Alvin Yeo
Singapore
“This is important as, while we all want to make Singapore free of organised crime, we do need to respect the rights of individuals who may be accused or suspected but not yet convicted of organised crime offences. Overall, I agree that we need to enhance the measures to combat organised crime and I do support the Bill.”
“I do not see in that any danger that they will suddenly Page: 65 become short-term in their thinking and this somehow undermines their independence. So, far from breaching the protective wall around the independence of the Judiciary, I see these changes as strengthening our Judiciary and, thus, upholding the rule of law.”
“Poorer households should, of course, be spared the need to pay more and should continue to receive subsidies to allow their children to avail themselves fully of these educational opportunities.”
“First cut on ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting. Mdm Chairman, our defence cooperation agreements with other ASEAN countries is an important aspect of our regional security framework.”
“Mdm Chair, on the drug situation, the worsening regional situation has made its impact felt even in Singapore, with the growing use of recreational or party drugs, especially among young adults. Singapore has fought hard to contain the drug menace and it is important that we do not let up on our efforts now.”
“In this way, anyone can rise higher, no matter what his or her starting point or background is. This is a true democracy; this is a true meritocracy; and what our nation is founded upon. It is natural for a nation that has developed as much and as fast as Singapore has done, to want to do more for the disadvantaged in society.”
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Every one of 183 lines we hold for Alvin Yeo, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 4 of 4.
“In conclusion, I hope the Ministry will focus greater efforts on getting older Singaporeans to remain in the workforce by matching them with service positions and, particularly, for the older, less educated, less skilled workers who would otherwise face great difficulty in obtaining employment. Discrimination of Workers”
“So I trust this would be a key initiative for the Ministry to both fulfil two objectives, to keep older workers active in the workforce and to fill the huge demand for service industry workers. For the older and unemployed, this tends to fall within the less educated, lower skill profile. It is not a straightforward task to reskill them for modern manufacturing jobs which, nowadays, require a certain degree of technical proficiency. It would be much more feasible to retrain them for service positions which rely less on technical skills but more on a service mentality. I appreciate this is already an initiative with the Ministry, but I hope greater effort can be brought to bear to solve the plight of these older unemployed. Statistics compiled by the Ministry revealed that, in 2006, for those in the 55 to 59 years age bracket, some 63.5% remained in the workforce. But that dropped to 43.9% for those in the age 60 to 64 bracket. While these percentages have increased from 10 years ago, there is still room for improvement, especially given that average life expectancies are getting longer. More worryingly, the percentage of women in those age brackets, in the 55 to 59 age bracket, the percentage of women remaining in the workforce is only 44.7% or less than 50%, while those in the age 60 to 64 bracket is only a quarter or 26.2%. With the increasing demand for labour and the fact that many families do need dual incomes to survive, it is hoped that the Ministry will find ways to persuade more women to stay economically active in their golden years.”
“Mr Chairman, our demographic trends show that our population is ageing surely and steadily and a key challenge is to get a greater proportion of older Singaporeans to remain active in the workforce. Indeed, this is one of the core objectives of the newly formed Task Force on Ageing, led by Minister Lim Boon Heng, and the reason for this is obvious; otherwise, there would simply be too few workers supporting those not working. Further, a significant portion of our unemployed are the older workers, especially those with lower level of education or skills. They need to be re-skilled and/or have jobs re-designed to fit their abilities in order that they can rejoin the workforce. 1.00 pm At the same time, the service sector of our economy continues to grow robustly at a faster rate than other sectors. There is a corresponding greater demand for man and woman power. To take an obvious example, the two Integrated Resorts coming on-stream in about three years' time will create 30,000 new jobs, most of these in the service sector. In the slightly longer term, our aim is to double the number of tourist arrivals to about 18 million or 19 million by 2020. To cater for this huge influx of visitors, the service industry will surely have to boost its number significantly. It seems only natural and mutually beneficial to match the older Singaporeans looking for jobs with the service sector looking for more workers. Furthermore, service industry jobs tend to focus less on physical demands but more on softer people's skills. And this fits better the attributes of older workers who also tend to have a more mature outlook and are less prone to job hopping.”
“Just to follow up on that. If this is something that cannot be achieved now, is this not a worthwhile enough goal to invest in for the future because with good teachers, we are already enhancing the productivity of our future economically productive citizens? RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew: What we are trying to do in the meantime is to be able to recruit as many teachers as possible who qualify and meet our standards. I think I mentioned earlier we have grown the size of the teaching population by about 3,000 over the last few years. We hope to do as well by 2010 so that we can put yet another five teachers into the school system, and we are encouraging schools to bring back the adjunct teachers, those who have left service and as many of them as possible, up to a quota of 10 per school. So that is what we are trying to do - put more numbers into the schools that meet the standards that we expect of teachers. Perhaps, the day will come when eventually, we have so many or the student population in the school diminishes to some extent that we are able then to relook at the class size. But, as an intermediate step, by 2010, it is really to put another five teachers into all schools.”
“It will be, if you want smaller class sizes, a class of 20 taught by a good teacher and a class of 20 that may be taught by somebody whom we would otherwise not recruit today because we are already recruiting quite a significant number of university graduates. We recruit from the top 30% of the Primary 1 cohort that goes through. We are taking in 2,500 and I believe we are taking in about one in every eight graduates. So there is, in a sense, an impact on the rest of the economy if you were to grow the numbers of teachers very significantly.”
“Two points of clarification on the point of class sizes. The first point is, if class sizes are just something for the schools to prescribe, what is the rationale for having smaller classes in GEP and Primary 1 and 2 students and do the same reasons not apply for other not so gifted students? The second point of clarification: while I agree that increasing the number of teachers overnight would be trading quality for quantity, could not this be done progressively over a period of years, provided of course the Ministry considers this a worthwhile objective? RAdm (NS) Lui Tuck Yew: As you know, the class sizes now are 30 per class, and that really is to ease the transition from kindergarten to primary school. When you are in kindergarten, you may be having a class size of 10, 15 or 20. If you were to jump straight into a class size of 40, I think that is going to be quite a significant transition for young children of that age. For GEP, I think it is a very, very small group of people that we are talking about, that is 1%, and therefore we are able in that sense to have class sizes of 25. Let me also say that they are not unique in having small class sizes because for the learning support programme, it is also in very small groups. In fact, it is in even smaller numbers, eight to 12, across the levels, in primary schools and secondary schools. Schools have the flexibility to pull students out and give them added attention and the class sizes may well be 10, 20, and so on. So rather than say, let us prescribe a certain number, we have given that flexibility to the school. The point is this. The options are not whether you have a class of 40 taught by one good teacher or two classes of 20 taught by two equally good teachers. We do not have that today.”
“So the chief value of academic study is to train oneself to assimilate, organise and analyse information, as the Minister puts it, to come out with a solution to a problem that is new and has not been seen before, not just to memorise the information for its own sake, but what is equally important or what is popularly known as emotional intelligence, or EQ, people and communication skills. These skills are typically not learned in the classroom, but outside it, in CCA and non-school based activities. All these take time from the student. If students continue to be subject to heavy content based syllabus, if teachers are under pressure to complete that syllabus at all costs, something has got to give, and that something are those other aspects for holistic education which form our stated objective. If we are serious about pursuing this goal to produce well-rounded students, and I think we should, we do need to review the school's syllabus carefully so as not to overload our students and take away their time from learning in other ways. I am not suggesting that we take away all hard content from academic study and indulge our students in some warm fuzzy, philosophical experience that passes for education. But beyond foundation knowledge and analytical skills, we do need to allow our students to develop their talents and abilities in other ways. In that way, we will become true global citizens. Stress”
“That is the goal of education to make each student the best that he can be, not just to help the brilliant although they obviously do not need any encouragement, but to enable each young person to reach his full potential regardless of what level of education he finally attains. And if an economic argument is required, it is this. Singapore needs all its people to be capable and competent at whatever they do in order for our economy to be competitive with other lower cost countries, and, as the Minister puts it, to work smarter, not cheaper. Our small population means that there is very little room for wastage. As I have mentioned in my speech during the Budget debate, we do not just need the brain surgeons and investment bankers, but good performers at every level and strata of society for us to succeed in this brave new world. Sir, while I recognise the extremely heavy investment that would be needed to reduce class sizes for all students, and the fact that this would take some years to achieve, I would invite and encourage the Minister to state what the plans are to introduce smaller class sizes for all our students. Another aspect of our education policy I would like to touch on concerns the current buzz phrase of "holistic education". The merits of holistic education, I think, are well accepted by all. The idea is that an educated person should be well-rounded in the sense of not just book learning, but also exposed to some degree of art and culture, and this includes different cultures - sports and physical activity, be able to interact with others and to express oneself in a confident manner. This is relevant because in today's fast paced world, typically the technologies and practices of tomorrow have not been invented yet.”
“This seems a matter of intuition and common sense and would be supported, I feel, by most parents' experience with their own children. It is also borne out by the experience of other well-established and respected educational systems. I note we are not shy to learn from other respected cities and leaders in this field. So, for instance, statistical studies showed that the average class size in England in 2002 was 26.4 for primary schools, while that for secondary schools was 22. In the United States, studies revealed that in 2000, the average class size for public schools was in the low 20s while the corresponding figure for private schools was below 20. Class sizes for our Singapore schools compared unfavourably with those numbers. In 2005, the average class size for primary schools was 36.1 and that average was already lowered by the fact that smaller classes had by then been introduced for Primary 1 students. The average class size for secondary schools was 36.5. Yet, in our gifted education programme, or GEP, that enjoyed an average class size of 25. Obviously, the Ministry recognises the benefits of smaller sizes. But should this be restricted only to our gifted students? The introduction of smaller class sizes in 2005 for Primary 1 and later Primary 2 students is welcomed. But what are the plans to implement this for all primary levels and for secondary schools as well? After all, it is not just gifted students that benefit for more teacher attention. Indeed, it could be argued that such students have greater capacity for self-learning than others. I believe that the lower teacher-student ratio would help the less able students to cope better and the above average students to flourish.”
“Mr Chairman, this Government has rightfully placed education at the forefront of its agenda. With proper education, every segment of the population, including the less well-off, will acquire the skills to be employable and avoid the poverty trap. With the right training, every Singaporean at every level can be productive in their different occupations, which is necessary to keep our economy growing. The Ministry has taken the right steps in doing away with, just to mention a few, primary school streaming, in introducing niche schools, by encouraging sports and in accommodating, not just those who are better able to study mother tongue at the higher level, but also those who are weaker in their mother tongue. And I am certainly cheered by what the Minister has just spoken about, in terms of making our students more global citizens, or more global in their outlook, and increasing the range of languages they can seek instruction on. Sir, while I applaud the direction in which the Ministry is moving, there is still more to be done in enhancing the quality of our educational process. I would like to highlight the size of our classes and the teacher-student ratio as a key area in which we can improve on. This was also something I touched on in my speech during the Budget debate. The size of a class bears a direct relationship with the amount of attention that a teacher can devote to each student. Simply put, a teacher looking after a class of 30 pupils would be able, on average, to spend one-third more time on each student than a teacher who is looking after 40 pupils. The greater amount of attention a teacher can spend, the greater the stimulation of a student's development.”
“However, that is an outmoded view of a fuel that is making a come back in the wake of high oil prices. Modern technology has succeeded in making coal plants cleaner than ever before, and it is continually being improved to meet stricter environmental standards, provided these concerns can be addressed. The time may come for Singapore to have its first coal plant to take advantage of the abundant supplies of coal available. I believe GIC has even taken a stake in the Di Coal Mine in Indonesia. This would allow us to further diversify our sources of fuel and better safeguard Singapore from disruptions that would affect our citizens and possibly derail our economy and send a strong signal to all and sundry that Singapore would not be held hostage in any arena, including that of security of energy supply.”
“I raise two such alternatives for the Ministry's consideration. The first is biofuel, that is, fuel made from grain, oil or sugar bearing crop. These are renewal fuels that in theory would never be exhausted as long as the crops themselves were being produced. The second is coal which is generally being considered an old fashioned and dirty fuel. But the proven reserves of which are far deeper than for oil or natural gas. How can we promote these alternative fuels? The EDB is trying to do so by awarding pioneer status and tax benefits for biofuel manufacturers, and one such manufacturer, Natural Fuels Limited, an Australian-based company with the Singapore subsidiary, is building a plant here. But tax benefits only take you so far because they depend on the plant itself making money and being profitable. What would really get the industry going is to broaden the market for such fuels. This could be achieved, for example, by having a mandatory blending policy for automotive fuels. This is similar to what we have done with the bulk of production of NEWater. It gets pumped back into our reservoirs so that its effect is felt, if not always seen or tasted. This could take the form of requiring or having incentives to make it commercially attractive, say, 20% of automotive fuels come from biofuels are eaten off. This is being done in countries, like Brazil and the US, and other countries are considering following suit. Allowing a wider range of cars, especially those with turbo diesel engines would also make biodiesel a more attractive fuel alternative to motorists. The other advantage of biofuels is that they are considered green. A fuel source that is considered not so green is coal.”
“Sir, I would like to raise the issue of developing alternative sources of energy supply for our country's needs and to sustain our profit growth. I should disclose my interest as a Director of Trust Power which has an interest in one of the alternative fuel sources I am going to speak about. Currently, we depend on oil and natural gas to an overwhelming extent for our power generation, that is, the production of electricity for our domestic, commercial and industrial consumption. Indeed, the larger proportion, close to 80%, comes from natural gas as modern plants running on natural gas are considered more efficient and cleaner than the older ones running on fuel oil. Our suppliers of natural gas come from pipelines with two of our neighbours - Malaysia and Indonesia. Unfortunately, as incidents in the past involving water and now sand had shown, commercial agreements can be subject to political stresses. An example of the havoc that can be caused by disruption of gas supply was seen recently when Russia, having a difference of view with its neighbour, the Ukraine, halted the supply of gas which also affected Germany at the other end of the pipeline as well. With our heavy dependence on modern amenities, Singapore cannot afford to suffer similar disruptions. We need to diversify our sources of energy supply. That is one of the key reasons for the move to build an LNG terminal as gas can be more readily stored in its liquefied form. I welcome the move. But oil and natural gas resources are finite and in high demand around the world, including from high growth economies like China and India, meaning that the prices in global markets are volatile, again as we have seen in the last few years. We need to look at other alternatives in addition to LNG.”
“Education is about making each student the best that they can be. And Singapore needs its people at every level to be capable and competent in what they do, to maintain our edge. After all, it is not just the brain surgeons and investment bankers we need, but also the technicians, production operators, hairdressers and cooks, to drive our economy. This Government has continually stressed the paramount importance of education, which view we all endorse. So we should be prepared to make the sizeable investment that is needed to enhance the learning process. A start has been made, but I would invite the Minister for Education to outline the further steps to be taken, to carry that objective through to fruition. In conclusion, this has been a well thought-out Budget. More can, and I am sure, more will, be done in future years. However, this Budget strengthens the foundations laid by previous governments in preparing Singapore for the challenges ahead. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir. I support the motion. 5.18 pm”
“Drawing an analogy with the parent-child context which most of us are familiar with, do we not all agree that giving more time to our children, especially during their formative years, will stimulate their development? This is also borne out by the experience of other countries, which are well-regarded for their education systems and produce more than their fair share of Nobel Prize winners as well. In England, the average class size for primary schools in 2002 was 26.4, for secondary schools it was 22.0 (Source: Statistics for Education: Class sizes and Pupil Teacher Ratios in England, published in February 2003 by the Department of Education and Skill). In the United States, the average class size for public schools in 2000 was in the low 20s, the figure for private schools was below 20 ( Source: Special Analysis 2002 - Private Schools: A Brief Portrait, published by the National Centre for Education Statistics ). At home, we have international schools such as the Chatsworth International School which states on its website that it has a maximum class size of 20. Even our Gifted Education Programme or GEP, for our brightest students, has an average class size of 25. This compares to the average in 2005 for primary schools of 36.1 and for secondary schools of 36.5 (Source: Ministry of Education website under Statistics 2005 ). Nobody should underestimate the resources that would be required to bring down the average class size by, say, one quarter. That would require about one-third more teachers, plus correspondingly more classrooms. This clearly cannot be achieved overnight, and would take years. However, it is a vital goal to aim for. It is not just for our gifted children, but also for our above average, average and below-average students.”
“But you will find that in any international ranking of competitiveness, one factor that Singapore always scores highly in is the Rule of Law. Our judiciary is rightfully regarded as one of the best in Asia, if not the world. Beyond its contribution in dollar terms, I think less than 1% to GDP, the legal sector lends an intangible quality to Singapore as a financial centre and destination for investments. There is real confidence that anybody, local or foreign, big business or private individual, gets equal protection under our law. Any matter that detracts from our forward-looking legal system, which has to balance the competing interests of the individual and the State, subtracts in a way that cannot be directly quantified, our overall attractiveness to the external investor. Giving our students the teacher attention they need The final topic I raise concerns education and specifically, the size of classes, and the ratio of teachers to the number of students in each class. A couple of years back, the Education Ministry introduced smaller class sizes, of about 30 pupils as compared to 40 previously, for primary 1 and 2 students. This is certainly a step in the right direction. But the question is: are there plans to reduce class sizes for other primary and second level students as well? If so, what is the timetable for this to take place? The benefits of smaller class sizes are not easy to quantify. But I would suggest that, based on intuition and common sense, a teacher who is able to devote more attention to a smaller group of students, can help the less able cope better, and the more able to flourish.”
“We are rightfully proud of our criminal justice system and law enforcement agencies, which keep our streets safe and our crime rates low, probably lower than other major capitals of the world. I am not advocating some dramatic u-turn which places the rights of an accused person above the rights of the general populace to be free from the insidious effects of crime. I would also make clear that I am not referring to the extreme threat posed by terrorists, triads and the like. Those persons are governed by special legislation, like the Internal Security Act and the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act, where extreme measures are clearly justified. But apart from such cases, there does need to be some balance between the individual and the State and currently, it seems too tilted against the individual in this regard. I believe that, like other developed legal systems, it would be appropriate to set some time limit beyond which an accused would be entitled to counsel. This time limit could be in days or even up to a week. There could also be a provision for extending the time limit, if sufficient cause is shown to a judge. The police would still be able to go about their work, but would be mindful that the accused would have access to his lawyer before too long. This should not hamper the investigation of crime, indeed, it may facilitate it by focusing effort on completing such investigations expeditiously. And it would be a measure of protection to an accused person who should still be presumed innocent until proven guilty. But why is this of such importance? It is not just for reasons of fairness and justice, although those are reasons that stand on their own.”
“The Minister stated that he would take the calls to rationalise the structure of our estate duty, together with the decision on whether to retain estate duty at all. This is welcome news. But there is some urgency in this. As we strive to develop Singapore as a centre for wealth management, to one day rival or even surpass Switzerland, such an asset tax appears to be a retrograde step. And so I would urge the Minister to clarify when this review would be completed, so that if estate duty is to be retained at all, its structure would be a more rational one. I would now like to touch on two topics, not directly related to matters of finance, but which have an impact on our society at large and our overall competitiveness. Access to counsel in criminal matters The first relates to our legal system, and specifically to the right of a person accused of a crime to get advice from his lawyer. Although the right to counsel is enshrined in our Constitution, case law has decided that an accused can be denied access to legal counsel until after the police have completed their investigations. There is no fixed time limit to this, which means that an accused would not have the benefit of his lawyer's advice for days and weeks, maybe even more. In a recent case where the issue arose, Leong Siew Chor versus Public Prosecutor - this was the man who was convicted of killing his China girlfriend and cutting her body into parts for disposal - he did not have access to his lawyer until 19 days after his arrest. In that period, an accused person might be interviewed by the police many times. In each of those interviews, he would typically have given a written statement, which could be used against him at the eventual trial. All without the benefit of legal advice.”
“All this despite raising salaries - it has been reported that the Big Four accounting firms and the major law practices have all increased salaries for fresh graduates and beyond. I believe that even the public sector, including the civil service, would face difficulties in recruiting amidst the global competition. One wonders how the civil service, for instance, would be able to recruit the talent it needs without similar wage increases. Yet, we cannot keep on seeing wages rise across-the-board without it eroding Singapore's cost-competitiveness. Singapore has a limited talent pool to begin with, given our population size. We need every incentive to keep our talent here and attract additional talent from overseas. Income taxes play an important part in the decision-making of such people who, by reason of their skills and experience, are highly mobile. Even if the anomaly with corporate tax cannot be rationalised now, a clear statement that it is intended to do so, and an approximate projection as to when this would be implemented, would be helpful to keep us ahead in the competition for talent. Estate duty Currently, our estate duty regime exempts movable property, eg, money in bank accounts and shares, up to an amount of $600,000 while there is an exemption of up to $9 million for residential properties. These two amounts seem disproportionate to one another. It could be seen as inviting, for estate planning purposes, over-weighting one's resources into property, and only residential property at that, which is hardly prudent nor in tune with modern investment strategy. These exemption limits, I suggest, clearly do need some re-working.”
“Even when our corporate tax rate was cut from the high 20s in previous Budgets, a clear projection was given as to when our income tax rates would be brought in line with it. This is important as business people have a plethora of choices now, as to the vehicle to carry out their business. To give an example, they are not just partnerships, but now also limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships. Yet, these entities would be taxed at a different rate from corporations, which can affect the assessment as to how to structure one's business. If the plan is, as in the past, to harmonise the income with the corporate tax, those business people would want to know. Uncertainty is generally not a businessman's friend. Tax rates also have an impact on attracting and retaining talent. Just yesterday, the Straits Times ran an article on how Singapore and Hong Kong are neck and neck in terms of attracting the sort of high-end talent needed to drive our financial services sector. Even though, as the Minister points out, individuals with incomes of up to half a million dollars pay less tax in Singapore compared to Hong Kong, Hong Kong salaries - certainly for professionals - are generally higher than in Singapore. For senior executives and top-earners, Hong Kong also has a lower effective tax rate. And they are not standing still either. Their Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, has pledged, if re-elected, to reduce income tax further, to 15%. As a lawyer in private practice, I have seen plenty of young talent leave our shores to further their careers abroad. Remuneration is a key factor (albeit not the only one) for their choices. I have received similar anecdotal feedback from other professionals and corporations.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the motion, and add my applause to a Budget that was comprehensive in its coverage, far-sighted in its initiatives and most eloquently delivered. The move to keep Singapore attractive to investors was well-balanced with looking after the less well-off. The innovation of Workfare, as opposed to welfare, keeps us lean and resilient. I would also single out the Senior Citizens' Bonus, which helps to address the concern that the elderly do not benefit from the CPF and income-related measures. I hope this will be a regular feature of future Budgets, in the same way that NSmen get additional recognition, for the contribution of the older generation in nation-building. However, there are two aspects of the revenue policy, for which I would ask that further consideration be given, at least in terms of clarifying the way ahead. These two aspects have been raised by other Members but I would like to add my own perspectives. I would also speak on two broader topics, not directly tied to matters of finance, which I feel are part of the stated Budget objective of making Singapore the best place to live and grow. Personal income tax I am gratified to note the Government's aim to keep personal income tax rates low. As the Second Minister has mentioned, this incentivises Singaporeans to work hard and reap (and keep) the fruits of their labour. It is also necessary to help attract and retain talent for our economy to grow. But the move to reduce corporate tax has created an anomaly between our corporate rate of 18% and our top marginal tax rate of 20%, which was not present before.”
“I would like to ask the Minister whether he has any comment on recent newspaper reports that say that prices in the super luxury market have moved up by more than 25% in less than a year and that there has been multiple flipping of options in some of these high-end projects. A second supplementary question: Given that the super luxury segment is extremely visible to international investors, would he agree that a forming of a "bubble" in that segment and the bursting of that "bubble" could damage international investors' sentiments, and have a knock-on effect on the Singapore property market?”
“Could I ask the Minister what lessons he considers were learnt or are to be learnt from this episode? While I accept that minimum guidelines should be imposed on commercial investments, should Temasek stay away from investments linked to families of leaders of neighbouring countries?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the President has spoken with great insight on the impact of globalisation. I have only skimmed the surface of three aspects - the free flow of investors, the free flow of people and the free flow of information. All present challenges to us. But with the right attitude and spirit, we can turn these into opportunities to build greater wealth for all, a more open society and a stronger sense of national identity for this, our home. 3.16 pm”
“It has to co-exist with other rights or values and on occasions to give way to them. This needs to be appreciated in order for the debate on allowing greater freedom of expression to progress. Clearly, a balance needs to be struck and the challenge is to find that right balance. With increasing affluence, many in the younger generation are looking beyond the basic necessities of life and intangible values like freedom of speech is a cherished ideal. With a long period of governmental stability, some would like to see the sparks fly, a more vigorous challenge in Parliament, in the media, at the hustings. These feelings are understandable and probably reflect the natural progression of changing demographics and the maturation of society. We would be wrong to dismiss this as the mere whimsies of youth. At the same time, we would be wrong to simply adopt the notions and mores of a different society with a different history and transplant them as our own. The short history of our nation has been marked by our own particular innovations and solutions which, after initial scepticism, have been praised and even copied elsewhere. Thus, our HDB and CPF policies, our amicable union relations, our emphasis on mediation to resolve legal disputes, represent Singapore's own brand in dealing with the issues arising here. Progress has been made on this front, and even the critics would accept that there exist more avenues and more latitude to express dissenting views than, say, 10 or 20 years ago. And progress will continue to be made as we seek to strike the right balance for ourselves. The pace of change may not be fast enough to suit everybody, but I believe we are moving in the right direction.”
“In Australia recently, there was a rape case where a particular religious leader was reported to have said that the fault laid with the victim for not covering up her body appropriately. This naturally sparked off vociferous protests by both women's groups and ordinary folks who felt that shifting the blame from the criminal to the victim on this sort of premise was not acceptable. There were calls for the individual in question, for the one who made the remark, that is, to be deported or even prosecuted himself. At home, we had an incident involving a junior college student's blog where certain remarks were made that were considered objectionable by others. I believe this is the same example that Mr Sin Boon Ann talked about. I do not propose to dwell on the rights and wrongs of those remarks. I simply wish to point out that, following the logic of those single-minded defenders of free speech, one could justify the blog as a student's right to express her views which others would be free to agree or disagree with. But the common thread in all three episodes is that those protesting did not accept that it was within the rights of the expressors to say or write or draw what they did. They did not accept that they should simply confine themselves to expressing their own objections and issue corrective statements or clarifications. Many of the protestors consider that these statements should not have been made at all and that the perpetrators should be prosecuted, lose their jobs, lose their right of residence or, even worse. If one accepts that those objecting have some valid basis for their objections, it becomes difficult to escape the conclusion that freedom of expression is not an absolute, unmitigated right.”
“The third and final aspect of globalisation that I speak of concerns the incessant flow of information in this electronic age and its impact on our society. It is an era where, through your personal blog, everyone is a potential media columnist where the old censorship rules do not really work, where in particular the younger, wired or wireless generation are demanding greater freedom of expression. Freedom of expression of information is a good and vital quality to have. Our financial markets function on the efficient and equal flow of information. Our scientific circles thrive on the exchange of discoveries and views that enable one scientist from one part of the world to build upon the pioneering work of another. Even in politics, would the present Government have come to power and led the country, as it has, for over four decades, if it had not been able to take its platform, its plans, its vision to the people? But the difficulty in talking about this topic of freedom of expression is that some, not all, proponents of it speak as if it is an end unto itself, as if it does not co-exist with other equally important qualities and values, as if it sits upon some pedestal that looks down upon all beneath it and proclaims, "How dare you impinge on my right of freedom of expression?" Is it really that absolute right? A closer examination of some recent episodes sheds light on this. Take the furore over the Danish newspaper that published the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Against the swell of protests from the Muslim community, the defenders of this publication sought to justify this on the basis of free speech. They may have a point. But anyone with even a limited understanding of the Islamic faith would empathise with our Muslim brothers and share their outrage.”
“But our law abiding nature is also a quality for which we are admired and it makes us in this colourful tumultuous continent, that is, Asia, an oasis of calm and order. Recognising our set of values is one thing. But how do we preserve them? One important step, I feel, is to be proud of what we have achieved and not feel we have to constantly apologise for what we have done and for being Singaporean. We are often our harshest critic. But in upbraiding ourselves for things we could do better, we must not overlook what good we have achieved. Thus, despite our bilingual policy, most of us do not speak as good English as an Englishman, nor as good Mandarin as someone from China. But then, again, the average Singaporean probably speaks both languages better than either of them. Again, our knowledge of Chinese tradition and literature might not be as deep as the average Cantonese in Hong Kong, Hokkiens in Taiwan or those from the mainland. But most of us probably know more of other cultures, like Malay culture or Hindu beliefs, than many of those Chinese people. This is not to say we should not strive to continually improve ourselves to acquire breadth and depth to our cultural exposure but looking at ourselves through overly critical glasses is probably as bad as through overly complimentary ones. We need to be proud of what we are and what we have achieved. Witness the outpourings of pride and nationalistic sentiments of the major nations when one of their own prevails in difficult circumstances. We must guard against this tipping over into arrogance and conceit. And we must work to address our shortcomings. But it is the shared connection of pride in one's country that binds a nation together and gives it the national resilience to overcome the challenges ahead.”
“The culture and customs are shared by a large segment of the populace which, in turn, reinforces itself. The language barrier makes it harder for outside influences to adulterate that culture. Neither factors are present in Singapore. Second, we have a relatively short history - 41 years since independence which is a mere wink of the eye compared to the ancient civilisations of China and India plus a little longer in comparison to the storied civilisation of Europe, but certainly a lot less history for our people to rally round. What we need to do, I suggest, is to take a look at what has made us different and what has brought us thus far and derive our values from that. Yes, we are not as racially homogenous as other countries. But our races do co-exist with mutual respect and, I believe, affection. And so racial harmony, which we take for granted in Singapore, is part of our value system and part of our identity. Meritocracy is another. As a nation initially populated by impecunious immigrants often arriving with little more than the proverbial shirts on their backs, almost everyone began from the same starting line. Today, the absence of any aristocratic lineage or racial discrimination and the widespread availability of education all serve to foster that same spirit that, with the right drive and ability, anyone can succeed in Singapore. It may not be a quality unique to Singapore, but it is part of our value system all the same. Yet another quality is our law abiding nature and the absence of corruption in our society. People joke that you can tell a Singaporean in a foreign country because he is usually the one that does not cross the road until the light changes in his favour, even when there is no traffic around. It may be a source of mirth for others.”
“The other has been the immigration and employment policies of the world's major nations. No less a superpower than the United States, the richest and most technologically advanced country in the world, has in place wide-ranging immigration and visa policies to attract overseas talents to rejuvenate their population. Indeed, it has been remarked by several commentators that it is this continuing influx of immigrants that helps maintain its technological edge and entrepreneurial drive over its OECD rivals. Canada and Australia have similar policies to attract foreigners to beef up its talent pool and augment its workforce. Closer by, our neighbour Malaysia has a "Make Malaysia my second home" policy to try and attract others to reside and invest there. Can Singapore stand by, sit by the sidelines, and watch this wave of foreign talent flow on to other shores while we struggle to make do with our modest population that last year had an average fertility rate of 1.24, well below replacement level? Enough has been said about the economic imperative of bringing in talent in fields which are undeveloped in Singapore or bringing in workers to do jobs that Singaporeans do not want to do. Somewhat less talked about is the effect this could have on our national identity and whether it erodes the sense of unity, the sense of being Singaporean over the longer term. The Prime Minister confronted the issue square on in his National Day Rally speech where he spoke of the need to keep Singaporeans wherever they might have come from and wherever they might be now rooted to this country. It is for obvious reasons not a simple task. In the first place, we do not have the same homogeneity of population as, for example, a country like Japan or Korea.”
“Were it not for the foresight of our economic planners many decades ago to make Singapore a refining hub, the country would be the poorer for it now. Second, there is the well regarded legal system with its extensive protection of property, including intellectual property rights. This is a significant factor for multi-nationals who have to manage risks, ranging from acts of expropriation, union claims and the theft of technology. Last, but by no means least, there is the political stability which has almost come to be taken for granted in Singapore. Business investors are wary of change, but they positively abhor unpredictable change. As it is, their financial commitments made in huge terms are premised on carefully worked out scenarios. They do not like unpleasant surprises. Without these attributes, would Singapore be the Asian centre for oil and gas infrastructure that it is today and all this without having any natural energy resources of its own? Globalisation does present a threat on the economic front, but it would be wrong to ignore the fact that it is equally an opportunity. The nation that can work that bit harder, plan that bit better, adapt well to the ever evolving technology and advancement, can seize the day and thrive on a bigger stage and in bigger markets than ever before. The second aspect of globalisation that I wish to touch on is in terms of the free movement of people between the countries of the world, such that one can find a veritable united nation in practically all the major capitals and cities where the influence of a nation’s people is no longer just measured by those residing in their native homeland but by the diasporas spread throughout the globe. Ease of travel has been one major reason for this global village effect.”
“The various tenderers were not being forced to run a casino – if they did not want one – they were being permitted to have one if they did, and all the bidders’ proposed IRs have included a casino in their tender contract. Why is that so? That must be because the market believes that it enhances the feasibility of this multi-billion dollar project. The decision to allow a casino component in the IR concept was reached after extensive public consultation and often heated debate. But what is often obscure, amidst the heat and dust, is that the move was driven by market forces rather than a desire to allow Singaporeans to gamble their savings away. Put it another way, the decision was really to go with what the market was looking for and then try to contain and counter the social fallout through controls and counselling and other measures. And if we had any choice but to go with what market forces were demanding, did Singapore, without the natural attractions of the Three Gorges or Mount Fuji, without the historical sites of an Angkor Wat or Borobudor, really have a choice? I would say not, if they wanted to create sufficient buzz about this island to grow the volume of visitor arrivals that form a significant segment of our economy. Another example would be the multi-billion dollar cracker plant to be built by Shell, hopefully, to be accompanied by a similar investment by ExxonMobil. What are the attractions to these energy giants in basing these plants here at considerable distance from their intended market of North Asia? First, they have the proximity to the feedstock of these plants which in turn is derived from the extensive refining capacity that both oil majors already have in Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can I add my support to the Motion of Thanks. The President, in his Address, spoke of the impact of globalisation and the changes it is making to our business and social environment. I would like to touch on three aspects of globalisation and the challenges they pose to Singapore. The first aspect, and the one that is spoken of the most, concerns the economic impact of globalisation. The arguments for this are well rehearsed. In a borderless world, investments flow to those countries which offer the most advantages, whether in terms of infrastructure, land, manpower and increasingly so, cost. In this context, a small nation like Singapore, with a limited domestic market, wage costs higher than China and India, technology is good but not as advanced as the United States of America, finds it far from easy to carve out its niche in the world market. The answer is, and as always is, that Singapore and Singaporeans have to work harder, work smarter and be more business-friendly than our rivals. Those were the only reasons why a foreign investor would want to site its plant or resort here than in the larger, cheaper markets that abound in Asia. A couple of recent examples illustrate the point. One that has sparked some controversy is the case of the integrated resorts (or IRs). The controversy stems from the casino component of the IRs which some Singaporeans feel, not without basis, would bring social ills linked to gambling to our shores. My purpose is not to debate the evils of gambling but to point out that the tender allowed for a very small percentage, in the single digit, of the gross floor area of integrated resorts to be allocated for casino.”