Chng Hee Kok
Singapore
“Sir, I would like to ask the DPM whether the new Securities and Futures Act will be made retroactive in the Links case. In other words, will the civil penalties be made retroactive in the Links case? BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, the answer is somewhere in the new Bill [indicating].”
“Sir, one cannot appreciate the enormity of the problem of a poison pen letter unless he is a victim. Imagine the power of a poison pen e-mail done in the midst of a general election. By the time the truth is established, if it can be established at all, the harm is already done.”
“And this is because the transmission is now almost direct, that when orders are placed, they are placed not only with those who supply the items, the same orders are sent to the supplier's supplier's suppliers.”
“Sir, the Minister is aware that in the case of SingTel it is quite different because it is part of our asset enhancement exercise and a fairly large number of Singaporeans own shares in SingTel. Since the announcement of the Optus deal, share prices have dropped by some 30%.”
“This is a follow up of my earlier question. If the market sentiments are favourable, will the IPOs take place this year? BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, PSA and Singapore Power would not have appointed investment bankers and proceeded with due diligence unless they have very serious intentions.”
“And in many cases, over a period of time, we would be happy to reduce our shareholdings down below where they are now and, maybe even divest completely. Because the original rationale for building up and maintaining these companies has to be reviewed and may or may not continue to exist.”
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“This often leads to entrenched positions and may not create a conducive climate for consensus building. For consensus to succeed, our younger and better educated Singaporeans must understand the parameters by which consensus will be arrived at. I am not certain that they will accept the fact that their views will be subordinate to the views of the majority. For in arriving at a consensus, it is usually the views of the majority that prevail. Even here, Sir, there are pitfalls. Sometimes the most obvious or desired solution may not be the best solution. This is amply illustrated by the Minister for Trade and Industry of British bombers in World War II. This is quite akin to having to take bitter medicine. We must be wary that in the process of consensus building, we may be raising the expectations of the people to such an extent that all measures are, in fact, subject to a de facto referendum. Elected representatives may be placed in a position whereby the electorate perceives that the Government needs the people's agreement to act on all matters. The Government is elected by the people to lead. We must establish consensus with the people that honourable Singaporeans may serve in Parliament. We must establish consensus with the people that they elect people with ability. In short, we need to build consensus with the people on who is fit to govern. This is quite different from building a consensus on everything which is governable. The Government should continue this consultative approach and make elaborate attempts to explain to the people. At the end of it all, Sir, it is the Government's job to decide in Singapore's best interest and to act.”
“If this Chamber can rectify this shortcoming for this Parliament, I think we must do so. On the Minister for Trade and Industry's proposal of creating non-Government MPs, I should like to remark that presently views of business, of workers, of unions and university academics are already given a good airing by my fellow Backbenchers. What is needed is better and good listening skills of the Frontbench. I am more in favour of giving time to the maturing of the NCMP scheme. In the next few elections, younger and better educated opposition members will find their way into this Chamber as NCMPs. This group who are better educated will find that their standing in the public does not necessarily depend on their taking on strong adversarial postures. In the age of the DAT, the digital-audio tapes, CDs, some 45 rpm records in the last Parliament and, of course, definitely 78 rpm records will be confined to the antique shops of Sungei Road. I am an optimist. While agreeing with consensus, I am also cautious about our effectiveness. Have we gone too far in our effort to build consensus? Are our efforts recognized as such? There are claims that this is just an attempt to explain and elaborate on a chosen plan of Government action. Has our society reached a stage whereby all issues may be discussed openly? Are some issues not too sensitive and may best be handled in a more subtle manner? In the name of consensus building, we discuss and debate too many sensitive issues openly. Too often, an open discus- sion of sensitive issues will not necessarily lead to a solution supportable by all, especially the community which is focused. If the options for a solution are limited, generation of too much heat may do more harm than good.”
“All this on top of a number of other changes like petrol tax and diesel tax. As a further indicator, the last three Parliaments saw some 18 Bills committed to the Select Committee. Of these 18 Bills, 10 came in the last Parliament alone. Taken together as a whole, these last five years have probably seen more public participation in decision-making than the whole of the period since our independence. This is contrary to what has been claimed by the Opposition. There is clearly a change of style and the recognition that a new way of reaching the people must be pursued. With a younger and better educated electorate, a more consultative approach is inevitable in our continued attempt to win the hearts and minds of the people. In other words, we must be more than just good technocrats. I am, Sir, for consultative government and consensus building. We must adopt a more conciliatory approach of replacing contention with consensus in the family, at the work place and of course between the Government and the people. I will go so far as to advocate that dissenting views be better accommodated and I welcome the intention to increase the number of NCMPs. But in my mind this must be increased substantially and I will suggest that we should increase up to the full number in this Chamber, as many as eight or nine. Now that the NCMP concept has been accepted by at least one opposition party we should search for wider participation, wider representation so that a wider airing of dissenting views is possible. This Chamber must see a fuller debate of opposing ideas. It is therefore unfortunate that one of the NCMPs has been disqualified at the start of this Parliament. Provision should have been made to admit another NCMP in the event of such a disqualification.”
“Sir, I rise in support of the motion standing in the name of the Member for Siglap. Hon. Members in this Chamber in the last few days have covered much ground in the President's Address which he delivered on behalf of the Government. But for today I will just confine myself mainly to the discussion on consensus. Sir, ever since the second generation leaders took effective charge of the Government in the last Parliament, I think there is a more accommodating leadership. Our younger leaders have gone out of their way to seek views, suggestions and opinions from all Singaporeans. They also made special efforts to reach out to the young. In several public forums and closed-door sessions we have with young people, I find that the young of today are much more prepared to speak out openly and are openly critical of the Government. From my experience I notice that those young people who join us in the public forums and closed-door discussions show no fear whatsoever. They have not been victimized by the Government in any way and I dare say that the Government has taken them into its confidence, which allows them to speak out even more. Sir, in the language of the day, the Government has gone out of their way to seek consensus from the people. Hence it is no surprise that this is identified as the main way in which we will move with Singaporeans. The last Parliament also saw deliberations leading to the Economic Committee Report and the National Agenda. It also saw a reversal of a number of policies and philosophical stands of the Government. The graduate mother's policy was reversed. The CPF contribution, which was sacrosanct, was reduced in the face of the recession. The Government also reversed its stand on the use of CPF for educational purposes.”
“Sir, the general belief is that to the Government's prediction we should add 1% more to the growth to get the actual. In view of what has happened, how many percentage points will the Minister advise that we should take into account now?”
“Sir, will the Minister confirm that we have reached a stage of full employment?”
“--- and immediately after that he talks about the high cost of infant care. This implies that the subsidy is not sufficient. So how can that be the case?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not happy with the Minister's reply to the Member for Fengshan. On the one hand he says that the subsidies are sufficient for running child care centres ---”
“Sir, will the Minister confirm that the age limit of 55 years has been removed from Government and statutory board tenders? I understand that some of the tenders given out by statutory boards and Government departments specify that the workers must not be above 55 years old. Is this correct?”
“On top of this, will the Minister of State agree that they also lose their interest charges on the deposit that is placed with the HDB?”
“Will the Minister of State direct the HDB to consider granting these applicants one final selection under the "walk in" selection scheme?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, yesterday the Member for Potong Pasir put forth a challenge to the Member for Braddell Heights and I. Are we in a position to meet the families of the detainees? This point was answered by the Member for Braddell Heights and, also I believe, by the Member for Kampong Kembangan. But in the reportage in the papers today I noticed that the question was left hanging. So for the record I shall like to take up this point if I may have your indulgence, Sir. As a Member of Parliament, we meet all Singaporeans, particularly our constituents. And should there be any family of detainees who are my constituents, I am more than pleased to make time to see them. In the course of our work we see families of criminal law detainees, we see family members of those who have transgressed the law and I believe this includes those who have transgressed national security. If the Member for Potong Pasir will recall, when I supported him in the motion last year on a similar topic, I voiced concern for the families of those who were detained. As a family man, I certainly share the worry and the plight of these families. I think the Member was playing to the gallery when he brought up the plight of the family members of those who were detained. The question the Member has to ask really is: does not the fate of 2.6 million Singaporeans deserve his highest priority?”
“It is for the US to leave us alone and to let us shape our political system and our future. I have been an admirer of the United States from a very young age - its vibrant society, a dynamic economy and a country where migrants can make it to the top - a land of golden opportunity. However, we are vastly different as a people and as a country. We are a small country and we do not have a safe landing if our society is not carefully crafted and nurtured. Therefore, it must be up to Singaporeans to craft and shape their own destiny. Sir, with the backdrop of an approaching general election, some Singaporeans, particularly the younger and better educated, are equating the recent actions to that of stifling the Opposition and dissent. There are also some who are apprehensive that our business and external investments may be affected. Also, there is some confusion as the Marxist conspiracy is now linked with the interference by a capitalist country. And there are others who are not convinced by the Government's explanation for the cancellation of the Commission of Inquiry into the allegation of torture by a number of those detained under the Marxist conspiracy. Sir, there are many things here, and the sum total is that there are doubts and confusion in the minds of our people, and these could be easily exploited and capitalized by those who are opposed to the Government. This will be tragic as the protagonists in the present episode will have achieved what they have set out to do without even firing a single shot. I therefore urge the Government to make every effort to dispel these misconceptions. Sir, I support the motion.”
“However, there are just too many people involved - one diplomat and three State Department officials. Surely, the US must set higher standards of behaviour of their foreign service personnel. This speaks volumes when compared to the action of the British High Commissioner. A quotation is probably useful here. In the book called "The Falklands War - The Full Story", an unnamed UN diplomat said this of the British. I quote: 'Britain is a Morris Minor country with Rolls-Royce diplomacy.' He was not referring to the size of the country, Sir. He was complimenting the British for their diplomacy. Surely, the US, such a rich and powerful country, cannot be a Cadillac country with a Ford Model T diplomacy. Sir, we are too small a country to get involved in a direct confrontation with the US. The measured responses of our Government show the importance that we attach to this special relationship. As a people, we are also rational and pragmatic. In another country if nearly three-quarters of the population have expressed disapproval of a similar action, the US embassy would have been ransacked, perhaps even set on fire. Fortunately, we are not that radical. This is due in no small way to the Government's low key response and the lack of rhetoric. I am sure many Members in this Chamber share with me a quiet anger. Yes, Mr Speaker, Sir, a quiet anger and disappointment at this latest episode of US interference. However, we are also mindful that more harsh words may hurt the very warm feelings shared by our people and the people of the United States. Sir, we have to do what is necessary. I am therefore in full support of the action taken by the Government. This Government has never flinched from doing what is right.”
“To our East is the South China Sea and the Pacific. Several major countries have a deep interest in trying to get things in Singapore to go the way they want them to go.' In short, Sir, our strategic location. But has this changed over time? Our strategic importance has not changed, Sir. However, we have made significant progress economically and politically in the last 20 years. Nevertheless, it will be naive to conclude that the major powers will therefore leave us alone. Sir, the present attempt by the United States is the third in our history, and this attempt to cultivate and manipulate a group of people, well educated professionals who are critical of the Government, must be viewed in the context of what is happening in South Korea and Taiwan. The US is playing a key role in the democratization process in these two countries. Despite the fact that we have a democratically elected government, at every general election since independence, the message is clear: Singapore must be modelled on the US political environment - a situation prevailing in South Korea and Taiwan today. They took no cognizance of the fact that the PAP Government is freely chosen by the people. They are careless in not recognizing that we have a multi-racial society, unlike the homogeneous societies of South Korea and Taiwan and that the fabric of our society is easily damaged by raucous and careless political activity. Sir, there is no question in my mind that the United States is involved and the plan to interfere in our domestic politics and to manipulate it for a particular political outcome is improper. The question is whether it is official US policy. The US Ambassador has placed the blame solely on errant diplomats.”
“The case was raised by the Prime Minister on 30th August 1965 during an interview given to a group of Commonwealth correspondents at TV Singapura. The Prime Minister said that he had offered not to expose the case if the US government withdrew the diplomats involved and gave the Singapore Government $100 million for economic development. However, the US government, through an intermediary, tried to bribe the Prime Minister and the PAP with $10 million. This was refused and the case was exposed. In the 60s and early 70s, Sir, two newspapers were named by the Government for getting involved in black operations against Singapore. The publisher of Eastern Sun was given HK$8 million by communist agents to publish a paper for the purpose of capturing and manipulating the local mass media. This is the most effective way of influencing public opinion and creating political situations favourable to their interests. Then there was the Singapore Herald whose main objective was to take on the Government. The majority funding for this paper was foreign capital. Finally, Sir, there was the detention under the ISA of four top executives of the Nanyang Siang Pau. Its campaigns on the issues of Chinese language, education and culture, generated much heat among the Chinese-educated. All these cases, Sir, had tragic consequences and the Government must be credited with nipping them in the bud. Why is there this interest in Singapore? In May 1971, the Prime Minister, speaking at the Sennett Community Centre, said, and I quote: 'We happen to occupy a very important geographical position. We are right at the southernmost tip of Asia. To the West is the Straits of Malacca, leading into the Indian Ocean. There a contest is going on for naval supremacy.”
“This is where they should channel more of their efforts and their moral energy. Sir, interference in our domestic affairs and black operations directed against us is nothing new. Let me perhaps go into the history books for a number of similar instances. In early 1959, the PAP, then in the Opposition, charged that the Americans had channelled half a million dollars to the then ruling Singapore People's Alliance as a political gift. Income tax investigations into the account at the First National City Bank of New York in the name of Chew Swee Kee, then Education Minister in the Singapore Alliance Government, were quickly choked off. The PAP subsequently called for a Commission of Inquiry. Although Chew denied the charges, he resigned from both his ministerial post and the Legislative Assembly before the Commission of Inquiry was set up. The Inquiry concluded that a total of about $700,000 was remitted to Chew's account. Chew refused to publicly disclose the source of the money. He claimed that the money was an outright gift to the Labour Front for the purpose of fighting subversion in the colony. He invested the bulk of the money in stocks and properties in Malaysia. This was perhaps the first recorded instance of American involvement in our domestic affairs, and hence influencing the political development in our country. In the early 60s, when Singapore first attained internal self-government under the PAP, the American CIA decided to cultivate a young Police Superintendent in the Special Branch and tried to buy information from him. The espionage attempt, however, was uncovered. The CIA operators were arrested, jailed for two months and expelled.”
“May I proceed now, Sir. Mr Speaker, first of all, I will like to apologize for jumping up early because, as I said, the debate is long overdue and I was in a great hurry to speak. Sir, the issue at hand is one of crucial national importance. It concerns the security and sovereignty of our Republic. The question posed by this motion is simple: who can shape Singapore? The answer is equally simple, Sir - not proxies or those manipulated by foreign groups or foreign countries. Sir, Singapore must be shaped by Singaporeans. It goes without saying that Singapore must be governed by Singaporeans for Singaporeans. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not one who would like to take the Member for Potong Pasir to task. When I first read his proposed amendment to this motion, I thought that he was not serious. What he has proposed strikes at the very core of a sovereign state. He is suggesting that all pressure groups, particularly foreign ones, have the right to interfere in our domestic affairs. I think even the US government will flinch at this idea that all foreign groups, and that includes legitimate agencies of foreign governments, may interfere in US affairs. Sir, I shall leave the Member's amendment for debate by my colleagues, suffice to say that the Member for Potong Pasir should, instead of encouraging these foreign groups to meddle in our domestic affairs, should urge these pressure groups, particularly those based in Australia, to direct more of their moral energy to help relieve the misery of a large number of Australians - the aborigines who are, in fact, the original owners of the land. The population of the aborigines today has almost been decimated. In 200 years, Sir, instead of an increasing population it has shrunk from about 650,000 to 160,000 today.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the debate on this motion standing in the name of the Member for Braddell Heights is long overdue. The issue at hand is one of ---”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I share the Minister's concern and I rise in support of the Bill. I have only one point to raise with the Minister and it is about new section 3A(3). In the case of an offence committed by a person who is an employee, with the connivance or consent of certain corporate officers, I can understand sthe latter should also be punished. However, if it is a case of neglect, it puts many corporate officers at risk. There are many employees who have access to company premises and vehicles. In fact, these employers drive some company vehicles home. Hence, it will be be very difficult for many corporate officers to prove that there was no neglect on their part if their subordinates have unchecked use of these vehicles. Should any of these employees make use of the vehicles for the purpose which is defined as an offence under this Act, it will be very difficult for these officers to extricate themselves. Will the Minister look into this, Sir?”
“No. There is another issue which I mentioned earlier and I think the Minister can look into it. This is the insurance scheme relating to catastrophic illness. Presently, when a person suffers from a catastrophic illness, the members of the family will have to find ways and means to provide medical support. Since we are going to have the Dependants Insurance Protection Scheme, perhaps we can also extend this to include catastrophic illness. In the case of catastrophic illness, it should not be confined to the CPF Member alone. Perhaps immediate members of the family can also be covered. Will he Minister ask the CPF to look into this?”
“You are talking about the next amendment? Sorry, Sir, I was expecting the Member for Yuhua to move that. Sir, I must compliment the CPF for the service that it provides to members. One of the most interesting services that is presently available to all active members at the end of last year is the personal auto-link or PAL scheme. Sir, the PAL scheme at the moment allows a member to check on the balances in his account, the Medisave balance, the date of the last contribution and so on. I think there are two other areas which the CPF PAL scheme may be extended. The first relates to allowing a member to request for a statement of accounts by telephone. Presently about 35,000 to 40,000 transactions are done every year at the CPF office by members, requesting statements from the CPF. On average, a member takes half a day off from work to get a statement which actually, to my mind, could easily be implemented through the PAL scheme. A member needs only to dial the number on the telephone, indicate that he wants his statement, and it is done. That will also help to improve the productivity whereby less people will be needed to man the CPF counters. The second area which the CPF PAL scheme may be useful is to allow a member to check on whether he is or is not covered under the HPIS, the Home Protection Insurance Scheme. As I understand it, some widows have found that on the demise of their husbands they are not fully covered under the HPIS because there were insufficient funds to pay for the premium. If members are able to check on the telephone it will be another useful feature of the CPF PAL service.”
“Sir, the question I raised earlier about putting a cap on the total amount of CPF funds has nothing to do with the present ceiling. My suggestion is to encourage a contributor to contribute as fast and as much as he can to the fund so that when it reaches an upper limit, he can slow down the contributions. In other words, by the age of 45 years old, he may have already accumulated something like ten times his Minimum Sum. The other point I mentioned this morning is this scheme to transfer funds for the parent's flat. This has no consumption element under the Minimum Sum Topping Up Scheme because when the parent sells the flat the money has to be returned to the contributor.”
“Sir, as we now have the Minimum Sum Topping-Up Scheme, I think this rule could perhaps be relaxed.”
“Presently, we have determined that the Minimum Sum requirement upon retirement is $30,000. Should we not look into setting an upper limit, say, 10-15 times the minimum sum? The idea is that when a member has made sufficient contributions to build up his fund to that level, which could be anything from $300,000 to $450,000, then the member should be given an option not to contribute his portion of the CPF. This scheme will take a lot of pressure off the need for members to find uses for CPF savings. The idea behind this scheme is useful if we can convince members that they should contribute as much money and as quickly as they can to build up to the upper limit. When the upper limit is reached, they may opt not to contribute the employee's portion. That portion of course is taxable but the member has discretionary use of that income. Although I have argued for keeping CPF as it stands at the moment, ie, keeping to the basic objectives, nevertheless, we need some fine-tuning of the scheme. I have three schemes to suggest to improve on what we have at the moment. The first involves the use of a member's CPF savings for the parent's flat. The second and third involve insurance schemes - one for the member's dependants and another one in the event of catastrophic illness. Sir, on the first scheme to allow a member to use his CPF for his parent's flat. A number of unmarried young people have used part of their CPF savings when they purchased a flat with their parents. Upon marriage and if they wish to live on their own, the present rules dictate that the funds which they have transferred into the parent's flat must be credited to the CPF. This poses many problems for the parents, especially those who have retired and are unable to return this money.”
“How do you handle a suitation of a change in tuition fees? Should those additional fees be allowed? Should the student be allowed to change a course of study which he considers more appropriate? Must we demand that he remain in the same course he has registered for? How can we be so harsh as not to allow a student who has already spent so much time and effort overseas to repeat a final year? Do you say then that his funding must stop and he must come home? Sir, with all these imponderables, I think the end-result will be that the CPF Board will be embroiled in all sorts of controversies. It has to be a policeman to handle a great number of subjective questions. Sir, the basic problem with the CPF is that many members still see this as an untouchable bank. They have money locked up in the system which they feel they are unable to lay their hands on. Despite the advantages and benefits of the CPF schemes, the tax-free savings and the many avenues which are presently available for use of the funds, members want the cake and eat it. My point is supported by the fact that the Minimum Sum Topping-Up Scheme is gaining popularity. The Minimum Sum Topping-Up Scheme, just to remind Members, was set up whereby a member may transfer some of his funds to his parents to create a minimum sum for the latter. As I understand it, it is gaining popularity because this is an indirect way in which funds may be withdrawn. A member may use the parent's name to set up a scheme and the money actually goes back into the member's pockets. Since CPF is increased at a relatively high rate, perhaps we should do something about it. I will like the Minister to initiate a study to determine if we should not set an upper limit or capping on the amount of savings needed to be kept in the CPF.”
“My main point for the reactivation of the Special Account was that some liquid funds should be locked up in the CPF. Too much money has been channelled into housing and investments. The Special Account,or more liquidity in the CPF, serves many purposes. It can serve as a buffer - a device for us to adjust when we have economic problems. It will also come in very useful in the event of a major world-wide economic or financial disaster or disorder. CPF for educational purpose means many things to many people. Education is a very emotionally-charged issue, foremost of which is the question of what level of education should be supported by the use of CPF funds. If we allow it for university education, then we are denying many other members whose children may be able to get only professional qualifications or diplomas. To take it a step even further down - how do you justify to a person who feels that his son who just makes it to 'O' levels and although he may never make it to the university, considers 'A' levels in the United Kingdom, for example, as a suitable qualification? His argument will be that his son is going one step up and therefore he should be allowed to use his CPF for his son to get his 'A' levels. Setting up limits means answering the question of what to allow for - should it be the first degree or the second degree and so on. This will result in reducing this to a question of morals. It is a moral question, Sir. Why should we allow one person the use of his funds for his children's education against someone else, as the Member for Kebun Baru has mentioned, who may only see his son suitable for secondary education? Although the proponent of this issue has argued that safeguards can check some of these problems, there are still many imponderables.”
“Sir, like the Chairman of the GPC for Labour, I rise to express similar views. It seems rather unfair that the Member for Ayer Rajah who has done a good job of putting up a very good report is now not able to speak up first on this particular amendment. My name was included in his report as I raised at one time a supplementary question to the Minister to see if he will allow CPF to be used for a member's own educational needs. At that time, I was sympathetic towards the idea. I was also trying to test the resolve of the Minister to see how firm was his stand on not allowing CPF to be used for education. Sir, CPF for Education is a very popular issue, as the Chairman of the GPC on Labour has just said. But it will also raise many more questions and problems than answers if CPF is allowed for educational purpose. Therefore, I will like to assure the Minister that he has my full support if he stands firm on this issue. If there is a shortage of places in our University I think the CPF is the wrong place to look for solutions. Sir, in this Chamber, on the few occasions that I spoke on the subject of CPF, I have argued for caution and reasoned why we must be very careful in handling the question of CPF, especially on how it may be used. When the CPF investment scheme was discussed, I argued against it because I felt that there was no need for the scheme as it will raise several new issues. As a result of Black Monday in October - the big share market drop - I am sure Members have heard of investors who regretted the Government's implementation of this scheme, although I am not so sure that they blamed the Government. I am not so sure that they will blame the Government for it. I have also at one time argued for the reactivation of the Special Account.”
“Sir, I am privileged that the Minister has already given his reply to the point that I am going to raise about child abuse. Very briefly, since I am given one minute, I am pleased to report that there is a 100% increase in the number of Members who are raising this question. For the last two years, there was only one. This year we have the Member for Telok Blangah. I am very pleased that the Minister - I do not know whether it is as a result of my bringing up this matter over the last two years - has finally got a committee to look into this. He should have taken me into his confidence so that I may not move this amendment. But since he has the committee to report to him, I am prepared to wait and see the outcome of the report.”
“Sir, may I seek a word of clarification from the Minister? I think nowhere in my speech did I give the impression that we give away free services. The four examples I quoted are real examples. In the first example, I said that public assistance recipients should receive textbooks and remission of school fees should be automatically. There is no need for the person to apply from the schools or from the Member of Parliament since he is a public assistance recipient. The second example I raised was about the television licence. Most of the public assistance recipients do not pay licences anyway. Why could they not have a free licence? After all, it is not a cable system. Whether you receive it or not, it is already paid for. The other example I gave was on PUB. I did not say that we provide free PUB services. I said that consumed items should be paid for. But fees like the refuse disposal charges should perhaps be brought in line with the size of the family. And fixed charges should not, if possible, be imposed. I think that is a fair way to look at it. I am just trying to say, "Be logical about it." I did not say give away free services. On PUB, I said that they have to pay for what they consume.”
“I think it is wrong and something should be done about this. The 1-room or 2-room flat has about two or three persons in a family and they do not generate much rubbish. Members in this House will also testify that most of these people eat out as well. Sir, I will to beyond what the Member for Bo Wen has said proposed about a task force. I think it is too much to ask of the Community Development Ministry to look into all these areas on its own. An inter-ministerial committee should be set up to look into these related problems. There are little issues and problems that make life extremely difficult for these people. We can improve their children's education support. We can examine certain items in the PUB bills are overcharged and reduce them. Sir, if the Minister is really serious about this 10-15% lower-income group, just as he is serious about the 8.2% senior citizens, I think something can be done. Before he rejects my notion out of hand, I feel that he should set up a committee as suggested.”
“This is no loss of income to the Ministry of Communications and Information. I was told by a friend who gave me one interesting instance of a family who had difficulties. A little girl brought a large container of water to school every day. After consuming the water, she would fill up the container with water. The teacher was surprised and asked her why she did it, and she said she did it because the PUB supply was cut off at home. Sir, I bring up this case to show the priority. The Minister for National Development has said that HDB is always the last to get paid. It is true. Such tenants cannot live without water. They can live without electricity but not without water. So these people accord the lowest priority as far as HDB is concerned. On the subject of the PUB, I suggest that certainly fixed cost items, like refuse collection fees and the other fees which are fixed should perhaps be waived or lowered. Direct consumption items like electricity and water or gas will be charged, but those fixed cost items perhaps should be removed or lowered. For example on the waste disposal fee. I think it is grossly unfair in our system. You find that every kind of flat, whether it is a 1-room, 2-room or 5-room flat, pays $5 per month per flat. We all know and it has been shown all over the world that with affluence and larger units of flats more rubbish is being generated. Surely a 1-room flat cannot generate as much rubbish as a 5-room flat which has about 5 to 6 members in a household. I bring up this instance because some months ago an old lady came to see me. She was worried about her PUB bills and she appealed to me and said, "But I do not even use the dust-bin. I do not have much rubbish. Why am I paying $5?" I agreed with her.”
“The first relates to education. I have encountered a number of cases of families who have been granted to public assistance. They return to me to explain the problems of their children and wish to get free textbooks and remission of fees. I supported them and that is simple. Of course, the schools, usually through the School Advisory Committee, agreed to it. But the point I am making is that in education, when a family is on public assistance, there is really no need for the person to go back to apply through their MP or to the schools for free textbooks and remission of school fees. It should be automatic. The Ministry of Community Development should write to the schools concerned for free textbooks and remission of school fees to be given to those children. Sir, just last week a widow who was on public assistance came to see me. She was very troubled. She had a notice for a television receiver licence which cost $80. I was a bit surprised because usually people in financial difficulties do not bother about a television licence. They assume that they do not have to pay the licence fee. But this lady was very honest about it. She felt that it was her duty to pay. She inherited a television set but she could not afford to pay the fee. If you leave it to the bureaucrats, I think the logic will be, "Look, if you cannot afford to have a television licence, then you should not watch television." I think that will be a regressive step. When it comes to television licence, for example, people on public assistance should not have to pay the licence fee." After all, most of them do not pay anyway, but they live under stress, under the fear that they may be caught. Again, the Ministry can look into this.”
“He could drive what was called a "pirate taxi" to earn an income when he had problems. But times have changed. I do not advocate hat we go back to those days, but then if you recognize that this is what could be done, then people had more opportunities. Somehow we need to put more focus on the lower-income group. Many things that they do defy logic, or somehow lack a sense of priority. They can spend $30 on 4-digit lottery every week instead of spending this money on their children or their home. Why do they do it? They do it because that is the only way in which they feel they can get an immediate uplift, If lucky, they will have sudden income to solve their problems. In other words, they have hope, and this hope is very important. And that is why even in our non-compulsory education system we have almost 100% of our children in schools. This is so because even the very poor realises that the only way they can make it in this society is through their children. Hence they will find ways and means to send their children to school. This is why in my maiden speech in Parliament I suggested that we must find ways to support the people from the low-income families, especially the education of their children. Otherwise, I think our Vision of 1999 will be impaired. What will our society be like if we have of lower-income groups, who we can empathize with, but are unable to help to solve their problems? Also young people will have increased their expectations of the Government. They will start to question us at some point in time and ask why are we not doing more for these people. Sir, I think the best I can do is to go through some of the examples to instances why logic must work both ways, and the things that the Government can look into and do.”
“Sir, I stand up in full support of the various points raised by the Member for Bo Wen. This question of support, and help for the needy and lower-income in our society will always be there to trouble and prick our conscience. This question has been raised time and again. In my maiden speech in Parliament, this was the focus of my speech. Recently, the Wan Bao did a series of interviews and articles on a number of Members of this House who came from humble and poor origins. Those Members are here and they managed to make it in our society. I feel very privileged - not privileged to be featured in - the Wan Bao but I feel privileged that I have been given a chance in this system, a system which is fair and based on meritocracy. A system which through my own efforts enables me to make it. But, Sir, the system today, for those who are in the lower income group, which the Member for Bo Wen has estimated to be at least 10-15% is perhaps slightly different. 15 to 20 years ago, there were more or less equal opportunities, whether you are rich or you are poor. I say that because today the home support for a boy who goes to school from a middle-income professional family, or the richer family, is certainly much better than that 15 to 20 years ago. There was no television and there was little exposure. These days the middle-income group travel widely and they bring their children overseas. Sir, this point is important as we look into the various aspects of this problem. I remembered that before we clamped down on illegal hawking anyone could pitch a little stall to supplement the family income. They could get away with it because rules were more relaxed in those days. I also remembered that not too long ago, a person did not need a taxi licence.”
“Will the Minister enlighten this House by indicating how many of these cases are actually due to mental or physical abuse at home? Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, I do not have the figures for that. But my reading of the cases is that very few of them are the result of abuse.”
“Yes. Dr Lee Boon Yang: Sir, our expressways are not quite similar to expressways in other countries. Expressways in other countries are meant for long-distance inter-city travel where you have long stretches of open road with very little intersections. Our expressways in Singapore are relatively short and there are many exits or entry points closely spaced together. Our expressways generally have a speed limit of 80 kph, but right now there are still two stretches of expressway which have a speed limit of 70 kph. I notice the Member for Radin Mas say that it is very difficult to travel on expressways below 80 kph. But these two stretches of our expressway, ie, the part of the Pan-Island Expressway between Jalan Eunos and the interchange at Mount Pleasant and the Keppel viaduct which is part of the Ayer Rajah Expressway, carry a very high traffic volume. This is one of the reasons why the speed limit at these two sections had to be kept lower than the other parts of the expressway network. Sir, a car travelling at 80 kph will require about 25% more stopping distance compared to a car that is travelling at 70 kph. Therefore, raising the speed limit along the stretches of expressway which are already congested and already carrying very heavy traffic volume would not be in the interest of road safety.”
“Sir, the expressways are meant to improve our road communication system. Now that they are all in place, I think we should and must do something to improve the driving skills and driving habits of users of the expressways. We can improve the education process through television and through talks at the community centres. Perhaps a focus on this issue when the learner drivers take their tests will help. Of course,there are many other ways and I leave it to the Minister to look into this. However, to go only for education will not really solve the problem, in my opinion. This must be coupled with more effective enforcement measures. I do not know whether the existing legislation is adequate. But certainly the Traffic Police at the moment is focusing too much on speeding rather than poor driving habits. Sir, let me now talk about the overtaking lane and the speed limit. At the present moment most of our expressways have a speed limit of 80 kph. While driving, I like to work in the old system. The old system says only 50 mph. 50 mph is actually very slow on our roads. You will find that it is very difficult to drive below 80 kph on a four or three lane expressway. In many countries, like in Europe, the speed limit is 70 mph or about 120 kph. I suggest that for the overtaking lane, the fastest lane on the road, the speed limit should be increased to 100 kph. Sir, for this particular lane, we should perhaps look into imposing a minimum speed limit. This is to make sure that road hogs, people who drive slowly, do not drive on the wrong lane. By doing so I think this will improve our communications, make it more efficient for all drivers. I urge the Minister to take a serious look at altering the speed limit, Sir.”
“Sir, our road building programme, as we have been informed by the Minister for National Development, is coming to an end. Most of the major expressways, except for the Central Expressway, are already in place. I will like to raise two issues with the Minister today. The first is on the discipline of drivers on the expressways and the second matter is on speed limit. Sir, there are many cases of poor driving skills and bad behaviour on our expressways. I can name three instances. We have heavy vehicles in which refuse to take the left lane. The driver hogs the middle or the right lane and occasionally you see two heavy vehicles, one trying to overtake the other at 50 kph. Another instance of road hogging comes from those who drive slowly, way below the speed limit of 80 kph on the overtaking or the outermost lane. This is extremely frustrating for many other drivers. They also pose a hazard to other drivers as well. The last instance is this. There is very little preparation of some drivers when they approach the slip roads. In many instances you see such drivers taking the outermost lane and 200 metres before the exit to the slip road, will try to filter to the left. Just a couple of weeks ago, I witnessed personally a near collision on one of these expressways. A number of cars came to a screeching halt in the middle lane and all because the driver of the front car was trying to take off at the exit point about 50 metres away. But because there were a number of cars going on the left lane he was unable to filter out. He stopped his car right in the middle of the road and waited for the cars on the left to pass. This is extremely hazardous and I think a number of accidents are caused by poor drivers of this kind.”
“The experience and performance of NUH has shown that the concept of an autonomously managed hospital is correct. My Ministry is now in the process of planning the restructuring of SGH into an autonomous hospital. We expect to complete the restructuring programme for SGH around the middle of 1989. Sir, SGH today has 1,621 beds. Of these, 1,160 are in the heavily subsidized wards where patients pay only a small fraction of the total cost. SGH, after its restructuring, will continue to offer subsidized care to the lower income group who cannot afford to pay the full cost of hospital care. Those patients who are genuinely indigent and who cannot afford even the subsidized rates are also eligible to apply for a waiver of fees. I would like to assure Members that no Singaporean will be denied medical care because of financial difficulty. COMMUNITY HOSPITAL IN BEDOK NEW TOWN The following question stood in the name of Mr Chew Heng Ching - 10. To ask the Acting Minister for Health whether a community hospital, like the one to be built in Ang Mo Kio New Town, will be built in Bedok New Town and, if so, when.”
“Sir, will the Minister agree that the low number of cases of prosecution could be due to the inappropriate legislation? Mr Wong Kan Seng: The legislation we have in dealing with such cases is our Children and Young Persons Act. As I have mentioned last year and the year before last in this House, the Act is adequate for such purpose. If there is a serious case of child abuse, we always have the Criminal (Procedure) Code and the Penal Code to deal with such cases. The Act, as I said, is adequate. SINGAPORE GENERAL HOSPITAL (Privatization) 9. Dr Koh Lam Son asked the Acting Minister for Health whether there is any immediate plan to privatise the Singapore General Hospital and whether this move will restrict poorer Singaporeans using its services. The Acting Minister for Health (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong): Sir, last year, during the debate in the Committee of Supply on my Ministry's Budget, I had explained at length the reasons for restructuring the management of our hospitals. I had explained that each restructured hospital would operate as an autonomous unit, free from the constraints of Civil Service regulations. It would be better able to meet the changing demands from the general public, have greater flexibility in deploying and motivating its staff and achieve greater efficiency through the introduction of modern management and operational systems. The end-result would be better personalized services to our patients, while capping the rapid cost increases that we have experienced in the last 10-15 years. Sir, my Ministry has been monitoring closely the experience of the National University Hospital, which was commissioned as a restructured hospital some 2(r) years ago.”
“Sir, will the Minister of State explain why was this underpass not considered earlier when the Orchard Road MRT station was constructed? A second question. How long will it take to build this underpass if they start building at the end of this year?”
“Similar audits will be carried out in the other Government hospitals. In addition, all private hospitals have recently established inhouse Hospital Audit Committees comprising administrators and doctors to conduct monthly internal medical professional audit to ensure that claims are in order. For example, the Hospital Audit Committee will ensure that the operation and investigations carried out in each case are consistent with the diagnosis and are correctly classified and reported in the Medisave claims documents. The Medisave Audit Review Committee will monitor the findings of the Hospital Audit Committees and will periodically conduct its own audit checks on the private hospitals. HEALTH EDUCATION AND PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE (Expenditure) 11. Mr Chew Heng Ching asked the Acting Minister for Health how much was spent on health education and preventive health care each year in the years 1983 to 1987.”
“The problem is not a serious one because more than 4 million overseas trips were made by Singaporeans and permanent residents in 1987, many of whom had probably gone on organized tours, and there were only 44 complaints. Nevertheless, STPB is closely monitoring the situation and local tour operators will be constantly reminded to work more closely with their overseas tour operators to minimize such incidents. To date, STPB has conducted 22 Basic Tourist Guide courses. Currently, there are 544 licensed tourist guides in Singapore and they are conversant in one or more of 16 languages. STPB plans to train about 60-80 guides each year. MEDISAVE (Abuse) 10. Mr Chew Heng Ching asked the Acting Minister for Health whether the Medisave Audit Review Committee set up in December 1987 has identified cases of abuse in the use of Medisave and, if so, what actions will be taken to prevent these abuses from happening again. The Acting Minister for Health (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Medisave Audit Review Committee was set up in December 1987 to review audit reports on the financial compliance and medical aspects of Medisave claims. It also monitors Medisave spending patterns to see if any trends emerge. The CPF audit team has recently completed an audit of Medisave claims in NUH and three Government hospitals. They evaluated the system of internal control, and carried out checks on compliance with the claims procedure and guidelines as well as on the accuracy of the documents and records. The audit showed that there were a few minor administrative errors in some of the Medisave claims. There were, however, no cases of abuse detected. The findings have been brought to the attention of the hospital management to help them to tighten controls.”
“But the Economic Survey of Singapore is licensed by the MTI. So I assume some money must have gone back to the MTI. BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not think that is a Government fiscal practice. COMPLAINTS AGAINST TRAVEL AGENTS 9. Mr Yeo Choo Kok asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) how many licensed travel agents there are to date; (b) how many complaints have been made by local tourists to the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board against travel agents for not adhering to agreed programmes and services abroad since 1st January, 1987; (c) what action has been taken against these agents; and (d) whether the STPB has any plan to train more tourist guides. BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, there are 392 licensed travel agents as at 12th March this year. Between 1st January 1987 and 12th March this year, STPB has received 44 complaints from local tourists concerning overseas tours that were not conducted in accordance with agreed terms and conditions. All the 44 complaints received were investigated by the STPB. Investigations on 35 of the complaints have been completed. Of these, 27 were established to be valid. Generally, the problems were due to lapses in coordination between the local and overseas tour operators. For all the 27 cases, the local travel agents concerned were made to refund or pay compensation to the complainants. In addition, the travel agents were warned to ensure that their overseas ground operators adhere to the terms and conditions of the tour as contracted, and to give proper pre-tour briefings to their clients. So far, no travel agent has been prosecuted by STPB for such complaints.”
“First, will the Minister confirm that this copyright notice is not found in the previous year's Economic Surveys? Second, who gets the profit from the sale of the Economic Survey of Singapore? BG Lee Hsien Loong: On the first point, it is true the previous Economic Surveys were not copyrighted but in all previous years the Quarterly Surveys which are published in the first, second and third quarters have been copy-righted. So the Annual Survey was left out as an anomaly which has now been put right. As for who gets the profits from the sale, I do not know whether any money accrues, but I should imagine either the printers get their share or its goes back to Consolidated accounts. Anyway, MTI does not keep the money.”
“Sir, will the Minister confirm that formal measures or schemes will be announced once the HDB has completed its study with the MCD?”
“Sir, I hope the Minister will direct the HDB to look into this.”
“Sir, I was going to bring up the subject of dogs in general yesterday. But when I rushed back from my lunch to this Chamber, I missed the amendment by just a few minutes. I was caught up in the traffic along Orchard Road, Sir. I shall now confine my short query on dogs in the HDB estates. I respect the right of owners who keep dogs as pets in the estates, but I do have many complaints. We are a multi-racial society and everyone leads a different way of life. Some residents therefore find that dogs are quite a nuisance in the estates. Owners do not keep their dogs on a leash. They let them run loose and the dogs go sniffing at passer-bys. They allow their dogs to run along the corridors and get into their, neighbours homes. Sometimes this can be very offensive. Sir, there are really many other problems with dogs. In the lifts some owners hold their dogs in their arms. At arms' height, this can be offensive to the personwho is standing next to him. Like I said earlier, I do respect the rights of these dog owners. But they must also exercise more care and equally respect the rights of other people who do not find it very amusing or very pleasing when dogs sniff at them and run into their homes. So I will like the HDB to look into the possibility of further tightening this matter of allowing dogs in the homes, perhaps by way of a free registration. If you want to keep a dog, you have to register with the HDB Area Office, sign a list of do's and don'ts so that you know exactly what you can and what you cannot do. For example, the HDB can even specify the size of the dog to make sure that you do not have a large ferocious dog at home which can frighten the neighbours' kids and so on. In this way, there will be less misunderstanding.”
“Sir, actually I was suggesting something similar to camera traps at traffic lights. You rotate the devices every now and then so that residents will not know which lifts have been installed with the real device and which have dummies.”