Balaji Sadasivan
Singapore
“The issue is, of course, not good publicity for ASEAN. In fact, it is bad publicity for ASEAN. However, the fact that the ASEAN leaders have met and agreed to deal with the issue and ensure that we try and solve the problem at source, and the fact that ASEAN has tasked the Secretary-General to look into the issue and report to the various…”
“Thus far, the authorities here have not encountered any Rohingya refugees seeking to enter Singapore waters. Given our limited land and natural resources, Singapore is not in a position to accept persons seeking political asylum or refugee status. This has been our policy for decades.”
“I would like to conclude by noting that by resolving this dispute through third party adjudication, both countries have demonstrated our respect for international law and our commitment to settle disputes in an amicable manner.”
“Yes, we shall continue with those efforts. In fact, with the Youth Olympics and the F1, it is a great opportunity for all Singaporeans to think about their behaviour and whether they can improve it – whether they can be more polite and more gracious.”
“Sir, currently, the guideline for the Vasantham Channel is that a minimum of 75% of the programming must be in Tamil and 25% can be in other non-Tamil Indian languages. The number of hours is increasing, from 29 hours per week to 65 hours per week. But the guideline will still remain the same.”
“Sir, our branding is what we are and part of our branding is the law and order that we have and the safety that we have in our city and the fact that everybody has to comply with the law. This is part of our reputation and part of our branding, and it is not a bad part of our brand value.”
The complete record
Every one of 434 lines we hold for Balaji Sadasivan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 9.
“The purpose of a "positive list" is to define what is allowed. And if it is not on the "positive list", then it is not allowed.”
“Sir, if the childcare centre requires that parents provide the diagnosis and the parents give their consent to the doctor, the doctor will provide it. BIRD FLU VIRUS (Steps to stop spread) 6. Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan asked the Minister for National Development (a) as the bird flu virus seems to be spreading in Malaysia, what further precautionary steps have been taken to prevent the spread of the virus into Singapore, especially the chicken farms; and (b) what steps will be taken to stop the spread of the virus and protect the public in the event that migratory birds in Singapore are found to be infected with the bird flu virus.”
“Sir, the only way to stop the spread of enterovirus in our schools, short of good hand washing measures, is to close down the schools the whole year round. This means that there will be no schooling for children. Many children who have hand, foot and mouth disease have asymptomatic disease. When they go back to school, no one knows that they had the infection because it is asymptomatic. The parents do not know. The children do not know, and they are going to spread the virus in school. If we try to take measures that we learnt from SARS, which is for the spread of droplets, and then try and use these measures in the school setting, thinking that it will work, it will fail. So, if someone wants an ultimate 100% way of ensuring that there is no spread of hand, foot and mouth disease in schools, the only way to get 100% is to close down all the schools, and have all the children stay at home.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think I have answered that question. I said that in 2000 and 2001, the complication was encephalitis. Encephalitis is basically brain inflammation. If you have brain inflammation and it is very severe, then the person can have a fatal outcome. Second, she asked why sometimes they get complications and sometimes they do not get complications. I think I have explained this. It depends on the strain of the virus. The strain of the virus in 2000 and 2001 caused the deaths, but the strain that caused the infection in 2003 did not cause any deaths. And the strain this year so far has not caused any deaths. With regard to the measures that my Ministry has taken, basically, the measures cover two areas. The first and the most important thing is to promote good public hygiene. And that is why we keep emphasising hand washing. The second is the advice to doctors, parents and schools on how many days a child should rest and having children resting at home. But I want to point out again that that is not the key measure in preventing the spread of the virus because, even if the child is well and goes back to school for several weeks, the child will still be spreading the virus. Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong (Non-Constituency Member): Sir the Senior Minister of State said that after the child has recovered, for the next few weeks, the child would still continue to spread the virus. Should we not quarantine the child for that period until he is fully cured of the virus, so as to stop the spread of the virus? On this matter, could the MCYS help with the subsidy for home medicare?”
“First, the GPs have been instructed to give seven days of MC. This is to ensure that the child has sufficient rest and has recovered from the illness. This is for the benefit of the child. But all the well children who go back to the school continue to spread EV71 virus and they will continue to do so for several weeks. So because they are well and they go back to school, it does not mean that the EV71 virus is prevented from entering the school. That is why hand washing is the mainstay for trying to slow the spread. On the second issue of putting the diagnosis on an MC, in general, doctors do not indicate the diagnosis on an MC unless it is specifically requested by the parent or the patient. This is because the confidentiality must be preserved. When you write down a diagnosis, you are revealing what the diagnosis is. So the general principle is that in an MC, there is no diagnosis. For example, a worker in one of the companies was ill and came down to see a doctor, and if the medical certificate was to state the diagnosis, then the employer has access to that information. In general, we do not give the employer that information unless there is specific consent from the worker. So the same principle applies everywhere. That is why the diagnosis is not written on the MC. But I would urge parents to be responsible and keep the child at home and allow the child to rest for seven days because one way of reducing the risk of any complication occurring is for the child to rest during a viral infection and not be out there playing.”
“There are several important issues that Mdm Halimah has brought up. First is this surge in the number of cases. We do not know why certain months have a higher incidence than other months, but that is a pattern that is noticed. But it does not mean that the virus is more dangerous because there is an increased number of cases in that month. The danger to the child depends on the type of virus, what particular strain causes the HFMD that year. If it is EV71, the risk is higher. But again, if it is EV71, the EV71 strain every year does not have the same risk. As shown in 2003, when EV71 was the strain that caused most of the infections, yet there were no fatalities. So, why in some years the strain causes more complications and in other years, it does not? We do not know. The next issue that she has brought up is the closure of schools. The closure of schools causes parents quite a lot of disruption because they have to adjust their work schedule and find someone to look after their children. MCYS and the preschools are working with parents to try and minimise this disruption.”
“This is something that every child must be taught. This is something every parent has a responsibility to do. And more important, adults must show a good example in hand washing. I hope, through this outbreak, everyone, adults and children, will understand the importance of a simple hygiene measure like washing hands and that this will reduce the spread of the infection significantly.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the cause of death is usually encephalitis, that is inflammation of the brain. Most of the viruses that cause HFMD do not cause this complication. And if it occurs, it is very rare. When it occurs, it is usually associated with EV71. But even then, it is a very rare occurrence. The strain of virus, EV71 virus which affects the brain, again varies from year to year. As I have mentioned, in 2003, EV71 was the predominant strain and there were no cases. But in 2000 and 2001, the strain that occurred caused some complications and so there were seven deaths. This year, the strain so far has not caused any complications. As for the prevention of hand, foot and mouth disease, the primary way of preventing this disease is hand washing. The reason is that this is a virus that spreads through, what we call, oral-faecal route. As parents - and I notice that all three Members who asked questions are parents - it is hard to imagine that something in the stool of one child would enter the mouth of another child. But the amount of virus required to cause this infection is very small. So if a child or an adult goes to the bathroom and he comes out and does not wash his hands, he carries a tiny amount of this virus on his hands. When he touches objects, he contaminates the objects with the virus. That is why the first rule is to try and teach everyone to wash their hands after going to the bathroom. The second important thing is that if you play with these objects or you touch these objects, your hands get contaminated. And if you eat or touch food, then you contaminate the food that you are eating and that is how the virus enters your system. So the second important rule is: you must wash your hands well before you eat.”
“Sixty-nine children did require hospitalisation at KK Hospital and NUH but none of them developed severe complications. We cannot eradicate HFMD but we can slow its spread. The risk of infection spreading can be lowered by good hygiene practices. The single most important measure is hand washing. Although it is a common practice to ask affected children to be excluded from a group setting like a kindergarten or a childcare centre, this measure may not prevent additional cases from occurring, because the virus is excreted by well children for weeks after they have recovered from the HFMD. That is why washing hands is the most important measure in prevention. We have worked closely with MCYS and MOE in educating all childcare, kindergarten and preschool operators on hygiene measures. My Ministry has also alerted doctors to be vigilant for complications from HFMD as the predominant strain this year is the EV71 strain. Parents and caregivers can play their part too by encouraging good hygiene in children, through proper hand washing. They should also consult a doctor early if their child is unwell. In addition, they must ensure that the child with HFMD rests at home.”
“Mdm Halimah, Dr Lily Neo and Dr Khor have asked for an update and information on the Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) situation and the measure we should take to manage the disease. Let me first give Members a little background information about this disease. HFMD is a common childhood infection caused by a family of viruses called enterovirus. One member of this family is enterovirus 71 or EV71. HFMD infections are usually mild. Every week, there are between 100 and 500 children who develop the infection. Rarely, when the virus involved is the EV71 virus, the disease can affect the brain or even cause a fatal outcome. Every few years, the EV71 virus will be the predominant virus responsible for most of the cases of HFMD. In 2000 and 2001, it was the predominant strain and caused a total of seven deaths. In 2003, it was again the predominant strain and caused about 65% of the HFMD cases but there were no deaths. Let me now give an update on the current situation. This year, EV71 is again the predominant strain. In the first 13 weeks of this year, 3,680 cases were reported, which is lower than the 3,901 cases reported for the corresponding period last year. So the weekly average this year has been 283 cases, which is the usual range for this disease. Although the weekly average this year is lower when compared to last year, there was a surge of cases in the week ending 25th March when 785 cases were reported. For the week ending 1st April, the number of cases reported has come down to 721. Most years, including last year, there is a surge of cases between the months of March and June. So the surge in the number of cases is not in itself unusual. Most infections as expected are mild, self limiting, and do not require hospitalisation.”
“The answer is yes. They are working with MCYS and MOE.”
“In an emergency, there are contingency plans to boost blood stocks quickly. Although autologous blood transfusion is encouraged in appropriate situations, the use of autologous blood for surgery has declined due to shorter waiting times for elective surgeries and an older patient population. This is because to use autologous blood the patient has to donate first and then he has to wait 2-3 weeks before he goes for his surgery. But with patients expecting very short waiting time for their elective surgeries, there are less of them willing to give autologous blood or donate for autologous blood transfusion. The HSA will, nevertheless, continue to work with hospitals in encouraging autologous blood transfusions. And the Health Sciences Authority will take in Dr Chong's feedback in its ongoing review of blood donation adequacy for Singapore.”
“Because men have a lower life expectancy than women, they get heart attacks more often and die at a younger age. There are far more women living to an older age and so the average age of women suffering a heart attack is much older than a man, and so this contributes to the higher mortality rate in women. When dealing with medical statistics, I am reminded of a saying of Mark Twain, "Facts are stubborn, statistics are more pliable." The facts are that Singaporeans have one of the longest life expectancies and women outlive men. But a single statistic like the mortality rate from heart attack is sufficiently pliable so that different experts can draw different conclusions. Nevertheless, the Ministry will consider new initiatives to lower mortality rates from heart attacks in both men and women. Dr Chong Weng Chiew has expressed concern about the low stocks of blood during the festive period and has made useful suggestions on how to boost donations and increase autologous transfusions. The number of blood donations collected has been steadily increasing by 7%-18% and the number of donors by 3%-8% every year over the past three years. This is an outstanding achievement by the Transfusion Service. The national blood supply has been able to adequately meet the needs of patients in Singapore hospitals most of the time, but still faces episodic periods of blood shortage during the December to January festive months. The Health Sciences Authority (HSA), with the Singapore Red Cross, will continue with its donor recruitment campaigns to increase awareness amongst Singaporeans about the need to donate blood regularly. These include specific programmes to increase blood donation amongst youths aged 16-25 years of age, as suggested by Dr Chong.”
“Smokers are a diverse group requiring different strategies and educational messages to encourage them to quit smoking. Singapore's smoking prevalence rate has declined. The smoking rate among those aged 18-69 years declined from 15% in 1998 to 12.6% in 2004. This is one of the lowest in the world. I think we also have one of the highest taxes on tobacco in the world. The smoking rate among young people aged 18-29 years has also declined from 26.2% to 12.3%. However, there is an increase in the proportion of young female smokers in the age group between 18-29 years, and the proportion has increased from 5.2% in 1998 to 6.6% in 2004. To curb this increasing trend in young female smokers, the Health Promotion Board has introduced targeted initiatives which are gender-specific, such as the Fresh Air For Women Programme. HPB is also exploring new outreach channels such as websites, youth blogs and chatrooms which youths frequent and are comfortable with. We will also take in any marketing ideas that Mr Arthur Fong has and will suggest to them on how they can reach out to the young better. Earlier, Dr Lily Neo has expressed concern about the fact that the mortality rate from heart attack in women was higher as compared to men. That means that if a man gets a heart attack, as compared to a woman, he has a higher chance of recovery, and suggested that we should increase our education effort towards women so that they will be more aware of this risk. I was quite intrigued by the statistics. Two days ago, there was a whole host of experts in Singapore for a conference on this very topic of cardiac resuscitation. So I asked them about the statistics. A senior cardiologist there explained to me that the problem was not with women, but with men.”
“The second stage will be a wider system-level exercise and will also involve other agencies such as CAAS and ICA, as well as the public. As the risk of a bird flu pandemic is a global one, we are working with WHO and the international community to do our part in containing this threat. In January 2006, Singapore pledged $1 million at the International Pledging Conference in Beijing to fight bird flu. This will go towards our laboratory collaboration and capacity building efforts in Indonesia. In addition to this, together with the United States, we are also working with our Indonesian counterparts on a pilot project in Avian flu surveillance and control at the Tangerang Municipality just outside Jakarta. This is an area with a population of about one and a half million people. The project is expected to commence in April 2006. Singapore will be contributing both funds and technical expertise towards this project. 4.15 pm Dr Chong Weng Chiew also suggested that couples getting married attend genetic counselling and screening. In fact, this is indeed already happening today. Public education about inherited genetic disorders such as Thalassemia and Hemophilia has been ongoing since the late 1980s. Thalassemia is the most common inherited genetic disorder in Singapore. Two decades ago, about 15 babies were being born every year with Thalassemia Major. To address this problem, in 1991, the Ministry of Health introduced a Thalassemia prevention and screening programme for couples and pregnant mothers. The programme has been effective. The incidence of Thalassemia Major has now declined to one case per year for the last five years. Mr Arthur Fong proposed that we tackle the issue of smoking amongst the young.”
“The pandemic never occurred and no one died of swine fever. But the vaccination caused 500 complications and 25 deaths. On the other hand, in 1918, the Spanish flu pandemic spread across the world and caused 25 million deaths. Managing a pandemic is a national exercise in science-based risk management. Success depends on three factors: a strong effective political leadership, a cooperative public who follows health advisories during the pandemic, and a healthcare system that is well prepared to deal with public health challenges. This is what we learnt from our SARS experience. In Singapore, we have both, an effective leadership and a cooperative public. I want to assure the House that the third factor, the healthcare system, is well-prepared. We currently have some 700,000 courses of Tamiflu and are on track to build up our national stockpile by the end of the year. We have an assured supply of pandemic vaccine if we think it is necessary to vaccinate the population. Public healthcare institutions have put in place plans to manage the expected surge in outpatients and in-patients in a pandemic. We have also worked with other Government agencies to ensure that essential services will continue to operate during a pandemic so that there is minimal disruption to the economy and society. Through our outreach, we have given talks to MNCs, SMEs, private organisations and grassroots leaders to help them understand the nature of pandemics and the measures that they can take to be prepared. We will conduct exercises in the next few months to test our pandemic preparedness. In the first stage, we will focus on all public and private acute hospitals to ensure that they are ready.”
“Sir, I thank Mdm Halimah, Mr Andy Gan, Dr Chong Weng Chiew and Mr Arthur Fong for their questions and comments. Many of the medical issues brought up have been with us for a long time but one problem is new - bird flu. Hardly a day goes by without a news report in the media on developments related to bird flu. Mdm Halimah and Mr Andy Gan have asked about aspects of our bird flu pandemic preparations. We must be prepared to manage three types of bird flu spread: one, bird to bird spread; two, bird to human spread; and three, human to human spread. I will begin with bird to bird spread. It appears that the H5N1 virus has established itself in wild birds. It has spread relentlessly from Asia to Europe and Africa. Fortunately, our poultry population is limited and is located in farms with good bio-security. You have heard earlier in the House all the measures that AVA and ENV have taken to ensure that there is no bird to bird spread in Singapore. So far, no H5N1 influenza virus has been detected in Singapore. Next, there are sporadic cases of bird to human spread. This has occurred in our neighbouring countries when humans have had close contact with sick birds. We have advised Singaporeans to avoid chicken farms when travelling to other countries. We have also put our doctors on alert against possible human cases of Avian flu coming into Singapore. Finally, we should be prepared for a pandemic in case the virus mutates and starts spreading from human to human. Will a pandemic occur? We do not know. Experts differ in their opinion. Looking back at the last century provides conflicting examples. In 1978, there was concern about a swine flu pandemic occurring and 24% of the population in the United States was vaccinated.”
“I encourage these professors to don their university caps and, in their professional capacity as professors in the university responsible for the education of our future doctors and social workers, promote gerontology as part of the mainstream university core curriculum in their respective faculties. MOH, for its part, will be doing more to promote gerontological education. Most geriatricians currently work in acute care hospitals. But if the elderly are to be looked after in the community, then geriatric skills must reside in the doctors looking after patients in the community. That means family practitioners must practise community geriatrics. MOH will facilitate Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses that will equip GPs with the knowledge skills needed to function as community geriatricians. Ageing issues are complex and must be tackled through an integrated and holistic approach involving Government, community agencies and the private sector. Much progress has been made in the last several years, though more remains to be done. Going forth, the collective will and efforts of all sectors, ie, the public, private and people sectors, will contribute towards achieving "Successful Ageing for Singapore". 4.00 pm Flu Pandemic”
“Besides Medifund, the MSWs work with the people sector and help administer a whole wide range of non-Government assistance. Our MSWs are highly-committed and passionate individuals who do their best to assist needy patients. Since they administer all the systems, they are really one-stop centres. The application process is kept simple to keep the administration cost down. Dr Tan Cheng Bock and Dr Tan Sze Wee also spoke on the promotion of gerontological education in Singapore. Recently, the Singapore Action Group of Elders (SAGE) also came up with an open letter proposing the promotion of gerontological education. Dr Tan Cheng Bock referred to the Howe Yoon Chong Report which talked about gerontological education and the elderly. Twenty years ago, the problem of looking after the elderly was the tip of the iceberg. Today, the iceberg is upon us. So I would go one step further. With an ageing population, it may not be appropriate to consider gerontology as a specialised area for a select group of healthcare and welfare workers with a specialised institution to train a few people. Today, the elderly population are the major consumers of medical and welfare services. In some developed countries, more than 50% of government healthcare expenditure is directed towards the elderly. With care for the elderly becoming such a major part of medical and welfare services, gerontology, or the holistic study of the elderly, has to be part of the core curriculum and education of a doctor, nurse, social worker or anyone else in the medical and social services field of study. Sir, I was quite happy to note that there were three university professors who were in the SAGE initiative to promote gerontology. But they were writing in their private capacity, which is a shame.”
“To bring therapy and care closer to home, MOH, together with MCYS, intends to partner the private and people sectors to develop a range of community-based nursing services and personal care services. In addition, we will enhance case management services in the community through tighter integration between the acute and step-down care facilities. Mr Ang Mong Seng related cases where patients come to see him at the MPS to ask for financial help with their medical bills. I, too, have seen such patients in my MPS, and I asked them if they had seen the Medical Social Worker (MSW). Very often, they have not. And this is because the bill often comes after they are discharged, or they look at it only after they are discharged. One reason this happens is that our hospitals look after patients, regardless of whether the patient can afford to pay the bill, because they know that there are Medisave, Medifund and other assistance schemes to help the patient. So they treat the patient first, get the patient well, send the patient home, and then only after he is well, the patient looks at the bill. Very often, when they see the bill, instead of seeing the MSW, they come down to see us at our MPS and we write the letters to the hospital, and then the MSW sees them. But, in fact, they can approach the MSW directly in the hospital. All our public sector hospitals, national centres and polyclinics have medical social workers. An estimated total of 140 MSWs help look after the social and financial needs of patients. They help administer Medifund, the Government's safety net to help those Singaporeans who, despite Government subsidies, MediShield and Medisave coverage, are still unable to pay the balance of their bills.”
“The Committee on Ageing Issues, in its report, has recommended that the Government adopt a holistic family practitioner approach towards managing the healthcare needs of senior citizens. Over the next decade, our healthcare system will evolve in this direction. Dr Chong Weng Chiew has quite clearly pointed out the benefits of providing home therapy and mobile healthcare to the elderly, and he has asked for subsidies for mobile healthcare and home therapy. We should consider this. Subsidies that channel the elderly to the hospital should be re-channelled to keep the elderly chronic sick at home, especially if this is a more efficient way of looking after the elderly sick. We have channelled subsidies before from inpatient to outpatient, eg, HIV treatment and chemotherapy for cancer. So we need to look at this again and, if we can provide more efficient care closer to the home, we should do so. Dr Lily Neo also suggested subsidised home therapy for the needy elderly. The Ministry of Health has tried out such schemes and launched the Primary Care Partnership Scheme (PCPS) in 2000, to help bring affordable healthcare to the doorstep of the needy elderly. Instead of having needy elderly patients travel to polyclinics, the scheme engages neighbourhood GPs to provide common outpatient treatment conveniently at polyclinic prices. But it was only for acute medical conditions. This is a start. We will study our experience with the PCPS scheme and expand the programme gradually to manage chronic illness in the elderly. This will be in line with the recommendations of the Committee on Ageing Issues.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I thank Dr Chong Weng Chiew, Mr Ang Mong Seng, Dr Tan Cheng Bock and Dr Tan Sze Wee for their questions and comments. As they have pointed out, we are an ageing population. There are about 300,000 senior citizens in Singapore. They form 9% of our citizens. Singaporeans are living longer and healthier lives than ever before. These improvements in life expectancy and freedom from disease for most of an average person's life are an achievement that our healthcare system can be proud of. But this has created new challenges. A good proportion of the elderly will develop a chronic illness in the last phase of their lives. 85% of the elderly will have one or more chronic illnesses that require lifelong treatment. Some will develop disabilities that require daily assistance. At any one time, 5%-10% of the elderly population will need help with their personal care and the activities of daily living. The historical focus of healthcare systems, which is to manage episodes of acute illness with intensive treatment, is not well-suited to manage the medical problems of the elderly. The elderly usually need continuous low intensity medical or nursing care to manage their chronic illness and to enable them to live good quality lives even if they have an age-related disability. If this can be provided in an efficient manner away from hospitals and nursing homes, they can enjoy a higher quality of life. So we must focus our health services to bring care as close to the home setting as possible. This needs a mindset change on the part of everyone, ie, healthcare providers, patients and their families.”
“I am not sure whether Mr Steve Chia has seen Kids Central. If he has, I do not think it is propaganda. Otherwise, his definition is very broad.”
“The answer is no. It is not sufficient. For the English language broadcasts, the advertising revenue covers about 80% of the operating expenses. For Suria, Vasanthan, Kids and Arts Central, it covers about 29.1% of the operating expenses. For MediaCorp News, it is 30.9% of the operating expenses. So the partnership between the public, the broadcaster and the Government is necessary.”
“The payment of RTV licence fees should be viewed as a partnership between the Government, the broadcaster and the people for the public good. Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong rose ---”
“Television does this through Public Service Broadcast (PSB). Both Mr Chiam and Mr Steve Chia have raised the issue of radio and TV licence fees which are used to support public service broadcasts. Besides being entertaining, PSB programmes are important in educating our people on Singapore's history and values, as well as bonding Singaporeans together. An example would be "40-on-40" shown on Channel 5 last year, which gave Singaporeans an insight into the significant national developments over the past 40 years. Beyond this, PSB programmes also cover current affairs, local sports, quality dramas, and educational programmes for children, all of which would otherwise not be commercially viable for broadcast. This wide spectrum ensures that the different needs of our society are looked after. They also draw wide audiences due to their local flavour. In addition, about 30% of PSB funds are used to acquire quality programmes for Central, Suria and CNA. The collection of RTV licence fees is not unique to Singapore. Many countries, such as Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, collect TV licence fees which range from $245 to $627 per annum. In Singapore, the fees have stayed at $110 per annum since 1994, despite rising costs to maintain high-quality PSB programming. Where possible, national broadcasters should strive to increase advertising revenues. I agree with Mr Chiam on that point. However, advertising revenue alone cannot support the current wide spectrum of programmes which cater to different groups of Singaporeans. The Government currently provides some funding to support PSB programmes of national interest, such as the National Day Parade telecast. Everyone stands to benefit from PSB programmes.”
“Carsten Juste, Editor-in-Chief of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten which first published the cartoons, was reported by The Telegraph to have said: "If I had known Danes would have been put in harm's way as a result of printing these cartoons, I would not have done it." There cannot be a more graphic acceptance that freedom of expression has to be exercised with good judgment and responsibility at all times. Today, we have a respected Singapore media whose mission is to report news accurately and responsibly. Our media has helped to strengthen the resolve and resilience of Singaporeans in the face of intense economic competition, terrorism, global health threats, and social trends that go against our value system. There is currently no need to develop new guidelines, as our media has Singapore's interests at heart. From time to time, there will be criticism of our media, for example, in rankings by foreign media agencies or snide remarks by those who do not understand our society. Last year, Reporters San Frontieres based in Paris ranked our media poorly. Perhaps, those who did the media ranking did not live in the poor Paris suburbs where cars were burnt nightly during the riots. We must ask ourselves this question: do we want burning cars lighting up the sky like in Paris during the race riots last year? Even without COE, it is a terribly unnecessary destruction of property. Sir, we should not apologise if the path we take deviates from that taken by others. We know our strengths and our weaknesses. The creative space for ideas and information can flourish without undermining fundamentals, such as racial harmony and social cohesion. The media has played a significant role in nation-building by educating and informing the public.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Seng Han Thong, Mr Steve Chia and Mr Chiam See Tong for their questions and comments. Mr Seng Han Thong had asked about guidelines for the media in Singapore, especially in the light of the Danish cartoon controversy. There are deep racial and religious tensions in the western world, as evidenced by the Paris riots and the Theo Van Gogh killing in Holland. In this combustible environment, the European media provocatively printed the controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in the name of freedom of expression. This sparked off violent protests resulting in death of dozens of people and further poisoning relations between Muslims and Europeans. This is a stark reminder that freedom of expression must be exercised responsibly. Recently, three German editors whose media companies either printed the cartoons or supported their printing visited my Ministry. They told me that to print the cartoons was a historical heritage. I told them our historical heritage included riots caused by irresponsible media and we do not want to experience this again. In December 1950, during the Maria Hertogh court hearings, racial tensions were high in Singapore. The Singapore newspapers whipped up emotions that led to three days of riots which caused 18 deaths and injured 173 others. This is taught to our students. If any of our students become journalists, they will understand the importance of a responsible media. I told them that we have a responsible media in Singapore and our media has an important role in nation-building.”
“If you have too many awards, everybody will have several awards and, after a while, awards may have no meaning. While there is an argument for more awards, as suggested by Dr Ong, we must be careful that we do not create too many awards that no one knows what the award is for. But there is a pinnacle in the art scene. We have the Cultural Medallion. Since 1979, 86 artists have been conferred this prestigious award. I am pleased to announce that from this year onwards, the President of the Republic will personally confer the Cultural Medallions to recipients. This reflects the Government's desire to accord high level recognition to artists who have achieved excellence. A vibrant art scene and a vibrant nation go hand-in-hand. One cannot exist without the other. Knowledge and Information Services”
“Art, heritage and culture strengthen our national identity and sense of belonging, something that Mr Zainudin highlighted. Hence, community involvement in art and heritage activities is important. For example, NHB has piloted a project "Community Trails" to develop heritage trails with constituencies, schools and CDCs. The participants will research and locate sites which the residents can identify such as the Kallang Gasworks. The Balestier-Moulmein and Jalan Besar Trails will be launched in conjunction with the Singapore HeritageFest 2006, and NHB is approaching other CDCs to develop more of such Community Trails. Dr Ong has asked about the promotion of our literary arts, particularly in the Chinese language. Sir, literature thrives when authors have a passion to write, describe, explain and illuminate the human condition. We cannot create great literature by just showering money. Would Shakespeare had written better plays if more money was available to him? Cervantes wrote Don Quixote in a debtors prison in La Mancha. Good literary works require great passion and not great finances. Nevertheless, the NAC provided about $270,000 in grants to literary artists in FY 2005. This money is available for publishing and they can write to the NAC for grants or publications. NAC takes a comprehensive approach, ranging from financier support to grooming of talent and organising events, such as the Singapore Writers' Festivals. In addition, NAC plans to organise a Literary Arts Professional Symposium in 2007 to bring together Singapore and overseas writers and industry players. MICA will continue to recognise and promote local writers and artists through awards like the Golden Point Award for writers and Young Artists Award.”
“Some may recall the long queue at the Asian Civilisations Museum on the last day of the "Journey of Faith" exhibition. This shows the public support and interest in museum exhibitions. The new National Museum, which will open soon, plans to reach out to the public through its invitation to all civic and cultural groups to propose innovative new projects for the museum. Last year, MICA had announced plans to convert City Hall and the former Supreme Court into a national arts gallery. This project will take several years to complete, and the public will be involved in this project. 1.00 pm Prof. Chin advocated developing Singapore as a hub for ASEAN cultures. He mentioned the Committee on Culture and Information (COCI). I understand that is called "COCI" rather than "COKI". I agree with Prof. Chin. Singapore art and culture did not develop in isolation. It is an integral part of the larger regional art scene in this part of ASEAN culture. That is why the proposed national art gallery will display Singapore art in the context of Southeast Asian art. Let me give some additional examples of our efforts in promoting Southeast Asian art and culture, in particular those from ASEAN countries. The Singapore Art Museum collaborated with regional museums and collectors to put up the ongoing exhibition "Cubism in Asia". The Esplanade also organised a bi-annual Asian Arts Mart, and this has evolved into a "must attend" event that provides a good platform to showcase contemporary Southeast Asian art forms. Not too long ago, Singapore hosted the ASEAN Children's Arts Exhibition on Kindness. NAC and NHB will continue to include Southeast Asian arts in their programmes.”
“For example, the South China Morning Post commented in February last year that Hong Kong could boost its image as an arts hub if it took a leaf out of Singapore's book. We will continue to nurture our cultural ecology. I will cite three of our initiatives - one recently completed, another ready later this year and a third which is longer term. Just last month, our National Archives opened its facility "Memories at Old Ford Factory". This was the site where the British military forces in colonial Singapore surrendered to the Japanese on 15th February 1942. It is also a national monument. The permanent exhibition depicts the memories of personal experiences under Japanese Occupation, and would have been impossible without the many individuals who came forward to provide oral accounts of life during the Occupation. And I agree with Ms Irene Ng that we should increase our collection of records of oral history. Ms Irene Ng asked about making archive materials more accessible to the general public. I agree that an easily accessible National Archives is important. Our approach is to provide accessibility through several means such as the National Archives Reference Room, travelling exhibitions, publications and e-services. More importantly, there are currently more than 900,000 archival records available for online public access from home. Efforts are being made to make more records available online. I have not been to the Kew building, but I am glad that Ms Irene Ng likes our National Library. Perhaps the National Archives can work with the National Library to make more records available to members of the public. Museums collect and display our heritage. We share Ms Ng's view that museums should reach out to the public.”
“Sir, I thank the hon. Members - Mr Zainudin, Dr Ong, Ms Ng, Assoc. Prof. Chin - for their comments relating to arts and culture. Art expresses the passions, achievements and aspirations of a country. As Singaporeans, we share a common experience living in a young country, creating cultural space for itself within the region. This emerges in the works of our artists as they give expression to their inner creative impulses. We have developed an eco-system in Singapore that allows the development and expression of this creative energy. Let me start with Mr Zainudin's question on our progress in the arts and culture, and give him some statistics which measure this progress. Over the last few years, the Government has invested substantial resources to develop our arts and culture. Today, we have a wealth of institutions such as the various arts housing facilities for local artists, Esplanade, Arts House at Old Parliament, and several museums including the Asian Civilisations Museum and the expanded National Museum now being completed. There is an explosion of activity in the arts scene. Words are not adequate to describe this phenomenon but it can be experienced at the various arts events taking place year round. Statistics measure this phenomenon. Between 2001 and 2005, the number of arts societies and companies has grown from 506 to 600. On average, we can choose from 15 different cultural events every night. Last year, there were 590 visual arts exhibitions and more than a million ticketed arts performance attendance. Should any one of you retire, almost every day you can watch a visual exhibition during the day and a cultural performance at night that is different every day of the year. Others have taken note of our arts scene.”
“The world of browsers is a dynamic world. The companies that develop browsers are constantly updating their browser systems. So it is a question of keeping up with the changes in the industry. At the same time, we encourage our Government services as well as the private sector to offer their e-services on as many browsers as possible. The situation is not too bad. Currently, the commonest browser is Internet Explorer with about 66% of the market. The next most commonly used browser is Firefox which has 25% of users, and Mozilla is 3.1%. The other browsers combined is about 2%. If we take Firefox and test it with the various Government agencies, it works on ACRA, CPF, HDB, IRAS, LTA, MINDEF, MOF, MOM, NLB, ROM and URA services. We have not done an extensive test on all the possible e-services available. But the vast majority of e-services can be accessed by Firefox. We will continue to encourage all providers of e-services to keep up with the changes in the Internet world. PERSONAL LOANS AND CREDIT FACILITIES 4. Assoc. Prof. Ong Soh Khim asked the Senior Minister (a) what is the number of personal loans and credit facilities in the market that have a minimum annual income requirement of between $18,000 and $30,000, such as ezyCash; (b) how many of these personal loans and credit facilities are governed by the Banking Act; and (c) in the last two years, how many cases of bankruptcy have resulted from borrowers of such facilities being unable to pay their loans.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Prof. Png asked whether Government online services could be made available on Internet browsers other than Microsoft Internet Explorer. There are more than 1,600 Government e-services online today, which were developed over the last six years. To ensure that these e-services are accessible by users using alternative browsers, the Government Ministries and agencies have, as far as possible, avoided using browser-specific features in the development of their e-services. As a result, the majority of these services are accessible on a range of browsers. However, it would neither be feasible nor cost-effective to mandate that all these 1,600 e-services inter-operate with all alternative browsers given the wide range of choices available. Instead, the Government Ministries and agencies strive to ensure that e-services can be delivered to as wide a population as possible, by making sure that they work well with the most commonly used browser. Since 2002, Microsoft Internet Explorer has been and still is the most popular browser with more than two-thirds of the global market share. We have noted an increase in the percentage of Internet users using alternative browsers. We will continue to monitor this trend and ensure that Government e-services continue to be accessible by the vast majority of our users.”
“Sir, we support an international emergency number. We will certainly work in international fora to try and adopt one single number for the whole world. With regard to the Member's first suggestion, we will look into it. GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES AND AGENCIES (Services on alternative Internet browsers) 3. Prof. Ivan Png Paak Liang asked the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts whether Government Ministries and agencies will make services available on alternative Internet browsers, in view of the relative insecurity of Internet Explorer.”
“Yes, I agree that our healthy living message must be targeted at the younger population as well as the older population. And this is why I mentioned earlier that we have not singled out one population for the message, but it is for everyone. Whether the prevalence of diabetes in young people is going up or not is hard to say, because when we start looking at age specific numbers, then it is harder to know whether it is statistically significant. However, there are several possibilities of why the prevalence rate may go up, one of which may be better detection. But it is necessary for us to have a longer period of observation before we can draw such conclusions. CHANGI BUDGET TERMINAL 15. Mr Ong Kian Min asked the Minister for Transport why so far only Tiger Airways has signed up to operate out of Changi Budget Terminal and what are the reasons for the other low cost carriers not wanting to use the Budget Terminal.”
“Again, the prevalence rate can be affected by many things. One, better detection and, two, better preventive methods. Perhaps the Health Promotion Board has got its message across. Singaporeans are living healthier lifestyles and so the prevalence rate has come down. But before we reach that conclusion, we should wait a few more years and study the trend.”
“The incidence or prevalence of diabetes is higher in an older population as compared to a younger population. But prevention measures have to cover the entire population because the current thinking is that it takes many years of living a particular lifestyle that contributes to the development of diabetes. And that is why the healthy living message is targeted towards the general population rather than a specific population.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we can always do more to try and reduce the incidence of diabetes and its complications. My Ministry will work with VWOs in trying to prevent diabetes. There are preventive measures at several levels. The first level is trying to prevent the onset of diabetes itself. And here, diet and a healthy lifestyle are important considerations. And then, at the second level, it is trying to prevent the complications of diabetes. This is through better management of the disease. But these are multi-factorial diseases. The cause is complex, partly genetic, partly environmental. And so, it is the interplay of these factors that gives rise to this disease. Unlike lung cancer, where smoking is a major factor involved and, therefore, a simple advertisement by the Health Promotion Board's "Stop Smoking" is a good advertisement. With diabetes, it is a little more complex. There is no major single factor that we can advertise and promote as a means of stopping the onset of the disease. It is multi-factorial, similar to heart disease and stroke, and so the message is more about healthy living which the Health Promotion Board is promoting.”
“As they are either technical in nature or relate to improvements in tax administration, I will not bring Members through the details of these remaining changes. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat.] Bill considered in Committee. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] Clause 1 -”
“Advanced rulings system To provide greater clarity and certainty to taxpayers, the advanced rulings system will be formalised and enshrined in law with effect from 1st January 2006. Any ruling issued under the advanced rulings system will bind the Comptroller of Income Tax to apply statutory provisions in the manner set out in the law. The amendments of the Act, provided by clauses 43, 44 and 46 of the Bill, also make clear the circumstances under which the Comptroller shall, may or may not provide the rulings. Income tax treatment of a trust registered under the Business Trusts Act With the introduction of the Business Trusts Act, the Income Tax Act needs to provide for the tax treatment of the income of a business trust. Any trust registered under the Business Trusts Act will be treated as a company under the one-tier corporate tax system with effect from the first year such a trust commences operation as a registered business trust. Based on this treatment, the income of a registered business trust will only be taxable at the trustee level and not at the unit-holder level. Clauses 10(f) and 21 of the Bill will amend the Act to provide for this tax treatment. 100% capital allowances for items of plant or machinery costing no more than $1,000 each To reduce taxpayers' costs of compliance, the rules for computing capital allowances for assets costing not more than $1,000 each have been simplified. These assets which are acquired during or after the basis period relating to year of assessment 2005 will be granted a 100% write-off, subject to conditions. Clause 17 of the Bill spells out the conditions for such claims. Finally, 11 other changes have been incorporated into this Bill.”
“Clauses 10(b), (f), (g), (h), (j), 28(c), (e), (f), (g), 34 and 36 provide for these incentives. Tax exemption on specified income derived from funds held in any foreign account of a philanthropic purpose trust To facilitate the administration of foreign philanthropic purpose trusts in Singapore, tax exemption will be granted on specified income from designated investments derived from funds or assets in the foreign accounts of a philanthropic trust administered by a trustee company in Singapore. This will apply to funds constituted on or after 18th February 2005. The specified income from designated investments derived from funds or assets of an eligible holding company establised for the purposes of that philanthropic trust, which are held for the foreign account of that trust, is also tax-exempt. This change is covered by clause 13 of the Bill. Concessionary tax rate for specified income derived from organising or staging approved tourism event To encourage companies to organise or stage more world-class events and activities, a concessionary tax rate of 10% will be granted in respect of specified income derived on or after 1st April 2005 by an approved company from organising or staging an approved tourism event. Clauses 35 and 47 provide for these changes. Let me now move on to the second group of tax changes covered by this Bill. Our existing tax policies and incentive schemes are reviewed regularly to ensure that they remain relevant. We are also constantly looking for ways to improve our tax administration. Let me highlight three major changes aimed at enhancing our policies in tax administration.”
“A public consultation on the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill was conducted from 4th June to 3rd July. The draft Bill has been revised to incorporate suggestions from businesses and members of the public. Let me first highlight the key tax policy changes that were announced in the 2005 Budget Statement. Reduction of personal income tax rates The top personal income tax rate will be reduced to 21% for the year of assessment 2006, and then to 20% for the year of assessment 2007. The marginal tax rates of the other income brackets will also be correspondingly reduced. These changes in tax rates are reflected in the Bill under clause 45. Introduction of carry-back of capital allowances and trade losses With effect from the year of assessment 2006, the unutilised capital allowances and trade losses of any taxpayer will, subject to conditions, be allowed to be carried back for set-off against the assessable income of that taxpayer for the immediately preceding year of assessment. Clause 26 provides for these changes. Extension of tax concessions for qualifying debt securities (QDS) and tax exemption for individuals in respect of locally sourced investment income, to payments from Islamic debt securities To encourage growth of Islamic finance in Singapore, the concessions under the QDS Scheme will be expanded to cover payments from Islamic debt securities. This extension will apply to QDS issued from 1st January 2005 to 31st December 2008. The tax exemption on locally sourced investment income derived by individuals will be extended from 1st January 2005 to include payments from Islamic debt securities. The existing conditions for QDS scheme and exemption for locally sourced investment income will continue to apply to amount payable from Islamic debt securities.”
“Sir, the agents are classified according to the Schedules. In terms of virus, no one carries large quantities of virus, because it is not carried by containers, etc. A small amount in a test tube will have enough virus to cause all the problems that you can think of. So that is why we do not use measurable quantities that you expect like, say, one litre or two litres. But for each consignment imported, we need to know about it, and if you have a laboratory that can culture the virus, from one virus, you can get a billion viruses. So trying to control by quantifying the number of viruses that a laboratory can import is not a feasible method of control. That is why it is managed by consignment. However, in the Third Schedule, the agents are generally quite safe. But if large quantities are kept, then they can pose a danger. There is a limit to the quantity that they can have, which is ten litres. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Dr Balaji Sadasivan]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. INCOME TAX (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 5.15 pm The Second Minister for Finance (Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Income Tax (Amendment) Bill 2005 comprises two groups of changes. The first provides for the income tax changes announced in this year's Budget Statement by the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance. The second group covers other amendments to the Income Tax Act arising from regular reviews to improve our income tax system.”
“So that is why the permit is on a consignment basis which is more important than the actual quantity. Sir, the biosecurity and biosafety culture strengthening process in our institutions is an ongoing process and we have been working on it quite diligently over the last three years even since the anthrax attack. With this Bill, another major step will be taken. But this is just a step in the process. We have to continue to strengthen our biosafety culture and the environment in all our laboratories.”
“Isolation rooms are also available in all hospitals to cater for this. In answer to Mdm Halimah's query on whether there are plans for Singapore to work with the region in biosafety and biosecurity measures, I am pleased to inform her that the process has already started. In April this year, my Ministry, through the Regional Emerging Disease Intervention (REDI) Centre, organised a two-day conference to launch the latest edition of WHO's Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines as well as to discuss concerns relating to biosecurity of infectious pathogens in the laboratory environment. Representatives from a total of nine countries from the Asia Pacific region attended the conference. There was a general consensus that laboratory biosafety and biosecurity are important issues, and each country would have to find the best way to address these issues. Through REDI and through the courses that WHO is running at REDI, we hope that the biosafety culture will spread in the laboratories in this region. Dr Neo had a specific question on whether the quantity of the agent should be specified. One reason why the permits do not specify the quantity of the agent is that because these agents will be grown in the research laboratory, the quantity will vary. So even if a small amount of the biological agent is taken to the research laboratory, they can then grow a lot of it. Instead, the permit is given for the importation of the biological agent and toxin on a consignment basis. So each time, there is a quantity of the agent going to the laboratory, we want to know about it and we want to have records of it. The quantity, even if it is small, can be cultured in the final laboratory and therefore the quantity can be much, much greater than what was actually imported.”
“In a hospital, a person may come in with a chest infection and one may be testing the sputum for a variety of diseases, and one of the diseases could very well be anthrax, very rarely you may get a positive result. But such a laboratory would not be a laboratory doing research in anthrax, neither would such a diagnostic laboratory pose any public health hazard. So that is the reason why these diagnostic laboratories in a clinical setting where they test for viruses, other biological agents or toxins in samples taken from patients, are excluded from the certification process. Theoretically, if they get a positive result, there is, within that laboratory, a minute amount of the biological agent. But, in terms of risk, there is no major risk. We would like to assure Mdm Halimah that my Ministry has worked with other Ministries and relevant agencies to formulate a comprehensive plan to respond to both natural disease outbreak as well as bioterrorism attacks. As stated yesterday by my Minister, in reply to Dr Geh Min and Mdm Halimah's queries on MOH preparedness to cater for global and regional epidemics, including avian influenza, we have formulated various outbreak scenarios, including biosecurity breaches and biosafety breaches in laboratories, and have planned specific response strategies. Following SARS, we have significantly strengthened our capabilities and capacity to cope with outbreaks. We now have a more effective surveillance system and a response system in place. In response to Dr Neo's query on the ability of hospitals to cope with mishaps involving hazardous agents, I am happy to say that the hospitals are already equipped to handle cases requiring decontamination and isolation following exposure to such agents.”
“In view of the potential dangers involving the use of certain biological agents and toxins for bioterrorism, the Bill has accorded more stringent requirements for facilities handling biological agents and toxins that have bioterrorism potential. For instance, in addition to the requirement for the facility working on such agents to be certified, the facility has to be gazetted as a protected place under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act, which means it will be working with the Ministry of Home Affairs very closely with regard to security concerns. To be a protected place, the facility must fulfil a set of security requirements which will limit access to the facility and all persons working at the facility would need to undergo security clearance. Access to the biological agents and toxins will also be controlled and monitored through records and inventories. To ensure that there is no unauthorised production of biological agents, the facilities' inventories would be checked against their import permits and transferred notifications during the annual recertification exercise. The Act also empowers my Ministry to enter, inspect and search any facility if there is a reason to suspect that there is a contravention of the Act. If such contravention has occurred, my Ministry can order the cessation of activities, closure of the facility, destruction of the biological agent or toxin concerned and the decontamination of the facility. As an additional measure to ensure public health, persons exposed to the biological agent or toxin can be quarantined. Mdm Halimah asked why certain laboratories were excluded from certification. These are diagnostic laboratories.”
“The committee must also include senior management and a person responsible for maintenance of the laboratory. The committee has its own interest at stake as its members and fellow workers will be at risk if biosafety is compromised. The committee will be responsible to conduct risk assessment and draw up policies, programmes and codes of practices necessary for the safe handling of the biological agents and toxins. These would be reviewed at least once every two years, or earlier, if deemed necessary by the committee. Through external audit, the committee will be able to improve the biosafety culture in the laboratory and the standards in the laboratory. Cost and paper work was Mdm Halimah's second concern. Since the biosafety committee will customise its measures to fit the laboratory, the paper work in administrative cost should be kept to what is considered necessary. My Ministry is mindful that unnecessary administrative cost should not be imposed. I am pleased to announce that the Ministry will not levy any administrative charges for the application of approvals and permits for the import and use of biological agents and toxins. Operators must ensure safe practices within the facility to protect laboratory workers as well as the environment. The cost of managing a biosafety breach leading to an outbreak of disease among laboratory workers, or in the community, is much higher than the cost of having good biosafety culture. So research companies with laboratories and insurance companies that are involved in this area insuring the facility will welcome needed biosafety measures. I would now like to address Mdm Halimah's, Dr Chong's and Dr Neo's concerns over biosafety.”