Charles Chong
Singapore
“I am interested, however, to hear what the experiences of the 28 pilot schools are and how they have found the move to FSBB. Could the Minister give an update on the pilot and how successful or otherwise this has been? Finally, Mr Chairman, I would like to address the need for support of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.”
“I know that we are very appreciative of the support provided by the Australian government and the Australian defence force. However, with the recent bush fires in the east coast of Australia, could the Minister let us know if the Shoalwater Bay training area has been affected and whether this has had an impact on the SAF's ability to full…”
“Mr Chairman, even as we aim for zero training fatalities, it inherent in the nature of the SAF that accidents will probably happen and the challenge for us then is to ensure that when they do happen, that our service personnel have the very best medical care which we can provide for them.”
“Finally, could the Minister provide details on the number of calls which have been made to the Army, Navy and Air Force safety hotlines, and whether this has increased since we have enhanced our emphasis on training safety and whether concrete action has been taken following the making of these reports? Safety Consciousness”
“Mr Chairman, a number of speakers before me have already raised most of the points which I have, so I will not repeat them and will be very brief. As Singapore's population ages, one of the issues which will be of increasing concern for our citizens is the affordability and accessibility of healthcare.”
“00 pm These days, however, the US appears to be focused on other regional matters, such as the denuclearisation negotiations in North Korea. While on trade, a comprehensive and progressive agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership came into force at the end of last year, with the conspicuous absence of the US, which withdrew from its pr…”
The complete record
Every one of 474 lines we hold for Charles Chong, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 10 of 10.
“There is no provision in the NCMP scheme that prohibits them from being appointed to political office in Government. Consequently, if we have accepted the NCMP scheme, I can see little possibility of strong moral arguments that can be put forward to object to nominated MPs holding office. I therefore support the recommendation of the Committee that the Bill should not disqualify a nominated MP from holding political office. On the issue of selection of nominated MPs, I am in agreement that the Bill should be amended to include criteria for the Special Select Committee when it considers the nominations. The criteria recommended by the Select Committee in paragraph 26 of its Report appear to be sufficiently broad to cover all areas where nominated MPs could be drawn. Sir, it is also important that nominated MPs must have a strong and visible mandate to be in Parliament. The Nominated MP must be perceived by the people to have been selected by their elected representatives acting in their best interests. The elected representatives, of course, refer to MPs who have won a mandate from the people. I therefore agree that the Special Select Committee selecting nominated MPs should comprise solely of elected MPs who ultimately will be accountable to the people. It is also imperative that the Special Select Committee be required, wherever possible, to consult all the elected Members of Parliament before it takes a final decision on the nominations to be submitted to the President. In order to give added weight to this selection procedure, I would suggest that a provision be written in the Bill stating that if more than 50% of the elected MPs were to object in writing to the appointment of a particular nominated MP, that appointment should not be made.”
“It would also put pressure indirectly on the elected MPs to improve their performance because if nominated MPs are perceived to be out performing elected MPs in providing superior arguments and alternative views, then the standing and support for the elected MPs would be diminished. I do not think that any reasonable person could possibly be against the raising of standards in Parliament. Sir, I am of course referring to possible scenarios. Any resemblance to past or existing situations is purely coincidental. Thirdly, a situation may arise where the ruling party loses a specialist Minister, such as the Finance Minister, Law Minister or even the Minister for Communications and Information. Sir, we should be aware that the most able and efficient among us need not necessarily be considered to be the most popular by the electorate. In situations like these where specialist Ministers are lost in a fit of voter passion there would be an irresistible temptation to appoint specialist NMPs to key positions in order to enhance the Government's ability to govern well. It would be a sad day if any ruling party has to appoint an office holder who has not been returned by the electorate. However, in my opinion, it would be equally tragic and more damaging if we have to settle for the less competent only because the most able are less popular. Sir, a precedent has already been established where losers in a general election can still get into Parliament. The Non-Constituency MP scheme allows people who have been rejected by the electorate to enter Parliament as NCMPs. These NCMPs may have a high number of votes but that does not diminish the fact that the majority in the electorate had rejected them.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity to comment on the Select Committee's Report. I shall not go into the principles of the nominated MP scheme, because I feel that this issue has been more than adequately debated during the Second Reading. However, I would like to comment on details of implementation of the scheme and the Select Committee's recommendations. The Select Committee has recommended that the Bill be amended to allow each Parliament to decide if it wants to have nominated MPs. I support this recommendation as being more preferable to the "self-destruct" clause or "sunset" clause. The addition of a self-destruct clause would definitely imply a lack of confidence or a lack of commitment in the Bill. If the choice of having nominated MPs is left to each Parliament to decide, I can visualize three possible scenarios where future Parliaments may decide to have nominated MPs. The first scenario is when the ruling party is returned with such a slim majority that it would feel compelled to appoint six like-minded nominated MPs in order to give itself a more comfortable majority. It is for this reason that I support the provision in the Bill that limits the voting rights of the nominated MPs to that applicable to the Non-Constituency MPs. The second scenario is when the ruling party has such an overwhelming majority that it can afford to appoint six nominated MPs who hold independent or opposing views to that of the Government. If this is done, I think public satisfaction will be enhanced as no one likes to see unpopular Bills getting an easy passage through Parliament.”
“But rather towards the creation of a road and transportation system that can accommodate as many cars as possible without adverse consequences. Thus satisfying this rising aspiration for car ownership for as many of our people as possible. However, in order for us to have the best possible chance for success, we would need to develop and evaluate our options carefully and to act quickly. We should not delay the implementation of long-term infrastructural improvements until the need becomes apparent. We should not take the 10 years it took us for evaluation and consultation on whether we should or should not build the MRT. Perhaps there were more urgent priorities then. However, Mr Speaker, Sir, in order for us to turn our vision for tomorrow into a reality we will have to act today. In conclusion, although I am not in full agreement with all the Select Committee's recommendations, I strongly support the second part of the motion that urges the Government to give the Committee's recommendations (many of which in my opinion are excellent recommendations) serious consideration.”
“Public transportation I am in complete agreement with the recommendations of the Select Committee on the upgrading of our bus services and the expansion of our MRT system and feeder services to cover public as well as private housing estates. I also support the recommendation that both private companies as well as bus companies be encouraged to provide feeder services in the private estates. On the subject of bicycles, these have been effectively used in countries like Holland and in Scandinavia. But I have also seen congestion caused by bicycles in China. However, until such a time when the driving habits of some of our motorists improve significantly, I think many car owners will feel compelled to drive cars, if only for self-defence. I therefore support the recommendation on the provision of bicycle tracks that do not interfere with other traffic and that are safe to ride on. Infrastructure Finally, on the subject of infrastructure for road transportation, I am gratified to note that the Select Committee has recognised the rising aspirations of our population to own private cars. Many of our young people include car ownership in their vision for tomorrow. The Select Committee has endorsed the creation of self-contained regional centres as a means of alleviating traffic pressure on highways and recommended better road planning. It has also identified challenging objectives such as the construction of double deck highways and underpasses, whilst acknowledging our limitations such as lack of land area and other resources. I feel that we should not consider our many limitations as being something completely insurmountable. Consequently, we should not divert all our ingenuity and energy into finding ways to curb the growth of our car population.”
“Both these situations are more related to the condition of the car rather than its age. Area Licensing Scheme I support the Select Committee's recommendation that the evening ALS should be changed to 4.30 pm till 6.30 pm. I am in complete agreement with the reasons given for this, as stated in the recommendations by the Committee. Parking On the issue of city parking, I would like to urge that the under-provision of parking opportunities in the city should never be used as a usage restraint measure. In cities where there are insufficient parking opportunities, illegal and indiscriminate parking has resulted, adding further to traffic congestion. In some cities in Europe, I was amazed at the ingenuity of some motorists in parking their cars. Cars are parked practically on sidewalks, on traffic roundabouts and in every conceivable and inconceivable space. In London, rather severe methods are being used against illegal parking. Cars are immobilised with wheel clamps and illegally parked cars are lifted by cranes onto trailers to be impounded. These measures have not solved their traffic congestion problems in the city. In Singapore, even with ample parking opportunities, the level of indiscriminate parking is still unacceptable. Imagine what it would be like if there are insufficient parking lots in the city. On the subject of home parking, I agree fully with the Select Committee's statement that the pricing of car parks in HDB estates is not a car control measure. Consequently, HDB car park pricing should be determined by real estate considerations and not by traffic control objectives.”
“Difficulty may also arise over distribution of quota for cars with different engine capacities. If no distinction was made between high and low engine capacities, then a lower income earner aspiring to purchase a one litre car may have to tender in competition with a high income earner going for a three litre car. It would be like pitting a flyweight boxer against a heavyweight with the results being quite predictable. As mentioned by the Member for Tanglin, even if the tenders take into consideration the capacity of the car, there is nothing to stop high income earners outbidding lower income earners for lower capacity cars. Where then would it leave the lower income earners as far as car ownership is concerned? PARF I support the recommendations of the Select Committee on the retention of PARF. I also agree that refinements to the PARF system could be introduced. However, I too do not agree with the implication that we should encourage the scrapping of cars as early as five years if they are in still in good condition. I am not in favour of creating conditions conducive to spawning a new industry of refurbishing cars that are still in good condition. Cars that are in good condition should be left on the roads. Cars that are not in good condition are the ones that should be refurbished or removed from the roads. The annual vehicle inspections currently accomplished on older cars provide us the opportunity to ascertain which cars meet standards we would like vehicles on our roads to achieve. Rather than vary the PARF with the age of the car, we should consider varying the PARF with the condition of the car. After all, the basic objective of the PARF scheme is to reduce the breakdown rate of cars on highways and the reduction of pollution from exhaust fumes.”
“The Chairman of the Select Committee has implied that with the introduction of the quota system the Government need no longer have to guess when determining the price of new cars under the pricing system. I agree with this view as the guesswork will now have to be done by the consumer trying to guess what his competitors will be bidding. The Select Committee has asserted that the quota system does not necessarily lead to higher or lower car prices. Theoretically, this is true. Car prices would depend basically on supply and demand. However, the current state of the economy, the high demand for new cars and the expected constraint on supply under the quota system, leave very little to the imagination as to which direction prices would go. The Select Committee has advised car buyers to acquire some savvy in the timing of their purchases. Would-be car buyers should wait for a period of low demand before making their purchases. The figures indicate that the period of low demand normally coincides with economic recession. It is therefore my hope that we do not have too many periods of low demand. Mr Speaker, Sir, the present system of vehicle ownership restraints, such as road tax, ARF and PARF, imperfect as it is, has proven over the years to be successful in regulating the growth of vehicles over the long term. I am glad that the Minister for Communications and Information also agrees with this view. It is also perceived by many, especially the potential first-time car buyers, as being more equitable and less restrictive than the quota system. There is price certainty before a purchase is made and anyone who is prepared to pay the posted price is assured of a car whether or not he has a scrap car.”
“Conceptually, the electronic road pricing system appears to have potential as an equally effective road usage restraint measure. However, I fully agree with the Committee's recommendation that the underlying principle for usage restraint measures should not be for the sole purpose of making it economically painful to drive to work as to make it a pleasure to take a bus or MRT instead. Quota System I do not think that it can be disputed that the quota system is the most effective way of controlling the car population. Introduction of the quota system may make all other car ownership restraint measures obsolete. But despite the fact that it is the most effective method, we should consider whether it is the most equitable or acceptable method. The quota system will have little impact on existing car owners who already have cars to scrap in order to buy new cars. The quota system therefore would in all likelihood be considered acceptable to existing car owners. The same, however, cannot be said, under all circumstances, for the first-time car buyer. He will not know for certain what price he may have to pay for his new car but will have to study bidding trends and quotas. To compound his uncertainty, he is not even sure if his tender will succeed. If he tenders too low, he will not get his car. If he tenders too high, he would have wasted his money. If car dealers had to tender, a similar situation of uncertainty would arise. If they tender too low, they may end up with no cars to sell for that particular month. However, it would be likely that they would tender on the high side in order to increase the chances of getting their supply. The additional costs would invariably be passed on to the consumers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity to comment on the motion. You have just eliminated about four pages of my speech. First of all, I too would like to congratulate the Select Committee for their very comprehensive Report. Some of the 71 submissions to the Committee have provided some very enlightening directions and suggestions on the various aspects of our land transportation policy. I would like to comment on the Select Committee's recommendations in the order as they appear in the Report. Ownership Restraint The Minister for Communications and Information has quoted the Committee as affirming the continued need for rigorous measures to control car ownership and attributed the total vehicle population as being the single most important determinant of congestion levels on our roads. However, I feel that a more important determinant of congestion levels is the proportion of car owners who do not make use of public transport to commute to and from work. The total vehicle population need not be a critical determinant of congestion levels if the vast majority of vehicle owners use public transport for work. The Chairman of the Select Committee, if I heard him correctly, has endorsed this view. I think we should aim for a situation where it is conducive for car owners to switch to public transport without having to give up their cars. I therefore support the recommendations of the Committee on upgrading the comfort and speed of buses and the expansion of the MRT system to all major public housing estates and feeder services to the private estates. Usage Measures Usage restraint measures, such as the ALS, have proven to be effective in reducing congestion on our roads.”
“But from the optimistic point of view, it affords us the widest scope of choice from a wider pool of value concepts and cultures to formulate our own common national ideology and value concept by skimming the cream from it. Although among us there are different cultures and value concepts, but on certain basic concepts of morality and judgment values, the contents are more or less the same - values and virtues such as loyalty to one's nation, filial piety to parents, sincerity to friends, responsibility in one's work and action and also honesty and integrity in character - while in politics, one should look up to freedom, justice, democracy and equality. All these are universally acceptable values to all races or possessed by them. So, it is not too difficult from these to form the universally acceptable common values in our national ideology that we all can identify ourselves with in not too long a time. I hope one day when we achieve this, we should not have any more need or regard for any consideration about race or ethnic differences when deliberating on any national problem or policy. It is hoped that in future, laws and measures having regard to racial demographic distribution including the GRC system will be a thing of the past, a record in history. When that day comes, we can then truly claim that we have successfully built an ideal multi-racial society.”
“The choice of residence is, of course, a personal freedom. Normally, it should not be interfered with. But at this important stage of national development, when different races are beginning to live harmoniously together, national identity is taking place and national ideology is taking shape, this symptom may cause certain hindrance to such development and growth of our nation. Therefore, this trend of segregation must be stopped. The Ministry of National Development and HDB are going to formulate certain new measures to curb this kind of development. When the new regulations are put into practice, they may cause certain inconvenience to some people who wish to choose certain localities and may affect the re-sale prices of their flats. I hope that the authorities concerned would give very careful consideration to such regulations before their cautious implementation; at the same time, they should let our people understand why such new regulations are necessary and how important their implementation is to the success of our multi-racialism. To balance the distribution of our various races in HDB estates is only a short-term solution. The long-term fundamental solution must be based on the inculcation of mutual national consciousness and common ideology and value concept among our various races who have different characteristic cultural backgrounds and different traditional value concepts. Moreover, as a metropolitan city nation, Singapore is easily amenable to foreign cultural infiltration and influence resulting in a complicated scenario. It is really difficult to formulate common national ideology and value concept from such a complicated situation.”
“We have been more successful than many other multi-racial countries. In education, the various language streams have been streamlined, and children of various races have an equal opportunity to enjoy a similar type of education. In housing, our Government has achieved and progressed much in urban renewal and development and, through HDB, housing development. Under the HDB flat allocation programme, racial enclaves have been replaced by a harmonious intermingling of the various races in all the estates. In community development, after years of efforts by the various departments and civic organizations, there has been increasing inter-racial participation in social activities. These facts are examples of our successful multi-racialism. But social development is a very complicated and slow process, particularly the long-term trend and results cannot be easily foreseen now. Some short-term policies usually will cause some aberration after many years of implementation. Therefore, the Government should always be vigilant and try to amend such policies now and then, when necessary. Examples of our population and family planning policies in the past many years are good cases in point. Recently, there has been the phenomenon of single ethnic race congregating and staying together in one locality in various HDB estates, thus upsetting the average demographic pattern. If this trend were to continue, then it would cause certain problems from lop-sided enclaves of single race. The Minister for National Development had mentioned about it in a recent speech. The Addendum to the President's Address also mentioned about this. The newspapers have also been discussing about this trend of people of one race choosing to stay together in similar ethnic enclaves.”
“In such multi-racial societies there are always certain racial problems. Their minor problems would be minor racial disputes. Their major problems would be civil strife and war. There are always various problems and troubles, too many to enumerate. Not many countries can really achieve racial harmony and co-existence amongst their peoples. Singapore is a young nation. The various races have very different characteristics and backgrounds and different cultures, religions and traditions. To make a success out of a society of these various races, moulding them into a nation is extremely difficult. Just as the President has mentioned in his Address, "to mould the various races into a homogenous people, at least at this stage, it is not possible." We can only look for harmonious living, peaceful co-existence, mutual cooperation and unity of the various races working together for a better future. In order to arrive at this eventuality, there are two important targets to achieve. One, there must be mutual understanding and mutual respect among the different races. While the various races should preserve their own culture and traditions they must also try to have some understanding of and respect for the culture, religion and values of the other races. There should not be any extremist or exclusionist attitude. Second, there should not be too wide a gap between the average standards of economy, education and living standard of the various races. In many multi-racial countries, this would usually be a factor causing racial problems. For many years, our Government has been implementing policies on education, housing, social development, etc with a view to achieve the abovementioned two objectives. After more than 20 years' implementation, we have achieved certain success.”
“Sir,long as the Chinese in Singapore are living under the influence of Confucianism they would not grudge the Government's grant of some privileges to our Malay compatriots. Certainly, they will extend to their Malay compatriots the "mutual concern" spirit of Confucianism in such injunctions like "have regard to our elders and also to others' elders, take care of our young and also of others' young", hoping that our Malay compatriots will likewise live in the mainstream of our nation and contribute towards the prosperity and progress of our country. At the same time, the authorities concerned should not hold any doubts, but try and win their support by helping them in a positive manner. Only then can our Malay compatriots be convinced by the "virtues" shown, then their support will be unshakeable. If the Government could vindicate the people of all races with "virtuous administration" benefiting them in various degrees, it would go a long way towards racial harmony in Singapore through the unconscious inculation of Confucianism in practice. Sir, I support the motion. Dr Koh Lip Lin (Nee Soon South)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, Singapore is a multi-racial country. Since our independence, we have been stressing on this characteristic. Our various policies have always been based on this concept of multi-racial harmony and mutual advancement. The Presidential Address once again stresses this point. As a multi-racial country, our prosperity, progress and security depend entirely on whether our various peoples can live peacefully together and cooperate and strive for nation building together. It is not easy to succeed in this kind of a society. Just look at other multi-racial societies in the world,big or small, east or west, or developing or developed countries.”
“Certainly, art education in the schools could play a very important role in this effort. Fortunately, the Curriculum Development Division of the Ministry of Education has already compiled a very comprehensive set of art teaching materials and pupils' resource books for the primary and secondary schools. This programme will not only enable the pupils to tackle drawing and related basic techniques in art but also lay emphasis on the appreciation of art. At present, a great majority of art teachers in secondary schools have gone through in-service training so that they would be able to teach this subject more effectively. However, in the primary schools the situation is not as good. I hope the Education Ministry will consider giving these primary school art teachers the same opportunity for in-service taining. Sir, Singapore is a multi-racial society. Social stability would depend very much on racial harmony. In Singapore where three quarters of our population are Chinese, yet the Chinese could live in harmony with members of the other communities. This must have been attributable to the influence and practice of Confucianism of the Chinese in Singapore. Modesty and tolerance advocated by Confucianism are the essential factors that lead to racial harmony in a society. The development of Confucianism nowadays is such that it has become one of the major schools of thought world-wide. It is no longer the monopoly of the Chinese. Japan and South Korea are countries where the influence of Confucianism is also felt. The study of Confucianism is therefore universal. Many of its principles, particularly those relating to self-cultivation and family order, etc. are applicable universally.”
“We must also play our part as parents. The society is a dyeing pot. Children will learn what they see and hear. Social behaviour has direct bearing on the children. Any corrupt social fad will lead to the moral degeneration of our younger generation. For this reason, all influential bodies or individuals should set high moral standard for the younger people to follow. Mr Speaker, Sir, now I would like to talk about the development of culture and art. We are very glad to read the reports submitted by the various sub-committees under the Culture and Arts Consultative Committee appointed by the Government, particularly the report by the Visual Arts sub-committee which I must say is extremely exciting. In the report it is suggested that the infrastructure and basic facilities for the development of arts should be increased and artists should also be supported and encouraged in a more positive manner. Although I do realize that if the Government is to accept these suggestions it would have to spend a large sum of money, I do hope that the Government would accept all the recommendations put up by the Visual Arts sub-committee. Sir, report affirms that the dynamic development of arts would be beneficial to our economic growth. This is very correct. This also refutes the general belief that only those economically and highly advanced countries could have culture and arts. From history, economy and arts are seen to be mutually complementing. Of course, if we want to transform Singapore into a fully cultured and gracious society before the turn of the century, we require not only the monetary and other contributions by the Government but also the joint efforts of voluntary organizations and individuals.”
“In fact, according to a survey, at present in our Chinese primary textbooks, the teaching and inculcation of oriental traditional values and morals take up about 45.4% of the contents, instructions about Singapore and the inculcation of loyalty to our nation take up about 11.3% and the introduction of ASEAN countries and the spirit of ASEAN cooperation take up about 1.8%. Of course, if we feel that the weightage of inculcation of traditional values is not sufficient, we could still increase it as necessary. But no matter how excellent the textbooks and the materials may be, if we do not have dedicated teachers who can give of their best, much of our efforts will be wasted as the result would not be as good as planned. Fortunately, in Singapore, our Chinese language teachers generally have been teaching the subject very well, to the best of their ability. Apart from teaching, they practise what they teach and by setting exemplary examples so that our pupils will learn from them much of the good traditions. To blame our Chinese teachers or the Chinese teaching materials as a scapegoat simply because the society is getting more and more westenized, I think it is not quite fair. We have to find out the crux of the matter and to prescribe the right medicine so that our younger generation might be saved. While we emphasize the importance of school education, we should not neglect the importance of home education and social education. As parents, we have to pay attention to the academic results of our children, in addition, we should also teach our children at home the basic etiquettes and the traditional values. We should not leave the responsibility for our children's education entirely in the hands of the teachers and our domestic servants.”
“Recently, the relevant authority has discovered that our younger generation has been deeply affected by Euro-American sub-culture and the whole society is getting more and more westernized. Therefore, it is time again for us to review our education system to see whether there is anything wrong with it, whether the standard of mother tongue is too low or whether the teaching hours are inadequate. In all fairness, one can say that the Education Ministry's approach to bilingualism is basically correct. In countries like Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and China, they have only one language. In the primary schools the pupils learn only one language, that is, their mother tongue. In Singapore, even with the very successful "Speak Mandarin" campaign, our children from kindergarten onwards still have to learn two languages, ie, English and their mother tongue, although they do not have to waste time learning dialects. English is to most of them a foreign language. Therefore, they have to spend more time to learn and master it. In comparison, the time available for the study of mother tongue is relatively less. With this limited time for the proper teaching of the mother tongue, teaching materials and textbooks would have to be specially designed and edited. To the best of my knowledge, the teaching materials for Chinese for primary schools and secondary schools are compiled and edited very carefully by specialists. Although these teaching materials are scientifically compiled with complementary use of teaching aids in mind so as to facilitate our pupils to learn and master the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in the shortest time possible, the editors of the textbooks have not forgotten to incorporate traditional values in the texts.”
“Finally, Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to add that conditions have never been more favourable for Singaporeans to forge consensus on what we would like our society to evolve into and to decide on how we intend to progress towards our new objectives. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the motion. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications and Information (Mr Ho Kah Leong)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, it is said that the plan for a year should be in spring and that the plan for a day should be in the morning. At the beginning of 1989, our President enunciated the Government's policy and its long-term and short-term objectives so that all the people in Singapore would know where our country is heading for so thereby they are encouraged to contribute their best towards nation building. The President's Speech covers a very wide range of subjects. It is truly worthy of our careful study and discussion. Here, let me give my views on three subjects - education, culture and racial harmony. Mr Speaker, Sir, the bilingual education policy has all along been the foundation of our education policy and I believe that this policy will not be changed in the foreseeable future. English is a language which enables us to earn a living. It is also the common language for communication among the various communities. While mother tongue is the language for us to learn our roots, it is also the language most used in our families and in our social life. The weightage of English vis-a-vis the mother tongue and their standards have all along been a controversial subject. Everybody has his own opinion and no definite conclusion has so far been arrived at.”
“Figures from the Skills Development Fund also reveal that many employers, especially from the small and medium enterprises, are just not providing sufficient training for their employees. The 1988 survey also revealed that 40% of the companies cited the tight work schedule as the main reason preventing them from training more. Rescheduling the working hours and off-days may be one way of alleviating this problem. If a worker has two off days in a week, he will have more time for training opportunities than a worker who is required to be at work six days a week. In a tight labour market, and with the prospect of increase in workforce contributing only 1-2% of sustainable growth, automation and increase in productivity should be the most viable alternatives for our continued prosperity. Employers should be persuaded and, if necessary, provided with more incentives to automate and upgrade their operations. Developing an increasingly over-dependence on unskilled foreign workers should be actively discouraged. The level of automation and its application in Singapore has still much room for development. A recent National Productivity Council document revealed that Singapore scored approximately 68 on a scale of 0: 100 for how sufficiently and appropriately automation is utilized in the main sectors. This figure is below that of Switzerland and Japan. Employers should also capitalize on the Singaporean worker's receptiveness to the introduction of labour-saving technology. The National Productivity Council document also revealed that Singapore has scored approximately 83 on a scale of 0: 100 with regard to the extent to which the workforce accepts labour saving technology. This figure is higher than all the NICs, USA, Switzerland and even Japan.”
“This is not a desirable situation and may lead to an adverse change in attitude where the young would no longer feel an obligation to care or be inclined to accommodate the needs of the elderly. In pursuing the objective of the 5-day working week, employees should also be realistic enough to accept the fact that where implementation is not feasible, other solutions may have to be considered or at worse the status quo maintained. Only in this way can we dissuade employers from taking the easy way out by applying the principle of equal misery to all in the interest of uniformity. Employees should also guard against erosion of the work ethic and should not expect a reduction of the current 42 to 44 hours of work per week with implemention of the 5-day week. The hours worked on a Saturday morning should be distributed over the remaining working days. Any reduction in the working hours may increase labour demand in an already tight labour market. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to comment briefly on another two issues, that is, worker training and the tight labour situation. In order to ensure that every working Singaporean has a skilled and well-paid job, it is imperative for our workforce to be trained. Employers must be fully committed to training their employees, whilst employees must regard training and skills upgrading as a continuous process throughout their working lives. A 1988 National Productivity Board survey on training revealed that 63% of employers in Singapore had spent less than 1% of their manpower cost on training. This figure lags far behind that of many advanced countries which may spend up to 4% of their manpower cost on training.”
“One way to enhance leisure time is to restructure, wherever possible, without compromising productivity or public services, the working hours and off-days. I therefore fully support the call made by the Member for Eunos GRC, Mr Chew, on the 5-day working week and would like to elaborate further on why companies and organizations including the public service and statutory boards that currently work a 5(r)-day week should be encouraged to implement a 5-day working week. Alternatively, the off-days should be rotated to maintain a weekly 6-day service to the public and yet enable employees to have at least an alternate 5-day week. I note that the Committee on Community Life in its report to the Advisory Council on Family and Community Life has made a call for the implementation of the 5-day working week in order to give people more time to interact with their neighbours and family. A similar recommendation has been made by the Committee on Family Life. This Committee has noted an alarming erosion of family ties as so many Singaporeans are so busy earning a living and getting ahead at work that they have no time for their families and leisure activities. In a 1987 survey commissioned by the Ministry of Community Development, 55% of the respondents cited work commitments as their reason for not doing things together with the family. Figures from the Ministry of Labour indicate that there are already 207,000 married women who are employed. With this increasing trend towards an environment where both parents work, as pointed out by the hon. Member for Yuhua, a situation may develop where there is insufficient time for parents to nurture and develop the necessary bonds with their children.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the motion moved by the hon. Member for Siglap. Sir, the President in his Address to Parliament has illustrated the Government's plan for the country as it approaches the 21st century. It is an exciting plan, promising challenging times ahead in which every Singaporean has a part to play. The older generation has clearly demonstrated to us that there is very little that can hinder a hard-working people, led by an able and honest government that is determined enough to achieve their objectives. The initial objectives of providing affordable housing, eradication of widespread unemployment, provision of electricity and clean water in all households have long been achieved. Our preoccupation now is to decide what sort of gracious society we would like Singapore to evolve into at the turn of the century. Unfortunately this new objective is a little more abstract and perhaps requires further definition in order for it to be fully tangible to all Singaporeans. Defining the material needs alone, such as ownership of a washing machine, car or microwave oven, may not be sufficient. It is my belief that Singaporeans will increasingly strive for artistic, recreational and other altruistic objectives. The Government, with recommendations from the six Advisory Councils, could perhaps create more avenues to satisfy these aspirations. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would also like to comment on a few labour-related issues as we progress towards our new objectives. In order for Singaporeans, especially the average working person, to be able to indulge in non-materialistic pursuits, such as art, culture and recreation, he has to have enough leisure time at his disposal.”