Baey Yam Keng
Singapore
“Our next generation will have far greater opportunities to make their mark here. The Government will also guide them into the transport sector through scholarships, training and career development pathways, so that they can put their talents to good use and contribute to society.”
“I would say that the greening of bus stop roofs may not be something that is practical across all bus stops. I do not have the exact figures, but I am sure we must have tens of thousands of bus stops in Singapore. So, there is a cost element.”
“Based on earlier trials conducted by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), fans have a limited impact on the ambient temperature in an exposed bus stop environment. Commuter feedback from the trials was also unfavourable. Most bus stops are also shaded by surrounding buildings and trees, reducing the effectiveness of solar installations.”
“Certainly. Members would remember that over the years and decades, our bus stop designs have evolved. We have to take into consideration various factors, not just the comfort of commuters who are waiting there but also the practicality of sighting of buses coming ahead as well as maintenance, safety and different factors like that.”
“I thank Ms Gho for her concern for the arts and the artists. Indeed, it is part of our commitment to provide affordable, accessible spaces for artists and arts groups. We have announced last year that we are doing a study on how the arts spaces provision can be better improved and the study is ongoing.”
“Speaker, the median and maximum waiting time for pedestrians at signalised junctions are 120 seconds and 140 seconds respectively. Wait times for pedestrians depend on the nature of road, junction size and configuration, as well as prevailing traffic volume.”
The complete record
Every one of 912 lines we hold for Baey Yam Keng, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 19 of 19.
“15 pm I believe in the science that each of us has the left sensible and the right central brain, and usually one side is more developed than the other. Hence, a creative person is typically not too at home with numbers, dollars and cents and, in general, organisation and administration work, at least, from what I know of my wife! Hence, it may not be realistic to find many people with a creative talent who can also run a business well. But let us look at the technology sector for comparison. When we mention a company like Motorola, it is the CEO Edward Zander that comes to mind. Not many people will be able to name the CTO, Padmasree Warrior, who, while in the top management team, is usually listed after the CEO, the CFO and the CIO. Zander would also learn a lot more than the CTO, I assume. But, however, in the arts scene, the administrator, or typically called the GM, who takes care of the company's accounts, records, writes the proposal, usually plays a supporting role and gets paid a lot less as well and, also, less profiled. I am not saying that we should pay more attention to the GM at the expense of the Artistic Director (AD). However, people with the CEO calibre usually can apply their strengths in other industries and with much better financial rewards as well. Sir, I believe in order for arts companies to grow further, we have to pay special attention to develop, train and retain the GM or CEO. This could be in the form of scholarships, training grants or operating budget for our major grant recipients. I believe we could explore having the arts company model of a CEO and a Chief Artistic Officer (CAO).”
“The Government could look at appropriate platforms to help showcase the talents of the people whom we have invested the scholarship in. In the creative sector, not many disciplines can be substantiated solely with a piece of paper. In most cases, having worked on a great project is far more valuable than having graduated from a top university. The network is also very important. Landing a project in the creative sphere is usually dependent on who you know or who knows you. For example, in my theatre practice, we seldom audition for the cast. It is usually through our own contacts, referrals or who we have seen acting in other productions. Our scholarship system may need to be tailored so that they can also help talents gain relevant work experience, track records and networks. In our pursuit to develop the creative sector as an industry, we need to also develop talent in business, management and marketing. I find that currently much focus is on the artistic or creative development. For example, in the performing arts, most arts groups, be it in theatre or dance, the key person is typically the artistic director. He or she is usually the choreographer, director, actor or playwright, someone usually heavily involved in the creative process. In today's Life! section, Mrs Tina Leo-Tan, owner of The Link boutique who has helped local fashion designer Sven Tan break into international market, said, "[Local designers] have to multi-task and play other roles integral to the business, like marketing, overseeing manufacturing, operations and pricing for merchandise." In the same article, fashion and lifestyle publicist Lionel Lim added that, however, "They stubbornly believe the product will speak for itself." 12.”
“Sir, talent for the creative sector can be quite different from other sectors. These are people who may not do well in the mainstream education system but just have a unique creative streak in them. For example, local song-writer Dick Lee did not even have a full certificate for his 'O' levels, yet he has written many great songs for local and international singers, and for many years, was the winner of the COMPASS Composer of the Year Award for having received the most in music royalties. On the other hand, creative talent can also be high academic achievers who finally decided to pursue something that they are really passionate about. For example, theatre director Ong Keng Sen, playwright Eleanor Wong and actress Selena Tan are all law graduates. It seems like besides becoming politicians, lawyers are also quite versatile and multi-talented. However, if I may stereotype, creative people do not want to be tied down to a fixed routine or job. Coupled with the fact that the nature of the work opportunities in the creative industries is more on a project basis, many creative practitioners are freelancers. I am hence happy to note that the Creative Industries Scholarships offered under MICA and its statutory boards are mostly without a bond. Therein lies the challenge of how the Ministry is able to be accountable to the public on whether the money is well spent, and how the Ministry is tapping on the returning scholars to further develop the creative industries in Singapore. As with the high performing Government scholars who are given the exposure to be groomed for leadership positions, is there also a concerted effort to help the scholars scale greater heights in their creative or artistic fields? Many creative people are waiting for their big break.”
“Are we being too difficult and hard on ourselves? Different religions have their different concerns. Will we then become the lowest common denominator, in terms of openness and tolerance? We get more than our fair share of negative publicity, eg, censorship, ban of the Far Eastern Economic Review and chewing gum, some of which we have very good and justified reasons to make the decisions we have made. Unfortunately, these are the things that tend to be picked up by international media, and hence contribute much to a foreigner's first impression of Singapore, which tend not to be very favourable or welcoming. If we look at other first-world cities, people associate London with its culture, museums and the Queen, New York City will bring to mind Wall Street and Broadway, while Paris will be a city of romance. People do not usually think of their undesirable side, which does exist and is probably worse than many cities. A ban of a DVD will mean sensitivity to a group of people, which I am not sure of the number, but we have to strike a balance with the repercussions of a dent in our international image. To remain competitive and ahead of the pack, we have announced a great Budget to make Singapore ready for the future and the world. We would have a first-rate education and a strong social security system. Singapore will be a hub for various industries and services, and a great place for business. We will attract foreign talent and many tourists. Many financial commitments will be made, let the intended results not be discounted by the non-financial things we do which affect our image. *Cols. 2231-2232. With this, I support the Budget. 1.48 pm”
“Ironically, this particular recording was made in London, a country which has Christianity as the main religion. The sold-out concert toured more than 20 cities in the US, Europe and Japan, including Rome where the Holy See, which governs the Catholic Church on behalf of the Pope, is located. In the Netherlands, the Protestant party had called for the singer to be prosecuted for her act. However, Dutch prosecutors announced that the singer would not face charges, saying that the scene lent itself, I quote, "...to different interpretations, … It is not a question of contempt for God. Furthermore, Madonna did not discredit Christians as a group." There were church groups in the US and Europe which condemned the performance but the concerts went ahead. The protests were against the performance and the singer, not the government. Madonna is known to be controversial and people may not actually read too much into her act. If Madonna were to decide to include Singapore in her world tour, and if Singapore had not banned the concert, I suppose protest groups could apply for a licence to stage a peaceful protest. Who knows, such an episode might spark off a discussion leading to a greater understanding of the religion and the meaning of crucifixion. We may need to remind ourselves that here we are just talking about a DVD recording of the concert. I believe Singapore is one of the very few countries which banned the DVD. In Asia, it is sold in Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. Indeed, we must be mindful that we are not a homogeneous but a multi-religious society and need to be sensitive about the feelings of different religious groups. But do we always have to assume that our society is not mature enough to handle such issues?”
“The Patron of the Arts Awards have been useful to recognise contributors to the arts, but being bottom-line conscious, corporations need more than just a trophy and the altruism to be good corporate citizens. Currently, the Government offers double tax deduction for the donation, adoption and display of public art. I would like the Government to consider also allowing the same level of benefit for cash donations and sponsorship towards the creation and production of artistic works. When we support the arts, it is not just helping a small group of enthusiasts to do what they have as a passion or hobby. Arts can also play a critical part in our social and physical environment. As we talk about providing for 6.5 million people in Singapore, we have to consider the limits of space which Singapore will always face. As the basic foundation of many creative disciplines, arts and culture can make a huge difference in improving the environment and the mood of the users, by making the space more liveable and conducive. For example, using the crowded underpass at Orchard MRT could be a great hassle and a schizophrenic stressful experience. However, when you hear the music in the air and see interesting posters on the walls, the space suddenly becomes bigger and more beautiful, and our journey becomes more enjoyable. A bigger, more beautiful and enjoyable space will also help the arts to flourish. Arts often challenge the status quo and push the boundaries. We have to balance the pros and cons of our current mindset and guidelines, and be more open to take a risk. Take, for example, censorship. The DVD of Madonna’s Confessions World Tour was recently banned in Singapore because of a mock crucifixion segment which might be sensitive to Christians.”
“" As a matter of fact, Johnny Lau received a grant from the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts to establish a creative industry incubation company known as The Rojak City Pte Ltd to help Singapore individuals and groups to corporatise and commercialise their arts so that they can go to the regional or international arena, giving them the resources to push their arts to higher peaks. In a short span of just one year, we are beginning to see results, and there is more to come. The Government should attract and support more talents who are experienced in the business of creative arts to give a boost to the creative industries. Every year, NAC gives grants to many arts associations, but the demand outweighs the supply. With limited resources, art groups tend to focus on artistic developments and cannot afford to invest in the business aspects. I hope that the Government will give more grants to help our artists and arts associations to develop and attain greater achievement in both creative and business fields. Sir, let me now continue my speech in English. (In English): As an arts practitioner, I do not think that support of the arts should be just the duty of the Government. Like the many-helping-hands philosophy for our social security system, the arts also need many hands for the applause to be loud and clear. Besides the Government and paying consumers, the corporate world can also play an important role, especially with recent record profits made by many local companies. On its part, the Government can make it more encouraging and attractive for corporations to support the arts.”
“(In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] The Siong Leng Musical Association has a history of 66 years. It specialises in performing nan yin, which is one of the most well-preserved ancient music in the world. Creative entrepreneur, Johnny Lau, who is also the creator of the well-known comics, Mr Kiasu, makes use of his years of experiences in the corporatisation of arts to integrate renowned Singapore fashion designer Benny Ong’s unique textile design and local composer Andrew Lum’s fusion of ancient with contemporary and western with oriental music. With the careful and innovative packaging by Johnny Lau, the characteristic of each art form has attracted attention with its entirely new look. As far as I know, Siong Leng Musical Association has been performing on a voluntary basis, and all its artistes would only perform for passion and not for a living. Now, after re-packaging, there are corporations that are prepared to pay them thousands of dollars to perform. In a report in the Lianhe Zaobao of 5th February, the President of Siong Leng Musical Association said, "All these years, we have been working very hard, thinking *Cols. 2229-2230. of how to find new ways to make ourselves self-reliant, and that we do not have to canvass for donations day in and day out. In the past, we did not have any expert to help us. So when Mr Johnny Lau appeared before us, his suggestions clicked with our intentions, and we are now seeing hope in our future.”
“There are many people out there leading the same working life as Chermaine, who do not enjoy the security of a regular job and pay. However, that does not make them less committed in their career or less professional in their work. They do not have official working hours but they are no less full-time. I applaud the provision in this year’s Budget that moved away from employer-centric training, and the measures to help self-employed and informal workers. However, I believe these are designed for occupations like tax-drivers, hawkers and odd-job labourers. Everybody is making a decent living but for the growing group of freelancers in our workforce, we need to respond to their unique characteristics. Such freelancers do not have the support system of employers, and have less protection than most people in terms of their rights. Our soft infrastructure can be much improved to address some of the issues that our freelancers face. Some of these areas are our Workfare provisions, employment law, foreign labour policy, CPF and income tax guidelines. Such refinements could also help attract more talent into this sector, and also such talent to Singapore. The Government should invest not only in creative people, it should also invest in the people who make their work possible, including those dealing in the business part of the arts and culture industry. These include producers, marketeers, agents and publicists. These people are important as they help to make such performances and services sustainable, self-paying and even profit-making. This will reduce their dependency on charity and Government grants. Mr Speaker, Sir, I will now give, in Mandarin, an illustration through the Chinese opera group, Siong Leng Musical Association.”
“This is so that we can acquire and maintain the right skills and competencies to be net contributors to the workforce and economy. We also have to note that the way people work is and will be different from the past. The traditional employer-employee model is changing, and this is more apparent in the creative sector. These sectors have a high percentage of freelancers - think of film directors, graphic designers, writers, actors, performing artistes. Many of them are fully employed, but not in the way we understand the term "being employed". Most of them work on a project basis, usually several projects at the same time, while sometimes they have a long interval in between projects. They do not have an employer per se and usually their fee has no CPF contribution. For example, last year’s Life! Theatre Award winner Chermaine Ang, who acted in my latest play at Huayi Festival, is a freelancer. Currently, she teaches drama at several schools five full days a week, shuttling from one school to another within the same day. This is her current commitment, but things will change during the examination period or as soon as after the school term when some schools or CCAs will decide not to continue the drama course. She is not a full-time employee of any school or MOE, although she is working at least the same hours now as a nine-to-five office job. Just before her Huayi Festival play last weekend, she acted in another play at the recent M1 Fringe Festival. So, for a few months, she was busy rehearsing for both plays at the same time. However, at this moment, she does not know when her next acting role will be, whether it is another play, a movie, a short film, or a TV commercial.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there is indeed much positive feedback on this year’s Budget, which my parliamentary colleagues have elaborated and I do not intend to repeat. I heard a comment asking why the GST offset package is spread over four years, which seems to be conveniently or coincidentally similar to the timeframe for the next election. To me, this is obvious, every government only has a 4-5-year term, and this Government is being prudent and fair not to commit to spending future money. What is telling of this year’s Budget is the commitment to invest in the future and pave the way for the future of Singapore and Singaporeans. Singapore aspires to be a first-world city, and to be among the upper half in the next 10-20 years. To be in that league, we need to be in a position to lead, and not just to follow. Hence, I applaud the increase of our R&D spending from 2.4% to 3% of our GDP by 2010. Such an investment into the unknown is one key trait of a trailblazer. Not only do we need to adopt a progressive approach in our budgeting, we need also to evolve and adapt to the way the global economy and society is developing. Richard Florida has coined the term Creative Economy where countries are no longer competing on hard assets and infrastructure, but competing on and for creative brainpower and intellectual properties. I am glad that the Government has recognised that the creative sector will play an increasingly important role in our economic development. However, financial resources can only constitute part of the strategy and efforts. We have to adjust the mindset of our institutions and agencies, and the way our policies are made in order to ride the creative wave in the blue ocean. This Budget has made provisions for education and lifelong learning.”
“Mr Speaker, will the Ministry consider, for families which are low-income but larger in size and who may find 1- or 2-room flats too small for their living comfort, opening up 3-room flats for those families in need? The second question is: why is it that HDB is appointing commercial marketing agents to market 3-room flats to be rented out at commercial rates?”