Chew Heng Ching
Singapore
“Sir, in terms of sports facilities, we, as a nation, are certainly very well-endowed. We have many stadiums, swimming complexes, sports halls, multi-purpose fields, tennis courts, school fields and many, many more.”
“These jobs need not necessarily be limited to menial jobs like cleaners, sweepers and lift attendants, but could be extended to include the services of older professionals such as engineers, accountants, managers, and clerical officers.”
“For this reason, Sir, I am a bit disappointed with the Budget in that we could have done more for our SMEs, many of which have also made sacrifices in the past and are still struggling and not able to reap the benefits of economic recovery.”
“In so doing, we may have addressed the form of the issue at high cost to our charities, deterred some good people from coming forward to serve and to volunteer, but may miss out on the substance, which is the bigger picture, ie, what is the best means with reasonable level of disclosure and accountability to help meet the needs of the nee…”
“May I, therefore, suggest that the Government look into the plight of these wet market stall owners. Many wanted to give up their stalls but, with outstanding loans from the banks, they could not. Some wanted to sell their stalls but there were no buyers. And their children are not willing to take over the stalls.”
“May I therefore propose that the Ministry, in the light of this massive LUP project announced by the PM, review the adequacy and the use of town council sinking funds.”
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“For a local company to get incentives, sometimes you have to go through and sort out which statutory board you have to go to get the respective incentives. I think it will be very helpful to local businessmen to have a one-stop centre for all these incentives so that he need not go through so many areas to look for incentives. I hope the Minister will consider looking into having a one-stop centre for these incentives. The local companies have been urged to upgrade, but there are also other problems in addition to financial problems. There could be peculiar needs of each industry. For instance, in engineering, labour shortage could be a very big problem. In the fashion industry, a display-cum-exhibition centre could be of great help to them. So you will see that each industry has its own peculiar needs in addition to the financial needs they have. I would ask the Minister to consider a study of each individual industry to see what are their peculiar needs, so that they can be addressed, in addition to the financial incentive. Sir, the third area that local companies have problem in when they upgrade is that Singapore is a small domestic market. There are a lot of Government-owned companies and these companies have made the market even smaller. I think more Government-owned companies will be formed in the future. There is already on the table an amendment to allow NPB to go into commercial activities by incorporating commercial outfits. Sir, this will also further hamper the local companies in upgrading themselves because they need very much the revenue from businesses that they can obtain in Singapore.”
“Sir, in 1990, the Singapore dollar appreciated against all major currencies except the Deutschemark and the Pound Sterling. The Singapore dollar appreciated by 8.6% against the US dollar and 2.4% against the Yen. The Singapore dollar also appreciated against Asian currencies, strengthening by 8-9% against both the Hongkong dollar and the Malaysian Ringgit, and 12-15% against the Korean Won, the Taiwan dollar and the Indonesian Rupiah. Sir, I am aware that a strong Singapore dollar has its merits. It guards against imported inflation. In terms of economic management, we have done very well in controlling inflation. On the other hand, by keeping our Singapore dollar strong, it affects our international competitiveness. There is a need for a trade-off. Already the rapid increase in the cost of doing business is a cause for concern. Further strengthening of the Singapore dollar may worsen the situation. And if we lose our international competitiveness, the external demand for our goods and services will drop, affecting economic growth. I would like to ask the Minister if he shares the same concern about the current strength of the Singapore dollar affecting our economic growth and, if so, whether the Government will do anything to try to check further appreciation of the Singapore dollar. Mr Philip Tan Tee Yong (Paya Lebar): Sir, local companies have been urged to upgrade very frequently - a call made by Government officials and Ministers. The local companies face financial problems and to some extent these have been helped by the various incentives given by the Government. But the fact is that these incentives come from various statutory boards - the TDB, the Enterprise Development Division, FPC, NPB, NCB, and so on.”
“Sir, labour shortage is a constraint to economic growth. While we have in place long term solutions to overcome this constraint, for example, greater automation, promotion of higher value-added industries, the growth triangle, and so on, we are faced with a very tight labour market situation in the short term. As long as there is a continuing demand for our goods and services, this tight labour market will drive wages up. Sir, I believe the best short term measure is still to liberalise our foreign worker policy. Currently, the main mechanisms used to regulate foreign workers are the foreign workers levy and the dependency ceiling which places a limit on the number of foreign workers that each company could employ. The levy is $250 for foreign maid, $300 for the manufacturing and services sectors, $250 for skilled workers in the construction industry, $350 for unskilled workers in the construction industry, and $350 for workers in the shipyard industry. The dependency ceiling is generally 40% for manufacturing sector and 20% for the services sector. Sir, the whole mechanism appears very complex. Mr Chandra Das has proposed a two-tier system as an alternative. I am suggesting a simplified multi-tier system as an alternative to be applicable across all economic sectors based on the following example: $250 levy for dependency ceiling up to 25%; $300 levy for dependency ceiling between 25% and 30%; $350 levy for dependency ceiling between 30% and 35%; and $400 levy for dependency ceiling between 35% and 40%. So the minimum levy is $250 and the maximum dependency ceiling is 40%. I hope the Government will consider these suggestions. I move on to the next cut. This is with regard to the strength of the Singapore dollar.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I have two cuts. Can I take them together?”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, the SAF Scholarship, like the President's Scholarship, is among the most prestigious scholarships awarded by the Government. SAF scholars are specially selected based on their academic results, leadership qualities and participation in ECA. These scholars are specially groomed for leadership position in our Armed Forces. Sir, in recent years, we have seen a brain drain of the SAF scholars to the private sector while a few have opted to join the Administrative Service or statutory boards. My concern, Sir, is the loss to the SAF with the resignation of these SAF scholars. This will affect the morale of our regular soldiers. It will be a waste of state money training and grooming these scholars to assume leadership position in the SAF, only to find that they are not interested in a military career when their bond expires and they resign to join the private sector. My question to the Minister is what is MINDEF doing to try to arrest the brain drain of SAF scholars.”
“Infrastructural development will eventually taper off. Furthermore, as our economic pie expands, more and more of our national income will be generated overseas as more Singapore companies expand abroad. And there is no need for an equivalent large public sector to try to support this foreign income. May I therefore suggest that the Minister consider lowering the long-term target of Government expenditure to 20% (and maybe even 15%) of GDP. Sir, I support the programme to set up Management Accounting Systems in all Ministries. This will allow the Government to track costs, identify poor performance, inefficiencies and wastage in the civil service. This exercise though useful must be closely monitored. I would like to caution Ministries against using this exercise as an excuse to increase rates and fees to justify their costs. Alternatively, Ministries could be so cost conscious that they reduce the level of services to the public. If this happens, perhaps the Service Quality Improvement Unit to be set up under the Prime Minister's Office should look into this matter. In conclusion, Sir, I believe this is the most difficult budget ever drawn up by the Finance Minister. It was prepared in the midst of the Gulf War and conflicting reports regarding the US recession and world economic trends. There are just too many variables, too many unknowns, and too many uncertainties. Because of these, I believe the budget as presented before us cannot be bolder. Any prudent Finance Minister will have adopted a similarly conservative approach. Sir, I support the motion.”
“Since economic trends are uncertain until perhaps the middle of this year, may I suggest that the Government consider deferring its decision to increase employers' CPF contribution by 1% till after the second quarter of this year; and if prospects are less encouraging then, increase the employers' CPF contribution by only 1/2% to bring it to 17% instead of 17 1/2%. Sir, I applaud the Finance Minister for the various incentives announced in his budget to try to revitalise certain sectors of our economy. A reduction of 1/2% CPF contribution from the employees, though small, will help boost domestic demand. So is a reduction in entertainment duty and tourism cess. This will help the retail and the restaurant sectors tide over their current difficulties. Higher Government development expenditure, which is 22% higher than the previous financial year, aimed at improving our infrastructure will help pump-prime the economy. Sir, the Finance Minister's budget objective to ensure a balanced budget by raising enough revenue to finance expenditure and keeping the public sector lean and trim is a prudent one. Indeed we are among the few Governments in the world that enjoy a small budget surplus every year. It reflects prudent financial management on the part of the Government. Government's total expenditure as a percentage of GDP is currently estimated at 23%. The Minister stated in his Budget Statement that this is below the long-term objective target of 25%. Sir, I would like to ask the Minister what determines the long-term rate of 25%. Why do we set the size of the public sector at 25% of GDP? To me, this percentage share should drop as we continue to privatise the public sector. There is no need for a large public sector as our economy matures.”
“In 1990, real wages increased by 6.4% compared to 3.4% for productivity growth. This trend is indeed unhealthy. We have to watch it carefully. We must avoid what happened in the early 1980s when wage increases were so high compared to productivity growth that we lost our international competitiveness and landed ourselves in a recession. Wage increases are inevitable as they reflect the tight labour market situation. The Government too, as the largest employer of manpower in Singapore, faces the same constraint resulting in wages in the public sector having increased markedly in recent years. And wage increases in the public sector do influence wage increases in the private sector. There have been instances in the past when the private sector tried to match the wage increases in the public sector. I would therefore like to urge the Government to ensure that, in the light of uncertain economic prospects ahead, wage increases this year be as moderate as possible. If the Government takes the lead by moderating wage increases this year, I am sure the private sector will follow. Sir, whilst I say the budget is generally conservative, there is one aspect of it which is a bold one, and that is the decision to increase employers' CPF contribution by1% in July this year. No doubt, the increase will add on to the high wage costs. This would put further burden on companies, particularly the SMEs which are already facing high wage and rental increases given the scarcity of our labour and land resources.”
“The share of the manufacturing sector has, however, remained constant at 29% during the same period. This move to becoming a services economy is inevitable given the scarcity of labour and land resources and our strong Singapore dollar. It is also generally in line with the development of most OECD economies where the services sector forms a sizeable proportion of their economic pie. Indeed the formation of the Growth Triangle will further accelerate this transition to a services economy. Sir, the second structural change in our economy is the foreign component of our national income and that is the gap between our GNP and GDP. The gap based on current market prices has increased from about $0.2 billion in 1988 to about $1.2 billion in 1990, which is a six-fold increase over a period of three years. This shows that our efforts in recent years to encourage Singapore companies to invest abroad have been successful. However, this foreign income component as a percentage of our total GNP is still small at 1.9%. The Government and the private sector must collectively step up their efforts to get more companies to invest abroad. The introduction of tax exempt dividends paid out of foreign income is a good move. However, this move alone is not enough. A major obstacle to companies investing abroad is that they will be taxed twice, once on the profits generated and, secondly, when they try to remit their profits back to Singapore. May I therefore urge the Government to speed up the Double Taxation Avoidance negotiation process with many more countries. This will further spur Singapore companies to invest abroad. Sir, in recent years, a trend has emerged in our economy which is a cause for concern. Real wages increased faster than productivity growth.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, after several years of sustained economic growth, the US economy has gone into a recession, reportedly a mild one. The UK economy is in the midst of a rather severe recession. The growth of two other powerful economies, Germany and Japan, have slowed down. The OECD economy as a whole is projected to show a growth of less than 2% this year. The economies of our neighbours, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia, however, remain buoyant. But they are likely to be affected by the recession and the anticipated fall in commodity and oil prices later this year. The impasse in the GATT's talk remains a concern. Much economic uncertainties still prevail after the end of the Gulf War. Sir, under this world economic scenario, the outlook for the Singapore economy remains uncertain, albeit much slower economic growth. The outlook would have been worse if the Gulf War had protracted. Fortunately, it was shortlived. In the light of these uncertain economic prospects and the general economic slowdown, the Budget, as presented by the Finance Minister, is a sensible one. It is conservative, it is prudent. It is a Budget aimed at fine-tuning the economy to help those sectors affected by the recession. It is also a Budget with a little pump-priming to the economy. Sir, to me, the various incentives announced in the Budget reveal two structural transformations taking place in our economy. Both structural changes show that we are on course in our plan to become a developed economy by the turn of the century. The first structural change shows that we are becoming a more services-oriented rather than a manufacturing-oriented economy. The services sector forms something like 55% of our GDP in 1990 compared to 42% in 1980.”
“More importantly, everybody must be given a chance to participate. I believe that sometime ago our Senior Minister also mentioned this. I think many people are interested in golf. If in playing golf you have only the first three prizes, then it would be difficult for you to get more people to take part in the golf game. So long as in our daily life we pay attention to the need for everybody to participate and get their due reward, then I believe gradually our younger people will be able to accept the proper relationship between the individual, the nation and the society. The more important thing is that we must practise what we preach. I would like to congratulate our Government for being able, at a time of prosperity and stability, to think of the common shared values for building a better and stronger future. More importantly, the future stability and prosperity of Singapore will depend on the acceptance of the people of these shared values.”
“But personally, I feel that nepotism is not a characteristic of Asia alone. It is a characteristic of human beings all over the world. Now let me deal with "Nation before community and society above self". In the past few years, during the economic recession our workers sacrificed 15% of their CPF. At a time when the country required us to tighten our belts, our people have done so. So we have already done all this. The question now is: how do we make our people realise that the importance of the relationship between the family, the country and the society? When the country is broken, the family units would collapse. So this is a very important ideal. How do we tell our young citizens that in real life they must always think of their relationship with the family and the country? My colleagues have mentioned earlier on, that in Singapore, what they do and what they say in the Government departments and the private organisations, are closely related. So when we talk about reward according to merit, when we talk about meritocracy, when we talk about the individuals' expression of their talents, they must also think of other people's interests and the interest of the nation and society. So it is a question of balance. I do not agree with the individualism belief that for the interest of the group we must follow the rule of "from each his best, and to each according to his needs". We should go for the rule of "from each his best and to each according to his worth". So the Government and various organisations should reward those who have contributed to society and the nation, irrespective of their qualifications. We must not go by their paper value. So long as an individual has contributed to society or an organisation, we must give him due regard and reward.”
“So it is right and proper for the committee on the White Paper not to include "Belief in God" as one of the values. On the question of family as a basic unit of society, this perhaps is not a new concept. During our school days we have also learnt that we must look after the old of others as our own, we must look after our own children and extend our care to other's children. So the respect for our own elderly people and other elderly people and the care for our children and other children, is already something that we have learnt in our schools from young. The question now is: how do we transmit this value to our younger generation? When we talk about the old philosophy, we might ask whether this old philosophy is suitable to the modern society. When we stress the importance of the family, when we stress the importance of the relationship between brothers and sisters, will there be any nepotism involved? In the old Asian society, because it was basically an agricultural society, the head of the family was always the man in charge and in the village it was the village chief who dictated and ruled the village. So it was the rule of man rather than the rule of law in the old Asian society, in which nepotism could spread. But Singapore is a country which practises the rule of law and we have a clean and honest government. Therefore, under the enlightened leadership together with the sound system of the rule of law, I believe that when we encourage the strengthening of family relations we would not give rise to the plague of nepotism. Yesterday I heard some colleagues saying that they were concerned about the emphasis given to the family as a unit because it might bring us backward to the philosophy of old Asia.”
“There are people who express the view that we must have concrete and vivid examples to express our cultural values. This should not be branded as chauvinism. Mr Chiam See Tong, just now, criticised that the Speak Mandarin campaign was a mistake. When we had a dialogue session at the Feedback Unit, I was pleased to note that our Malay colleagues, our Malay compatriots and Indian compatriots, also understood that we should discard dialects in favour of Mandarin. But now as an ethnic Chinese, he does not seem to understand. So we must appreciate that when a community tries its efforts to retain its own cultures and traditions, we should not regard such behaviour as chauvinistic. I must also express my support for what is stated in the White Paper that the majority race should not impose pressure on the minority race. I fully support this point. We must not go into the wrong rut of Sri Lanka. But at the same time we must also stress that when a certain ethnic group tries to preserve its own culture and tradition, we should not have any misunderstanding or suspicion. Another point is that many people have expressed a need to include "Belief in God" as one of the values. Singapore has never opposed "Belief in God". We are a secular state and we would also welcome people to believe in God. But because we are a secular state, it is not proper to include "Belief in God" as one of the values. There is no specific religion which we regard as the state religion and there is no religion which can represent all the communities. We must also respect the fact that everybody has got a free choice in terms of religion and we must also respect the right of an individual not to believe. And people who believe in God, they believe in different kinds of Gods.”
“These are the values that we can identify with and these are values of universal application. So we are already working on a correct foundation on these values. Now the question is whether we should have another value between voters and the Government. As a start we should consider the relationship between the individuals, the nation and the society. On these five shared values, I just want to say something on the question of details and implementation. On racial and religious harmony and consensus instead of contention, we know that an ideology and a set of values cannot come about overnight. It is the result of many years of accumulation of experiences and the distillation of the essence. It is some kind of guidelines that we must follow and these guidelines, as I have said, have universal application. In other words, they are above the territorial boundaries. So we must have the confidence to absorb these values as something that we can all accept. In one same plant of bougainvillaea, we can have flowers of different colours. We can see white, yellow, pink and red flowers blooming in the same bougainvillaea plant. So I hope that in our Singapore society we will also be able to take the best of all the cultures and philosophies from various communities to produce a very colourful culture for all of us. We must have confidence in our Asian cultural values. We must seek concord while maintaining differences and get consensus through consultation. It is only thus that we will be able to continue to enjoy our prosperity. When we try to maintain our own cultural heritage, we should not impose this on others. So when we pursue our own cultural heritage, we cannot be branded as chauvinistic so long as we are not arrogant.”
“He asked why we should have shared values. We know that in this highly commercialised and individualistic society, the general citizens and the community leaders are only concerned with problems related to themselves or to money, such as the three-quarter tank rule, the increase in television licence fees, the time-based telephone charges and so on and so forth. So when I discussed with these people, there were only a few intellectuals who showed interest in shared values. Yet when the people are having a good life and enjoying peace, our Government thinks ahead in anticipation of the dangers that may come, by presenting this White Paper to show the relationship between the people, the individuals, the society and the nation. I think it is timely and a good thing to do. Perhaps some of our elders may say that although we did not have such shared values in the past, we were still able to bring peace and prosperity to Singapore. But it was because we had this kind of values in the minds of our people that we have succeeded. So what the Government has done now is to synthesise and collate all these values and put them in a formal format. So as a mother, I have also considered it important for me to transmit such values to my children. In Singapore, we want to continue to prosper, live in peace, and to maintain the family as a unit of society. I think it is time now for us to work on spreading and propagating such values. When I looked at the White Paper I felt that the five core values should not meet with any criticism or controversy from any quarters. We must congratulate the committee for having been able to work out such fine shared values transcending the various cultures, religions and races.”
“No doubt the implementation has to be a piecemeal approach, but some body, some organisation, or some Ministry, must provide the leadership, the catalyst, the coordinating and the advisory role. Some body must draw up policy guidelines for implementation as well as provide interpretation and clarifications on the various shared values. Sir, I believe the appropriate body is the Ministry of Community Development. I think this Ministry should be given this additional role or responsibility to coordinate the promotion and inculcation of shared values. And it should work closely with not just the Ministry of Education but also MINDEF. I believe the Ministry of Community Development is also the most appropriate Ministry to take on this responsibility because they are the best body to be able to reach out to non-Government bodies like the clan associations, religious institutions, community organisations, private sector business organisations, NTUC and also the mass media to seek their help to promote and inculcate shared values. Finally, Sir, the inculcation process is a long-term one and we should not rush into it. Even if policy guidelines and plans have been drawn up, they should be constantly reviewed and updated. And we cannot expect to see immediate results, not in one or two years, not even in five years, maybe in 10 years or longer. I would like to urge all Singaporeans to play their part to make this whole exercise of inculcating shared values a worthwhile one and help us develop a unique Singapore identity by the turn of the century. 2.35 pm Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (Yuhua)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of this motion together with my colleagues. When I listened to the Opposition Member, I believe he was confused.”
“By continuously stressing this value as a national value, if not among the five shared values, Singaporeans, particularly the young ones' will constantly be aware that it is in their best interest to maintain a clean and honest government in power and they will continue to elect good candidates into Parliament. Sir, I am heartened by what Deputy Prime Minister BG Lee Hsien Loong has said in the House yesterday. He mentioned that besides the five core values, the Government would look into how to inculcate political values among our young in schools. I suggest the Government also look into how to inculcate these values among our national servicemen in the SAF. Sir, we have spent much time engaging in intellectual debate on what should be our shared values. Equally important is to discuss how these values are to be promoted and inculcated among Singaporeans. And I would like to touch briefly on this implementation process. This is not a simple process by all means. It is not something which could be done overnight. Deputy Prime Minister BG Lee Hsien Loong has said in the House yesterday that there is no need for a national council to be formed to draw up detailed implementation plan. Sir, I agree with him, but I believe that there is a need for a coordinating body. Some body, some Ministry, some organisation, must be made responsible for coordinating the implementation process. Many parties are involved in the promotion and inculcation process. Besides the Ministry of Community Development and the Education Ministry, I believe the clan associations, community organisations, religious institutions, private sector business organisations, the NTUC, the SAF and even the mass media, all have their role to play in imparting these values.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Motion moved by my parliamentary colleagues in this House. Contrary to what Dr Lee Siew-Choh has said, I think the process of formulating these Shared Values in itself is a classic example of the consultation and consensus-building process in action. In the last two years or so, many organisations and many Singaporeans have come forward to take part in various forums and discussions to give their views and contributions towards the formulation of these Shared Values. I fully endorse the five core values proposed in the White Paper, as I believe they form the fundamental values upon which we will continue to strengthen our nation-building efforts as well as develop a Singapore identity. Sir, many people have asked for one other value to be included and this is the value of a clean and honest Government. I cannot agree with them more. I feel strongly that these values deserve some mention again today. I know it was debated yesterday. This sixth value, to me, is important in our nation-building effort. Our success in the last 30 years or so has been possible because we were able to preserve the tradition of a clean and honest government. Corruption is a serious problem in many countries. Here in Singapore we are unique. It is a non-issue. And it does not mean that we should ignore this value. To do so may indeed send a wrong signal to our younger Singaporeans, and we should not leave it to the PAP to remind the electorate every four or five years the need to preserve a clean and honest government.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the objective and principle behind the Bill. I have a few questions for the Minister. Sir, when the House debated the half-tank rule in April 1989, the Minister said the scheme must be as simple as possible and should not cause traffic congestion. The Minister also argued that it was difficult in practice to implement the three-quarter tank rule because the three-quarter mark was either missing altogether from the meter or very near the full-tank mark. I think this is true in practice as the fuel gauges of cars are generally non-linear in scale. In the light of the Minister's argument in April 1989, I would like to ask the Minister why is he going ahead to implement the three-quarter tank rule. Second question: would the Minister be able to enlighten us with some ballpark figures on the tax revenue per month that will be forgone if the three-quarter tank rule is not implemented? Another question: will the Minister consider lowering taxes on petrol should petrol prices rise substantially after the Gulf war has started? Also, will the Minister consider not implementing the three-quarter tank rule as part of the Government's efforts to try to encourage Singaporeans to visit Malaysia this year? Finally, I support the suggestion by Mr Chandra Das that a grace period of one month be given for Singapore motorists before the three-quarter tank rule is implemented.”
“If anything, they should realise that by their actions they are in fact undermining our institutions and the stability of our society. Sir, the imposition of a maximum allowable number on the circulation of foreign newspapers represents an efficient carrot and stick approach. Those publications that do not engage in our local politics should be encouraged to grow, if they can. The Minister should therefore ensure that the maximum circulation allowed for these newspapers would not at any time restrict their sales. In other words, he should be generous in granting the maximum. But for those errant newspapers the imposition of a ceiling offers us a gradation of measures instead of just banning or gazetting to make them improve their behaviour because their circulation will be affected and they would lose money. There may, however, be some who would not concede and who feel that if they can get their own governments to apply pressure on us, then we will capitulate. But they are sadly mistaken. They will find at the end that it is they, not us, who will have to capitulate because ultimately they are here to make money and this will have to be their main concern. Sir, I am also happy to note that the Minister may impose other conditions to make the offshore newspapers accept the jurisdiction of Singapore courts, appoint agents in Singapore to receive service of any notice or legal process and furnish a security deposit to meet any liability arising out of legal action. These measures will undoubtedly induce responsible behaviour and ensure that any damage caused by those who abuse their privilege will be made good. Sir, I support the Bill.”
“I want to know whether the Minister or his Ministry has assessed the impact of this Bill on the Government's efforts to promote and develop the publishing and printing industry. One observation often raised by critics in the industry is that although the impact of the Bill may appear small and negligible, it carries other implications. It may send a wrong signal to many a foreign publisher who may then pull out totally from Singapore. This indirect impact could be serious in the longer term, especially on our efforts to promote the Singapore publishing and printing industry which is indeed one of the niche industries identified by the Economic Committee. Sir, I should be grateful if the Minister would give his comments on these observations and perhaps reassure us that the Bill would not affect Singapore's status as a printing and publishing centre and that the Government will remain committed to promoting the industry. Dr John Chen Seow Phun: Sir, I welcome the proposed amendments to enable the Government to deal more effectively with the foreign press. The current situation is like allowing any stranger to freely enter your home and when he misbehaves or messes up the place you find it difficult to ask him to make good his misdeeds and the damages he has caused. Without the requirement for a permit to circulate in Singapore, the foreign press may assume that they automatically have the right of circulation here. This may lead to their believing that they also have the right to interfere in our domestic politics through their publications and behaving so either with the hope of increasing their circulation or with malicious intent. I cannot believe that those who engage in our domestic politics should feel that they are here to educate Singaporeans.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to declare my interest in speaking on this Bill, as I work in the publishing and printing industry. Sir, I support the Bill. I understand the rationale for the Bill. But I would like to ask the Minister whether the Bill would have any economic impact, directly or indirectly, on Singapore. Sir, the publishing and printing industry is one of the fastest growing industry in recent years. In terms of value added, it averaged 15% growth in the last three years. The Government through EDB has been promoting Singapore as a regional publishing and printing centre. Today, Singapore is a major distribution centre for many local, regional and international journals and newspapers. Singapore is also one of the most competitive commercial printing centres in this region, competing strongly with Hong Kong, Korea and Japan. Most of the journals and newspapers which are distributed in the region are also printed in Singapore. Because of our strategic location and advanced infrastructure, many publishing and printing companies have indeed set up operations, including regional head office in Singapore. Sir, the printing and publishing industry has had its share of contribution to our economy. In 1989, there were more than 300 establishments in the industry with a total output of $1.5 billion and a value-added of over $800 million. The industry today employs more than 15,000 workers. I am concerned, Sir, as to whether the introduction of this Bill would affect Singapore's status as a regional printing and publishing centre. I know the Minister said that the impact is small as only a limited number of foreign publications would be affected by the Bill.”
“I agree with the answer given by the Minister but I would like to ask the Minister whether, in his view, to allow 1,000 foreign workers as cleaners in HDB estates, it is less important than allowing 100 foreign workers in, say, the construction industry or the electronics industry which will benefit only a few companies. Going by the answer given by the Minister, he seems to imply that automation and higher conservancy charges may be the answer. But in practice the tight labour market situation has resulted in many Singaporeans not prepared to take up jobs as cleaners even in spite of higher pay because of the poor working environment. Would the Minister also consider relaxing perhaps the quota on engagement of cleaners by cleaning contractors?”
“Town councils have already taken over the management of most HDB estates. Through the councillors, residents will now have more say on how they want to run their HDB estates. I am happy to see many of my fellow MP colleagues in this House together with their councillors going about most enthusiastically improving the estates under their charge in order to try to meet the needs of residents. One area, Sir, however, requires review and fine tuning if town council is to be a success. The current tight labour market has indirectly affected the cleanliness of some HDB estates. Cleaning contractors have difficulty finding workers. Singaporean workers prefer to work in offices and factories where the environment is more conducive. I therefore urge the Government, particularly the Ministry of Labour, to be more liberal in granting work permits to foreign workers engaged by town council cleaning contractors. Finally, Sir, I am heartened by the willingness of many Singaporeans, companies, voluntary and grassroot bodies to contribute towards the 25th Anniversary Charity Fund. This is a clear signal that a strong sense of nationhood has prevailed. We have come of age. We are confident of our future. So long as we continue to work hard, remain nimble and agile in adjusting to changes, are conscious of our weaknesses and potential dangers and maintain the same spirit of unity and cohesion, I am confident that we shall continue to progress and prosper. By the year 2000, Singaporeans will enjoy a standard of living much higher, if not double, what they are enjoying today, in terms of better living environment, social cohesion, and overall improvement in the quality of life.”
“We need more successful home grown companies like SIA, DBS, F&N, Yeo Hiap Seng, Keppel Corporation, Wearnes, Singapore Technologies, Times Publishing and so on. It is therefore crucial that in the next 10 years, the Government directs more attention and resources to develop local enterprises. The formation of the Enterprise Development Council is a good start. Sir, given our limited resources in land and manpower, we have no choice but to continue to improve our productivity if we want to grow. Whilst skills upgrading, labour-management cooperation and automation have helped raise productivity, we must watch the work attitude of Singaporean workers, particularly the younger ones. Already we are seeing signs of job-hopping given the very tight labour market situation. There is nothing wrong with Singaporeans changing jobs to take on enlarged responsibility and provide greater contributions. But if Singaporeans change jobs simply for higher pay, then this will affect our level of competitiveness. Some from among us, particularly the younger Singaporeans, cannot wait. In pursuit of rapid career advancement and material wealth and of course peer group pressure, they tend to switch jobs. If this happens too often, employers will be reluctant to invest in their training and upgrading and hence affects their level of productivity. I would like to urge Singaporeans to look longer term, show greater commitment and loyalty to their organisations. Sir, I am not saying job hopping is a serious problem now but it is certainly a trend which must be monitored closely. It has the undesirable twin effects of lowering our productivity and affecting our international competitiveness. Sir, the First Session of this Parliament saw the implementation of the Town Councils Act.”
“Sir, as we embark on the next phase of development to become a fully developed country, we should take stock of our achievements and shortfalls, review our plans, fine tune them and ensure that undesirable trends in the world do not undermine the achievements we have so painstakingly built in the last 25 years. The introduction of the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Bill and the Elected President Bill are but two examples of counter-measures we need to take against these trends. The intention behind the Bills are good and I urge Singaporeans to support them. As an addendum to the President's Address, the Government has laid down its economic strategy in the next decade. The aim, as everyone knows, is to sustain a 4-6% economic growth through raising productivity, tapping international and regional markets and cooperating with neighbouring countries for regional prosperity. Foreign MNCs will be encouraged to use Singapore as a strategic node in their regional strategy. Singapore will continue to be promoted as a hub for services and high-value added manufacturing activities. The Government will continue to capitalise on its communication links, business infrastructure and strategic location in promoting Singapore, and to encourage both local and foreign companies to invest in neighbouring countries to develop their potential. Sir, this strategy of attracting foreign MNCs to Singapore is good. However, we cannot solely depend on foreign MNCs for growth. If we were to achieve a fully developed economy, we need more local enterprises. We must therefore step up our efforts to develop them. We must encourage the formation, the growth and the upgrading of indigenous Singapore companies so that they could compete internationally.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the motion moved by the Member for Tanglin thanking the President for the Speech which he delievered on behalf of the Government at the opening of the Second Session of this Parliament. The Government's programmes in the next few months will bring to an end an important phase in the history of Singapore's growth. The end of this year will be a watershed one in our political development as we see Mr Goh Chok Tong takes over as the next Prime Minister of Singapore. Sir, this transition in political leadership cannot be more timely. We now stand on the threshold of the last decade of this century facing not only bright prospects but also great challenges. Whilst our closest competitors - Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea - have all been hit by a wave of political uncertainty and unrest, we enjoy political stability. Our economy remains buoyant. The world economy stays healthy. We are in the heart of booming Southeast Asia. Our relations with our neighbours are good. The region has never been more peaceful. The establishment of the Singapore-Johor-Batam "growth triangle" is indeed an indication of the confidence and optimism ahead. Sir, as we complete this last phase of growth, we are also at the same time epxeriencing a noticeable change in the style of Government. In recent years, the Government has stepped up efforts to seek inputs and feedback from the public on various issues. This has in turn helped the Government to improve policies and generate fresh ideas and enable the public to understand these issues and policies better. More and more Singaporeans have come forward to participate in this consensus building process. This trend marks the beginning of a maturing country and augurs well for the future.”
“Sir, what I proposed to speak on regarding the restructuring of hospitals has actually been largely covered by Members earlier. I shall therefore make my remarks very short. I want to ask the Minister the progress made to-date regarding the restructuring of hospitals. What are the problems facing the Ministry and to what extent have external factors beyond the control of the Ministry, like the very tight labour market situation and also the concurrent rapid expansion of private hospitals, affected the progress made to-date on government hospital restructuring? And if all these external factors affecting restructuring are overwhelming, may I suggest, as proposed by Dr Arthur Beng and Dr Tan Cheng Bock earlier, that the Ministry consider delaying the restructuring of the remaining hospitals. Keep them as non-restructured hospitals and in this way the public could perhaps compare the level of services and the charges rendered by restructured hospitals and non-restructured hospitals. And in the end, we provide the choice to the public. Let the public decide on which type of hospitals they want to go to.”
“Sir, before I withdraw, I just want to seek one clarification from the Minister of State. I mentioned the Business Enterprise Committee under the Ministry of Finance. I think its role is very important. One must remember that it was set up in 1987 during the recession years to review rules and regulations with a view to removing red tape so as to facilitate business operations of local SMEs. I would like the Minister's view on whether he would consider transferring that role to MTI, since MTI could perhaps more effectively manage the SMEs.”
“This is the reason why I strongly advocate the need to revive the Business Enterprise Committee under the Ministry of Finance and for it to play an even more active role. The Business Enterprise Committee now seems dormant. Sir, the point I am driving at is that all these efforts at promoting and nurturing entrepreneurship and developing local companies are multi-pronged. They are undertaken by various agencies in the Government, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, I think these programmes need to be properly supervised by perhaps a high level inter-ministerial committee and also managed or coordinated by a body within the Government with private sector participation. This system will allow for a more systematic way to track the impact of the various programmes and to evaluate the economic benefits. Sir, I think there is a need to set up a body or an agency within the Government to supervise and coordinate the total development of entrepreneurship in Singapore. This is a suggestion and I hope the Minister would seriously consider the setting up of this agency in order to further promote and develop entrepreneurship in Singapore.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of Code VE 3100 of the Main Estimates. Sir, as we embark on the next stage of our economic development, we need more entrepreneurs who can generate new economic momentum to propel our economy into a developed economy by the turn of the century. The Economic Committee, in its report "New Directions for the Singapore Economy" in 1986, called for a concerted effort to promote entrepreneurship and to foster the growth of local companies. In the last four years, the Government has indeed given special attention to the promotion of SMEs as well as local MNCs. The Government, through the EDB and many other statutory boards, has made available various assistance schemes to help local SMEs. An SME Master Plan has also been mapped out, and there is the availability of venture capital funds. In a further effort to promote or to help business bodies expand their role and reach out to more SMEs, the EDB has come up with this Enterprise Promotion Centre concept, which was set up last year. Furthermore, a Centre for Entrepreneurship (ENDEC) was also set up by the Nanyang Technological Institute as a think-tank to conduct research into entrepreneurship behaviour and ways to nurture an enterprise culture in Singapore. Sir, these are good starts towards nurturing entrepreneurship. However, promoting and nurturing entrepreneurship is not enough. We must also consciously remove obstacles to entrepreneurship, for example, by keeping our taxation system and other Government policies under constant review in order to stimulate entrepreneurship activities. We must also maintain an on-going review of paper work burden on our local companies.”
“I think the Minister has given more than I expected. I withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“However, because of personal compatibility or some other reasons, as the saying goes, the affinity of love extends over a thousand miles, resulting in many of these female workers finding lovers in Singapore males. Some of them have even reached the stage of talking of marriage with the intention of setting up families in Singapore. Unfortunately, because of their educational background, the lack of qualifications or skills, the Ministry of Labour, with its stringent regulations, does not approve of their marriages when they apply to marry Singapore males. Sir, because of these stringent regulations, the local males who intend to marry such females become very resentful. They feel that the Ministry of Labour's regulations restricting marriages are a bit inhumane as they prevent a possible wedding partnership from forming. They are therefore understandably resentful and dissatisfied. Sir, I fully understand the intention of these restrictive regulations. But I hope that the Minister for Labour will consider being more sensible and flexible in his approach in dealing with such applications. Those who have performed well, and those who have worked for a number of years in Singapore, should be granted approval because they have already contributed to our economy and they have also adapted to our way of life. Therefore, they will not give rise to any social problems to Singapore. On the contrary, if you allow these people to marry the Singapore males, then it will be in keeping with our policy of encouraging early marriages and early child birth for a greater growth of our population. Sir, I hope the Minister for Labour will consider relaxing its restrictive regulations for such cases.”
“I did an analysis of the applications versus approvals for contract marriage in the last three years. The success rate stays very constant at about 65% to 67%, and this means two in three applicants get the nod to go ahead to marry. The rate has not improved in 1989, which is last year, despite the relaxation of the immigration policies. My question to the Minister is whether his Ministry set a quota in the number of approvals to be granted each year. And if so, why the need to set a quota? Mr Teo Chong Tee (Changi)( In Mandarin): Sir, since 1970, because of our rapid economic development there has been a shortage of labour in Singapore, in particular, of female factory workers, especially in the garment and electronics factories. These factories have had to recruit their employees and female production workers from the traditional sources in order to alleviate the problem of labour shortage in Singapore. Sir, most of these female production workers are not highly educated. They do not have diplomas, professional qualifications or skills. Their purpose in coming to Singapore is to work hard in the factories, earn a salary and send part of the money back to their own countries to help their parents and relatives. This works to the good of both parties and it cannot be denied that these female work permit holders have in some way contributed to the economic growth of Singapore. Sir, these female workers who have left their homes to work in Singapore are normally around 20 years of age. They have joined our workforce and now work hand in hand with the Singapore workers. They have adapted themselves to the social and living environment of Singapore. But this gives rise to a human problem. These female workers do not have a Social Development Unit to help them out.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of Code RK 1500 of the Main Estimates. Sir, I understand the Ministry of Labour has a set of broad guidelines or criteria for granting approval to contract marriage. Approvals are generally given to work permit holders who have skills or qualifications of value to Singapore and who have adapted to our way of life. Sir, I understand fully the rationale for these criteria which is to protect the interest of the majority of Singaporeans who live in this small island. However, Sir, I would like the Minister to exercise greater flexibility in approving contract marriage applications, particularly from those work permit holders who may not fully meet the criteria of education and skill level. Many of the male Singaporeans who apply to marry this category of work permit holders are themselves very lowly educated. Most of them do not have more than a primary six education. Sir, frankly speaking, it is very difficult nowadays for this group of Singaporeans to find Singaporean spouses. Singaporean women are choosy. They prefer to marry upwards, to spouses who are better educated than themselves. Moreover, many of these male Singaporeans who are looking for spouses are looking for spouses who can be good housewives and who could help look after their aged parents. Many of them come from families which are poor and could not afford to employ maids or even send their parents to old age homes. I urge the Minister to be more liberal perhaps towards this group of male Singaporeans when processing applications for contract marriage. Sir, I would like to seek a clarification from the Minister on the same subject matter.”
“Sir, at the debate on the President's Address in January last year, I argued that as our economy matures and as we become a middle class society, we should perhaps consider implementing a 5-day work week. By this, I do not mean we should relax. We could still achieve excellence and maintain our productivity growth by working longer hours on week days so that we still average about 42-44 hours per week. By making the Saturdays free, Singaporeans would have more time for leisure, recreation, cultural pursuits, sports and community work. We will have more time to foster closer family ties and, who knows, maybe have more babies. Sir, I know of many companies in the private sector that have changed to a 5-day work week. They told me that their productivity has not suffered as they have maintained the same hours of work per week. Perhaps it is timely to consider implementing this 5-day work week in the public sector. With greater automation and computerisation, many of the essential public services could now be transacted through Giro, the post or even the telephone. There could also be cost savings to the Government as offices need not be open on Saturdays. Sir, with a 5-day work week, the public sector would be in a better position to attract and retain staff. And if the Minister for Finance thinks that implementing a 5-day work week is too drastic a change now, perhaps we could consider doing it in stages, have alternate Saturdays off for public sector employees and make them work longer hours on week-days to make up. In summary, I think the Minister should consider seriously implementing a 5-day or an alternate Saturday off work week in the public sector in line with our move towards becoming a middle class society.”
“Sir, would the Minister enlighten the House on the criteria for granting approval to these applications?”
“Sir, would the Senior Minister of State give us an indication of the time-frame for the development of all these various facilities? Are we talking of one year, two years, three years or five years?”
“Sir, the Bill sets the way for more schools to become independent, as the Minister has explained. Whilst the idea of independent schools is good in the long term, I think we need to implement it gradually. I am not against independent schools. There are many merits for it. If we want quality education, we have to pay for it. My concern is the high cost of education associated with independent schools. This higher cost of education has resulted in higher school fees for our students. I would like to urge the Minister to study the independent school programme carefully and perhaps have it implemented at a more gradual pace. Sir, on the Bill itself, I have no reservations. I support the Bill. However, I wish to seek the following clarifications from the Minister. First, is the board of governors meant to replace the present school advisory committee or the school executive committee which was introduced some years ago? If not, then where do we draw the line of responsibility between these various bodies? Second, what checks and balances will the Ministry have to ensure that the board of governors perform its duties in the best interest of the nation and in the best interest of the students? Third, will these governors be paid? Are they going to be volunteers? If so, and if we were to have a board of governors for each school in Singapore eventually, then we will have to find hundreds or thousands of volunteers who are capable of serving on these boards. Do we have these resources? How does the Ministry propose to tap these volunteers to serve on these many boards?”
“Sir, whilst I believe the need for Nominated MPs is less pressing now, I am prepared to support the Bill as a form of safeguard or insurance for the future. There could be a greater need for NMPs in the future when, who knows, one day the calibre and the quality of Singaporeans being elected into Parliament drop. A day could come when well-qualified people, the top brains in Singapore, really shy away from politics. And if we do not have good MPs we cannot have good Ministers, Ministers of State and Parliamentary Secretaries. Sir, as a safeguard against this happening, I think it is necessary that we have in our Constitution a scheme which serves as an avenue to induct good people into Parliament and even into Government in order to ensure Singapore continues to progress and prosper. This NMP Bill provides this avenue. Sir, the next question is: why introduce this Bill now? Why can we not wait until we see a drop in the quality and in the calibre of parliamentarians and the Government before we amend the Constitution? Sir, the answer is obvious. The elected MPs of the future, for selfish reasons, may be against bringing in people better than themselves into Parliament and if this is the case the legislation will never be passed. In summary, Sir, I maintain that it is less pressing today to have nominated MPs in our Parliament. However, it is necessary to introduce this legislation now. It is a safeguard against a future which may see a deterioration in the calibre and quality of Singaporeans being elected into our Parliament. On that note, I support the Bill.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, our country is unique. We are small and yet successful. We have come a long way in the last 25 years. Singaporeans today are better educated and have become more politically conscious. They want to have a greater say on matters that affect their lives. They want more voices in Parliament to convey their aspirations and views. To satisfy this trend, various innovative measures have been introduced in the past. We introduced the NCMP scheme in 1984 and the GRC scheme in 1988. We are now in the midst of a debate on yet another scheme, the NMP scheme. Sir, this scheme serves to create a new category of non-elected MPs who could make a positive contribution to Singapore and it is aimed at increasing the people's political participation and yet maintain parliamentary democracy. The Bill in principle is sound. If the right people are selected to be NMPs it serves to enhance the quality of debate in Parliament. This will benefit the country. But the question before us is whether there is a pressing need today to have nominated MPs in our Parliament. By bringing in nominated MPs now may send a wrong signal to the general public that our elected MPs in today's Parliament are inadequate. I certainly do not believe so. I do not like to appear self-flattering. But I believe the present batch of PAP MPs is probably the best our Parliament ever had. (In fact, the Prime Minister himself said so). They are men and women of the highest quality, well-educated, dedicated, honourable and with a sense of mission. They come from a varied socio-economic background and represent a wide cross-section of our society. They are the fruits of our meritocratic system. The quality of their debate is up to the mark.”
“, then for the good of all the people, the Government should impose an immediate ban on the imports of all cigarettes containing nicotine above a certain amount, followed by a step-by-step imposition of cuts in imports of all cigarettes into Singapore. This would certainly improve the general health of the whole population and go a long way to protect our young men and women from taking up the cigarette-smoking habit. This would also reduce to a minimum the pool of Singaporean cigarette-smokers who cannot give up the habit. Of course, the Government's loss in revenue would be more than fully compensated for by the improved health of the whole population and the generally increased productivity of our people. The question is, Mr Speaker, Sir: would the Government be prepared and willing to accept my proposal, first, to impose a ban on imports of the more noxious high-nicotine content cigarettes, followed then by a step-by-step ban on the imports of all cigarettes? Or does the Government want to shirk its responsibility in the matter and do nothing in this direction by hiding under the excuse of free enterprise and free market? I hope the Minister will respond to what I have said.”
“In 1982, the United States Surgeon-General reported that "cigarette-smoking is clearly identified as the chief preventable cause of death in our society and the most important public health issue of our time." In Singapore, the Government has emphasised the importance of public health and the prevention of diseases. Our Health Education Department has done a good job. And now, they have announced the extension of the smoking ban to public access areas. Although unwelcome to smokers, this will certainly help to protect the health of many non-smokers who constitute more than 80% of our people. This is to be applauded. But all this may not be enough, as some Members of Parliament have mentioned. The first thing, in my opinion, that the Government should do is to cut down or reduce the social tension in our free-enterprise system which has caused many people to take up smoking. It is precisely because of this social tension in our society that cause many people to smoke. Of course this would entail a good deal of reforms and even changes of policies, and it would take a long time. Next, many people believe that the Government should do more than mere prohibition of cigarette advertisements. They regard cigarette-smoking as an addiction which, in many ways, is no different from other types of drug addictions. If Government could take such strong action against the usage and trafficking of drugs like heroin, opium and others, and is even preparing legislation to impose the death penalty for offences connected with opium, cocaine and ganja, etc.”
“Many of such cigarette-smoking promotion advertisements still come through in popular foreign magazines and other publications. And lest we forget, also from TV and radio of surrounding countries. Exemptions in clause 3(2) and in Clause 6 of the Bill offer exemptions which big cigarette-smoking promotion advertisers will certainly make use of to circumvent the whole exercise of prohibition. It can be anticipated that more cigarette-smoking promotion advertisements will appear in channels permitted in the exemptions. And since many foreign publications and TV shows enjoy popularity among Singaporeans, it would mean that the whole purpose of the Bill is almost negated. Therefore, if Government intends to cut off harmful cigarette promotions from our people, it should seriously consider plugging these exemption loopholes. One way is to censor or blackout in some way all the cigarette promotion advertisements in foreign publications that come into Singapore. The other way is to get SBC to put up Cantonese serials in Singapore to counter the Cantonese serials from foreign countries. But is the Government serious about prohibition of cigarette-smoking advertisements? I believe this is a big question mark. 5.00 pm Today cigarette smoking is on the downward trend in the United States and the United Kingdom. But it is spreading in the developing countries in the Third World and this problem seems to be getting more and more serious. Cigarettes sold in the developing countries contain more nicotine and other noxious ingredients than the cigarettes sold in the United States and the United Kingdom. But the Government has not done much to stop the imports of such noxious cigarettes. We should prohibit and ban the import of cigarettes which contain too high a noxious ingredient.”
“In the house, the health of the whole family, including the children and babies, and even the unborn child, can be badly affected by the "side-stream" smoke and passive-smoking, ie, forced inhalation of polluted air caused by uncaring smokers. In public enclosed places, it harms even more people. Cigarette smoking also contributes to economic losses, both to the individual and to the nation, as a result of chronic illnesses and loss of productivity, to say nothing of accidental fires which cause loss of property and even lives. Cigarette smoking may relieve tension in some smokers. But it really benefits only the tobacco industry and its advertisers, and paradoxically the Government. To maximize sales of cigarettes and profits, the tobacco companies frequently embark on promotion exercises and spend huge sums on advertisements in order to induce and entrap impressional adolescents into trying the first puff. Advertising themes are subtle. They are usually associated with high society, economic and professional successes, romance, popular games and exercises. Since 1971, Government has taken some small steps to discourage smoking in public places. But though the number of smokers in Singapore has dropped since 1984, these steps have nevertheless not been able to prevent many of our young men and women from getting hooked onto cigarette-smoking. This may be because of peer pressure, so-called "colour-OK", family influence, ignorance of the harmful effects of cigarette-smoking, and so on. But the influence of tobacco-promotion advertisements is certainly most important. The present Bill will go only some way to help protect our impressionable young men and women from subtle cigarette-smoking promotion advertisements.”
“Sir, our anti-smoking programme has been effective. As the Minister has said, today we have one of the lowest percentage of smokers in the world. This success is attributed to the efforts of the Government as well as Singaporeans at large. I support the objective of this Bill, ie,to further curb cigarette advertisements which promote and encourage smoking. Sir, I notice that clause 6 of the Bill provides for exemptions to advertisements relating to smoking contained in the newspaper, which is published or printed outside Singapore and is brought into Singapore for sale or distribution. If one looks around us today in Singapore, Sir, whether in the office, in the public library, in bookshops or at home, the number of foreign newspapers or publications is not insignificant. A good number of these publications still carries cigarette advertisements. Sir, I am not advocating that we ban the circulation of these foreign publications or newspapers. While we are trying to pro- mote a healthy society, we should not inadvertently cut ourselves from the rest of the world by restricting the free flow of news and information. I think there must be a trade off. My question to the Minister is whether the Ministry has assessed the impact of these cigarette advertisements in foreign newspapers and publications on the Ministry's anti-smoking effort and programme. Dr Lee Siew-Choh( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Workers' Party I support the Bill in principle. Today, there is no longer any doubt that cigarette-smoking is a most harmful social habit. It causes ill-health to the smoker in many ways. It is a major cause of chronic lung disease, coronary heart disease, stomach ulcer, cancer and premature deaths. It also harms other people in the vicinity.”
“Sir, I shall be very, very brief. I fully support the Bill. I have one observation and that is the Bill is silent on the definition of "technology". In implementing the Bill, I think the Ministry should be liberal in the definition of "technology". It should include not just scientific and technical know-how. I think the definition should be extended to include management skills, professional expertise and so on. So I would like the Ministry to consider being liberal in the definition of "technology" in implementing the Act.”
“This section requires that the auditor in the course of his or her performance reports fraud or other dishonesty committed by officers and employees of the company to the Minister. My concern here is the extent of dishonesty that the Minister wants the Auditor to report. Surely the Minister does not want to be bothered with reports of petty dishonest acts by employees of the company, eg, an employee making false claims on transport or entertainment. I think the report to the Minister on dishonesty should be confined to serious dishonest acts by officers of publicly listed companies, especially those matters that pertain to misrepresentation of accounts to deceive the public. Would the Minister care to comment on these observations? BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Sir, I propose to take the Member's points in the Select Committee. Firstly, because it is rather late in the day. But that is not the principal reason. More importantly, I think these are issues which are best discussed with members of the professions and with representatives from the business community. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time. Resolved, That the Companies (Amendment) Bill be committed to a Select Committee consisting of Mr Speaker as Chairman and seven Members to be nominated by the Committee of Selection. - [BG George Yong-Boon Yeo]. CENTRAL PROVIDENT FUND (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 5.54 pm”
“Sir, I shall be brief. I welcome the proposal to make the formation of audit committees, particularly in listed companies, mandatory. I think it is a step towards specialization in a board room. It permits closer examination and analysis of financial reporting areas by a few board members. It will also enhance public confidence in the credibility and objectivity of financial information released to the public. Sir, I have three observations to make and if the observations are too detailed and technical, the Minister of State may wish to refer them to the Select Committee. The first observation relates to the function of the audit committee. The Bill empowers the audit committee to nominate an auditor for the company. I wish to ask the Minister of State if the powers conferred on the committee include the fixing of audit fees. In other words, since the audit committee is in a position to decide who is the best auditor for the company, should not the committee be thrust to decide on the fees to pay to this auditor? My second observation concerns the procedure regarding convening of meetings of this audit committee. The Bill is silent on the number of meetings the committee should have per year. In order to ensure proper functioning of the committee, I think there should be a minimum of two meetings a year of this audit committee. One is to discuss the six month interim results, and the other to consider the final and annual accounts. Should not the Bill also stipulate the minimum number of meetings the audit committee must have per year? This is necessary in order to avoid a situation where companies may form audit committees just to comply with the Act, but no meetings actually take place. The third observation relates to section 207 (9), clause 22 of the Bill.”