Denise Phua Lay Peng
Singapore
“Sir, as Singapore ages, disability and ageing will increasingly overlap. The line between disability services and elder care services will blur. Many adults with disabilities face similar challenges as seniors in varying degrees, but at a younger age.”
“But the SPED schools are run by a lot of the other professionals as well such as occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, coaches and so forth. And I ask for MOE, as it always looks at SPED educators, to also focus on this other very important group; because retention is capacity.”
“Are there other strategies that the Prime Minister will consider, like easier adoption procedures to have more people adopt, more of us Singaporeans adopting? The second is, in terms of immigration as well, to bring in people who are of the right profile and suitable profile to grow our Singaporean population?”
“Enterprise grants should include accessibility compliance requirements. Inclusion cannot rely on goodwill alone. It must be systemically built-in. And finally, move five: on strengthening intermediaries and social service agencies (SSAs). Sir, if AI is to be whole-of-society, then SSAs cannot be left behind.”
“When SSAs become AI-enabled, the most vulnerable of us benefit. In conclusion Sir, Budget 2026 sets an ambitious direction: AI ecosystems, SkillsFuture strengthening, innovation hubs such as Lorong AI and the future AI Park at one-north. Ambition is necessary, but it is execution that determines whether progress is shared.”
“I thank the Minister of State for her assurance, assuring the House that there are indeed alternative identification methods available for those who are unable to use facial recognition. Just a couple of supplementary questions. Number one, are these measures systemic and applicable for all fully digital or not fully digital banks?”
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“If they are relevant, we owe it to ourselves to take action or we would have been none the better and, as Paul Romer said, would have wasted precious lessons from the crisis. Sir, in this regard, I seek the Minister’s analysis of what he thought were the important lessons we have learnt from the economic downturn of 2007-2009. Potential addiction to easy gaming revenue. Sir, the second point I wish to talk about relates to my deep concern about our potential addiction to easy gaming casino revenue. Some may ask what have this got to do with the Budget. And, in fact, some people have advised me that the debate on casinos in Singapore is already over and it should not be brought up again. Sir, I have studied carefully the extensive debate in early 2005 when the proposal to build the two Integrated Resorts (IRs) with the casino component was voted on in this House. It has been more than five years and new data and information have emerged. Singapore is on its way to become a top gaming industry player. According to the Straits Times in December 2010, Singapore is fast becoming the second largest gaming earner in the whole of Asia Pacific, second only to Macau. Marina Bay Sands’ parent company, Las Vegas Sands, is reported to expect Singapore to outdo its Las Vegas casino by 2012. More recently in February 2011, CNBC reported that the revenue from the Resorts World Theme Park only makes up 10% of Resorts World's overall revenue. As we expect, the real cash cow is the casino. CNBC also reported that including rival Marina Bay Sands, Singapore's gaming market will reach US$5 billion in 2011. And listen to this – Las Vegas' entire gaming industry is only US$6 billion.”
“Sir, Paul Romer, the Stanford University economist who was once named by TIME magazine as one of America’s 25 most influential people is often credited with the quote, "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste". This quote, "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste" became a sounding horn by economists worldwide to seriously garner lessons from the 2007-2009 economic downturn. Sir, even as we congratulate ourselves for emerging from the last crisis almost unscathed, I am concerned about how ready we are for the next one. Have our workforce and our SMEs really emerged stronger from the slew of Government-funded rescue packages in 2007/2008? Or have we learnt that when push comes to shove, the Government will always be there to underwrite all and sundry by drawing down national reserves and generating highly popular schemes, such as the Jobs Credit Scheme? Sir, I urge the Government to carefully study the factors that will increase our readiness quotient in the next economic downturn. I hope that we do not become a victim of our own success and emerge, in reality, weaker, rather than stronger from the last crisis. Yes, the Government is voted in to lead the country but for survival, every worker and every business must take proactive action to prepare ourselves for the next crisis. I especially encourage leaders in all three sectors – public, private and even the people sector – to look into the numerous programmes that MTI and agencies, such as SPRING, have developed to raise local company capabilities and productivity. If the programmes are not relevant, have the courage to give the agencies constructive feedback.”
“I am very pleased that for the first time during my term in this House, I hear special schools mentioned directly in the main Budget speech, and in almost the same breath when the Minister spoke about mainstream students. It shows that the non-mainstream students educated by charities are now on the national radar and I thank the Government for that. Thirdly, this Budget is balanced in scope. I am glad the ruling Government did not fully succumb to the pre-election fever virus and ignore the need to provide for longer-term social and economic investments. That this regime returned $4 billion that was drawn from the national reserves in the last recession for future use is testament to its prudence and sense of responsibility. Sir, let us also not take for granted that Singapore had recovered fully from the last crisis faster than most Asian countries, the United States, Europe and Japan. Our Government’s swift and bold interventions in the form of Jobs Credits, SPUR and Special Risk-Sharing Initiative (SRI) loan guarantees were deliberate, effective and won accolades both locally and globally. I commend the Minister for Finance, his team and the rest of the Government for putting together this relevant, inclusive and balanced Budget; and for steering Singapore out of the last economic downturn so ably. Sir, I would like to bring up three key points for the Government’s consideration and response: (1) to assess how Singapore has emerged from the last economic downturn and our readiness for the next one; (2) to caution the Government on the potential addiction to easy gaming revenue; and (3) to seek alternative drive engines and beware of the risk of riding on the same bandwagon as other economies. Singapore’s readiness for the next economic downturn.”
“Sir, the 2011 annual Budget is relevant, inclusive and balanced. I commend the Minister for Finance and his team for putting it together. The comprehensive slew of both one-time and other more permanent fiscal measures pressed most of the hot buttons of the day. The measures brought joy and cheer to many residents to whom I recited the list of measures. This annual Budget is relevant. Of immediate relevance is the "Growth and Share" Package comprising $3.2 billion worth of counter-inflation benefits such as utility and conservancy charge rebates, growth dividends and personal income tax relief. It squarely addresses the nagging worry of low and average Singaporeans including the sandwiched generation who watches over both their elderly parents and their young children. The increase in Public Assistance (PA) and the permanent removal of the TV and radio licence fees were proactive measures that are welcomed by both PA and non-PA recipients. The removal of the licence fees was beyond my expectation and I am glad that the days of appealing for waivers from the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts for my needy residents are over. I am thankful that the Minister has listened closely to suggestions to improve the cashflow problems of the low-wage workers at a time of rising cost of living. The increase of workfare quantum by 50% this year and payment of the entire increase in cash is proof that the Government empathises with the ground. This 2011 annual Budget is also inclusive as it covers a wide spectrum of Singaporeans across the economic strata.”
“Sir, I hope the relevant agencies will consider my suggestions: (i) to retain Workfare instead of instituting a minimum wage policy; (ii) to fine-tune the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme; (iii) to do more for low wage workers whose potential to learn is low and may not be able to leverage on training; (iv) to repeat even more of the success in the security industry through more Job Re-creation Programmes in the low-productivity industries; (v) to include the disabled and special-needs workforce in our country's Continuing Education and Training plans and labour plans; (vi) to identify and help chronic low-wage workers in an integrated type, multi-agency approach. Sir, Singapore's widening income gap is one of the highest in the world and we are sometimes a victim of our own success. Instead of putting a brake on our economic growth which we need, let us sharpen the current initiatives like Workfare and CET and to include other vulnerable groups like the disabled so that none will be left behind and that everyone has a chance to contribute and benefit from the economic growth. With that, I strongly support the motion.”
“The final jigsaw of inclusive growth has to include the single family also, mentioned by labour MP Josephine Teo. It will be incomplete if this group of vulnerable workers is perpetually and persistently left out by the union. Next, identification and integrated help for families with chronic low-wage bread-winners. Sir, this is my final suggestion for today and that is for a multi-agency approach to identify the families whose breadwinners are chronic low-wage workers. Many of them, like cleaner Mdm Rabiah, in my ward, are sole breadwinners providing for several school-going children. Rabiah herself is an ex-ComCare recipient who has opted for work. This is low-wage work. People like her family needs to be identified so that there is tighter case management for them. Tighter case management is required so that proper child supervision, career counselling, job training, temporary income top-up can all be packed in an integrated case management portfolio, in an integrated solution to pull folks like Mdm Rabiah and her family out of their poverty spiral. Left on their own, it is unlikely that these families can see beyond their struggle just to get by the day.”
“Recently, a food centre in my constituency faced a temporary crisis when its Singaporean cleaners walked out of their jobs because of the nature of the work. Simply increasing the cleaners' pay however would mean a hike in food prices at this hawker centre. Sir, the solution to problems faced by some of these industries cannot be solved by the small-time cleaning contractors or the hawkers and need to be studied and facilitated even more by job analysis, design, re-creation and even re-branding experts. The same can also be said of nursing homes where most jobs are shunned due to the same three Ls: long hours, low pay and low status. The solution is not simple, I admit, and I urge the tripartite partners to continue to eyeball these local industries urgently so that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel for workers and employers alike in these industries. Next, on Continuing Education and Training for the mild to moderately disabled or those who have some potential to learn. Sir, there are many workers with special needs or milder disabilities who have the potential to learn but are excluded from the opportunities for Continuing Education and Training. The next Enabling Masterplan for the Disabled is due for review this year and I urge the coordinating Ministry, MCYS, to work closely with the other helping hands, and especially with the Manpower Ministry, to play a more active role to offer the same education and training opportunities for the disabled as what the able-bodied workforce is receiving. I also urge the union to include the disabled workforce in their national plan. There is no doubt that they are part of the definition of the vulnerable workforce that MP Josephine Teo has spoken about.”
“The contract can be terminated anytime, especially when wireless technology kicks in, and all of them would be banished to stay at home. These adults with severe intellectual disability are not so young or so disabled that they should stay home until they expire but they are unlikely also to be able to benefit from the Workfare Training Scheme due to their ability level. Sir, we have jobs such as mail sorting, cleaning, washing, sealing, packing that can be performed by such Singaporeans whose potential to learn is low due to certain reasons. I urge the public sector to identify such work and award these jobs to them. Pay them based on productivity, but just like what HDB has done for this special category of citizens, give them bonus points when awarding contracts or jobs. Let them have a chance to be included in the workforce and not simply stay at home till they expire. Next, Sir, Job-Recreation Programme. I turn now to workers with a higher potential to learn. I am convinced that they can benefit from MOM's Workfare Training Scheme, CET framework and subsidised courses and the NTUC-driven Job Re-creation Programme to transform low-productivity and low-paying jobs. However, the trophy of Job Re-creation, the one step creates a lot of recreation, appears to be kept so far by the security industry, which saw the rise in the skills set and salaries of many security guards increased by 15%-25%. So far, what is visible is the security industry's achievement. I believe that there are other industries such as environmental cleaning and even nursing home care that remain plagued by what I call the three Ls: long hours, low pay and low status.”
“But WIS is even more critical for low-wage workers whose potential to learn is low due either to their age or ability or other reasons. This is a group whose future is dismal unless something is done to help them. Even if they wish to, many of them due to their age or calibre will continue to occupy low-skilled and low-paying jobs such as packing, sorting, cleaning and washing, and so forth. These are not people or jobs that we can wish away or who can benefit as much from the Workfare Training Scheme. Unless there is a transfer of the fruits of prosperity to them through schemes such as Workfare, they are unlikely to survive. On fine-tuning WIS, for both groups, however, whether they have low or high potential to learn, the ground input is that the quantum of Workfare, and especially the quantum of cash payout are low in the face of inflation and increasing cost of living globally, I seek the Government's consideration to fine-tune the current WIS Scheme: (i) to conduct a study and measure the pros and cons of increasing the quantum of WIS to an amount that is sufficient for a minimum standard of living; and (ii) to increase the cash component of the Workfare payout to meet the needs of daily living. Next, on the jobs for the low-potential, I seek the Government's help to identify jobs that are low-skilled in the public sector and award these jobs or contracts to workers who can work but whose potential or calibre is low. Sir, I recently visited a Work Centre run by MINDS for the more severely intellectually-disabled people of our country. For years, the few hundred adults were dependent on an ongoing earphone cleaning and packing contract, a contract that is kindly awarded by Singapore Airlines.”
“I fear that instituting minimum wage will backfire on the very same people whose livelihood we are trying to protect. A minimum wage will become an additional cost to business paid by employers who in turn will either: (i) pass on the cost of business to their customers, causing further increase in the cost of living; or (ii) become more cautious especially in hiring those who are less skilled, or able, or undergoing training, and not as fully competent yet. Parties who advocate minimum wage should dwell deeper on the subject and get some inputs from the employers, especially the smaller enterprises struggling to keep prices constant. The food and beverage industry, for instance, pays their workers differently depending on the setting: fast food or fine restaurants. To forgo Workfare and enforce a minimum wage will hike food prices further, especially for the lower end outlets, leaving the customer and employer to bear the brunt of increased costs. On a recent visit to a big Laundromat overseas, I found that workers who are not so able were able to secure jobs where they can job-share and each was paid according to their productivity level. An enforced flat minimum wage would have discouraged the company to even consider hiring anyone of them. Hence, Sir, my support for Workfare instead of minimum wage, the cost of which is borne by employers. Workfare, for instance, I would say, just like Mrs Josephine Teo has said, is pro-worker, pro-business, whereas a minimum wage is pro-worker but anti-business. On the importance of Workfare Income Supplement: the WIS is a very important top-up for workers who are upgrading their skills but need the pay supplement to cope with their daily expenditure.”
“Sir, I strongly support the motion. Economic growth is necessary for the development of a country but not everyone benefits from economic growth. Singapore's highly educated and skilled talents are sought after locally and overseas, leading to an inevitable rise in their income. Many low-skilled workers, on the other hand, especially those in low-end manufacturing jobs are at daily risk of losing their jobs to countries of lower cost. Unless they upgrade in time, they will either become permanently redundant or become chronic low-wage workers in industries that cannot be relocated overseas such as the cleaning, food and beverage, laundry and other service industries. Hence, ensuring that these low-skilled workers are not left behind in Singapore's economic growth is critical. Thankfully, the situation is contained by several pillars on which Government's inclusive growth policy rests. The key pillars, as we all know, are the individual Workfare Schemes on Training and Income Supplement; the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) frameworks to certify skills for Continued Education and Training – all three of which rightly focused on low-skilled and low-wage workers. Government has also introduced the Productivity and Innovation Initiatives, and restriction of foreign labour to encourage local hiring, amongst others. Sir, I am convinced that the overall strategic directions are clear and accurate. I would like to share some observations and suggestions to enhance the impact of some of these strategies. The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) and minimum wage. Sir, I fully support the WIS and I am against the idea of minimum wage which has gained traction recently.”
“Thank you very much, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, for your response. I am very grateful to the Ministry and especially LTA for looking into this topic swiftly, after the parliamentary question was raised last month. The number of riders using illegal motorised bicycles have increased more than three times, according to my research. May I ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary what he thought the root cause of this increase might be? Is it due to oblivion for which then enforcement is, of course, a strategy? Because I have seen cyclists riding right in front of me as I drove, without helmets, speeding along and really causing quite a lot of danger. In my Facebook entry, a lot of responses came in due to this observation. Or is it due to awareness for which I heard that LTA has done a lot of "awareness" campaigns? I ask if the Senior Parliamentary Secretary could work together with LTA to ensure that more of these awareness campaigns can come to the ground, that is, out to the heartlands. Many of my residents are also asking me to appeal on their behalf because they have been booked recently.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I appreciate the fact that the discussion of casinos has been going on for very long time. The recent development that we have done so well in the gaming industry, gives a lot of concern to a lot of Singaporeans, including discomfort in this House. That is why I raised the question on whether this was intended and what can be done, especially if the casinos are doing so well and the surplus is now channelled to even fund our social services and other important areas like sports and arts.”
“Thank you, Minister, for the response. In the report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers in December, it was reported that Singapore's slice of the global gaming industry will be about US$8 billion by 2014. Singapore is also anticipated to overtake Australia and South Korea to become the second largest gaming player in Asia Pacific, just after Macau. I wish to ask the Minister a few supplementary questions. Firstly, if this is indeed the intended strategy for economic development for Singapore? Is the Government happy with this "achievement"? Secondly, what is the total cost to the country as a result of this development? Lastly, what steps might be taken to protect Singapore from the ill effects of such an impact before it is too late? Is there any intent to reduce the casinos to one or none in the future, when the time is appropriate?”
“Sir, I thank the Minister of State for being so open. I would also like to suggest that MOE study the Charter School, for example, in the US where, I believe, under President Obama, there are schools in a district which have more disadvantaged children and they actually receive not just basic education but also wrap-around services like healthcare, food and so forth. So, I really would appreciate it if MOE could study that and let the House know so that we can support its initiatives better.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the amended motion and would like to put forth a point of clarification to the Minister of State. The Minister of State has quoted the globally-respected Finnish system of education, and suggested that there is merit to, eg, play-based learning and even starting formal schooling later. I wish to ask the Minister of State if MOE has conducted or will conduct a comparison of the Singaporean system versus the Finnish or other systems to deduce best practices that MOE has learnt from either the Finnish or other systems to enhance education outcome of children even in pre-school, primary school or above. I understand that the demands and features of the schools in Finland are quite different. The skills expected at Primary 1, for example, are different in Finland versus Singapore, and the classes are more inclusive. There is differentiated instruction, there is little ranking within and across schools, and so forth. And the assessment method also differs because there is no high stake national examinations like the PSLE. Sir, I would like to request the Minister of State or MOE to look into that and maybe publish and share with the House the findings later on, if it is not already done.”
“I would like to ask the Minister if the said efficacy study will build also on the foundation that is already laid by the current studies that are completed by the MOH team comprising people from MCYS and different service providers, on the clinical practice guidelines for some of these disabilities. Would the said study be based on the completed studies I just mentioned, so that we do not have to re-invent the wheel?”
“Thank you, Minister for the good news. I want to officially commend MCYS and NCSS for having put a lot of resources into the early intervention programmes for the children in the last few years and I thank the Minister for that. I am also pleased to note that MCYS has commissioned the National Institute of Education to conduct the efficacy study on early intervention programmes for special-needs children. May I ask Minister to consider perhaps conducting some due diligence on the composition of the team members? Perhaps MCYS can get feedback or nominations from the sector so that we are able to incorporate different disabilities and to get inputs from disability experts on the ground. The composition of the team would also be respected by the different players. May I also ask the Minister what is likely to be the course of action that he will take, depending on whether the results are beneficial or not? If yes, would MCYS commit to give even greater commitment to the current programmes? If no, would MCYS then recommend that these services be terminated?”
“(5) Finally, let us not forget to resource the offices of the Tribunal and Commissioner and Family Service Centres sufficiently to meet the upcoming increase in compulsory conciliation sessions as proposed by the Bill. This includes the need to forecast the demand and supply of trained social workers or counsellors. In conclusion, Madam, although this is a Bill that currently impacts less than 200 cases each year, it is a significant legislation because it embodies our courage as a country to commit to and operationalise values that are important – commitment enough to call for consequences if one does not abide by them. Madam, I have attended many weddings in the last two months. As I listened to the wedding vows by the young couples as they start their marriages and later families, I cannot help but look forward to the day when families are also able to come together to take and commit to a similar vow – "to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do the family part." Madam, I urge Members of the House to join me in supporting this significant Bill. 5.26 pm”
“MCYS, Ministry of Health and the homes should brainstorm on how measures, such as financial and fiscal incentives or even tweaking or fine-tuning admission regulations, to encourage more to care for their elderly in their own homes and not abandon them there. (3) Let us continue to invest in up-skilling Singaporeans in planning for their retirement, and especially in raising awareness of important schemes, such as the CPF LIFE which provides members with a monthly income for as long as they live. This will minimise the risk of being left in a financial lurch in old age. Even if our adult children are open to supporting us, let us not forget that they, too, are ageing and they, too, will be in need of financial support as well. (4) Let me repeat my call to tighten the Many-Helping-Hands network so that there is stronger case management and resolution amongst all the help agencies to follow through identified cases. The process leading to the Amendment Bill, as our Workgroup experienced, has surfaced the usual obstacles to delivering effective and more seamless social services in our country – too many schemes, uncoordinated case management leading to agencies tripping over one another as they try to help their clients. We found that many Family Service Centres, homes, voluntary welfare organisations and even the elderly themselves, were unclear on what the principal Maintenance of Parents Act entails. This calls for an ongoing communication strategy to help the Many-Helping-Hands make sense of the numerous legislations and programmes and help schemes for our elderly and needy.”
“More than legislation, I urge the relevant Government Ministries to consider the following suggestions even after this Bill is passed so that families can work in partnership with the State and help agencies to reduce the risk of elderly Singaporeans being neglected or abandoned. These are my suggestions: (1) Equip parents, especially fathers, through schools and social service agencies to get more involved with their children before it is too late to bond with them. Three local studies from 1999 to 2006 have confirmed that fathers were relatively uninvolved with their children. The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) has an excellent "Fathers@School" programme in support of the DadsforLife world-wide movement. The Ministry, in addition to its slew of family life programmes, should look at developing a "Parents for Life" series that target both young and old to equip them with knowledge and skills on parenting. This can include the principles behind the Maintenance of Parents Act. Instead of reaching out primarily to the English-speaking, these programmes should find more effective ways as well to reach the heartlanders in different languages. (2) Develop a slew of measures to counter the disturbing trend of children neglecting or abandoning their elderly parents at nursing homes. Many service providers face many difficulties with families in discharging clients whose conditions have stabilised and can be discharged for care at home. These service providers are also helpless when children decide to visit only at their own convenience, if at all.”
“Staff from the homes have been highlighting their deep concerns of how elderly clients are ignored by their families and left to the sole care of the nursing home staff. Some children, whether they are in Singapore or overseas, even perform the "disappearing act" and abandon their elderly parents at the nursing homes, leaving the charities which operate the homes to not just care for but also raise funds to pay for the parents' stay. Next, Family Service Centres (FSC). The heads also welcome the proposed amendments. They shared about elderly Singaporeans who do not know what to do or where to seek help when they are in deep financial problems. The Family Service Centres welcome the opportunity to lead their elderly clients for conciliation, instead of going to the court room in the first instance. The FSCs, too, look forward to the streamlining of the administrative processes so they can easily refer these clients for help. The proposed amendments in the Bill are welcomed by some children as well. Frivolous or vexatious applications by parents without a case are now subject to dismissal at the Tribunal level. The principle of reciprocity will also assure children, who are unable to or unwilling to maintain their parents for good reasons, of a platform to air their perspectives before being summoned to court. Next, more than legislation. Madam, up to last evening, I was still hearing lamentations by nursing home and Family Service Centre staff on the dilution of family as an institution in modern Singapore.”
“Mr Ang, one of my elderly residents, came to my Meet-the-People Session for financial assistance more than once. As my volunteers helped him to complete his ComCare and CDC application forms, we found that he had two able adult children, which will then, of course, dilute his priority to access help. When asked why he would not seek help first from his children, as there are other people who are in greater need on the ComCare list than he, Mr Ang said he did not want to disturb his daughter. His daughter is married and he felt should not be responsible for him. He then shared that his son who had been supporting him had recently not done so and refused to now pick up his phone calls. Another resident, Mdm Lim, collects scrap boxes, a karang-guni woman and sells them for a living. She comes regularly for food rations and financial assistance from me and my grassroots. Her son, a professional executive, sees her occasionally but refuses to commit to any basic monthly support for Mdm Lim. He also refused to pick up our phone calls when we needed to find out more background on the case. Now, people like both Mr Ang and Mdm Lim, who are living on their own and had no other way to locate their children except through the mobile phone to which their children choose not to respond, would definitely benefit from this Bill. Nursing homes, too, welcome the changes to improve the administration and operation of the principal Act. They especially appreciate the provision for access to records from prescribed authorities to locate the missing adult children, and also the compulsory conciliatory sessions before taking legal action against the children.”
“This Bill is about strengthening the moral fibre of our society and reminding young and old again of our traditional values, which we cherish against the national backdrops of Internet broadbands and flashy casinos. This Bill is about specifying the floor or the minimum standards on how families can be the first line of care and support – the minimum standard being meeting our parents’ basic living needs. No one is forced to commit themselves to higher standards such as forgiving their parents 77 times as what the Church would advise and what my colleagues, for example, Mdm Halimah, Ms Ellen Lee and Mr Zainudin, now have suggested in public, to forgive. This Bill is about the minimum standard expected of and consequences an adult child will face if he disregards the call to feed and clothe his own parents when he is in a financial position to do so. Madam, I hear of a minority of Singaporeans who object to the principal Act and to this Bill and who claim that issues like providing for one’s parents are personal choices and filial piety cannot be reduced to simply financials. "Leave the families alone," they say, "and things will sort out themselves. If children would not take care of their parents even if they can afford to, let the State foot the bill." Madam, it is likely that proponents of this school did not realise that it is them, as taxpayers or other charities or donors, who will be subsidising these adult children who would not pay for their parents. Proponents of this school of thought are unlikely to have the opportunity also to serve on the ground and witness the hardships and issues that the different stakeholders in this matter are facing.”
“Three, this Bill is not about creating an additional source of revenue for elderly Singaporeans to meet the lifestyle that they are used to or the annual holiday that they aspire to. The truth of the matter is that about two-thirds of maintenance payments granted by the Tribunal in the past were less than $360 – the typical Public Assistance quantum and covers only "basic needs", such as food, clothing, housing and, now, medical costs. And, fourthly, this Bill is definitely not an endorsement of the State to abdicate its duty to provide good essential services, such as education, healthcare, security, housing, transport and social services for its people. The State must continue to put in place important programmes, such as the CPF LIFE, active ageing programmes, HDB Lease Buyback Scheme, HDB studio apartments, ComCare and the like, to ensure a stronger infrastructure and safety net for our ageing population. The State must not shirk from its duty of including and providing for those who genuinely need a leg up in society, especially in essential services. What is this Bill about? Madam, this Bill is about Singaporeans reiterating our commitment to values we deem important – important enough to hardcode into legislation. It is about acknowledging that as a civilisation, there is a sacred relationship between parents and children, which is evident even amongst animals – that parents are expected to raise and look after their children and that children have the moral duty to care for their aged parents and not regard them as "appendices" or "after-thoughts" once they are old or disable.”
“Madam, I rise in full support of the Maintenance of Parents (Amendment) Bill. Madam, there are several reasons why I did not hesitate to join the Workgroup behind this Bill, when my fellow parliamentarian, Seah Kian Peng, approached me. My constituency has one of the highest number of elderly residents in Singapore. Some of them need financial help; some simply need other forms of love and attention from their children whom they had raised. The social services sector I am familiar with has also been raising concerns over the growing trend that more elderly are growing old alone even when they have grown children whom they raised. Some of these senior citizens are simply left in residential homes – not visited, not supported by their families. Madam, let me first share what the Bill is not about. One, despite its high visibility, this Bill is not one that will directly impact many Singaporeans. In fact, out of a local population of four million, for instance, only about 200 applications a year have been filed by elderly parents at the Tribunal to secure basic financial support. This Bill targets a very small minority of Singaporeans. Only those who are financially capable but choose not to care for their elderly parents without any valid reason. Two, this Bill is not about promoting the entitlement of parents and encouraging them to take their adult children to task through acrimonious court battles. It is not first resort – it is a last resort. In fact, the amendments create a larger space for conciliatory settlements before a parent officially files a claim to the Tribunal and measures are added to ensure that frivolous and undeserving applications can be dismissed by the President and the proposed Deputy President of the Tribunal.”
“I thank the Minister for the very comprehensive answer and I must also commend MOM for always being very even-handed in processing these applications whenever we need exemptions. I want to ask if the Minister could make known the matrix that he spoke about just now so that it can be communicated to applicants, especially the small-time operators that I have spoken about. So that they, in turn, can assess their chances of getting the applications approved before they even submit them, and then make their own decisions with regard to their own business.”
“Thank you, Minister, for the answer. I have a couple of questions. Can the Minister update the House on the number of S-Pass and Work Permit applications that were rejected in the last two years as a result of a lack of paper qualifications for the jobs that were mentioned, such as chefs, cultural performers, and so forth? The second point I want to make is this. I understand that there is a need by the Government to respond to the call by Singaporeans to contain the number of foreign workers and talents. But is there a way that we can allay the anxiety and stress faced by businesses who need staff such as cooks or cultural performers to survive in their business? I think the Minister will agree that if one is running an enterprise or a restaurant serving Thai cuisine, then it probably makes sense to employ a Thai chef, many of whom, I think, do not have diplomas or degrees. I would like the Minister to comment on that.”
“If it is an alleged misdemeanour by one of the telcos, then they can bring this to the Infocommunication Development Authority who would be more than happy to look into the case for them. CURRENCY-SWAP AGREEMENT BETWEEN CHINA AND SINGAPORE 14. Mr Teo Siong Seng asked the Senior Minister (a) if he will provide details of the S$30 billion currency-swap agreement between the People's Bank of China and the Monetary Authority of Singapore; and (b) what impact will this have on Singapore's trade and investment linkages with China.”
“Thank you, Minister, for a very comprehensive response. There is a growing concern that personal information, especially those captured when one signs up or purchases services, is being used liberally, for example, for telemarketing, sometimes in the form of overseas telemarketing calls by overseas call centres as far as China. What are the plans that the Ministry has to (i) educate more aggressively both businesses and consumers on a proper and ethical handling of such personal data; (ii) to enforce and introduce consequences for such intrusions of privacy; and (iii) what are the courses by which aggrieved parties can seek redress? RAdm [NS] Lui Tuck Yew: Mr Speaker, Sir, I understand the Member's concerns and they are indeed very valid ones. Firstly, as I mentioned, we have various sectoral laws and voluntary practices in place that put the onuses on the businesses and entities, including the public sector, to adopt the right modes of behaviour. But it is also important I think for the individuals to take the right precautions and not to reveal too much of their personal data, especially if it is unnecessary. The Inter-Ministry Cyber Wellness Taskforce will take this up more aggressively to try to educate and encourage people to be more aware of the pitfalls of releasing too much of their own personal data. For aggrieved parties, because there is as yet no over-arching body that looks after data protection in Singapore, it is for them to go to the sectoral champions to air their grievances and to try to find recourse to their complaints. For example, if it is concerning a medical professional, they could take the case to the Medical Council which is responsible for the ethical behaviour of their members.”
“Sir, I would still request MOE to consider the scope of the Compulsory Education Act so that we can actually avoid situations where families claim that they have special-needs children and do not send their children to school due to some other reasons which may not be acceptable and which may not be of benefit to the children themselves. Sir, I ask for more protection of these children.”
“I want to register my deepest appreciation to the last and the current MOE leadership teams which have made resources available. I think the Member's question is really on the issue of legislation. I would ask MOE to look into the legislation to make it more progressive. There is evidence on the ground that parents of special-needs children do not send their children to school beyond the reason of them having severe physical disability. Some of the parents or families have special needs themselves or economically do not see the needs to send these children to school. Today, there is no recourse except by moral suasion and, on the ground, we found this to be difficult. As a result, I would like to ask MOE to consider relooking at this legislation to cover all children, whether they have special needs or not, under compulsory education. Allow an opt-out option for various reasons, either medical or some other reasons. Do not just exclude all children with special needs from compulsory education in one fell swoop. So I would ask MOE to consider that, hopefully, by the next Committee of Supply (COS).”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for the response. I have witnessed in developed countries professional, systematic, consistent support plans for students with special needs in universities, polytechnics and even high schools. I ask MOE to consider studying some of these models. I also have evidence from the ground – in fact, just this morning, I have been to one of the institutions – that there is no consistent or structured support for these students. I am not just talking about students with physical disabilities. As a result, it has led to greater stress on the part of both students and staff, and, in fact, more importantly, the under-optimisation of the potential of these students with special needs. In view of this, this is a logical gap to plug. Since these students are able to study and get on to tertiary institutions, I would ask MOE to consider addressing this issue, coming up with more consistent, systematic support plans and audits and, hopefully, also to do so by the next Committee of Supply.”
“Sir, I agree with the Minister's vision for the dual purpose of raising the foreign worker levy to reduce dependency on the foreign workers and to induce people to hire higher skilled foreign workers. But in workplaces such as the non-profit nursing homes and adult disability centres where some jobs are shunned by locals and unappealing, does the Minister have any ideas how productivity and innovation can be achieved to address this issue? Will the Minister consider granting any leniency to this group or at least look into this group of non-profit employers?”
“I ask the Minister to facilitate the setting up of a formal Continual Education and Training Unit for the Disabled that leverage on the excellent work of the current e2i and the upcoming major CET Centres. This vulnerable workforce needs lifelong learning like every other typical worker and PMET in Singapore. Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong has left a legacy in the education of special needs students when he was in MOE. The same children he has helped educate are now growing up or grown up. Do not let them become one of the dismal statistics of people adults with disability stay at home. Let us do the right thing and make a difference to this vulnerable workforce who, like you and I, are sons and daughters of Singapore, not step-children of Singapore. Loans for continuing education”
“Knowing their learning profiles may be different, I ask the Ministry to conduct a rigorous Learning Needs Analysis for this group and to put up online learning resources on Productivity and Innovation that would enable them to learn anywhere, anytime; in their homes, at the workplace or the airports. Ted.com and www.earthacademics.com are good online learning resources for senior management that can serve as reference. We can blend these with face-to-face networking and sharing forums and this blended approach can be looked into. Thirdly, Madam, I wish to take the ESC's goal for Inclusive Growth seriously and seek MOM's active role to support a specific category of vulnerable workers in Singapore. My volunteers and I recently conducted a study of the employment of special-needs staff by Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) which has been exemplary in this space. What amazed us was that whilst KFC received a lot of media attention over the years and piece-meal help for the hiring of deaf, physically disabled, visually impaired, intellectually disabled staff; there is little national effort to drill down to the structure, the systems, the processes and the training programmes. In short, what really works beneath the iceberg. If these systems and processes could be codified, customised and communicated; they can be scaled operationally across disability groups and benefit the entire disabled and, perhaps, even relevant able-bodied workers in Singapore. Madam, it is not sufficient to keep quoting the mini successes here and there, of compassionate disabled-friendly companies like KFC, Starbucks, Holiday Inn, BizLink and Mr Bean.”
“Madam, I wish to put on record the good work of the Manpower Minister in chairing the Inter-Ministry Committee on the concerns in residential areas with a high density of foreign workers. The Committee's collaboration with grassroots leaders in deploying uniformed patrols, for instance, has received very good feedback from the ground. There are three areas that I seek to draw the Ministry of Manpower's attention to. One is the plea in my Budget speech for Government's leniency in foreign workers levy and staff ratio at VWO-operated nursing homes and centres for the disabled adults. Two, in the area of CEO engagement and role in the overall drive for productivity and innovation in our country. Madam, in recent surveys by the Boston Consulting Group, two-thirds of the top executives surveyed identified innovation as a top strategic goal. When asked, however, why there is a lack of sustained innovation, the two top reasons quoted were (1) lack of time; and (2) lack of management commitment. Madam, as early as 20 years ago, gurus like Jim Clemmer have long advocated that staff training is only one of the strategies leading to good culture, service excellence cultures, for instance. In culture changing, Clemmer called for the "Firing of 12 Cylinders" where CEOs and senior managers must take planned efforts in other critical interventions like signaling commitment, listening to internal/external customers, job restructuring/redesigning, setting up systems, reward and recognition, standards and measures. In short, more than worker education and training. Madam, I urge the Minister to develop specific Learning Roadmaps for the CEOs and their senior managers which appear to be missing in current WDA and e2i efforts.”
“Sir, I am deeply appreciative and want to thank very much the Minister and his teams at MCYS and NCSS for their support in implementing the recommendations of the Enabling Master Plan for the Disabled. Thank you especially for the non-means tested $300 monthly subsidy for every young Singaporean's special needs child. I hope more families will appreciate this significant gesture. For the CPF Special Needs Savings Scheme for the Disabled, may I ask the Minister to maybe engage the families on the ground so that at the execution level, the implementation will be successfully applied. Sir, since the Finance Minister is also here, I think it is appropriate to ask for his and the Minister's comments on my appeal for a slice of the National Productivity and Innovation Fund for the non-profit social service sector to tackle the many complex social issues that we are facing.”
“There are a couple of gaps that I seek the Minister’s help in plugging: (i) in early intervention for which means-testing for this fairly costly service was planned to be fully effective this financial year; (ii) to support adult disability day care centres and homes run by VWOs, especially those handling more severe and at times physically challenging clients. I call for a review of the norm costs and foreign staff ratio there; and (iii) I urge the Minister to look into the lower-income families with adult-disabled children who cannot afford the entry and recurring fees for the services provided by the Special Needs Trust Company that MCYS has helped set up. Finally, Sir, I would urge Government not to leave behind the non-profit social service sector in its efforts to boost productivity and innovation. Please increase MCYS' budget and give a generous productivity and innovation fund, so that they can hone the sector with skills, such as for productivity enhancement and innovation skills. If we exclude the sector out of this national movement, we might increase Singapore’s GDP and create a prosperous country, but we will not create a great country.”
“In the world of IT and defence, a system integrator is a person or company that specialises in rigorously assessing the needs of clients, bringing together, building overall solutions, integrating products and services from different vendors, different helping hands to deliver results for the clients – each hand knowing the role of the other hand with the system integrator tracking overall results. This tight total solution is what the Many Helping Hands need in the social service sector. There are holes in our social safety net that we need to repair. I seek the Minister’s attention in several areas: (i) for the chronic poor. Sir, I seek a modified form of public assistance for some in this group who are denied public assistance as they happen to be receiving ongoing CPF payouts from their own CPF account. The quantums are usually about over $200 and are way below that of the PA recipients. Some of them were former low-wage earners who could not deposit enough into their CPF and some are medically boarded out and are withdrawing their CPF balances prematurely. Because the CPF payout rate is low for these people, many of them return to their MPs or the Family Service Centres for replenishments. These people are now referred to as our "permanent ComCare" cases. These permanent ComCare cases need help; and (ii) for the Disabled. I seek an update from the Minister of the five-year Enabling Masterplan that the Minister should be credited for initiating. I know that NCSS and MCYS have been working very hard over these years and I seek an update. As the plan will be expiring in 2011, when will the next review be? What are the outcomes especially for the early intervention and adulthood services that MCYS is directly overseeing?”
“Sir, I admit that, unless the many helping hands in our social service sector are untangled and co-ordinated, we will not be able to maximise the impact on the communities we are trying to help. As Bill Gates said of his work to solve the mega social problems in the world, "The barrier to change is not too little caring; it is too much complexity. To turn caring into action, we need to cut through the complexity to find the solution." Many Members of Parliament have asked for holistic solutions to help the poor and vulnerable. We work with so many compassionate and willing helping hands such as the Community Development Councils (CDC), Family Services Centres, National Council of Social Service (NCSS), voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), grassroots leaders, religious help groups, and so forth. Even Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong shared, in February, that his courts had been providing help for dysfunctional families with food vouchers, rice, cooking oil and sugar. Sir, in the current state of the Many Helping Hands model, we see overlapped services; over-served and under-served residents and repeat "customers" coming back to us for help that is unlikely to get them out of their poverty spirals. I find this perplexing, unproductive and not strategic. 4.15 pm I urge the Ministry to take the lead with its key partners and the Many Helping Hands and seriously put in place at different levels, the "System Integrator" role in our social services sector.”
“Sir, I want to thank the Senior Minister of State, Ms Grace Fu, for the positive news in the special education sector. I have a clarification for our Minister. Sir, there must be a reason why the Minister has gone to Finland three times to study Finland's education system. Can I ask the Minister for his views on what features from the Finnish education schools that we can incorporate or adapt for Singapore? This is especially in the areas such as the nurturing of fear-free learning and assessment culture that I know, and where there is no national league comparisons of schools and students in Finland.”
“Before the Minister says no to me again, why not take some time to go into website www.academicearth.org to sample the free online lectures from Ivy League universities such as Harvard, Berkeley, Yale, NYU, and so forth. If we can get some excellent basic lectures online for the few hundred schools we have, there will be greater productivity and more consistent quality of teaching of the core concepts. Microsoft chief, Bill Gates, raved about the potential of this form of learning in his Annual Letter of 2010. (3) In the area of teacher recruitment where the main tool seems to be an attractive starting salary, I urge MOE to study the successful model of the non-profit "Teach for America" (TFA) programme. TFA successfully enlists talented young leaders to commit to address the problem of education by committing two years of their lives to teach in the United States' highest-need schools. If we adapt this programme to our local context, this can be a short-term response to our teacher shortage while serving as a force to engage and root our best young people in Singapore. Finally, I am –”
“Specifically, I ask the Minister to consider setting up an Institute for Special Education, if the Minister does not intend to slay the sacred cow of the Many Helping Hands in running special schools. Repeat the success of ITE in an ISE – Institute for Special Education. Charities can still provide the disability expertise and fund-raising for special items, especially in transition services. Provide equal access to core curriculum support to the special schools that are operated by VWOs, especially for vocational courses. Officially appoint schools like ITE and WDA as the vocational course consultants to all special schools so that all of these graduands can be more employable and have a better prognosis in life when they exit. Let every special-needs child remain in the special school system until age 21 but insist that a Robust Transition Plan be set up so that the family can take over responsibility. And last, I ask the MOE be the sector administrator for special education to further take its place and streamline processes relating to the multiple reporting, programme evaluation systems, audits and funding agencies. This is the fourth year I am asking for this. Productivity and innovation. Madam, I would ask for three specific areas for inclusion as part of MOE's Innovation Portfolio: (1) Develop a Learning Roadmap for family caregivers to include modules on both academics and values. Provide free training to families so that they can address part of the tuition problem and engage them in modelling desired values to their own children. (2) Seriously consider uploading quality lectures and developing online interactive lessons for nation-wide access by teachers and students in all the schools. Scale it so that every school has access.”
“Madam, on the topic of students with special needs, I am happy to note that significant progress has been made in the last seven years in supporting special needs students, both in mainstream schools and special schools . Once never a feature in public schools, Allied Educators, or special needs officers, are now available in almost every primary school and some secondary schools in mainstream. Within this special school system, MOE has been very considerate in their financial sponsorships and the prototyping of vocational training in schools like Delta Senior School and Metta School. The latest successful prototype that was championed by both the special schools and MOE is in integrated education and takes the form of satellite schools. And I am most pleased and most grateful and appreciative of especially the MOE officers and mainstream schools such as Chong Boon Secondary School, Townsville Primary School and Bishan Park Secondary School who allowed the setting up of satellite classes within their mainstream schools. By doing so, special needs students from Pathlight, for example, integrate physically, socially and, where appropriate, academically with the mainstream students in these schools. Kudos to MOE and all these schools for persevering in this significant development! Madam, in the support and inclusion of special-needs students in Singapore, I seek the Minister's consideration in the following: (1) In the mainstream school sector, I ask that every secondary school and tertiary institutions such as the ITE, Polytechnics and Universities, be staffed with minimum one Allied Educator or Psychologist to support those students with special needs. (2) In the special schools, I ask for more than financial help.”
“There is a constant but very supportive evaluation of learning outcomes of students and schools. The aim of assessment in the Finland education system is to produce information that will help schools and students to develop. In Finland, there are no national tests of learning outcomes and no national school league tables. Pupils and schools are not compared to each other. Learning takes place in a fear-free environment in which creativity and risk-taking are encouraged. Although teachers assess their students regularly, they do not need to teach to the test nor focus on annual tests or examinations. And lastly, the teaching profession is very popular and respected in Finland and the salaries of teachers are average. Only less than 10% of people who apply to be teachers are accepted. Lest we start beating ourselves up and not giving credit for all the great work that MOE has done, let me add that the Finnish education system is more than 40 years old and shaped very much by their history. All I am asking the Minister is an open mind and more public engagement for a future education vision and how we might adapt some of the best practices of successful systems without losing what we have done well. Madam, many of the current KPIs in MOE are still largely measured by not just how many but how well students pass national high-stake examinations, the scores being the passport to an elite school and upward social mobility. I submit that these KPIs are not sufficient to reflect our desired outcomes of education, current or future, and ask that they be reviewed. This is my second time appealing to the Ministry on this topic.”
“My question to the Minister is: how would the Ministry's desired outcomes of education reflect these future-oriented minds and skills and a balance of both intellect and character; and how these might be reflected in some milestones and KPIs for the Ministry? Next on tuition. Madam, I continue to be concerned over the tuition syndrome and the way our students are assessed primarily through academic results and the overbearing stress of the high-stake national examination years. Last Saturday alone, I counted 177 advertisements offering tuition services. This examination preparation stress, especially for those who missed out on the Integrated Programme train, is unlikely to create a love for learning, much less life-long learning. Madam, there is an alternate vision that we can paint for a future education system in Singapore. We can incorporate the strengths of our Singapore system with that of other respected education systems. One such system is Finland. The skills of Finnish students are among the best in all the domains assessed in PISA surveys of years 2000, 2003 and 2006. The uniformity of students' performance is a special forte in Finland. The differences between the strongest and the weakest results are amongst the smallest when all the OECD countries are compared. Differences in Finland and differences between schools and regions are remarkably small, unlike our elite and non-elite school landscape. Although formal school age is seven, because most Finnish women work, there are good quality universal day care that prepare the children for a rigorous system when they start studying at seven. Education is compulsory and free in Finland. Children with special needs, including those with intellectual disabilities, are integrated into regular education.”
“Madam, the education landscape in Singapore has for the last 10 years undergone many positive changes. Please let me share my observations and recommendations in several focus areas. First, on vision and outcomes of education. Howard Gardner, renowned and respected professor of cognition and education, is famous for his theory of Multiple Intelligences which has led to the sprouting of institutions such as the School of the Arts, Singapore Sports School and the likes in Singapore. In his latest classic, Five Minds for the Future, Gardner identified five kinds of minds or ways of thinking and acting that he believes fetch the highest premium in a future-oriented education. Three of these are related to intellect: (1) the disciplined mind which deals with the content of specific disciplines; (2) the synthesising mind which draws knowledge from different disciplines to solve problems; and (3) the creative mind which is of even more strategic value now in the future of Singapore. Two others emphasise the respectful mind and the ethical mind. Madam, the respectful and the ethical minds are the two minds that Gardner, in his speeches, often stressed are very important – quoting the unethical use of the intellect that led to the conception of irresponsible financial products causing the last financial crisis. Madam, both respect and being ethical should be inculcated in the daily course of life, both in schools and at home, and are best learned by example. Ignoring this will risk our education system producing super skilled and super creative financial wizards developing seductive financial products that may lead to another financial crisis.”
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