Ang Kok Peng
Singapore
“Sir, earlier this morning, the House was informed that HDB has an ongoing project to detect urine in lifts by installing urine sensors inside the lifts. Will the Minister inform us whether the purpose is to expedite the cleansing of the lifts after somebody has urinated or is it to catch culprits urinating?”
“Sir, I believe there are regulations under the Destruction of Disease-Bearing Insects Act which require building contractors to take adequate measures to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes at construction sites.”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister how many statutory boards are retaining the services of their low income employees aged over 60 years? And would the Minister agree that the information I am seeking now should be given fair publicity so that the private sector employers could be encouraged to follow suit.”
“Sir, I have two questions for the Minister. How many blocks of flats along Avenue 8 Ang Mo Kio are really having a higher dose of noise because of the MRT system? What other areas near the MRT system will experience a higher noise level in future when more MRT lines become operational?”
“Sir, I have two supplementary questions for the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. First, has the Ministry conducted any survey to find out whether the disposable ware used by food hawkers and vendors in Singapore are of a quality that meets the safety specifications adopted by advanced countries such as the USA or UK?”
“Sir, I would like to seek some clarification from the Minister. Clause 34 which replaces section 42 of the Environmental Public Health Act being repealed provides for the licensing of itinerant hawkers. Today, apart from the ice-cream vendors who are mobile, all hawkers are now operating from stationary stalls.”
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“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead MA-01 Object Group 1210 of the Main Estimates. In moving this amendment, I wish to raise three matters. First, I would like to ask the Minister for the Environment to let the House know of the measures being taken to control air and water pollution in and around the petrochemical complex in Pulau Ayer Merbau to within acceptable limits. Second, I would like to refer to the use of lead alkyls as additive in petrol to increase the octane ratings. The Minister, being a scientist himself, is aware that lead is a general metabolic poison in the human body. Among other things, it can cause derangements in nearly every organ system and can specially affect the nervous system and the blood. There is evidence to show that even at low levels lead can interfere with the sensitive biochemical processes in the brains of children. Once lead gets into brain cells, it remains there and disrupts communication between cells. A major source of lead in our air is motor vehicle emissions. At the moment, the maximum allowable lead content in petrol is 0.4 grams per litre. This level is still high compared with that in some countries in Europe. I know the Ministry of the Environment is closely monitoring the lead level in the air. May the Minister let the House know the progress of such monitoring and whether the Ministry now considers it opportune to further reduce the maximum allowable lead content in petrol. And if so, to what level and how this level is arrived at? The third matter concerns gas leakage.”
“A family unit shrinks in size due to various factors, such as death, members moving out to establish new families, members going overseas for further studies, or on job assignments, or simply migrating to other countries. The family unit constriction may lead to a situation when the flat has only one occupant. This is where the problem arises. On knowing this situation, the Board proceeds to direct the owner to take in a lodger or let out a room, otherwise the Board may compulsorily acquire the flat. Mr Speaker, Sir, here I must hastily add that I know the Minister is a kind-hearted man and is unlikely to take such an extreme measure. However, the fact remains that an owner of a flat may well feel that he is not truly the owner of the flat even though he fully COmplies with all the other regulations of the Board. I would ask the Minister to put himself in the place of such a single occupant with the predicament of having to get someone to move into his flat. Will he be happy to do so at the sacrifice of precious privacy, even if that other person is one of the hon. Members of this House? May I therefore ask the Minister to let the House know whether he intends to take any measures to allay such anxiety among our flat owners?”
“The Board's regulations are based on collective responsibility and hence punishment is meted out accordingly. Is the Board correct in doing this? May I appeal to the Minister for National Development not to be too harsh on these occupants who may well be completely innocent, albeit negligent and, like good people, let us see to it that the sins of parents or siblings do not visit upon their innocent kins. I would therefore urge the Minister to review the relevant regulations bearing in mind that not all of us can be our brothers' keepers nor can all of us influence the actions of our parents. Mr Speaker, Sir, I also would like to refer to section 48A, subsection l(i) of the Housing and Development Act which allows the Board to compulsorily acquire a flat sold by the Board if the said flat is not being occupied by such minimum number of persons as the Board may require. I believe this minimum number, in practice, means at least two. I understand that this clause is to ensure maximum utilization of space. This provision was necessary in the early days when the housing situation was acute. Thanks to the excellent efforts of the Board, the waiting period for a flat has been drastically reduced. The housing situation has changed dramatically, and for the better. In view of this, I would ask the Minister to re-examine the need for this particular provision and, if the need is still there, to at least consider the possibility of amending it in such a way that the Board is obliged to offer an alternative smaller flat to a single occupant, while allowing him to dispose of his flat at the prevailing market price. I am drawing the Minister's attention to this provision of the Act as it creates unnecessary anxiety among flat owners.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, section 48A, subsection 1(h) of the Housing and Development Act allows the Board to compulsorily acquire a flat sold by the Board, if it finds out that the owner does not occupy the said flat but lets it out without the permission of the Board. I do not quarrel with the Board over this provision. However, I am concerned over the regulations made by the Board under this provision. As I understand it, correct me if I am wrong, in such a case of infringement the Board repossesses the flat at its original price minus about $10,000 for administrative and other fees. Furthermore, and this is the disturbing part, the Board imposes a ban barring the guilty owner from applying for an HDB flat for 10 long years and barring all registered adult occupants of 18 years and above from applying for an HDB flat for five years. The punishment appears to be very severe indeed. Mr Speaker, Sir, I must confess that I have no idea what is a just punishment for a guilty owner. But I do feel that the punishment is too severe for the registered occupants. Sir, my sense of fair play makes me feel that the Board may be too hard on the registered occupants, be they children or siblings of the guilty owner. The registered occupants may not be staying at the flat for one reason or another and, through an oversight or sheer negligence, hav9 not taken the trouble to inform the Board that they are no longer occupants. They may not know the seriousness of this negligence and yet they are severely penalized for the sins of others. Mr Speaker, Sir, we must recognize that in present day society one member of a family does not always know what the others are up to, let alone be consulted on the action that the others may take.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, just as we wish to promote excellence in sports, music and literary art, where individual endeavours are the yardstick of success, we must give the individual entrepreneurs a fair opportunity to contribute to our economy. I fully support the motion of the Member for Ayer Rajah. 12.20 pm”
“Assistance to help them in upgrading, in assimilating new technologies is needed and yet, Mr Speaker, Sir, I note the paradox that, in the 1983 and 1984 Report of the Skills Development Fund, out of this group of small and medium-sized companies of 430,000 or so, only 7.2% of their total pool of employees received training. On the other hand, the larger companies which, in times of economic stress retrench their workers or shift their operation elsewhere, receive in the same period training for 26% of their staff of 500-odd thousand. In the light of the difficulties being experienced by the small and the medium industries, I urge this Government to review the training spread of workers in the various sectors. Greater emphasis should be made to balance out the apparent gap between contributions from the small and medium industries and the benefits that they are deriving under the Skills Development Fund. Mr Speaker, Sir, a further step which needs to be taken at this time is a thorough review of the system of tax overheads that has been built into our economy. During the good years nobody will dispute the need for contributing to the Skills Development Fund levy of 4%, contribution to the payroll tax of 2%, and several other Government taxes for utility and services. However, when economic adjustment needs to be made, in face of adverse market conditions, there is a need to ensure that such overheads do not artificially phase out otherwise worthwhile and viable enterprises. The presence of a broad spectrum of business enterprises, from small, medium to large, gives us an added degree of resilience to our economy. It creates opportunity to cultivate entrepreneurship and business acumen in our people.”
“We need to have economic well-being and growth to be able to achieve our society of excellence. In recent years we have achieved good economic growth. However, our present targets are set at a more modest pace of 5-7%. Mr Speaker, Sir, recently we have witnessed several examples of difficulties in our economy. Even large multi-national companies are suffering some setbacks. Several had to retrench staff. We also read regularly between the pages of our newspapers of the difficulties faced by the other sectors of our economy. Such setbacks serve to highlight the sensitivity and delicate balance of our economic structure in relation to the larger economy of the Western nations and Japan. Mr Speaker, Sir, I suggest that these are also reasons for us to examine carefully how our projected 5-7% growth in the coming year will be distributed among the various sectors of our economy. In this way, we may be able to avoid the danger that may come from a skewed growth in our economy. We do have a large number of medium-sized companies, numbering around 61,000. These include supporting industries which offer goods and services to consumers, to large national and multi-national enterprises. These companies are home-grown. They have their roots sunk deeply ,into Singapore. They are not able, like the multi-nationals, to shift their operations to new theatres when economic conditions are unfavourable. The survival of these companies is dependent on their willingness and ability to absorb new methods and technology. Under the present circumstances, Mr Speaker, Sir, these companies are in great need of assistance if they are to survive a harsh cycle.”
“These are the people who, in another time, in another place, would have continued to live a simple life in their tiny farms or their fishing village, But, Mr Speaker, Sir, in the context of Singapore, the privilege of living off the land is a privilege that we can ill-afford. The low-income group in their rental flat is thus facing a real danger of being detached from the mainstream of society. As time goes by, it will be more and more difficult for them and for many of their children to pull themselves out of this trap. Failure to help them now would be to leave behind in our progress a weak spot, a weakness in the fabric of our society that could one day lead to the erosion of all our achievements. Therefore, Mr Speaker, Sir, I give the declaration to help the low-income wage earners become homeowners in their own right my loudest cheer. Mr Speaker, Sir, in doing so, we must also take pains to ensure that such assistance does not become a crutch and that others would be tempted to slacken in their own efforts to forge ahead. It is a paradox which will not be easily solved. It shall require some radical thinking and bold departures from our usual meritocratic approach. For a start, Mr Speaker, Sir, the 20% downpayment for HDB flats has often been cited by many rental flat tenants as a major obstacle to their purchase of their own homes. I would urge the HDB to seriously review the quantum of downpayment for selected categories of flats which rental flat tenants can be encouraged to purchase. Mr Speaker, Sir, this Government's desire to create the pre-conditions for fruitful efforts to generate wealth is most laudable. Economic well-being is a fire that stokes on nation building effort.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, let me give an example which will be very easily understood because of the average Singaporean's great love for a car. Singapore is rather like a 1400 cc car, one of the ubiquitous Japanese cars we see on the road. There is only so many horsepower that you can get out of this 1400 cc engine. But if you are willing to invest in that little extra, if you are willing to pay and put in the effort of installing a turbo charger, Mr Speaker, Sir, you can make your 1400 cc car perform like a 2000 cc car. It can take you into the formula races. Mr Speaker, Sir, at this point of time, we must make this decision to put in that extra effort so that we, as a nation, can make it to the second peak. This is the message that must be emphasized to Singaporeans, to the younger generation, particularly, who, in a manner of speech, have arrived at the first peak, without too arduous a journey. They are camped there now and the option that faces them is to go on to the next peak or to go back, down to where they came from. Mr Speaker, Sir, the next task ahead of this Government is to evolve an equitable system of helping the less successful in our midst. They are less successful but nonetheless most of them are conscientious and hardworking people, honest people, but because of age, lack of education or other personal circumstances, they are part of the low-income wage earner group, unable to keep pace with general affluence. Many are casual labourers or self-employed, without the benefit of a CPF saving.”
“They have successfully led the people to conquer the first peak. Now, as we gather our forces to prepare ourselves to assault the second peak that we see ahead of us, we need, first of all, to strengthen the bond between the people and the Government. The effort to encourage greater participation by the people in matters and decisions that concern their life, marks a welcome change. I hope that this change is not mistaken to be merely a response of this Government to the loss of 12.6% more votes in the last general election. If it were those votes that this Government is interested in, then there are many other soft and easy options which can be used. The reality is that if we are to succeed in reaching our second peak, we need now, more than ever before, the wholehearted support and commitment of all Singaporeans. We need to convince them of the destiny facing our nation and to gain their total support so that we can complete the course together and arrive victorious on higher ground. Mr Speaker, Sir, the forces of nature work against Singapore in the struggle for success. No amount of reclamation will ever alter the fact that we are but a very tiny island on the face of this earth. Nothing is buried beneath our soil that will earn us a living, By the turn of the century, we will still be a nation of about three million people and not that we have room for many more. If we cannot keep abreast of global technological development, we will rapidly suffer the 'Consequence of neglect. There is no second line of defence for Singapore. We cannot go back to the land to eke out a living. Keeping chickens in the backyard may be a very earthy suggestion but, Mr Speaker, Sir, it is anachronistic and far from the aspirations of many Singaporeans.”
“Many of our people own their own homes, although not quite enough. We live in a beautiful garden city. We have all the facilities that are required for a comfortable life. Recreational facilities are available. we even have a symphonic company, and pretty soon we will have an indoor sports stadium. Mr Speaker, Sir, the progress of a nation is like a journey up a series of mountain peaks where the moment we arrive at one peak we see ahead of us another peak, not too far off but a higher one, and we see in the distance the ultimate summit which is still hidden in the clouds, yet to be defined, yet to be reached. We have already arrived at the first peak. It is now necessary for us, as a nation, to strike out boldly for new objectives, to reach the second peak that we can see ahead of us. We must do so in order that the vitality and sense of accomplishment that characterize Singaporeans today is not dulled through complacency and lassitude. Mr Speaker, Sir, therefore, the vision of an affluent, vibrant and caring Singapore society, poised to enter the 21st century, is timely and a necessary beacon to light our way in the coming years. It is a vision to give purpose to what we are about to do. A government can steer the ship of state to great achievements with the support of a willing crew member, that is, the people. In the past, Mr Speaker, Sir, the force of circumstance has frequently led this Government to take quick action when people were poorly educated, jobless, homeless or living in squalid conditions. There can be no other choice. The government of the day must take prompt and decisive action. The fact that today Singaporeans are enjoying a high standard of living is a testimony to the ability and judgment of our earlier leaders.”
“To encourage the young to look after the old, we need, on the one hand, to inculcate filial piety and, on the other, to allow liberal income tax relief for those who look after their old. Mr Speaker, Sir, let us be reminded that one grows old with every moment of time and reaches old age often sooner than expected. Let us, therefore, create conditions in our society to make old age a less worrying prospect. And even though it may not be as depicted in the pious optimism of Robert Browning that in growing old 'the best is yet to be', let us ensure that at least 'pleasant it could be'. 12.03 pm The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications and Information and the Minister for the Environment (Dr Lee Boon Yang): Mr Speaker, Sir,I rise to give my wholehearted support to the hon. Member for Ayer Rajah who has moved the motion to thank the President for his Address on the occasion of the opening of this Parliament. Sir, the forefathers and parents and, indeed, quite a number of Singaporeans came from distant shores to this island not too long ago. They uprooted themselves from their homeland to come here because they had a vision. They had a vision of a better life for themselves and for their children. Thus, people of diverse race and culture arrived in Singapore with a common purpose. Jointly, they struggled through the colonial era. They suffered the pains and uncertainty of early nationhood and again, together, they forged a society, a prosperous society of which we are part of today. Our society, despite what the Member for Anson said, has already achieved all the fundamental needs of people everywhere. In some respects, we have done much better than many other countries. We have full employment.”
“To the aged, more so. The feeling that one is still useful and able to continue to be in the main-stream of life is extremely important. It means dignity, without which how can one grow old gracefully? Among other things, the Addendum on the Ministry of Community Development has mentioned about providing the opportunities and the environment to assist the aged. I hope that by this the Ministry will consider an upward revision of the retirement age for those who are physically fit and wish to continue to work and, for those retiring at 55, to have the opportunity to be gainfully employed at less exacting jobs with commensurate remunerations, and more important, took into the possibility of reserving certain categories of light jobs and occupations to be preferentially given to the aged. In our workforce, almost half of the economically active persons aged 50 and above have, at most, primary level education. They are not likely to have much accumulated reserves on retirement in a few years' time. What sort of meaningful and satisfying life could they look forward to for the remaining years of their lives? It is comforting to note that the Ministry will conduct programmes for the social care and integration of the aged with their families and, parallel to this, to physically upgrade or relocate existing institutional homes. It is right that we should encourage and help the aged to live in the community instead of placing them in such institutional homes. Institutional homes, however, cannot be dispensed with altogether as they do serve a need but they should only be the place of last resort.”
“Barring any severe deterioration of the world economy and despite the present protectionist practices in world trade, our past efforts at restructuring our economy have placed us in a position to make these goals attainable. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am glad that the Government will assist those belonging to the lower income group, who find it difficult to adjust to the pace of change. This is equitable; partly because Nature has not endowed them sufficiently and partly because they have not been equipped with the requisite capacity nor the necessary discipline to meet the rapid change. Greater attention and appropriate assistance will go a long way to encourage them to make that little extra effort to make the grade. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am also glad to note that special attention will be paid to our senior citizens, the number of which is increasing rapidly, to enable them to be socially active and healthy and to remain as participating members in our society. Thanks to the advancement of medical science, we can expect to live for 3-score and 10 years, and in some cases more. And yet the retirement age remains at 55 in the private sector and at 60 in the public sector. How then should the average person, if he is healthy and mentally alert, spend the rest of his life after retirement? Mr Speaker, Sir, for those who are prudent enough to have substantial savings, do we want them to laze about aimlessly? And for those who have exhausted their savings, do we want them to depend on the State or the charity of friends and relatives to traverse this last stretch of their lives? We can, of course, encourage some to plunge themselves into community service. Not all can. Nor is this close to the life-style many want. Mr Speaker, Sir, work plays a vital part in our life.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to fully support the motion moved by the Member for Ayer Rajah to thank the President for his Address at the opening of Parliament. During the past 25 years the Government and the people of Singapore have laboured hard and achieved a social and economic progress which is remarkable by any standard of measurement. The affluence we have brought to the country has in its turn generated certain problems requiring new approaches for their solution. Recognizing this, the Government has initiated efforts to evolve a more effective consultative system which will better reflect the wishes of our people in the shaping of our society. Our people as a whole are better housed and better fed, more literate and knowledge- able, and more highly skilled and professionally better qualified. Concomitant with these changes, the attitude of the people has changed and the expectations of life have also been raised. Although by and large the people do agree that the ablest should lead the country to the next stage of development, at the same time they want an increasing participation in shaping the nature of our society. This is a good sign of the growing maturity of our people, and the Government is correct in actively encouraging this development. The proposal to form town councils may be presumed to be a harbinger of more such participatory institutions to come. This augurs well for our social evolution. The goals for the next five years as spelt out in the President's Address are ambitious, reflecting a quiet confidence in our people's ability to pull together to strive for greater heights of achievement.”
“Sir, I must thank the Minister for giving me such a long reply. I only wish to draw his attention to a trend which, if left unchecked, may be very harmful to our citizens. I was not asking for the introduction of new legislation but just to keep an eye on such trends. On that note, I wish to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendments stood on the Order Paper Supplement:-”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head P be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead PA-01 Object Group 1210 of the Main Estimates. In moving this amendment, Sir, I wish to draw the Minister's attention to a recent trend among beauty parlours to resort to increasing use of equipment and novel methods of treatment which claim to halt aging of the skin, remove a whole layer of skin from the face, reduce wrinkles, perform face-lifts, remove scars and acne, redesign eyebrows and cause certain muscles to firm up or be raised by a couple of inches. Some of the practices involve the use of electrical and electronic machines, ultra-violet light beams, laser beams and other radiations. Several of these treatments amount to a commercial exploitation of fringe medicine by unqualified persons with possible dangers to the health of those undergoing the treatment. For instance, the eye can be damaged by laser beam in laser therapy when administered by inadequately trained persons. I would like to know whether the Ministry has examined these new methods of treatment to see that they are harmless.”
“In view of the favourable offer from the Parliamentary Secretary, I have no other choice but to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $176,644,220 for Head M ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $$236,483,000 for Head M ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head S -”
“Sir, maybe it is not proper for me to offer my services. But I am available any time.”
“Sir, if I heard the Parliamentary Secretary correctly, he said that his Ministry and the Department of Scientific Services were unable to test for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. How then can he know that they are present in insignificant amounts in the oil used?”
“Many of these compounds have been shown to be carcinogens to animals. They may well have carcinogenic potency towards human beings. Could the Minister let the House know whether officials of his Ministry have been taking samples of such over-used cooking oil from cooked food stalls or cooked food establishments for checking to see whether they do contain any of these undesirable and potentially harmful substances? Anyway, I hope the Ministry would urge food stalls and establishments not to over-use their cooking oil.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead MB-04 Object Group 1210 of the Main Estimates. In moving this amendment, I do not intend in any way to belittle the excellent work done by the staff of the Ministry of the Environment in respect of the area of food control. In fact, over the years the standard of public hygiene among our food handlers, especially the hawkers, has improved immensely and for me, a regular patron of hawker stalls, I now have very much less occasion to seek remedy for stomach disorders arising from the enjoyment of the food served in the hawker centres. It is generally known that the close attention being paid to the state of health of the food handlers and the periodic checks of the food in the hawker centres and other eating places by the officials of the Ministry have ensured that there are no toxic materials and no harmful bacteria purveyed. These praiseworthy efforts are largely responsible for maintaining the safety of cooked food in these places. However, much to my concern is the fact that many of those food stalls and establishments using cooking oil for deep frying of food tend to use the same oil over and over again. As a result, the oil which is clear when fresh becomes dark brown or blackish on prolonged usage. This darkly-coloured liquid now contains many other chemicals not originally present in the oil. Among them are compounds known as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons.”
“Sir, I am satisfied with the answer and I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead MB-01 Object Group 1210 of the Main Estimates. Sir, for practically all of us here, in order to keep ourselves tidy and presentable, a periodic visit to the barber or hairdresser is unavoidable. Few of us could attend to such tonsorial matter by ourselves. I therefore feel that the matter I shall be raising under this amendment merits the attention of the Ministry as it concerns not only us here but the general public equally so. I have noted that there is a general lack of attention being paid to hygiene by the operators of many hairdressing establishments. The barbers and hairdressers in these establishments do not observe the simple rules of hygiene. For instance, after using the paraphernalia on the customer they do not bother to disinfect them before proceeding to use them on the next. Although the cleansing of such parapher-nalia can be done very simply in several ways, for example, heat or radiation treatment or soaking in disinfectants, they do not bother to take such simple measures of hygiene in the interest of their customers. Presumably because the Ministry has not required them to do so. This unhygienic practice can help to spread skin diseases. I would suggest that the Ministry take steps to make the barbers and hairdressers aware of the need to be more hygiene-conscious and perhaps advise them on the simple measures that can be taken to safeguard the health of their customers.”
“Singaporeans are good at calculation. What is the difference between the hospitalization charges as between those who are under the Scheme and those who are not? The self-employed would like to find this out before they decide to join or not to join the Scheme. So I hope the Ministry of Health will be able to clarify this point. When these questions have been answered, there are further questions. As regards those who are not on salary, how are they going to join the Medisave Scheme? How much would they have to contribute monthly? For those who have joined the Medisave Scheme, if their income should be changed mid-way, is there any guideline to adjust their contributions from time to time according to their varying incomes? All these questions must be answered so as to encourage the self-employed and those who are not on salary to join the Scheme. Besides, there are also many minor technical points to clarify. I hope the Ministry of Health after some careful study may be able to give details on these points so that the self-employed may see the merits and voluntarily join the Medisave Scheme. Thank You. 4.00 p.m.”
“Paragraph 58 of the Plan also states that the Government has no intention of denying any medical attention to any needy people on the grounds of financial hardship. In other words, anybody who is poor and is seriously ill and needs hospitalization, the Government will not deprive him of vital medical care. But there is contradiction in these two things. No specific or detailed measure is given in this Paper. The National Health Plan is a nation-wide plan and, when implemented, all who are gainfully employed should be included in the Plan. Therefore, the Ministry should try to explain to the self-employed the merits of the Medisave Scheme to encourage them to join. The Ministry should try to answer these questions. First, why should people join the Scheme? How can the Medisave Scheme be better than medical insurance? The Scheme entails compulsory saving which is accumulated through one's own contribution. On the other hand, medical insurance requires payment by the policy-holder who may or may not get any benefit out of it depending on certain eventualities. There, it differs in nature. In certain aspects medical insurance has its merits and advantages. The Ministry of Health should explain why the Medisave Scheme is better than the other measures. The second question is: Why is it better to contribute to the Medisave Scheme than to save money in the bank? Some people think that keeping money in a savings bank account is better and more convenient for immediate use, unlike the savings in the Medisave Scheme which cannot be used even if one reaches retirement age. The third question is, for those who do not join the Medisave Scheme, how is the Government going to calculate their medical charges and hospitalization charges "cost-wise"?”
“For instance, in health education, it should include the education of the people on safety, on topics like road safety and industrial safety. On the standard of medical professionalism, I think we should not, in trying to save money, lower our standards. We must not only maintain our standard, we must also try to progress so that Singapore may become a medical centre in this region. Not only the standard of private hospitals should be raised, but the standard of Government hospitals and clinics should also not be allowed to retrogress. It should not be compromised for economy. I feel that the content of the Medisave Scheme as envisaged in the Plan is quite simple and straightforward, but its implementation may meet with many technical problems and therefore require prior careful study. While Members of Parliament have talked at length on various aspects, I would just like to touch upon one point, that is, the Medisave Scheme and the effect of the Scheme on the self-employed and the non-employees. If members of their families are not under the Medisave Scheme, then these people will not benefit from this scheme. Such people would include hawkers, the small traders, taxi drivers and the like. They are not few in number. Their interest should also be taken care of vis-a-vis the National Health Plan. Although the Blue Paper has touched upon this aspect briefly, there are not many words about it specifically. It is stated in paragraph 62 of the Blue Paper that the Government may not continue to give subsidies to people who are outside the Scheme. In other words, the Government may want .to recover the full cost from such people.”
“The Ministry provides the infrastructure and basic services and monitors closely the fees charged to ensure that they are reasonable. In this way the doctors of the polyclinics are less likely to be overworked doctors and hence can be more effective in their services, especially in the evenings. Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the recommendation that there should be periodic reviews in the implementation of the Scheme and provided that the Ministry continues with the present practice of allowing a person immediate access to medical treatment regardless of his ability to pay, I support the proposal for the introduction of the Medisave Scheme as part of the national programme for the health care of our people. 3.52 p.m. Dr Koh Lip Lin (Nee Soon)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. Since a few hon. Members have already touched at length on the National Health Plan and the Medisave Scheme, I would like to confine myself to only a few points. First, I would like to say that both the Plan and the Scheme are timely and judicious. With the progress of our economy and the raising of our standard of living, our standard of medical service and health should also be compatibly raised. The Blue Paper connotes a depth of foresight and a plan of prudence on the part of the Health Ministry. I agree very much with what is stated in the Blue Paper that our National Health Plan should be based on both the prophylactic and the educational aspects in addition to the curative, the success of which will in future put our medical service under manageable control. It is hoped that the Ministry of Health will promote these two aspects with our popular support.”
“the Ministry may find it necessary to deny the subsidy normally enjoyed by Class C patients to those outside the Medisave Scheme." I do so having in mind those non-CPF contributing women who are divorced, separated from or abandoned by their husbands. Marriages do break up, be they marriages arising from love or careful arrangements by matchmakers even with the aid of electronic computers. This is a fact of life. Couples do disagree, leading to broken homes. Has the Ministry considered how these unfortunate women and their children are to be accommodated under the Scheme? Another area which I wish to comment on is the Ministry's plan to allow Government and private doctors to make use of its polyclinics in the evenings in the manner of private clinics. I presume that these doctors, both Government and private, whom the Ministry has in mind of tapping their services, are those who are already working full-time during the day. If so, I am not sure this is the correct way of utilizing the polyclinics in the evenings. These doctors, both Government and pri- vate doctors, would have put in a hard day's work by the time evening comes and hence are in need of recreation to keep themselves fit. They are not likely to be able to perform at their best this added undertaking during the extended period of their services in the evenings. Would the Minister consider making these polyclinics wholly available to the private doctors instead? Let each poly-clinic be operated by a group of private doctors who can arrange a duty roster among themselves. Each polyclinic may be supervised by a board from one of the hospitals to which it can have a special relationship.”
“Also some of those who are approaching retirement age may not be able to accumulate enough funds in their Medisave account when they retire. To these two groups of people the Scheme, as it stands, will present a difficult problem. For those who are fortunate to have children with a sense of filial duty, their problem can be eased through the use of their children's Medisave account. However, for the less fortunate they will be in a dreadful situation. I would urge the Ministry to consider the predicament of such people and to take appropriate measures to solve this transitional problem during the initial period of the Medisave Scheme without requiring these people to lose their personal pride and dignity by being first certified as genuinely poor before concession is given. As regards the more matured in our society in general, another problem awaits them. On retirement their income drops drastically, but their medical expenditure is likely to go up concomitant with their increasing need for medical care. The Scheme does not allow them to pay for outpatient treatment from the Medisave account. There is, therefore, a need to modify this aspect of the Scheme for the retired aged so as to allow them to make use of their Medisave account for all types of necessary medical care and not merely for acute hospitalization. Otherwise, some aged retirees, not wishing to impose on their children for one reason or another, may well delay seeking much needed medical care. This is undesirable as it may lead to complications of their physical disorder which could well have been avoided if timely medical treatment had been sought. I also view with some concern the statement, which I quote, "...”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first, I would like to compliment the Ministry of Health for pro- ducing the Blue Paper on National Health Plan which provides an outline of a comprehensive programme for national health care. Although far from being a perfect plan, it is nevertheless a product of careful study taking into account some of the views expressed by different sectors of the society. One innovative feature of the plan is the proposal to set up community hospitals in HDB new towns. This is a right move as it will make it more convenient for the residents needing hospital services and hospitalization. A new concept of the plan is, of course, the Medisave Scheme. The Scheme involves setting aside six out of 46% of the monthly CPF contribution to be used for hospitalization expenses when required. My PAP colleagues who have spoken before me have very eloquently dealt with the various aspects of the National Health Plan, including the Medisave Scheme. Many of their comments will certainly cause the Second Minister for Health to rethink some aspects of the Plan and perhaps make appropriate improvement to it before implementation. I share some of the sentiments expressed and, in particular, the concern in the shortcomings of the Medisave Scheme. Not wanting to repeat what has been said by my colleagues and, indeed, said with such great clarity and forcefulness, I shall confine myself to making comments in three areas. As people grow old, physically they degenerate and are prone to falling sick and need more frequent medical attention. According to the proposed Medisave Scheme, those who have retired will be unable to participate in the Scheme through the CPF contribution.”
“I sincerely hope that employers' associations and the mass media are aware of the importance of this problem and take concrete and effective measures to encourage our workers to undergo more comprehensive retraining and re-education so as to strengthen their thought and awareness, raise their level of consciousness, make them more dedicated to their duty to the society and to their work so that they may identify themselves with their company and the society. If our workforce is equipped with such qualities, we believe that we will have the strength and the will to solve the myriad problems that are or will be confronting us. And when the world economy turns for the better, our workforce, which has a high sense of responsibility, highly motivated and equipped with higher technology and capability, will be able to push our economic development towards a higher peak. 4.51 p.m.”
“They were convinced that in economic development, in addition to better management and technology, other factors were involved. These were the quality of the Man, human relationships and social cohesiveness of our people. Singapore is an island country that lacks natural resources. Our important resources are human resources. Hence the quality of the Man, good human relationships and social cohesiveness of our people are of crucial importance. In 1968, when the new Employment Act was introduced to cope with the economic difficulties that beset Singapore, our workers (the human factor) were able to place the national interest over personal interests and were able to sincerely rally together and cooperate with the Government and the employers to solve problems. In the last two years when all were putting great emphasis on the importance of raising productivity, it was the NTUC and the workers who took concrete measures to conscientiously upgrade their own skills through further training of skills - it was the human factor. It is obvious that if we want to tide over the difficult period of economic recession and to embark on further economic development and expansion of commerce, industries and finance, we must not forget the quality of man. In recognition of this fact, the NTUC has been energetically taking steps to conduct productivity seminars, training courses on trade union leadership and courses on basic education for skills training. Through such activities we hope to further raise the level of consciousness of our workers and strengthen their cohesiveness on the production lines. On the other hand, we find that employers and the other organizations have not done enough in this respect.”
“The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Chin Harn Tong)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Budget for the coming financial year introduced by the Minister for Trade and Industry is very encouraging. Apart from increased taxation on luxuries like liquor and tobacco, there has been no tax increase. On the contrary, the Budget provides for tax incentives for office computerization and automation, exemption of income tax for revenues earned from loan syndication of Asian Dollars and the abolition of stamp duty, etc. This will go a long way to help promote productivity and efficiency and to tide us over the present period of economic recession. Obviously, when the global economy is in a very bad shape and the US and European countries are in the thick of economic recession and surging waves of unemployment, it is only correct for us to put emphasis on our future task on economic development and developments in commerce, industries and finance, as recession and deterioration in our commerce, industries and finance will directly or indirectly have an adverse effect on various aspects of our economic and social development. However, I would like to stress that while giving due attention to the developments in our economy, commerce, industries and finance, we should not neglect to improve the quality of our thinking and to strengthen our-social cohesiveness. Last year, several internationally known Confucian scholars came to Singapore. Some of these scholars stated that while the Western countries were plunged into economic recession, the economists in Western countries were amazed that countries or regions that adhered to Confucianism, such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, were able to maintain their economic growth.”
“What is required is a systematic study to identify the factors favourable to a greater female participation rate and follow this up with appropriate measures. Perhaps the Minister may wish to consider granting a tax concession as an incentive to housewives apart from those with high professional qualifications to take up part-time employment. With a greater female participation rate, our reliance on foreign workers may be reduced. One more point I wish to touch on is the matter of Estate Duty. We should re-examine this item of revenue. For FY 83 an amount of $30 million or 12.3% less than the amount collected during FY 82 has been estimated. In FY 82 the amount collected was $34.209 million - a sum surprisingly tiny for a country of Singapore's affluence. So there are ways to minimize the estate duty payable. I understand that the process of having the estate of a deceased assessed and duty settled could in certain cases be a cumbersome and time-consuming affair, not to mention the inconvenience to the beneficiary or beneficiaries. In view of this, should we not either abolish it or replace it with some other manner of taxation so that the estate of a deceased can be expeditiously settled in keeping with our national polity of high efficiency. Having made these comments, it would be remiss of me not to congratulate the Minister for proposing a good Budget. Mr Speaker, Sir, the world recession has caught up with us and the signs are that the worst is yet to be. With prudent management of resources and sound economic policy, I am confident that we shall be able to brave the economic storm and Singapore will emerge from it a more resilient country. I fully support the Budget Statement. 4.44 p.m.”
“The tax concession on the purchase of computers and office automation equipment will no doubt serve as a fillip to our non-manufacturing enterprises in their efforts to automate and mechanize their operations. The emphasis on education and manpower development is rightly placed as it will enable our people to become better equipped to face the challenges and difficult times ahead and also to be able to seize the opportunities that will come with the end of the world recession. At this juncture may I refer to the provision for development expenditure for the Ministry of Education. Almost $300 million will be spent as capital grants to institutions for tertiary education. This is in line with our emphasis on manpower development which I fully endorse. However, I would have liked to see more provision for Government-aided primary and secondary schools than the amount of $3,019,600. This amount seems to be too meagre and inadequate to meet the requirement of these schools as some of them are in urgent need of modern facilities. Like the Government schools, they are doing a good job educating our young who represent the input of the institutes for tertiary education. A more substantive grant to these schools would contribute to a more effective and balanced programme of manpower development. I hope the Minister for Finance would take note of this comment. According to the Economic Survey of Singapore 1982, the rate of female participation in the labour force rose to 45.2%. This is 0.4% more than that of the previous year, representing a growth of about 1%. This shows that we have not been too successful in exhorting non-working women to join the labour force.”
“For 1983, therefore, the domestic component of our economy may well again have to provide the main stimulus for economic growth. Fortunately, and as a matter of great reassurance, our accumulated resources are able to help us tide over another difficult year ahead. Recently there have been various indications in the industrial countries, particularly the United States, that the worst is about to be over and the world is at last on the road to recovery from recession. We all sincerely hope that the signs have been correctly interpreted. Mr Speaker, Sir, permit me now to raise some general comments on the Budget. The response to the Budget Statement from the industrial and commercial quarters is generally favourable. However, to the average man in the street, it has caused hardly any excitement. To me, it is quite an unusual Budget in the context of the difficult world today. At a trying time like this, we are still able to propose a level of spending geared to development without placing additional burden on any specific group of people. Granted that smokers and drinkers have to cough out a bit more for their tobacco and liquor, but then these are non-essential items. In contrast, other countries, near and far, have to adopt 'austerity budgets' with large cutbacks on developmental expenditure and social spending. Their people would likely have to be content with no improvement in the standard of living for the coming year. The Budget before the House is of the "supply side kind" aimed at stimulating growth consistent with our drive for higher productivity while keeping inflation in check. The special tax holiday scheme to promote loan syndication activities is a timely step toward making Singapore a full-fledged financial centre.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the year 1982 has been a difficult year for all, both developed and developing countries. Most of the industrial countries have experienced economic stagnancy, resulting in high unemployment and mounting social pressures. Faced with serious economic problems, industrial countries resorted to more stringent protectionism bringing about a sharp decline in world trade. Although many leaders in the industrial countries have acknowledged the potential danger of rising protectionism and its adverse effect on the world economic recovery, they have been singularly unable to match words with action and undertake measures to halt the unhealthy trends towards the disruption of free trade. The economic environment for the developing countries has also deteriorated over the year. Even some large developing countries, endowed with abundant natural resources, were brought to the verge of bankruptcy because of their high debt burden and financial mismanagement, together with a decline in the prices of their primary products. Viewed against this background, our economic growth of 6.3% is indeed a good performance reflecting the correct economic strategy that we have followed. In the Budget debate last year, I envisaged that the buffering action of the domestic component of our economy would have to be relied upon even more to help sustain a satisfactory economic growth for 1982. This has turned out to be so as the domestic factors did become the prime stimulus to the economy in 1982 accounting for 56% of the sources of economic growth. In a climate of continuing world recession, the external demand for products and services, until recently the main impetus to our economic expansion, is likely to slacken further.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Minister of State consider the formation of an association for the prevention of industrial accidents to facilitate liaison and dialogue among all interested parties?”
“Sir, like the hon. Member for Pasir Panjang and the hon. Member for Thomson, I attach great importance to the occupational safety and health of our workers. I share their concern regarding the various matters raised by them and wish to seek clarification on one other matter and, that is, the reason for not going ahead with the original proposal to establish an Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. I believe sometime last year the idea of an Institute was dropped and the functions of the proposed institute were assigned to the National Productivity Board. Now that the promotion of the occupational safety and health of our workers comes under the purview of the National Productivity Board I would like to ask the Minister what has the NPB done so far and what plans are in the pipeline for discharging this responsibility and whether there are enough experts available in Singapore for implementing his plans.”
“From what I could gather from the Memorandum on the Budget, the promotion of occupational safety and health has now come under the purview of the National Productivity Board. I hope the Minister can enlighten the House on the rationale for,the transfer of the functions of the previously proposed Institute to the National Productivity Board. Mr Speaker, Sir, our economic performance in 1982 will be circumscribed by development in the major industrial economies of the world. Dark clouds in the international scene forebode a storm. We need to pull and strive together to tide over this difficult period as best we could. On this note, Mr Speaker, Sir, let me associate myself with my colleagues in supporting the Budget Statement. 7.12 p.m.”
“For this purpose, would not a graduated rate of surcharge be more effective in promoting the habit of conservation in using gas, water, and electricity? Another point which I would like to touch upon is the Housing and Development (Amendment) Act, 1979, which allows a lessee or an owner of an HDB flat to purchase commercial property of a value not exceeding $250,000 for conducting his own business. This value was set sometime ago. Since then, the value of commercial properties has soared. Would the Minister look into this matter with a view to raising the ceiling of $250,000 to a more realistic amount? As regards estate duty, the Minister has been very generous in granting exemption on one residential property without a limit to its value. The upper limit of the remission of estate duty, however, remains at $180,000. Such an exemption of a residential property from the estate duty thus discriminates against other forms of assets, such as shares, deposits, and life policies. For an estate without a residential property, would the Minister consider the exemption of one commercial property owned and used by the deceased while alive, in place of the one residential property? And for an estate without a residential or commercial property, would he consider an upward revision of the remission limit of $180,000 which was fixed in 1974? In FY 81 there was a provision of $395,700 for the financing of an Institute of Occupational Safety and Health but there is no such provision in this year's Budget. I would not for a moment suggest that there is a relegation of the importance of occupational safety and health.”
“It has also been described as a "painless budget" reflecting a cautious response to the economic uncertainty of the world. The Budget is development-orientated. It is forward-looking, something uncommon in present-day economies. Besides proposing to speed up the construction of public housing to meet increasing demands, it aims at the development of technical and professional manpower and the stepping up of the development of infrastructure, industries and commerce. This is a positive approach and will place us in a better position to sustain growth and accelerate the process of restructuring the economy with yet enough leeway to respond quickly to the changing world economic situation. To be able to present such a Budget to the House, the Minister for Trade and Industry is indeed in a position enviable by many a counterpart of his all over the world whose concern is how to combat high inflation compounded by massive unemployment and how to cope with persistent deficit in balance of payment. The current budgets of many of the advanced economies are of the remedial type, often with little leeway for promoting economic development. Mr Speaker, Sir, having made my general comments on the Budget Statement, I now wish to raise a few points for the Minister's attention. First, let me refer to the tax on the PUB bills, This tax, I stand to be corrected, Sir, was imposed as a source of revenue a long time ago. At that time it was an important source of revenue but now, with the expansion of our economy, its relative importance has diminished considerably. The prime objective of this tax now is to encourage conservation in the use of services provided by the PUB.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, against the backdrop of a year of general economic disarray in the world, with diminished international trade, sluggish growth of the advanced economies, political turmoil and armed conflict in several parts of the world, Singapore registered a year of orderly social progress and achieved a 9.9% economic growth. This is a creditable achievement by any measure. It reflects a correct economic strategy, and the industry and adaptability of a people ever willing to acquire better skill and expertise to strive forward in a difficult world environment. In examining Singapore's economic performance for 1981, one notes an important new feature which shows that our economy has developed and matured further with domestic contribution to our economy accounting for about half of the expansion of the economy - a far cry from the days of nearly total dependence on trade. This is even more remarkable when we consider that we have an open economy in Singapore. The implication is that Singapore is now more resilient to the ebb and flow of international trade and finance as the domestic component of its economy can serve to cushion unfavourable external influences on our economic progress. The picture of world economy for 1982 is indeed grim, and the most vulnerable sector of the economy is external trade. The buffering action of our domestic component will have to be relied upon even more to help sustain a satisfactory economic growth for 1982. The Budget Statement before the House has been received with relief by all and sundry as there is no proposal for new taxes, In fact, it contains some tax concessions although not as much as many would have liked. These have been very well dealt with by my colleagues earlier on and I shall not repeat them.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Labour whether his Ministry has any index against which civil servants measure their productivity.”
“With your indulgence, Sir, I would like to join in the debate. May I refer to the chart on page 48 of the Economic Survey of Singapore 1980 which shows the female workers' participation rate of five countries, including Singapore and Japan. For female workers in the age groups below 30 years old, the female participation rate of Singapore compares very well with those of the other countries. However, in the age groups beyond 30 years old, the rate falls increasingly below those of the other four countries. In view of our labour shortage, may I ask the Minister for Labour whether his Ministry has looked into the reason for this sharp fall in the rate, and what measures, if any, are being taken to improve the participation rate of our women beyond 30 years old.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, just a point of clarification. The proposed scheme may give cause for alarm to the insurance companies that this may be the beginning of the nationalization of the life assurance business. Can the Minister assure the House that the CPF will not expand its activities into other areas of life assurance currently transacted by ,the private sector?”
“The new industrial structure we are building is one based on higher skills and greater capital input. For success, appropriate training and research in development and design, and more capital investment are the preconditions with the human factor being the key element. Hence, in our current preoccupation with rapid computerization and other technocratic style of organizing production, we must not leave out or inadvertently relegate the roles played by human motivation, industrial relations, social values and the like. We have, therefore, to seek a solution consisting of an optimum mix of modern technology and human input. In this respect, our new industrialization strategy for the 1980s presents a great challenge to our educational institutions and our educational system. Not only do we have to train our people for the high-skill industries but we also have to instil into our future workers and managers the correct social values to reinforce their technical know- how. In other words, our strategy must be based on both technological competence and a viable value system. 5.09 p.m.”
“The new relationship will have to be one where management and labour realise that both will either sink or swim together in the difficult years ahead. On the intention of the Labour Ministry to take measures against bad work attitudes such as job-hopping, I have nothing to quarrel about. However, the Ministry should monitor carefully the measures taken and review them regularly not just to evaluate their effectiveness but also to see if there are unintended social effects arising from these measures. The Ministry also intends to promote more part-time opportunities for housewives to alleviate the labour shortage. According to the 1979 Annual Report of the Ministry, Singapore had a female labour force participation rate of 41.9% which compares favourably with that of the other developing economies at a same level of development. By offering the right incentive it may be possible to push the rate higher; this is desirable in view of our labour shortage. However, the problem, we are likely to encounter is: how to help the housewives to acquire the necessary skills that are sought by the factories? At the moment, most of the female labour are engaged in relatively low-skill jobs and are liable to be laid off as industries move up the skill ladder. Training schemes must, therefore, be made available to them to equip them adequately with the requisite skills for gainful employment in an increasingly sophisticated technological industry. As the international economic environment is deteriorating in the coming years, our second industrial revolution may prove far more difficult than our first. Singaporeans, especially the younger generation, should be made more aware of the difficult tasks ahead and be impressed upon that success would not be a matter of course.”
“Here, I would like to suggest that the 20 selected principals should each form a study group comprising principals of schools in the same catchment area so that they may have a better perspective of the situation in their respective area and be more capable of participation in the decision-making process of the Ministry. I note that the system of school appraisal is becoming more acceptable. Once specific areas for improvement have been identified for a particular school, it is necessary for remedial action to follow immediately. Undue delay may not yield the desired results. I hope that through the school appraisal programme there should be no more of the so-called 'poor' schools left in the near future and that eventually all schools are effective in discharging the duties entrusted to them. By then parents will naturally prefer to send their children to schools near their homes. At this stage, I wish to recall the warning of the President that we may encounter poor economic growth and even some unemployment in the coming years and that this will subject management-labour relationship to severe strains. To be in a better position to resolve this problem, we have to evolve a new relationship between labour and management where close cooperation and identity of interest are the guiding principles. Given our enlightened labour unions of today, this sound advice will be well received. However, it is also necessary for management to keep on adapting itself to the changing circumstances and thus continue to be in a position to meet the challenges of the 1980s so that labour-management harmony can be maintained and productivity increased.”