposal by the Member for Telok Blangah, I think I have given my reply this morning to his Question for Oral Answer in connection with the problem of maintenance of the cleanliness of the cleaned rivers. I have mentioned this morning that a Committee has been formed to look into how the remaining sources of pollution can be prevented, and the Committee is also studying if proper areas in wet markets can be provided for the loading and unloading of produce from vehicles. What he has suggested will be looked into by the Committee chaired by Environment for the purposes of looking into the maintenance of the cleanliness of the cleaned rivers.”
“But for those living in private housing estates where such bin compounds are usually not available, they can opt for one of two ways: either engage a private waste collector to do the job for them or simply call the Ministry of the Environment's bulky refuse removal service. They can easily contact the Ministry directly or any one of the seven environmental health offices nearest their homes. With regard to the long queues at dumping grounds, Sir, I must say that I cannot agree with the Member here. Spot checks have shown that there are no such long queues. The average queuing time at the weighbridges during peak hours of operation is only 6-7 minutes. And it is also not true to say that small vehicles carrying more than one tonne of refuse are off-loading the refuse to other vehicles just before the weighbridge. If they off-load before leaving wherever they come from, I do not know. But to say that they are off-loading the refuse to other vehicles just before the weighbridge, I do not think this is quite correct. There are no such activities seen at or near the weighbridges or elsewhere nearby. On the Kim Chuan Transfer Station, the Member feels that the station should be open free to all private waste collectors. In other words, without charging a haulage fee. The haulage fee charged at the Kim Chuan Transfer Station is really to enable Government to recover cost of transporting refuse to the Tuas Incineration Plant for disposal. A private waste contractor who brings waste to the Transfer Station saves the long trip of hauling it himself to the incineration plant. Therefore, it is not unreasonable that he should pay a fee for leaving refuse at the Kim Chuan Transfer Station.”
“The objective of this policy is really to encourage members of the public with small quantities of bulky refuse, eg, unwanted furniture, household appliances, renovation debris, to bring them to either the dumping grounds or the incineration plants for disposal. So in order to encourage them to do so, the Government saw it fit not to impose any disposal fee for loads under one tonne. To charge a disposal fee for small quantities of refuse will, I am afraid, bring us back to the days of higher incidence of illegal dumping. In fact, this was the very reason that prompted my Ministry to come out with such a policy. It is estimated that a tonne of illegally-dumped refuse would cost about $200 to clear. My Ministry is also concerned about other adverse consequences illegal dumps can cause, such as the pollution of our water resources and other public health hazards. Sir, the policing of illegal dumping is an onerous task and I must admit that my Ministry just does not have the manpower to execute effective enforcement. The Ministry has amended the laws to raise the fines and also to provide other penalties such as the seizure of vehicles used in illegal dumping activities. But notwithstanding these measures and because of the lack of manpower, as I have said just now, the Ministry considers preventive measures to be a prudent approach. The policy on refuse disposal fee is therefore not based on revenue considerations alone but also on our concern for public health and environmental protection. Next, the Member has asked me to provide alternatives for members of the public to dispose of their bulky waste. For those living in HDB estates, they can easily bring down their bulky waste to the bin compounds for eventual disposal by the HDB refuse removal contractors.”
“Sir, the Member for Changkat has raised a number of issues under this subject "Licensing and Upgrading of Private Waste Disposal Contractors". Sir, on the subject of waste collectors, my Ministry is presently preparing regulations to license all private waste collectors. These collectors will be licensed to carry different types of waste according to the type of vehicle they possess. But, of course, the requirements imposed on vehicles and equipment used to handle toxic waste will have to be very, very stringent. I am happy to report, Sir, that some of these contractors or waste collectors already have vehicles and equipment that meet our stringent requirements. But for those who do not, sufficient time will be given to them to upgrade. On the question of providing financial assistance to contractors wanting to upgrade, I am afraid my Ministry does not have a finance scheme to assist waste collectors in the purchase of specialized refuse vehicles. But I believe the Small Enterprises Bureau of the EDB which operates the Small Industries Finance Scheme (SIFS) offers soft loans to small- and medium-sized local enterprises to upgrade or expand their operations. Perhaps private waste collectors wanting to upgrade may want to consider approaching the EDB for soft loans under the SIFS to purchase specialized refuse vehicles. Next, the Member also wants all licensed waste collectors to be liable to disposal fees irrespective of tonnage. Maybe I should first explain my Ministry's policy on refuse disposal fee. Under the present policy, as quite accurately described by the hon. Member just now, all refuse loads below one tonne are not charged the disposal fee.”
“But hitherto, Sir, we are only able to incinerate about 70% of the total daily incinerable refuse generated and because of that, as the hon. Member for Changkat has mentioned, we are now planning to build a third incineration plant at Senoko with a capacity of 2,400 tonnes per day. This plant is expected to be operational by the year 1991 or 1992 at the latest. With three incineration plants, we should be able to incinerate all incinerable refuse up to the year 1999. Thereafter, a fourth incineration plant will become necessary to incinerate all incinerable refuse up to the year 2030. To dispose of non-incinerable refuse, Sir, we need dumping grounds, and for this purpose my Ministry is currently maintaining two dumping grounds - one in Lim Chu Kang, the other at Lorong Halus. In fact, as again the Member for Changkat has mentioned, the Ministry is already developing another dumping ground of about 63 hectares next to the existing one at Lorong Halus. These dumping grounds should be able to meet our needs up to the year 1997. Beyond 1997, it may be necessary for us to dispose of non-incinerable refuse on one of the offshore islands because by that time there will be no more suitable land on mainland Singapore for this purpose. In fact, an area west of Pulau Semakau has already been safeguarded for this purpose. Sir, the non-incinerable wastes are largely inert material and, as such, they do not cause much organic pollution. I would like to assure the Member for Changkat that my Ministry will take all possible measures to ensure that pollutants from the materials dumped on the offshore dumping ground do not cause any pollution at all. With regard to cost-effectiveness of the method proposed, my Ministry will certainly look into it before we implement.”
“Sir, before I deal with our long-term waste management capacity which the hon. Member for Changkat and concurrently the Chairman of GPC for the Environment has touched on, let me reply to her query as to why the pattern of recurrent expenditure of my Ministry over the last five years has not shown any noticeable change among the different programmes. Sir, this is because my Ministry's directions over the last five years and more have been consistent and clear, namely, we lay emphasis on the crucial areas of environmental control in a highly urbanized country. And these areas are: environmental public health; the provision of sewerage, drainage and solid waste disposal facilities; food control; vector control and epidemiological services. This emphasis, Sir, has given us the highest standard of environmental public health in this region in spite of the density of our population. And this emphasis, I must say, will probably remain with us for the foreseeable future. Now I move on to our long-term waste management capacity. Sir, in view of Singapore's limitation in land, we are developing our incineration capacity to dispose of all incinerable refuse. The total quantity of refuse generated daily in Singapore today is about 5,000 tonnes and this figure is expected to increase to about 7,000 tonnes per day in the year 2010, and to 7,500 tonnes per day by the year 2030. And as we all know, Sir, 85% of the total refuse generated is incinerable while the remaining 15% is non-incinerable. My Ministry today operates two incineration plants, one at Ulu Pandan and the other at Tuas, with a combined incineration capacity of 3,200 tonnes per day.”
“All rivers. CAR POPULATION AND GROWTH (Control) 6. Mr Yeo Choo Kok asked the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what is the maximum volume of car population that our roads can take; (b) whether the current growth of car population has warranted the increase in road tax in the near future; and (c) whether zero growth in car population will result in no increase in road tax.”
“To reduce the pollution from common areas in HDB flats, the Committee will study if such areas can be kerbed or recessed so that the wastewater from washing is collected and drained into the sewers. Sir, the problem of pollution cannot be solved through engineering means alone. The public will have to cooperate by not littering and by bagging their refuse. My Ministry will continue to carry out programmes to educate the public not to cause pollution. Together with the Ministry of Education, we are already carrying out a programme to educate our schoolchildren on keeping the rivers clean.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the catchment of the Singapore River and Kallang Basin are heavily urbanized and heavily developed. Although the major sources of pollution have been removed, pollution from various sources related to developed urban areas stll remain and these include litter, loading and unloading areas of wet markets, poultry slaughtering in wet markets, refuse chutes and washing of void decks. Sir, drains in these urban areas collect rain water and convey the rain water into the rivers. As a result, litter, wastewater and other waste materials in these areas are washed into the drains and finally end up in the rivers. A Committee has been formed to look into how these remaining sources of pollution can be prevented. This Committee which is chaired by the Ministry of the Environment has members from other organizations such as the HDB, JTC, Development and Building Control Division, PSA, Primary Production Department and Land Office. The Committee will study the use of engineering means, wherever possible, to prevent pollution. For example, drains at critical areas will be covered to reduce the entry of litter. In addition, drains will also be provided with gratings to catch as much litter as possible before it enters the river. Finally, Sir, floatbooms are placed at strategic points of the river to capture whatever litter that finally finds its way into the river. The Committee is also studying if proper areas can be provided at wet markets for the loading and unloading of produce from vehicles. Such areas will have to be provided with means to capture solid wastes and the wastewater drained into the sewers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am aware of the spillage of sullage water from some of my Ministry's refuse trucks. But the number of complaints received on drippings from the refuse trucks is low. Nevertheless, this problem is closely watched and defects are rectified immediately. Sir, our refuse collection vehicles are provided with devices such as compactors and tailgate seals to ensure that there is no spillage. The vehicles undergo regular preventive maintenance and are checked for water-tightness, amongst other things, when they are called in to the workshop. The workers have also been advised and trained to do their jobs better. Sir, I would like to assure the Member for Telok Blangah and also this House that every effort is being made to provide an efficient refuse removal service.”
“Sir, the foreigners booked last year were either workers or residents in Singapore. Tourists are usually given a word of advice if they are caught littering in public places. INTEGRATED CIVIL DEFENCE EXERCISE 6. Dr Koh Lam Son asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether his Ministry will in the near future conduct an integrated civil defence exercise involving rescue, food and water rations, transport, blood donation and other civil defence activities.”
“Sir, the Member for Delta wants to know the percentage of foreigners in the 8,702 summonses issued to offenders in 1987. Sir, the answer is 536 or 6.2% of the offenders issued with summonses last year were foreigners. The Member also wants to know the number of foreigners there were in the 190 motorists and their passengers who were fined a total of $26,200 for littering last year. Sir, the answer is 10 or 5.3%.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, generally Singaporeans are aware that littering is an offence. Many litter under cover of darkness, for example, inside cinemas, throwing litter out of flats mostly in the nights. A motorist who throws out a cigarette butt usually does it by sliding his hands slowly down the side of the car hoping that he would not be detected. There are also many who are bothered when they come across a place accumulated with refuse strewn all over. They get upset when they come across a littered beach and disgusted when they have to sit through a movie in a littered cinema. Last year, Sir, my Ministry received a total of 33 complaints from members of the public on littering and there were seven letters to the press complaining about littering. On the other hand, Sir, there are also people who would reason to themselves that the piece of litter that they drop on the ground would not do any harm, or they would say to themselves, "The place is already littered. This piece of litter which I am about to drop will not make the place any worse." The past 20 years, Sir, has definitely brought about greater awareness amongst our population that littering and other anti-social acts, such as spitting, urinating in lifts, are undesirable acts. The public, in general, know what they should do and what they should not. What we would like to do now, Sir, is to encourage everyone to make a personal effort to refrain from littering. Adults will be asked to set a good example to their children and children could also set a good example to the adults. We hope to see people refrain from littering as a nature of habit or through good sense of social responsibility rather than through fear of enforcement.”
“Sir, the answer is yes. But it is hard for me to say at this point of time whether Town Councils will be a more efficient organization to control littering offences. All I can say now is that where the Town Councils are successful in communicating closely with residents of the estates under their charge and through persuasion and cooperation by the residents in these estates themselves, there should be every confidence that in such estates there would be fewer cases of littering offences and fewer litterbugs eventually. ANTI-LITTERING CAMPAIGN (Effectiveness of) 5. Mr Yeo Choo Kok asked the Minister for the Environment (a) what is his Ministry's assessment of the effectiveness of the Anti-Littering Campaign in the past 20 years; (b) what was the percentage of foreigners in the 8,702 summonses issued to offenders in 1987; and (c) how many were foreigners out of the 190 motorists and their passengers who were fined a total of $26,200 in the same year.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I could not agree with the Member more. We will do that.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, littering usually occurs in places with a high population density or high level of human activity. Examples of these areas are HDB estates, major pedestrian thoroughfares, bus stops, parks and beaches. My Ministry together with the HDB and the Parks & Recreation Department held a "No Sweeping Day" on 5th March 1988 to demonstrate to the people the extent of littering that still persists in Singapore. The exercise also showed clearly the specific areas that are litter prone. Sir, I have brought with me a set of photographs showing the extent of littering in these places. I have deposited a set in the Parliament Library for Members to see. My Ministry will continue with its educational efforts to get members of the public to cooperate in keeping such places litter free. Enforcement will continue to be taken against those who persist in their anti-social behaviour.”
“To ask the Minister for Home Affairs if he will give the crime statistics for Jalan Kayu from July 1987 up to the latest available date on a monthly basis, and how these figures compare to the national averages.”
“It covers all public toilets - in coffeeshops, HDB estates, swimming complexes, restaurants, shopping complexes - all toilets used by the public. COMPLAINTS AGAINST TAXI DRIVERS (Particulars) 3. Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for Communications and Information how many complaints against taxi drivers were received from foreign visitors and local commuters separately by the Registrar of Vehicles in 1985, 1986 and 1987; what were the types of complaints; and what disciplinary actions were taken against the guilty ones. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications and Information (Mr Ho Kah Leong) (for the Minister for Communications and Information): Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of my Minister. The Registrar of Vehicles (ROV) received 931, 684 and 878 complaints against taxi drivers for 1985, 1986 and 1987 respectively. On average, about 12% of complaints originated from foreigners. Of the total number of complaints, about one-third was for overcharging by taxi drivers, one-fifth for misconduct, such as rudeness, and one-tenth each against taxi drivers who refuse to let out their taxis for hire or who take a longer route. All these complaints were carefully investigated by the ROV. Where justified, various disciplinary actions were taken against the errant taxi drivers, depending on the severity of their offences. Most of the drivers were counselled, others were issued with written warnings, fined, charged in court, or had their vocational licences suspended or revoked. CRIME STATISTICS FOR JALAN KAYU The following Question stood in the name of Mr Heng Chiang Meng - 4.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since 1983 when we first started the "Clean Public Toilets" campaign, the situation has very much improved. But it is not as good as we would like it to be. I will give you an example. In a survey of nearly 18,000 public toilets conducted in Singapore last year, 13% were still found to be unsatisfactory. That is the reason why we have to keep on holding the campaign. Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): Do these public toilets include toilets in coffeeshops?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, from the preliminary results of a post-campaign survey being conducted at present, it is observed that public toilets are much cleaner. There is greater acceptance amongst building managements and cleaning contractors of their responsibility to keep public toilets clean and in good working condition. The public is also more conscious now of the need to keep public toilets clean. A new Code of Practice on Sanitary Facilities and Fittings for Public Toilets has been drawn up and introduced to all architects, engineers, plumbers and developers. It stresses the use of heavy duty quality fittings and materials for public toilets. New toilets and existing ones undergoing renovation are required to comply with the new Code of Practice. Managers of buildings with public toilets will be made to pay closer attention to the daily maintenance and cleaning of their toilets. Members of the public, on the other hand, should cooperate and show more care and concern for the cleanliness of public toilets. Dirty public toilets are certainly not in keeping with our country's "clean and green" image. We hope that with the cooperation of all concerned, there will come a day when we will no longer need to run a "Clean Public Toilets" campaign.”
“ROV does not have such statistics. However, the number of accidents involving school buses has dropped by one-third, from 966 in 1983 to 621 in 1987. Most of the accidents or nearly 90% are minor with no injuries sustained. This is the result of constant monitoring and enforcement by the ROV and the Traffic Police and reflects an improvement in safety awareness. Another important fact in school bus safety is passenger education. In this regard, the Traffic Police has an on-going road safety programme for school children. Sir, like the Members of this House, my Ministry is also concerned with safety of school buses because they carry our young school children. The ROV will, together with the Traffic Police, look into the continual upgrading of safety measures to ensure that travel on school buses remains safe.”
“The normal procedure, Sir, is to warn these people not to sell their newspapers along expressways and highways; they are always encouraged to conduct their business along side roads which will not cause traffic hazards before summonses are issued. SCHOOL BUS OPERATORS (Breaches of safety regulations) 5. Dr Koh Lam Son asked the Minister for Communications and Information what safety regulationsschool bus operators have to observe and whether the number of breaches increased in the years 1983 to 1987. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications and Information (Mr Ho Kah Leong)(for the Minister for Communications and Information): Sir, on behalf of my Minister. Sir, the ROV and the Traffic Police constantly monitor the safety of school buses. Operators of school buses have to comply with safety measures and to see to the safe boarding and alighting of school children. For example, a speed limit of 50 kph is applied on school buses. All school buses are required to have a dual brake system which prevents total brake failure. They are also subjected to an annual inspection and those above 10 years are checked bi-annually. Those that fail would not be allowed on the roads until the faults have been rectified. All school buses are also required to have rear warning lights which warn motorists that boarding and alighting is taking place. There is also a light to warn the driver if the door is not closed properly and a buzzer to warn the passengers that the door is going to close. In addition, every bus which is licensed to carry more than 30 school children must have a licensed conductor or attendant. Sir, the Member has asked if the number of breaches of these safety regulations has increased in the years 1983 to 1987.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, my Ministry took enforcement action against 26 evening newspaper vendors in 1986 and 2 last year. The Ministry took action against these newspaper vendors because they had set up stalls at bus stops, expressways or main roads which have a speed limit of 70 kph and above causing serious traffic hazards.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, if vegetables containing excessive levels of Methamidophos are consumed, unwashed, the person may exhibit symptoms of food poisoning, for example: vomitting, diarrhoea. He will recover fully upon treatment, without any residual effect of ill-health. ROADSIDE NEWS VENDORS (Enforcement action) 4. Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for the Environment how many newspaper sellers were issued with summonses to appear in court for setting up stalls to sell evening newspapers by the roadside in 1986 and 1987; and what were the reasons for the enforcement action against them.”
“The Ministry therefore considers the present checks on vegetables to be sufficiently intensive. Enforcement actions against recalcitrant farmers will be stepped up. The Ministry will continue to remind members of the public to wash the vegetables before they cook or consume them.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the incriminated vegetables that have caused the death of some 26 birds in the Bird Park came from a farm in Lim Chu Kang. The farmer had used an approved pesticide, Methamidophos, but he had disregarded the instructions given to him by the Primary Production Department on how to use this pesticide. Pressed to supply the vegetables to the Bird Park, he proceeded to harvest the vegetables earlier than normal and therefore too soon after he had applied the pesticide on the vegetables. As a result the pesticide residue was high when the vegetables were delivered to the Park. Incidentally, Sir, this pesticide is toxic to birds if consumed at levels exceeding the allowable limit. As the vegetables were not washed before they were given to the birds, a number of birds died when they consumed the vegetables. My Ministry takes a serious view of such irresponsible acts. Farmers who disregard proper instructions on the use of pesticides will be prosecuted for selling vegetables with high pesticide residue. All through last year, Sir, the Ministry has monitored very closely the problem of pesticide residues in vegetables. A total of 10,310 consignments of imported vegetables were tested, of which 2,178 or 21% were found to be unsatisfactory. The vegetables were subsequently destroyed. 13 summonses were also issued to the importers. Checks were also made on local farms. A total of 463 samples of vegetables were taken from local farms in 1987 and 26 or 5.6% were found to be unsatisfactory. The unsatisfactory vegetables were also destroyed. The errant farmers were warned and taught the proper procedures. Samples were taken on re-inspections and they were found to be satisfactory.”
“It took Cabinet almost four years to finally come up with the GRC proposal. It is the best means we can think of. The public had a year or so to discuss and debate the Team MP concept at forums organized for the National Agenda or at other similar forums. Yet to this day, Sir, no one or group has a better alternative to offer. But the doors are not closed, Sir. The Government is still open to suggestions - good suggestions, of course. But until a better proposal can be thought out, the GRC formula will at least ensure that our Parliament will be multi-racial in composition, irrespective of whether the PAP rules Singapore or not. Of course, Sir, one way of ensuring Malay presence in Parliament is to assign constituencies for Malays only where only Malay candidates can stand in General Elections. But let us ask ourselves, Sir: Will this be fair to the non-Malays in these constituencies? Should they be compelled to choose their representatives in Parliament from among candidates from a particular race? The answer is obvious, Sir. Another way of ensuring Malay presence in Parliament, Sir, is the PKMS way where Malays elect Malays to represent Malays in Parliament. But where do we go from here? Very soon, chauvinistic Chinese political parties will also demand that Chinese elect Chinese to represent Chinese interests in Parliament, and likewise, chauvinistic Indian political parties. Will this do us good in the long term? Will this do Singapore good in the long run? I leave it to the good and rational judgment of my fellow Singaporeans to decide.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, before I proceed any further, I want to state categorically that I fully and wholeheartedly support the institutionalization of multi-racial representation in our Parliament, and this is also the stand of my other Malay colleagues in this House. I may have reservations about the way we go about achieving this very noble objective. Sir, in moving the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill at yesterday's sitting of this House, the First Deputy Prime Minister read part of the letter I wrote him on 30th September 1982 where I had raised strong objections to the "Twin Constituencies" concept under which a Malay candidate from one constituency and a non-Malay candidate from another, probably a Chinese, would have to stand in a General Elections as a pair. The First Deputy Prime Minister has also disclosed the reasons for my objections and I do not therefore intend to repeat them today. Mr Speaker, Sir, I still have reservations abot the GRC proposal. Members of the GRC teams do not even have constituencies of their own to look after. They all belong to what I term "super constituencies", each of which is about three times the size of a single-member constituency. Mr Speaker, Sir, but what moved me to support the GRC proposal was the voting trend in the 1984 General Elections and, frankly, Sir, by what took place in Chong Boon as described by the First Deputy Prime Minister yesterday. As I have stressed earlier, I still have reservations about the GRC proposal. But do I have a better alternative that will overcome the trend where voters pick candidates according to their personal attributes and ignore the basic need for a racially-balanced slate of candidates in Parliament? The answer, Mr Speaker, Sir, is no. I do not have a better alternative.”
“How come you say that the Malays are over-represented when you say it was 12%?”
“Sir, I think the Member for Changkat is under the impression that we have eradicated malaria completely. No. We do have malaria cases imported into Singapore. As I have said, even if we eradicate Aedes mosquito breeding in Singapore, there are still carriers of Aedes mosquitoes, since we are living in a region where Aedes mosquito breeding is a problem. FIRE SAFETY AT MRT STATIONS 5. Dr Wong Kwei Cheong asked the Minister for Communications and Information (a) what fire safety measures have been set up at the various MRT stations and (b) if fire drills will be conducted at regular intervals at any MRT station.”
“In this regard, Sir, my Ministry will intensify its public health education programme.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I share the concern of the Member for Punggol but I am afraid I have got to disappoint him. It is not possible for us to eradicate Aedes mosquitoes in Singapore because we are living in a region where Aedes mosquito breeding is a problem. But my Ministry has identified three areas where Aedes breeding can still pose a problem to us. The first problem area, Sir, is the construction sites. My Ministry will now require all major construction sites to engage pest control firms to undertake pest control work for them. The contractor concerned must ensure that the pest control firm he engages is capable of carrying out vector control work effectively. The contractor may be required to submit details of the work carried out by the pest control firms e.g. the number of inspections made, the oiling, fogging, etc. The second problem area, Sir, is the roof-top water tanks in HDB estates. Profuse Aedes mosquito breedings have been found in roof-top water tanks in many of these estates. The HDB has consulted my Ministry on the design of new roof-top water tanks which will be mosquito-free. These new water tanks are being installed now. In the meantime, the older water tanks are being repaired to make sure that mosquito cannot breed in them. The third area, Sir, is breeding of Aedes mosquitoes in the homes. Home occupiers who keep pots of plants must make sure that the plates they normally put beneath the pots do not contain stagnant water. Better still, if they could do away with these plates. Home occupiers must also pay heed to other receptacles lying about which may collect water. These receptacles should be removed or placed in such a way that the water cannot collect in them.”
“Sir, all construction sites are inspected by officers of my Ministry on a monthly basis. Under the Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act (DDBIA), any person who refuses, fails, or neglects to comply with the Order served upon him by the Commissioner of Public Health shall be liable, upon conviction, to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment not exceeding three months or to both, and to a further fine of not more than $100 for every day during which the offence continues after conviction. In addition, Sir, the Commissioner of Public Health may enter the worksite, carry out remedial measures and recover all costs and expenses from the contractor concerned.”
“Sir, the Member for Potong Pasir is fond of asking for figures. I do not have the figures. If he likes he can file a question for Oral Answer.”
“As there is no vaccine against DF/DHF, the only means to minimize periodic outbreaks is to ensure that the Aedes population is maintained at a very low level throughout the country. This could be achieved if the members of the public play a greater role in preventing Aedes mosquito breeding both within and outside their premises. They should avoid keeping stagnant water and ensure that all water storage containers are tightly covered to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs. On the outbreak at Lorong Lew Lian, routine surveys revealed that the Aedes House Index was about 2%. Aedes breeding was found in the uncompleted HDB blocks of flats at the proposed Serangoon South Estate, roof-top water tanks at Lorong Lew Lian, and ornamental containers in residential premises. As soon as a cluster of three cases was identified in Lorong Lew Lian on 28 October, epidemic vector control measures were immediately implemented. Up to 23 November 1987, a total of 7,043 premises have been inspected, 4,499 fogged with insecticides and 3,067 health education pamphlets distributed. The outbreak is being brought under control. As at 28 November, a total of 48 cases have been reported. The Ministry of the Environment will continue to educate the public on the prevention of Aedes mosquitoes breeding and to monitor the Aedes population and the disease situation closely.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, Dengue Fever/Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DF/DHF) is a mosquito-borne disease which is endemic in Singapore. Disease transmission occurs throughout the year as the dengue virus and the Aedes mosquitoes carrying the virus are are both present in the country. Outbreaks can occur if there is an increase in the virulence of the dengue virus or an increase in the Aedes mosquitoes in a human population which is highly susceptible to the disease. There is a comprehensive island-wide Aedes mosquito prevention and control programme implemented by the Environment Ministry. The strategies are based on an integrated approach incorporating source reduction, health education and law enforcement. The overall Aedes population as measured by the Aedes House Index (which is the percentage of houses positive for Aedes mosquitoes) has been drastically reduced from more than 25% in 1969 to 1.1% in 1986. In spite of the reduction in Aedes population, outbreaks occur once in every few years. The notable outbreaks occurred in 1973 with 1,187 cases, 27 deaths; 1978 with 384 cases, 2 deaths; 1986 with 354 cases, one death and todate (this year) 302 cases, 2 deaths. In between these years, the average number of cases is 144 with one or two deaths a year. The Ministry of the Environment is concerned with the periodic outbreaks of DF/DHF and has demarcated 42 dengue "sensitive" areas for priority Aedes control. These areas are identified based on the distribution of past cases of DF/DHF, Aedes breeding habitats, human population density, housing types and development activities. They are closely monitored for any build-up of Aedes mosquito population.”
“Sir, I would suggest that the Member for Chua Chu Kang have a private session with me after this. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] DENGUE HAEMORRHAGIC FEVER IN LORONG LEW LIAN (Causes) 4. Mr Goh Choon Kang asked the Minister for the Environment what were the causes of the recent outbreak of dengue fever and dengue haemorrhagic fever in Lorong Lew Lian.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, before I come to the Member's question on the number of blocks of flats along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, I would like to inform the House of the noise characteristics along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 before and after the running of the MRT trains. My Ministry has conducted a noise survey of the area and we have found that the ambient noise level measured in the HDB flats near the MRT prior to the trains running was about 70-75 dBA. With the trains now running, noise levels between 83 and 86 dBA have been measured when a train passes by. Sir, it must be noted that traffic noise from expressways measured at nearby flats average 75 dBA with peaks of 87 dBA. So you see, Sir, noise levels from MRT trains are therefore no worse than the present-day expressway traffic noise. Of course, it is understandable that people who live away from expressways but are now being subjected to MRT train noise will, initially, find the change annoying. As regards the number of blocks of flats affected by the noise, Sir, the number is 11. Based on the number of storeys and the proportion of units close enough to the tracks to be affected by the noise, an estimated 550 families living in those units are likely to be exposed to noise levels between 79 and 85 dBA along their corridors. Indoors, Sir, the noise level would be reduced by 5-10 dBA, meaning that the affected families are likely to be exposed to anything between 69 and 80 dBA. The other housing estates which have flats close to above-ground tracks are Yishun, flats in Bukit Merah area, Queenstown, Clementi, Bukit Batok, Bedok, Simei and Tampines. But as in Ang Mo Kio, I do not expect the noise levels in these areas to be more than traffic noise levels along expressways.”
“Flanges of the rail wheels will be automatically lubricated to reduce squealing when the trains negotiate sharp bends. A wheel-lathe machine has also been procured which will be used to maintain the shape of the wheels at regular intervals so that they are smooth and therefore do not produce noise. My Ministry will continue to monitor the results of these noise reduction measures closely.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, at the outset of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project in June 1983, my Ministry was aware that there will be noise from it. While noise cannot be totally prevented, measures can be taken to reduce it. My Ministry had recommended guidelines on noise control to the MRTC for their trains and mechanical ventilation equipment. These guidelines were formulated after a careful study of those adopted in Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States which were then modified to suit our local circumstances. MRTC had also taken every care in the design of their tracks and the specifications for their equipment to keep noise levels to a minimum. They have also with them the services of noise consultants to further advise them on these matters. The trains that are used comply with the noise standards specified in MRTC's tenders. In addition, continuously welded rails are used to reduce noise from the tracks. At underground sections near high-rise buildings, tracks are laid on special floating slabs to cut down vibration and noise. At above-ground sections, the viaduct which supports the tracks is made of concrete with high mass and damping characteristics to minimize noise that may be induced by passing trains. These measures have been taken to ensure that the MRT is constructed with good noise control features from the start and should be adequate to reduce MRT noise to acceptable levels in most areas. Measurements made after the trains started operating show that some areas at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 are noisier as a result of the MRT. At these areas, additional noise reduction measures can still be taken. For example, the MRTC will be acquiring a rail-grinding machine to remove irregularities or corrugation on rails.”
“Why don't you address the question to the Saudi Embassy in Singapore? DRIVERS OF HEAVY VEHICLES (Action against dangerous driving) 27. Dr Koh Lip Lin asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many drivers of 3-ton and over vehicles have been charged with dangerous driving on the expressways and how many of them were involved in accidents; (b) whether he will consider introducing legislation to enable action to also be taken against the owners of the vehicles involved as well as the vehicles; and (c) if he will consider the installation of a device in such vehicles which would record the speeds at which the vehicles have been driven and which could be periodically checked by the relevant authority.”