Cynthia Phua
Singapore
“Sir, I am very glad that the Minister has elaborated on the diversification of our food sources. On the ground, our senior citizens are saying that the 10-cent increase in a cup of coffee is affecting their daily needs.”
“Where are the weak links that should be tightened? How does his Ministry intend to tackle the problem and whether it is engaging in any dialogue with different concerned groups in the community, for example, VWOs?”
“Mr Chairman, the Minister mentioned about the cross-agency effort on youth. He mentioned three Ministries – MOE, MHA and MCYS. I would like to ask for one more, ie, MINDEF, because for male youths, if they are delinquents, they would have left school and be enlisted earlier, and they could get help from MINDEF.”
“Many parents are working when the children are in secondary school. As a result, teenage students are left at home in the afternoon without proper guidance.”
“In the community, we came across many new cases where family could not manage to persuade the patient to have early treatment, resulting in nuisances being caused to the neighbourhood and the patient himself who suffers the mental illness.”
“What has been the outcome pertaining to our ongoing efforts to bring back our Singaporean medical students and some of the young doctors working overseas? What are the Minister's views on the newly introduced scholarship for medical students studying overseas?”
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“For example, get them involved in the child/student care financial assistance scheme, where they can put their children in the child/student care centres, and parents would be more willing to go for skills upgrading knowing that their children are taken care of. As for the setting up of the Public Transport Funds for the lower-income families, I would urge the Government and NTUC to extend this help to the marginal groups of families which hover between the low and middle income. I have in mind especially the cases where the breadwinners are in the older age group and they are hardest hit by the CPF adjustment. These families tend to have children in the teenage group, where they are socially active and need public transport to move around, and many of these families have also supported the Government's call to have more than two children. We sincerely hope that the qualifying family income level eligible for the transport fund assistance be realistically set to readily help those who need help, rather than by an exception to the prescribed guidelines. On the Government's help for businesses by extending the statutory lifespan of omnibuses and taxis, may I also ask the DPM to consider extending the 10-year cap for motorcars to 12 years so that the man-in-the-street need not scrap his car within a short period of time. Often, Singaporeans take good care of their cars and with improved technology, the cars are still roadworthy after 10 years. It is an argument that DPM has used for the extension of the lifespan of buses and taxis. It is a waste to have to scrap the cars. A change in this 10-year cap will help many people, who need a car for their businesses and work. This has also been thoroughly argued by Mr Tan Soo Khoon earlier on the high cost of owning a car.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for the opportunity to join in the debate. The Government should be applauded for coming out with a comprehensive and directed dosage of measures to help those who are affected by the adjustment in CPF contributions, and also for the additional package to assist businesses, particularly the construction, tourism and SMEs. DPM Lee's announcement, in fact, does address many of the concerns of the people and businesses. It is a reflection of our commitment to look after the interest of the country and the people. The measures introduced will have very long-term benefits for our workers. Yes, they have to tighten their belts now, relook their financial planning, but their future will be better secured. The measures will help the workers to stand up and proudly move forward. It is our policy to teach and equip a man to catch his own fish, rather than to give him fish every day and he does not know how to fish. However, there are a few concerns on the Work Assistance Programme for the unemployed, and the People-for-Jobs Traineeship Programme for older workers. Many do have family problems that come along with unemployment for a period of time, eg, family violence, potential legal proceedings for traffic and parking fines, credit cards, utilities bills, or even bankruptcy suits. We need more than a case manager to assist the unemployed and the older workers. We need a comprehensive network of social services to deal with these family matters. And I suggest that the localised Family Service Centres, with the support of the CDCs, work together with the case manager to extend professional guidance to these families. Secondly, these schemes should also look into providing additional financial schemes during the period of training.”
“Sir, the Minister has not answered my question. Can the Minister share the survey of the travel pattern with the grassroots? I think our grassroots leaders have been asking for this during the briefing itself. Can they show us some statistics of the travel pattern of the people, so that many more feeder bus services can be provided and integrated?”
“Sir, four supplementary questions. Can the Minister share the study of the travel pattern with the ground? And, just to clarify, the Advisors actually asked for the dialogue before the dialogue with the residents was done. The second question is: as MOT pushes for the integration of the bus and train services, what are the principles and guidelines MOT adopted for this integration? Why was the concession of the bus and MRT fare services for the school children not integrated? With the removal of the many bus trunk services, the children are forced to take buses to the MRT station itself and they would now need to take both bus service and MRT to their school and they have to pay an additional $45 or $52 more depending on what card they hold. This is a 100% increase in the fare. Would the Minister help these poor children and their families by providing a cheaper integrated fare? Again on the principles of integration, why is SBS Transit allowed to retain the services of 502 from Orchard to Jurong East, which is on the SMRT line, and removed the service from Hougang to Orchard which is on the North East Line? The last question: what is the relationship between LTA, PTC and TransitLink Private Limited and their roles and decision for the removal of the bus services and the rationalisation of the MRT line and the bus services? I ask this question because this company sent out letters to the Advisors for a briefing but not the operator, SBS Transit Limited, or the relevant authorities like MOT, LTA or PTC.”
“Sir, there is really a demand for 3-room flats on the ground. As an indication of the size of the demand for downgrading, how many lessees of 4-room and bigger flats are owing HDB loan instalments now?”
“Mr Speaker, what is the Ministry's response to the call by the contractors for the security bond to be reduced to 10% of the initial amount upon obtaining TOP for contractors, the accounts to be finalised after six months, after the TOP has been obtained, and also the 5% retention sum to be waived? As regards the suicide tender bids, will the contractors be penalised if they withdraw the suicide tender bids, if it is really a genuine mistake being made?”
“Sir, on this official quarantine period, ie, 10 or 14 days, can the Minister for Health explain? I also want to reiterate the fears on the ground about Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Can the Minister explain the procedure when a person seeks help at Tan Tock Seng Hospital? I went to the market today. There is even talk that they would be locked up when they seek help there! What are the preventive actions being taken by Government agencies to ensure that there is service or business continuity if any of the staff is found to be affected? Assoc. Prof. Chin Tet Yung (Sembawang): Sir, I would like to ask more about the Home Quarantine Orders, because there seems to be some public misperceptions about what steps are taken before Home Quarantine Orders are issued. There may be some hesitancy therefore as to why they want to keep to the Home Quarantine Orders. Can the Minister explain how Home Quarantine Orders are issued and what sort of actions are required of those who are quarantined? I also understand that in all parts of Singapore you can be quarantined at home. Apparently, in Hong Kong, there were some problems about people who thought that they had SARS and then took taxis or buses on the way to the doctors, nurses and hospitals, that they are in fact spreading the infection. What steps are being taken, for example, to control this type of problem?”
“Two supplementary questions, Sir. Some residents are concerned that their apartment values have dropped because of the bad publicity. Would the Minister agree to goodwill repairs of some of the defects? After all, in response to repeated requests by BG George Yeo and the Pro-tem Committee before privatisation, HDB did agree to carry out goodwill repairs at the end of 2001. Second question: after privatisation, some residents have been led to believe that under the HUDC Act, the residents of Waterfront View should have been required to pay only $1, instead of about $20,000 for the privatisation. Can the Minister clarify this, please?”
“Sir, point of clarification. My concern is not that schools should share facilities with the public, but our schools do not have enough facilities and sports personnel to allow our children maximum opportunities to enjoy sports. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, my apologies. Last year, SSC launched a programme, together with the schools, where we gave a small funding to each school for it to hire a coach or someone who is prepared to volunteer to run sporting programmes for the non-athlete students. This is one way in which we can address the lack of manpower within the school system. I cannot recall the exact numbers, but more than 40 schools have joined the scheme, and a good number of students have been involved in games in which they otherwise would not have been involved.”
“In our schools, the excellence factor has already come in when you just want to play and have the experiences and, most often, the excuses are always limited facilities and human resources. Presently, the Sports for All goals and programmes are developed by MCDS and the opportunities given to the children are decided by the Ministry of Education. There is obviously a need for total coordination and commitment between the Ministries. I would like to ask for an inter-Ministry committee to be set up to ensure that goals are set and implementation is carried out to ensure that there are physical and human resources for maximum opportunities for the children to participate in schools. Singapore is small, and to build many stadiums and running tracks is impossible. We must build these scarce resources where maximum shared uses are encouraged. They should be built near the schools and conveniences, such as near to MRT and LRT stations, where children and adults can maximise the usage. And what is the planning provision for such stadiums and sports centres? When was the last review done? As for people resources, what is MCDS' plan to increase the number of sports instructors in schools as well as for the public sector, if we want to cultivate a sporting Singapore?”
“Sir, I would like to urge the Ministry of Education and MCDS to ensure that our children are given maximum opportunities to play sports in school. I just want to quote our Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence RAdm Teo Chee Hean that ECA in sports should be broad-based with opportunities to specialise. Just as pupils are offered a broad range of subjects in schools, they should also be offered a range of ECA that exposes them to different experiences and encourages the exploration of diverse interests. Presently, schools where these broad-based opportunities should be given are presently left to the individual school's own resources to select and nurture certain sports which they feel they are capable of providing. This negates the aim of a clear broad-based policy to provide ample opportunities for pupils to excel in sports. I would like to give one example. My little girl wanted to play tennis and went for selection, just to play the sport. She was thrown five balls for testing, and she came home telling me that she had managed only to hit one ball. Hence, she was not allowed to play tennis in school. I have no choice but to send her to a private class on Sunday and to pay $50 an hour. I am able to afford it, but how many parents can afford it. I concur with Dr Warren Lee that we must start the young in sports early. It is at this tender age of 7 to 12 that world champions can develop and be nurtured. Talents can be identified through opportunities to participate in a diverse range of sporting activities and outstanding pupils can then be identified to provide the excellence.”
“Some of these children will not enjoy many of the subsidies available to the first and the second child. Families may have actually thought that they could afford looking after these children, two or five years ago. But because of the downturn, they may be in trouble. Can we find ways to help them?”
“Most of these schemes have very minor differences. So could the Ministry please look into that? Dr Warren Lee (Sembawang): Sir, with the downturn in the economy, there are two groups of children whom I would be very much concerned about. The first group would be the children from poor families who have been previously poor. Many of these families are large, they have had low incomes and they have been in the cycle of poverty with very little support. MCDS has done much for this group, but much more needs to be done. The other group really would be the ones who might be newly poor, or newly in need, because the parents previously having been able to look after the family are now in financial difficulties, as a result of the economic downturn. Some of these children and their families have been unwilling to come forward for help because of embarrassment. Others are in great need but are still in the process of making their relevant adjustments to their family lifestyle. Some of these children actually are in the kindergarten age group where, I believe, there is a list of help available, in terms of being unable to pay for children's kindergarten fees. But the long-term impact on the kindergartens - although it is not compulsory education - would be very important, in terms of giving these children a head-start in the education system. What plan does MCDS have to address this problem? These children are our future. I hope that MCDS would be able to come up with some schemes, maybe for the next few years at least, to address their needs. In particular, I want to bring forth the plight of those children who come from families who have actually heeded the nation's call "to have three or more, if you can afford it"; and sometimes, there is a fourth child.”
“Sir, with the Iraq war on now and due to Singapore's open economy, many more people may be affected by the economic situation, either due to reduced income or loss of job. I would like to commend MCDS for the many financial and social assistance schemes that they introduced to help the lower income families and families that are affected by the downturn of the economy. I have two concerns on disabled children. However, this has been answered by the Minister. I share Mr Chandra Mohan's concern on the mentally disabled. In view of this downturn in the economy, many are very stressed with their financial and employment situation. Many may have some kind of mental illness but they are, however, not serious enough to be warded in the hospital, and they do not have the necessary family support. I have just one question. Is MCDS considering setting up step-down facilities and daily care service which would be of great help for such families, especially when the breadwinner is affected and the spouse needs to find alternative employment to supplement the family income? 5.15 pm In view of the many social and financial assistance schemes initiated by MCDS and CDCs, would the Ministry consider streamlining all these schemes and ensure that they are better coordinated with CDCs as a one-stop help centre? This is in line with Dr Tan's appeal. Just to give Members an example. A family in need of financial help to send their children to childcare and student care centres will need to understand at least five financial schemes before she can apply - the Flexi Childcare Scheme, the Government childcare subsidy, the Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme, the Baby Bonus Scheme where they can use the money to pay even for the childcare service, and Student Care Fee Assistance Scheme.”
“Sir, we spoke on the change of name of the Singapore Zoological Gardens. However, this place gives me a different nostalgia. I simply love the nature and open-air toilets there. Thanks to the National Environment Agency, our toilets in HDB coffeshops will be upgraded under the Toilet Upgrading Programme, financed partly by the Agency. This would not be the standard equal to that of the Singapore Zoo but would be a comfortable toilet like that in a 3- or 4-star hotel. My questions are: since the introduction of this programme in July 2002, what is the take-up rate of this scheme? How much has the Government disbursed to finance this programme? Would the Government continue to subsidise this scheme? The objective of toilet upgrading is that it will help improve the image of the public toilets in Singapore. Physical upgrading is only the initial stage. The long-sustaining effort in the maintenance and cleanliness of the toilet is even more important. Are there any programmes to ensure that the toilets would be maintained and kept clean to ensure that the objective of the Toilet Upgrading Programme is achieved? Is the Agency considering taking into account the standard of the toilets as consideration for the renewal of the licence of the coffeeshops?”
“The National Energy Efficiency Committee (NEEC), under the National Environment Agency, has just started the voluntary energy audit schemes with industry that has high usage of oil and gas to better manage their energy use. The first initiative was targeted at the petroleum companies. I urge the Committee to establish the industry standards of measurable energy efficiency indicators of buildings in Singapore quickly and encourage building owners to sign up for this energy audit to ensure that our buildings are efficient. The trend now is that everyone wants glass curtain walling in offices and even in houses where the glass window is like a glass door with full ceiling height. This feature gives maximum view to the outside but also has a bigger area of heat transmission to the inside of the building. What are the measures taken by the Agency to ensure that such commercial buildings are energy efficient, including the residential flats and houses? Is the overall thermal transmission value that governs commercial buildings for glass curtain walling still valid? If it is, should not our residential development, especially condominiums, be subject to this review too? To be more applicable, are there other more direct values such as the amount of energy taken to cool a building?”
“Sir, energy efficiency is a difficult term to understand. I will quote some more other terms under energy conservation, ie, energy management, energy audit. As a consumer, Sir, I would like the National Environment Agency to look into defining the term "energy efficiency" in the various electrical appliances with quantifiable indicators, so that simple consumers like me will understand and participate in energy conservation - again, a very long word. Presently, many do not understand what "one green tick" means in the energy labelling system. I understand from MOS Dr Balaji that, presently, they are including the dollar amount of electricity consumption cost per month in the energy label for electrical appliances. How does this one tick translate into savings instead of cost (which is currently stated on the labels) at the end of the month? In a normal situation, savings would mean comparing the cost of electricity used for the appliance with that of the average industry electricity consumption cost for that type of appliance. When consumers know that they are going to save, they would be better convinced to buy a more energy-efficient appliance. We could do more to educate our consumers. The present energy labelling scheme has been initiated on two electrical products, ie, refrigerators and air-conditioners. We should extend this scheme to other electrical appliances quickly, such as water heaters, electrical cookers, electrical stoves where usage of electricity is very high, and even energy saving lamps. I will always buy lamps that state "energy saving" on its cover, but I do not know how much savings I actually save. As for building efficiency, we need more 3P partnerships.”
“This could eventually be the more sustainable centres for collection of recycling materials in the long run and are near to the homes where larger volumes of recycling materials are available.”
“Sir, I support Dr Amy Khor in commending the Ministry of the Environment for the efforts and progress that it has made in promoting recycling in homes and the achievements made that one in three households now recycle. My concerns are: what is the cost of collection of the recycled materials from house-to-house per household per month? What is the value of the recycled materials collected per household per month? What is the average volume of the recycled materials versus the average volume of the refuse per household? Would the refuse collection companies be able to sustain this door-to-door collection? What other alternatives has ENV explored? In addition, more education programmes should be emphasised in the following areas: Educate the people at home, the young and old, the school children, especially primary school children, where enthusiasm can still be cultivated on recycling and what can be recycled. Most households are familiar with the recycling of papers. Many do not know what are the materials that can be recycled, for example, glass, aluminium cans and bottles and at what stage must these materials be cleaned before they are thrown into the recycling bins. Have some education materials in Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia to enable our maids to recycle too. I have noticed that ENV has introduced recycling bins in some of the public places, for example, Orchard Road, hawker centres and MRT stations. Are these suitable for homes to recycle? These would be suitable for small volumes of waste, most probably as a by-product of the activities at these places. I am suggesting that we designate some areas within HDB estates and private estates where recycling bins are there all the time where the refuse collection contractor collects daily.”
“Although this issue has been highlighted in this House, our flat owners still do not understand how this problem can happen with our Singapore brand name. My questions are: when we see spalling concrete after three or five years of owning a flat, is this natural deterioration of the concrete slabs? What are the preventive measures that can be taken by the house owner to prevent this natural deterioration or to delay the occurrence of this problem? If there are, can HDB inform and educate the existing owners to prevent or delay the occurrence, than simply ask the owners to repair it? If there are no measures that can be taken, would HDB, being the biggest landowner, carry out some intensive research into this problem? 1.30 pm”
“Sir, my concerns are as follows. I would like to strongly call for a separate management corporation for the different and diverse unit owners in a mixed development. Presently, all the different types of unit owners in a mixed development belong to one management corporation. For complex mixed-use development, it is difficult for one management corporation to accommodate the different and conflicting needs of the different user groups. For example, the high car park charges would be welcomed by the residents as it would mean more income for the maintenace of the common property. However, for the commercial units, high car park charges mean less customers coming in to the shops. While we seek to review the Land Titles (Strata) Act (LTSA), some of the issues are more fundamental, ie, they arise at the time the strata is subdivided and not at the time of management, for example, the sharing of the car park between the residential users and the commercial users. If the car parks for the residential and commercial users are clearly and physically separated at strata subdivision level, ie, clearly defined, the car park can then be separately managed once the LTSA considers multi-management corporations for the mixed developments. I am requesting the relevant authorities, while reviewing the LTSA, to take the opportunity to review the strata subdivision guidelines under the URA too. This will ensure that the review of the LTSA is thorough and resolve some management issues of the strata property at source.”
“For example, Toa Payoh is such a vibrant town now because of the detailed development guide plan that was drawn up in 1996.”
“Sir, my concerns are these. In view of the advancement in technology, the different business uses are now more integrated. MOS Vivian Balakrishnan has just announced the integration of the various types of uses within an industrial land. What about the integration of the industrial, commercial and residential uses within a parcel of land, so as to have a better home-office connectivity and a better provision of commercial amenities to support the work environment? Can the Ministry allow the existing vacant industrial land to have this flexibility of integration to allow vibrancy and increase economic value? For residential property, the trend is towards high-density residential development. What are the planning considerations taken to ensure that the intensity of living does not cause social and communal dislocation? This is especially important where good private residential estates are now faced with 5-storey apartments overlooking into their houses, in view of the plot ratio of 1.4 for landed residential estates. The mobility of residents for social and communal interactions, as well as personal well-being with regard to a 4-storey high public housing, has to be studied carefully before duplicating in other estates. What are the planning considerations of the places of worship, especially in private residential estates? And what are the planning considerations of columbarium within these places of worship? This is extremely sensitive in private landed housing estates. In HDB estates, these places of worship are usually designated and pre-planned. In the Master Plan 2003, land use plans were prepared for five large areas. Would URA consider detailed planning at areas where it is a necessity?”
“I have just appealed to Minister Yeo Cheow Tong to consider retaining at least a few of the feeder services so as to retain the existing bus interchange and bring in the residents to the 350 shops and offices and over 80 market and hawker centre stalls, and the shopping complex in the neighbourhood. Just to give you the impact of the shift of the essential Government services and the transport hub from a neighbourhood centre, NTUC Fairprice is doing about 50% of the business it was doing in pre-1998 in Woodlands Centre. If there is no one agency taking charge, could there be an inter-ministry committee to ensure that the shops in these old towns and neighbourhood centres survive, before allowing any shift of the essential Government services, like the HDB branch offices, the CPF branches, the libraries, the post-offices, into newer locations and, most importantly, the interchanges which bring people to the centres? As we appeal to each Ministry, each would look at its own operation and would not consider other agencies' operations. However, the withdrawal of all the relevant agencies' operations would have a tremendous impact on the old centres and nearby estates. It is common knowledge that, as with any new transport hub, the value of the commercial property will increase because of the human traffic. For new sites, ie, MRT stations, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) should ensure that the land surrounding these sites is acquired so that no property owner will benefit from these new locations of the MRT stations or bus interchanges. It can be seen here the importance of a transport hub to a neighbourhood or town centre.”
“Madam, in view of the development of new sites within existing estates, especially with the new MRT routes, such as the North East Line and also the Circle Line, many of the older neighbourhood centres have given rise to new neighbourhood and town centres next to the MRT stations. These are generally good news to residents who benefited from these new neighbourhood and town centres, but not the shopkeepers who have been operating in the old centres for many years and who have bought their shops and could not move out at all. They see a drop in the number of residents going to these centres without the essential Government agency services, such as HDB branch offices, bus interchanges, and even banks followed suit, which is understandable. All the Government agencies have valid reasons to shift out, such as efficiency, productivity and cost-saving for them. Can the Minister clarify which agency is responsible for the planning of the alternative use of the existing neighbourhood and town centres and ensuring the survival of these old neighbourhood and town centres? Three such sites come to mind. One of them is the former Woodlands Town Centre, vacated since 1998. We have just heard Dr Chong's vivid description of the woes of the existing shopkeepers in Bukit Merah and his appeal for his constituents. The landowner had shifted out, knowing full well that the neighbourhood shops depended so much on the HDB's customers and its 8,000 strong staff to survive and, yet, no plans for its alternative use were activated before the shift. As for the Kovan Centre - here I must declare my interest as it is within my division - the branch office had just shifted out in December 2002.”
“Indeed, following the significant jump of property prices, many Singaporeans sold their flats ending up cash rich, yet upgrading into a second flat, continuing to use the CPF scheme as a second bite of the HDB cherry. I was told that the number of Muslims who went on Haj, for example, during property prices boom time, showed a direct correlation to sales in HDB flats. But, unfortunately, no more. In fact, many of those who upgraded, while hoping to sell again later, are now caught. If they are among those retrenched or unemployed, their problems get worse. The question of affordability of public housing arises in the context of new flat prices, retrenchment, the passing of the high wage policy and, possibly, reduced CPF contributions. The question now is: is HDB housing still affordable? How would MND and HDB keep public housing affordable, especially when they would want to keep housing of first-world quality? 4.15 pm”
“Madam, on affordability of HDB flats. Presently, HDB policies are geared toward Singaporeans upgrading their flats. This is natural, as most Singaporeans, when they can afford, would want comfortable and bigger sized flats. And most of us have also grown up with the aspiration of owning our flats, as big as possible. We are the only country that has the highest home ownership, and when the economy changes, most Singaporeans would be tied down to their assets, difficult to make a vertical move for their housing, unlike some who rent a house or a flat. In view of such scenarios present and in the future, HDB should review its present housing policy to allow for downgrading and the need to build smaller flats. Presently, the purchase of 3-room HDB flats is only for first-time applicants, earning an income of less than $2,000. Will HDB review its policy to allow existing flat owners who need to downgrade to 3-room flats and meet the income criteria of below $2,000 another chance to purchase directly from HDB the 3-room flats? The reasons are that some of these households staying in bigger flats just simply cannot afford to buy a 3-room flat in the open market, since they still have large outstanding loans of their present bigger flats and could not maintain the present flat. Does the HDB have a sufficient supply of 3-room flats to cater to families who require them? Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed: Madam, Singaporeans are indeed very lucky to have the CPF scheme to allow home ownership to be made affordable. That is definitely true for the first generation of homeowners in the first 20 years of our independence.”
“As an incentive, HDB could do some accounting on the holding cost of its built-up HDB flats. For example, some of the surplus flats under the SERS redevelopment programme are not let out to the public promptly. Some blocks were ready at least for two years before take up by residents, and many of these flats are in superb locations where demand is very high. The timing for the occupation of the flats could be better scheduled if the holding cost of the built-up flats is taken into account.”
“Madam, my concerns are with the changing demography of the Singapore population. The new HDB could work towards being more responsive to the public. Many of the post-war baby boomers will be reaching the senior citizens age group. Many may need to downgrade their living standards in view of the smaller families that they have, and many, in view of the economic downturn, may just want to be economically independent and free of their assets. HDB should take an active review in the provision of suitable housing types for the future change in the demography of the people. In view of the advancement of information and communication technology, the HDB should review its provision of basic facilities within the flat, eg, the provision of broadband and wireless network, to meet the future needs of Singaporeans who are growing up with the computer and Internet world. These facilities and amenities would become the basic necessities than luxuries. This would also provide the backbone for the home office concept. In view of the small number of flats to be built and sold by the HDB, HDB could relook into the various policies for the sale of HDB flats. HDB, presently, has the most complicated policies and guidelines in the sale of HDB flats. With a surplus of about 9,000 flats as at 31st December 2002, HDB should look into the selling of the flats on a daily basis, rather than on a monthly basis currently. This is the standard in the private sector. I am told that, recently, Wing Tai also sold their flats and houses during the Chinese New Year holidays and gave away ang pows to prospective buyers. Would HDB, possibly, consider selling the 9,000 excess flats in the open market at market price without subsidy and without the usual HDB restrictive conditions for occupation and resale?”
“Madam, with the present scenario of a built-up city, I just have three questions. What is the new role of HDB in view of the already high build-up of HDB public housing? And, in view of the proposed big set-up of 1,000 staff and 800 contract clerks-of-works, does the new HDB Corp expect to play any role in the Singapore market, although the stated objective of HDB Corp is to foray into overseas markets, like India and China? I support Dr Teo's call for a review of Singaporeans' need of the interim, main, lift upgrading, and selective en-bloc redevelopment programmes, and their cost effectiveness and benefits to residents versus the inconvenience faced by residents. Although the various upgrading works have served the objective of enhancing the living environment of the older estates in the various phases, the residential development may still not be intensively built to take advantage of the plot ratio of 3.5 for residential development in the new Master Plan 2003.”
“Every society has to find that balance and doing both is not inconsistent. In other words, we can still remain tough and have deterrent sentences, but do more to rehabilitate those who go astray, particularly those who are genuine and who are first timers. This is what is happening in Singapore, particularly, MHA with its many community-based sentences which it has introduced, including home detention and other measures. Sir, I think this is the way to go. But having said this, of course, it is not cast in stone. We will continue to find a balance. But the key thing is we must retain a system where there is incentive for those who are law abiding, even if they breach the law, like we mentioned just now and earlier on the Minister talked about decriminalising regulatory offences, they will know that they would have a second chance and those who are so minded to commit serious crimes which will cause harm to Singaporeans and bring disrepute to us, I think they must be sent a strong message. So let us maintain the balance. Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, can I seek a clarification from the Senior Minister of State?”
“For example, Members will recall 2-3 years ago, we changed the way in which the punishment structure will work against offenders who commit maid abuse. That was a reflection of the seriousness of the offence. Likewise, when we impose mandatory minimum sentences, we send a very strong deterrent message to would-be offenders that these are very serious offences and they should think three times before committing them. A good example would be robbery in lifts, which is currently hogging the limelight. Other serious offences that carry mandatory sentences will include aggravated molest, armed offence and, indeed, harbouring of illegal immigrants, which Mr Ravindran mentioned, because of the dire consequences that this can cause. Hence, deterrence remains the key plank in our penal philosophy and, indeed, we should not be apologetic about the tough stand against crime, which makes Singapore a safe place. The Mercer report, recently released and UK-based, ranked Singapore top in Asia and second in the world for safety, and this was done just 4-5 months ago; in other words, post-September 11. Even in this era, Singapore is not found wanting and continues to do well. Safety and security in Singapore is a key economic attribute. It not only ensures a good quality of life for us, but also brings investments into Singapore. 6.00 pm Hence, we should leave the courts to determine the sentencing approach. Of course, even with sentencing guidelines, every Judge would have to decide the case, including the sentences, according to the facts before him. But increasingly, even as we retain deterrence as the key plank in our penal philosophy, I am sure Mr Ravindran will agree that we have also moved towards rehabilitation, in other words, to maintain a balance.”
“Mr Ravindran has asked about sentencing policy. He asked whether the sentencing policies have fulfilled their purposes and what have been the collateral costs, and whether the approach currently taken can be improved. I think he mentioned his concerns about mandatory minimum sentences and tariffs of sentencing. As he well knows, as a lawyer, the outcome of our sentencing policy is really an interplay between Parliament on the one hand and the courts on the other. So, both have their respective roles to play. Parliament sets for offences a sentencing range of imprisonment of up to, say, five years or a fine or both, and leaves it to the courts to determine the appropriate sentence for each case. Sentencing policy is determined by the courts. Hence, the courts will have their sentencing guidelines so as to ensure that similar sentences are given by different judges for similar offences. So, the tariffs, as Mr Ravindan puts it, are necessary to ensure consistency in sentences, which is also a feature of justice. Mr Ravindran mentioned mandatory minimum sentences. Singapore is not the only country that has mandatory sentences. Many countries, including US, UK, Australia and Canada, which embrace more liberal justice systems, also have mandatory sentences. Before mandatory sentences are imposed, it is carefully considered whether we should do so and, indeed, we actually do so sparingly. There are less than 100 offences on our statute books which carry mandatory minimum sentences of imprisonment and, in most cases, the minimum is one year or less. So, when Parliament prescribes penalties for particular offences in our legislation, it considers the seriousness and prevalence of the offence. That is what Parliament can do.”
“Dr Amy Khor and Mdm Cynthia Phua have made a point about compensation under the Land Acquisition Act. First, let me say that the Ministry of Law is aware of some of the difficulties and hardships arising from some of the acquisitions. To ameliorate the financial hardship faced by landowners, I am sure the two Members will know that, over the years, we have introduced a slew of measures to reach out and to ameliorate hardships on the ground. And they have mentioned some of these - ex-gratia payments introduced in 1982 and enhanced over the years. We have provided housing assistance, introduced in 1999, and we have also started this new payment - reimbursing of removal expenses and valuation fees. That was in 2001. As for the statutory date of compensation, that is regularly updated to ensure that compensations are in line with current values. The statutory date was reviewed in 1988, 1993 and 1995. More recently, the Government decided to retain the current statutory date of 1st January 1995, as with the current depressed state of the property market, current market values are below the 1995 values. So, if something is acquired today, the owner will get market value. Where the statutory compensation is below current market value, most owners are given ex-gratia payments subject to a cap of $3 million. That was also raised from $2 million. Also, as current property prices are still below the 1st January 1995 levels, the statutory compensations paid to owners are already at the current market value. Let me assure both Dr Khor and Mdm Phua that for the future, we will continue and, if necessary, review the scheme of ex-gratia payments such that, for all practical purposes, the total compensation received will come up to the current market value.”
“So, last year, Ministry of Law and the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) set up an e-marketing portal called State Property Information On-Line (SPIO). SPIO is a convenient one-stop shopfront giving access to a range of State properties available. In October last year, SLA added an additional feature to enhance the portal's usefulness. This is a dedicated website to facilitate applications by constituency secretariat offices to use vacant State land for community purposes. Thirdly, SLA has worked with other stakeholders to make available more land for the public. For example, SLA worked with the Singapore Sports Council to make available some 4.4 hectares of State land at Marina South for community sports and recreational use. The land has been converted into six soccer pitches, adding to the number of good standard playfields available for public use nationwide. Hopefully, we will see more Fandi Ahmads and Sundramoorthys. Also, SLA, with the assistance of MOE, has helped to facilitate co-sharing arrangements between secondary schools and Citizens Consultative Committees from the neighbouring areas for the shared use of school fields. Such arrangements allow the public to utilise the school fields for community activities when it is not in use by the school, thus helping to maximise utilisation of land resources. We have received positive feedback on these initiatives and we will continue to press on. There have been more requests also for more choice of sites, and also sites to be allowed for a wider variety of use. I will ask SLA to work with URA and other relevant agencies to expand the number of State property sites available and for more of these to be made available on SPIO.”
“When we say we want to attract non-Singaporeans to use our services in Singapore, all and sundry can come, provided, of course, the question of jurisdiction is satisfied. And, in particular, whether or not litigants want to fight their cases here. Are the assets here where, if they win, they can go against? Will the other party object? So, these are issues which the court will have to decide. Whilst our courts are open, I think, in terms of the court process, it may not be as convenient or the way to go as opposed to the other ADR processes that Mr Chandra Mohan himself had talked about. I think that must be the way to go. We must facilitate the work of SIAC. We must facilitate the work of the Singapore Mediation Centre so that foreign parties will want to come here. Next is Mr Ravindran's point about State land. This is a matter which has been debated at each Committee of Supply. Over the years, we have done more and more to ensure that vacant State land on the ground is well utilised. First, we reviewed the TOL fees for the use of State land in 2000, and again last year. As a result of this review, grassroots organisations using State land for community purpose now enjoy a total discount of about 85% of the market rate. So, the TOL for a football field of 6,000 square metres has been reduced from $1,500 a month to only $180 a month. I am sure this will help the grassroots organisations to pay for these TOL fees, which are phased in over 10 years. And this is why Mr Ravindran's own ward benefitted from getting a hard court recently. I hope more of such land can be used. In terms of making it more accessible, this is also another point which we have borne in mind, arising again from previous COS debates.”
“I have attended some of their functions and, indeed, in the legal census, one of the results we got was that the lawyers felt that more of them should do community service. I think this is a wonderful way in which lawyers can reach out to less fortunate Singaporeans. Sir, this scheme provides really an opportunity, currently, for 400 volunteer lawyers on its panel to do legal aid. Mr Low says that not so many people are helped. I think he cited the figure of 20%. CLAS is considering expanding its scheme. I understand that a committee has been set up to see whether or not if accused persons plead guilty, then they can also get legal aid in exceptional circumstances. CLAS has also been reaching out to the public on its own. I understand it conducts talks on the ground. I think one was conducted somewhere in Yew Tee sometime ago, and also its application form is on the website. So, if you think about it, it is really a win-win situation, because here you have got lawyers who are prepared to do community service. What can the State do? The State should not directly fund counsel to oppose DPPs arguing cases in court. We do not fund CLAS as such, but the Minister and myself actively help raise funds for CLAS in their annual fund raising golf tournament. We would not mention the figures here, but certainly we make it a point to help. Because every year, they will approach us and, in particular, the Minister, who is a golfing Minister, will go out of his way - I do not know how he does it - but he manages to raise one or two flights for CLAS. The third issue is Mr Chandra Mohan's point about why not privatise our legal system. I think he mentioned the court system.”
“45 pm The other point about legal aid is the point that Mr Chandra Mohan and Mr Low Thia Khiang have made, ie, why not the State also provide legal aid in criminal cases which are not death sentence cases. Again, we have debated this point before in the House. The crucial point to note and the crucial difference between providing legal aid for criminal and civil cases is this: that the State spends a lot of resources in maintaining, as best as possible, a top-rate law enforcement machinery and an excellent legal service, including the Deputy Public Prosecutors that Mr Chandra Mohan and I talked about just now, to ensure Singaporeans' safety and security. That is on the one hand. Therefore, it is incongruous and inconsistent that public funds should be used to defend an accused person which the State, in the public interest, has decided ought to be charged in court, and will do its best to secure a conviction, so that he will be punished, either fined or locked behind bars and at, the same time, use public funds to try to prevent that from happening. Whilst it is, from Mr Low Thia Khiang's point of view, something from the heart, we ought to, if you think about it, it is something which is incongruous and inconsistent. But, of course, if a life is at stake, then this principle is adjusted and we do provide legal aid. But let me assure both Members that these accused persons are not left without recourse. In fact, Mr Chandra Mohan and Mr Low Thia Khiang mentioned the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS). This is a wonderful scheme run by the Law Society, started several years ago, in 1995, which receives very strong support from lawyers, particularly the young ones.”
“The allowance deductions for calculating the disposable income was increased to $3,000 for the applicant and $2,000 for each dependant. Under this more generous means test, a family of, say, 4, comprising 2 parents and 2 dependent children, where only the husband works, would qualify for legal aid if the father's gross monthly income is about $1,850, that is, after making deductions for himself, CPF and dependants. Of course, every one will want the means test to be raised higher. And, whatever cut-off we take, there will be some who will miss it. Mr Fong cited the case of his constituent, the single lady who is earning $2,000. So that is the unfortunate thing which will still be the case if we raise it further. But the point really is that we do assess the test periodically and, as we have shown, we do raise it when necessary. How about the numbers? The number of persons granted legal aid, after the last revision, actually increased 40%. There was also a substantial increase in the percentage of applicants who successfully qualified for legal aid - increasing from 66% of applicants in FY 1999 to 81% in FY 2001. In other words, more were helped and fewer applicants were turned away. We expect, by the end of FY 2002, the number of persons who qualify for legal aid for the last financial year would be around 4,500, representing a 6% increase over FY 2001. Also, we expect the percentage of applicants who do not qualify for legal aid to fall from 19% to 12%. What I am saying is that the enhanced means test helps more people. We will continue to monitor and, if need be, we will adjust it accordingly. 5.”
“I would suggest that the Government valuers be also included in the civil service meeting with the private sector, as suggested by Deputy Prime Minster Lee, as valuation is a universal art taught under the basic valuation principle. But when one practises art in isolation from each other, the final art form would not be congruent with each other. There is always this contention of valuation methods adopted by the private companies and the Government valuers. Hence, the difference in market values. Please review the Act, especially the determination of a fair compensation based on the current market value so as not to cause hardship and allow for a lateral move immediately upon notification and declaration and pay the affected property owner promptly and adequately. Assist the owners on the outstanding loan interest of their property that they will still have to pay in view of the forced early termination of the loan. Singaporeans are aware of the necessity and support the Government. However, it is time to review this Act for adequacy, streamlined processes and prompt payment for fair compensation. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: First, let me deal with the cut on Legal Aid. Mr Arthur Fong has joined the calls of Members of Parliament years before to raise the means test of the Legal Aid Act. In fact, we have heeded these calls because the means test is periodically looked at and we do raise it when necessary. As Mr Fong himself has said, we raised it some 23 months ago, in April 2001. The current test is more generous and, indeed, has resulted in more applicants being granted legal aid. Let me cite some numbers. Before the amendment, just 23 months ago, the disposable income limit was $7,000 and this was raised to $10,000 per annum.”
“I know of one particular case. The offered statutory compensation is only 59% of the market value. The ex-gratia compensation sum is a goodwill payment and has a maximum cap of $3 million and no appeal is allowed. For larger properties affected, the amount comparatively would be too small to help the affected property owner. The Act does not also take into account the ancillary expenses of the ownership of the property, for example, the mortgage loan of the affected property. Many of the property owners are personal guarantors of the property. With the forced termination of ownership by the authority, the bank would recall the outstanding interest of the loan. The property owner is liable regardless of the fact that the property is compulsorily acquired. The bank would sometime share the burden of the outstanding interest, but many a time property owners have to bear the brunt. With the statutory compensation amount below the market value, the initial payment of 20% could not even resolve the payment of the outstanding mortgage loan interest recalled by the bank. The initial payment could be even larger, as the authority has already the safeguard of a statutory compensation amount that is below the market value. Please expedite the process of the final compensation amount. The average process period, as was told earlier to me, was between 2-3 years. This is definitely slow for an efficient civil service. The bank could not wait so long. The bank would immediately move in to recover the outstanding loan interest and this gap of time would cause hardship to the affected owner.”
“Sir, I concur with hon. Member Amy Khor on the appeal for a review of compensation amount to the full market value of land acquired under section 33 of the Land Acquisition Act. As a comparison to three other countries, Hong Kong, Australia and Malaysia, within the region, only Singapore has the additional statutory date which reflects the historical property market condition for the determination of the statutory compensation besides the market value and date of notification or declaration. Hong Kong and Australia determine the market value of the property at the date of the acquisition. For Malaysia, it is also consistent, that is, the date of acquisition or declaration date. Properties acquired by these governments are adequately compensated promptly to reflect the market condition. However, Singapore has a statutory date for determination of statutory compensation and this resulted in the amount to be definitely below the present market value. To reduce hardship and to allow for lateral movement, the Act introduced the ex-gratia payment. The fair principle of land acquisition is thus not to cause undue hardship to our property owners and provide a fair compensation whenever land is acquired compulsorily. If we go on this argument, then we must allow the property owner to be able to source for alternative property to carry on his business or have a roof over his head at the time of acquisition. Obviously, this Act presently does not allow this to happen and many a time, ex-gratia payment is made and the final statutory compensation is still not sufficient for the lateral alternative move by the affected property owner. This is because, with the statutory date instituted in the Act, the compensation amount is definitely lower than the current market value.”
“Residents are confused and not clear of these assistance schemes and many of them have very minor differences. I hope these two critical agencies could re-package these minor differences and highlight the assistance programmes to the needy and to those workers who are affected by early retrenchment. The booklets for retrenched workers provided by the restructuring companies should include some of these financial, social and family assistance schemes provided by the MCDS, the CDCs and even the FSCs within the communities. Sir, the man-in-the street is already facing a tough time in this economic downturn. We will not see any economic recovery anytime soon. So, Singaporeans can expect a rough road ahead. In fact, our Prime Minister has made it clear that he expects things to get worse before they get better. And Singaporeans have been tightening their belts for quite some time. Sir, while we create ample advantages for the international business community so that Singapore can succeed in the new economy and bring in new jobs to the people, we must also provide as much assistance to our local businesses, providing the local support and services, and also carry as much of the burden for our needy citizens, many of whom have contributed to our stellar growth in the past. Sir, I support the motion. EXEMPTED BUSINESS (Motion) Resolved, That the debate on the Budget Statement be proceeded with beyond 4.30 pm and the proceedings thereon be exempted at this day's sitting from the provisions of Standing Order No. 1. - [Mr Mah Bow Tan]. ANNUAL BUDGET STATEMENT Debate resumed. 3.35 pm”
“In addition, I would like to appeal for the enjoyment of this 2% deduction limit to thoughtful employers who have allowed ex-employees, in view of early retrenchments due to restructuring of the company, to continue to take advantage of the attractive insurance rates, because of the large global-based number of employees. One good example is Exxon-Mobil, which has done so. This is especially important for employees aged 50s who would have to buy insurance again due to forced early retirement and, in general, they would have to pay higher insurance rates on re-acceptance into the medical schemes and subject to medical review. This exemption will encourage more companies and statutory boards, such as PSA and HDB - I do not know whether they have done so - to consider allowing their retrenched workers or early-terminated employees to continue to tap on the existing insurance benefits or schemes with the relevant insurance companies. This will help the affected workers to tide over their hardship, and not reduce their insurance protection. Sir, in this economic downturn, it becomes necessary for a caring Government to help its needy citizens. Even a little assistance goes a long way for those who have been affected by this economic downturn. Sir, while we have several assistance programmes in place for the bottom 10% of Singaporeans, my feeling is that the help net is not enough for the middle income group. Many of the 4-roomers have upgraded themselves during the boom time and without proper credit guidance. Nobody would have foreseen such a long period and severe downturn of our economy. Many of such families are in need of more assistance. Many of the existing schemes offered, again by the MCDS and the CDCs, are varied, and with many acronyms attached to the schemes.”
“I would like to compliment the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance for the introduction of these benefits. We have had much discussion about our greying workers in this House. As our workforce becomes greyer, they become more susceptible to job changes and losses, whether due to inappropriate skill sets or as requirements for workers change, or in view of the existing structure of age remuneration pay system. In response to an aging workforce, the Budget has identified new ways in which the burden of healthcare can be reduced for employers and the ageing workforce alike. Sir, by encouraging employers to implement either the portable medical benefits or the transferable medical insurance scheme, employers will continue to enjoy a deduction of 2% of the total employees' remuneration for medical expenses incurred. If employers do not participate in this scheme, they will enjoy only half the amount. Since the portable medical benefits scheme will involve additional contributions by the employers to the Medisave accounts of the employees, the Budget has also stipulated that the employers' deductions will be increased to $1,500 per employee per year. The concerns are that this lump sum will become attractive for employers to favour younger employees, although I agree that the absolute sum is very attractive. It is also important for us to determine whether the quantum proposed under the portable medical benefits scheme is able to meet the cost of healthcare in our aging workforce sufficiently. There is a danger that the cost of healthcare insurance premiums could dramatically rise because of age, which would again be counter-productive. We need to ensure that this does not happen during this time.”
“For example, it has been reported that business cost still rose by about 5% in 2001. To cite an example, just submitting an application to URA for approval of simple alteration and additional work will cost a businessman $2,080, inclusive of 4% GST. And in order to build a development of 100,000 square metres of gross floor area, the cost for essential written approval - not even talking about building - is a hefty sum of $350,000. Many of the architects and consultants are stating that these fees were last reviewed in 2000. They have not seen any drop for many years, despite the intense efficiency and productivity drives, and use of information technology. It is time for the Government agency to review its cost of provision of services. It is my view that the Government needs to reach out to the man-in-the-street, to be more sensitive, and to have the ability to be flexible. As my colleague, Dr John Chen, earlier said, the Government agency must be its customer's advocate. I would like to cite another example of the sensitivity and flexibility that the Government agency could help the local small businessmen. An eating house operator has rented a ground floor of eight conservation shophouses for his new eating house. It needs to remove the ground floor adjoining walls of the shophouses. According to URA guidelines, all alterations and additional works for conservation houses need to be submitted for approval. This is acceptable. However, the charges are now a whopping $16,640, as it is treated as eight applications for the removal of six non-structural walls shared by the eight shophouses. If it is treated as one application, the cost would be $2,080, inclusive of 4% GST. Sir, I would next like to talk about portable medical benefits.”
“Sir, thank you for allowing me to participate in this Budget debate. I speak in support of the 2003 Budget in the name of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Lee Hsien Loong. I appreciate Mr Lee's pro-business Budget and his support for the long-term vision for Singapore, as outlined by the Economic Review Committee Report. Sir, I agree that the Budget should create attractive conditions to aggressively attract foreign direct investments. To this end, we have fine-tuned our tax regime to make it attractive for both businesses and individuals. Singapore currently has one of the most attractive tax regimes in the region. I am confident that these changes will attract companies and talent to relocate in Singapore and this, in turn, will help to boost our economy and to create more jobs for Singaporeans. The Budget also encourages Singapore companies to look outwards to new markets and, at the same time, entices foreign companies that have global operations. Companies that use Singapore as a base of operation will obtain tax reliefs for foreign-sourced incomes, royalties and service incomes. There is even this deferment of income taxes for two years, if their overseas investments suffer operational losses for eligible investment companies. However, Sir, it is noted that these advantages outlined in the Budget would not be felt by small businesses in these hard times, and do not serve as a sufficient catalyst to help small businesses grow into regional businesses. I am concerned that most of the business cost cuts are temporary for another six months. This does not bode well for our long-term goal of reducing costs and attracting investments. Government infrastructure and services have not seen a drastic drop in cost.”
“I urge that the other 75% students in the secondary schools should be within the benefit of this change of the core curriculum under this review. In other words, since we need to develop conceptual thinking and other knowledge process skills across the curriculum, especially on communication skills, knowledge and inquiring skills, which are needed in a globalised economy and the service industry, why not introduce these lifelong learning skills to all our students from the primary level onwards, and not limit it to the top 25% upper secondary school children? Although Dr Ng Eng Hen has argued and told us that the resources spent on the lower stream students are higher than the pre-university students, these are basic lifelong skills and it should be implemented as widely as possible. In conclusion, implement some of the recommendations to a wider student population, to allow our students to develop their own talent, their own interest, without being banded or differentiated downward by the school and the society. 3.56 pm”
“Well, I presume the parent should have taught the child to be examination-smart, to follow the text strictly and should not be creative and imaginative, or at least that creativity had its limits. In my recent contacts with teachers, their concerns have always been that there were too many and too much changes in the curriculum, and the teaching skills that many are ill-prepared. One reason is the speed of implementation, the other is the length of training and the learning curve needed. This review requires major training in the teaching skills. Training would require time and effort for the change to be realised. My third concern is too little and too late. My final concern is that we may want to take a short cut, in view of our limited resources, to introduce knowledge and inquiring skills to the top 25% upper secondary and JC students for independent thinking, analytical skills, innovation and creativity. But if, in the course of primary and lower secondary education of eight years or more, the mode of teaching had been one of rote learning, and if the majority of our students are frowned upon, or worse, punished for displaying independent thinking, the asking of whys, the asking of hows, sometimes due to their young age, may sound like challenging, then how can our students, who excel in that kind of rote learning environment for eight years of more, now be able to turn around and do the reverse in the upper secondary level? The argument of the Review Committee is that Singapore is changing from an industrial economy to one that is knowledge-based. Hence, to prepare our young to be our future leaders and contributing citizens, the revamp is necessary. With this as the background, why then limit the review to the top 25% students?”
“Although I agree that the concept of streaming has very good intention - to maximise our human talent and resources - I believe what we did not anticipate was the side-products of social stigma and the fear of failure. To allow the breadth and diversity of the education system, the different modules of subjects could be grouped into the various fields of studies, and within the fields, allow the depth of the subject that has been introduced, like the H1, H2 and H3, in the JC curriculum. In summary, the module-based system could be designed to have a few sets of core studies, with the breadth and depth of knowledge within it. But, most importantly, to allow the children to have the confidence to take the world, as the stigma or banding of the secondary schools would not be with the children, and allow the flexibility to climb the education ladder. My two other concerns are mainly on the implementation details. For any changes of the education system, it must start with the teachers first, who are the leaders and will be implementing the changes. I quote this real example of a comprehension test of a Primary 1 child. The comprehension is about the story of a match-box girl, who eventually died from the freezing cold with a joy in the heart. The last comprehension question was: "What happened to the little girl in the end?" The child answered: "The child died with a smile on her face". I thought it was quite good that the child was able to grasp the concept of courage and love in adversity, and at Primary 1 would have expressed it in the simplest way. However, the answer was marked wrong because the child added the phrase "with a smile on her face". This phrase was not in the comprehension article.”