Azmoon Ahmad
Singapore
“(d) Even if the information can be provided to the IPR holder after the seizure of infringed goods and security deposit has been placed and supporting documents are submitted, how do we ensure that such information is well-protected and does not fall into the wrong recipient?”
“I have one supplementary question. Can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary share with us how many students were under FAS in 2017? Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: I do not have the figures right now. If the Member would like to, he can file another Parliamentary Question.”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for the elaboration. I have one question. I notice that upon approaching the zebra crossing at every crossroad, it is quite common, at least for me, to see that the PMD riders do not stop but just rush through.”
“While these scenarios are likely and can possibly cause conflict between generations, I believe our Government, and especially the 4G leaders, shall have the wisdom to ensure the needs of all Singaporeans are satisfactorily met and not at the expense of others.”
“Therefore, it is imperative that we should strive to achieve a healthy competition scenario, striking a balance between an open and free market economy against a regimented one. Like many situations, an acceptable and optimum condition can only be achieved if the surrounding parameters are monitored and managed.”
“I thank the Minister for the answer. May I know what is the appropriate target that MENDAKI has set in order to have this so-called repayment rate to be acceptable? Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, the overall circumstance has to do with the amount of reserves that we need to keep in MENDAKI. MENDAKI is a Self-Help Group.”
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“So, my question here, Ministers, is: will the Ministry be willing to consider and provide incentives to professionals, companies and voluntary organisations which are willing to come forward to guide and mentor these budding entrepreneurs and technopreneurs? Working Capital Loan”
“Mdm Chair, good afternoon. Thank you very much for giving me the time to speak. I am speaking about startups. Startups are like babies, so, I call them the babies of the industry. I read an article which sums up the outcome of the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Tel Aviv held recently, which discussed the experiences and lessons learnt on startup companies, amongst many things. It was noted that many startup companies fail, not because they had bad or good ideas, but mainly due to the process of execution. The mistakes the companies made were that they are too focused on the big picture, the big idea and even the product itself and the broad concept. What they missed is spending time on turning the business plan into a thriving business. As the saying goes, "The devil always lies in the details". In Singapore, we can see a growing number of startups recently, especially in the high-tech domain. I believe it is a positive trend and I also believe they need a lot of support. Apart from having a good idea and the will to venture and start his or her own company, these budding entrepreneurs should also be guided in execution of their business plan. In this light, start-ups can also learn from industry professionals who have the experience and knowledge in turning business plans into desired results. Vice versa, we should also encourage industry professionals, companies and other voluntary organisations to come forward, participate and contribute to this new and growing trend. The knowledge transfer from one to the other will not only benefit the startup, but also the nation at large. With this, we can start an ecosystem where a buddy-and-mentor relationship can be forged within the startup.”
“The outcome of their work, without a doubt, justifies the standing they are accorded with. Again, with this backdrop, I would like to propose the following: form a special business council within the Malay community to oversee and steer the progress of transforming possible Malay SMEs to reach a target annual revenue, to be determined and agreed upon, in support of the nation's strategic goal; providing the needed professional support so as to help the identified SMEs to meet its defined objectives; seek the assistance from the relevant Ministries if targeted SMEs could be given the support to have access and to be coached by top-level business consultants with the objective to grow our SMEs into MNCs; and, of course, lastly, financial support, which has already been outlined. Mdm Speaker, with all being said and elaborated, I support Budget 2016. 2.37 pm”
“The slew of support schemes and incentives offered by the Budget 2016 are again laudable. However, I would like to highlight that there are gaps with varying degrees of capabilities and competencies among our SMEs. Without doubt, generally, Malay SMEs are very far behind other ethnic SMEs in almost all areas. It is against this backdrop that I would like to raise my concerns. I wish I have all the statistics to share and understand where the Malay SMEs are. Even if we have it, it would still be a cause of concern. Malay SMEs need much more help if they are to move and meet the call in support of the nation's long-term strategic goals. Herewith, I would like to request to the relevant Ministries to render special attention to the plight of the Malay SMEs. Amongst the few examples of two aspiring Malay SMEs that I know of which deserve and need all the support they can get are, first, Vector ScoreCard Pte Ltd run by Mr Nazri Muhamad; and, second, Enercon Asia Pte Ltd run by Mr Azhar Othman. They are young and aspiring entrepreneurs whose aim is to expand and become a global enterprise one day. I believe there are more SMEs like them that have similar aspirations. What they need is proper guidance. It is my hope to see SMEs like the above rise and become successful enterprises in the future with sales value of at least $220 million annually. They need to be guided and tap the professional expertise from experienced mentors who have the credentials of transforming SMEs into MNCs. Mdm Speaker, through my experience working in various MNCs, I began to value the support and services rendered by top level and professional business consultants, like McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, and so on.”
“What ran through my mind was – how can all these small parts, when put together, be able to make the motor scooter run, whereby each part itself is almost useless, just a mere piece of metal. And that was the time where I started to develop a sense of inquisitiveness. It is this inquisitive attribute which I gained and later on in life propelled me to become an R&D engineer upon my graduation after completing university education. And I never regretted it. R&D and innovation is still my passion to this day. Mdm Speaker, the message which I want to deliver here is about creating innovators from a very young age. We have to start as early as possible if we want our young to have that inquisitive attribute and to make it second nature. I believe it is an important prerequisite if one is to be an innovator. Herewith, I would like to request for the following if we are to create a continuous supply of innovators who can fit the strategic pieces: first, include innovation subject as part of the curriculum in primary schools up to tertiary institutions; second, nationwide and national level or cluster level innovation competition in schools, by the chambers of commerce, community organisations, and so on; third, mass media involvement to elevate these initiatives so as to create awareness and high-level interest in innovation; fourth, top level and Ministerial stewardship towards this innovation initiative; and, lastly, funds must be allocated for the above initiatives. I hope the relevant Ministries will pick up the suggestions and steer the way. Mdm Speaker, I shall touch on the topic of Malay small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Our SMEs play an important role in our economy. The Industry Transformation Programme is apt and timely to bring us into the future.”
“And it is this purpose of continuous value creation that elevates enterprises from one level to the next, thus transforming themselves. Having worked for large MNCs in my many years of employment, I frequently met and dealt with local enterprises. Unfortunately, I must admit that my impression on most local enterprises that I met was not encouraging if I were to assess them on their involvement in R&D. Somehow, investing in R&D and innovation activities is not an important and top-of-the-list item on their agenda. As such, it is apparent and noticeable that they are unable to provide that special value which is needed to differentiate them from their global competitors. If we want innovators to create and create value, we have to start by creating innovators and nurture them. And to achieve this, we have to start from young. Here, I mean we have to start as early as primary schools. I am of the opinion that it would have been too late if we start later than this. Here, I would like to share with you my personal experience on how I ended up being involved in the R&D domain. When I was a young boy, I used to sit next to my father on weekends while he would start dismantling parts of his Vespa motor scooter. He would then hand me pieces and items of the motor scooter engine – screws, bolts, piston ring, piston, engine blade, brake clutches, spark plug, you name it, and he would then ask me to start cleaning them on a pan filled with kerosene. A bit dangerous though, but I did it. Though the odour from the kerosene can be challenging, I enjoyed it and felt intrigued. While doing all these, I became fascinated.”
“Other past MPs have also expressed similar proposals to provide such a social safety net. The time may have come for us to re-examine this idea with the aim of ensuring that the welfare and well-being of workers and their families are cared for, in case anything unfortunate happens. (In English): I shall touch on innovation and culture of inquisitiveness. I have been involved in innovation and R&D since I started my career in 1986. Through the 30 years, it is evidenced for me that successful companies invest significantly in R&D and innovation activities. The value creation and the unique value proposition that these companies offered through innovation kept them ahead of their competitors. It was also a primary factor which enabled these successful companies to be able to tread through difficult times. Innovation was clearly one of the key drivers towards success and sustainability. I heartily laud Budget 2016's key thrust in placing innovation as one of the strategic pieces. I am convinced that this is the right element for enterprises to embark on if they are to forge into the future successfully. It can also mean life and death. However, going forward, I support wholeheartedly towards this initiative which will enable us to transform our economy and bring us into the future that we desire. However, innovation is neither a product nor it is a material item. It is an intangible capability and competence which need to be nurtured with time. For innovation to be successfully and sustainably applied, it has to be deep-rooted in the way we do things and the way we run our business. Innovation calls for the intelligent application of knowledge which ultimately creates value.”
“I concur that the Government has already identified and discussed this issue at length, and has already provided various assistance schemes for the middle-class in the 2015 Budget. Unfortunately, I find that this year's Budget Statement did not touch deeply on, and did not state, whether there will be further enhancements or expansions to the schemes announced last year, let alone introduce new schemes. As Singapore progresses amidst an uncertain global and economic environment, our economy will have to adapt. Both local companies and MNCs will continue to re-invent and restructure their businesses and operations, while they also try to cope with a rapidly changing economic landscape. As the new economy replaces the old economy, several jobs will very possibly become redundant and obsolete. I believe that our progress equation will have to include these unwanted elements. We have to accept that this is the systemic constraint that confronts us and we have to manage it well. I would also like to express my appreciation to the Government for working hard to overcome this issue by introducing proactive and constructive measures, through the skills upgrading and retraining schemes made available to our workers. With the middle-income group making up a large proportion of our labour force, it is important that we provide this protective and safety net to ensure that we stay strong during the times when the economy is bad. Moreover, just last month, the Singapore Economic Society discussed ideas about measures that can be implemented to help minimise the impact on our workers if they are retrenched. In fact, former NMP, Dr Kanwaljit Soin, proposed the idea of an unemployment insurance using the CPF Medisave account. This is an idea that we can explore and discuss further.”
“As new economies replace old ones, the possibilities of jobs redundancy and obsolescence are inevitable. I sincerely believe our progress equation will have to include these unwanted elements. It is a systemic constraint that we are confronted with, which we have to manage. I also appreciate the Government's effort in trying to circumvent this by introducing proactive and constructive measures on our workers through re-training and skills upgrading. With the middle-income group constituting a major proportion of our workforce, it is imperative that we place safeguards to ensure robustness in the times of adverse economic conditions. As recent as last month, the Singapore Economic Society discussed the idea of cushioning workers in the event of involuntary unemployment. Former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP), Dr Kanwaljit Soin, suggested unemployment insurance through the usage of Central Provident Fund's (CPF) Medisave, which seems to be an idea that is worth exploring. Other Members of Parliament had also expressed similar proposals on workers' safety net in the past. Perhaps it is timely that we should revisit this with the purpose to ensure the worker's and his or her family's well-being, should the unwanted event occur. Mdm Speaker, I shall proceed with the next part in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Good afternoon. First, let me express my appreciation to Minister Heng Swee Keat for the delivery of Budget 2016. Although it is very interesting and comprehensive, I would like, however, to register some concerns. Throughout my involvement in dealing with community issues over the last 13 years, I have been very concerned with the welfare and well-being of middle-class Singaporeans or the group often termed as the sandwich class.”
“Mdm Speaker, I shall deliver my speech in English and Malay. I will cover three areas. First, the plight of the middle-income group; second, innovation and the culture of inquisitiveness; and lastly, Malay SMEs. First, let me express my appreciation to Minister Heng Swee Keat for the delivery of Budget 2016. I am highly impressed by the clarity and simplicity with which the nation's strategic goals were presented. However, I must say, I have some concerns which I would like to highlight. First, the plight of the middle-income group. Through my involvement in community issues over the last 13 years, I have become impassioned over the welfare and well-being of the sandwiched class, or as they say, the middle-income group. There were rigorous discussions on the middle-income group during the run-up to last year's Budget Statement delivered by then-Finance Minister, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The Government was astute in recognising the problem and announced a slew of measures to help them. It is interesting to note, however, that the Budget Statement this year made no mention of further enhancing or expanding the schemes targeted for the middle-income announced last year, let alone introduce new ones. I get the impression and sincerely hope that this is because existing initiatives are making substantial headways in alleviating the plight of the middle income. As Singapore progresses amidst the global and at times uncertain economic backdrop, our economy will have to adapt and adjust. Both local and multinational corporations (MNCs) would be continuously re-inventing and restructuring themselves while trying to cope with the changing economic landscape.”