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.”
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“Mdm Speaker, can I check with the Senior Minister of State, in total, right now, how many dockless bicycles do we have in the market, and whether the three companies are in discussion with LTA to expand the number of bicycles rapidly, and whether any of the three companies have started to implement the geo-fencing scheme and the scheme to encourage people to park properly and also have some system to penalise the users who park improperly?”
“I thank the Minister for the reply. Would the Minister consider asking the companies that caused the cable cut to also compensate the Internet users who are affected by these kinds of incidents? Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Madam, to begin with, the company responsible for the cable cut will be investigated by IMDA and, if found guilty, will be prosecuted. As to whether the company wants to do a gesture of goodwill, it is up to them.”
“Madam, I thank the Minister for the answer. As I understand it, there is this Balcony Bonus Gross Floor Area (GFA) scheme. It provides the developers a bonus to build up to 10% more than the allowable GFA. Because of this, the developers apparently build extra-large balconies, sometimes, one-third to half the space of the liveable space inside the apartment. That has caused some misery among the buyers. We hope that MND can consider regulating the size of balconies.”
“Offering attractive scholarships is one way, formulating an IT professional development roadmap is equally important to prevent a brain drain in the IT sector. To attract more top students to choose scholarships in computer science and better tap on computer specialists who are serving National Service, I suggest that MINDEF allow Singaporeans serving full-time National Service who have been awarded scholarships to study IT to be disrupted from NS to complete their tertiary education first before returning to serve in DCO. This is similar to allowing medical students to return to serve in the army after they have obtained their medical degrees. Returning army doctors can treat our soldiers. In the same vein, returning computer specialists can help guard against computer viruses and cyberattacks. This is "killing two birds with one stone". (In English): Mdm Speaker, we also need to boost the general knowledge of IT and cybersecurity at the base level. In this respect, I am glad that the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) have committed to train 10,000 civil servants in data science in the next five years. However, it is not clear from the newspaper report which group of civil servants will be trained by NUS. I would like to suggest that such IT training should be extended to all Government scholars and top civil servants, which is particularly important as the appreciation of IT application for our future economy and cybersecurity needs should start at the very top. With this, I support the Bill.”
“But several of my Parliamentary colleagues and I have had fake Facebook accounts set up in our names, and once the perpetrators successfully befriend our friends, they proceed to ask for donations through private messages. Fortunately, no money was transacted as my friends were rightly suspicious, but in such situations should the Police be given powers to investigate fake Facebook accounts? Being strong in cybersecurity also presents an economic opportunity which Singapore can leverage on. Israel is a world leader in cybersecurity solutions and its cybersecurity exports totaled $6 billion in 2014. Interestingly, it was a top-down initiative which started with a directive by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. With Singapore's interest, investment and emphasis on the digital economy, we are well-placed to become the cybersecurity equivalent of Israel in Asia if we can get our act together. Mdm Speaker, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Although it is important to toughen the laws to deter the hackers and mete out harsher penalties to them, prevention is even more critical. I believe that the Singapore Cybercrime Command and the soon-to-be established DCO under MINDEF will help us map out national and defence cybersecurity strategies. However, the key is whether we have enough computer specialists, in particular, cybersecurity professionals. In this respect, I hope that the Government can adopt a multi-pronged approach. First, we should train more cyber specialists, with a focus on cybersecurity professionals. We all know that most of our top performing students choose medicine or law, because lawyers and doctors tend to earn big money. We need to encourage some of these top students to study computer science instead.”
“Mdm Speaker, when it comes to cybersecurity, many of us think in terms of our personal laptops and mobile phones. In fact, it would be catastrophic if the computers running our national infrastructure is compromised. In Ukraine, cyberattacks caused a power blackout in Ukraine in December 2016. In the UK, a newly set up cyber protection agency fended off 188 serious attacks in the first three months of 2017. In Germany, its military system was attacked 284,000 times in the first nine weeks of 2017 alone. Thus, Germany has just formed a new Cyber and Information Space Command (CIR) on 1 April 2017. The new command will be on par with the army, navy and air force. Besides disrupting our lives, what is deeply worrying is that a successful large-scale cyberattack would result in the loss of trust and faith in Singapore's systems, from businesses and investors. Cybersecurity is, therefore, critical to Singaporeans. I had asked about the issue of how the Police are tackling cybercrimes previously and am glad that the Police have set up a Cybercrime Command within the Criminal Investigation Department in 2015. In this latest set of amendments, the toughening of legal clout against the act of dealing and trading in personal information, the buying and selling of hacking tools, and offences that are committed abroad which may cause serious harm to Singapore, will certainly build on what has already been done to strengthen Singapore's cybersecurity and resilience. However, technology is constantly evolving and I am certain new situations will arise which may require further strengthening of our laws in future. For instance, is it an offence to set up a fake Facebook account? Under the current laws, it is not.”
“If a listed company cannot pass external auditing, the share price of the company will drop significantly and the shareholders will lose confidence in the company. However, the particular Town Council that cannot even pass external auditing is still untouched even today. I am surprised. Today, the very purpose of this amendment is to strengthen the transparency and control of the Town Councils to prevent similar mishaps from happening. I, therefore, support this amendment.”
“When an MP says in Parliament we must greatly reduce foreign labour, we must also see whether his/her Town Council can do without even one foreign worker. When the MP says in Parliament that we shall not raise the price of anything, we must see whether his/her Town Council can, without raising S&CC, give annual increments to the Town Council's staff and cleaners, and pay for the ever-increasing lift maintenance cost. In other words, without raising S&CC, can the Town Council afford to pay for higher lift maintenance cost and annual increment of its staff without running into a deficit? If, indeed, a deficit appears, how is it going to be tackled? Running a Town Council is like running a local government. Clause 24 empowers the Town Councils to introduce by-laws. For example, the residents are not allowed to park or hold an event in certain areas. If the resident contravenes this rule, the Town Council can impose a fine. If an MP can manage the Town Council well whereby the public area is clean, the lifts are running smoothly and the accounts are kept orderly and balanced, then the people will feel assured that this MP can do bigger things, such as organising a government. But if an MP cannot manage the Town Council well, say the estate is not clean, the accounts are in a mess and every year there is a deficit, then how can we expect this MP to manage the country well? Like in a certain Town Council, its accounts are so messy that even their own independent auditor dare not approve the accounts. I work in a listed company and I understand the importance of external auditing. If a listed company's accounts cannot pass external auditing, it means that the company's accounts are problematic and the shareholders will ask questions.”
“If a Town Council is not appropriately managed, its accounts not set out clearly, and it repeatedly disregards the authority's request to correct the errors by continuing to do what it did before, then the chairman will be prosecuted. MPs are representatives of the people, in charge of funds running into the millions, of course, they have the responsibility to run the Town Councils well. Some people may ask, why should MPs manage the Town Council? Why not let the HDB manage the Town Councils directly? Honestly, when managing a Town Council, MPs must manage things big and small. Projects worth millions of dollars must be examined carefully to see whether the tenderers are capable and the price is reasonable or not. It is also important to make sure there is no nepotism when awarding the contract, to avoid being accused of corruption. For small things, matters, such as complaints about neighbours throwing sanitary napkins from high floors, must also be handled. Is this not troublesome? Some say, as representatives of the people, MPs just need to manage the big things of the country, and that the small things can be handled by the civil servants. But is it so? It is said that whoever can be trusted in small things can be trusted in big things and whoever is dishonest in small things will be dishonest in big things, too. Those who do small things may not be able to do big things but those who cannot even do small things well cannot be expected to do big things. And this is the purpose of letting MPs run the Town Council. When an MP advocates transparency in Parliament, we must see whether accounts of the Town Council that he/she is managing are transparent and in order.”
“As for the clarifications, I note that under clause 18 (l) of the Bill, the Town Council can now transfer whole or part of the surplus of its operating fund at the end of a FY to LRF. Could I clarify whether the transfer of the surplus to LRF will also attract MND's co-funding even though the Town Council has already met its minimum obligation to transfer 40% of the operating revenue to the sinking fund? Meanwhile, I am also glad that MND will be providing a grant of $600 per lift owned and maintained by the Town Councils. Could I clarify if the Town Councils are obliged to contribute 40% of the $600 grant to the sinking fund? If so, this will mean that the net grant by MND to offset the lift maintenance cost is only $360 per lift instead of $600. I hope the Minister can consider my suggestion and answer my two clarifications. Mdm Speaker, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mdm Speaker, I speak with a heavy heart as I join this debate on the Town Councils (Amendment) Bill. After the amendment, as the Chairman of a Town Council, I could go to jail if the Town Council is not managed appropriately. The highest punishment under clause 48A(1) is one year's imprisonment, or a fine of $5,000, or both. Why should I go to jail for mismanagement of the Town Council if I am not corrupt? Town Councils manage funds running into hundreds of millions of dollars. Collected from the monthly S&CC paid by residents, these funds are the people's money and, of course, they should be well managed. The amendments this time will require the Town Councils to manage their funds properly and set out the accounts clearly.”
“Mdm Speaker, please allow me to declare my interest as I am the Chairman of Jurong-Clementi Town Council. Clause 18 of the Town Council (Amendment) Bill seeks to amend section 33 to establish a new sinking fund called LRF. This is to recognise that many lifts and lift parts need to be replaced before the end of the lifespan of the lift, as stipulated during the procurement phase. Otherwise, most, if not all the Town Councils, will not have sufficient sinking funds to do the replacement. At the same time, I am glad that MND is co-funding LRF, matching 50% of the Town Council's contributions to LRF. As we debate the Town Council (Amendment) Bill, I have one suggestion and two clarifications for MND on points mentioned by the Senior Minister of State earlier. Although HDB procures the lifts while Town Councils maintain the lifts, I would like to suggest that HDB need to have a mindset that HDB has a large stake in maintaining the lifts. In this way, HDB will go all out to obtain feedback from the party that maintains the lift and incorporate the feedback when procuring the next batch of lifts. For example, HDB needs to take greater cognisance of the lifecycle costing of the lifts, compared to the purchasing cost of the lifts. In addition, HDB could also stipulate that the lift suppliers have a guarantee that all the lift spare parts, especially the parts that are under the sole proprietary right of the lift supplier, would be available throughout the lifespan of the lift at the inflation rate stipulated upfront. This will help to mitigate the issue of high lift maintenance costs and unavailability of spare parts.”
“Madam, about the point made by the Senior of State Mrs Josephine Teo on the seaport, I also want to reflect the plight and concerns of the port workers. It is exciting to learn that the Tuas Terminal would be a state-of-the-art smart port. I hope the Senior Minister of State can elaborate on the transport infrastructure linking to the Tuas Port. Otherwise, the new port can be large but few workers would like to work there.”
“Mdm Chairman, please allow me to declare my interest as I am an advisor to the Singapore Port Workers' Union (SPWU). Recently, there have been reports that China is investing S$14 billion in the Malacca Gateway Project, which includes building a deep seaport on an island off Malacca which will be ready as soon as 2019. The development is likely to challenge Singapore's position as the major trans-shipment hub and the new cruise ship jetty will also have an impact on cruise tourism in Singapore. A November 2016 CNBC article stated outright that Malacca is eyeing a slice of Singapore's shipping business, and the new port's selling points are lower costs, less congestion and less stringent port rules. Similarly, there are also reports that China is financing the cost of Thailand's Kra Canal so that ships coming from the Indian Ocean can go straight to the South China Sea, bypassing the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. An academic paper, published in March 2016 by two researchers for the Institute of Developing Economies, sought to project and forecast the economic impact of the Kra Canal. In most scenarios, Singapore stood to suffer a negative impact. Could the Minister provide a realistic analysis of these threats and their impact on Singapore's ports? Would it divert trade from Singapore and to what extent? What is MOT's plan to strengthen the position of our ports? Response Plan for Oil Spills”
“The companies bidding for this project will need to indicate the amount of subsidies they require. LTA's bicycle-sharing scheme, as compared to those provided by Ofo and Obike, appears to pale in comparison in terms of speed of implementation, the number of bicycles on offer and the ease of use. Thus, I would like to ask the Minister if LTA would consider working with these companies like Ofo and Obike to proliferate the bicycle-sharing scheme and make it popular in all major towns in Singapore, besides just Jurong Lake District, but less the messiness.”
“Madam, when I was in Shenzhen last month to study about electric buses, I also had the chance to witness the proliferation of bicycle-sharing schemes in Shenzhen city. Three companies − Ofo, Mobike and Bluegogo − dominated the market. They provided thousands of bicycles for rental and the rental fee started from as low as 10 cents RMB per ride. These companies operate without government subsidies. One drawback, however, was messiness. These rented bicycles were parked all over the places haphazardly on the pedestrian pavements. Ofo and Mobike, which are known as Obike in Singapore, have started operations in Singapore. Ofo charges as low as 50 cents per ride in Singapore. The rate is very competitive, attractive and affordable. Last Sunday, when I was in my constituency, I had the chance to try the use of an Obike. It was left behind at a void deck in Jurong West. So, I used the Obike app to unlock the bicycle and tried riding it. It was very easy to use. I was even given a $3 credit when I registered online. From the Obike app, I could see that the yellow rental bicycles were in abundance in availability in the nearby blocks as well as at the Lakeside MRT station. It was so convenient. Ofo and Obike have indicated that they will push out a few thousand bicycles over the next few months without the need for fixed docking stations. It appears that the services provided by these two innovative companies could help fix the first- and last-mile problem of connecting commuters to and from MRT stations. In contrast, the bicycle-sharing scheme initiated by LTA will add 1,000 bicycles at fixed docking stations in the Jurong Lake District by end of this year. I understand that LTA is prepared to subsidise this bicycle-sharing scheme in Jurong Lake District.”
“Mdm Chairman, allow me to declare my interest as I am also a staff of ComfortDelgro. In recent years, MOT has done a significant job in reducing MRT breakdowns. The Minister has set a very bold target of increasing the Mean Kilometre before Failure (MKBF) to 400 kilometres, a standard comparable to Hong Kong and Taiwan's sub-way, and this is laudable. However, the recent MRT breakdowns that concentrate between Jurong East and Joo Koon stations have greatly inconvenienced Jurong residents. There were at least three major breakdowns between these two stations in January alone and there are numerous incidents where the residents had to add tens of minutes of travelling time between the two stations. These unfortunate incidents often occurred during the peak hours, affecting thousands of Jurong residents. May I know whether LTA has identified the problems that caused the frequent breakdowns and delays specifically between the Jurong East and Joo Koon MRT stations? Are there plans to improve the train reliability between these two stations? Or would it be helpful to increase the engineering hours to fix the problems? I hope the Minister can look at this seriously. Train Disruptions”
“Madam, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The tuition fees charged by PSEIs, especially university tuition fees, have increased significantly over the last 10 years. In 2007, the three major Singapore universities − NUS, NTU and the Singapore Management University (SMU) − charged Singaporeans roughly $7,000 to $8,000 in annual tuition for a general arts and science degree. Fees in the last 10 years have gone up about 38% on average and the increase varies across institutions. What is consistent, however, is that the increase in the tuition fee has significantly outpaced consumer price index (CPI) growth over the same period. While we understand the need to increase tuition fees to better reflect the value of tertiary industry, we have to be mindful that students from the underprivileged families may be unfairly disadvantaged. Income of low-income families usually rises slower than that of upper middle-income families, and a university education is the best way for students from low-income families to go up the ladder. This does not just apply to students from low-income families but those who are in the sandwich group or who marginally miss out on MOE's financial assistance scheme because of the qualifying criteria. To help such students from the sandwich group, I have to raise funds every year to provide them with bursaries. However, raising funds through private donors may not be sustainable and is especially difficult when the economy is slowing down. Thus, I hope that the Minister can relax the qualifying criteria for MOE's financial support for tertiary students so that more can benefit.”
“Madam, one of my residents is a pharmacy assistant who has performed well in his job and has been praised by his supervisors. He has come to see me two years in a row because, each year, NUS had rejected his application to read Pharmacy at NUS. He was told that his grades were not as good as those of the other applicants. Grades are not everything. Passion is equally important. I understand that MOE has started to have Aptitude-based Admissions in PSEIs. I have heard some happy stories after the new scheme has started. Can we do more and increase the quota allocated for Aptitude-based Admissions? This would be of great help to adult Singaporeans who may not have done well in school but have done very well in their jobs and want a second chance at obtaining an academic qualification. Creative Arts Tertiary Education”
“Madam, we are proud that the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have improved their global university rankings by leaps and bounds. According to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, NUS was ranked 40th in 2011 and now ranked 24th in 2016. NTU's progress is even more remarkable. NTU was ranked 174th in 2011 and is now ranked 54th, that is, NTU jumped 120 places in five years. However, in the push to improve our ranking results, have we lost sight of more important goals? One of the main reasons why NUS and NTU have improved their rankings was their push for their professors to produce academic papers that can be cited by acclaimed international academic journals. Is this done at the expense of having the professors conduct research on local issues, which are less glamorous and would less likely be published in the international journals? Has the concentration on showy research compromised the quality of teaching? The local universities are heavily funded by the Government. I hope the Minister can consider refocusing the priorities of the local universities so that they can conduct research which would help us to better understand and perhaps even solve challenges faced by Singapore and Singaporeans, rather than in pure pursuit of global university rankings. We need a more balanced approach. Social Sciences Research Council”
“Madam, the Government has invested much in education, including the Institutes of Technical Education (ITEs), which have become a popular option. During my Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS), many young residents come to appeal for admission into ITE courses. The Earn and Learn programme is an excellent apprenticeship scheme, where ITE graduates are able to work at participating companies to earn a decent income while learning as an apprentice. After a few years of working, many ITE graduates typically want to upgrade to a diploma. This is appropriate, given that they have acquired deeper skills in their respective vocations. However, diploma courses in the local polytechnics may not suit them, as they are more adept at hands-on learning and are less academically inclined. Therefore, I would like to suggest that MOE consider devising diploma courses that are technical and hands-on in nature, which focus on deepening skills rather than pen-and-pencil examinations. Industry-IHL Partnership to Drive Skills Training”
“Chairman, in 2016, 16,000 students tried to apply to a choice of secondary schools through the DSA scheme. I would like to ask the Minister how many of the 16,000 students applied to schools that offer the Integrated Programme (IP). Of the 2,800 students that were successful in DSA, how many of them ended up in IP schools? 7.45 pm Minister Heng Swee Keat used to profess that every school is a good school. A good school does not necessarily mean a school that offers IP. Rather, it is the best choice based on how closely it can meet and nurture the students' talents, academically and otherwise. Thus, I would like to know how MOE can help non-IP schools focus on their niche and how it can attract students to apply to non-IP schools through DSA. At the other extreme, it is an open secret that Gifted Education Programme (GEP) students in primary schools are automatically admitted to IP schools of their choice, even if they scored badly in the PSLE, and they do not need to sit for entrance tests. They move on to IP schools which offer School-Based Gifted Education Programmes (SBEP). This is like a "backdoor" for the gifted students. A Straits Times article dated 23 January 2017 also alluded to this anomaly, when several parents interviewed said that in the most competitive schools, at least half of those admitted via DSA were academically talented, including those from GEP. I would like to urge MOE to review the DSA scheme. In particular, I would like to ask the Minister to consider closing the "backdoor" so schools will no longer use academic criteria to "pre-select" students under the DSA Academic scheme.”
“In addition, I hope that Sports Singapore can work with the National Parks Board to designate more segments of the beaches at East Coast, Pasir Ris and so on for beach volleyball. These possible collaborations with Sports Singapore and other Government agencies will go a long way towards making Singapore a sporting nation, promoting healthy living, teamwork and better resilience among Singaporeans. With this, I support the Budget.”
“Currently, all of us have to compete for the limited funds from Sports Singapore for the dollar-for-dollar matching grant which is capped at $40,000 per NSA on a first-come-first-serve basis. Last year, the fund dried up as early as September, barely six months from the start of the financial year in April. So, I hope that with the new allocation of $50 million, more NSAs can benefit from the matching grant. However, having a higher quantum for the matching grant is not sufficient. We need Sports Singapore to work with various agencies to make available more training venues for national players and amateur players alike as interest in sports grows. Take volleyball, for instance. The Volleyball Association has groomed our indoor women's team to win a Southeast Asia (SEA) Games bronze medal in 2015 after a 32-year break. And last year, our combined school boys' team won a bronze medal during the Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) Schools' Competition for the first time in Singapore's history. And our beach volleyball Men's and Women's youth teams were invited to participate in the World Beach Volleyball Competition in Switzerland last year, again the first time in our history. During the Singapore National Games in 2014, prior to the SEA Games, the most number of teams that participated in a team-based competition was for volleyball. This shows the growing popularity of volleyball in Singapore. Despite these efforts and our plea to Sports Singapore, many amateur volleyball players cannot find courts to train and to play. I hope that Sports Singapore can work with schools to make available more indoor volleyball courts during weekday nights and weekends.”
“] In my English speech earlier, I said that Singapore is restructuring its economy and many companies are facing the issue of survival. Amidst the economic slowdown, the number of workers who were retrenched last year had doubled, compared to 2015. However, there are still many growth sectors, such as healthcare, social services and transport. Every year, these sectors need to hire a few thousand staff. Let me cite public transport as an example. As the demand for public bus services increases, the gross monthly pay of bus captains has improved dramatically from $2,000 per month in 2011 to more than $3,000 per month now. This is even higher than the $2,500 starting monthly pay of polytechnic graduates and $2,700 starting pay of private universities' graduates. The $3,000 gross monthly pay of a new bus captain is comparable to graduates from local public funded universities with a median starting pay of $3,400. While a new bus captain's gross monthly pay is $3,000, the chief bus captain's gross monthly pay can be as high as $6,000. This is a perfect example of "every trade has its master". Hence, I urge those who are retrenched to seriously consider taking up jobs in the services sectors. (In English): Next, I would like to move on to the sports scene, Mdm Speaker. Before I proceed, I would like to declare my interest as the President of the Volleyball Association of Singapore. As a president of a National Sports Association (NSA), I welcome the news that $50 million will be set aside to match sports donations dollar-for-dollar. Every year, in the past, many NSAs have to raise hundreds of thousands to promote our respective sports.”
“However, she only managed to find a part-time contract job as a project lead security consultant with Jemena. It was owned by Singapore Power. Her contract, unfortunately, ended in 2014 as Jemena was sold off. Since then, she has been jobless. But this is not due to a lack of effort. She has spent the last three years applying for jobs without success. When she approached WDA and e2i for help, she was told by both organisations that they organise job fairs but do not offer job search or job matching for individuals like her. In the few job interviews that she was granted, she felt that she was discriminated against due to her age and race. In an effort to keep up with change, Ross diligently used her SkillsFuture credits to attend classes and upgrade her IT skills. She is now 54 and is still holding on to the hope to find a full-time job. I have come across many similar, heart-wrenching stories on the ground. We need to do more to help these people. Mdm Speaker, I would like to recommend that the Government consider setting up a cross-Ministry working committee comprising representatives from agencies like MOM, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Head of Civil Service, which represents various Government agencies and their departments, as they are collectively the largest employer in Singapore. This committee should catch those falling through the cracks. With a holistic overview of job demand and supply, we would be able to better address the anguish, disappointment and needs of the displaced workers, so as to give them hope, help and a new lease of working life. Madam, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to declare my interest as I am also a staff of ComfortDelgro, a holding company with subsidiaries in Singapore that employ more than 12,000 staff in Singapore, as I talk about how to help retrenched workers better. Last year, 4,738 workers were retrenched, 100% more compared to the year 2015. Many of the retrenched Singaporeans are PMETs. As the economy slows down and as we restructure our economy, more Singaporeans will be out of a job and be retrenched in the coming years before we can finally see light at the end of the tunnel. This is a concern. It is alarming and it is worrying. I understand that MOM, the Workforce Developoment Agency (WDA) and e2i are of the view that they have tried their best to retrain and redeploy displaced workers. But the perception on the ground, however, paints a different picture. When companies move out of Singapore, it can be very challenging to retrain displaced workers. When factories close down and production line managers lose their jobs, it can be very difficult for them to switch from supervising processes to supervising people. Some workers are still falling through the cracks and, despite their best efforts, they cannot find jobs. This happened to one of my volunteers, Ross. She had a high-flying career as a Systems Applications and Products (SAP) specialist, working with Apple in Singapore and the US for about 10 years and she also worked for IBM as a managing consultant. Her work was valued by big clients like British Petroleum, American International Group and even in the US State Department. She returned home to Singapore in 2011 at the age of 48. She believed that there were many jobs in Singapore available for her.”
“Mdm Speaker, I am glad that the Senior Minister of State has said that HDB uses modelling to build flats so as to reduce noise pollution and also to increase ventilation. However, we see a lot of new flats are built facing the main road or the Pan Island Expressway (PIE). I used to stay in a flat that faces the main road as well as the Mass Rapid Transit track. It is very noisy! Can HDB consider that as a factor as well as having more flats that are North-South-facing to improve ventilation?”
“(In English): In summary, I support the Bill and I applaud the early announcement on the changes to the election rules of the Presidential Election. However, I hope that the Minister can clarify the purpose of asking the Presidential candidate to declare their understanding of the President's role as stated in the Constitution and the implications of the declaration. At the same time, I hope that the Minister could ensure that Presidential candidates are not denied the opportunity to meet the masses face to face during the campaign period. Lastly, I would like the Minister to assure Singaporeans that the Government would not exploit the potential weakness of the system during the September period before the next Elected President takes office.”
“If that is permissible, I hope that the Police can simplify the application procedures. I understand that it is not possible for the candidates to meet every voter face to face. Nonetheless, I hope that under the new election rules, Presidential candidates could still have the option to access large sites for the purpose of having live interaction with the masses. We know that the coming Presidential election will be reserved for the Malay community for the first time. If we follow the previous election schedule, polling day may conflict with the Hajj period. This will not be very wise. For this reason, I support the proposal to postpone the polling day of the Presidential election. I also have some questions regarding the functions and responsibilities of the Acting President. When Dr Tony Tan steps down as the President on 31 August 2017, the Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers will assume the role of the Acting President, until the new President is elected in mid or end September. Does the Acting President have the same powers as the Elected President? If so, some critics might have conspiracy theories that the Government will, in this interim period, ask the Acting President to approve the use of the Reserves or make key appointments such as the Police Commissioner or Chief Justice. To be sensible, there is no need to rush to access Past Reserves or to appoint key Government officials so hastily. So, I hope that the Minister can assure us that the Government will not ask the Acting President to exercise his custodial powers during the September transition period. This is to preempt such rumours from surfacing in the first place.”
“Hence, the Presidential elections should be different from local elections. The Presidential candidates need to reach as many Singaporeans as possible within a short period of time, and the best channel is through TV broadcast. Just as I was pondering asking the Minister when the new election regulations would be announced, Minister Chan revealed them at the Second Reading. It came unexpectedly. However, I am glad that he has made the announcement early to make it more transparent and fair. It also allows potential candidates to have ample time to prepare. I noted that the Minister did not specify the frequency of the TV broadcast. Since TV broadcast will be the main channel by which the candidates can reach the voters, the TV broadcast frequency should at least be doubled, compared to the last Presidential Election. At the same time, there should be at least two live telecast debates among the candidates so as to give Singaporeans enough opportunities to assess the candidates' capabilities and persuasiveness. I hope the Minister can consider this suggestion. In today's digital age, the candidates can always go online and use various social media platforms to reach the voters. Although TV broadcast and online communications allow the candidates to engage the voters extensively, many Singaporeans would still prefer to see the candidates in person. Certainly, the candidates could go to shopping malls or hawker centres during peak hours to meet and talk to Singaporeans. However, there remain space and environmental constraints. I would like to ask the Minister, under the new regulations, whether the candidates can apply to hold rallies at large sites, such as the Singapore Indoor Stadium, to have face-to-face dialogues with the people.”
“For Singapore, it is best not to start having election surveys. This is a uniquely Singapore phenomenon, and so is the reserved election. Next, I would like to move on to the proposed amendments in section 9 of the Bill under clause 6 which proposes that every hopeful Presidential candidate has to declare in his nomination papers that "he understands the President's role under the Constitution, including any particular aspect of the President's role stated in the prescribed form." I would like to clarify with the Minister: which aspects of the President's role would be stated in the prescribed form, which the candidate is expected to understand? When would the prescribed form be released to the public? Why is there a need for an additional requirement? What would be the consequences if a Presidential candidate, during his or her campaign, says things or makes election promises that contravene certain aspects of the President's role under the Constitution? Would the candidate be disqualified during the campaign or after the campaign when the candidate has already won the election? Or would the candidate be able to get away with a fine only after polling day? For that matter, I had wanted to ask what would be the changes to the election rules that govern the Presidential Election prior to the Minister's speech during the Second Reading. I am glad that the Minister has made two announcements regarding the Presidential Election, especially the election rules. It is a worthy move that makes it more transparent, upfront and give all stakeholders ample time to clarify, adapt and comply. Mdm Speaker, please allow me to continue my speech in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mdm Speaker, the President holds the highest office in Singapore.”
“Mdm Speaker, I rise in support of the Bill. When I was in London late last year, I had the opportunity to have dinner with some MPs of the United Kingdom (UK) from both the Labour and Conservative parties. Some of them were ex-Ministers. Some have been MPs for decades. We discussed several issues, including why the majority of UK's European Union (EU) Referendum's opinion polls were wrong. Many reasons were cited, including the following: (a) opinion polls predicted that the majority of UK residents would vote against Brexit to stay in the EU. But these results were skewed as a significant group of the Brexit camp did not voice their true opinions in the surveys. They did not want to be perceived as being anti-EU when the mainstream media and experts were saying otherwise; (b) this lulled the "Remain" camp into a state of complacency and many chose not to vote, thinking it would be a safe result. In short, opinion polls are very prone to errors. More importantly, the opinion poll results clearly affect the behaviour of the voters before polling day. History repeated itself when the majority of the opinion polls in the United States had predicted a win for Mrs Hillary Clinton but Mr Trump won surprisingly and convincingly. These are the reasons why I support the insertion of sections 60B and 60C under clause 18 to ban election surveys and exit polls for the period between the issuance of Writ of Election and the close of all the polling stations on the polling day of the election. Election surveys are exciting, newsworthy and lucrative to the companies that conduct the survey but may not be helpful. In fact, it may be harmful. However, the British MPs disagreed with me. The British and Americans are so used to election surveys that it would be hard to ban them.”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the Minister for the very comprehensive reply. The Minister mentioned about improvements to pathways in 90 locations. Recently, there were floods in Paya Lebar and Tanjong Pagar, besides Upper Thomson. So, are Paya Lebar and Tanjong Pagar part of the 90 locations? That is the first clarification. The second clarification is: the Minister mentioned that for the flood at Upper Thomson, PUB had concluded that the errant contractor diverted the drainage and caused the flood. So, has PUB taken action to prosecute the contractor?”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the Minister for the comprehensive reply. Could the Minister give an update on the progress of RCEP and the proposal for the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific? I understand that the last round of negotiation of RCEP was held in Tianjin back in October 2016. What would be the next step?”
“Since additional charges have been imposed, has the number of Singapore vehicles entering Malaysia reduced significantly over the same period of time over the last year or compared to the previous month?”
“I thank the Minister for the comprehensive reply. I noted that half of the regular users of the Park and Ride scheme do not take public transport after parking their cars. But there still remains about a thousand users who will still park their cars and take public transport. Is it easier to maybe enforce the action against abusers rather than you let another thousand people lose their benefits? On top of that, we also noted that, as the Minister said, Kallang carpark and the Sports Hub have many parking lots and are very much under-utilised. Could we not have a more aggressive scheme to encourage people to park their cars there and take public transport to the CBD area, or is the Public-Private Partnership arrangement with the Sports Hub hindering such an arrangement to encourage more people to park their cars at the Kallang carpark?”
“I have a supplementary question. Could the Minister update what is the latest assistance that Singapore has offered to fight fires in the forests of Indonesia and whether our offers are taken up by Indonesia?”
“Thank you, Madam. I would like to clarify with the Minister about the open system specification. Two clarifications. Would the Minister consider asking the HDB to specify in the procurement specifications to ask the lift suppliers to supply a list of OEMs that can supply the major parts? Second clarification: has the Competition Commission started to intervene and compel the lift companies to provide alternative sources of their lift parts?”
“It is a supplementary question, Mdm Speaker for the Senior Minister of State. Instead of one year of barring, that is, if you are successful in one year and you cannot benefit next year, why not extend it to three or five years, for that matter? Is this a system's constraint or our own constraint?”
“Mdm Chair, I have three clarifications – one for Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo and two for Senior Minister of State Ng Chee Meng. I will keep them short. Senior Minister of State Josephine Teo said that MOT is already working with building owners to encourage them to build linkways to link up with Government-built linkways. But it is up to building owners to decide whether to build the linkways. I suppose the Civil Service Club at Bukit Batok is a Government-owned building. Will MOT encourage the Government to take a lead so that the rest of the building owners from the private sector will also follow? For the second clarification, I agree with Senior Minister of State Ng Chee Meng that Cat E COEs, at times, are used for Cat C and Cat A vehicles. But the fact remains that the majority of the Cat E COEs, a big majority, are used for Cat B vehicles. It also appears from the speech that MOT is not quite ready to do a reset of the COE distribution across the different categories. So, would Senior Minister of State Ng Chee Meng agree that it is not healthy for Cat B COE to continue to grow in this proportion, beyond 30%, or is it something that the Senior Minister of State would like to see increase beyond 50%? Lastly, many industry players reckon that COE bidders, particularly the industry players, will likely be more careful in bidding for COEs if we adopt a pay-as-you-bid system. It is not a new topic but I hope the Senior Minister of State would consider doing a trial in one of the categories; perhaps Cat A.”
“In a car-lite Singapore, cars will become even more a scarcity than it is today. Therefore, the socioeconomic inequality and wealth gap between Singaporeans will become reflected in car ownership. The Government created Category A or Cat A for social equity reasons and had to recategorise it recently to keep the Category for mass-market car buyers after luxury car buyers swamped the category and drove up prices. This will become a cat-and-mouse game between the recategorisation of Cat A and the re-engineering of luxury makes to fit Cat A, especially in car-lite Singapore. Therefore, for a fairer COE system, would the Government consider adding a surcharge to the COE for cars owned by a single-generation household beyond the first car and a multigeneration household beyond the second car? Like the Additional Buyer Stamp Duty for the property market, a carefully calibrated COE surcharge would help to reduce overconsumption on the part of the wealthy and help achieve some equity in the car market, especially in favour of young middle-income families. I understand a version of such a proposal was considered and rejected in 2013 by LTA after public consultation due to the belief that it would be difficult to implement. If this is to be the reason again, would the Ministry explain the difficulties in implementation? COE for Motorcycles”
“Mdm Chair, we can expect a bumper crop of COEs this year and next. The motor vehicle industry players have been appealing to the Government to smoothen the supply of COEs and to avoid cyclical retrenchment and mass recruitment of staff. At the same time, wild-swinging COE prices have encouraged premature de-registrations of relatively new vehicles in the past, which is a wastage and not pro-environment. Hence, we would like to know if MOT has plans to further regulate the supply of COEs in the coming year. Page: 27 The growing proportion of Category B or Cat B COE, vis-à-vis that of other categories, is also a concern. In January 2000, Cat B COE only constituted 10% of the total COE quota for that month. In January 2016, Cat B COE constituted 28% of the total COE quota. So, 10% in year 2000, 28% this year. This is because Open Category or Cat E COE received at least 10% of the de-registrations in each category and Cat E COEs are mainly used to register the CAT B vehicles. Such a phenomenon has unfairly disadvantaged Singaporeans who just want to buy a basic car out of necessity. Thus, I would like to urge MOT to consider a reset of the COE distribution to make the system more equitable. Equitable COE Systems Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong (Non-Constituency Member): Mdm Chair, as we move towards a car-lite Singapore and improve our public transportation system to make it as cost-effective, reliable and comfortable as it was before, more individuals would choose to travel by bus and train rather than drive. However, it would take a generation to wean cars from our culture. For some, owning a car would remain an aspiration or a status symbol. For many others, owning a car is felt as a necessity, especially young families.”
“Mdm Chair, many Singaporeans that I spoke to supported most of the recommendations of AMAP. However, the devil lies in the details. In particular, who will be enforcing the rules and code of conduct governing the use of PMDs and bicycles on footpaths and cycling paths? Will MOT engage traffic wardens or even residents to enforce the rules and the codes of conduct? What will be the penalty if cyclists or persons using PMDs do not follow the rules? Next, I would like to turn my attention to e-bikes. I wholeheartedly support the registration of e-bikes. It is important that retailers only sell LTA's approved e-bikes and facilitate the registration of e-bikes as they are sold. I trust that LTA will set up a system to make registration of e-bikes a seamless process. LTA may also want to consider mandating the e-bike user to pass an abridged Highway Code for the safety of e-bike users, pedestrians and other road users. What about existing e-bikes? How would LTA mandate existing e-bike users to register? Would they be given a timeframe to register? What are the enforcement measures to deter e-bike users from using the pedestrian pathways or bicycle paths? While the recommendations of AMAP are good, there remain many unanswered questions. I hope that the Senior Minister of State for Transport Mrs Josephine Teo will share with us the details of its implementation. Tightening Rules for Electric Bicycles”
“For some reason, the Civil Service Club is not covering this path with a shelter. In the event of a heavy downpour, a pedestrian can stay nice and dry for 150 metres and will get drenched before he reaches the Club. We have marginally missed the last-mile connection and wasted the benefits of the 150-metre shelter. Once again, I hope LTA will work with the respective building owners to enhance the last-mile connectivity. Page: 15 Local Connectivity”
“HDB does not want to do it because the pedestrian paths are under the jurisdiction of LTA. LTA is also unwilling to because it is only mandated to build sheltered walkways that connect amenities and schools to bus stops and MRT stations and not HDB blocks. I would like to cite Jurong Primary School as an example where LTA has kindly built a sheltered walkway from the school to the nearest bus stop. However, from the school to the nearest HDB block at Block 310, Jurong East Street 32, is unsheltered, despite repeated requests from my residents. So, if it rains, children from the schools taking public buses will be dry while children walking home via Block 310 will get wet. I am sure many constituencies also face similar problems. I hope that LTA can take a holistic view when building sheltered walkways, to think about the needs of the residents in totality and not in terms of which zones they are overseeing. Thirdly, I hope that LTA can encourage building owners to build their own covered walkways to link with those built by LTA. Again, these are also neglected zones which do not fall under anybody's jurisdiction. One example which constitutes a poor last-mile connection is the Civil Service Club at Bukit Batok. I want to state upfront this Civil Service Club at Bukit Batok is not under the jurisdiction of Bukit Batok. It is under the jurisdiction of Bukit Gombak. I am not raising this issue because of the impending Bukit Gombak by-election, I must declare that. LTA has kindly built a sheltered walkway 150 metres away from the nearest bus stop to the side gate of this Club. But from the side gate, there is a short gap of about 10 to 20 metres, not covered, before it reaches the sheltered staircase leading to the main building.”
“Mdm Chair, I am heartened by the Minister's determination to make the First-and-Last Mile Connectivity in our transport system the best in the world, especially with the sheltered walkways. Singaporeans welcome the additional sheltered walkways. However, my residents and myself have identified some gaps between the shelters which make the walk less Page: 14 pleasant. I hope the Minister can help to plug the gaps. Firstly, different hospitals enjoy different levels of protection from sheltered walkways. While I am glad that the Minister, in response to my Parliamentary Question last month, agreed to build a covered walkway from Little India MRT station to KK Women's and Children's Hospital, what about Changi General Hospital? Simei MRT station is only about 500 metres away from the Changi General Hospital but there is no covered walkway linking the two. This is also the case at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, which is about 800 metres away from Yishun MRT station on a straight line basis. Are there plans to connect these hospitals to MRT stations with sheltered walkways? I hope MOT has a comprehensive plan to build covered walkways for existing public hospitals. I know that new hospitals are all linked to the nearest MRT station by covered walkways. Elderly patients or those who are ill and need to make frequent visits to the hospitals without cars, as well as hospital staff, will greatly appreciate being able to travel to hospitals in comfort instead of having to brave the rain or broiling sun. Secondly, because of how the Public Service demarcates areas of responsibilities, no one takes care of building shelters on walking pathways between HDB blocks and amenities, such as schools. These are the neglected zones.”
“Since the Government is committed to helping revitalise neighbourhood shops, I hope the Minister can help merchants associations by doubling the grant to S$20,000 per shop. In response to my plea last year in Parliament, MND agreed to set up a new Revitalise Heartland Shops Committee, chaired by then Senior Minister of State Mr Lee Yi Shyan, to review and refine the ROS scheme. I was invited to join the committee and had several meetings with shop owners, grassroots organisations and HDB. We have received a lot of valuable feedback but there was no conclusive decision. So, I hope the Minister can give our shop owners a reply in Parliament today. Private Estate Upgrading”
“The Revitalisation of Shop (ROS) scheme needs to be revitalised as it has suffered from a low take-up rate. Chairman, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] We have high hopes for the Enhanced ROS scheme announced by the Finance Minister. During the Budget debate last year, I highlighted two shortcomings of the current ROS scheme to the Ministry of National Development (MND). These are the main reasons why only a few neighbourhood shop precincts have been successfully upgraded. Firstly, the current ROS scheme requires 100% support from the neighbourhood shops for the upgrading to proceed, not a single less. Although we have merchant associations to bring the heartland shops together, not all act in unison. Very often, there will be one or two shops that are less cooperative, especially for shop owners who lease the shops to other tenants. They are basically investors who are more concerned about rental income than neighbourhood upgrading. As a result, the upgrading programme cannot proceed because of them. Thus, I hope the Minister can take into consideration the interest of the majority of the shop owners and patrons and adopt the model for Home Improvement Programme (HIP) on the use of polling. Perhaps we can consider amending the law, so that merchant associations only need to obtain support from 75% of shop owners for the upgrading to proceed. Secondly, wages and construction costs have gone up in recent years, and the cost of upgrading has increased in tandem. However, Government grants for upgrading have remained the same. As a result, the ROS scheme has become increasingly unattractive.”
“Mdm Chair, on a rare occasion when I accompanied my wife to shop at the Orchard Road shopping malls last month, it was raining cats and dogs. Many shoppers, local and international, had to brave the rain to walk from Paragon to 313 Orchard to catch the MRT train. This is not quite acceptable if we want to make Orchard Road a world-class premier shopping belt. Neither does it gel well with the Ministry of Transport's (MOT) big push for the walk-and-ride scheme. In response to my Parliamentary Question last month, the Minister for National Development replied that URA only requires building owners to build linkways on new developments or when existing developments undergo major upgrading. As there were only a few developments or redevelopments along Orchard Road in the past 10 years, the progress of building underground linkways has been quite slow. I hope that MND can re-look the existing policy and take the lead in building overhead and underground pedestrian linkways along Orchard Road, so that shoppers can shop in comfort and be shielded from the elements along the stretch of Orchard Road from Ion Orchard right up to Plaza Singapura. Better Use of Car Parks”
“He spoke to his Sherpa guide and told the Sherpa, "You guys live in such a mountainous country. You must be a mountain people." The Sherpa replied, "You are wrong, we are not mountain people; we are valley people, we live in the valleys. In fact, if you go up to the mountains too high, you can die from altitude sickness." We all have different destinations. Some of us go to the village, some to the city, seaside, riverbank, oasis, all kinds of destinations. It is a function of our gifts, dreams, resourcefulness and even luck. We all find different paths to get there. Our children are growing up in a new world, striking paths into a Singapore that is more inclusive, all-embracing, a place where we can celebrate diverse talents and gifts. Education must be at the heart of this journey, guiding them in purpose, equipping them with skills and helping Page: 59 them seize the opportunities of their age.”