Ellen Lee
Singapore
“Madam, I have one supplementary question for the Minister. Given the increasingly heavy responsibilities that our Regular servicewomen have played alongside their male counterparts, will the same opportunities be made available for servicewomen to be appointed the Chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Chief of Defence Force, and eve…”
“Singaporeans are savvy in utilising technology to solve problems at work and good at using multimedia to make new friends, show concern for society, entertain themselves and share life experiences. Perhaps, we should use our creativity and think of ways to resolve community disputes without resorting to the use of law.”
“Sir, with more Singaporeans living longer than their parents, being healthy and able to work beyond retirement age becomes a common concern for adults with family commitments.”
“Madam, although much has been done to empower senior citizens to age graciously, there are still many who choose to conform to long-held norms, such as living quietly and modestly at home, reading, exercising and socialising little and focusing their attention on family and children.”
“Madam, with a rapidly ageing population and more people leading a longer life, care for the elderly is inevitable. However, ageing couples who have two or fewer children or no child at all are confronted with the prospect of there being no one to take care of them and their daily needs, especially when they are sick, feeble and weak.”
“Madam, the Community Mental Health Plan had a three-pronged focus: increasing awareness, expanding early intervention capabilities and integrating care with the community care. Could MOH provide an update on progress made so far?”
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“By the same token, the valuation report to be obtained upon "close of public tender", must be one based on updated Development Guide Plan (DGP) specifications, projected RLVs with Development Gross Floor Area (GFA) sensitisations and apportionment method. Valuation is an art and not a science. Hence, it is not uncommon that interested parties will hunt down valuers who are prepared to say what these parties want to hear. This may well go towards improving transparency and currency. (c) Re-affirmation by majority consenters. Perhaps it is also timely to mandate re-affirmation by majority consenters prior to execution of Sale and Purchase Agreement with developer-buyer for equity. At present, the Bill provides for up to a 24-month window to (i) procure the Collective Sale Agreement signatures, (ii) commit developer-buyer and (iii) file notice of application of collective sale with the Strata Titles Board. This gestation period is too long. As en bloc interest is usually sparked in an upward moving property market, there is increased likelihood that within the period of up to 24 months, the current market value may already be out-of-sync with the reserve price that was locked-in by the majority consenters via the Collective Sale Agreement. Despite these pre-loaded factors (long gestation period and upward spiralling market), the Bill does not provide for re-affirmation of majority consenters. Even where the sale is by tender, there should be a simplified re-affirmation procedure whereby the lawyer must produce proof of dispatch of such document.”
“It is also noteworthy that these valuers, lawyers and agents have recurring business relationships with developers whereas they are likely to act only one-time for the en bloc homeowners. In the same vein, Sale Committee members and majority consenters are effectively selling unwilling homeowners' units along with their own units when minority dissenters are forced to sell under a collective sale order. A great deal is at stake. I believe that transparency, accuracy, currency, relevancy and equity are important tenets which may well be improved if the Minister considers the following enhancements: (a) Apportionment Method Mandate. This requires a written report by an independent property appraiser prior to approving the terms of the Collective Sale Agreement (CSA) as to the appropriate apportionment method to apply for the estate with justification for such recommendation. This should not be too costly relative to a full valuation report and may be a more practical compromise. Yet, it would establish one of the key decision factors on a professional basis. This goes towards improving accuracy and equity. (b) Agent's Business Proposal for potential developer-buyers and valuation report. Another possibility is to require that the Agent's Business Proposal with sensitised analysis of Residual Land Value (RLV) to be given to potential developer-buyers so that, in turn, the business proposal can be distributed to each owner as the agent's commission is paid by owners upon the sale of the estate. To further improve transparency and equity, two representatives from the agent's company should affirm or swear a Statutory Declaration that they have provided the full and complete set of business proposals to each owner for further consideration.”
“I opine that it is timely to remind ourselves what was said in Parliament in 1998 and 1999 (as reported in Hansard Vol. 69 at Columns. 601-607 and Columns. 632-634) that the en bloc sale legislation was to, I quote, "create more housing units in prime 999-year leasehold or freehold areas for Singaporeans" and that "a secondary benefit is that these developments, especially the older ones, could have been rejuvenated through the en bloc process". The secondary benefits of urban rejuvenation and higher land-use intensity as part of our national agenda may well be achieved at personal cost to citizens, by (i) impacting their homes, and (ii) downsizing or downgrading the real estate assets that form part of their retirement nest egg. Whilst it is recognised that en bloc sale offers one more channel to monetise the assets, we should bear in mind that demographic age profile of owners spans a spectrum and too early monetisation for owners below the age of 70 may not be prudent, given present life expectancies of 80 for men and 84 for women. More importantly, the changes should be calibrated to protect homeowners. The playing field is not level from the start as in en bloc sales, homeowners are the less-savvy sellers pitted against corporate developers who are expert industry players. Homeowners rely heavily on valuers, lawyers and property agents to safeguard their interests. But the valuer is mandated by law to come on stage only after the curtain falls – "to provide independent valuation upon close of public tender" and the lawyers and agents are not prohibited by law to work on no-sale-no-fee basis despite the inherent moral hazards.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this Bill aims to provide greater transparency and streamline procedures for en bloc sales to avert the long-drawn conflicts arising from such property transactions which have plagued us. I am happy to note that the role of the Strata Titles Board (STB) will be refined to focus on mediation (with a maximum mediation period of 60 days) and it is henceforth empowered to issue a "stop order" to cease mediation if the owners are keen to bring the case to court. This change could potentially help to reduce the costs and time taken to resolve more contentious en bloc applications via the litigation route. I am also pleased to note the requirement that a person standing in a collective sales committee must disclose the extent of his or his kin's ownership in the development to offer greater transparency. To further expedite the process, the sales committee can vote off a non-consenting member by a simple majority when an application for the sale has been made to the STB. The imposition of a two-year restriction period on en bloc properties that fail to sell is one that has so far garnered mixed reactions from the industry and the ground. Those who wish to re-start the sales process during the restriction period will also have to abide by stricter rules. This measure could also prevent the draw down of management committee funds where Extraordinary General Meetings (EOGMs) are convened incessantly. Furthermore, the first re-try to convene an EOGM to re-appoint a sale committee will need to meet a requisition threshold of 50% by share value or total number of owners. This threshold will be moved to 80% for subsequent tries to convene an EOGM during the two-year period.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for the replies. But, even though Minister said that there was no tweaking of the dependency ratios, at the weekly MPS sessions, we are seeing more people coming forward to say that they have increasingly much more difficulty hiring foreign workers and that renewals were not permitted at first application and even after appeals. So I would like to know from the Minister, whether there are any interim measures that would be introduced to help these industries, especially those in the service industry, cope with the sudden loss of manpower, especially when we say that theoretically we are going to rely on innovation and productivity to improve the work processes. These things take time and effort, because you must first have a group of people who are willing to go through the training and retraining before you could even talk about innovation and productivity.”
“The Bill does not clarify exactly what constitutes election advertising and I submit that some clarity on this will be useful. For example, is expressing one's opinion(s) on local current affairs be deemed elections advertising and thus prohibited? How about reader's comments on blogs and posts on online forums including "status updates", Comments on "Wall" and "photos" on Facebook? I hope there is greater elucidation on some of these points as they may affect many in our populace especially the younger voters who are very social-media savvy. As part of the amendments, the punishment provisions for various election-related offences have been enhanced. I strongly support this move as the previous penalties may seem tokenistic. With greater powers given to the Police to handle these "seizable offences", I hope to see an even more orderly, vibrant and fair elections. With this, I support the Bill. 4.48 pm”
“With the state of emotions running high, this provision of an extra day may well help avert or lower the likelihood of a public disorder situation. In any case, after a very exciting and emotionally charged election campaign, it is good for us to have some time to calm down and reflect on the issues and the arguments before we march into the polls to cast our vote with a thought-through, calm and steady state of mind. By the same token, the candidate and activists will also have time to catch their breath amidst the election furore. *Cols. 313-316. Although intended to regulate campaigning, the proposed amendments could also affect our people. "News" is exempted from the "cooling-off" period. However, this exemption covers only licensed media. Internet-only publications, including citizen journalism sites, are not individually licensed and so not considered publishers of news under this law. This effectively means that reports of the final rallies must be posted the same night because if they are posted the following day (the eve of Polling Day), one could be charged with violating the law. My question is whether this will work well in the era of new media and the likes of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and other forms of online social media. I sense the enforcement and policing of online violators could be a seriously dicey issue for the Police and Elections Department. In addition, according to the Bill, the original section 78B of the Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 218) that pertains to bans on election advertising on polling day would be replaced by a revised one that states that no person on Polling Day or the eve of Polling Day shall knowingly publish or permit the publication of election advertising. This includes election advertising on the Internet.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to address this House on the proposed Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill, in particular, the introduction of a Cooling-Off day prior to Polling Day in which no form of election campaigning is allowed except for party political broadcasts. I have actively participated in two contested General Elections, once in 1988 as a PAP activist and the other in 2006 where I stood as a candidate. I can understand the need to have a cooling-off period. I agree with the Prime Minister when he opined that a cooling-off period was necessary to help voters make rational choices. This 24-hour period during which campaigning will not be allowed will give our voters that extra bit of time to reflect calmly on their decision. The idea of a cooling-off period before the polls is not an uncommon one, as countries like Australia, Indonesia, Italy and Mexico all have some variation of this feature in their electoral systems, with anything from one to three days of campaign silence before the final vote. Although campaigning in Singapore has always appeared to be peaceful and uneventful, yet during those nine days of hustings, emotions are unusually high not only at rallies but also on the ground. Although mostly not reported, there had been acts of vandalism and threats, veiled and direct, hurled at candidates and election helpers as some people took the opportunity to vent their anger or unhappiness especially at the PAP candidates who were under much more strain. I recalled past election rallies at which there were shouts and raised fists, some pushing and shoving as the crowds got worked up. In some cases, crowds also refused to disperse after the rallies were over.”
“Many voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have called for a renaming of the Women's Charter to "The Family Charter" since the essence of the Women's Charter is family-oriented as it aims to: (1) reinforce an awareness of the irreplaceable role and position of the family; (2) inspire families to unite in the defence and promotion of their rights; (3) encourage spouses to fulfil their duties as spouses and parents; and (4) commit all spouses to do everything possible to ensure that the rights of the family are protected so that the family institution is strengthened for the good of all mankind, today and in the future. The Women's Charter should be pro-family instead of skewed in favour of the female gender. It should be viewed as the Family Charter, to take into account changing modern values, and to uphold equity and equality for both sexes. All said and done, a change in name and nomenclature will not suffice. The sole intent of this suggested change is to uphold the sanctity of marriage and the family unit whilst ensuring the rights and liberties of both men and women are entrenched and protected. It is only with the "substance" change and not mere "form" that will give this renamed and revised piece of legislation more "teeth" and "bite". Divorce rate and families”
“It covers every conceivable aspect of marital law – from registration and dissolution of marriages, division of matrimonial assets to maintenance provisions for the wife and child. It is in relation to division of assets and alimony that is being challenged, largely because when the Charter was passed in September 1961, Singaporean women had not yet increased their sphere of influence in society, at home, in the workplace, and in politics. Now is an appropriate time to change the "Women's Charter" to the "Family Charter" to truly reflect the gender un-biasness of this piece of legislation and the growing role and stature of women in our city-state. The Charter is said to discriminate against men because sections 69(1) and 113 impose on the husband the obligation to financially support his wife or former wife. There is no corresponding duty on the part of the wife to financially support her husband. This means that the economically-superior wife will still have the right to demand financial support from her husband. We have in recent years also witnessed more men seeking Personal Protection Orders for themselves and/or their children against their wives. But the men did not feel that they could get any protection because they are seeking protection against women under the Women's Charter and that is already a gender biased legislation.”
“Sir, I declare my interest as a Family Law practitioner. The Women's Charter was passed in 1961 when polygamy was widely practised by men, and women had very little or no rights at all in the marriage, other than to bear children and, hopefully, a male child so that her son could inherit some property and if he happened to be the favourite son, then perhaps the entire estate would be his. Singapore has vastly transformed in the last 50 years. In the interim, the Women Charter has been amended several times to keep up with society changes and the last major amendments were made in 1997. However, those amendments did not change certain provisions that are widely viewed to be gender-biased in favour of women, including the name itself which men have accused as blatantly favouring women and women have cried out loud as not protecting women at all. These days, more Singapore men date or marry women who earn more than them. Increasingly, more men work from home and take care of the children while their wives hold higher-paying, full-time jobs outside the home. Singaporean women now work in professions that have traditionally been dominated by men, ranging from business to information technology, life sciences and the media. But these gender gains are now being questioned by critics, mostly men, who are crying gender discrimination – not in employment but in the division of family assets and paying maintenance for their children and alimony to their wives upon divorce. The statistics on divorces and annulments show that in 2006, there were 7,061 cases, in 2007, 7,241 and in 2008, 7,220 cases. The Women's Charter contains the rights and responsibilities of the parties to a marriage.”
“However, Chinese medicine excels in treating chronic inflammation, functional disorders, endocrine disorders, degenerative diseases, senile diseases, general clinical syndromes, sub-health state of the human body, and complex health problem. In view of the increasing use and recognition of TCM as an alternative medicine, I urge the Government to provide assistance in monetary/non-monetary terms to raise the quality and standard of TCM practitioners and TCM administration so that TCM can indeed be more acceptable and "recognisable" as another source of help for patients. *Cols. 3691-3692. 2.00 pm”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] With the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) particularly in China over the past few decades, and increasing interest in complementary medicine the world over, public interest in TCM has also risen in Singapore. Many of our elderly as well as the young are seeking help from TCM. TCM practice in Singapore is primarily confined to outpatient care. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Act was passed on 14th November 2000. Besides registering TCM practitioners, the TCM practitioners Board also accredits TCM schools and courses, and regulates the professional conduct and ethics of registered TCM practitioners. The registration of TCM practitioners started in 2001 with the registration of acupuncturists. With effect from 1st January 2004, those who wish to practise TCM are required to register with the TCM Practitioners Board and possess valid practising certificates. Our restructured and private hospitals have also set up TCM units/departments in view of the rising demand and awareness of the positive effects of TCM. From my knowledge of TCM, it does not use static anatomy as a starting point for understanding the diseases and does not rely on detection equipments. However, TCM relies upon inspection, listening and smelling, inquiry and pulse-taking to directly observe the dynamic human life function. It is also based on syndrome differentiation to guide the disease treatment. This method can save a lot of examination cost for patients. Western medicine has absolute advantages in medical fields such as surgery, diagnosis of organic diseases, first aid, prevention of spreading of epidemic conditions, and life-sustaining devices where modern science and technology is used.”
“5% to 1% of developed countries’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with a considerable proportion of that coming from governments themselves. How will this impact Singapore from an economic angle? In light of the COP-15 and its inertia, I feel that Singapore, despite its pursuit in the next decade for productivity and focusing on driving economic growth, will still need to draw a balance with sustainable development and continue making Singapore a sustainable city-state. Barring the disagreement between US and China and its ramifications downstream, how are we contributing and preparing towards the eventual adoption of an international agreement to move ahead with the various points for agreement?”
“Before the start of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference late last year, a vision was set which many countries saw as a positive step towards doing our bit for the environment. However, as we saw the Conference progressed and how it ended off, it left many important decisions and issues undecided and unanswered. The meeting was supposed to adopt emission reduction targets for industrialised countries for a second commitment period after 2012. It was also supposed to agree on longer-term cooperative action on a range of issues including mitigation, adaptation, technology development and transfer and financial resources to support developing countries’ efforts. The end product of the high-powered and internationally charged event ended with a mere Accord which was promulgated as a compromise by a small number of countries behind closed doors. There was no unanimous consensus to that Accord internationally. Notwithstanding the disappointment, many concerned Singaporeans and I are proud of Singapore Government’s commitment to do our part to save the Earth, even though we are only a small red dot. The next COP-16 meeting in Mexico will be at the end of this year. The possible outcome remains unclear and the chance of an international agreement is shrouded in greater uncertainty. It appears that ASEAN governments wanted to support and drive an agreement including managing other issues regarding coastal and ocean management but it did not materialise. What will Singapore and its ASEAN partners do in the meantime to collaborate towards COP-16 in Mexico? On funding, ASEAN called for financial contributions for mitigation and adaptation to be set at 0.”
“I wish to ask the Minister whether our concept and strategy of Total Defence have changed and how do we re-invent ourselves to better prepare as a country and as Singaporeans towards "Total Defence". What programmes and initiatives will be rolled out to further reach out and entrench the message of "Total Defence"? Youth and total defence”
“Sir, the RECORD V's recommendations were first announced at a press conference on 27th August 2009. The recommendations aim to address the rising aspirations of National Servicemen and better reflect their greater responsibilities and leadership roles. They also aim to help NSmen remain connected to their workplace, encourage fitness amongst NSmen and recognise contributions from NSmen's families. Sir, I request the Minister for Defence to provide this House with an update on the implementation of the entire slew of RECORD V's recommendations and the response or feedback from NSmen on the recommendations both from SAF and non-SAF NSmen. Total defence Sir, we just commemorated the 26th year of Total Defence on 15th February 2010, the day Singapore fell to the Japanese in 1942. It is good to remind ourselves why we commemorate it annually. All Singaporeans have a responsibility to defend Singapore. The threats we face today are manifold and multi-dimensional, ranging from terrorism, racial and religious tensions and conflicts, pandemics, global economic crisis and economic disruptions, natural disasters, energy, water and food scarcity, piracy, illegal migration to cyber crimes, amongst others. With the geo-political and global operating landscape and threats (both military and non-military) constantly changing, defending our nation has gone beyond the traditional use of force and rules of engagement. The challenges are further exacerbated by our highly interconnected and globalised world. Today, what begins as a problem in another country far away can have severe ramifications on us, our economy and our social fabric.”
“Sir, numerous terrorist incidents have happenned in Asia and in our neighbouring countries. Most importantly, the breadth and tactics deployed by these terrorist elements have increased in complexity and impact. Singapore is a small city-state surrounded by water and terror threats against our country can come in any form. Our security forces have initiated numerous exercises to handle terrorist incidents in Singapore since September 11. The ISD arrests and detentions including the escape of Mas Selamat still remain fresh in our minds. These remind us of our vulnerabilities and the daunting challenges facing us as a nation. In view of the spate of terrorist incidents in our region and globally, what preventive measures are we taking at all levels of the Government and what new capabilities is our Government plan to further augment or enhance to combat against terrorism? Terrorism”
“The availability of appropriately trained personnel is also a major issue facing the voluntary welfare organizations, as they generally operate on lean budgets and volunteers may not easily be recruited, a situation that is common in many countries. There is a need to improve the current financing options for long-tern care services so that they provide the most efficient, most affordable and highest quality care. To combat long-term care challenges, it is imperative to have supporting doctors, nurses, nursing homes and others working together in teams and with the patients and families to ensure the right care is given at the right time, in the right setting. The Government could provide incentives to organisations providing LTC (long-term care) by rewarding them for positive care outcomes. In view of increasing medical costs and hospitalisation expenses, I hope the Government will also consider revising the aged dependency relief for co-residential children and children-in-law. It might encourage children to continue care-giving and it could also reduce the incidence of abuse due to the financial stress of caring for elderly parents. Capability building for seniors' needs”
“These community-based support services include meal delivery; laundry; home modification – for example, the installation of grab bars, non-slip tiles and levelled floors; a telephone hotline for crisis and counselling; a befriender service, where volunteers are matched with lonely elderly people for home visits; mutual help groups, for instance, neighbourhood-based small groups of about 10-30 older persons to foster mutual care and concern; volunteers to accompany elderly to clinics or hospital; bereavement and funeral services, where volunteers offer help to bereaved families or arrange funerals for the destitute elderly; and an alarm response service, where staff at a voluntary organisation in the vicinity respond to an elderly resident's call for help when the alarm is used. While many of these services have already started across Singapore in the past decade and there is a wide array of community-based services available, demand is growing. Moreover, some of these services are unevenly distributed across the island, so family members may have to travel long distances to reach a particular service; older persons will similarly need to travel for long periods and suffer fatigue. If the Government policy of "ageing in place" is to be successful, more will have to be done and relevant support services should be established in all housing estates so that the needs of families with ageing members are met in a comprehensive way. In short, the prevalence, awareness and access can be further augmented nationally. Another problem is that services for the aged are multi-disciplinary and older people's issues are multi-dimensional.”
“Madam, long-term care is a variety of services which help meet both the medical and non-medical needs of people with a chronic illness or disability who cannot care for themselves for long periods of time. It is common for long-term care to provide custodial and non-skilled care, such as assisting with normal daily tasks like dressing, bathing and using the bathroom. Increasingly, long-term care involves providing a level of medical care that requires the expertise of skilled practitioners to address the often multiple chronic conditions associated with older populations. Long-term care can be provided at home, in the community, in assisted living or in nursing homes. Long-term care may be needed by people of any age, even though it is a common need for senior citizens. While some of these services are presently available, inadequacy, unequal geographical distribution and affordability remain the major issues. There is also the need for more supportive programmes at the neighbourhood level to assist families in caring for their elderly members.”
“They are afraid that if they fail, they might even lose their original jobs! Although many experts and academia have expressed their views on improving productivity, but this alone cannot entirely relieve employees’ worries. I hope the Minister can provide more tangible information, give the workers more assurance to appease their worries, so they are willing to go for training, which will give them a better future. (In English ): Sir, Deputy Speaker, on the whole, I do support the Budget as being a forward looking one critical for the long-term survival of Singapore. *Cols. 2589-2590.”
“Sir, I would like to finally touch on the middle-class who are the sandwiched group. Many who fall in this category sometimes feel they would be better off if they were richer or very poor. With the economy picking up speed and possibly rising cost of living starting to set in with higher oil prices as well as price of housing, etc, the sandwiched class will face even greater challenges. They have little ones to take care of as well as their aged parents (and many of them with only one or no siblings because their parents belong to the era where there was a stop-at-two policy). The problem and pressure on this sandwiched class are greatest when their parents or in-laws are of age or ageing and their children are still relatively young. With the 20% income tax concession removed and the Budget not particularly addressing the needs of this segment, Sir, I hope that we can help them by having some policies or schemes available where they can tap on. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I seek to speak in Mandarin? (In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Many Singaporeans feel they are under a lot of pressure with rising living cost. They have no time to even take a breather. The new Budget is to improve productivity by increasing foreign worker levy to reduce our dependency on them. Singaporeans, at the same time, will have to do more work to keep their jobs. By common thinking, this is obviously making Singaporeans work more, spend more time on their jobs, which will inevitably take away their spare time and make their life even harder. Low-wage, low-skill workers think they are limited in intellectual capability, they do not have the confidence to complete the course if they are sent to study IT.”
“This will help supplement the income of some of the older workers. However, I am aware that some industries still pay a very low basic salary and there is a significant component of their monthly salary from overtime work. In view of this, we should review the criteria for the WIS entitlement, that is, consider using basic wage instead of gross wage in tabulation of whether WIS will be dished out. Using basic salary will not penalise hardworking workers who work overtime to bring more monies home and it also truly reflect the value of the job and their effort. As a positive signal to those looking after their aged parents, grandparents or great-grandparents, the dependant relief claim has increased. I strongly support this and I am very glad that it is being addressed. However, in view of rising costs, maintenance and prices of food, homes, nursing or healthcare needs of the aged, this tax relief may not sufficiently "compensate" the younger generation who maintain and look after their elderly parents, grandparents or great-grandparents, in addition to looking after their own families. I urge the Government to periodically review and assess if the amount of relief will effectively help these youngsters. With significant amounts of funding and resources dedicated to worker training and embracing of technology and innovation, I urge the Government to continue to provide enhanced funding and incentives both for older workers and their companies in this aspect of training. In particular, the ADVANTAGE scheme by WDA to help older workers previously should be further enhanced so as to further encourage companies to embark on utilising new technology and innovation to help assist and facilitate older workers to be more productive. Three, the "Sandwiched-Class".”
“Different Ministries and statutory boards would need to define the exact parameters where they could increase productivity and also examine what is meant by productivity increase in their varied workplaces and operating environment. I am not sure whether reducing or not increasing manpower is an option but our civil service should explore further innovation and technology to enhance effectiveness and efficiency. I believe we would help to reduce our future "budgets" and translate to lesser tax on the populace and also better convince the private sector if our civil service can "lead by example" and be more productive. Two, helping the elderly. This year’s Budget did provide for the elderly as in previous years. I applaud the Medisave top-ups varying from $200 to $500 depending on the elderly’s age, income and the annual value of their homes and the higher payouts to older workers for the WIS. Notwithstanding, I hope to see more done for this increasing segment of people in Singapore. Medisave top-ups may not totally address the rising healthcare costs faced by the older folks. Instead, the Medisave-approved uses should be re-examined so as to enlarge its scope and ambit, in particular for the older Singaporeans. For example, for uses such as detailed health screening for those above 55 years of age or at an older age for a start. By the same token, to adopt a preventive approach towards healthcare and wellness, the Government should support health screening and seriously consider the provision of a standardised comprehensive health screening package across the polyclinics and restructured hospitals at a subsidised rate for the older folks. I am happy to note that those earning up to $1,700 a month will now be eligible for WIS, up from $1,500.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to join in this Debate. [Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Matthias Yao Chih) in the Chair] I would like to compliment the Finance Minister for his extraordinary Budget and no pun intended. It has received much compliments, particularly from friends from Western countries whom I have spoken to as they were watching us closely. It is not an exaggeration to say that they were green with envy. Indeed, I look forward to seeing how the many schemes, programmes and funding to help make our businesses and Singaporeans more productive will indeed translate to overall increase in productivity in the next few years. From our own Singaporeans, the reaction has been widely reported. Many people were concerned with the immediate impact of the reduction of foreign workers overall across industries and the gradual increase in foreign levies leading to overall rise in costs of living as well. This would be true in the short term but we should not stop overhauling the current undesirable practices and make changes just to avoid short term impacts. I believe this Budget has been carefully crafted to cater to and address the ongoing challenges and serve the different needs of Singapore and Singaporeans. Nevertheless, I would like to say a few words on the following points. One, raising productivity. The Budget has rolled out various incentives, schemes and even a formal Council to drive home the Productivity message. I noticed that the majority of these are targeted at the private sector. In my opinion the civil service (which includes Ministries and statutory boards) should also do self-examination and look at further enhancing and increasing productivity of its workforce and its processes and service levels.”
“This provision, of course, will exist alongside current existing provisions under, for example, the STRO (Suspicious Transaction Reporting Office), where I think Mr Sin, as a lawyer, will know that financial institutions are obligated to report a suspicious transaction. So I think this combination of provisions is good enough because we also need to maintain a balance, not to over-reach in this tracking. I think I have covered most of the points. It is a long session. I thank Members for their many useful suggestions. I have not said yes to all these suggestions because we are at a point when we are assessing and seeing whether more can be done. But certainly we will continue to track the number of cases and our progress. And if there is a need to tighten up, I will look at some of the suggestions that have been raised. Ten MPs from the PAP and four NMPs have spoken, giving very valuable inputs. It is quite unfortunate that none of the Opposition MPs has spoken. But, in any case, what MPs have spoken about today have contributed to making Singapore safe and secure, because it is spoken from the heart. In fact, particularly elected MPs, they have really reflected the anguish of their residents. I think that is laudable and, hopefully, with everybody working together, we can reduce this scourge.”
“In that sense, I think it is better to disperse it because the guy may not be just living in that block. He is probably from all over the place. Actually when Police started doing this about three years ago, there have been some good results where arising from these publicity outreaches, information that has been rendered has led to arrests. As to whether we should have money rewards – Mr Seah talks about whether there can be some incentive for information to be given – I would say that that is not Police practice. We have not gone on this approach, that this is the path that some other countries have taken where they offer money for information. What we have done in Singapore is where, outside of loansharking, generally, four out of 10 crimes are solved with the public input, and that is wonderful, the public give input without expectation of a financial reward. That should be encouraged and this, in fact, is happening for loansharking too. As many Members have said, people are banding together. Let us continue to do that. In response to Mr Sin's point about whether more should be done in terms of using the powers – I think he talks about the need to track movements in terms of understanding the flow of funds – actually the new section 30(A) empowers the Public Prosecutor to authorise the Police to inspect documents containing information of suspected loansharks as well as the spouses, sons, daughters, trustees and agents. So using this power, Police can, when they are investigating a case, track the accounts and fund movements. And when they do this, they will glean insights into the syndicate's network and the identity of its members.”
“The answer is no, because the freezing order can also be used against his family members. But there is still the need for the Minister to be satisfied that there is reasonable cause to believe that these are proceeds arise from loansharking. I think I have covered most of the points. As regards clarifications on new offences, Mr Heng suggests that those who knowingly arrange and/or provide any kind of logistical support, for example, materials such as pig heads, incendiary materials, should also come under the definition of "abetment". I assure him that the list of acts set out under the new section 28(1) which are deemed to be abetment of the harassment offence is not intended to be exhaustive. Arranging or providing for these logistical support can be considered as abetment, which includes intentionally aiding by an act – the commission of the offence. Basically, whether a particular act of assistance is caught will depend upon the actual facts and circumstances of the case. Mr Seah Kian Peng made quite useful suggestions for more to be done on the ground. Let me assure him that insofar as use of CCTVs is concerned, yes, more are being deployed because it may have a deterrent effect. Police also has acquired more sets and this would be deployed on the ground as necessary. As to whether there is a need to paste the photos of known loansharks or syndicates on the notice boards, I think the current approach really is that the call for information is, in fact, more dispersed – through TV, the printed press, and in cases where publicity is required, it is not of the loansharks. It is of people who are caught on CCTV – these are your possible harassers.”
“One other point which I think Mr Calvin Cheng and Mdm Cynthia Phua want assurance on is that if the harm is perpetrated through a company set-up rather than individual loanshark, will just the company be punished? What about the perpetrators behind it? Will they hide behind the cloak of the company? The answer will be no because under the Moneylenders Act, when an offence is committed with the consent or connivance of an officer of the company, the officer is also guilty of the offence and is liable to the punishment as an individual. That stands to reason. Indeed, in an appropriate case, the corporate veil can also be lifted and proceedings initiated directly against the individual himself. On the freezing framework, Mr Hri Kumar wants an assurance that it will be exercised judiciously. I think that will be the case, although Mdm Cynthia Phua takes the other position and says, "Why not let an ASP do the freezing?" I think let us keep the current position because it is a new approach insofar as moneylending is concerned. Under the Bill, safeguards have been built in because the Minister must be satisfied that there is reasonable cause to do this. The Minister can only issue a freezing order if he has reasonable cause to believe that the property or funds in the account are proceeds from the detained loanshark's loansharking activities. There are safeguards because anyone who is affected by the Order can apply to Court to get it lifted and, also, we have made provisions where someone who is affected, family members, for example, can ask the Minister to give a licence to deal with the money. The other point that Mdm Phua makes is whether the loanshark can funnel his monies away and escape the long arms of the law.”
“In response to Mdm Cynthia Phua, and as I said in my speech and I think Mr Sin has pointed that out, the SPF indeed has good cooperation with its neighbouring counterparts. That would be stepped up and, as and when necessary, Interpol's help can be brought in. But this excellent cooperation, in particular with our neighbouring countries built up over time – fighting various kinds of crimes – can be tapped effectively to fight loansharking. As to Ms Wong's other query on borrowers, the indication is that the vast majority of borrowers are Singaporeans. So it is not a problem that foreigners have created. On mandatory punishment – I think this is the point that Mr Calvin Cheng has made – whether mandatory punishment will put a fetter on the Court's discretion in sentencing. Actually, mandatory punishment, for example, mandatory imprisonment, it means that the Court has to jail a person. But within that power, there is a range where the Court can jail a person either for "x" years or "x plus y" years. In that sense, the Court will still have some discretion, taking into account the mitigating circumstances of the case. That is his key point. Whether it removes the Court's ability to take into account mitigating circumstances, the answer will be no, because still the Court can consider that. Many MPs, in fact, have highlighted the fact that we have imposed minimum mandatory punishment. I think as this House knows, we do not do that lightly as a government. We do it when the situation warrants it. And that is why at this point in time when we have to send a strong message, we have included some mandatory minimum punishment in the Bill, I am sure the message will sink in.”
“So MHA has set up the Casino Regulatory Authority (CRA) to oversee the conduct of the casino operators and their key employees. For example, under the Casino Control Act, the casino operator must take all appropriate steps to ensure that unlicensed moneylending or related activities is not conducted by its employees, patrons or any other persons inside the casino. Casino operators who contravene this requirement will be liable to disciplinary action, including a variation of the terms of the casino licence and a financial penalty, not exceeding $1 million. And to handle casino-related crimes, police is setting up the Casino Crime Investigation branch within CID's Specialised Crime Division. Now, the CRA and police will work hand-in-hand to prevent crime within and around the casinos. In addition, the Commissioner of Police can impose statutory exclusion orders on criminals or suspected criminals to prohibit them from entering the casinos and using them as a place to perpetrate their illegal activities. Going forward, MHA will consider the need to introduce an Organised Crime Bill, which some countries have done, to tackle crime syndicates holistically. If we do that, we can then look at whether some of the provisions that we are introducing today should be incorporated. On the other point that Ms Wong raised – the involvement of foreigners in unlicensed moneylending activities, either as loansharks or as borrowers – my response is that police investigations have not uncovered any foreign loansharking syndicates operating here, although some elements of the business could be conducted overseas in neighbouring countries to evade police detection. In fact, this is one reason why we are having this new provision of having extra-territorial jurisdiction.”
“He probably knows that access to HDB's database is to find out, for example, where the borrower has moved to and, in particular, to enable ICA to have a better idea as to people out there who have shifted but have not registered their new address. Well, this is something we can look at because currently under police investigations, Police can already access, for example, the repository of addresses in the Singapore Land Authority's database. These are private addresses. It is very unlikely that a person who has sold an HDB flat who owes money would have moved to a private property. This only captures the owners. So whilst there is still a possibility of doing that, we will leave it as it is for now but because, as I have said, the vast majority of loanshark's problems take place in HDB flats, let us focus on that first. This is the basic approach. We have taken three to four months to draft this. Since I raised this problem in Parliament about three to four years ago, we have taken so many steps. So this is one more final package – calibrated, targeted approach. Then we continue to monitor and see if there is a need to do more. Some Members have raised the issue of the upcoming Integrated Resorts and whether that will lead to more loansharking or indeed more criminal elements coming here. I think Ms Audrey Wong asked this. Let me first say that our tough laws which include the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act already deter many from coming here. I have explained this many times in Parliament over each five-year period to extend the CLTPA, the role of the CLTPA in deterring these criminals. Specifically, on the IR spillover effect on crime, to counter this possibility, we have since 2005 work assiduously.”
“So there are gradations to culpability on the part of borrowers. What we have done is to take a focused approach, punishing the most blatant of the borrowers and these are people who borrow based on false addresses or their previous addresses and, therefore, mislead the loansharks. As I have said, we take a calibrated approach. Now it is focused but this is not the one-for-all panacea; we will continue to see whether more can be done. In the meantime, one way of course is that if loansharks are caught and convicted in court, possibly a request for compensation can be made of the loansharks. We all know that under the CPC, a request for compensation can be made and if we can identify the homes, in particular, where these loansharks have been responsible for, perhaps that is a possibility. Mr Hri Kumar has another suggestion on the use of a statutory declaration (SD). Can we make all HDB sellers declare that they are not indebted to a loanshark? Well, first of all, like I have said in my speech, actually less than 1% of HDB flats are attacked in such a manner. Even though all Members agree every flat attacked is one too many and our heart goes out for every flat attacked, to require a SD from all sellers would probably cause an inconvenience to a much larger majority of legitimate sellers who do not sell and move away knowing that they have outstanding loans from loansharks. So I think that is not necessary. Basically, these are two unrelated transactions – the sale transaction of HDB and the taking of a SD. Mr Heng asked why we restrict ourselves to HDB's database. In terms of intelligence gathering, it is not so much to find out where the loansharks are.”
“That is how victims recover, do not show that you are cowed and that is how as a community, everybody is chipping in. This is the point I really want to make – since the call here in August last year, as I showed from statistics, the number of harassment cases has come down. But as Members all know, there is no trend, we have to press on but people have rallied and I think more can be done. I say this is also in response to Mdm Cynthia Phua's point when she talks about the UK project "Stop the Loanshark Movement". Actually, in Singapore we already have a movement because everybody is chipping in. So let us just continue to do what we are doing with, hopefully, more projects, through the CSSP framework, for example, Citizens On Patrol, Neighbourhood Watch Groups, Stop the UML projects and schemes on the ground. All these are frameworks that can be used to fight loansharks. And I want to assure everybody that as they do their part on the ground, the NPCs will also give their full support. On Mr Hri Kumar's point, therefore, on borrowers – this is something that we have not addressed. We all know that borrowers who have borrowed from loansharks, if they are still staying there, they will say, "Well, it is also something that I really do not want happen to my neighbours." But the loanshark's tactics have been to inflict pain on the neighbours as well. It is not something that the borrowers would have wanted. So that is one group. The other group of borrowers would be borrowers who have moved. They have borrowed and then they move. Now, even for those who have moved, some may not have changed their addresses or, worse, there is also a group who borrowed based on a false address or a previous address.”
“And over the last six months, as I have said, because the community has matched the seriousness of the Police, not just in terms of the community on the ground, but also MPs like Mdm Phua, who has been leading from the front, and Mr de Souza who has pledged support for Ulu Pandan, and other MPs in this House also doing this, working together, we have make many more arrests. So let us continue to do that – look at both groups and understand that they play different roles. Mr Cheng says in future he hopes more can be done to enhance the punishment of the loansharks. This is something we can consider in the future but I think the scope of punishment is sufficient for now. And this I also say in reply to Mr Arthur Fong and to Mr Heng Chee How and to others who have argued that there should be enhanced punishment for various offences. We have, like I said, drafted the provisions very carefully, calibrated, poised, quite balanced. Whether we need to do more, we will take a relook later as the provisions work out on the ground. Mr Hri Kumar asked about the borrowers who provide correct information but subsequently change their place of residence. He said can we do more for this group or indeed even borrowers as a group who borrow and their neighbours are harassed. My experience is that the borrowers are often apologetic, they are sorry that this has happened, they will try to cooperate with the Police, with the neighbours to try and rectify the situation. Some, in fact, also help to rectify the damage by getting somebody to paint over the graffiti. Members also know that the Town Councils have been working on this so when there is such vandalism, they quickly get their act together to remove these signs which could possibly instill fear and anxiety. That is important.”
“Everybody plays a part. They may play different parts but because they are working in concert the pain and problem is perpetuated. The example we have used here is Hydra and the tentacles, and some Members said, very graphically, that "yes, we have to continue working by cutting off the tentacles, even as we try to attack the head". And indeed this Bill, like Mr Christopher de Souza aptly puts it, introduces new powers whilst we enhance the traditional punishment of jail and so forth. But really, the nub of this Bill is that we want to do more to attack the source, which is the kingpins. So, we have freezing provisions and provisions where there can be inspection of documents. And yet, at the same time, we have to address the ongoing problem on the ground so we have to cut off the tentacles. We have to ensure that the harassers do not perpetuate the ill intentions of the loansharks. And this is what Ms Irene Ng also talks about when she asks "where is the Police?" In fact, Police is working very hard and I want to give her and this entire House the assurance that Police is in fact taking this seriously. As I have said in my speech, Police has geared up its resources, re-organised itself, working closely with the ground. But as I have also said in my speech, loansharking is not an offence that is easily solved unless you catch the person red-handed or he leads you to the kingpin, to the loanshark. Very often, they do not even know who the loanshark is and the numbers do not help because it is probably from a prepaid SIM card and the SIM card has been sold to either a borrower who has disappeared or sometimes even foreign workers who have disappeared. But the assurance I want to give is that Police is serious.”
“Yes, I agree that there are also those who are over 16 who are also being exploited. I will say – and I will say the same for many of the suggestions – that we will monitor and we will assess the need to toughen the law or to widen the net. So, currently, we will keep it at under-16. Also on this provision, Mr Heng Chee How asked if we are talking about someone who is 21 or above exploiting someone under-16, how about someone who is 19 years old? Are we not letting this guy get away with it? Well, I think the mischief behind this provision is not to let an adult exploit the youths. So, technically and legally, an adult is considered someone 21 years and above. In any case, wherever you draw the line, there will be somebody who is just below it. So taking the mischief into consideration, I think we will keep it at that. But do not forget – I think Ms Joscelin Yeo also makes that point – that somebody who is 19 years old who instigates someone under 16 to commit either harassment or to become a loanshark is actually liable for punishment. It is just that the new provision does not apply to him. But as an instigator, he would be punished anyway. So it is not a matter of him getting away scot-free but this provision not applying to him. Let me make this point about borrowers who have become harassers. I think there have been some sympathy raised in this House for this group and for the need to distinguish this group of borrowers who become harassers for loansharks. First of all, what we have done in this Bill is to ensure that both groups are punished and I think rightly so both groups should be punished. And from what we have heard in this House, from what I said in my speech, there is, in fact, organised crime; there is layering.”
“More resources are being dedicated now to counselling youths on the pitfalls of, for example, gambling addiction. Those are very good points, and it is good that the House sees this issue especially with the coming of the IRs. The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is gearing up, that body is doing much more now, for example, like what Prof. Straughan says, to better understand the phenomenon of gambling, in particular amongst youths. In fact, last year, they organised a conference in August. A big conference where they brought people together – people who are experts in the field, and 300 participants attended, 150 of whom were from the schools. These are dedicated and very focused efforts and I think we can all support them. Police, on its part, works very closely with the schools. Police also reaches out to the youths. Police in fact has been more proactive now with its new media outreaches. It has got a YouTube video titled "Second Thoughts" warning youths of the dire consequences of such behaviour. Also, NCPG partnered the National Addictions Management Services to hold this conference that I talked about last year. So it is also drawing expertise from the ground. This National Addictions Management Services was formerly called CAMP, based in IMH. So that is what NCPG is doing. And so the point, therefore, for youths is that whilst we punish them, yet at the same time we help them by steering them away from the slippery slope. A question has been asked by Ms Joscelin Yeo and also by Mdm Cynthia Phua whether we will consider raising the age of the under-16s, maybe to under-21. Mdm Phua suggested under-18. Well, let us look at how this provision works out first. This is a first cut.”
“Paulin Straughan who talked about mandating counselling by the Courts. In terms of Court punishment, it is really up to the Courts to decide. In the appropriate case, whether it is mandating counselling or as I think Ms Phua suggests, community service. It is really up to the Court to decide whether in the appropriate case, this is the thing to do. The message we have sent is that you should not be doing any harassment, even for youths because we know that loansharks out there are exploiting youths. The numbers have gone up almost three times last year, compared to the year before. The youths are an easy group to exploit but really, whether the paint is splashed by a 15-year-old or paint splashed by a 25-year-old, it is still being splashed. The frustration, the anxiety, the fear is still caused. So I think this is a message we want to very clearly send. Having said this, educating the youths, I think, is also very important. This is a point that many of the MPs have made. That even though we are tough with youths, we must take a multi-pronged approach. This is what Ms Audrey Wong says. And let them know beforehand that they should not succumb to the temptation or to the thrill of becoming harassers. In other words, being sucked into vice. So whilst on its part, this Bill takes that step of deterring adults from exploiting youths, but this is a very focused approach, youths themselves must also be dealt with if they do wrong but at the same time helped so that they will not do wrong with proper advice and proper education. I think Members have made very valuable suggestions, whether it is parental vigilance or education. I think Ms Lee talks about that. I think she has raised a Parliamentary Question on this and an answer has been given by MOE.”
“The key message to desperate borrowers who had borrowed for whatever reasons and who feel that they are on sinking ground is that they need not despair. The message must be that there is a choice to become a runner to pay off their debt. I think we focus on this quite a bit. We know that there are runners out there who may feel that they have no choice or who may feel threatened by loansharks who may be so pressurised that everybody is standing against them that they think the best way or the only way to let off the steam is to succumb, but that is really the beginning of a bigger problem. So resist the pressure because there are avenues of help out there. I am very happy to say that a lot of these avenues are run by expert people on the ground – voluntary welfare organisations like One Hope Centre, I think Ms Irene Ng talked about it. In fact, I went to the 5th Anniversary of One Hope Centre just last month and they are doing good work among debtors. There is Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre, there is a Care Corner Singapore. They are voluntary welfare organisations who are gearing up to do this, manned by volunteers who are prepared to help. They also run helplines, for example, Credit Counselling Singapore has a website www.ccs.org.sg and indeed debtors can call the number, 1800-2255277, to check out the services. I think this is the point that I want to respond to. I think Mr Sin made the point that it would be better if Government runs a dedicated helpline where people can turn to, manned by experts. I would offer the current alternative which is the many-helping-hands approach, tapping expertise which is out there already and working with them so that they can reach out to more people. I think it was Assoc. Prof.”
“Last year, about $50 million was dispensed through the ComCare scheme to needy Singaporeans. So, therefore, once again, there are community organisations, grassroots bodies and commercially driven bodies out there who can extend help. But the key point really, having said this, is that ultimately, it must be a matter of personal responsibility. I think this is a point that Ms Audrey Wong makes. The need for more education to let people know that, unless it is something that they cannot help themselves, in other words, a sudden unexpected bill that falls upon them like a medical bill or an accident where you have to pay a certain bill, if it is a matter of spending on their part or of incurring debt from buying things, there are signposts along the way where a person should know that he is reaching a danger point. Here, I think in this House, several times already, the Minister for Finance has mentioned the MoneySENSE programme, which is a national programme helping Singaporeans understand more about financial planning and financial responsibility. I am glad to say that MoneySENSE is working with CDCs to run basic money management workshops for low-income families. Indeed, on its part, MOE has introduced financial literacy concepts into the school curriculum. This is more of a longer-term approach perhaps, but it is still something which is important because we all know that this loanshark problem will be with us for some time. All these building blocks are important even as we address the problems within a more immediate time frame. On the issue of counselling of debtors, that is another point which Members have raised – I think Prof. Paulin Straughan, Ms Audrey Wong, Ms Irene Ng, Er Lee Bee Wah.”
“Unlike other countries, I think in particular, less developed countries like Bangladesh, there is a clear example there; the Grameen Bank, in Singapore, these are other ways of raising small loans. So educating Singaporeans on the options is a key point. And I am happy that there are organisations like Credit Counselling Singapore, I think we have heard of the organisation, it is doing good work. They reach out to borrowers to explore their options and indeed, even refer them to legitimate sources of credit and, in some cases, even help them work out debt repayment schemes. So, my call therefore in this House today is that people who need help, please do not turn to a loanshark because we all know that it may appear to be an easy way out. Your friends may encourage you, you may be enticed. But really, it is a slippery slope. Go to these agencies that we have talked about. If you are not clear, in fact, there are three touchpoints that they can press. First, Community Development Councils, those are very accessible on the ground. There are 36 Family Service Centres located all around Singapore and also all of us who run grassroots organisations will know that we are all ready to help. There is also a ComCare toll-free hotline 1800-222-0000. MCYS is keen, I think we all know that, to reach out to people who need help. So whether it is through the hotline or whether through calendars, or whether it is through banners and posters displayed at HDB void decks or displayed in CCs and schools, or indeed in MCYS and CDCs' websites, all these financial assistance schemes are publicised. MCYS informs me that it will continue to work closely with the CDCs and grassroots leaders to publicise these efforts.”
“I believe the credit co-operatives have their own ways of reaching out to their members through various forms of publicity. So I say to Mr Seah, Mr Sin and others who argue for more to be done on this score, to take it up separately with MCYS and to convince the Minister that more can be done. As for the clan associations, I do not think that there is anything to stop them from lending money to their members. I think lending by clan associations was Mdm Cynthia Phua's point. Many of them do not do that. Some of them do not have the resources. But if they want to do so, they can if it is within the ambit of their constitution, provided they get approval from the Registrar of Moneylenders. I think it can be done. As to companies lending to their employees, I think some companies do that as a matter of welfare for employees. Different companies have different policies. I think we should leave it to these companies to devise a policy that suits them best. Mdm Phua, in a very heartfelt manner, said that companies should be incentivised. Here, again, it is a matter of policy for MOF to consider. If she wants to take it up with MOF, I think that is something she can consider. I welcome these suggestions because these show that Members are thinking as to how we can enhance the net of legitimate borrowing. I say this also in response to the Micro Loan Scheme that Ms Ellen Lee has suggested. In fact, it was raised in the House last year. MCYS at that time said there was no need to do that because there are other schemes in Singapore, by SPRING Singapore, POSB loan scheme and other avenues.”
“Actually, the number of loans has also risen as a result of this liberalisation. Another source of credit which MPs have highlighted – I think Mr Sin Boon Ann and Mr Seah Kian Peng – is credit co-operatives which some will know as Thrift and Loan Societies. In fact, Mr Seah Kian Peng is on the Council of the Singapore National Co-operative Federation. This movement is doing good work, helping out many Singaporeans but of course the restricting factor is that they must be members. I understand that there are about 39 of such credit co-operatives with about a quarter million of members. So it is a viable source of borrowing for its members. Mr Seah has argued, in particular, that this source of funding should be further opened up, and I think he has suggested two or three ways. MCYS oversees credit co-operatives and its response is that the social role of credit co-operatives is to promote thrift among members and serve their mutual needs. It is best served when the members and the management of a co-operative share a close relationship. So there should be a nexus, in terms of whether we should have a wider criteria for membership and open up to more Singaporeans. But the very idea of a co-operative means that there is a shared relationship, some nexus, maybe employees of the same company, which then fosters confidence that the deposits are in safe hands because these co-operatives take fixed deposits as well as lend money. The response is that credit co-operatives should therefore come from clearly defined membership bases whose individuals share affiliations with one another. In addition, as credit co-operative membership is not open to the general public, it is not necessary for them to advertise in mass media.”
“Well, as I have said earlier in my speech, there are indeed pros and cons. And the debate in this House reflects this diversity of views. So let us take some time to assess the measures that we are introducing today and then we can, further down the road, assess if there is a need to take this measure. Now, as many MPs have highlighted, Ms Ellen Lee, Prof. Paulin Straughan, Ms Audrey Wong, Mdm Cynthia Phua, Mr Seah Kian Peng, Mr Arthur Fong, amongst others, there are borrowers out there who would have a genuine financial need and some of them turn to loansharks. But I would say that compared to the number of gamblers who turned to loansharks, this is probably a considerably smaller number. There could be some. The key point is to reach out to these people and to let them know that there are avenues of help. Of course, we can argue whether more can be done. I think many suggestions have been raised in this House that more can be done. But the first point is to impress upon them that if they are in a genuine need, they should not be shy or diffident about approaching avenues of help. So part of the aim for this debate is also to reach out to these people and to let them know that they must also help themselves by letting their needs be known. As I have said in my Second Reading speech, there are other viable and, more importantly, legal avenues of credit. For one, I have mentioned the scheme for licensed moneylenders that has been liberalised – I think Mr Seah Kian Peng has lauded that. Now they can operate from more locations and indeed, the contact details of all the licensed moneylenders and the pawnbrokers are set out in the website of the Insolvency and Public Trustee's Office (IPTO).”
“Straughan were to be confronted with families who have been harassed by loansharks or she has been in an environment where she sees these notes and demand notices pasted and even paints splashed all over the house, I think she will understand why cutting off the tentacles bit by bit is better than trying to catch the kingpin at one go because when the resident calls out for help, we will not be in a position to tell them, "wait, let us educate them". What they demand for is actually immediate action, immediately, if not, yesterday. Therefore, I hope that MHA will, apart from cutting off the tentacles, also move further in to catch the kingpins that we want to net. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Mdm Deputy Speaker, first, I want to thank MPs who have spoken out in strong support of the Bill. Loansharks monitor what the Police and authorities do. I think this point is made also by Mr Arthur Fong, when he alluded to the amendments in 1993 when Prof. Jayakumar also said that those who are criminals out there actually watch what we do. So the emphatic message that we collectively send from this House today, that we will not tolerate loanshark or loansharking, I think that is very important. MPs have shared heart-rending accounts of how their residents have been hounded and harassed by merciless loansharks and their runners. Let me say that my heart and I am sure all our hearts go out to these people and also the assurance from us that they do not walk alone in their travails and that is why we are raising the ante today. Now, we have taken some time to finalise this Bill as we have crafted its provisions very carefully. One key point which Members have spoken at some length on is the fact that we have not criminalised borrowing.”
“Ms Yeo is apparently a person with disabilities and getting a small start-up, interest-free loan for a time limit of 10 months under the Association’s micro-finance assistance scheme has helped her to own and run her retail business successfully and she was also able to make a small profit. According to Ms Yeo, the flexibility of the scheme allows her to repay instalments of $500 or $1,000 and there was no penalty for late "submission", she used the word "submission", by which I think, she could mean "repayment". She also did not have to provide a guarantor nor must she have a minimum income to be eligible to apply for this loan. This article shows that if the Handicaps Welfare Association could provide its members with disabilities to be self-reliant through micro-funding, there should be other institutions that should be able to do even better and in the process help to eradicate the huge problems caused by small loans. In summary, I applaud the amendments and the resolute move by MHA to nip the illegal money-lending problem in the bud. The new amended laws alone will not be the dynamic panacea to this age-old problem. We should continue to explore ways to curb demand as well. Likewise, the law enforcement arm has an even greater role to leverage on the new ambit of powers and far-reaching jurisdiction to combat and minimise, if not, eradicate the proliferation of such illegal activities. Allow me at this stage to provide a reply to what Prof. Paulin Straughan had said just now, when she said that the new measures appear to be just cutting tentacles from the kingpins and she questioned the effectiveness of such a measure. I believe that if Prof.”
“In particular, I look forward to see the law enforcement agencies taking proactive action against these offenders to bring the masterminds, the kingpins and the financiers behind these loanshark syndicates to answer for their illegal actions, and vindicate the humiliation, unnecessary sufferings and damages inflicted upon innocent households. However, the problem of loansharking is that there is both the demand and supply side of it. Besides introducing new laws to arrest the problem it would be timely to also review the existing credit policies and offer acceptable and workable alternatives to cash-strapped individuals who genuinely need monies for unexpected exigencies. Such exigencies do not occur only in severe economic downturns or recessionary periods but also in good times when the economy is doing well as there will always be individuals inflicted with unforeseen but genuine needs. Often, these desperate individuals seek the services of loansharks simply because they are easily assessable and non-discriminatory, unlike banks or financial institutions which often make it difficult for people to borrow money with their endless checks and demands for collaterals. I would like to reiterate the idea of a microloan scheme which has been mooted in this House before by my colleagues and also today, a few speakers before me have also again called for this to be implemented. This is so that the genuinely desperate individuals can borrow at affordable interest rates. Such a scheme is not impossible as I was pleasantly surprised to read an article contributed by one Miss Jane Yeo in the October-December 2009 edition of the Handicaps Welfare Association’s "Handicaps Digest" entitled "Micro-Finance Scheme: How I Benefited From This".”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, it is timely that MHA is reviewing the law in this area taking into cognisance that harassment activities have almost doubled in the first half of 2009 as compared to the same period in 2008. I am pleased to note that the proposed amendments to the law intend to adopt a multi-prong strategy of targeting not just the runners but the loanshark syndicate bosses, and even borrowers to deal with the burgeoning illegal moneylending problem in Singapore. This is indeed timely and imperative considering that the two Integrated Resorts will be opening their doors soon. As an MP, I always feel so helpless when I receive complaints from my constituents about harassment, vandalism and various forms of mischief, affecting innocent households, often with young children and elderly at home, who were not even borrowers or remotely related to the borrowers of these illegal moneylenders. I am, therefore, heartened that MHA is introducing tougher measures and stiffer penalties such as mandatory caning and incarceration even for first-time offenders to serve as deterrence to would be and repeat offenders. In the same vein, it is heartening to see the harsher penalties have been given more teeth with wider investigative and enforcement powers vested in the law enforcement agencies and most notably, the introduction of extra-territorial jurisdiction against illegal moneylending offenders. MHA has also gone the extra mile to criminalise the acts that contribute to loanshark activities and tightening the change of residence regime. Borrowers may also now be brought to court if they give false addresses that lead to innocent people being harassed by loansharks and their runners. When this Amendment Bill becomes law, I hope to see the augmented powers exercised judiciously.”