Ang Nam Piau
Singapore
“Sir, the Deputy Prime Minister does not have to worry about the problem of providing enough places for children of school-going age every year, since the success of family planning has reduced the yearly number of school-going children from a peak of 63,000 in 1964 to 49,000 this year.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, will the Senior Minister of State consider granting approval to persons to continue to use a portion or the whole of their dwelling-houses, chicken-huts and pigsties for manufacturing, if they have been engaged in this business for more than 20 years?”
“Minister for Finance that our Financial Policy is not only to continue to pursue our long term economic strategy programme for our economy's transformation to an industrial centre and a base for regional and international services but to see that our per capita income distribution is always towards equity. As we know.”
“Sir, through ASEAN cooperation and as a group, I believe that we have a better investment climate than Latin America, the Middle East or Africa. Therefore, I believe that our future investments from foreigners are still bright. Sir, the Budget Statement is not perfect.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the allocation of Housing Board flats is made on a "first come first served" basis according to the registration of applicants. The applicants have to wait for at least three to four years before a flat can be allocated to them.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, many people have told me that there are far too few taxis in Singapore. I think this is quite possible because from personal experience I have to wait for a taxi for a very long time. On several occasions I have to wait for as long as 15 to 30 minutes before I could get a taxi.”
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“On sales in instalments, the goods are delivered to the buyer who is supposed to buy the goods without an option; thus the ownership of the goods goes to the buyer immediately. Against this legal conception of hire purchase and sales in instalments, we understand that hire purchase companies finance the sales in instalments on hire-purchase agreement, giving the buyer no option to buy, but the ownership of the goods remains with the finance companies unless and until the final payment is made. In other words, the buyer has to forego the option to buy and yet he holds no title to the goods. Many hire-purchase companies of this kind are being set up with very little paid-up capital. They normally act as agents for big finance houses to conduct hire-purchase transactions. Though they deal in the borrowing and lending of money, they operate under the Hire Purchase Ordinance and are not in any way regulated or restricted by the Moneylenders Ordinance. Secondly, we have pawnshops all over the island borrowing and lending money. The bulk of their business is to lend money on acceptance of durable articles, though title deeds are also acceptable. The sources of funds for their operations are their own paid-up capital, operating profits, deposits from the public, and money received for custody. Many cases of deposits of money received for custody are accepted on a gentlemen's agreement and business trust, with or without documentary evidence acknowledging their receipt; and there are not a few cases where the so-called gentlemen's agreement and business trust are rendered valueless as they are not enforceable in a court of law or even in equity.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the establishment of finance companies in Singapore has recently been increasing at a very speedy pace. They might not be as prolific as the mushroom, but they certainly have become, in total, a very significant and influential financial institution in our economy. Their influence and dynamism in our economy have caused us no comfort. As representatives of the electorate, we cannot sit back with little care or total indifference. As influential financial institutions, the finance companies operating i11 Singapore may be able to contribute significantly to the economic well-being of our society if they are brought under proper control. On the other hand, they may render inflation-investment, disequilibrium and even economic chaos should we indifferently allow them to run wild. I positively support and congratulate our Minister for Finance on tabling this timely Finance Companies Bill to regulate the operation of finance companies in Singapore. Taking a sweeping survey of the island, we discover the following types of business organisations operating as finance companies. First of all, there are the so-called hire purchase companies which deal with sales of motor vehicles, sewing machines, television and radio sets and other durable goods in instalments. They call themselves hire purchase companies when, in fact, they are conducting sales of goods in instalments. The distinction between hire purchase and sales in instalments is this. On hire purchase terms, the goods are delivered to the buyer after he has made a down payment, but the ownership of the goods remains with the seller, while the buyer enjoys the use of the goods as well as the option to buy while making the monthly instalments.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I share the sentiments of the Member for Paya Lebar and the Member for Jurong. My own constituency is not actually a rural area. But I would like to say a few words on behalf of the rural constituencies. Rural constituencies are normally very large in area. Therefore, there are more projects to be carried out there. They therefore require more money to carry out these projects. I have a suggestion to make. Can the Parliamentary Secre tary consider whether in next year's estimates it is possible to transfer part of the vote belonging to the urban area to the rural areas? In this way the rural areas will have more funds to carry on with their development projects and thus provide more amenities to the people there.”
“Can the Minister concerned give the House the different rates of assistance and the names of the constituencies in which the Social Welfare Department has established payment centres?”
“And I must congratulate the Minister for Finance on his farsightedness in allotting such a large sum on education and health. I must agree with his budgeting in these spheres. On the other hand, we must not be complacent with our present economic achievements. We must also try to re-solve our unemployment problem. At least we must be able to reduce the number of unemployed to the level that it will not endanger social security. Before we can achieve this, I can only express my qualified support of this surplus Budget. 3.57 p.m.”
“But the Government has not paid attention to the agricultural workers who are under-employed at the moment. The Government's efforts in creating employment opportunities can only provide jobs for 5,000. What about the others who are unemployed? In spite of Government's efforts, it is only able to create a limited number of jobs for the unemployed. In other words, Government's efforts are not sufficient to meet the demand of the existing unemployed. What about those middle-aged people with families to support who will be retrenched? Sir, because of the various problems now existing, we cannot be overjoyed with this surplus Budget. In the case of a family, it will have to plan its budget according to its income. But it is different in the case of a Government. A family cannot budget its expenditure more than what it earns. In other words, the expenditure of the family must be within the expected in-come of the family. If the income is sufficient, then the family can increase its expenditure. If the income is not enough, then it will have to curtail its expenditure by some means. But the budgeting of a country is not exactly like this. It is not based merely on the income, because the budgeting will have to depend, on the needs of expenditure in various fields. We cannot reduce expenditure on social services such as education and health because of shortage of revenue. We must maintain a certain level of expenditure for the social services. I support the Minister in his budgeting in such fields as health and education because the expenditure allotted to them will enable us to have a healthy and educated generation which will in turn make our future generations more economically active and useful. This will in turn benefit the economy of Singapore.”
“From this we can see that the unemployment situation is rather serious in our country. Moreover, as a result of the British military withdrawal, the unemployment situation in Singapore will be worse, because the withdrawal will reduce the British military expenditure in Singapore and cut down our economic activities. It will also mean a recession of the economy. It is not a problem to be faced lightly. I do not see anything in the Minister's Statement giving a clear-cut policy to resolve this problem by allotting another item of expenditure to meet the reduction in the British military expenditure in Singapore. Because of all these factors, more people are unemployed. In addition to this, 18,000 people will be retrenched by the British military forces. There will be 25,000 youngsters who will be leaving school to join our labour market. These youngsters are full of life. They are enthusiastic and keen to render their services to society, to take part in economic activities and to serve the country and the people. [Mr Lim Cheng Lock in the Chair] 3.51 p.m. We should try our best to create employment opportunities to enable them to fulfil their wishes. The Government has already done its best in mobilising large sums of money and other resources to create employment opportunities for them. But these employment opportunities cannot meet the actual demands of the unemployed. This is a serious problem. According to the Minister, in the next three and a half years, as a result of the British military withdrawal, about 16,000 workers will be retrenched. On top of this, there will be 25,000 youngsters joining the labour market in addition to the 50,000 odd who are already unemployed.”
“This will help us to carry out our tasks and to face the new situation. Sometimes we find it easier to know than to practise. But on other occasions it may prove to be just the reverse. It is not easy to be sure of what is correct and what is wrong. The practical thing is that since the Budget is before us, we must try to carry it out successfully. There is no time to discuss whether it is easier to know or to practise, or the other way round. We must, in carrying out our economic policy, achieve a certain measure of success in order to implement Government's economic policies. This will have to depend on the efforts and co-operation of the people with the Government. The people want to have a productive life and to live meaningfully. How to increase economic activities and to raise the living standard., how to solve the problem of an increasing population and to meet their material needs, how to solve the unemployment problem - all these are questions which we will have to face and solve. I would not like to enumerate all the items in the Minister's financial statement, but some of them need our special attention. First of all, I would like to give my views in an abstract way on his Budget Statement. The present economic situation should not make us too complacent. We must redouble our efforts and strive harder to strengthen our economic position in order to meet our increasing material needs and demands. There has been an improvement in the living standard. Taxation does not worry us now. But the increase of population is quite a problem. It will create more unemployment. According to the Minister's figures, the number of unemployed, is more than 50,000, on top of which there will be retrenched workers and others coming in to make up the number.”
“They described Government measures as impracticable and even went to the extent of describing Singapore as a place unsuitable for human habitation. But the present so-called Opposition here will make its criticisms in an objective manner. They will be constructive and will reflect the views and wishes of the people. As a Member of Parliament acting as an Opposition Member here, I would like to give some of my views on the Finance Minister's Budget for 1968. First of all, let me congratulate the Finance Minister on being able to produce a Budget in which there is no proposal for a tax increase. This Budget has received the support of people in various walks of life because there is no taxation next year. It is a piece of good news to all of them. They have all welcomed this Budget. After congratulating the Finance Minister, I must express certain reservations on his Budget. I cannot support the motion without any reservation merely because the Budget does not propose any tax increase. The Minister for Finance has pointed out in his Budget Statement that he does not propose to increase taxes. This shows that Singapore's economy is not under the manipulation of any foreign economic force. It also shows that Singapore has put to good use all its social and economic facilities and services. It also shows the maturity of Singapore's society and the strength of its economy. Normally the income of a country depends on two factors. One is natural resources and the second is human resources. But in such a tiny island like Singapore there are no natural resources. So to hope for natural resources is a day-dream. Therefore, the economy of Singapore should depend on the creation of new natural resources. From the Budget Statement we can understand the economic situation better.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in a parliamentary democracy all measures of the Government must be tabled in Parliament for discussion before they are passed. This is to give the Opposition Party and the Members of Parliament an opportunity to discuss all measures which will reflect the wishes of the people. In Parliament as it is now, there is no Opposition Party. The Opposition Party make use of youngsters between the ages of 18 and 19 to carry out disturbances in the streets, while they themselves usually hide in the day time. They have thus lost the support of the people. So in the present situation where there are no Opposition Members of Parliament in this House, we, as Members of Parliament of the Government Party, have to take up the responsibility of the Opposition to examine all measures tabled by the Government. We must make an examination of all Bills, measures and motions. We must make a careful and searching analysis of all these and our views must reflect the wishes and will of the people. We must act as the voice of the people. We must bring the people's voice into this House. We must air all our views on this basis. We must carry out all this in the most objective manner. We must give our views to all these measures before us and supervise in the execution of the various proposals. Sir, the Members of Parliament on this side are now taking up the responsibilities of the Opposition. They give views and make criticisms which are constructive. So it is different from what took place before in this House when the Opposition Party just made irresponsible criticisms, destructive in a way, of any Government measures and Bills. They tried to blame the Government for every proposal or every misdeed and they tried to depict them as being undemocratic.”
“My question concerns the whole canal along Upper Thomson Road and not only at the point of 6 ½ m.s. Can the Parliamentary Secretary inform me whether or not work on this stretch of the canal along Upper Thomson Road has commenced?”
“Can the Minister say what amount of money has been saved during the period stated?”
“In troubled times we had to set up a Vigilante Corps in order to smash up the intrigues of our enemies who wished to disrupt our social order and, at the same time, to unite our people so that the various races in Singapore could understand the importance of racial harmony in the State. Now this painful event in history is past, but the fact remains that the contributions of the Vigilante Corps are still fresh in the minds of the people. Now that Singapore is independent and sovereign, people of all races must further understand that the Vigilante Corps, their own organisation, must continue to maintain the integrity of our country and to preserve order in our society. It is the responsibility and duty of every citizen to take part in this great task. Sir, there is a saying that to build a strong country we must build a strong people. The Government of the country, in officially setting up the Vigilante Corps, and in giving legal status to it, is going one step further to show that it is desirous of building a strong people in order to defend our own country and to maintain social order. It is an enlightened policy and a very wise step to take. If necessary, we shall turn all our people into soldiers. This is a test of our people to see whether they have this spirit. As a representative of the people and as a Singapore citizen, I am proud of the step being taken and I am honoured to associate myself with this Bill.”
“South Korea has an army of about 600,000 strong, but there is also trouble there. This is because of their lack of an organised and a closely-knit society. In the Philippines, too, there is a strong army, but in spite of that, there is trouble, and there is smuggling and robbery throughout the country. This is because the people are poorly organised. Indonesia has an army of about 400,000, but in spite of that, there is trouble and disorder there. In other countries even where they have strong armies, military coups take place. All this is due to the lack of organisation and a closely-knit society. So if we can successfully organise our people, that, I think, is the best method to defend our own country. This is because, in the first place, we can do away with the necessity to maintain a large army. Secondly, we can bring up a generation of people who will be nationally conscious and patriotic and well organised to maintain social order and national security. I am glad, therefore, that the Government is not just shouting slogans but is carrying out in a practical way whatever it has promised. It is an effective Government which means what it says and says what it means. The official establishment of the Vigilante Corps is another instance to show that the Government is always concerned with the security of the people and the maintenance of an orderly society. We were threatened with communal disturbances in the past, but we do not gloat over the disturbances and the misfortunes of others.”
“Sir, all those people who are concerned with security and who pay attention to current affairs will agree with me that the economy of a nation is a basic factor in contributing towards its stability. Our people work very hard in contributing towards Singapore's economic stability. So if they work harder and serve society in general and the nation in particular, then everybody should have a sense of security and a strong sense of patriotism. I believe the majority of the people in Singapore fully understand that their fate is closely linked with that of the nation, and that their future too is closely related to the future of Singapore. So their love of Singapore is absolute and beyond any doubt. The question is, how is the Government going to preserve the peace of this country in a turbulent region, to instil a sense of security in a sea of trouble in this region? So it is for the Government to come out with definite policies to show us how we can do it. The establishment of regular armed forces for national defence is the usual method adopted by other countries, but it is not applicable in a small island State like Singapore. In the first place, we cannot shoulder the financial responsibilities of maintaining a large regular army. Secondly, its existence may give rise to a possible military take-over or military dictatorship. In the Afro-Asian countries and in the South American countries, we find a lot of instances of a military dictatorship as a result of a large standing army. Although they have standing armies, they are without a closely-knit society. In South Vietnam there are about half a million strong regular forces, but in spite of this, there is still turbulence and trouble there.”
“Furthermore, if there is mutual co-operation among Ngee Ann Kongsi - the sponsors of Ngee Ann College - the Government and members of the public, Ngee Ann College can be turned into a centre of learning from where talented and useful citizens of this country can emerge.”
“From these enumerated facts regarding their qualifications and experiences, we know that the teachers of Ngee Ann College are not teachers without qualifications, as alleged in the Pye/ Singer Report. There are also other people with quite high qualifications. Professor Kuan was in the Massachusetts College of Technology, and many such teachers have been teaching in other universities. The present teacher of Geography in Ngee Ann College was a teacher of Geography in Nanyang University and a Faculty Head. Professor Chen also taught in a Taiwan University. Furthermore, Ngee Ann College has other teachers who have a string of degrees and titles after their names. Can you say that when these teachers with high qualifications come to teach in Ngee Ann College, their values depreciate all of a sudden? We can be proud of the fact that, although Ngee Ann College is a new College, it has obtained the services of so many scholars of repute. Mr Speaker, Sir, in the Chinese Press of 8th May, there was a news item about a campaign to conduct teaching in the mother tongue. It also went on to say that Ngee Ann College has a very short history and that some of the graduates of a recent batch have gone to New Zealand and other countries for further education. Can these concrete facts be denied? Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully support this Bill and I believe that it will be very helpful to Ngee Ann College in its future administration and development. I would like to express the hope that the Ngee Ann College students will face facts and not involve themselves in political intrigues and go out with others shouting empty political slogans. They must understand the present practical realities of this country and go along the right path.”
“And when the time comes, a scholars' committee can be appointed to make suggestions on how to turn Ngee Ann College into a university or an organisation on par with a university. Sir, if you are a student of Ngee Ann College, would you be satisfied with this sort of suggestion? Further, the Thong Saw Pak Report has, after long consideration, quoted what has been expressed by the Pye/ Singer Report concerning Singapore's higher education. Some degrees are conferred by American universities or colleges which are not famous. Would you agree to this? Is it true that some of our educationists here have only degrees issued by certain not very famous American colleges or universities? This argument is not quite correct or proper in the context. Sir, let me turn to the 1965 Ngee Ann College Souvenir. Let us look at it. We can see that wrong things have been said about the professors and teachers of Ngee Ann College. I would like more or less to enumerate the qualifications and experiences of the teachers of Ngee Ann College. Dr Wen got his doctorate from Germany and was the Dean of a Taiwan University, Science Faculty. Dr Lee got his doctorate from Paris and was a Professor in a Taiwan University. Let us look at the 218th issue of Free World. Here it mentions that the Committee reviewing the qualifications of the teachers had, as one of its members, one Dr Hu-hse. He is one of the most famous scholars of China. Dr Yang Sang Chew - he has been brought up in Singapore and is also a citizen of Singapore. He had a doctorate in Mathematics from Brantridge University. And Dr Shueng Su-loon came from an American university - Cornell University.”
“There are several ways whereby the interests of the Ngee Ann College students can be taken care of. Firstly, the College authorities should have close contact with the students. Students of any college or school, if their performance or behaviour is good, should be respected or be duly rewarded by the Government and members of the public. If their behaviour is not good, of course, they will earn the disrespect of the public. Then what will happen to the other students who are in the same college or school? That is the present situation of Ngee Ann College. Secondly, concerning the development of Ngee Ann College, the Review Committee said that in 1964 Mr Singer from the Carnegie Corporation and Professor Lucian Pye of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had been invited by Ngee Ann College to study and review the position concerning Ngee Ann College. In their recommendations, they suggested that Ngee Ann College should become a community college, namely, a junior college. Here it clearly tells us that a community college is a junior college. On the 6th of April last year, a statement was published saying that from the following year Ngee Ann College would be reorganised into a public college and not a junior college. Is there no contradiction between these two statements? Thirdly, Ngee Ann College at its inception was intended to be on par with any ordinary university. The only difference is that in an ordinary university there are several faculties. But Ngee Ann College has available only a few courses. If it can increase the number of its courses, would it not he able to turn itself into a university?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as a former student of Ngee Ann College, I would like to say a few words today on behalf of Ngee Ann College. The House is now discussing the Ngee Ann College Bill. This Bill is intended to turn Ngee Ann College, a private institution which has been in existence for only four years, into a corporation with a permanent status. Sir, when we review the situation we know that, since the inception of Ngee Ann College, certain directors of Ngee Ann Kongsi have said that Ngee Ann College would develop from a small college into a big university. I would like to ask those directors what is the situation now and whether Ngee Ann College is now already a university, or whether they will act according to the former plans and turn Ngee Ann College from a small college into a community college? The Thong Saw Pak Review Committee was appointed on the 16th of April, 1966. Let us look at the Nanyang Siang Pau report on this occasion. Professor Thong Saw Pak was reported to have said that the Ngee Ann College students would be issued certificates. From the following year the College would be turned from a private institution into a public community college. Thirdly, Ngee Ann College would continue to develop to enable it to become a body which would have the status of a university to meet the requirements of Singapore. At the same time, Professor Thong also pointed out that the interests of the students of Ngee Ann College would be taken care of and that they should not agitate or do anything detrimental to their own interests. Mr Speaker, Sir, I agree that students should not take part in any undesirable activities. However, they should not be made use of by a handful of anti-national elements.”
“I therefore support the National Service (Amendment) Bill and I appeal to all people in Singapore, particularly those youths who fall within the age group and who are liable to be called up, to respond to the call of the nation and to support the implementation of the Bill. Mr Speaker, Sir, I repeat once more - I support the Bill.”
“They will be receiving disciplinary training and be inculcated with the sense of national consciousness and of social responsibility so that they will become better citizens in future. If all our citizens have national consciousness and a great sense of social responsibility, then we will be certain that there will be no more trouble in a multi-racial society in future, and the development of our nation will be carried out more effectively and efficiently. We shall be able to unite and withstand any possible foreign aggression instead of having a feeling of helplessness and despair. Mr Speaker, we must not stress too much on the military aspects of the training. We must, apart from military training, pay some attention to the cultivation of a good physique and good health and strong character in our people, so that they will become a live force in our nation. It is not necessary that we must have soldiers in our country. What we want are persons who have national consciousness and some form of military training and knowledge. The young people must be made to realise how they can behave properly in society and to discharge their social obligations and their duties as citizens. Therefore, they must always be prepared for any form of call-up, and they must all stand on their own feet and take part in economic activities. In this way, they will be able to do several things at the same time. They can help in the economic development and defence of our nation and in the maintenance of social order as well. From all aspects, we can see that national service is of great benefit to our society after we have achieved independence.”
“After such military training, which is very useful, our youths will be trained to become more useful citizens. They will be more productive because they are disciplined and that will be of benefit to society. Youths under the age of 21 constitute a great percentage of our population, and they must respond to the call of the nation. If we can give proper military training to them, then in time of necessity they will be called up into the regular armed forces or be placed in reserve, and because of the special training that they have received, they will also be better able to serve society in the economic field by raising their productivity. All those who are in the age groups liable to be called up will be given ample opportunity to receive military training, and it is a good chance for them to train and strengthen themselves. They will be able to improve their health and become more alert, thereby becoming better youths. So national service will be used to train our people, and our youth particularly, into a disciplined force. They will forever be ready to respond to the call of the nation. Furthermore, they can give even greater impetus to economic development and industrialisation. Mr Speaker, Singapore is a multi-racial society. If we want security, we must be able to see that the various races live in peace. To maintain law and order, we must ensure that the various races be tolerant with one another and not interfere with their respective ways of life. With the implementation of this Bill, all young people of various races and from various walks of life will be receiving similar military training in the same surroundings. They will be living the same life in the army or in the national service camp.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, although the whole world is singing of peace, the establishment of a military power and regular forces is still necessary so that it is even more important for citizens to undergo military training. As Singapore is an independent sovereign Republic, we must, like most small nations in the world, have some form of military organisation in our midst. As our island is of strategic importance in South-east Asia, we cannot afford to rely on our allies for our security all the time. The strength of our country is insignificant when compared with the military strength of the world powers even if we mobilise our whole population. In any case, it is better to be armed than to be completely unarmed and be caught unawares. From an economic point of view, Mr Speaker, we are unable to raise a very big regular armed force. Neither have we the military strength to do so. But, strategically speaking, we must try to mobilise our people to do part-time or other forms of military training, and the National Service (Amendment) Bill will provide this opportunity to do so. We shall then seize the opportunity to make use of our youths in military training over a short period and to train them to accept a disciplined way of life. They will be trained in the use of arms and, when necessary, they will be mobilised and called up for service. So our youths owe a duty to society to join national service and they will not, by so doing, increase the burden on the country. On the other hand, they will lend military significance to the defence of our country. At the same time, after some form of military training, the youths of our country will be discharged and revert back to their jobs and take part in productive activities.”