Eric Cheong Yuen Chee
Singapore
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head Q be reduced by $10 in respect of Code QI 1000 of the Main Estimates. The Minister has announced the issue of new identity cards. Since it affects the vast majority of the population the registration process should be made more convenient.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, as we all know, ambulance services are run by the Singapore Fire Service and also by the Government hospitals. As there is an increasing need for the sick and aged to be transported from place to place, many of these cases are non-emergency cases requiring an ambulance run by the Fire Service.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head Q be reduced by $10 in respect of Code QH 1000 of the Main Estimates. Sir, at present a work permit holder who marries a Singapore citizen without getting prior approval from the Commissioner for Employment is banned permanently from entering Singapore.”
“Sir, my other colleagues have a wide range of subjects on the drug control. I have just one point to make, and that is, whether the Minister will consider the confiscation of vehicles used in the transportation of illegal drugs. This is different from confiscation of assets that may belong to the drug traffickers.”
“Police, because of limited manpower, will emphasize high efficiency and optimum use and deployment for all the various functions, and greater emphasis will be given to mechanization and computerization. But while doing all this, the Police must continue to strive to get public support and community support.”
“Sir, the points that I wish to raise have already been covered by the Member for Boon Teck. But I have just one little point, and that is, to reinforce his argument that there is a reduction in manpower in the NPP. Originally it was eight per shift, now it has been reduced to four.”
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Every one of 450 lines we hold for Eric Cheong Yuen Chee, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 9.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Companies (Amendment) Bill gives me an opportunity to draw the attention of the Government to a matter which I think is in need of redress. The Bill of course is being moved before this House to redress matters which are equally, if not more, cogent and valid. The Bill is concerned with the proper functioning of a company registered and operating in Singapore. Thus the matters to be redressed are the provisions relating to the promoters and the directors of companies with a view to ensuring the protection of shareholders under the Bill. It is not my intention, nor my inclination, to touch on these provisions of the Bill as there are other Members in this House far more competent and qualified to give a critical opinion of them. I am a trade unionist and my concern is with the few provisions in the Bill affecting the interests of workers. Nonetheless, I must place on record my gratitude to the Minister for including among the provisions of the Bill a timely amendment to protect the interests of workers who have as their employer a limited company. It is a small but significant token of recognition by the Government that a company does not operate in a milieu peopled only with promoters, directors, shareholders and registrars. Workers also have their rights and interests very much bounded up with the proper functioning of a company.”
“Another supplementary question, Sir. Is the Minister prepared to conduct another survey?”
“The Hon. Minister has not gone down to the place. I went down there on three mornings and I interviewed a number of commuters. All of them complained to this effect. Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Mr Speaker, Sir, careful surveys are currently being conducted to ensure that the situation operates the way it is designed to. We are aware that, because of the introduction of three primary schools in the Toa Payoh area, the traffic flow has not been as free flowing as we would like it to be. However, I dispute his figures that the majority are paying double the fare and waiting double the time.”
“Sir, is the Hon. Minister aware that, after the implementation of this new scheme, the majority of commuters have to wait double the time and to pay double fares?”
“I would suggest that the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the Housing Board provide a sort of cluster clinics in HDB housing estates to expand and improve on the primary health care service with the following conditions: (a) two or more clinics with facilities for simple surgery and kidney dialysis treatment; (b) one or more dental surgery; and (c) at least one pharmacy. The facilities at these centres should be available after normal office hours. The fees charged should not be too excessive or at rates determined from time to time by the Ministry of Health. In return for such services the participants in this Scheme should be granted concessional rentals by the Ministry of Health. Sir, I would like to put forward these proposals. 3.44 p.m.”
“The proposed contribution of up to 3% from employer's contribution would have been credited to an employee's Ordinary account if Medisave is not introduced. Any attempt by employers to withdraw, reduce or offset hospitalization benefits will run counter to the objective and spirit of promoting harmonious employer-employee relationship. The second point I would like to make is on the utilization of the Medisave account. Instead of allowing a debit balance, consideration should be given to the transfer of one Medisave account to another for spouses, parents, siblings or children to meet a deficit account from these groups on a voluntary basis. If a person's Medisave account exceeded a sum of $10,000 which is considered adequate to meet his hospitalization cost, then he may be allowed to transfer a proportion of his Medisave account to his Ordinary account in the CPF. A percentage of his Medisave account could be withdrawn to meet the cost of treatment for long-term illnesses which do not require hospitalization, for example, kidney dialysis treatment, provided such cost is not covered by an employer's medical benefits scheme or health insurance scheme. Sir, the last point I would like to touch on is primary health care service. In the Blue Paper it was stated that the Ministry of Health plans to allow Government and private doctors to make use of its polyclinics in the evenings and also to ensure an optimal distribution of private clinics in the Housing Board estates.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since several of my colleagues have already spoken on the pros and cons of the Medisave Scheme, I would confine myself to a few specific points based on feedback I have received from my constituents and union members in support of the Scheme in principle. Sir, first, I would like to express the trade unions' concern over some proposals made by certain employer organizations, in particular, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry which advocates a total withdrawal of all company medical benefits. Such an approach will no doubt negate our efforts to exhort workers to promote and accept Japanese style union-management relationship and company welfarism. The deplorable views of the other employer groups leave much to be desired. It will only create an atmosphere of distrust. In my view, Medisave is not meant to replace existing company hospitalization benefits. It is intended to supplement them since most companies do not provide for dependants and post-retirement hospitalization needs. I consider Medisave as an extension of the use of CPF credits, and existing companies' hospitalization schemes should be maintained. If what some employers say is logical, then the NWC would have made appropriate recommendations for a reduction of hospitalization and medical benefits to offset the increase in wage costs which some employers claim is additional cost and is unbearable. From a survey conducted we found that hospitalization costs to employers are not high as claimed by some employers. Companies that provide health insurance schemes have already taken into consideration the premiums paid when negotiating for collective agreements.”
“Sir, just a final request. I agree with what the Minister has said regarding the liability period. But could the Housing Board consider coordinating all these repairs to reduce cost and save time? Moreover, arising out of these repairs, a lot of debris will be dumped around the housing estate. With its experience in construction activity, the HDB can easily coordinate these activities and ensure that they are done in the shortest possible time and at lower cost.”
“The least HDB could do is to assist residents to coordinate all repair activities to gain from the economy of scale. Besides performing enforcement action alone, HDB's maintenance inspectors should be trained to provide such advisory services to tenants and lessees of HDB properties. In view of the high costs involved in repairing defects, I would further suggest that the HDB consider setting up a financing unit to assist tenants and lessees to pay for such repairs by easy instalment payments. Improvements to existing estates should not be confined to the exterior of flats and the surrounding environment but to the interior of flats as well. Sir, in the latest HDB Annual Report it was stated that HDB is exploring ways to mechanize refuse collection and making improvements to existing dust-bin compounds. I observe that part of the improvement scheme consists of raising the roofs of bin compounds to provide better ventilation. Hitherto, the stench emanating from these compounds affects blocks of flats nearest to them. Now with the raising of the roofs, the stench is carried further away to other blocks of flats whenever there is a strong gust of wind. Could the HDB give an indication what progress has been made in the mechanization of refuse collection and other steps taken on refuse disposal in HDB estates in order to reduce pollution and health hazards.”
“This does not include families who were not in at the time the survey was conducted by myself and members of the Residents Committee. In other words about 50% of the flats in these four blocks have defects. You could imagine the enormity of the problems faced by the lessees. Sir, earlier the Hon. Minister has stated that wooden-framed windows are sturdy and do not necessarily become bad. But I disagree with him on one point. I have been living in SIT flats and HDB flats since 1943. The type of wood and window frame used by these two Boards are quite different. Firstly, it is the quality of the wood, secondly, it is the period taken to season the wood, and finally, workmanship. As we all agree, for those who have at one time or another resided in SIT flats, we know that the quality of those flats is of a relatively high standard. Then at Blocks 54, 68, 79, 191 and 193, residents on the upper floors complained of low water pressure and discoloured water supply. Although HDB has a programme to carry out improvements to the water tanks and external distribution mains in these blocks, progress has been slow. The HDB does not undertake to replace the encrusted internal service pipes of these flats. Residents are advised to engage their own plumbers to replace the pipes. Many of these flats are more than 10 years old. Encrustation of the internal service pipes was caused by the flow of sediments from the water tanks on the roof of these blocks of flats. The defects mentioned are not the result of misuse of facilities by residents but due to poor workmanship and supervision on the part of HDB contractors and inadequate maintenance by the HDB. Therefore, I am of the view that HDB should bear some responsibility in putting the defects right and meet part of the costs.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead TE-01 of the Development Estimates*. Sir, Toa Payoh New Town was established in 1966, the last batch of flats in the central area was completed around 1972. These flats were constructed at a rapid pace to meet the ever-increasing demands of applicants. The emphasis then was on quantity rather than quality. As a result workmanship was poor. Defects which occurred and were reported during the 12 months' defects liability period have been rectified. Unfortunately, over a period of time more serious defects became evident in the interior of the flats. When these defects were brought to the attention of the HDB, their usual reply was to disclaim responsibility and advised lessees to engage their own contractors to do the repairs themselves. Engaging one's own contractor or an HDB term contractor is not an easy task. Firstly, lessees do not have the necessary experience in negotiating with these contractors to obtain a fair price. Should they undertake to do the repairs individually, they do not have the benefit of economy of scale. Secondly, the defects are quite extensive in some cases and the cost of repairs can be quite costly. For example, the ceilings of some flats, particularly above the bathroom and toilet areas, cracked so badly, that the metal frame supports are exposed and are rusty. I visited four blocks of flats, Blocks 183 to 186, recently and found these defects: (1) cracked ceilings, (2) decayed wooden windows, (3) dirty water supply, and (4) water seepage. In Block 183, 36 out of 71 flats have defects. In Block 186, 15 out of 36 flats have defects.”
“In view of the increasing number of accidents involving motor cyclists, could the Hon. Minister of State consider introducing measures to prohibit motor cyclists from riding along the middle and outer lanes of expressways and major roads?”
“Just one other point, Sir. With regard to the road sign before a slip road, I would suggest the Minister of State request the PWD to look at the stretch of Paya Lebar Road that turns into Paya Lebar Way/Jalan Eunos/Changi Airport. There are no signs there and you run the risk of driving into the wrong road as he had experienced himself. With this, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. In the absence of Mr Tang See Chim, the following amendment standing in his name was not proceeded with: (7) That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead TC-03 Project 8125 of the Development Estimates.”
“Sir, I raised the same subject sometime ago. If workers are retrenched and seek to acquire a new skill, as the fees for the BEST programme are not very high, they can afford to pay the fees. But what I am concerned is that during the period of training or learning, the retrenched worker has to take care of members of his family. Being unemployed, he has no other recourse to maintain his family. I would agree that the Skills Development Fund is not under the Minister's portfolio. But my suggestion is: could the Minister put up such a recommendation?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I raise a point of clarification. I agree that the BEST programme has done its part. But what I am referring to are workers who have already been retrenched and they cannot be sponsored by an employer. So they have to acquire skills on their own.”
“Some employers resort to retrenchment as a short-term solution to overcome their adverse trading conditions. I would like to cite two examples. One, a firm of stock brokers recently retrenched six employees on the ground of computerization and poor trading conditions. Although the Stock Exchange of Singapore had announced two years ago the introduction of computerization amongst its member firms, this company had not bothered to prepare the employees for such eventualities. Although affected employees can be redeployed to other sections of the company, this company showed reluctance to do so. The second example is this. A major trading house had in previous years resorted to a series of retrenchment exercises due to adverse trading conditions. A few days ago the same trading company announced that they had made an exceptional profit of millions of dollars. The irony of it is that not a cent of this exceptional profit was shared among its loyal and faithful employees. All this profit goes to the shareholders as additional dividend. Sir, I am not disputing the rights of any company or employer to distribute its profits. What I am advocating is a sharing of the cake all round. The workers who are members of my union are thoroughly disillusioned, and I must admit it would be extremely difficult to inculcate company loyalty amongst them. Sir, the purpose of my amendment is to draw attention to abuses by certain employers which in some cases can be difficult to prove. Sir, the last point I would like to raise is whether the Ministry would recommend to the Ministry of Finance the possibility of allowing retrenched workers to be given grants from the Skills Development Fund for the purpose of acquiring new skills.”
“Sir, with the continuing recession, retrenchment is expected to rise in the coming months. The present guidelines formulated by the Ministry of Labour are inadequate to deter some employers from retrenching employees, who have put in long years of loyal and faithful service, not as a last resort but as an expedient way to reduce wage cost and for other reasons. How are we to inculcate company loyalty on the one hand and allow some employers to blatantly get rid of long serving employees? The Ministry should take steps to ensure that any retrenchment exercise undertaken by employers is bona fide and that they have explored other avenues of redeployment of staff. In the event a retrenchment is indeed necessary, an employer should be required to give his employees, who are to be retrenched, at least two months' clear notice. Payment in lieu of notice will only be allowed with the express consent of the employees concerned. The practice of giving pay in lieu of notice is a reflection on the callous attitude of some employers. Imagine the feeling of a loyal and faithful worker on the last day of the month, upon receiving his salary, being told in a notice that his services will not be required from the following day. Such shock treatment is undesirable in the promotion of company loyalty. Experiences of this nature tend to demoralize the rest of the workforce. This induces those workers who are not affected to take the view that it does not pay to be loyal and faithful to one's employers. Sir, let me explain briefly how retrenchment could occur. It could be due to (1) economic recession; (2) loss of markets; and (3) loss of agency rights. Such factors do not happen overnight. Therefore, there is no valid reason why employers should give short periods of notice.”
“On a point of clarification, Sir. I am sorry to interrupt, but I wish to draw the Minister's attention that in the case of employees who leave their job on their own accord, they are not entitled to any retrenchment benefits at all. So it is not a question of job-hopping. They would not get any benefit. It is in the case of a genuine redundancy that we ask for the abolition of the three requirements. Before the introduction of this amendment, it has been operating quite satisfactorily.”
“(7) That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead MB-03 of the Main Estimates.”
“Sir, in view of the Minister's reply, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting: (5) That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead M B-02 Project 8105 of the Development Estimates.”
“This will help to solve a growing waste disposal problem and reduce the need to instal too many expensive incinerators which pollutes the environment and the utilization of scarce land for land fills.”
“As a matter of fact, some of the garbage bin compounds in Housing Board estates are a source of nuisance !o the residents due to poor maintenance in some cases. I would suggest that the Environmental Health Division, in conjunction with the HDB and JTC, explore the following possibilities:- (1) Mount a joint campaign to encourage householders to dispose of their garbage in a proper and healthy manner, using plastic bags, for instance. (2) Encourage industries, HDB and JTC industrial flats and factories, to instal industrial waste compressing and disposal equipment and to provide tax incentives for industries that instal such equipment. (3) Consider the introduction of legislation to control the use of non re-useable containers. (4) Encourage the Economic Development Board to set up industries for the recycling of industrial waste. Sir, in Japan the recycling industry is making a high technology comeback. Housewives are encouraged to divide trash into combustibles and non-combustibles and to separate trash in five different ways. For example, high calorie waste, such as paper and vegetation, is used to create heat energy; low calorie waste, like food scraps, can be composted and combined with human waste to make natural fertilizers as a substitute for imported chemical fertilizers. Materials like plastics can also be used as land fills for reclamation projects. In this way waste can be transformed into resources. In a housing estate in Osaka, a central mechanized garbage system was successfully implemented, thus contributing to the improvement of the environment. Perhaps the Hon. Minister should make a visit to this lovely city to see for himself the various measures in waste management.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead MB-02 of the Main Estimates. Sir, as we are all aware, the collection and disposal of garbage is done mainly by two Government agencies, the Housing and Development Board and the Ministry of the Environment. Thousands of tons of refuse and industrial waste are produced each month. No one seems to care where the waste goes to as long as it goes away. With our rapid industrialization and public housing programme, more garbage and industrial waste will be produced in a concentration of areas. Has the Ministry, together with the HDB, developed a long-term plan in garbage and industrial waste collection and disposal? For instance, in HDB estates and other high-rise buildings, garbage chutes are a common primary waste disposal device. Concentration of garbage at the base of the chutes, if not regularly collected, can lead to serious health hazards. It is also a common practice, in addition to the sometimes irregular flushing of these rubbish chutes, for residents in these high-rise buildings to do their own flushing of these chutes, causing water to accumulate in the bins below and the inside ledge of the rubbish chute, thus unintentionally breeding mosquitoes. I have come across this practice in my house to house visits. Remedial measures are only temporary. We should examine the whole system of garbage and industrial waste collection at source and also final disposal. Our rubbish chutes were introduced more than 25 years ago, the only adequate means of garbage disposal. Does the present method of industrial waste collection by the Environmental Health Division and other private organizations meet the needs of the future?”
“When I was a student, my first lesson in economics was on the principles of comparative advantage and the division of labour. In simplistic terms, it means that one should specialize in what one does best and not to try to do everything. In that manner, everyone else would benefit, for each would then have a share of what the others were better at doing. Somehow, somewhere along the line, some people have forgotten the tragic lessons of the Great Depression and the War that eventually led to the thinking behind the formation of GATT, an organization whose very purpose is to prevent protectionist reprisals that would bring about the collapse of world trade. The Trade Development Board that would be set up with the passage of this Bill would have the unenvious task of convincing many others to adhere to the principles of GATT and free trade, to which Singapore is so deeply committed. Sir, I support the Bill.”
“The watch manufacturers in Hong Kong have organized a boycott of French brandy in protest, but unfortunately it is a tactic that cannot work too well considering that brandy happens to be the No. 1 drink of the Chinese. But the action of the French Government must lead one to question their sincerity in committing themselves to the principles of free trade. Only last May, the French Minister for External Trade visited us and he signed an Economic and Industrial Co-operation Agreement, which included a "most-favoured nation" clause. But I wonder if today, in the light of the latest French action and that Agreement notwithstanding, whether or not trade relations between France and Singapore have not deteriorated. And even while the 88 members of GATT were negotiating in Geneva, according to the International Herald Tribune, another French Minister threatened to conduct "a counter offensive in the economic war". Sir, some politicians have a way of making dubious and illogical propositions in times of stress. To win votes, they say that it is better to pay more for cars built in your own country so that jobs can be kept. The saga of that little factory in France making watch components proves how wrong they can be. And if the French Government is now taking such delight at its own apparent ingenuity in devising so many non-tariff barriers, I am sure the 100 people who lost their jobs in this watch component factory are not finding it so funny. It is that same ingenious thinking that has no doubt led to the inhibition of free enterprise, to the nationalization of large enterprises and banks, to 2.2 million unemployed and to a much devalued currency whose one unit cannot even buy a bottle of coca cola today.”
“French importers of video tape-recorders learned last month that their Government had suddenly announced that all imports had to go through the customs post at Poitiers. Nobody thought much about it for a day or two until it was discovered that Poitiers was a little town, tucked some 350 kilometres away from the nearest port and the customs post there was manned by only one person, who had to face the prospect of processing the import of some 80,000 units of video tape-recorders a month. The result has been a slow-down in the imports of video tape-recorders and the French Government has scored one more in the art of devising a very blatant non-tariff trade barrier. As if that was not enough, the French Government decided almost at the same time to make the French language compulsory in all business dealings with their country. And that means all documents have to be in French and all products sold to France have to be labelled in French. We all know the story of one of our manufacturers who had to laboriously unpack cartons of umbrellas and re-label all of them by hand, all because of a missing letter to suit the French requirements. And today anybody selling anything to France must provide all catalogues, contracts, order forms, delivery orders, invoices, banking documents, guarantee certificates and insurance certificates in French. I wonder how the French would feel if we tell them that in order to sell to us in future, they would have to spell Cartier, Christian Dior and Lanvin in Tamil. After all, Tamil is one of our official languages. But, Sir, I know it is not in our style to retaliate in such a manner.”
“The Japanese have devised in their own charming oriental way some fancy footwork around a myriad of complex regulations to exclude foreign products from their own domestic market. The Japanese sell their cars everywhere but when you try to sell a car to Japan you face all kinds of regulations that compel you to make so many modifications that even a Jaguar would become a Suzuki. And all this in the name of "Welcome to Japan". It is like putting a "welcome" sign on your front gate, but the path leading to the door of the house is so filled with booby traps that your visitor arrives mangled, battered, bruised and mutters "never again"! But if the Japanese have succeeded in some imaginative tiptoeing around rules and regulations without tripping so far, the French must take the cake for crudeness in the conduct of their trade war. Three different forms of protectionistic action taken by the French in the past months have been so crude that I feel that they have become more dense in the head than ever. The French deficiency in clear thinking started not long ago when they started to put quotas on imported low-priced watches from Hong Kong in order to protect its own watch industry. This strategy would have seemed less consequential had it not been for the fact that a large watch manufacturer in Hong Kong -larger than anything they have in France -used component parts imported from its subsidiary in France. Now this Hong Kong manufacturer, like all others, cannot sell their watches to France. The result is lower output of watches in Hong Kong, less import of parts from its own French subsidiary and lost jobs in France. Then the French decided to take on video tape-recorders, and the next piece of drama unfolded in a little town called Poitiers in France.”
“The following day, the same paper carried another story on its front page, this time entitled "Signs of trade war with Asia", a story highlighting another move by the European Economic Community to restrict imports of certain products from four East Asian countries. Trade protectionism is not new to Singapore. Our textile and garment manufacturers face all kinds of quotas and tariffs; we have seen barriers put up against our television sets. We have seen how the Australian and British Governments, unable to run their own airlines efficiently, sought to exclude our own national airline from lucrative routes with their ICAP policy. More recently, we have seen how the West Germans stooped down to the most crass of methods when their civil aviation authorities resorted to harassing passengers of Singapore Airlines, and all because our own national airline could provide a better service at a lower price than theirs. Perhaps the West Germans could take a cue from the Japanese in the art of conducting a trade war. Somewhere along the little grey area that borders between hypocrisy and what we now know as diplomacy, the Japanese have no shame in telling the world how open their market is to foreigners. The Japanese sell their products everywhere, but try selling something to the Japanese. Any businessman from Singapore to Timbuctoo will tell you that when you want to sell something in the Japanese market you come across all kinds of restrictions and regulations and a system of product distribution so complex that the foreign product is retailed at 10 times, or even more, its price in most other countries.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of this Bill as it will ensure Singapore's continued economic development. But I would like to seek a point of clarification from the Hon. Minister, and that is on clause 6 (c) which provides the Board the power to engage in any commercial activity, etc. I wish to seek assurance from the Hon. Minister that should the Board decide to engage in any commercial activity, such activities do not impose an unfair advantage or competition over similar private enterprises. Mr Tan Soo Khoon: Sir, I rise in support of the Bill. Amongst the functions of the proposed Trade Development Board is to represent Singapore internationally in respect of matters relating to trade. One of the most gripping matters affecting trade today must surely be the problem of trade protectionism. The concept of global free trade remains an ideal far from reality as governments, battered by economic recession and beleaguered by unemployment, struggle for political survival by putting up trade barriers in order to protect their own industries. The recent General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) Conference in Geneva concluded with only a vague written affirmation of free trade but, if anything, it looks as if the declaration was made only because the Conference went into extra time and the protagonists in Geneva were tired of all the oratory and paperwork. For no sooner had the dust settled down, after a long week of bickering when the nicety that accompanies the churning out of declarations at such conferences all but disappeared, when protectionistic reprisals started again. The December 1st issue of the Straits Times carried on the front page a story entitled "US and Western Europe closer to trade war".”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, recently I had the privilege of visiting the Postal and Telecoms facilities to look at how things were done. I was indeed very much impressed with the efficiency and the high morale of the staff in these two organizations. Twenty years ago the Post and Telegraph Services were under one body. The Telegraph Department later merged with the Cable and Wireless to form the Singapore Telephone Board which subsequently was converted into the TAS. I would like to seek some clarification from the Hon. Minister, in particular, on the postal facilities. I was given to understand that the present postal facilities at Nelson Road will be moved to a temporary larger and better facility at the former Rollei factory. A new one will also be constructed in Eunos Estate. May I seek a clarification from the Hon. Minister whether this is a prudent move, as this will no doubt involve immense costs in removing two or three times. Many of us do recall that the TAS has, on account of its efficiency, been able to maintain the costs of telephone services and telecommunication services to the public and even in one service managed to reduce the cost. I am therefore quite confident, after viewing the facilities, that the services of the postal services will be further increased and I think it is our hope that the costs of sending mail will not be increased unduly because of the merger and arising out of this a more efficient service can be rendered to the public.”
“My main consideration in supporting this Bill is that a society with a legitimate cause of action will still be able to sue as freely as before and that the members of the public are henceforth protected from prosecution and harassment by a society without any legitimate cause of action. It is imperative that the right of a society to sue be regulated by the State when the officers of the society are slap-happy on lawsuits and do not respect the right of citizens - if they have done no wrong - to enjoy a peace of mind. Sir, I support the Bill. The Second Deputy Prime Minister (Foreign Affairs) (Mr S. Rajaratnam): Mr Speaker, Sir, I heard through the grapevine that -”
“Yes. If they defend themselves in court and succeed against the society, as they should, on a lack of merits of the society's case, they find that they cannot even recover their own costs from the society. This is not a hypothetical situation but it has happened in Singapore recently. People who have been inconvenienced by the need to engage a counsel to defend themselves against a society's frivolous or vexatious libel suit found themselves saddled with a bad debt even after their successful defence, because the society turned out to be a legal person of straw and could not pay the costs. This is why the amendment to the Societies Act, as proposed in the Bill, must be adopted by this House because a society is often run by persons of substantial worth financially, if not morally. The public impression is that a society is of good financial standing but when the truth is found out, as successful defendants of frivolous and vexatious libel suit by one society, it is too late. To make matters worse, the officers of such societies under the present Act are not liable in any way for the judgment debts incurred by a society in this irresponsible manner. The Bill seeks to plug, what I consider, a lamentable loophole in the existing law. Far too often, up to now, this loophole lends itself to cynical and merciless exploitation by the unscrupulous, unprincipled and unethical officers of societies as against other persons who cannot shelter behind the fictitious but legal personality of societies. Irresponsible officers of paper societies will now be assuredly forced under the Bill to think of the possible financial consequences to themselves before they freely sue others in the name of their societies. It is needless to add further to what I have said.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I clarify this point. I am not referring, in particular, to the suit which is now before the court. I am talking about it in general terms which may affect other societies. May I be allowed to continue, Sir?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Bill to amend the Societies Act by requiring a society which commences an action in a court of law to give, at the discretion of the court, security for the costs of the defendant in the action. This Bill may seem to be aimed at curtailing the right of a society to sue in a Subordinate Court as well as in the High Court whereas any other legal person under the Companies Act or the Cooperative Societies Act is not similarly restricted. The short answer to this apparent anomaly is that a company or a cooperative society, being basically a business organization, considers carefully the financial costs and consequences before commencing a lawsuit. Likewise a natural person thinks of the likely effect on his pocket and his property before he even contemplates taking a legal action against another person. But a society registered under the Societies Act is a different kettle of fish entirely, particularly a society which operates with hardly any funds and possesses little or no assets of its own. Sir, the people who run such a society may have no compunction about suing others, left and right, regardless of whether the society has any grounds or not. Why, you may ask. The reason is that a society and its officers have nothing to lose but everything to gain by suing indiscriminately and irresponsibly. If the persons who are unfortunate enough to be targets of the unjustified lawsuit of such a society fail to defend themselves in court, they may end up paying damages to the society, to add insult to injury. If they defend themselves in court and succeed against the society, as they should, on a lack of merits of the society's case, they find that they cannot even recover their own costs from the society.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the fact that PUB meters are read only once in two months, PUB bills are therefore based on actual and estimated readings. Can the Hon. Minister explain how this new system of three-monthly adjustments in the electricity rates will affect the bills?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not attacking anybody. But I take the Minister's cue and I will pursue the matter further. On this note, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $245,353,930 for Head T ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $2,901,996,000 for Head T ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.”
“Sir, just a few points before I withdraw the amendment. The Hon. Minister suggested that I should refer this matter to the Hawkers Department, which I did. In fact, the letter from the Hon. Minister for Social Affairs with his recommendation was addressed to the head of the Hawkers Department, and this was followed up by my appeal to the Housing Board Area Office. So the necessary steps were taken.”
“Sir, on a point of clarification. I agree with the Hon. Minister that we should not bend the rules, as far as rules are concerned. I am perfectly aware of it. But the old lady concerned is eligible as she is a hardship case and she ought to be given a cooked food stall long ago. But it is because of her old age that she has not been given one. I am not quarrelling with the rules and regulations. In fact, I qualified my statement by saying that I am not against enforcement action. It is necessary to keep our estate clean.”
“- thereby pre-empting MPs from taking up the case. So it becomes the responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment who are the bad boys. This is a perfect way of passing the buck. Notices to quit should be given as a last resort. As you can see, even in the Ministry of Communications, when taxi drivers flout rules and regulations their licences are suspended for varying periods. So I would suggest that, instead of using notices to quit, the HDB should consider this as a very last resort and implement other measures to penalize defaulting hawkers. I am not against enforcement action but it should be carried out with due regard to a person's livelihood.”
“A transfer of stall would not deprive other applicants of a stall. As we can see, most hawkers in new estates are resettled from outside these estates. Therefore, they could be given stalls vacated by others from Queenstown, Toa Payoh and other older estates whose requests for transfers to these estates could be entertained. When a family moves out of a 1- or 2-room flat, say, Ang Mo Kio or Bedok, they usually arrange for their children to be transferred to schools in or around the area they live. Applications for transfer of stalls bring the family closer together and parents find it more convenient to look after their children while they are plying their trade. The Member for Ang Mo Kio yesterday brought up a matter which affects most MPs in HDB estates. Let me enlighten the House on the tricks of the trade. HLOs are employees of the Housing Board. They act on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment when exercising certain functions concerning hawkers and environmental control. They are aware that summonses are not compoundable. Their tactics are to serve the summons and send the copies promptly to the head office -”
“m. when she was still hawking outside the cinema. Then the HMIs came into the picture. The old lady was threatened with eviction for using her 1-room flat for preparation of food for sale. She has declined welfare aid and prefers to fend for herself. Sir, we should be proud of senior citizens with such determination to survive on their own. I decided to put a stop to such insensitiveness and unwarranted harassment and took this matter up with the Area Office. Give her a stall or leave her alone. At present, she is left alone without a proper stall. There are also two examples, one of compassion and one of a lack of compassion. Ten years ago, I brought up a case of a transfer when two members of a family were murdered in a flat. The Area officer at that time was very sympathetic. Within a very short period of time, arrangement was made for the transfer. Last year, I took up a case of a widow whose husband hanged himself in a flat. Up to now, she has not been offered any possibility of transfer for the same old reasons. She is on the waiting list and she will be kept on the waiting list. Another point I would like to raise, Sir, is on the request for transfers of flats or stalls on compassionate grounds or for other good reasons which should be carefully looked into and not in an offhand manner as is often the case. In older estates like Queenstown, Toa Payoh, Alexandra and so on, there are many residents moving out of 1- or 2-room flats to larger flats in other new towns. Some of these are hawkers. Their applications for transfer to stalls nearer their new homes are always refused as it is not the policy of the HDB to grant such transfers. This policy should be varied according to the merits of each case.”
“Instead of approving or rejecting such an application, the Area Office sent a letter to this lady informing her that she should terminate her tenancy. She was terribly upset and sought my assistance on this matter. On the one hand, we are encouraging our young citizens to take care of their elders, on the other hand, there is a lack of sensitiveness displayed by Government officials. The second example I like to state is an old lady, aged 79, who is continually being harassed by the HDB's HLOs and HMIs. She has been an unauthorized itinerant hawker for several years. Repeated attempts made by me on her behalf for a hawker stall were unsuccessful due to her advanced age. Her application was also supported by the Hon. Acting Minister for Social Affairs. Sir, I would like to seek your permission to read a letter from the Ministry of Social Affairs: 'Madam Ng Lian Huay, a childless widow, aged 79, is healthy and active. She earns her living as an itinerant hawker in carrot cakes and so on at the Toa Payoh Central. She is assisted by another two old ladies in the preparation of food for sale. As such, the job generates an income for the old ladies who otherwise would have to depend on public assistance from this Department. As she is an unlicensed hawker she is harassed by officers of the Housing Board. This is an independent report. She was referred by the Member for Toa Payoh for help. The Department feels strongly that this healthy and active senior citizen should be assisted with a hawker's licence to enable her and the other two old ladies to assist her to earn an honest living and to be independent of public assistance from this Department. Hence her application for a hawker's licence is strongly supported for your consideration.' I met this lady last night at 11.00 p.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head T of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100.* Sir, two years ago in the debate in the Committee of Supply I underlined the need for HDB to set up special units in Area Offices to look into and advise residents on their social problems. I understand that recently the HDB has set up such a unit and I would like to ask the Minister to give some details on the operation of this unit, as I feel that there is an urgent need for HDB officers to have compassion and a better understanding in human relations when dealing with members of the public, particularly the residents and hawkers. I would like to give a few examples of the lack of such understanding and the insensitiveness of certain HDB officers, particularly Housing Maintenance Inspectors (HMIs) and Hawker Liaison Officers (HLOs). Most of these officers are young, they lack maturity, and they sometimes adopt arrogant and aggressive attitudes when dealing with members of the public. Although this is only a small minority, it will spread like a disease to others if not checked, bearing in mind that nearly 70% of the population live in HDB estates. This could lead to a situation where the good image the HDB has built up over the years in its housing projects will be severely affected. I would like to quote the first instance. Here, an elderly tenant of a 1 -room flat wishes to stay with her elder son who is staying in a larger flat, and she wanted to have a separate room for herself. This lady informed the Area Office of this fact. At the same time she applied for a transfer of her tenancy of her present 1 -room flat to her younger son whose family members are also registered applicants.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to make a point of clarification on the remarks made by the Member for Kampong Kembangan. I did not suggest that we should allow CPF contributors to withdraw their CPF savings for primary education. I expressed my concern over the percentage of workers who have a very low level of education and those professional and managerial staff who could make use of CPF contributions, but not for primary education.”
“This scheme, if implemented, will enable them to meet their family financial commitments while the workers attend full-time training courses. Such a scheme could also be extended to those who wish to upgrade their professional and managerial skills, like teachers, middle management and executives. This is a good investment on our manpower resources and our economic restructuring and is more tangible than the current rate of 6.25% interest on CPF savings. Here, Sir, there are quite a number of CPF contributors who for one reason or another are unable to make use of their CPF savings for purposes other than when they retire. So this will be a very good way of investing our manpower resources. I would suggest that the Minister give serious consideration to my proposal.”
“I would like to put forward a proposal to the Hon. Minister on whether he is prepared to allow CPF contributors to use their CPF savin s for educational purposes. Sir, in the Census of Population Report, 1980, on literacy and education it was found that a large proportion of Singaporeans have an educational level up to and below Primary 6. These are some of the figures: Those with no qualifications: 64.4% Primary education: 43.9% Lower secondary: 12.7% Upper secondary: 5.6% Tertiary: 2.2% The survey also indicates that the proportion of non-Singaporeans with tertiary qualifications is higher than Singaporeans. This is attributed to the fact that the demand for skilled and well-qualified manpower could not be met locally and foreign companies brought in their own nationals or recruited non-residents to fill management and professional positions. This survey therefore emphasizes the urgent need for us to prepare our training and education programme. Although the VITB and other training institutions may have the facilities to provide such education and training, the question of getting workers who are retrenched to undergo full-time training and educational courses will pose a problem. Workers who are retrenched may have families to support. Grants from the EDB or the Skills Development Fund based on current practice will not be sufficient for such workers to support their families and at the same time attend full-time training courses. Even if the EDB and the SDF Council were to provide bigger grants this may create a situation where it becomes a handout and consequently will have counter-productive effects. We should seriously look into the possibility of allowing workers to withdraw part of their CPF savings for education and training purposes.”
“Sir, may I have your permission to speak on the Labour Ministry's policy?”
“Here, I would like to appeal to the HDB, through the Minister for Communications, to consider sympathetically the plight of these workers and, where possible, give them priority in the allocation of flats they have applied for before the middle of next year so as to solve their problem smoothly and satisfactorily. I would also like to persuade the residents of Blair Plain, through the public media, not to allow themselves to be misled by the opposition parties and fall into their trap and be used by them.”
“Sir, on the other hand, opposition political speculators have been stirring up these workers to rise up against the Government, and instigated them not to move away from the site whatever might be, and asked them not to cooperate with the authorities. These opposition speculators wanted to make a mountain out of a molehill on this matter in order to achieve their political, ulterior motives. Sir, if an opposition Member could tell a foreign reporter that the people of Singapore are starving now, of course, the same person could under a pretext say that the Government or the PSA has been wrong. The purpose is to create disquiet and discontent in Singapore so that Singapore will meet with economic depression and business recession, causing many people to be unemployed. The opposition may then condemn the Government as being incapable and hope to stand for elections to defeat the existing Government and be victorious themselves. Just as the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs had said, the opposition in Parliament could not do anything to help the Government govern Singapore but hope to create turmoil in Singapore so that we will go down the drain in order that they may fish in troubled waters. Therefore, if we are a good Government, it does not matter at all whether or not there is an opposition Member in Parliament. Sir, on the question of the residence of the workers of PSA, as long as it is not solved, the executive committee of the PSA Workers' Union and myself are very worried just as much as the 700-odd families themselves. We all hope that this matter can be solved as early as possible so that the workers can work with peace of mind. That is why I have moved this amendment today, to bring up this matter in this House.”
“(11) That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0 of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100. The sum of $298,033,380 for Head 0 ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $17,687,000 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head I - Mr Ho See Beng( In Mandarin): Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head I be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead IA-01 Object Group 1100 of the Main Estimates. Sir, I move this amendment for the purpose of pleading on behalf of those residents who are being evicted from Blair Plain. These 700-odd workers of PSA live in Blair Plain estate. Because the PSA wants to develop a container harbour in that locality, they were given notice to quit. Although the PSA has given adequate notice to quit, they cannot provide them with any alternative accommodation. These workers have also gone to the HDB to register for the allocation of flats. But the HDB could only register their applications. They could not give them priority for allocation of flats. The reason given was that the workers in the PSA dwellings were not evicted by the HDB. So the 700-odd families were ordered to clear out before the middle of 1983. Sir, if by that time the HDB could not allocate flats to these workers, would the PSA drive them into the roads and streets? Sir, now the PSA has been able to develop Singapore into the second largest and busiest port in the world. This has to a great extent been due to the efforts and contributions of the workers who work with the PSA. If they could not be credited with any merit, certainly they could be credited with their hard toil. Can the PSA not seek a better and more reasonable solution to this problem?”