Cedric Foo Chee Keng
Singapore
“Chairman, indeed digital technology will be a key enabler for a brighter future for Singapore. Listening to Senior Minister of State, Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Dr Janil and Minister Iswaran, I am sure my colleagues share my view that we are in good hands.”
“Chairman, some months ago, we had a healthy discussion between Mr Pritam Singh and myself about POFMA; whether the Judiciary is best party to act, or whether the Executive branch is better placed to act on the issuance of Correction Notices. I think the recent COVID-19 outbreak is a good example of when to use POFMA.”
“Mr Chairman, my cut is to ask about the tangible benefits to citizens and local businesses arising from our Smart Nation initiatives. Digitalisation has opened up new possibilities for businesses and for our society.”
“I am also particularly concerned with school children from lower income families who may not be able to afford a computer or broadband access at home. In today’s learning environment, a computer and broadband access are like "paper and pen" of the past and, therefore, no child should be denied that.”
“Chairman, this question is for Minister Chan. Historically, many Government agencies and Ministries design systems and processes from their points of view. I think the public will be well served if Government agencies can think "the other way around" and try to design processes from the citizens' or businesses' points of view.”
“Yes, probably the last engagement to give others a chance to speak. POHA is for private matters, and if somebody felt that they had been harassed, as a private individual, they will go to the Courts.”
The complete record
Every one of 423 lines we hold for Cedric Foo Chee Keng, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 1 of 9.
“Chairman, indeed digital technology will be a key enabler for a brighter future for Singapore. Listening to Senior Minister of State, Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Dr Janil and Minister Iswaran, I am sure my colleagues share my view that we are in good hands. That is because they do not only talk about technology and digits, they were talking about people. Chairman, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. [(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $1,004,918,400 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $37,103,300 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]”
“Chairman, some months ago, we had a healthy discussion between Mr Pritam Singh and myself about POFMA; whether the Judiciary is best party to act, or whether the Executive branch is better placed to act on the issuance of Correction Notices. I think the recent COVID-19 outbreak is a good example of when to use POFMA. From the recent experience using POFMA for this purpose, does the Minister feel even stronger now, that this is a job best left for the Executive branch?”
“Chairman, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State, Ms Sim Ann, whether or not we can confidently say that no child in a Singapore school will be without a computer and broadband access if their family cannot afford one.”
“Chairman, my cut is on the future role of our public libraries. Traditional paper books are gradually being replaced by electronic books. According to Pew Research Centre, the percentage of US adults that have used or read a print book in the past 12 months has fallen from 71% in 2011 to 65% last year. Conversely, the percentage of US adults that have read an e-book in the past 12 months have increased from 17% in 2011 to 25% in 2019. This trend is not unique to US and is rather common amongst most developed countries. It is particularly pronounced amongst younger readers and increasingly so, younger readers have voiced their preference for reading from electronic devices. Borrowing from e-libraries using various applications such as Overdrive is also increasingly common. Many adults, including Singaporean adults are no longer visiting the library to pick up paper books, as they did in the past. Bearing this in mind, there is a need to review the strategic positioning of future libraries, possibly as nodes to foster community or as common spaces for citizens to socialise or as venues to promote life-long learning. I think the possibilities are exciting and we are eager to hear from the Minister on his views about the future role of our libraries.”
“These demonstrators lighted bonfires and hurled stones in clashes with police officers and national guards. Even armoured personnel carriers were deployed to this small town. The protest was started because of a hoax – a fake email claiming to be from the Ukrainian Health Ministry, falsely claiming that some evacuees had contracted the virus. Indeed, many observers have commented that the challenges of COVID-19 is not just in containing the "biological virus" but also in containing the "psychological fear and irrationality", and this often arise from fake news and rumours. Fake news on COVID-19 have also surfaced here in Singapore. "Woodlands MRT station was closed on 28 January when it was actually fully operational" or "the Government giving $100 per day to every 'PRC worker' for the 14 day period under the Leave of Absence, when it is be given to eligible employers instead". These and many other examples of fake news have been circulating around, threatening to undermine our national effort and public trust in addressing the COVID- 19 situation. Fortunately for Singapore, we have a new law called POFMA and in retrospect, this new legislation is indeed timely. I would like to ask the Minister to provide an update on how the Government has dealt with falsehoods pertaining to the COVID-19 outbreak and whether POFMA has been effectively invoked. Chairman, there were also discussions in this House that judges should be the body issuing Correction Notices under POFMA, as opposed to Ministers. Do our recent experiences of implementing POFMA to deal with the outbreak like the current COVID-19 situation, reinforces the Government's position that the issuance of Correction Notices is indeed a job best left to the Executive branch? Providing Trusted Information”
“Over the past two to three decades, digital computing technologies have rapidly changed the world, with far ranging implications on businesses and consumers. Particularly, the pace of adoption of digital technologies have accelerated over the last decade. Adoption of digital technologies have resulted in a very connected world, empowering individuals and transforming how consumers, businesses and governments operate. Today, there are many Smart Nation applications, which allow accessibility at any time and thus, bring significant conveniences to Singaporeans. At the enterprise level, operational technology or OT allows the direct monitoring and control of critical plants, power and telco grids. It yields significant control and productivity benefits including preventive maintenance, reducing downtime and quality control just to name a few. OT is expected to assume an expanding role in government and many organisations, enabling greater integration among business processes, physical activities and supporting technology. In this highly connected world, cyber attacks resulting in loss of personal data and even more so attacks on our critical OT systems could be disastrous. Cyber attacks by state actors have also become a "weapon of choice" as can be seen in many countries. I would like to ask the Minister how we ensure that the Government and enterprises here can be better protected against this new threat? And how has CSA been contributing to this effort? Falsehoods Pertaining to COVID-19 My next cut is on falsehoods pertaining to COVID-19 outbreak. Dozens of protestors in a Ukrainian town attacked buses carrying 72 evacuees from Wuhan, China enroute to a quarantine facility in Ukraine.”
“We hear a clarion call from the industry that there is a dearth of digital talent in data science and cybersecurity, in computer science and so forth. And as we transform our economy, such talents would be in very high demand. GovTech actively recruits talents in the Technology Industry to turn our Smart Nation vision into a reality. On the other hand, due to scarcity of such talent, GovTech would be competing with the private sector for similar talents. How would we strike the right balance here, such that we create a symbiotic relationship between the private and public sector instead of creating a "win-lose" situation amounting to a "zero sum" game? Can the Minister advise the number of Computer Science and Data Science graduates in our local Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs)? What are the projections for such graduates in the next five to 10 years? If the number of graduates are insufficient to meet industry demand, could the Government allow for employment and S Passes to be issued as an interim measure? That way, we can attract more investments into Singapore now which will eventually benefit future Singapore graduates in such fields. The alternative is to risk such investments going elsewhere. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] Digital Opportunities for Businesses”
“If there are more such agreements, with a framework for sharing aggregate anonymised data, for mutual recognition or for inter-operability, it would be beneficial to Singapore as well as all participating economies. Could the Minister elaborate on this? Even as data are shared with our local business enterprises, we would need to consider issues like personal data privacy and therefore the principles upon which data requests by private enterprises can be agreed to or not by the Government. This is an issue that needs clarity and could the Minister also inform us of what these principles are? Digital talent alone is not sufficient for innovation. Often, design thinking and deep insights into specific industry are also needed for successful innovations and commercialisation. MCI has a Design Thinking Unit. How would the Ministry increase this Unit's impact for innovation and commercialisation in Singapore? Just as we set boundaries in the area of Bio-ethics, we would similarly need to set up an ethical framework, within which, AI can operate here in Singapore. Can the Minister advise us on the work around this area as well? One of the key success factors for digitalisation is scale and capacity. Unfortunately, this is a challenge for many of our SMEs. How would MCI induct and incentivise such SMEs to take on digitalisation for a brighter future for themselves? There is also a pressing need as we become more digital as a nation to enhance our cybersecurity. I will address this issue under a different cut later. Foreign Digital Talent Chairman, my next cut is on foreign digital talent, as an interim measure, to augment Singaporeans as Singapore embarks on digitalisation.”
“Mr Chairman, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head Q of the Estimates be reduced by $100". Digitalisation is transforming how people live, work, play and interact. Business enterprises must embrace it to remain relevant. Our future is being shaped by digitalisation in ways unimaginable and at a pace unprecedented. As a result of the digital economy, many of our top companies in the world are now in the technology space. By market capitalisation, seven out of top 10 companies worldwide are technology companies. Combined, these seven companies are worth about US$6 trillion. It is clear that our Government, businesses and workers must look to digitalisation to transform our economy, create opportunities and move up the value chain. That way, we stay relevant and create good and enduring jobs. If done well, we can turn our vulnerabilities into opportunities. Traditional factors of production like land, labour, capital, or even our ageing population are no longer hard constraints in the digital economy and if we play our cards right, we can be successful. However, digitalisation does bring about many challenges, especially for a city-state with a small population and a consumer base. Data analytics, machine learning and AI require massive amounts of data. For our Government and local enterprises alike, it would be challenging to acquire a large enough volume of data compared to other larger countries. How we overcome this constraint would make a big difference in our digitalisation success. Perhaps, digital trade agreements, like the ones we just concluded with New Zealand and Chile, could be helpful.”
“Chairman, this question is for Minister Chan. Historically, many Government agencies and Ministries design systems and processes from their points of view. I think the public will be well served if Government agencies can think "the other way around" and try to design processes from the citizens' or businesses' points of view. Does PMO intend to achieve this?”
“I am also particularly concerned with school children from lower income families who may not be able to afford a computer or broadband access at home. In today’s learning environment, a computer and broadband access are like "paper and pen" of the past and, therefore, no child should be denied that. I would like to ask the Minister how the Public Service can improve on the way it serves and supports citizens, especially those who are vulnerable and not digitally savvy. Transforming Service Delivery”
“Mr Chairman, my cut today is to discuss how our Public Service can show greater care and empathy in designing and delivering services to citizens. In the past few years, the Public Service has embarked on digitalisation to transform the way it delivers services. This was elaborated by Minister Vivian and Dr Janil. This is, of course, to be encouraged. However, there is still a group of citizens who may be unable to transact digitally, such as some elderly who may be unfamiliar with computers and smart phones or others from low-income families who cannot afford such smart phones or broadband access. It is great that the Government seeks higher effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery. But the more "digital" Singapore's public sector becomes, the more challenging it is for those who are ill-equipped. I am proposing that we try out a programme called "digital buddy". Such a programme would have digital buddies, who are volunteers, to partner those who are not digitally savvy to assist them in navigating Government digital services. They could be relatives, college students, grassroots members, corporate employees on CSR or just helpful neighbours. Beyond guiding those who are not digitally savvy in society to cope with our nation’s digitalisation journey, such buddy interactions would also promote community bonding and forge a more cohesive society – one where no one is left behind. As for hardware, smartphones or laptops and broadband access at home may be taken for granted by many but, to a lower income family, this could be a burden. And I would urge the Government to aim for a position whereby those who want it but cannot afford it can have it through subsidies.”
“Mr Chairman, my cut is to ask about the tangible benefits to citizens and local businesses arising from our Smart Nation initiatives. Digitalisation has opened up new possibilities for businesses and for our society. Singapore has been at the forefront of digital transformation since we launched the Smart Nation initiative in November 2014. Today, Singapore is globally recognised as a smart city, with the IMD Smart City Index ranking Singapore as the smartest city in 2019, and several other reputable organisations also place Singapore within the top 10 smart cities globally. But the prestige of being a globally recognised as a "smart city" is scant success if our citizens and businesses are unable to reap tangible benefits. Can the Minister share with us how our Smart Nation initiatives have created an efficient and competitive environment for our businesses? Can the Minister also share with us how our Smart Nation policies have engendered inclusiveness and have improved the convenience and quality of interactions with our citizens? Smart Town”
“In fact, the total recurring cost of the Merdeka Generation package as well as the Pioneer Generation package are all paid for upfront and all earned by the respective terms of Government. Mr Speaker, this is a Budget I believe we can all support!”
“This is testament to our commitment to develop Human Capital. In fact, many economists have said that investing in human capital is perhaps the best way forward. Because the more you invest in infrastructure, the more maintenance cost you will incur, and the risk of obsolescence is high. So, I am glad that we have put education right up there as the second biggest budget item in many, many Budgets of the past. Equipping the Singaporean worker with the ability to be more productive and employable will enable them to earn higher wages. This is the best way to becoming a more equal society. Education affords social mobility. It gives hope and it allows our citizens to have a higher quality of living. In conclusion, I have talked about fiscal prudence and about why we should be careful – in fact, very, very careful – about dipping into our Reserves. I have also talked about adopting a long-term planning horizon when it comes to Government budgeting. But beyond these issues, this year’s Budget has also set aside an additional $4 billion to address short-term immediate challenges like cushioning the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. And I applaud the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister for looking into this. Although we do expect an overall Budget deficit of $10.9 billion for 2020, there is still a S$7.7 billion surplus for this term of Government commencing from 2015. Therefore, all the capital and operating expenditures as well as Government transfers, including the transfers into the Merdeka Generation (MG) package, are all earned by the respective terms of Government. And this is no mean feat.”
“It is, indeed, the fiduciary duty of the Government, as stewards, to ensure the fiscal sustainability and not to squander away the Reserves, which, strictly speaking, we did not earn in totality but our forefathers and past governments have earned it for us. We inherited it. Therefore, squandering it would be leaving future generations ill-equipped and vulnerable to deal with future crises and to continue to bring Singapore forward. The second important principle other than fiscal prudence, is long-term planning. In fact, we should not look at Budget 2020 in isolation. But we should look at all such Government Budgets across the years, and you will see a theme emerging. This Government has, over many years, built up our infrastructure. Today, our tree-lined roads, our air and sea ports and our skyline are the envy of many. We are continuing with such long-term planning and are putting aside S$5 billion now to address rising sea levels and climate change. This is a problem that would probably only happen maybe in 100 years, maybe in 50 years, but this Government now, today, is dealing with this, and this is what long-term planning is about. The other sterling example is Marina Bay where we had to reclaim land, let it settle for 25 years, and then solving a water problem and also creating a beautiful skyline at the same time. And that would not have happened had we not adopted long-term planning. But beyond physical infrastructure, we also invested in digitalisation, which is a very important aspect of transforming our economy. Again, looking into the future, looking forward. Most importantly, for many years now, the second largest expenditure item in our Budget, after defence, has been education. Healthcare is catching up.”
“But as an honest Government, we need to level with our people and we need to continue to abide by the principle of fiscal prudence, having recurring revenue matching or exceeding recurring expenses. And this is the formula which has secured Singapore's success so far and we should not throw that away. Of course, this Government can ignore it because I do not think we will run into deep problems any time soon. But this is like kicking the can down the road and letting future generations deal with the problems. I do not think this is the right way forward. However, I hope that the Finance Minister, when raising GST, would design the Assurance Package in such a way that makes GST progressive. So, while we raise recurrent revenue, we also try to reduce the income inequality here in Singapore. But some have argued to forget about raising GST. After all, we have big Reserves. So, why not dip into it to fund our expenditure? Again, our Reserves are finite and, if we have recurring expenses, we need to think about recurring revenue in the system and not dip into a finite savings pool. But more important than that, we should not forget that Singapore is a country without natural resources. We have no oil, no natural gas, no minerals, no gold, no silver, the list goes on. We just have no natural resources, period! Our financial Reserves are our only reserve. If we deplete it, Singapore has no fallback. We have no backstop facility to draw upon. We have no European Union equivalent to bail us out. And if we have to resort to the International Monetary Fund, as past examples have shown, we would have to go "hat-in-hand", and such rescue package will come with many, many onerous conditions that will bog us down for many, many years to come. This is not where we want to be.”
“In fact, last night's 10-year treasury is about 1.35%. So, 1.35% for 10 years' money. In some other countries like Germany, Switzerland, Japan and so forth, they are even experiencing negative interest rates. The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation's (GIC's) mission is to beat inflation by investing in non-Singapore dollar assets and one of the instruments that they would use would be bonds. And if interest rates remain low, the risk of achieving high NIRC over the next decade or so may become more challenging. Secondly, there is a proposed OECD BEPS regime. What it means is that the OECD seeks to change the current corporate tax system from one which is based on the "residency of the company". So, if you are a company incorporated in Singapore, you pay taxes here. If this company has a subsidiary in the UK, it pays taxes in the UK. The proposal here is to change that concept of "residency of the company" to one where the "consumer is based". So, even if you are a company based in Singapore but if you sell digital services or other products or services to another country, say, in the United States (US), which has a large consumer base, then the US will be the country collecting the taxes. Singapore is a small hub economy with a lower consumer base compared to larger economies with higher consumption. Should the OECD's BEPS proposal be adopted, we could end up with lower corporate tax revenues. So, the two risks are our NIRC facing challenges to generate high returns and, secondly, if the OECD's BEPS is adopted, then our corporate tax revenue will be negatively affected. It is understandable that raising GST is very unpopular.”
“So, recurrent revenue must equal or exceed recurrent expenses. That is a formula for a balanced Budget and that is very important for fiscal prudence. As pointed out in this House, Singapore is facing rising healthcare costs for two reasons – advances in medical technology and, specific to Singapore, a very rapidly ageing population. And also because we did so well in healthcare, our life expectancy is getting longer and that also means that medical costs will go up. Singapore’s healthcare expenditure is budgeted at S$13.4 billion for this year's Budget and that is an increase of 16% just from last year's Budget. This figure is expected to further increase over the next decade for the reasons I cited. This means that we have to address such increase in healthcare costs soon if we do not want to kick the can down the road for a future government to deal with and, to do so, in a way, by using recurring revenue because rising healthcare costs is a recurring expenditure. Therefore, the Finance Minister has recommended a Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate increase of two percentage points to take place between 2022 and 2025. Now, the need for more recurring revenue becomes even clearer if we also consider two other risks to our fiscal revenues. First, our Net Investment Returns Contribution (NIRC) and, secondly, the OECD's proposed Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) regime. First, let me talk about the risk of a lower NIRC. Today, the NIRC from our Reserves is the biggest component of our revenue. In fact, NIRC is expected to be S$17 billion in our 2020 Budget, but lower than the S$19 billion in FY2019. Going forward, it will be increasingly challenging to achieve a similarly high NIRC due to the very low interest rate environment all around the world.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Singapore's success is evident. Whether it is the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores of our 15-year-olds, our economic competitiveness, our healthcare outcomes, our CPF system or our public housing, the world looks to us as a model of a highly-functioning and thriving country. To be sure, we are still a young nation and we, too, look to other nations for examples of how to do better here. Singapore's per capita income was about S$1,600 when we became independent in 1965 – just S$1,600. Today, in 2019, our per capita income is about S$90,000. This is more than a 50-fold increase in a short span of 54 years. Put it another way, we have achieved a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 8%, on average, each and every year over the last 54 years. How did we manage to do this? I believe the preconditions of success are, firstly, the peace and stability afforded us by an effective Ministry of Foreign Affairs, our Singapore Armed Forces and our Home Team. Beyond that, an effective and honest Government, which is sometimes quite rare, and working hand-in-hand with our employers and workers. These preconditions are necessary but not sufficient. I can think of two key principles that have served us well and have brought us here. The first is fiscal prudence. Achieving fiscal prudence starts with having a balanced Budget during every term of Government. Unlike in many other countries, Singapore has been building up its Reserves, instead of running deficits. How we achieve this is to ensure that recurrent revenue – those that are built into our system and are not one-off in nature – equals to or exceeds recurrent expenditures – those that we expect to incur year after year after year and not one-off in nature.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State, since the introduction of electricity market contestability, especially for households, what percentage of households has elected for alternatives other than Singapore Power?”
“Yes, probably the last engagement to give others a chance to speak. POHA is for private matters, and if somebody felt that they had been harassed, as a private individual, they will go to the Courts. I think the Minister and the Senior Minister of State have spoken about how to make the Courts a little more efficient and lower costs for such purposes. POFMA that we are debating now is about public interest, it is about riots, it is about possible spread of wild fire, it is about racial disharmony. These are huge, these are public interest matters that have to be dealt with much faster than individual interest under POHA which, whilst important, are not as urgent as in cases under POFMA which are both important and urgent, and have to be dealt with right away. So, if it is to equip the Courts to have the same capacity, response time, experience and domain knowledge as the Executive branch, then I think it is a very far-fetched idea. I do not see how the Courts can reach that state.”
“Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and Mr Pritam Singh for answering and affirming that he agrees that "a matter of hours" is of utmost importance. He also said just now that he agrees that the Judiciary needs to be "bulked up" or whatever exact words were used, in order to respond in a matter of hours. And coming back to the earlier point, I am not saying that the SC report made a decision or conclusion on who the decision-maker must be. I agree with him on that. But if the Judiciary has to be bulked up to be able to handle issues in a matter of hours as opposed to the Executive branch which is supported by 16 Ministries, about 135,000 officers with years of experience in different domains like security, economics, health, education, and fake news can occur anywhere, how long does it take to bulk up the Judiciary before it can respond in a matter of hours?”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, for allowing me to answer Mr Pritam Singh's earlier question. I just want to ask him if being a Member of the SC and having had the chance to read the SC report and agreeing to it, specifically Recommendation 12 where in the first instance, the first principle, in order to deal with it, we must deal with it with speed, in a matter of hours. So, the first part of my question to him is: does he deny that now? Does he now say that countering fake news can take much longer? Or does he still subscribe to the fact that it has to be dealt with in a matter of hours?”
“And here again, I want to quote what the report said: "Assoc Prof Goh explained that the judicial process, while important, may not be sufficiently fast to deal with the rapid spread of online falsehoods. Court processes require an application for Court Order to be made, together with a supporting affidavit. The application must then be served on the person against whom the order is sought and that person can then file an affidavit in reply. So, the Court may require a hearing before coming to any decision." So, there are eminent and learned persons who support the Executive being the decision-maker. But to be fair, there were also some representors at the SC who were sceptical of the Executive action, but they, too, and I quote from the report: "also accepted that there are situations, such as those involving public order, national security and workings of public institutions where only the Executive...", and these are the sceptics who were representing to the SC, "where only the Executive will hold the facts and where the facts should be backed by the authority of the Executive." Here, I assume the whole machinery of the Civil Service supporting the Executive. While POFMA is to empower Ministers and the Civil Service to act, of course, the Court is empowered as a final arbiter of truth. Actually, to think about it, at the end of the day, the ultimate arbiter are the voters at the ballot box. Ultimately, the court of public opinion will be the final judge of whether the Government has done its job well. So, I am less excited about the idealism or the imagined complexity, or some may say, the falsehood around the POFMA Bill, than the practical need for us to act quickly against a very real present and very critical problem – fake news.”
“I also want to point out that in the SC report, there was a Recommendation 12, and I have an excerpt here, and I quote, "New legislation", talking about POFMA, "will need to be implemented to combat online falsehoods and such legislation should have the following objectives." And prime among them, No 1, I quote, "the measures will need to achieve the objective of breaking virality by being effective in a matter of hours." I am quoting the SC report. I would also want to point out that Mr Pritam Singh is a member of the SC, and the Committee collectively agreed that whatever law is legislated and whoever is the decision-maker, it is very, very important that actions must be able to be taken in a matter of hours. Just yesterday, I heard Mr Pritam Singh debating on the POHA Bill. He was basically asking that, if the aggrieved party wants to have an Expedited Protection Order (EPO) and so on, would the Court be fast enough? So, I see a contradiction of why the WP is supporting the Judiciary as the party to make such orders in the case of POFMA. As a Member and the WP Leader in the SC, he agreed to Recommendation 12, that whichever party is to be made the decision-maker, that party must be able to act in a matter of hours. Also, there was a paragraph in the SC report, paragraph 364(B), where Assoc Prof Goh Yi Han, Dean of the Singapore Management Univeersity School of Law, was a proponent of the Executive option. He is a learned man, in the School of Law and he supported the Executive option, which means that the Minister, supported by the Civil Service, will be the party making such decisions.”
“The accusations were made, falsely of course, against the French Roma community or the Gypsies. The Gypsies were attacked by unprovoked vigilante mobs, even though this rumour is totally false and baseless. Two men from the Roma community were hospitalised and their van burnt. Another example, in Medan, Indonesia, in July 2016, a woman complained about the use of loudspeakers at a mosque near her home. Rumour has it, then fake news, that she also threw items at the mosque and disrupted prayer sessions. This incited angry mobs who started burning and ransacking Buddhist temples with damages running into billions of rupiahs. So, a lack of speed, and these are the consequences. The second criterion, I believe is, the issue on "accountability". If the Government is elected and the party with the most seats in Parliament forms the government, they have not only the mandate and responsibility, they are accountable to make sure that public peace and social stability are at all times preserved. It also has the resources, being backed by the Civil Service and the expertise in many, many domains, whether it is medical, security, health, water and so on. Falsehoods can be quite insidious in any one of these areas. I really do not see another institution in Singapore which has this deep expertise in many, many domains, as I described. In management science, it is logical that the party who is held accountable and with the resources and the expertise, must be the party who should act. So, I believe and I support that the Executive branch, supported by the Civil Service, should be the right party to act.”
“It is very heartening that most Members of Parliament who have spoken agree that fake news is a real problem and we need to deal with it, especially when public interest is at stake. As I understand listening to Minister Shanmugam, this Bill applies only on two conjunctive conditions. One, falsehoods. But that is not enough. Two, public interest is harmed. So, the parts of the public critique and comments and criticism that do not impinge on these two conditions, would be free to flow, as they have been. But the disagreement seems to be, "Who should be the decision-maker?" Should it be the Executive branch, which I interpret as the Minister supported by the Civil Service; or the Courts; or a separate council? Now, I understand from the Nominated Members of the Parliament that the separate council is not the party who would make the decision whether an issue is true or false, but to be a review committee, over and above, for Executive branch decisions. I do not see where they get the mandate to do that. There can be three possible bodies which can be the decision-maker. Let us see which makes the most sense. To answer this question, it is important to know that fake news that have gone viral and yet undermine public interest have to be dealt with very, very quickly. So, "speed" is the first criterion to judge whether the Executive branch is best-placed, Judiciary is best-placed or an independent council to oversee is best-placed. We have heard many examples that have been discussed here. I will just point out two. In March this year, videos circulating on Facebook, Snapchat and so on claimed that kidnappers in vans are abducting children for prostitution and illegal organ trades. This happened in the French area.”
“Before I speak on this Bill, Mr Speaker, I would like to comment on what Assoc Prof Walter Theseira talked about. I think as a Member of the House, I, too, appreciate and support free speech. I, too, support the investigation and exploration of new ideas and so forth. I believe that if there is indeed a "Galileo" today in Singapore, we will all be cheering rather than stopping what he is doing. This Bill, which met with quite a lot of discussion, is actually not that complex. While there are many discussions about what truth is, is it epistemological truth? Is it David Hume's version of it? Is it evidence before the Courts? But fundamentally, we have a real practical problem, and we have to deal with it. Rather than tinkering with the separation of powers at the state, be it elected Members and the party having the largest number of Members forms the Government and separating this Executive power with Legislative power and Judicial power – and we have modified that with Presidential powers – to tinker with this, just for the purpose of this Bill, is quite dangerous. I think all parties should give deep thought to whether or not we should introduce another layer of power structure, which the Nominated Members of Parliament called the Independent Council to oversee the Government when Ministers supported by civil servants are already elected, already have a mandate, to ensure peace and order in the society and is always accountable for their actions in this Bill through a judicial review or statutory appeal, but more importantly, every five years at the ballot box. Would an Independent Council be subject to that? I think we need to think carefully before we decide which direction to take.”
“Chairman, Sir, whilst there are many challenges that this House discussed as Singapore embarks on our digital transformation, the potential benefits are massive and, all of us, as the Minister pointed out, would like every stakeholder, be they Government agencies, businesses, workers and our citizens, to join in this very exciting journey. With that, Chairman, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. [(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $987,540,000 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $54,080,000 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]”
“Mr Chairman, there are several reasons for the digital divide. The primary one is a lack of ready access to computers, smartphones and the Internet. To be applauded are initiatives, such as Home Access programmes for low-income families and Enable IT for persons with disabilities. Both these programmes have done well to provide affordable and inclusive digital access for all Singaporeans. Another reason for the digital divide is the lack of skills, as Prof Lim Sun Sun pointed out just now, to use digital technologies safely and confidently. Besides being able to operate a device, it is also important for good cyber hygiene habits, including awareness of the negative impact of technology, such as fake news, cyberbullying and social isolation. Yet another reason for the digital divide is the lack of willingness of some of our citizens to participate in a digital economy. High-profile cyberattacks, including the SingHealth data breach last year, have some of our citizens fearing the use of digital technologies. Yet others have been deterred when they hear of people falling victim to online scams. Given the numerous impediments to digital inclusion, I would like to ask the Minister to share his strategies and plans to bridge the digital divide so that everyone can benefit from the digital economy. Affordable Digital Connectivity”
“For example, a common e-payment platform would facilitate the ASEAN digital economy, to ensure interoperability across state boundaries and leverage the large ASEAN market for e-commerce. However, developing a common e-payment system requires close coordination and data flows across boundaries. But there is a growing number of countries that are enacting laws and barriers that make it more expensive, time-consuming or even illegal to transfer data overseas. Governments are citing privacy and cybersecurity concerns as they are reluctant to allow a company in another country to have access to their citizens' data. This is despite the significant economic benefits that we talked about. To minimise the risks of cyber threats, ASEAN needs to develop a secure cyberspace through building and reinforcing the framework for online security. Sharing critical information, establishing protocols to deal with hacking, coordinating cyber agencies for ASEAN members and creating a regional dispute settlement resolution are some ways to developing a secure cyberspace. I would like to ask the Minister to share his views on how we may facilitate greater cross-border data flows.”
“Upskilling and reskilling these employees will allow the company to retain the organisational values and culture. Such workers would also have, often times, deep customer relationships that are worth retaining. It has always been the case that technological innovation destroys some jobs and replaces them with new ones. For many of our workers, especially the older ones, buzz words like "Smart Nation", "digitalisation", "machine learning", artificial intelligence ("AI") and "robotics" can be very disconcerting and intimidating. We have to do more to encourage our workers to embrace such changes and reap the tangible benefits of upskilling. I am thinking that maybe "Natural Language Programming" for oral commands for certain robots, like in the cleaning industry, could be programmed in "Singlish". Investments in digital talent will be critical to ensuring Singapore remains competitive. Society will be better off as we invest in our people. I would like to ask the Minister to provide an update on the programmes and initiatives that we are implementing over the next few years so as to ensure that we have sufficient talent to support a digital economy. 2.15 pm Regulations and Infrastructure Mr Chairman, according to research by Bain & Co, harnessing the collective power potential of the region's digital economies could accelerate intraregional trade and result in a gross domestic product uplift of US$1 trillion across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by 2025. If ASEAN countries can come together and grow as a single integrated regional digital economy, ASEAN citizens could enjoy significant benefits and improve living standards.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Following on my earlier cut on the need for businesses to adopt digital technologies, my next cut is on our workers and measures taken to ensure that we have sufficient talent to support a growing digital economy. Support for our businesses can be seen as a means to enable our citizens to have good jobs and good wages, thereby improving living standards in Singapore. At the same time, in order for businesses to thrive, they need sufficient workers with digital skills, knowledge and the right attitudes to embrace the constantly evolving digital environment. This symbiotic relationship is key for a successful digital economy. However, many countries, including Singapore, are facing a shortage of workers who are equipped with digital skills necessary for the digital workplace. To prepare our youths, basic digital skills and technology literacy have to be introduced at an earlier age. They must also be encouraged to challenge the status quo rather than accepting conventional norms, always relooking at how everything is done, thinking expansively on innovative products and solutions. More importantly, our workers have to accept that continuous learning is now a norm, and new capabilities and skillsets will have to be acquired many, many times throughout their career life, as the job market would be anything but static. Over the last few years, the Government has put in place a range of support measures for our workers. The SkillsFuture and Adapt and Grow programmes are some good examples. Businesses, too, must step up on training and job redesign through professional conversion programmes for employees. Typically, the affected employees, requiring skills retooling, have been loyal employees for years.”
“Our LLEs can then be the receptacle to innovate and be our global champions, leading the way for our SMEs and startups to venture overseas. Could the Minister lay out for this House his plans to assist our businesses, both large and small, to adopt technology and to innovate in this digital economy? [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]”
“There are numerous examples of such disruptions, ranging from companies disrupted by ride sharing, brick and mortar retail stores disrupted by online 24/7 stores, traditional print media disrupted by social media platforms and so on. Singapore has done well as we have fast and reliable broadband access and also a high penetration rate for active mobile users. However, we do have some challenges. Even as our businesses aspire to adopt technologies, many companies, especially our SMEs, find it difficult to do so. They do need help. To begin with, SME shareholders and managers often have such questions: "How do I start the digital journey? Which areas of digitalisation will produce the best returns on investment? Who can assist me to help fund these investments? Can my employees adapt to these changes? Will it result in near-term losses?" These are but some of the many questions that our SMEs have prior to embarking on the digitalisation journey. Some key success factors for business digitalisation are scale, large datasets, financial stamina to win market share and to create network effects. By definition, SMEs in Singapore are small and our local market is also small. Therefore, the challenges for SMEs to embark on the digitalisation journey are formidable. Our lead enterprises or LLEs also need assistance. Being larger and operating in more markets, their challenges are less daunting. To accelerate the pace of digitalisation, the Government can set interoperability standards so that a local ecosystem of digital infrastructure that is reliable, resilient, accessible and secure can take root and thrive. Our LLEs can then leverage such shared infrastructure to transform their businesses and stay on top of rapid advances in digital technologies.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head Q of the Estimates be reduced by $100". One of the basic building blocks of a strong nation is a vibrant economy, an economy that is driven by competitive companies with skilled and creative employees and underpinned by an efficient infrastructure. Strong business and productivity growth are preconditions for higher wages for our workers. Hence, it is critically important that our businesses, both large enterprises as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) receive the Government’s support to stay relevant, to innovate and to build deep capabilities to sustain growth right into the future. Digitalisation is transforming companies, economies and our very way of life. A digital economy has many benefits for businesses. Increased productivity, reduced operating costs and higher asset utilisation are but some of these apparent benefits. In addition, technology can help us tackle issues, like an ageing population and manpower constraints in Singapore. Today, one in four of our workforce is aged 55 and above. With declining birth rates, higher life expectancy and more senior citizens opting to remain in the workforce, this ratio is poised to increase over time. Our ageing workforce compels our Large Local Enterprises (LLEs) and SMEs to embrace digitalisation to reap opportunities of the digital economy or risk falling behind. Across many industries, new technologies are disrupting existing business models. Leveraging digital platforms, innovative companies have been eroding the market share or even replacing established companies by improving the quality, speed or price at which value is delivered.”
“As other countries embark on similar digitalisation efforts, what is the Government doing on the Smart Nation front to ensure that we remain relevant and globally competitive?”
“I would like to ask the Minister to provide an update on the programmes that we are implementing over the next few years so as to allow us to achieve our Smart Nation vision. Preparing for the Future Chairman, my next cut is on preparing for the future. Despite lacking in traditional factors of production like land, labour and capital, Singapore was able to beat the odds in our transformation from a Third-World country to a First-World country today. Our success can be attributed to strong and honest leadership, a tolerant multiracial society and a culture of self-reliance and mutual support. Today, we face a fresh set of challenges – an ageing society, sharper infrastructure and manpower constraints, just to name a few. Amidst a global digital revolution, Singapore has to accelerate the transformation of our society and economy in order to remain competitive or risk being left behind. There are many benefits to a digital economy. Higher productivity, better quality of life, better jobs, reduced business operating costs and the list goes on. Because of the significant benefits to citizens and businesses, other cities and nations around the world are also embarking on similar digitalisation efforts. Let me give just one example. In October 2018, Emirates launched trials of the world's first biometric pathways at Dubai International Airport. This allows the use of biometric technology through Smart immigration tunnels, with passengers walking through immigration without a need to stop at a counter. Through adoption of these technologies, the United Arab Emirates has plans to gradually phase out airport immigration officers by 2020.”
“Mr Chairman, my cut is on our Smart Nation vision and programmes. Our Smart Nation vision is a good one. A digital Government will allow for an integrated and seamless Government, resulting in better policies and operations. A digital economy will increase productivity for businesses, will create new jobs and opportunities right into the future. A digital society will allow our people to enjoy greater conveniences, increased opportunities and a higher quality of life. Since the inception of the Smart Nation initiative in late 2014, good progress has been made in applying digital and smart solutions to provide better services for our citizens and businesses. Several good programmes that have been introduced should be applauded. The Moments of Life initiative is a good example – a one-stop application to help Singaporeans navigate the journey of welcoming a newborn and raise a young child. New parents can register the birth of their newborn and apply for Baby Bonus incentives at one go, through a single application. For preschoolers, parents can search for preschools, retrieve and view medical data of their child on the Moments of Life application. For many parents entering the exciting and busy journey of parenthood, the conveniences of a one-stop application versus a need to navigate various agencies and websites provide a real and tangible benefit. Another good programme is the launch of MyInfo Business, which allows SMEs to interact and access 129 Government e-services and 143 private sector e-services. However, these initiatives are but a small step towards our Smart Nation goals. The technology curve has moved very rapidly and what was not possible is now possible.”
“I would like to ask the Minister about how the Public Service is organising itself to ensure that services are delivered in a citizen-centric manner. Public Service and Citizen Well-being”
“Mr Chairman, my cut today is to discuss whether our Public Service can adopt a citizen-centric approach to delivering Government services. Delivering services to citizens is at the core of what Government agencies do. [Deputy Speaker (Mr Lim Biow Chuan) in the Chair] Unfortunately, many of these services are based on processes and technologies that have been in place for many years and many of these were designed based on each agency's individual needs and requirements. Therefore, such services were not designed with the objective of improving the ease and satisfaction when a citizen interacts or transacts with the Government. To make an enquiry or to complete a transaction, citizens may have to physically visit different agencies, speak on the phone with multiple parties or browse the websites of various Government agencies. Often times, citizens have to fill up many forms and repeat information that were previously provided albeit to a different Government department. Government agencies, in turn, face both declining citizen satisfaction and also incur higher costs from repeated touchpoints across agencies. A citizen-centric Government should function as an integral unit adopting a whole-of-Government approach when delivering services to citizens. This calls for a coordinating unit that cuts across silos like, Ministries, Statutory Boards and departments, and sharing data freely at the backend across all agencies. Today, with advances in technology and connectivity, Governments can meet these rising citizen expectations. Digital transformation with AI, machine-learning and data analytics, a Government could even predict and anticipate what a citizen needs. Queuing at counters and filling up forms could be a thing of the past.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I empathise with my colleague Mr Vikram Nair's view about the non-attribution of the identity of the perpetrator. It seems that the COI process has been very robust. It has been thorough, rigorous, public, transparent, and open. This will go some way to restore public confidence from the incident itself. However, even with recommendations on strengthening defences, the "vault", and many other areas, the person who actually "broke into the house" was not revealed. There seems to be a vacuum as far as the sense of justice is concerned. I am sure the Government's position was well-calibrated and considered, but perhaps the Minister can share more on the considerations of the Government for not revealing who the perpetrator is.”
“Speaker, Sir, I have a supplementary question for the Minister for Communications and Information. I recall that he talked about three parallel investigations: the COI, the PDPC as well as the Police. Any update on the last of these, whether there are any criminal findings?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, for the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. Ideally, family should be the rightful caregivers for children, but we know that our society is not ideal and there are some dysfunctional families where the children may be better off if they are housed in a boarding school, say, on weekdays, and they go back on weekends. Would the Ministry consider such a concept?”
“My question is for the Minister for Communications and Information. While we regret this incident in SingHealth, can the Minister enlighten us whether other countries are also victims of cyberattacks? Secondly, can the Minister confirm that, apart from the COI, there is also a Police report that is lodged, and what is the purpose of that Police report? Is it to see if any crimes have been committed?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I enjoyed very much what Mr Ong Ye Kung has spoken about. Indeed, when debating the President's Address and, particularly this time around, with the 4G leaders drafting it, it is very important to look further forward. It is heartening to hear what kind of society, in terms of equality – which is a very important subject – the 4G leadership intends to forge for our future Singapore. His framing of the Gini coefficient – which is often used in academics and all – that societal inequality cannot be reduced to just one number. Corrado Gini developed this in the early 1900s, that if the number is high, it is bad; if the number is low, it is good. I think this is too simplistic. So, it is heartening and enlightening to hear that he sees it in different ways. The gap is one. But also, very importantly, how large is the core in the middle? How has it progressed? And when the Minister talked about "churn", he is talking about upward mobility. I remember that in many of the pre-Cabinet discussions that we were involved, we looked very specifically at household income by deciles. We are not blindsided by just one big average number. It is good to know that such attention was still paid to it. I would like to know, in the Minister's view, apart from the gap, how does he see the "core" expanding? This upward mobility in terms of churn, it is very important because it gives hope to society. The other aspect which he talked about, which is "mix", it defines the day-to-day experiences in Singapore under the 4G leadership. How is it like as a Singaporean living in those years, mixing with people of different social economic groups and so forth? I would like to hear a little bit about this issue.”
“These are very difficult and complex issues requiring a lot of judgement, adroitness and so forth. May I ask the Minister to share with us how he had struck the right balance and what were his key considerations? Building in Prudence by Design”
“Chairman, I have two points to share. Firstly, the Government adopts cash accounting as opposed to accrual accounting in the private sector. Under such a cash accounting convention, capital and operating budgets are lumped together, even though there is a great difference between capital investments and recurrent operating expenses. The recurrent operating expenses include items like administrative expenses, facility rentals and operations. This group of expenses tends to be sticky and, if not well-controlled, could be difficult to dial back. Capital investments, on the other hand, is forward-looking and, if invested wisely, can yield significant returns in the future. In fact, under investments, Capital Expenditure may also be bad, as opportunities to reap future benefits may be missed out. Therefore, I would like to ask the Minister if he could share with us the split between capital and recurrent expenses, and how has this ratio shifted over the years. Chairman, my second point is about balance. In crafting the Budget, which is a strategic fiscal tool as the Minister pointed out, really is not just simple arithmetic. I think the Minister has to carefully balance many, many dimensions, sometimes, conflicting objectives. I can think of several: growing an economy through an expansionary Budget so as to grow the base but be careful not to overheat the economy for cost inflation; meeting the demands for funding all meritorious causes that can be sustained; meeting the needs of this generation and future generations; helping those who are in need without eroding our work ethos; and creating a fairer income distribution system yet having a competitive tax rate so that talents and enterprises do not flee this country.”
“And lots of them. Here, Singapore is currently at a disadvantage. We have a small population and our privacy laws, as they currently stand, do not make for easy access to data. Data are also collected and stored separately even within different branches of Government and not freely shared. They are compartmentalised and do not lend themselves to analyses or deep insights which can help reduce pain points, improve asset utilisation or provide for a more tailored and customised service. And the list goes on. Could the Minister lay out his plans to revisit our privacy laws to strike the right balance against data abuse even as we allow for datasets to be used for analysis for legitimate enterprise or Government applications? Infocomm and Media Convergence”