Ang Wei Neng
Singapore
“Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the Minister for the comprehensive reply. Can I just ask for clarification on the three incidents of Singtel disruption? It was reported by the press that they were totally unrelated. What was the preliminary investigation based on the finding of IMDA?”
“Chairman, I have two clarifications. Firstly, we are glad that the Minister has assured us that MOT is working to establish clearer criteria for distinguishing between Cat A and Cat B COE. In the meantime, I would like to seek clarification on the reduction in the supply of Category A COE.”
“I would like to seek a clarification regarding the Lift Access Housing Grant. Could the qualifying criteria be relaxed for occupants aged 70 and above, without the need for medical certification?”
“Such an outcome would run contrary to the original intent of maintaining distinct categories within the passenger car segment. As MOT has previously stated, the primary objective of Cat A COE is to preserve a portion of the vehicle quota for mass-market cars, thereby ensuring greater accessibility and affordability for the average Singapo…”
“Under NParks' pigeon management plan, efforts remain largely focused on pigeons. I urge NParks, within MND's broader human-wildlife management framework, to evolve towards a comprehensive Pest Bird Management approach, one that also addresses other urban-adapted species, such as mynas and crows, where they cause persistent disamenities to…”
“Thank you, Chair. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to ask Senior Minister of State Sim Ann, how would she describe Singapore's current relationship with China against the backdrop of Sino-US geopolitical tensions.”
The complete record
Every one of 660 lines we hold for Ang Wei Neng, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 10 of 14.
“They led the design, construction and launch of six Singapore satellites last year. We will nurture local academics who can produce quality work and contribute to Singapore. The universities' human resource systems have to value and recognise them. In this effort, we will leverage the Singapore Teaching and Academic Research Talent Scheme that was launched last year. We will also use the platform of the Social Science Research Council to provide opportunities for local academics to put up their proposals to conduct research into areas that are important to Singapore's social development. MOE will be working closely with the autonomous universities on this effort. Mdm Chairman, Minister Ng Chee Meng and I did not announce any major financial schemes during this COS debate. Our systems and institutions are well-developed. From here, higher performance of the machine is not pumping more fuel into the machine, and making it work harder, but instead, perhaps by rewiring and reprogramming it somewhat so that we optimise its performance and output. Our vision of higher performance centres on the intrinsic worth and potential of a student, a vision that requires a dial-back from any excessive focus on academics and paper qualifications at all levels. We also want to focus on other aspects of learning; therefore, outdoor education, a review of the PSLE system, offer more choices and opportunities across all levels, focus on lifelong building of mastery and move towards aptitude-based admission into our IHLs. We have described Singapore's future as a mountain range of successes. But we cannot assume that everyone wants to climb mountains. I have a friend who recently went to Nepal and trekked the mountains.”
“" He said, "You are near the ring of fire, but not on the ring of fire, that makes you an ideal spot to do this research." I thought to myself: how exciting! Singapore has a natural advantage in volcanic research! Surely, if there are bright young Singaporeans interested in this, they can learn from Kerry and his team and, over time, contribute to the sector, the centre, Singapore and even humanity. Another example – MOE provides competitive research funding open to university researchers, with evaluation conducted by an international expert panel for neutrality and independence reasons. Earlier this year, I asked the Chairman of the Council, Prof Robert Brown, which was the largest research project that was awarded this year. He said it was a project on the Chikungunya and dengue viruses. I looked it up. The actual name of the project is "Saliva-assisted transmission of pathogenic viruses by blood-feeding arthropods", dengue fever and Chikungunya, essentially. I asked him why Page: 58 he approved this particular one among so many proposals. He said because it was good science and it was relevant to Singapore. If international experts recognise the importance of research on Singapore-relevant subjects, all the more we must have the confidence to build up our indigenous capabilities in these subjects. We are doing so in several areas. Prof Tan Khee Giap is developing important knowledge at the Asia Competitiveness Institute to help Singapore gain in-depth knowledge of the economy around us. Prof Lau Hoong Chuin heads the Fujitsu-SMU Corporate Lab. They are using big data analytics to optimise traffic flows and reduce congestion in Singapore. Assoc Prof Low Kay Soon and Prof Goh Cher Hiang respectively lead NTU's Satellite Research Centre and NUS' Satellite Programme.”
“Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Oxford have a similar share of local faculty as our universities, but I have a big caveat here because when we look at it, the bases of compiling the data and definitions are very different, and so we may not be comparing apples to apples. This is why MOE has been hesitant to disclose these comparisons. MOE is a very precise Ministry. But walk around the campuses of these top universities, you will find that you, too, will feel the diversity of the faculty. Even if the data is not accurate, I think the sense is that they all have a diverse faculty. Having said that, ours are national universities and there also needs to be a balance between global diversity and having a Singapore character in our universities. This is a key balance to be struck and consistently and continuously fine tuned over time. In teaching, the faculty must be able to teach students about Singapore and relate the subjects to the context of our part of the world. In research, we must, over time, develop deep, differentiated expertise highly relevant to Singapore and which the world takes an active interest in, whether it is water sufficiency, biodiversity, diabetes, urban planning or education. I recently visited the Earth Observatory of Singapore at NTU, led by Prof Kerry Sieh, a very famous professor, formerly from Caltech. The team there, which includes local undergraduates, is part of the global effort to monitor volcanic activities all around the world. The devices are planted at MacRitchie Reservoir. They hope to use the information to predict the next big eruption, give early warning and save lives. I asked Kerry, "Why did you choose Singapore?”
“That is why all advanced economies need research universities. The quality of research is the key determinant of a university's standing internationally. 2.45 pm Here, I want to make a comment about university rankings, in response to Mr Seah Kian Peng. Our universities have achieved strong international rankings. But we get this right. This is a Page: 57 practical advantage for the students, especially when they step out to look for work. But it is even more important when we examine why our universities have done well in rankings. Not because of the number of foreign students or foreign faculty, but they score best for their strong global reputation among academics and employers, which accounts for 50% of the weightage. Having said that, rankings in themselves have no intrinsic value. So, Mr Seah Kian Peng is correct to have reservations about rankings. Universities exist for a larger and better purpose. We want our universities to make distinctive contributions to Singapore. This must include the core priority of nurturing and developing our young, and this must include discovering new knowledge and techniques that can rejuvenate industries, create new opportunities and help Singapore stay ahead. To fulfil these objectives, our institutions must have a global outlook. The faculty will need to be diverse, bringing with them knowledge from all parts of the world. Among them, there should be global top names to help us accelerate this process. Mr Seah Kian Peng asked about the share of local faculty in our universities. Today, it is about 45%.”
“What is encouraging is that 17% of them are aged 60 and above. We will be working with the People's Association to roll out more SkillsFuture courses through the community centres. As suggested by Mr Ang Wei Neng, we will expand the list of eligible courses over time. By this month, we will have added about 2,500 courses to the list of eligible courses from just about four months ago. Ms Denise Phua and Ms Chia Yong Yong have spoken about helping persons with disabilities learn skills and offered some specific suggestions. I have spoken to Minister Tan Chuan-Jin on this and we decided that between MOE and MSF, we will do a joint review on the Post-Secondary Education Account plus the SkillsFuture Credit, look at it together, rationalise and adjust it so that we can better support persons with disabilities. Give us some time. As for life or executive coaching suggested by Mr Ang Hin Kee, we need to recognise that many of these are one-to-one sessions and are susceptible to abuse: you know, you coach me, I coach you, both of us collect $500 from the Government. It can happen. Let us look at it, but I agree with the Member that it can be useful to many people. Let us look at what practical steps we can take so that workers can use the Credit for genuine and useful executive or life coaching. The final area of priority is innovation. SkillsFuture is not just about doing things skillfully. It has much to do with innovation, because mastery begets creativity and invention. It is hard to innovate if one does not know a subject deeply enough. At the same time, knowledge advancement can also open up new grounds for new forms of mastery. Before the Internet breakthrough, there were no expert influencers or masters in web design or e-retailing.”
“At this stage, let us get that philosophical message through, rather than add more features into the system and over-administer it. Focus on bringing that philosophical message through. It is for this reason that we have deliberately designed the Credit to be on the generous side. We started with 10,000 eligible courses, not a small number, and included online providers, such as Coursera and Udemy. Page: 56 If we accept this is a personal enterprise, then my answer to Miss Cheng Li Hui's caution about wastage and Mr Desmond Choo's request for guidance for workers to use the Credit is yes, let us make sure the courses are inclusive and of good standards. Let us also leverage WDA and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) career coaches to give guidance. We can do all that. But let us also have faith that individuals would make good decisions for themselves in time to come. Give them some time, space and freedom to discover, wonder, imagine and make individual decisions. Strike a balance, as Assoc Prof Randolph Tan has said. Whatever people ultimately choose, we also need to suspend judgement a little. Who is to say that an engineer will not find learning fine arts and appreciating the aesthetics useful? Who is to say that a corporate trainer cannot learn photography, as Mr Baey Yam Keng had just cited? Remember how Steve Jobs learnt calligraphy and how he applied that in the development of iMac and all the beautiful fonts we see today? Mr Baey Yam Keng and Mr Desmond Choo asked for an update on the take-up rate of the SkillsFuture Credit. From January to March this year, about 18,000 individuals have utilised their SkillsFuture Credit, with about $5.2 million disbursed. This is a healthy number, not a mad rush, yet a good response.”
“The partnership between IHLs and industries must, therefore, be an enduring and ever-strengthening one. In Singapore, we have built up a landscape of private and industry-linked training providers through WDA's work over the years. It has not been an easy process. Whatever we have built up, we have to strengthen. Today, training providers, such as the SIA Engineering Company's Training Academy, 3dsense Media School, SEED Institute from NTUC and At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy, provide industry-relevant training which supports both employers, as well as individuals. In logistics, Dr Robert Yap, Executive Chairman of YCH, is spearheading efforts to set up a supply chain and logistics academy – actually, it is called SCALA, another acronym. Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (SingTel) is planning to start an industry training centre for cyber security. There will always be a place for these private sector providers and industry players in SkillsFuture. There is, of course, also the SkillsFuture Credit. It is one part of SkillsFuture and it sends a very important message, which is that each of us is in charge of our own pursuit of mastery and learning throughout our lives. This is why only you can use your Credit. We want every Singaporean, young and old, to think about this personal enterprise that cannot be transferred or outsourced to someone else. It is a personal enterprise. So, in response to Mr Ang Wei Neng, while there is no upper age limit for the Credit, the Credit is also not transferrable. We are at the stage of an evolution where we make every Singaporean think about their personal enterprise. I heard friends who have parents over 80 years old thinking to themselves: what should I learn? And I think that is wonderful.”
“So, the way to remember these is: all these will help you PaCE your learning, ACE your skills, and SCALE new heights! We do not forget the other two. The Singapore University of Technology and Design will also set up its Academy of Technology and Design, and SIT will name its unit SITLearn. The purpose is not to offer part-time degrees or master's programmes to fuel the paper chase further, but to help workers stay relevant and competitive. A key focus of these centres will be to Page: 55 look beyond traditional degree offerings by offering shorter, bite-sized certificate programmes. So, in response to Assoc Prof Randolph Tan's question, all universities, including research universities, can participate in skills-based learning. Through these centres, we also hope to underscore an idea pertinent to lifelong learning, which is, after you graduate, the next upgrade need not be a degree, masters or PhD. Often, it is something, in real practical terms, to stay abreast of industry developments and changes in technology, or deepen existing skills. In IT, this may mean getting a vendor certificate. In aerospace, it may mean getting type-trained for certain aircraft or learning how to deal with composite materials. If you are in the foreign service, it may mean learning a new language. Ms Foo Mee Har pointed out in her speech that we also need companies and industries to be actively involved in lifelong learning. The best way for companies to contribute is to offer real-life learning that institutions cannot simulate, a point that Assoc Prof Randolph Tan underscored. Even the best graduates cannot be ready for work from day one. They need time to learn about the industry and the company.”
“In 2015, we rolled out 15 ELPs in 12 sectors. About 150 students were placed in more than 50 companies, of which, about half were small and medium enterprises. The feedback from employers and trainees has been encouraging. We will expand the ELP scheme in two ways. Today, ITE graduates embarking on ELP obtain a Workforce Skills Qualification Advanced or Higher Certificate. We will introduce a new ELP pathway that will allow ITE graduates to work towards a full, part-time polytechnic diploma. There will be two new ELPs along this pathway in the Air Transport sector. We are also looking into similar ELPs in the Public Transport, ICT and hotels sectors. With this pathway, ITE graduates can take modules that are relevant to their current work first. They can focus on upgrading their skills to do a better job, without rushing to get a paper qualification for its own sake. In addition, we will introduce another 20 new ELPs, covering 10 additional sectors in accountancy, air transport, electronics, energy and chemicals, facilities management, healthcare, hotel, maritime, spatial design, and visual communication. This will bring the total number of ELPs to 37, covering 22 sectors. We will also continue to strengthen the lifelong learning system. Just as learning does not stop after school, the universities' role in education does not stop after students' graduation. All five autonomous universities will be setting up new units dedicated to lifelong learning. NUS will set up the School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE). NTU will establish the College of Professional and Continuing Education (PaCE). SMU will set up the Academy of Continuing Education (ACE).”
“We should not be pushing the young to rush into declaring their interests prematurely. I will be rather upset if I change this policy and then see the sprouting of a new tuition industry teaching students how to ace interviews. That is not the spirit at all. If a young person has yet to discover his area of interest, the system should give him more time for self-discovery. If he cannot get into the course of study he wants, then I hope he can give Page: 54 what he has a chance. Sometimes, we make the best out of the hand we are dealt with in life. Creative arts. The creative arts is an area that many young Singaporeans are interested in. We have been working with the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and LASALLE, our two arts institutions, to provide good pathways for students. I have asked Parliamentary Secretary Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim to take a closer look at this sector to see how our creative arts tertiary education can be further developed. Private education institutions (PEIs). While we expand the options for higher education, one specific area of concern raised by Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Mr Ang Wei Neng is private education institutions. I share those concerns. Parliamentary Secretary Faishal will speak further on this topic. The second area of priority is to build mastery. It often takes our whole lives to master something. The SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme (ELP) was launched last year, with the objective of opening a pathway for ITE and polytechnic graduates to deepen their skills within their discipline of study. ELP is a dual-track, work-study approach, where students can deepen skills and knowledge in school, while acquiring experience in industries. It is similar to the apprenticeship model of learning in Europe.”
“Between a 12-pointer who is not so interested in a course but does not mind a course, and a 16-pointer who is very interested in the course, who do you choose? This goes beyond making decisions based on one metric, but making a judgement call. This requires wiser minds. Notwithstanding the changes, every course will still need some minimum academic criteria, so that we have some assurance that the student can cope with the academic rigour of the course and we do not set him up to fail the course. These changes can meet the aptitudes and interests of more students, but not all students. There will be applications that the polytechnics will have to turn down, and I expect many more appeals. And as Members of Parliament, you may expect more appeals. And I fully expect them to quote what I have just said in their appeals. I was somewhat apprehensive in wanting to make this move. To be honest, I was asking myself: was I opening a can of worms? But I became convinced that this is the right thing to do when I visited the universities and polytechnics and spoke to the senior educators. They all told me this is so much harder to do but, speaking as educators, it is the right thing to do. 2.30 pm I also spoke with industry leaders, who unequivocally expressed that, today, beyond having people who know stuff, they want students who are passionate about their industry and interested in their industry. So, the changes will be implemented for admissions for Academic Year 2017. We will keep a close watch on how things go and review thereafter. I want to add a final comment on this topic, which is that, today, while many students have clear interests and pursuits, most are actually unclear about what they want to do.”
“Having said that, not all courses are suitable for aptitude-based admissions, but we can certainly expand the scope we have today. We will allow a total of 75 courses, or one-third of total polytechnic courses, to admit up to 50% of their students based on more holistic aptitude-based assessments. Some of these courses Page: 53 are baking, culinary, architecture, mass media, sports coaching, nursing, social work, drama and psychology, game design, interior design, digital forensics and so on. To support more aptitude-based admissions at the course level, we need to raise the DPA allowance at the polytechnic level. We will do so by 10 percentage points, from 2.5% today to 12.5%. We will rename the exercise and call it the Early Admissions Exercise (EAE). With this change, we will also wind down what we call the Joint Polytechnic Special Admissions Exercise (JPSAE), which covers a small segment of students today applying based on achievements, such as sports or community work. This will be folded into EAE. In the same vein, we will also put in place a new aptitude-based admissions exercise for students progressing from ITE to polytechnics. At the universities, we will increase the aptitude-based admissions intake allowance for NUS, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) from 10% to 15%. The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is already a heavy user of such methods. This is not a simple matter. Allocating places by grades on a single metric – aggregate score – is straightforward and, to many people, fair, transparent and objective. We just compare numbers. But when you introduce other measures of a student's ability, it calls for an exercise of judgement.”
“MOE studies have looked into students with similar GCE "O" level aggregate scores. So, we have a control group, one group brought in through DPA; another group through the normal aggregate scores method, but both with similar GCE "O" level scores. The students who are admitted to the polytechnics via DPA do better in their studies. They have lower drop-out rates and are far more likely to embark on careers in the sectors which they are educated and trained in. This confirms what had been intuitive to us all along. When you are able to choose and enter a course you are interested in or feel passionate about, you feel more ownership and enthusiasm, and will likely do better. There is a Confucius saying, "知之者不如好之者, 好之者不如乐之者". If I may provide an imperfect translation, it means somebody who knows cannot match somebody who wants to know; somebody who wants to know cannot match somebody who loves or is passionate to know. And we see that happening. MOE will, therefore, strengthen aptitude-based admissions. At the polytechnics, we will expand the pilot done for early childhood education courses. We started with the early childhood education courses out of necessity, because some of the students do not have staying power in the industry, something that Assoc Prof Randolph Tan mentioned. When you hit the ground, when you see the kids, after a while, you might give up, because you really need to love to interact with kids and have a knack of doing so to be a good professional in the field. There are many other trades where similar considerations will apply, where interest, aspiration and some innate abilities, play a big part in ensuring that the student enjoys learning the specialised skills and has staying power in the trade.”
“Page: 52 First, interest and aspirations. If we are learning something we are interested in, we are more likely to stay curious and engaged. If we stay curious, we are likely to make learning that subject a lifetime pursuit. If we make it a lifetime pursuit, we achieve mastery. So, it starts with interest, or a deep sense of purpose and, as Ms Denise Phua said, a yearning for the sea. That is why we must make a greater effort to help students discover their interests and passions, through ECG. Parliamentary Secretary Low Yen Ling will speak more about this topic. We then match student interests with their course of study as much as possible during the admissions process. That, I fully agree with Ms Foo Mee Har. Today, the polytechnics and universities are doing this to some extent. We have an exercise called the Direct Polytechnic Admissions (DPA). Here, students are assessed through a range of measures, like interviews, write-ups and artistic portfolios, which cover not just academic scores but also other strengths, a much more holistic approach. Some secure a place in a polytechnic before they even receive their GCE "O" level results, a little bit like DSA. DPA today covers 2.5% of total admissions at the polytechnic level. But at the course level, we allow up to 30% of the admission to be based on the applicants' interest and passion in the vocation, on top of their academic scores. Last year, as a pilot, we raised the cap for early childhood education courses from 30% to 50% and it worked well. The universities also have some flexibility to admit up to 10% of students on the basis of their unique strengths and talents. The effort to admit students into their areas of interest has yielded good results.”
“We have, therefore, embarked on a movement to harness the collective interests and aspirations of our people, develop varied paths for people to develop mastery and go as far as they can, regardless of their starting points. That movement, we call SkillsFuture. I thank Ms Denise Phua for devoting a good part of her Budget Debate speech to SkillsFuture. We will study her suggestions carefully. But I must first, explain that SkillsFuture is not the $500 Credit granted to individuals, because I have gotten so many cuts on that. The Credit is a small but important part of SkillsFuture. SkillsFuture is much more. It starts with schools, laying the foundation for our young; and then, higher education, that is, ITEs, polytechnics, universities, take over. These help our young discover their interests and aspirations, impart knowledge to them, hone their skills and prepare them for the real world. From there, a lifelong learning system takes over, where they embark on a continuous journey of learning, updating and even finding a new path. Along the way, they will persevere, improve and achieve mastery in their chosen fields, and maybe teach the next generation. If they do that, at the individual level, there is a tremendous sense of fulfilment and pride. Collectively, Singapore becomes more competitive and more inclusive in the way we view success and merit. But beneath this learning infrastructure, what underpins SkillsFuture is the personal enterprise of each and every one of us, to learn a lifetime to achieve a mastery, a mastery that is a part of who we are. Today, I will talk about what MOE is doing in three areas of focus as we move forward on SkillsFuture: first, interests and aspirations; second, developing mastery; and third, innovation.”
“With an ageing population and new hospitals, nursing homes and step-down care centres being built, there will be thousands more job opportunities in the healthcare sector across all Page: 51 levels. We live in an exciting region with the markets around us presenting tremendous opportunities. If Singapore-based companies can venture out to these markets and successfully tap into them, that will create many, many jobs for our people. But it requires us to be able to go overseas, have boots on the ground and understand those markets. Ms Foo Mee Har asked about helping PMEs who have lost their jobs to find new ones in such growth sectors. This is something that WDA has set out to do since it was formed in 2003. This effort predates SkillsFuture. And before we had PCP, we had SMCP, Place-and-train (PnT), Attach-and-Train (AnT) and several other schemes. Minister Lim Swee Say will be speaking more on these during his Ministry's COS debate to help the retrenched and the misplaced to find employment again. Now, the second answer, from the perspective of understanding the individual. In this age of possibilities, we make room for a universe of purposes – encouraging our young people to find meaning in new and unimagined ways, such as new ways to deliver services, entertain the masses, power our industries, protect the environment, protect Singapore, or build machines to do things better and faster. How Silicon Valley became a crucible for innovation, how the Swiss became a leader in watchmaking, how Singapore became a food haven – these are not plans drawn up by governments. They happened because enough people were interested about something. They congregated and made it happen. It is organic; it is ground-up; it is haphazard.”
“From this perspective, governments all have a duty to decipher all that is happening around us and signal to the people what are the areas to pursue. The second answer is to know the individual. If we can help every one of us discover our interests and aspirations, uncover innate talents and abilities and fulfil the potential of as many individuals as possible, that will become an enduring strength for the collective, for Singapore. From this perspective, what to learn is also a very personal enterprise; we must help each individual follow their respective rainbows. 2.15 pm I will start with the first answer – understand the environment. While the global economy is sluggish, there are still opportunities. It is the case for every slowdown and recession. Let me just name a few here. First, cybersecurity and data analytics are growth areas. They are driven by the proliferation of the Internet of Things and our Smart Nation initiative. One major telecoms company told me that they alone need 3,000 cyber security specialists. And we all know that the Infocomm Development Authority's (IDA's) Infocomm Manpower Survey projected about 15,000 more jobs in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector in the coming years. We also need people to develop and operate public infrastructure, such as the new Changi Airport Terminals 4 and 5, plus new Mass Rapid Transit lines. The Government is ramping up the recruitment of engineers. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is building up its engineering corp, granting engineering scholarships. To better support parents with young children, we need to expand the early childhood education sector, which needs another 1,500 educators over the next two to three years.”
“Thus, we hope that MOE will tighten the framework that governs the quality of private universities, making it more transparent to prospective students and their parents the probable employment outcome of their graduates. At the same time, MOE could also encourage private universities to shift their focus and run courses geared towards lifelong learning under the Page: 50 SkillsFuture initiatives. The Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) (Mr Ong Ye Kung): Mdm Chair, I am still having a cough and will try my best. But let me, first, start by addressing the current worry that Ms Foo Mee Har has raised. I chair the subcommittee on jobs and skills of CFE. So, I met an old friend recently. He is a journalist and I asked him what his readers expect out of the sub-committee. And he said, "The economy is a bit sluggish, tell the students and the parents what to study, and after that what jobs to get. You used to say it!" And when he said "you", he meant the Government. The Government used to say, study chemical engineering, biomed. And so, what is next? When I see young students today, some of them ask me the same question. There are two answers to this question, from two opposite, yet related, perspectives. The first perspective, the first answer, is to understand the environment. It is very frustrating for a young person to graduate with a degree or diploma, step out into the workforce and find that there is no demand. Very frustrating. Something Mr Ang Wei Neng just mentioned, it happens in Korea, it happens in Taiwan. We must know how economic winds are blowing domestically, in the region, in the world and what is developing, what are the technological advancements. What skills and knowledge are in demand? We should never ignore demand.”
“Mdm Chair, since the launch of the Global Schoolhouse initiative in 2002, many private universities were established in Singapore to attract international and local students. A few years ago, there were some consolidations in the private education industry sector. Could the Minister share the number of private educational institutions in Singapore that offer undergraduate courses between 2000 and 2015 as well as the number of undergraduates who have enrolled in these institutions each year and how many of them are Singaporeans, Singapore Permanent Residents and foreigners? As the Government pushes the cohort participation rate of Singaporeans being offered a place in the six public universities to 40%, would MOE be reviewing the roles, capacity provisions and quality of private education, in particular, private universities, in Singapore? Singapore is an Asian society. Most parents would like their children to obtain a university degree. If the private universities are maintaining the current provision of university places for Singaporeans as the six public universities are ramping up their enrolment figures, there is a genuine concern that the quality of Singapore students enrolling at these private universities will drop. At the same time, the supply of graduates will also increase significantly and we may run into the same problem faced by Taiwan and South Korea where more than 70% of each cohort is a university graduate. Many graduates from the private universities may then be underemployed. This will cause much angst to the graduates as well as their parents who have to fork out tens of thousands of dollars to pay for the tuition fees.”
“Even as the physical boundaries of the classroom become blurred, such distinctions would have to be appreciated in order for stakeholders to keep faith in one another and remain committed to the SkillsFuture journey. Mdm Chair, in conclusion, how do we promote depth in skills acquisition without dampening the enthusiasm for exploring hobbies and interests? Would the Ministry consider using SkillsFuture top-ups for this purpose, such as by linking the amount of top-ups to whether skills that had been acquired match the progression in skills levels in a particular area?”
“The mindset with which both individuals and organisations embrace their SkillsFuture journey is, therefore, important. Perhaps, one of the most important hurdles I foresee is the way Page: 44 SkillsFuture aspirants perceive themselves. This issue may have an impact on how deep the effort goes in effecting real change in our workforce. The Government has done its part, but how will it sustain its effort for the long term without getting caught up in superficial indicators of performance? As taxpayers' funds are involved, accountability and appropriate measures of performance of all programmes mounted under the SkillsFuture initiative are needed. However, this has to be balanced against an overly heavy focus on chasing KPIs. We should be careful not to lose sight of the length of the SkillsFuture journey and the rigours to be endured by those who embark upon it. How do we balance these two − the need for accountability and the desire to allow each individual enough room to learn at a pace to fit their needs? In addition, how do we balance the long-term goals with the short-term need for accountability? Acquiring skills on the job is quite different from acquiring knowledge in the classroom. In classroom-based learning, experimentation and trial-and-error are positively encouraged. There is little doubt that employers would want their workers to deepen their skills on the job. Yet, while both experimentation and trial-and-error are inevitable in a workplace setting, they are meant to be incidental. Performing the task at hand correctly each time is the priority in a workplace setting.”
“But how does one prepare for SkillsFuture and what does it mean to be prepared? To begin with, I think we should look at SkillsFuture as a journey, one in which we must be prepared for the long haul, pace ourselves and not deplete our resources, including our enthusiasm, too quickly, and ensure we reach the destination that matches our individual objectives. Learning journeys for working adults often take place against a backdrop of individual and family sacrifices, unlike full-time students with neither dependants nor work responsibilities, the most mundane aspects present challenges for adult learners. This can range from what time they should leave work to navigate rush-hour traffic in order not to be late for lectures, to whether family time or home work should take priority over a weekend. Working adults who take night classes experience such difficulties more than others, without any recognition and little understanding of their circumstances. The most important difference between learning for skills and learning for qualifications is that the former should be a perpetual ongoing process, unlike the latter, where each stage, as well as an endpoint, are clearly and uniformly demarcated for entire cohorts, and the achievement of qualifications is accompanied by awards, celebration and the shelving of course material. Acquiring skills can also be accompanied by dirt and grime. The providers of Earn and Learn placements reveal the reality of the job environment without flashy trappings, comfortable surroundings and swanky privileges. They end up with few or no takers. Artificially jazzing up everything just to attract interest risks misrepresenting the facts about what lies ahead for SkillsFuture aspirants.”
“UniSIM has a large enrolment of working adults and is involved in the provision of SkillsFuture courses. As the Minister for Finance has emphasised, providing good jobs is a priority. It is also important to ensure that workers with the right skills are available to take such jobs. A prolonged shortage of workers with the requisite skills will, ultimately, put the job creation process under intense pressure. If the supply of workers with the right skill sets is not forthcoming, job creation will have to adjust to the realities of labour supply. For decades, our labour market policy had been able to address this challenge, supported by intricate planning from MOE. However, technological disruption and increasingly intense global economic competition threaten to catch us unprepared. With skill obsolescence being one of the most severe long-term threats, SkillsFuture promises to be a sustained long-term effort that can confront these problems. One of the main challenges with the shift in emphasis to long-term programmes, such as SkillsFuture, is how to sustain interest and effort, and how to balance accountability while allowing for scope for individuals to take control of their self-directed learning needs. It is not easy to predict the impact of SkillsFuture on individual organisations, including education institutions like mine. Will the emphasis on acquiring skills lead to a reduction of emphasis on achieving qualifications? Regardless of whether it does, what will happen to institutions which do not promote skills-based learning? Some will be caught unprepared, while others will be much more prepared and come out well. Individuals will not be spared from the consequences of being caught unprepared.”
“Mdm Chair, many hon Members have praised the importance of SkillsFuture and its significance for the survival of Singapore. At the same time, we also need to develop a system to ensure that the courses eligible for SkillsFuture credits are of acceptable quality. I agree on all these three counts. I would like to raise two suggestions. While SkillsFuture caters mainly to working adults who want to upgrade their skills so that they are still relevant in the job market, it also caters to elderly Singaporeans who want to upgrade themselves in their golden years. Thus, it would be good if the course directory of SkillsFuture can include a section that consolidates courses which are more suitable for retired adults. For that matter, I would like to seek clarification with the Acting Minister for Education Mr Ong Ye Kung whether there is an upper age limit for them to claim their SkillsFuture credit entitlement. If there is no age limit, could Singaporeans who have passed on transfer their SkillsFuture credits to their loved ones? For SkillsFuture to be inclusive, I hope that the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and other Government agencies could devote some time developing suitable courses for persons with disability or make provisions for some of the existing courses to be friendly for persons with disability to attend. If this suggestion is acceptable to the Acting Minister, the SkillsFuture course directory could also include a section dedicated to persons with disability to reflect the focus in this area. Page: 43 Assoc Prof Randolph Tan (Nominated Member): Mdm Chair, I declare my interest as an employee of Singapore University of Management University (UniSIM), a private university dedicated to lifelong learning.”
“Similar reciprocal arrangements, where public officers are given the opportunity to better understand the private sector, would also help in formulating more effective policies. The initiative to second up to 20 public officers to TACs, to help Government agencies to better understand enterprises' needs and to support TACs in developing their capabilities and strengthening their processes and services, is a good first step. We should have more of such arrangements. In deepening private sector understanding, the Government may also want to consider seconding public officers to promising SMEs. After their private sector stints, they can help to Page: 102 formulate better policies and incentives to encourage enterprises to improve productivity, innovation and expand regionally. The healthy exchange of staff between the public and private sectors will deepen understanding between the two sectors. Certainly, there are constraints and it is easier said than done. However, well-thought-out and administered policies and programmes generated from a solid base of knowledge will likely result in less abuse, and make them less of a hand-out nature. They should result in spurring on our SMEs and private enterprises to aggressively compete in the local and global marketplace, because they want to, and not because the Government wants them to do so. For the sake of future-proofing our economy, it may be worth a try. With this, I support the Budget. Page: 103”
“By doing so, more elderly workers will be encouraged to stay or return to employment. Without better understanding, the Government's efforts cannot effectively transform the SMEs. Our business promotion policies will not be effective in driving the desired outcome. In fact, the Government may be doing too much to protect and cushion private enterprises from developing resilience and true excellence. William Kerr, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School, argues that "subsidising individuals can have a perverse effect of encouraging entry or keeping alive lower ability entrepreneurs". Mr Sankaran, Vice Chairman of Makino Asia Group Companies, also shared with me that Government subsidies, if not implemented appropriately, could hide SME's inefficiency and, at times become a crutch rather than helping them to run. In coming up with policies and programmes geared towards promoting enterprise, those from the private sector could be involved to a greater extent in the development stages. Coming from the target audience, they would know better if the programme would be useful and how it would be taken up or abused. This would hopefully result in programmes which are more realistic, effective and targeted. Private sector involvement does not have to end at discussion. The Civil Service could hire promising executives from the private sector to supplement its policy team. For instance, venture capitalist and entrepreneur, Dr Finian Tan, joined the Administrative Service for a few years. However, the practice of recruiting mid-career executives into the Public Service appears to have stopped. Is it worth reviving?”
“Even then, technological change has superseded this innovation. Are we doing the right things? If we scratch beneath the veneer of good news, some CEOs in the private sector questioned if the Government really understands the way the private sector thinks. Page: 101 Take the PIC scheme as an example. PIC was started in 2010. Since then, about 71,000 cash payout claims amounting to $3.6 billion were made between 2011 and 2015. However, the PIC scheme has been abused. In 2014 the taxman had to claw back $7 million worth of improper claims. PIC has been successful in promoting awareness of the productivity movement but less effective in promoting innovativeness. SEC is another example. It was introduced in 2011 to provide support to employers to hire older Singaporean workers. It is supposed to expire this year but it has been extended to 2019. The SEC fund will be topped up by $1.1 billion this year. Does SEC really influence employers to employ more workers above the age of 55? Of the five employers I have asked over the last one week, ranging from SMEs to MNCs, all of them conceded that SEC did not influence their decision to hire older workers. Given the current tight labour market, they will employ workers above 55 years old as long as they qualify for the job, regardless of SEC. However, all the five employers, as expected, welcomed SEC as it improves their bottom line. Rather than just merely extend SEC for another three years, my suggestion is to increase the employers' CPF contributions rate for workers who are between 55 and 60 years old to 17%, that is, the same as workers who are below 55. Just increase the employers' contribution rate for the workers between 55 and 60 years old.”
“Committee members were told by some in the US that the US government has no role in developing entrepreneurship, but Singapore went ahead anyway to put all the policies and support in place to nurture entrepreneurship. At that time, the foreign observers commented that Singapore was probably one of the few countries in the world that had put in so much effort to promote entrepreneurship. Subsequently, the Singapore Government's effort to promote entrepreneurship has been cited as a successful model by Mr Josh Lerner, who is the author of the book, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams: Why Public Efforts to Boost Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Have Failed – and What to Do about It". Today, Singapore is consistently ranked as one of the easiest places in the world to do business. Despite all these measures which create an entrepreneurship-friendly framework and a growing awareness of the need to drive productivity among SMEs, the actual state of private enterprise is lacking. While there has been an increase in the number of young startups, our productivity growth is dismal. The productivity growth target for the economy, as outlined by the Economic Strategies Committee in 2010, was 2% to 3% a year over 10 years. If we exclude the post-financial crisis rebound in 2010, productivity growth came in at a compounded annual growth rate of 0.3% over 2009 and 2014. When the Minister for Finance, Mr Heng Swee Keat, singled out the major innovations in Singapore’s history, most, if not all, of the innovations were led by the Government, be it in NEWater technology or innovations in our social policies. There are very few private sector-generated global innovations we can be proud of besides the Soundblaster by Creative Technology.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, the current global business conditions are difficult and uncertain. It will not be an easy year ahead for Singapore companies. In response, Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat has unveiled a raft of measures which the Government will be undertaking to soften the blow, from introducing new schemes for SMEs to increasing public spending. Page: 100 This is welcome news. It is also very clear that once again, the Government is in the driver's seat of the Singapore economy. While this has worked for us for the last 50 years, we need to evaluate if this is sustainable or effective for the next 50, as we live in an increasingly competitive and volatile world. At some point, the people and private enterprises need to steer the economy while the Government is playing a supporting role by ensuring that policies are business-friendly. In the US, its largest and most innovative corporations are private enterprises like Google, Intel, Microsoft and so on. Japan has large conglomerates like Mitsui and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), while Korea has chaebols, like Samsung, LG, Hyundai and so on. These companies are all important driving forces in their respective domestic economies and are also huge global players. In Singapore, the driving force of the economy has always been the Government. From attracting foreign MNCs to creating jobs in the early days to developing strong Government-linked companies, like SIA, PSA, DBS Bank and ST Engineering, to expand overseas in the 1980s. In the year 2000, Dr Tony Tan chaired a Technopreneurship 21 Ministerial Committee to help nurture local high-tech enterprises. It was tasked to study entrepreneurship in several major cities.”
“I thank the Minister for Education and the Minister for Home Affairs for the Statements. We understand that the Police is doing a review, but while Police is doing the review, would MOE consider assigning an MOE staff to accompany a student if he is brought back to the Police station from school, even though MOE staff may not be able to be in the same Police car or during the interview at the Police station. The mere presence of an MOE staff at the Police station before the parents arrive will give much assurance to the student while he is under Police custody.”
“While the effective conviction of high-rise litterbugs will serve as a deterrent to would-be offenders, I would like to urge every member of the public to play his part to cultivate social graciousness, good habits and a sense of shared responsibility for the cleanliness and safety of our neighbourhoods.”
“Question No 13. The Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources (Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan) (for the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources): In 2015, the National Environment Agency (NEA) received some 2,800 reports of high-rise littering. High-rise littering is an anti-social act and offence that can pose a threat to public health and safety. NEA has been working with the Town Councils and grassroots organisations to remind residents of the dangers of high-rise littering. In addition to the reports received by NEA, SPF's records showed that in 2015, two persons were arrested for throwing killer litter which resulted in hurt. SPF did not receive any reports of death from killer litter in 2015. Due to the nature of the offence, high-rise litterbugs are traditionally difficult to apprehend. When feedback on high-rise littering is received, outreach and education efforts to caution residents against high-rise littering will be conducted by my Ministry, the Town Councils and grassroots organisations, and in most cases the situation will improve after these efforts. However, in cases of persistent high-rise littering, NEA will deploy surveillance cameras once a suitable deployment site has been identified. NEA has stepped up the deployment of these cameras over the years and has conducted close to 3,000 deployments since August 2012. Last year, NEA took more than 800 enforcement actions against high-rise litterbugs, an 80-fold increase compared to 2011, when the surveillance cameras had not been introduced yet. Offenders who were prosecuted in Court received fines ranging from $700 to $5,600. NEA will continue to tackle high-rise littering by deploying surveillance cameras and secure the conviction of high-rise litterbugs.”
“If this is so, we could have a problem of different countries tracking different things to different degrees and for different lengths of time. For example, when the EU adopted ECRIS, it became apparent that Britain hangs on to the most minor convictions for years. As a result, local jobseekers could not apply for "sensitive" jobs Page: 82 like teachers and policemen while migrants from other EU countries go to England and apply for these jobs because their countries wiped the slate clean or did not keep records of low-level offences. Clearly, the "seriousness" and treatment of crimes are regarded differently across borders and this constitutes a problem. How will foreign law enforcement agencies undertake to protect the confidentiality of information? How do we ensure that the information shared will not be abused for other purposes? What other safeguards are there? Will Singaporeans be unfairly treated when they work and live in other countries that have access to our criminal records? The implications could be even more acute if Singaporeans are residing in countries with high 99% or higher conviction in the court. In conclusion, Madam, I support the RCA Bill to share the criminal records with a foreign law enforcement agency. However, Singaporeans deserve to know in detail what, when and how information is shared with a foreign country to prevent abuse so as not to disadvantage Singaporeans unnecessarily.”
“How many countries have similar provisions that can share their criminal records with Singapore besides the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand mentioned by the Senior Minister of State earlier on? Does it mean that no other ASEAN countries have a similar provision to share the information with Singapore? In addition, I would like to request the Senior Minister of State to elaborate more on the safeguards to prevent abuse and to protect the interests of Singaporeans under the amendment Bill. The last thing we want is for a Singaporean with decades-old criminal records of petty crimes to have his history made known to the immigration officer at an immigration checkpoint of a foreign country, thereby subjecting him to unnecessary body and bag checks. Therefore, we would like to know when, what and how the criminal records would be shared with other countries. Firstly, when would Singapore share the criminal records with foreign countries? Will the exchange of criminal records be shared on a request-only basis? Secondly, what kind of criminal records will be shared with other countries? Singapore, as mentioned, has focused very much on the rehabilitation and re-integration of offenders into the society. The Yellow Ribbon Project has made much progress in recent years. Therefore, I am very glad that the Senior Minister of State has confirmed that criminal records that had been rendered spent will be not be shared with other countries. But does it mean that all other records, beside those spent, in the Register of Criminals will be shared with other countries? Thirdly, how will the criminal records be shared with other countries? Will it be via a shared platform like ECRIS?”
“In Europe, the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) was set up in 2012 to allow courts and law enforcement agencies to obtain criminal records from other European Union (EU) member states. Since the introduction of ECRIS, 288,000 such requests are made every year across the EU. In the wake of the Paris terror attacks, it was announced in January 2016 that ECRIS will be further expanded to include the fingerprints of non-EU citizens. Closer to home, also in response to the Paris terror attacks, Malaysia and the US governments signed an agreement in November 2015 to share a database containing the biometric records of about 1.2 million people suspected of terrorism and other serious crimes. The list of suspects will be used by security officials at all entry points in Malaysia as well as across the US. Transnational cooperation is a step in the right direction towards the prevention of global crime. I understand that Singapore enjoys a close working relationship with INTERPOL, as said by the Senior Minister of State, and MHA has set up units to facilitate international exchange. For instance, the Suspicious Transaction Reporting Office (STRO) within the Commercial Affairs Department shares financial intelligence with foreign counterparts if they had signed memoranda of understanding, while the Singapore Police Force's International Cooperation Department facilitates cooperation and information exchange with foreign counterparts. Thus, I would like to clarify with the Senior Minister of State how the proposed amendment Bill ties in with Singapore's international working arrangements with INTERPOL, and various other platforms which already exist for information exchange on global crimes.”
“Madam, I rise in support of the Bill. In today's porous, globally-connected world where terrorism has cast a growing shadow on lives worldwide, sharing criminal records across borders fulfils a basic security need. Take the Paris terror attacks, which killed 130 people, as an example. The day after the gun and suicide-bomb attacks, one of the suspects who survived was stopped by the French police but was later released. Belgian police had, unfortunately, failed to share with their French counterparts about the information that this man was a known radical who had tried to travel to Syria to fight for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. The man is still on the run today. Closer to home, in Indonesia, several militant groups have pledged allegiance to ISIS. In January, at least eight people were killed in an ISIS-perpetrated attack near a Jakarta shopping mall. The Malaysian authorities have foiled several ISIS-inspired attack plots and arrested several persons involved in ISIS activities. Just last week, the Australian government indicated that terrorists may be planning attacks in Malaysia and Indonesia. In Singapore, the Internal Security Department recently arrested 27 male Bangladeshi nationals working in Singapore who were planning to take part in extremist activities in other countries, including Bangladesh, their home country. So, given this scenario, the sharing of criminal records, fingerprints and photographs across borders will make it harder for terrorists and criminals to travel under false identities. Cross-border cooperation does not just address concerns over terrorism, but also online commercial crime, Page: 81 money laundering and other transnational crimes.”
“I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive reply. CCS said that MOPS price makes up about one third of the listed retail petrol price. When we look at the average MOPS price of Octane 95 last week, it was about US$46.5 per barrel. Three times of that average MOPS price is about US$139.5 per barrel. When we look at the retail price of Octane 95 in Singapore at the petrol kiosks, it costs about S$1.82 per litre before discount. Even if we are given a discount of 15% on average, it costs about S$1.55 per litre or US$174.64 per barrel, as compared to three times the MOPS price which is equivalent to US$139.5 per barrel. That is, the retail price of Octane 95 is US$35.14 higher than US$139.50, or 25% more. It appears that the petrol companies are charging Singaporeans at least 25% more. A lot of Singaporeans are looking towards the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) to help us to regulate retail petrol prices, so that we are not over-charged. I hope the Minister of State can look into it.”
“Because his company has brought in a foreign talent, who is his boss now. Soon after, this foreign talent brought in his own countrymen and asked this resident to teach them. He is under a lot of pressure and does not know when he will be laid off himself. He said, "In Singapore, to have someone laid off is not difficult. You just need to cite the reason of the company restructuring." And his company has restructured many times. According to MOM's report this morning, last year, we witnessed the slowest job growth in 13 years. I guess, after the Chinese New Year, there will be even more companies which will undergo "restructuring". Would the Government consider that each time a company lays off a Singaporean worker, it will subsequently lose a Work Permit? If a company lays off one Singaporean, it will lose one Work Permit; if it lays off two, it will lose two Work Permits. Mr Deputy Speaker, we did a great job in our first 50 years. I hope we will do even better in the next 50 years. Let the Singapore Spirit continue to shine. I support the Motion to thank the President. 6.17 pm”
“I would urge the Government to consider making the Designated Smoking Point scheme a national policy. Second, housing. I am delighted to hear from the President that the Government will continue to create a caring home for Singaporeans by building more affordable and comfortable HDB flats, higher quality infrastructure and convenient public transportation. I hope these plans can be implemented more smoothly. We do not want to see the situation again whereby new estates do not have enough childcare and transportation facilities even after the residents have moved in. I also hope that the singles and the divorced people, especially those with children, can have their Page: 73 own flat as soon as possible. Third, the economy. This year and next year, Singapore will continue to face challenges, such as a shrinking manufacturing industry and China's slow economic growth. The economic outlook is not very rosy. I believe many Members, just like me, would have met many residents who came to seek help because they cannot find a job. I would like to ask the Government if it foresees large-scale unemployment this year and next year. There are many unpredictable factors when it comes to the economy. Does the Government have plans to deal with a slow economy and unemployment? Early this month, a resident came to seek help from me. He is a crane operator at a construction site. He said that his company, starting from last year, would lay off one crane operator every month and it just so happened that, each time, it was a Singaporean who was laid off. My resident, who has diligently worked for the company for more than 10 years, was also laid off at the end of last year. Another resident of mine works in the IT industry. He told me that he was under a lot of pressure lately. Why?”
“Perhaps, we should pay more attention to the quality of the officers, their career path, training and the motivation for them to excel, innovate and give their best. There are three areas in which we need even more dedication and foresight from the Government. They are the environment, housing and the economy. I would like to expand in Chinese. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Singapore is famous for being clean. However, if you walk around the HDB neighbourhood at 4.00 am in the morning, you will realise that this cleanliness is, in fact, an illusion created by our cleaners. In comparison, Japan and Taiwan have fewer cleaners than us but their environment is cleaner than ours. Can we inculcate a similar culture? I started the "No Cleaners Day" project in Nee Soon South. I noticed that when we have to pick up the litter ourselves, we tend not to litter and we will also remind others not to do so. Can we expand the "No Cleaners Day" scheme and let our children clean their campus themselves, like Taiwan and Japan, so that the young will see a clean environment as their own responsibility? I read a Straits Times report a few days ago. Last year, the amount from fines for littering was the highest in six years. It looks like not only our SMEs need to innovate; NEA also needs to be more creative in dealing with litter-bugs. Our smoking rate is gradually going back up. How can we ensure a smoke-free environment and that non-smokers do not have to inhale second-hand smoke? The Designated Smoking Point scheme piloted in Nee Soon South has achieved its desired outcome. This year, we will build 50 smoking points and extend the programme to the entire Nee Soon South.”
“Recently, I was involved in trying to provide a covered linkway from the nearest HDB block to the nearest bus-stop in my new BTO, Acacia Breeze. For many months, HDB and LTA could not resolve their differences. I was trying to call a meeting for both parties to sit down to seek a solution. And, you know what? LTA officers refused to have the meeting. Why? I do not know. In fact, even our Deputy Prime Ministers have pointed out these issues recently. Deputy Prime Minister Tharman said at a public service leadership dinner that we need to develop the habit of Page: 72 looking at issues through the eyes of ordinary citizens and bringing policies from different agencies together to serve their needs. Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean also said at a Civil Service award ceremony that the public service needs to stay connected with the people they serve. I quote: "…to listen deeply and better understand aspirations and concerns and to work together with Singaporeans to make Singapore a better home for all of us". I must emphasise that I am not here to point fingers or to make anyone uncomfortable. I am bringing this up because I hope that the Government can do even better than before. To do this, we need to look beyond the near term, beyond our individual agency responsibilities, at how we can maximise benefits for the man-on-the-street. We need people at all levels to be more than just carrying out the formulation and execution of policies. We need people who are committed, trustworthy and serve with heart. I know that in many instances, the civil servants are doing their best, but they are stretched as the public gets more vocal and they have to balance the different demands.”
“We have to accept that the Government could have done better, expertise from our National Parks Board could have anticipated the problems and exercised more oversight over the project execution, especially with all the public money invested in the project. Perhaps, the Government had drawn the line too fine, too clearly and washed their hands too early. The second is not keeping in mind how things are for the man-on-the-street. One example is MOE's naming of a new JC − Eunoia JC. The word was chosen for its meaning, but did anybody think whether the man-on-the-street can pronounce it easily? Would an English, Chinese, Malay or even Tamil word have been easier for the common man-on-the-street to pronounce and relate to? Now, MOE is faced with unnecessary flak and even petitions to change the name. Another example is our hawker centres. To the man-on-the-street, a hawker centre is the place to get good food at a reasonable price. But how can the price be reasonable if the hawker has to pay $6,000 for his stall? To be exact, I was told by the taxi-drivers who live in Nee Soon South, it is $5,000 rental plus $1,680 for cleaning services and this is charged in a new hawker centre. In Chinese, we say 羊毛长在羊身上. And I certainly hope that the new hawker centre in Yishun will not have this kind of rental for the stalls. And the Yishun residents do not just hope to have good food at reasonable prices, many also hope to get a stall to provide them with employment. Therefore, I hope that NEA is open to the concept of working with the community, perhaps with the social enterprises, to operate the new hawker centre in Yishun. The last area is coordination between Ministries.”
“03 pm Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is, indeed, a privilege to listen to the President's Address in the House. I thank him for his encouraging and illuminating words Page: 71 which will certainly continue to echo in this House throughout the sessions of this Parliament. President Tan said in his Address that "good policies and good politics go together". We are known around the world for having an effective and honest Government that comes up with good policies, but there are also areas in which we did not do well enough. I would like to point out three common factors that lead to less-than-ideal results. The first one is not planning for the long term. For example, in 2015, we saw a spate of MRT disruptions in February and March, as well as the worst disruption in the history of the MRT in July. Many of the commuters, including my residents at Khatib MRT station, were greatly inconvenienced. The problem lies in engineering issues which were not properly addressed from the early days of the MRT system. We did not train a pool of engineers and technicians to specialise in maintaining the rail system. Having in-house expertise is very different from using subcontractors. We cannot be always using economic benefit as the sole yardstick in making decisions. Now, Minister Khaw Boon Wan and his team have the unenviable task of completing a major overhaul while maintaining normal services. Then, we have the grass pitch issue at the Sports Hub. The pitch was not ready for many sports, the roof leaked and even the sound system got complaints from many concert-goers.”
“Similarly, car-sharing apps like Uber and Grabcar have been popular among commuters but have also created uproars as taxi-drivers all over the world decry the unfair competition. Unlike home-sharing, car-sharing has already taken off in Singapore. A basic regulatory framework was introduced last year where all third party taxi booking services are required to comply with certain conditions. Many taxi companies complained that Uber taxi drivers do not have to obtain a taxi driver's vocational licence, unlike licensed taxi drivers. Uber cars also need not go through the stringent safety checks, as compared to existing players, thereby compromising the safety of commuters. To regulate, we must. Otherwise, it is like tying the hands of the traditional brick-and-mortar companies and having them compete with online companies on a 100-metre tight race. The Government is still reviewing the need for further regulations. But at the end of the day, the desire to even out the playing field must be for the safety of the commuters rather than inconveniencing the commuters − like making them wait 15 minutes before they can get onto an Uber taxi, which has been the case in Paris since 2013. Change is never comfortable, especially when livelihoods are threatened. If Singapore is to remain competitive and future-centric, we have to edit the rules to support value creation and innovation and not stifle them. In conclusion, I urge all Singaporeans to continue to keep Singapore special. At the same time, we all need to do our part to help the vulnerable, the disabled and those who are sometimes forgotten, so that Singapore can continue to march towards SG100 with no one left behind. With this, I support the Motion. 6.”
“These sites allow a growing global community of people to rent out personal spaces to travellers and transient tourists. Since 2008, over 60 million people have used Airbnb to book accommodation in over 190 countries, but Singapore is not one of these countries. At least, not yet in a big way. Page: 70 In Singapore, private homes can only be rented out for six months or more, while HDB flat owners are not allowed to sublet their units or rooms to tourists for short-term stays. Nonetheless, we could still find more than 300 listings in the Airbnb Singapore website. The owners who let out their units or room through Airbnb may be fined or jailed if caught. This is a lost economic opportunity. In a study done in San Francisco in 2012, it was found that Airbnb travellers spent US$56 million in a year. About US$12.7 million went to the hosts and US$43.1 million to San Francisco's businesses. But beyond the money, what Airbnb travellers relish most is the novel experience of staying in an affordable and unique local space which could be someone's home and seeing the "authentic" side of a country. In Singapore's context, this could be a HDB flat, a condominium or a shophouse. There is much value in terms of local Singapore charm and a dash of real Singaporean hospitality, which could be offered to visitors and keep them coming back. There are concerns over rampant profiteering and neighbours may be uncomfortable with a constant flow of foreigners staying next to their apartments. However, rules can be modified to make sure that there is compliance with local laws. In London, Airbnb was legalised in March 2015. So, home owners can rent out their places for up to three months a year, with certain conditions attached, of course.”
“No wonder our fellow Parliamentarian, Ms Foo Mee Har, has been complaining about the reliability of service 51 when it serves as a pseudo feeder service for her Ayer Rajah residents. Does it make sense to continue with such cross-island bus services? If we are able to eliminate 14 bus services with bus routes longer than 30 kilometres, we could easily use the same resources to run 40 new feeder bus services. That is 14 long trunk services for 40 new feeder services. Does it not sound attractive? These 40 new feeder bus services will go a long way towards improving the first- and last-mile connectivity and persuade more Singaporeans to switch to public transport and help achieve the goal of a car-lite society envisioned by the Minister. (In English): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the economy, the President said that "we cannot predict the future, but we must adapt as the world changes". The future of Singapore lies in encouraging innovation and creating value. People and businesses need to adapt and change. While the Government has provided funding to people and businesses to explore new ideas which will benefit the society, the Government also has to constantly review existing rules. Some rules and regulations which might have been necessary previously are now harmful and not beneficial to value creation. This is particularly relevant now, given the rise of the "sharing" economy in which people rent beds, rooms, cars and other assets directly from one another through the Internet and mobile phone apps. Regulators worldwide do not quite know how to deal with this phenomenon, which is estimated to generate US$335 billion in revenue worldwide by 2025. Take home-sharing sites, like Airbnb or Onefinestay.”
“Page: 69 In the Addendum to the President's Address issued by the Ministry of Transport (MOT), the Ministry states that its mission is to connect Singaporeans from their homes to schools and workplaces all over Singapore. As the train network becomes more extensive, many are willing to take the train, which is comfortable and convenient, but they are hampered by the connectivity from their homes to the train station. For residents staying within 800 metres of a train station, most abled people are willing to walk to the station. Beyond that, residents typically ask for feeder bus services. Unfortunately, the authorities often cite resource constraints and cannot meet the residents' demand for more feeder services. I am sympathetic towards this. If resource is, indeed, a constraint, perhaps LTA could consider boldly reorganising bus routes, especially long distance cross-island routes. For example, bus service 51 plies from Hougang Bus Interchange to Jurong East Interchange, covering close to 38 kilometres and the average traveling time is about two hours and 42 minutes. In contrast, a train ride from Hougang to Jurong East takes only 53 minutes, that is, a saving of almost two hours. Imagine how many Singaporeans will be willing to take the bus instead of MRT to work or school! In fact, along the route of Bus 51, there are a number of MRT stations. Residents also use Bus 51 from the nearby estates to the MRT stations. For example, many residents at Ayer Rajah rely on service 51 to bring them to Jurong East MRT Station. How reliable can service 51 be when it has to travel about 30 kilometres before reaching Ayer Rajah?”
“Perhaps, we could consider introducing legislation to compel large organisations with more than 500 staff to employ PWDs, with some effort to redesign jobs to suit the PWDs. Countries which have quota systems in place include Germany, Thailand and Japan. In Japan, for example, private-sector organisations with at least 56 employees must ensure that at least 1.8% of their headcount comprises PWDs. If these quotas are not met, the organisation is usually required to pay a levy towards a fund used to promote the employment of PWDs. Alternatively, some countries like Australia, Canada and the US have introduced anti-discrimination laws. It is illegal for employers to discriminate against current and prospective employees on the basis of disability. China employs a hybrid of a quota system and anti-discrimination laws. Singapore has neither. With the right training and set-up, PWDs can become self-reliant and contribute as much as their able-bodied peers. PWDs are also a valuable addition to the diversity of the workplace. We do not want PWDs to be left behind as an Annex as Singapore progresses, a phrase often used by fellow parliamentarian and Mayor Denise Phua. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, at this juncture, please allow me to declare my interest as I am a staff of ComfortDelgro before I touch on public transport in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Deputy Speaker, when the Government implements its policies, it is important to look after Singaporeans' needs in terms of food, clothing, housing and travelling. Today, I would like to touch on the issue of travelling and hope that the Government can make public transport more user-friendly.”
“The President further said that "we strove to leave no one behind, even as we created opportunities for all". Page: 68 Yes, no one should be left behind as we progress as a nation. No one, including the persons with disability, or PWDs, should be left behind. Singapore has made much progress thus far in educating and assisting PWDs. The Enabling Master Plans I and II have significantly improved their livelihoods. The spending on special education has increased 50% over the last five years and the Open Door Programme, launched in 2007, has gone some way in encouraging employers to hire PWDs. On the employment front, however, the progress is painfully slow. In reality, for every success story which is highlighted, there are far more PWDs who have taken a long time to secure a job, if at all. This runs the gamut from the low-skilled disabled who lost the job of cleaning airline headphone sets to technology, to a hearing-impaired university degree holder who missed her employment opportunities, many a times, due to the fact that HR personnel failed to note that the job seeker can only respond to SMS messages and not telephone calls. There are no statistics on the local employment rate amongst the disabled in Singapore, who are defined as those with physical, sensory, intellectual and developmental impairments. However, a strategic market research consultancy, Spire Research and Consulting, conducted a survey of 100 companies in January 2014 which showed that while 20% were open to hiring PWDs, only 7% actually did so. This is a classic case of "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak". We can pump resources into training and assistance for PWDs and we can try to encourage employers to hire PWDs. However, we are still reliant on the goodwill of the employers.”
“There are fewer incidents of the likes of the Maplewoods residents' protest against the launch shaft site blocking the entrance of their condominium during the construction of Downtown Line 2. There are also fewer complaints about the building of an eldercare centre in the neighbourhood in general. But, is Singapore immune from the downfall of a democratic nation, as mentioned by Prof Alexander? Far from it. Singapore has defied all odds to survive. Singapore has gone against the grain to thrive, moving from Third-World to First-World in one generation. Singapore is special, in the words of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Singapore needs to remain special if we want to see a glorious SG100. Our political system is a key factor. It enables us to remain special. The institution of the Elected Presidency is a key safeguard against loose fiscal policy. I agree that we need to review it to make it a stronger safeguard, as said by the Prime Minister. The NCMP scheme is another unique feature that makes us special and has strengthened our political system. Since it started in 1984, with an upper limit of six NCMPs, this was increased to nine in 2010 and Prime Minister Lee said that he would like to raise the number to 12. The intention to increase the NCMP numbers entrenches the importance of the NCMP scheme; at the same time, it recognises the contributions of past NCMPs. The political parties of the best-performing losing Opposition candidates that have accepted the NCMP nomination have benefited from the system. So, instead of calling names, let us all embrace the NCMP scheme as a unique feature of Singapore's political system. This is also consistent with what President Dr Tony Tan has said, "to remain special, we must first resolve to move ahead together".”