Chai Chong Yii
Singapore
“The other problem is that manpower will not be fully utilised due to the reduction of routes or frequency. Now, the MRT is only running at about half of its full capacity. When fully completed and all the routes are fully used, it will affect the manpower even more.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of Code TG 2000 of the Main Estimates. Sir, this morning the Minister of State explained the rationale for withdrawing the priority in the allocation of rental shop units. I have no quarrel over that point.”
“Sir, perhaps I did not make myself clear. The other park which the Minister of State mentioned is normally known as Xiao Qui Lin. It is more or less completed. But if he can put in some more facilities, like pavilions or running tracks around it, that would add to the facilities and it would make it an even better attraction.”
“The Government looks forward to cooperating with leaders of the Malay community to build a stronger multi-racial society, both in Singapore in general, and particularly in the Singapore Armed Forces.”
“Purchase of Properties for Overseas Missions (7) That the sum to be allocated for Head O be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead OA-03-8101 of the Development Estimates. The sum of $56,192,200 for Head O ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $20,776,000 for Head O ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.”
“I would like to ask the Minister for Communications and Information to be bold and courageous in the formulation of land transport policies so that our successors in this Parliament, and our children, will not, 20 or 30 years from now, blame us for the problems that we have caused for them or for the lack of courage in opting for firm mea…”
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“But up to now, we have no concrete and positive evidence to show that drivers in this age group of 17 and 21 years are accident-prone. We know that young people today learn a lot of skills, and they learn various skills at an early age. Of course, they would like to obtain the skills at an even earlier age. And driving is one of the skills they would like to acquire at an early age. So for the time being, I cannot give him a very satisfactory answer because I think time is needed to see the development of these events. (In English) Mr Speaker, Sir, if I may now answer the other Members of Parliament in English. I appreciate the support of the Member for Katong. He raised the point on the re-issue of driving licences. He 3pecifically maintained that a re-test should be given to those whose licences have been suspended, and not just re-issue licences to them on expiry of the suspension period. We all know that our driving test centres are unable to cope with new drivers right now. So if we are going to implement his suggestion, I think the queue will be even longer. `There is merit in his suggestion, but it takes some time to see whether it can he worked out administratively. He also mentioned about "L" motorcyclists. The Ministry of Communications has recently introduced administrative action to ensure that an "L" motor-cyclist should try to pass a riding test within three years or else he has to re-sit the Highway Code test before another "L" licence can be issued to him. This is, in fact, one administrative step ahead to persuade "L" riders to sit for the test.”
“But what is an abuse of authority, or what constitutes an abuse of authority? This is rather ambiguous and cannot be defined clearly. However, if the Member does come across instances where such abuse has taken place, I shall be pleased to know more about the details of the particular case so that I can try my best to investigate and see what can be done. The Member for Bras Basah mentioned that the Bill is only a means of treating the symptoms and is not a fundamental solution to the problem. The provisions of this Bill are new, but we know that in many other countries similar provisions have already been effectively implemented. Let us wait for some time before assessing the effects of this Bill and come to the conclusion whether or not it is sound or effective. He also mentioned the point about reducing the number of vehicles as the basic and fundamental solution to the problem. He further mentioned that the minimum age of drivers should be raised from 17 to 21 years. On these two points, of course, the reduction in the number of vehicles will help to reduce accidents because, in theory at least, if there are fewer vehicles, the number of accidents should correspondingly decrease. But this is not something that we can do immediately because reducing the number of vehicles may affect the livelihood of many people. The policy of the Government is very clear. In the last few months, we have repeatedly announced our policy in respect of this problem. We will try our best to restrict the number of unnecessary vehicles on our roads. On the question of the age of the drivers, there are several conflicting points of view. Young people, of course, feel that the age should not be raised. There are some young people who are reckless or who are not so careful.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, allow me to answer first in Mandarin to the points raised by two Mandarin-speaking Members of Parliament. (In Mandarin) Mr Speaker, Sir, just now the Member for Sembawang mentioned the Points Demerit System. According to him, the system of awarding points is too drastic. If you commit a traffic offence three times, you would reach the maximum of 12 points, that is, if you get four points for each offence, then after three offences you will reach the maximum of 12 points allowed to you and your driving licence will be suspended for up to six months. In his view, this is too drastic. However, we have heard the Member for Toa Payoh saying that this system is not strict enough as we should consider the plight of the families of victims of such accidents. He has also given a number of instances of negligent driving by professional drivers to support his point of view. However, as this system is new, I do not think the professional drivers need be over-concerned about it. Whether the effects of the implementation of this system will be as bad as what the Member for Sembawang thinks, we will be able to know only after some time. He has also recommended that the period of suspension should not exceed one week. Of course, he is quite justified in being concerned about the plight of professional drivers as, if I am not mistaken, he is the adviser to the Taxi Drivers Association. But I think we will have to wait for a certain period to see the full effects of this new Bill. He also brought up the question of the ticketing system, and added that the officers should not abuse their powers. I think every one with any conscience - every Government official, every civilian, every Member of Parliament, and every law-abiding citizen -believes in this.”
“The underlying objective of the Amendment Bill is to speed up the enforcement process and, at the same time, enhance the efficacy of traffic law enforcement. It is also aimed at drastically reducing the road traffic accident rate. All careful and law-abiding motorists and pedestrians should welcome the various provisions contained in the Amendment Bill, as they are intended to make our roads safer and to reduce the unnecessary heavy toll on lives we see today. Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. 3.14 p.m.”
“Under the proposed ticketing system, a traffic ticket served by the policeman on the motorist, either personally or by registered mail, will be deemed to be both a report as well as a summons to appear in court. If the offence is compoundable, the ticket would also serve as an offer of composition. To ensure that the Points Demerit System and the ticketing system function effectively and efficiently, the Traffic Police and the Registry of Vehicles have computerised their records and procedures, and the records and procedures of these two departments would be linked. Members of this House may be interested to know that these new enforcement procedures are based on systems successfully applied in countries like the United States, England, Australia and Japan. They have been recommended for adoption here after careful study and research by the Traffic Police, Registry of Vehicles, Attorney-General's Chambers and Computer Services Division of the Ministry of Finance. Finally, clause 15 of the Amendment Bill will enable the courts to accept certificates endorsed by a police officer not below the rank of inspector, as to the accuracy and reliability of radar speed traps and speedometers of police vehicles. This is required for more effective enforcement against speed hogs whose mania for speed without consideration for others often kill and maim innocent people. Mr Speaker, Sir, traffic law enforcement consists basically of five processes: (i) detection; (ii) apprehension; (iii) prosecution; (iv) adjudication; and (v) penalisation. For enforcement to be effective, there must be enough teeth in the traffic laws to enable enforcement officers to carry out their task without let and hindrance.”
“Where the crossings are close to one another, the area of enforcement may be extended to cover the length between and a little beyond such crossings. Traffic signs will be erected to indicate the areas of enforcement. As it is not the intention to punish but to educate pedestrians in the proper use of the facilities provided for them, initially small composition fines would be imposed on jaywalkers. This may be increased later if there is no salutary effect. Jaywalking by school children will be referred to principals of their schools for appropriate action to be taken. Aged and disabled persons who are unable to make use of the pedestrian crossing facilities would be exempted. To empower the courts to impose and enhance penalties in respect of traffic offences, clause 10 of the Amendment Bill provides for the imposition of a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months for the first offence. For a second and subsequent offence, the courts may impose a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months. For uniformity and consistency, these enhanced penalty provisions would apply to all offences under the various rules and regulations of the Road Traffic Act. The existing penal sections in the rules and regulations will be amended in subsidiary legislation. A new ticketing system in respect of traffic offences will be introduced under clause 12 of the Amendment Bill. The objective of this is to reduce the present cumbersome paper work which hinders the Traffic Police in its work and saps up extra manpower unnecessarily, thus reducing the effectiveness of enforcement action.”
“The Minister's decision on the matter will be final. Any person whose driving licence is suspended will have to surrender it to the Registrar of Vehicles and will be prohibited from driving any motor vehicle on the roads during the period of suspension of his driving licence. Clause 8 of the Amendment Bill will impose liability upon a motor vehicle owner for parking offences in cases where the particulars of the offending driver are not available. Unless the vehicle owner can furnish particulars of the driver to the police within seven days from the date of issue of the police notice or satisfy the police or the court that the vehicle was, at the relevant time, stolen or had been illegally taken or used, or establish that he did not know and could not, with reasonable diligence, have ascertained the name and address of the driver, the vehicle owner would be liable for the offence. Clause 9 of the Amendment Bill will enable the Minister to make rules with respect to jaywalking. Over the last three years, a total of 10,519 pedestrians were killed and injured by motor vehicles. In 1973, a total of 380 persons were killed in road traffic accidents, 185 of whom were pedestrians. While many of these accidents involving pedestrians could be attributed to reckless driving by motorists, a great number of these fatalities were caused by pedestrians crossing the road heedless of traffic conditions. The pedestrians, therefore, need to be disciplined as well. Under the Amendment Bill, it will be an offence for pedestrians to cross the road other than at places where proper crossing facilities are provided. This would, however, apply to the area 50 metres from either side of any such crossing.”
“Clause 2 of the Amendment Bill will empower a Police Officer to require any person driving a motor vehicle on a road to produce his driving licence within 24 hours at such police office or station as may be specified by the officer where the person is unable to produce his licence on the spot. Clause 4 of the Amendment Bill provides that if a person is convicted of an offence under the Act or is disqualified by a court from holding or obtaining a driving licence, the court shall send a notice of conviction or order of disqualification to the Registrar of Vehicles who will be required to record such particulars of conviction or disqualification and maintain such record for a period not exceeding three years from the date of the conviction or expiry of disqualification as the case may be. Much publicity has already been given to clause 5 of the Amendment Bill. This concerns the Points Demerit System which aims at identifying and removing dangerous drivers from the roads. It also serves as a psychological deterrence against reckless driving. This system entails the giving of points by administrative means for traffic offences likely to cause accidents. A points penalty table under the Rules will specify the points for various traffic violations. When a driver has attained a total of 12 or more points within a year, the Registrar of Vehicles will have powers to suspend the driving licence of the driver for a period not exceeding six months. A warning notice, however, will first be sent by the Registrar of Vehicles to the motorist the moment he has accumulated or exceeded six points. On receipt of a notice of suspension, the driver has the right within 14 days to appeal to the Minister against the decision of the Registrar of Vehicles.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." In July, 1973, the Minister for Home Affairs appointed a Road Traffic Management and Enforcement Committee to formulate basic policies of Road Traffic Management as well as to co-ordinate the roles of the various departments involved in traffic enforcement and management and to supervise the activities carried out by these departments with a view to achieving greater efficiency and effectiveness in tackling the immediate, short-term and long-term traffic problems. This Committee, chaired by the Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs), comprised representatives from the Ministries of Communications, Finance, Environment, Public Works Department, Registry of Vehicles, Attorney-General's Chambers, Public Utilities Board and the Police Force. This Committee has been superseded by the Road Transport Action Committee which was established in November, 1973, comprising five Permanent Secretaries from the Ministries of National Development, Communications, Home Affairs and the Budget and Development Divisions of Finance Ministry. After one year of close study and research, the Road Traffic Management and Enforcement Committee came to the conclusion that our present enforcement system is, amongst other things, noticeably lacking in the following:- (i) effective means of detecting persistent offenders; (ii) adequate penalties to deter persistent offenders; (iii) administrative procedures that allow expedient enforcement action. To rectify this, the Committee recommended a number of amendments to the Road Traffic Act (Cap. 92). The recommendations of the Committee which have been accepted are incorporated in the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir. it is the intention of the Registrar of Vehicles to issue laminated driving licences with the inclusion of the date of original issue of a driving licence to indicate the driving experience of the holder of such a licence. As priority is given to public bus transport, the vocational and driving licences of bus drivers and conductors are being replaced first. The exercise to replace existing licences started on 15th July, 1974, and as on 19th August, 1974, 2,935 or 63 per cent of bus drivers and 2,648 or 65 per cent of conductors have been issued with laminated licences. In the second phase, the vocational licences of taxi-drivers and general driving licences will be replaced. As there are 14,397 taxi-drivers and 533,631 general driving licences as at 31st March, 1974, officers in the Registry of Vehicles and Computer Services Department of the Ministry of Finance will be making a joint study on the implementation of this phase. MASS TRANSIT STUDY (Progress made) 6. Mr Ong Teng Cheong asked the Minister for Communications what progress has been made in the Mass Transit Study, and whether there is any recommendation made or decision reached on the subject so far.”
“Sir, the Postal Services Department has four spare motor scooters and nine spare motor cycles. These are not included in the total fleet of 124 motor scooters which I have just given. LAMINATED DRIVING LICENCES (Issue of, and insertion of date of original issue) 5. Mr Teong Eng Siong asked the Minister for Communications if he will consider the issue of laminated driving licences and the insertion of the date of original issue in such licences so as to indicate the driving experience of holders.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, 88 out of a total fleet of 124 motor scooters are available for delivery duties in the rural areas. It is the view of the Postal Services Department that the use of scooters in the rural areas has been successful. In these areas, the delivery beats cover relatively longer distances of travel between the delivery post office and the first delivery point. The delivery points are also more scattered. Use of scooterised beats in the rural areas has reduced the travelling time of postmen by about 60 per cent, and each scooterised delivery beat can handle up to 33 per cent more mail traffic than a bicycle beat.”
“Sir, the Postal Services Department is a closed service, and if someone with a degree in Engineering applies for a post in the Postal Service and is accepted, I see no reason why we should not allow him to work there. But after working for some time, he shows more interest in some other department and, in fact, that was the reason why he was transferred out. POSTAL SERVICES (Motorised delivery of mail in rural areas) 4. Mr P. Govindaswamy asked the Minister for Communications (a~ how many scooters and motor cycles (including reserves) are available in the Postal Services Department for the delivery of mail in the rural areas; and (h) how successful has the use of these motorised units been in expediting the delivery of mail in the rural areas.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since March, 1973, three Division I Officers in the Postal Services Departn:ent have been transferred out as follows: 1. An Assistant Controller of Posts, with 2 years 6 months' service in the Department, was absorbed into the Statistics Service and attached to the Ministry of Labour as from 16th August, 1973. 2. An Assistant Controller of Posts, with a degree in Engineering, took up the appointment of Mechanical Engineer in the Public Works Department with effect from 1st November, 1973. He had 1 year 5 months' service with the Postal Services Department. 3. An Assistant Controller of Posts, with 2 years 8 months' service in the Department, was absorbed into the Administrative Service with effect from 1st January, 1974, but remains in the Postal Services Department on secondment basis for a period of one year with effect from 1st January, 1974, or until the vacancy is filled, whichever is earlier.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this is a question of manpower, supply and demand, wages, and so on. Of course, we hope that we are able to raise the wages. But, under the existing system, we have to find out from the Ministry of Labour as to how soon we can get a school crossing patrolman for the particular school in question. In this respect we are looking into the matter.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Paya Lebar has proposed the conversion of the daily wage of a school crossing patrolman into a monthly salary. Basically, this proposal has its merits. But, at the present moment, there is also the problem of recruiting school servants which will take quite some time to solve. In any case, if it is possible, the problem can be considered and it involves a review of the whole system. If I remember correctly, Sir, there is no necessity for hawkers in school tuck-shops to apply for licences.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Bras Basah's proposal is a very good one, and we will consider the suggestion.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it is, of course, true that training is required for the school crossing patrolman. It is a very simple form of training. If the hawkers in the school tuck-shop are prepared to take up this job, there will be no difficulty in getting the traffic police to give them the training. I am sure the traffic police will be quite willing to train them. As regards the comment that it s not quite suitable for teachers to take up this job, I personally feel that, although my view may not be acceptable to the Member for Jurong, it is a very simple task which the teachers can undertake after the school is dismissed. It will only take ten minutes after each session at the most to guide the students across the road. But if this is not feasible, then the only way left is to set up a traffic light control at the school. However, this will give rise to some traffic problems. Mr Speaker, Sir, with regard to raising the salary of the school crossing patrolman, if we can get someone living near the school to take up this job, it will not be difficult for him to accept the rate of pay. Of course, it may be difficult for anyone to take up this job if he lives far away from the school. But we will look into the matter. 5.15 p.m.”
“In addition to this, Sir, the Ministry of Education has also given consideration to the need of getting assistance from the Public Works Department to build either a pedestrian overhead bridge or a traffic control point at the school to solve this problem. But personally it is my hope that the teachers will continue to give a little of their time for this kind of service to the pupils.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Jurong is to be commended for his interest in the safety of school children in his constituency. School crossing patrolmen are normally employed on a part-time basis because of the short hours of work. On the average, a school crossing patrolman works only five hours per day. Therefore, the daily wage is quite comparable to the other daily-rated employees, although it cannot he said to be very attractive. In the case of the school mentioned by the Member for Jurong, we are aware that this particular school has been without a school crossing patrolman for quite some time. But he has also mentioned that teachers have been asked to perform the duty of a patrolman. I think it is a good idea. In fact, it is good for teachers or even older students to take an interest in the welfare of the younger school children. I agree with him that teachers have their own work to do, and that the duty of guiding children across the road should not be their main concern. However, if teachers could guide school children across the road, it will promote better relationship between students and teachers. Though we have been trying very hard, it is still difficult to get an adequate number of school crossing patrolmen. The difficulty of recruiting the required number of men within a short time could probably be due to the availability of jobs in Jurong. If we can get hawkers in the school canteen or tuck-shop to take up this employment on a part-time basis, perhaps the problem of low pay and the difficulty of recruitment can be solved.”
“Thirdly, through the ETV service, teaching methods may be revised and brought up-to-date. For example, new techniques and methods of teaching have been introduced. Fourthly, ETV service has done a lot to promote the use of teaching materials and teaching aids, such as transparencies and colour slides, video-tapes, and so on. We have made use of these materials and have promoted the application of such teaching aids. We have also conducted seminars on the application of teaching aids to assist teachers in general, and I think we have achieved something in this respect. As for the question that some of the programmes should be telecast in the evenings, we have already done this. It is only because of the limitation of time that we cannot do this on a wider scale. We have co-operated with the Ministry of Culture and the Adult Education Board to put certain programmes over television, like the teaching of English and how to play the guitar. All these are relevant to educational television service. But, as I have said, because of certain limitations, we cannot do it on a bigger scale.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since the Member for Sembawang asked his questions in Mandarin, may I be permitted to answer in Mandarin? (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, we are thankful to the Member for Sembawang for his concern about educational television service. There is no doubt that telecasting time for this programme is rather short. But we must understand that although it is a short programme, it requires a great deal of effort and preparation to put up the programme. Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Sembawang said that Primary IV and Primary VI students do not have ETV programmes. Perhaps he is referring to the Chinese stream. As for the other language streams, Primary IV and Primary VI do have these programmes. It is therefore not correct to say that there are no ETV programmes for Primary IV and Primary VI students. Besides it is difficult to say whether the ETV programmes are confined to students of certain standards only. On the question of expenditure for these programmes, I would like to say that this expenditure is worthwhile. Since we started these programmes in 1966, the returns we have achieved can be seen in many respects. I cannot elaborate, measure or itemise all the good results but I would like to pick out the main benefits that we have achieved. The first point is that we have provided a more systematic teaching programme for the various classes in the primary schools, with particular emphasis on science, mathematics, language and social science. We have prepared more systematic teaching methods on these subjects. The second point is that through the ETV programmes, we have provided new teaching material and techniques for teachers. We have achieved a fair amount in this particular respect.”
“If the personal incomes of such people are very high, then the Government will incur a loss in revenue, as there is a difference of some 15 per cent in revenue between personal income tax and company tax. Perhaps in future some tighter tax measures, like those of Australia or elsewhere, may be introduced in Singapore, because, as the President has mentioned in his speech, our present taxation policy is in certain respects rather outdated. So they have to be rectified. This, of course, is only my personal view. Finally. I would like to thank Members for lending support to my motion of thanks to the President for his speech. Resolved, That the following Address in reply to the Speech of the President be agreed to: - "We, the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore, express our thanks to the President for the Speech which he delivered on behalf of the Government at the opening of the First Session of this Parliament." EMPLOYMENT (AMENDMENT) AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS (AMENDMENT) BILLS (Written Representations and Minutes of Evidence) 6.26 p.m.”
“One is patriotism, and the other is the implementation of our Income Tax policy. In a city state, you will find that it is a basic trend of the people to be drawn naturally towards material enjoyment and individualism. This is in direct conflict with the sense of patriotism. We must therefore promote patriotism, especially among the younger generation so as to make each and every one of them more patriotic and more loyal to the country so that the future of Singapore will be assured. As regards income tax, this is the basic problem in every democratic country. What we are propounding here in Singapore is democratic socialism. This imposes on us the need to pay more attention to the inequality between the rich and the poor and the problems arising therefrom. We have progressed quite rapidly in respect of our economy. The equal distribution of wealth should receive more attention by us, otherwise the rich will become richer and the poor become poorer. This will not be good for the future of Singapore. We know that under our present income tax laws, company tax is levied on a company's net profits only up to 40 per cent. Holders of shares, when declaring their personal incomes, are not required to pay further taxes because tax deduction on share dividends can be regarded as a tax credit. Here are the faults because personal income tax is, at its highest scale, more than the 40 per cent which is the maximum leviable on company's profits. Many people take advantage of this loophole by organising private limited companies, so that all their incomes can be declared within the accounts of the company and their expenses paid by the company. No dividends are declared.”
“We all agree too that in Singapore we do not hope to see any pillion-sitters, instead everybody should contribute his share of work in order to get his commensurable reward. Talking about politics, we all agree that Singapore is strategically situated in this part of the world, and is also an important metropolis in Southeast Asia. This has created envy in some people and they plan designs against us. When people come to us, it may not be just a visit or to do business with us or because they want to do something for our good; it is normally for their own selfish interests, or they may desire to gain some control over us, if possible. So we must always be on the alert. On medical services, several Members have made good suggestions relating to such topics as family planning, which is interesting and constructive, and environmental control, which is a fairly new subject. In many constituencies, including mine, many residents have expressed their concern or dissatisfaction about environmental control. One of the reasons is that, it being a fairly new subject, many people are not very conversant with the degree of human tolerance against pollution before it becomes unbearable. I think this topic will stimulate more debate, but we hope that the Government Department concerned will first carry out a campaign to inform the people of the need for anti-pollution measures before actually implementing them. As regards agriculture, many Members representing the rural constituencies have spoken on behalf of the rural folks, and they have commented on the price of pigs. They have also spoken about the problems of our fishermen among other matters. To sum up, it seems to me that two points have not been touched on sufficiently.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir I would like to thank Members of this House for supporting my motion. I wish also to thank them for their valuable suggestions, many of which are constructive and are worthy of consideration by the various departments; although 1 must say that I do not know what will be the reactions of the departments concerned. However, in accordance with the usual tradition of the Singapore Government, I believe that all constructive suggestions will certainly receive due consideration by the departments concerned, and will be speedily processed and implemented. We all know that some suggestions may not seem to be practicable, and therefore there is need for further study. Besides, it is easy to make suggestions which may sound practical but they may not be implemented without prior study of the consequences which may arise. Some suggestions seem to be too ambitious, while others sound rather good. However, I cannot accept or reject the suggestions on behalf of the Government. The various suggestions put up by Members involve every Government department and ministry, touching on medicine, politics, finance, agriculture, industry, labour and other fields, As regards education, some Members have criticised certain aspects of the administration and have expressed their dissatisfaction. However, I do not know exactly where the faults lie. I hope I will be able to find out where the fault is, if any, in future. On culture, to sum up the opinion of Members, it seems that we all agree that we should preserve our traditional eastern culture and we should prevent our youths from being infected by any decadent trends of Western culture. We all hope that our economy can continue to progress and keep abreast with the times.”
“To be able to do this, we must all be exposed sufficiently long to our own traditions and cultures when we were young. The knowledge so acquired would then be the foundation of our education which would guide us through life. Mr Speaker, Sir, if all our people are to be bi-lingual or even multi-lingual, our school teachers will have to work harder. Those who are mono-lingual should start now to learn another language. Learning is never too late. The learned teacher, Confucius, once said that among any three men there must be one worthy to be his teacher. Though his saying does not specify the teaching of a language, it is equally applicable to any one of our school teachers. I am pleased to note that the Singapore Chinese Middle School Teachers' Union is very interested and concerned in raising the standard of the teaching of English as a second language in Chinese schools. I hope that their members will set an example by learning English if they are still mono-lingual. This will serve as an effective encouragement to their students. Finally, Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to thank you and Members of this House for the opportunity to address you. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. 3.00 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the President said in his speech that "We can become a centre for excellence in all fields important to our economic and cultural life". To make our city state worthy of such a description, all our people, both old and young, whether educated in Chinese, Malay, Tamil or English, are required to work harder, to be better disciplined, to know better of any skill, be it technical or managerial know-how, be it professional skill or languages. Touching on languages, we have four official languages. Any one of them may be used in this House. Though it is always easier for a person to express himself in his mother tongue, there are many occasions when it would be more convenient and economical to use a common language to speak to our countrymen of other ethnic groups. In this competitive world, time means money. If all our people know two or more languages, one of which is common to all, no one can dispute that a better understanding among our people can be fostered more easily and whatever business to be discussed can be resolved faster. Our progress would then be faster too. Mr Speaker, Sir, Singapore has now become the most important business centre in this part of the world. English, being the accepted international business language, has become a necessary lingual skill which any Singaporean, who does not wish to be left behind, must know. I call it a lingual skill because we need it to make a living. It is a foreign tongue to all of us, except a few. It is more a tool than a language to us. Though it is not possible to learn a language thoroughly without learning its content, it is, however, possible to know the content but not to imitate and practise it.”
“If all we have were big pieces of waste land with millions of illiterate and poor quality people, not even supermen could lead them to prosperity. But we are fortunate to have hardworking and intelligent people living on this island at the cross-roads of the world. We have inherited the best cultures of both the East and the West, but we have yet to melt them down completely, drain out the harmful and the useless, and to mould the rest into a new progressive culture which we may call it the Singapore culture. This is a difficult task. Because it is not easy, it is therefore more challenging and interesting to excel ourselves to try and achieve this goal. Before we can create a unique Singapore culture which would be the envy of the world, we must first of all further raise the quality of our people. Although we are successful, economically and socially, there is still ample room for improvement. We are a metropolitan state with virtually no countryside, not to mention any hinterland. We are relying on the patronage of other countries for our living. We must therefore be able to do better than their own people. We have already had some success in this respect but there is a lot more that we should do, or we will soon be caught up by them. If this happens, our importance as the brain services centre of this region will be lost. In order to maintain this lead, we must not allow ourselves to indulge in the usual bad social habits of big cities, such as being individualistic, selfish, extravagant, hedonistic, indifferent, impatient and physically weak. These are some of the destructive elements that would ruin any people, no matter how successful they are now. We should, wherever possible, encourage our people to lead a simple but meaningful life.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, `That the following Address in reply to the Speech of the President be agreed to: - "We, the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore, express our thanks to the President for the Speech which he delivered on behalf of the Government at the opening of the First Session of this Parliament.".'. It is indeed a great honour for me, as a new Member of this House, to propose this motion. It is also a golden opportunity for me to say a few words in support of the speech of the President. We all know very well that our island Republic with more than two million mouths to feed has done extremely well in the past few years. We have solved most of our social and economic problems which only a few years ago appeared almost unsolvable to a lot of people both inside and outside Singapore. In fact, we have done much more than just solving the problems. We have created the spirit to succeed in overcoming problems, the spirit to sacrifice individual rights for the well-being o our country. We may proudly call this spirit "the Spirit of Singapore". As a result of our successes, Singapore is now sometimes classified as a "developed nation", though we are still in a developing stage. All these are the fruits of the hard work of an honest, imaginative and intelligent leadership, to which I am proud to associate myself now. But proud though we all are, these are not all we have in mind. We want to do more, much more, for our people, for our beloved country, no matter how small is its size. I am confident that all Members in this House will fully agree with me that in this electronic age sheer size means nothing. It is the quality that counts it is the quality of the people that decides the destiny of a country.”