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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“Sir, I am not suggesting that we should relax the regulations on the issue of work permits. If they have breached the regulations of the Commissioner for Employment and they cannot get a work permit, it is fair enough. But the question is that they are debarred from entering Singapore for a period of time. Let us not forget that many of these people are young and they have been misled into getting married in Malaysia and not in Singapore. So there is no way for the Commissioner for Employment to allow them to get married, even on the condition that they sign a sterilisation bond. This is a different category altogether.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head Q be reduced by $10 in respect of Object Group 1210 of Subhead Code QH-04 of the Main Estimates. Sir, I just want to raise a few points with the Hon. Minister with regard to Immigration. At present, Employment Passes are given to people from Thailand, India and other countries for them to work in Singapore. I would like to ask the Minister whether consideration could be given to allow dependants of Singapore citizens and permanent residents living outside Singapore to work here. At present, such people are only granted Social Visit Passes and are not allowed to seek employment in Singapore. Surely these people find it easier to fit into our social system. The second point I would like to raise concerns work permit holders who have breached the regulation on marriages under the Employment Act, whereby one party is barred from entering Singapore for a period of up to two years. This penalty has created a lot of social problems for those who have married against the regulations and have offsprings. I have come across instances where one party who is residing in Kuala Lumpur and another in Ipoh have to travel all the way down to Johore Bahru to meet their spouses for the sake of a family reunion. This is causing undue hardship. I am not suggesting that we should waive all penalties, but would the Minister consider granting Social Visit Passes to such people on compassionate grounds to visit their families in Singapore?”
“Sir, in order not to prolong the argument in the hope that the Minister will seriously look into some of the points raised in this House, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. The Chairman: Amendment (15), Dr Ong is not speaking. 7.15 p.m.”
“Sir, I am afraid I have to bring up again this question of giving reasons for rejection. It is easy to say, "Your application is rejected" without giving any reasons. The applicant will therefore reapply. This gives a lot of inconvenience not only to Members of Parliament but also to the Registrar himself. Could the Minister consider giving an appropriate reply? For instance, an applicant should submit his application in duplicate. So in the first instance, he will have a record of the grounds for application. Then if he should apply again, but this time he cannot provide further grounds, Members of Parliament can advise him that since he is unable to provide further grounds, there is no possibility of his getting the application considered. In this way, a lot of unnecessary confrontation with applicants can be avoided.”
“Sir, in his reply the Minister has stated that quite a high proportion of those who have been rejected have reapplied immediately. That is the reason why some kind of reason has to be given to avoid such a situation where an applicant who has been rejected immediately applies again the following day. This has created a lot of problems not only for me, but I believe for many other Members in this House. A simple reply stating for instance, "Your application is unsuccessful unless you can furnish fresh grounds", will I think help a lot. But as far as the employment of skilled workers is concerned, at the moment why is this prerogative given to employers only - that of certifying that an employee has been in employment for five years or more and has attained a certain level of skill? Can an applicant on his own not obtain such certification from an institution of higher learning, certifying that he has attained a certain level of skill, rather than depending on the employer alone? Because if he is totally dependent on his employer, we are just leaving him to the mercy of the employer. Even if the employee has shown ability in a skilled trade, if for one reason or other the employer does not like him, then the employer would not support his application for a Singapore citizenship.”
“For instance, if a person takes an educational examination or even a driving test, if he fails he is informed of his inadequacy of the subject so that he can improve upon it when he next goes for his test. As you are aware, Sir, the personal status of applications for citizenship may improve over a period of time. Such changes may enhance his prospects. In other words, the changes may meet the criteria for the granting of citizenship. Take, for instance, applications for Housing Board flats. If the HDB discovers that the total family income of an applicant has exceeded the maximum ceiling, the applicant is told that his application would be cancelled. I suggest that the Registrar should inform applicants that if their applications are rejected, they could reapply again stating fresh grounds. And, secondly, if an application has been under consideration for a length of time, the applicant should be advised to submit further information on his status, so as to enhance his prospects of getting Singapore citizenship.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head Q be reduced by $10 in respect of Object Group 1210 of Subhead Code QH-01 of the Main Estimates. Sir, I would like to ask the Hon. Minister what are the present criteria in assessing applications for Singapore citizenship? For instance, at the time of application a person may be a labourer. After some years he becomes a successful hawker, but this reduces his chances of being granted Singapore citizenship. At present Singapore citizenship may be granted to a non-citizen worker, if he has been employed in a recognised skill trade for five years or more with the same employer. Can consideration be given to other categories of applicants? For instance, (a) persons who have less than five years' service with the same employer but have obtained an acceptable higher skill; (b) elderly persons who are unemployed but in continuous residence for more than 10 years and are well supported by their families; (c) applicants without documentary evidence but were born in Singapore and can substantiate their length of residence through school records or employment records. Another point I would like to raise is this. Whenever Members of Parliament ask for details about application for citizenship, they usually receive the standard reply on cyclostyled forms. Two standard replies are usually given: (1) states that the application is still under consideration and the result will be made known in due course. This can go on for years. (2) rejection of application without any reasons. 6.45 p.m. Why can the Registrar not inform applicants of the reasons why consideration cannot be given for the time being, or why the application was rejected?”
“And if their victims should die or suffer permanent injury, would it not be a great pity? I feel that for all those black sheep who do not abide by the traffic regulations, the Government should mete out the most severe penalties under the law. Other than this, it is all the more necessary to have the cooperation of the public in order to keep our roads really safe.”
“We can often see some pedestrians who would not pay heed to or make use of any pedestrian overhead bridge or traffic lights which are meant for their safety. They would rather risk their lives by cutting across fast moving traffic. Some drivers, particularly young drivers who think highly of their own technique of driving, would speed recklessly along crowded streets. If others give way a little to them, they will only be ridiculed by these reckless drivers as "kayu". If onlookers persuade these reckless drivers to be more courteous, they would only get threats in return. If their car numbers are taken down by the Traffic Police, they will try to argue heatedly with the Traffic Police. At times, they may submit and plead for leniency. It is only when they meet with an accident that they become scared. For such reckless drivers the best penalty is to fine them and award demerit points. But some people are of the view that a fine is to help increase Government revenue. This is nonsense. It is the most unreasonable argument that can be advanced for reckless road users. Some reckless drivers, after having been suspended for some months would plead with their MPs about the hardship caused to their family. To the professional drivers, suspension may affect the livelihood of their families. But if they are so reckless and dangerous in their driving, the suspension of their driving licence should be the price they have to pay. They have themselves to blame. Their suffering is only temporary. They could get other jobs during their suspension. When the period of their suspension is over, they can still resume their old trade. Just imagine the long suffering that members of the family of the victims have to bear as a result of their reckless and dangerous driving.”
“Sir, I am not moving. Mr Ch'ng Jit Koon (Tiong Bahru)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head Q be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code QE-01 of the Main Estimates. Sir, in recent years the Traffic Police Division has done its best in campaigning for safety on the roads. They have organised national road safety week and road safety exhibitions at community centres in the various constituencies. Recently they have also introduced a special weekly column on road safety in the local newspapers. Not long ago they announced the organisation of a nation wide road safety campaign in all secondary schools. As a complement, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and the National Safety Council, the Traffic Police yesterday launched a nation wide secondary school road safety exhibition and seminar. All these measures have been taken with the idea of helping and advising road users to comply with traffic regulations and road signs so as to reduce the number of accidents to avoid causing unnecessary loss of lives. This can be achieved only with the concerted effort and cooperation of all concerned. Obviously from the statistics on road accidents we can see that some measure of success has been achieved. The number of accidents has dropped in the past six months. Compared with the same period last year, the number of fatal accidents has been reduced from 152 last year to 122 this year. The number of cases of serious injury has also dropped from 1,486 last year to 965 this year. This is commendable. 3.45 p.m. However, the fact is that there are still some unreasonable and obstinate road users who totally disregard road safety or traffic regulations.”
“(4) That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by the whole sum in respect of Subhead Code MA-01 of the Development Estimates.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am afraid I have to disagree with the Hon. Minister's explanation on the need of having employers issue letters of employment. We should take precautions rather than cure an ill that may arise out of a complaint. In the cases that I have mentioned, after the probationary period the employee is still in employment. So out of fear of losing his job, he will not report to the Ministry of Labour. After all, there is provision to amend the Central Provident Fund Act to penalise an employer who has breached the provisions of the Act. So why not provide a precaution rather than undertake cure by making sure that employers issue letters of appointments stipulating the amount of the CPF contribution based on the current percentage? In this way, complaints to the Ministry of Labour could be avoided.”
“For many years this contributor has been making use of his CPF contributions to pay for his HDB instalments. But lately he was, due to unfortunate circumstances, declared a bankrupt and immediately his payment from his CPF contribution was stopped. He was left high and dry, so to speak, as he has lost his job because of insolvency and he has no other means of paying his Housing Board instalment. Under the same Amendment (No. 2) Bill, Sir, there was also a provision to provide for nominees who are spouses of CPF contributors. One of the explanations given by the Hon. Minister was that the Government should protect the right of the spouse upon the death of the contributor. But here we have a contributor who is alive but due to unfortunate circumstances he cannot be protected by reason of the provisions of the Central Provident Fund Act as well as the Bankruptcy Act. As a matter of fact, Sir, I have written a memorandum to the Hon. Minister two months ago on this matter. I am sad to receive a negative reply to this request. Sir, I am now taking this opportunity to raise this matter once again so that the Minister could give reconsideration to this appeal, as I am sure quite a number of contributors may be affected by this provision. 4.30 p.m.”
“Yes. Sir, in the Central Provident Fund (Amendment No. 2) Bill which had its First Reading in this House on 14th June, 1978, it was proposed, amongst other things, to allow an inspector of the Board to require an employer to produce for his inspection the audited statements of accounts of his undertaking. This step was obviously taken to ensure that employers comply with the provisions of the Act regarding the payment of contributions due to their employees. I would like to bring to the attention of the Hon. Minister that evasion of payment of CPF contribution is still widely practised by employers, particularly those engaged in retail business in shopping complexes. Many of these employers do not pay CPF contributions to their employees during their probationary period, which is also known as the trial period. It is difficult to detect these abuses as employees so affected are mainly young people who are unaware of their rights under the Act or are afraid to report to the Ministry of Labour. One way to stamp out these abuses is to make it compulsory for employers, whose employees are covered under the Employment Act, to give a written letter of appointment to every employee stating in simple terms the position in which he is employed and the wages he is offered. The Ministry of Labour can assist by giving specimen copies of such letters so that this will to a great extent prevent such abuses by these employers. Sir, under section 13 (3) of the Central Provident Fund Act, as mentioned by my colleague, the Member for Kuo Chuan, if a contributor is adjudicated a bankrupt or is declared insolvent by a judgement of the court, he is not permitted to use his CPF credits to pay for his Housing Board instalments. I had come across a similar case in my constituency.”
“Under the Bill, the creditor may receive not more than one-half of his CPF money, but I think the ability of a creditor to receive any portion of any CPF money lawfully under the Central Provident Fund Act serves to defeat in any way the social objective of the Act which is to ensure that the spouse and children of a contributor are not left destitute on his death.”
“For this reason the deceased contributor may have appointed a person who is not a member of the family to hold the CPF money in trust for the benefit of the spouse and the children. Under the proposed provisions of the Bill, no consideration is given to such a possibility, i.e. the suitability of the spouse to be entrusted with one-half of the deceased contributor's CPF money. If the spouse is an irresponsible person, the objective of the proposed amendment, that is, to prevent the spouse and children of the deceased contributor from becoming a burden to the State, is therefore defeated. In that context, I am particularly unhappy that in proposing the amendments to the CPF Act, the Government does not appear to have considered the amendment of the provisions of section 13(2) of the Central Provident Fund Act, excluding CPF money from forming part of the deceased contributor's estate. That particular provision is reproduced in the amended section 13(2) as contained in clause 9 of the Bill. As long as such a provision exists, it is not possible for a contributor to safeguard the spouse's own self and the children from a failure of the improvident spouse, that is, by appointing a trustee to whom the whole of the CPF money can be entrusted for the ultimate benefit of the spouse and children. In that context, I think it is much to be regretted that advantage has not been taken to plug, what I would consider to be a considerable loophole in the Act. Under section 13(1) of the existing Act, there is a provision to protect CPF money from being seized in payment of debt owing by the contributor. But the contributor can nominate his creditor to receive his CPF money under the Act.”
“Sir, while I give my support to the Bill, I am not satisfied with the scope and purpose of the proposed amendments to the CPF Act. Undoubtedly, the relevant provisions of this Bill seek to correct an evil. But a pertinent question is whether, in seeking to rectify the evil, the Bill will create another evil of equal or even greater magnitude. To make myself clear, under the proposed amendments to the CPF Act, one-half of the contribution is to be reserved for the spouse in the first instance. But there may be valid reasons for the deceased contributor in the first place not wanting to leave any portion of his or her CPF contribution to the spouse. One example is that a contributor may be estranged from his or her spouse and may be judicially separated but not divorced from the spouse. In an extreme case, the deceased contributor may have commenced divorce proceedings against his or her spouse but the final decree of divorce is not announced before the death of the contributor. It is conceivable that, in such a case, it may be most unfair for the CPF Act to require one-half of the deceased contributor's CPF money to be given to the spouse, particularly if the intention of the deceased contributor is to set aside the whole of the CPF money for the benefit of the children rather than the spouse. It is also conceivable that, even if a deceased contributor is not estranged from the spouse or has not contemplated divorce proceedings against the spouse, there may be valid reasons for the deceased contributor not wanting to let the spouse have any control over any portion of his or her CPF money. The spouse, for instance, may be a spendthrift or a compulsive gambler who cannot be entrusted with the proper management of the CPF money.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, during the past year considerable publicity has been focused on the Central Provident Fund Act, particularly on the provisions relating to the payment of CPF contributions on the death of a contributor. It is not uncommon, as was shown in one court case, for a contributor to nominate a person who is not a member of the family or one of his dependants to receive his contributions under the Act. In that context, the provisions of this Bill seeking to correct a situation, which can be manifestly unfair and cruel to the dependants of the deceased by irresponsible contributors, are most timely and welcome. Some may question the basis of the relevant provisions of this Bill which take away from a contributor any discretion to do what he likes with the money credited to him under the Central Provident Fund Act. To my mind, the justification is that it is the responsibility of a contributor to look after his dependants. If he fails to do so for one reason or another, then his dependants who survive him will become a burden to the State and the responsibility of his fellow Singaporeans. Moreover, whatever sum is credited to a contributor, at least half of that sum represents contributions by his employer who is required to do so under the CPF Act. Such contributions by the employer though credited to the contributor would not have formed part of his contributions under the Act if it were not for the existence of the CPF Act. In that context, I should think that the Government is eminently justified in amending the provisions of the CPF Act to ensure that at least one-half of a deceased's contributions goes to his wife and dependants.”
“Minister satisfied that the scheme as proposed by the SES is conducive to the promotion of proper business standards and the protection of investors' interests, and whether the proposed reorganisation of the SES has the blessings of the relevant authorities? 7.30 p.m.”
“Yes, Sir. I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of item 1210 of Subhead UH-04 of the Main Estimates. Sir, I would like to seek some clarification from the Hon. Minister on the recent announcement by the Chairman of the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SES) on the proposed reorganisation of the SES. The proposed reorganisation involves the setting up of three separate organisations to handle various aspects of the share broking business. The proposed organisations are the Security Clearing and Computer Services (Private) Limited, the Authorised Depositing Receipt System and the Securities Finance Corporation. According to the Chairman of the SES, the proposed reorganisation will be of benefit to the investing public. Besides this, it will also create about 500 jobs and employees in member-firms, made redundant as a result of this reorganisation, will be absorbed by the three new organisations. This will further enable the affected employees to acquire new skills and knowledge, Sir. nothing of that sort happened. In fact, six sharebroker firms already resorted to retrenchment of employees as a prelude to the reorganisation. None of them were offered alternative employment. Besides creating job losses, such action taken by the SES and its members could lead to a loss in confidence for investors. In a report in Business Times, the Chairman of SES was quoted as saying that such a scheme could save the Securities Industries from folding up for lack of business. In February last year, the SES introduced option trading in Singapore. This scheme collapsed in less than two months. In making the announcement, the Chairman stated that the proposed reorganisation had the blessings of the relevant authority. Is the Hon.”
“Sir, although we have achieved so much social progress in Singapore, very little is being done for the education of our young handicapped persons. The education of young handicapped persons is generally left to private charitable institutions. It is true that some of these institutions receive financial grants annually from the Government, but are these grants sufficient to cater to the needs of educating young handicapped persons in Singapore? The deaf, the dumb and the blind can be trained to do specific jobs. We should help the young handicapped to stand on their own feet. The Government should provide them with the necessary facilities for training so that they could become useful members of the community. The other point I wish to make is whether the Minister oversees the training of young handicapped persons in private institutions to ensure that the training received is of an acceptable standard. There are many jobs in industries that are suitable for such handicapped persons. Every effort should be made by the Government to assist them. After all, parents of handicapped children are also taxpayers and their children should be given the same opportunity of a sound education as for normal children.”
“(2) A driving instructor or school must provide a syllabus of instruction approved by the relevant authority. (3) A learner driver must undergo stipulated hours of training for each stage of training provided in the syllabus. A learner driver should not be allowed to drive on public roads during the initial period of training. For this purpose selected fringe area car parks can be set aside. A different coloured "L" plate could be used for such novice learners. Perhaps the ROV should consider setting up a driving range like the one proposed by the Minister of Defence. The ROV should also consider installing driving simulators as in other countries for rental to learner drivers so as to improve their driving skills. The ROV could also make it a condition that every learner driver must undergo stipulated hours of training on a simulator before he is allowed to take a driving test. With such measures, road discipline and good driving habits can be improved, leading to less road accidents.”
“Sir, many accidents have been caused by inconsiderate driving and poor driving habits. Despite safety first campaigns and other measures, the rate of accidents has not shown any significant decrease. In order to minimise the rate of accidents and improve driving standards, we have to tackle the problem at source, i.e. the driving instructors and learner drivers. Measures should be taken to ensure that driving instructors are competent enough to give instruction not only on driving but also on road safety. At present, any individual who has a car, a table and a chair, can set up a business as a driving instructor. Some driving instructors even set up their business in coffee shops. The standard of tuition varies from instructor to instructor. This also depends on the fees payable, either by the hour or for a course. Tuition is confined mainly on how to drive a car in the shortest possible time. Road discipline is poor. Quite often, we come across driving instructors weaving in and out of traffic when they are not giving tuition. The road discipline of some driving instructors is atrocious. It is not surprising that many learner drivers fail in their test repeatedly due to the inadequate training. The blame is usually put on the ROV testers for being too strict. Sir, I would suggest that the Ministry should consider introducing the following measures to regulate the growth of driving schools and to protect the interests of learner drivers: (1) Licensing of driving instructors and schools. A driving instructor should have a clean driving record. Any person who has been involved in a major accident and is found negligent should be barred from giving driving instruction for a stipulated time.”
“Sir, first, I would like to thank the Minister for confirming that applications for transfer of hawker stalls can be accepted by the Housing Board. Apparently, some Area Offices thought otherwise. As for the income limit, the Member fc)r Telok Blangah has partly clarified the position. But the Minister has not replied to my question quite fully. I am not referring to a sitting tenant who has offered to buy over his existing flat. I am referring to those who are staying in one- or two-room flats. Over the years the size of the family has increased and the income level raised beyond the current limit even for a rented flat. They are still allowed to stay in a rented flat and yet not allowed to buy a flat. This creates a lot of difficulties. For example, in the old part of Toa Payoh there are a number of one-room and two-room flat dwellers who want to apply for larger accommodation, but they cannot do so because of the income limitation. But basing on the same regulation, they are allowed to reside in a rented property despite the fact that their income level has exceeded the limit. On the question of inheritance, the Minister has not answered the point raised. I am not referring to those who are eligible. With them, there is no problem at all because when the parent dies, the son is eligible. Probably it takes six months for the letter of administration to be formalised and the transfer of lease made. But I am referring to those who are not eligible under the present rules to purchase a HDB flat. For instance, a non-citizen cannot inherit the flat and he has to move out upon the death of either parent.”
“Over the years, the size of the families residing in these flats has increased and for want of larger and better accommodation, they wish to purchase three-, four- or five-room flats but could not do so because of the income restrictions. Furthermore, they could not apply for transfer to flats larger than two rooms as there is a limited number of these flats and most of them are "sold" properties. It seems absurd that despite their increased total family income, they are allowed to continue to reside in rented properties but prohibited from buying a larger flat. Since the Board has a scheme for sale of flats to sitting tenants, I see no reason why this privilege could not be extended to tenants of rented properties. The last point I would like to raise, Sir, is on the large number of flats sold under the Home Ownership Scheme, and the problem of inheritance by next-of-kin. Present regulatons permit transfers of leases through inheritance if the inheritors are eligible under the current regulations. This creates a problem for the next-of-kin who does not meet with the requirements.”
“During the period of notice, the store launched a closing down sale campaign. At the same time, the Board advertised to fill the vacancy. The same departmental store retendered at a very much lower rental and was successful. In this way, the store not only managed to have the rental reduced substantially but took advantage of the notice period to make profits through a sales gimmick. Probably the Minister will say that shopkeepers should take the same risk of terminating their tenancies and retendering for the same shophouse again. We must differentiate between big business operations and small scale business operations. We just cannot tell the shopkeeper who has been in business for many years, "Either you pay up or close shop." Coming back to the question of retendering, could the Hon. Minister enlighten the House on how this departmental store managed to successfully retender for the same premises in such a short time and at what rental? The next point I would like to raise, Sir, is on the development of new estates in various parts of the island. Many hawkers who reside in one- or two-room rented properties have bought larger flats under the Home Ownership Scheme in other estates. As a result, they have to travel some distance to their place of business. This problem is further compounded by the fact that these hawkers have to transport their stock-in-trade from one place to another daily. Could the Housing Board give priority to these hawkers' applications for transfer to stalls nearer their homes? Another point I hope the Hon. Minister could consider is the question of waiving the income limitation on the purchase of flats for existing tenants of one- and two-room flats.”
“Sir, the system of tendering for HDB shophouses has brought forth various arguments on the pros and cons of this system. As the biggest land-lord in the country, the HDB should seriously consider reviewing the present method of letting out shophouses by tender. The tender system tends to create an inflationary trend. High rentals lead to high prices. Some shop-keepers after successfully tendering for a shophouse finds it difficult to survive due to the high rentals paid. They therefore resort to change of trade, inclusion of partners and introducing additional items for sale. Although this is allowed by the Board, the shopkeepers are required to pay a higher rental based on market rates which is as high as 300% over the existing rental. I would like to give one example which I took up with the Housing Board a year ago. A shop tenant was affected by resettlement. At that time, she was underaged. She was aged 19 and therefore the tenancy could not be given to her. By mutual arrangement, the tenancy was made out in the name of her aunt. So later on after she got married and reached the age of 21, she applied to the Housing Board to have the tenancy transferred to her name. The Board agreed to this but then she was asked to pay a rental of $1,500 as opposed to $350 she had been paying. This matter dragged on for more than a year. But fortunately it was amicably resolved and the tenant is now required to pay only $750. Sir, I must repeat that it took more than a year for me to negotiate and come to an amicable settlement with the Housing Board. Recently, a major departmental store suffered losses in its Marine Parade operations due to high rental. Apparently, the store gave notice to terminate the tenancy.”
“If Members will look at the classified advertisements on job vacancies in today's and yesterday's newspapers, they will find that man# of these advertisements were put in by big companies. Surely there must be some way to deter such employers from poaching at the expense of employers who provide career prospects and on-the-job training for their workers.”
“Sir, the Minister has replied that there is no evidence to show that there have been abuses in the retrenchment exercise. In one instance, as he has quoted, a complaint was lodged through the NTUC to the Minister for Labour that a certain company had retrenched more than 100 employees and recruited about 80 new employees over a period of six months. But the employer did it in a very careful manner that he left very little ground for the Ministry to investigate. But, as the Minister has said, there is insufficient proof on the part of the union against the employer concerned. This gives rise to the question whether any monitoring or investigation conducted by the Ministry of Labour without holding a formal inquiry is effective enough to prevent such abuses. Holding an inquiry will be a first step in deterring employers who want to take advantage of the labour laws. Another complaint I would like to raise is about a motor firm that retrenched more than 100 employees during a certain year. The company paid out $1.7 million in retrenchment benefits to these 100-plus workers. They made a $2.6 million net profit in the same year. And in the following year, after the retrenchment exercises were carried out, they made a profit of $10.8 million. But in their notice of retrenchment to the workers concerned, the company pleaded that due to adverse business conditions they were compelled to retrench the workers. Surely this is a blatant abuse on the part of the employer concerned. It is not a loss in business at all. The next point I would like to touch on is job-hopping, again. The Minister has said that there is nothing the Ministry can do to prevent such abuses and he says that most of the poaching comes from the smaller companies. This is not true.”
“Blandishments like applicants should preferably have two to three years' experience in similar positions cajole workers into job-hopping. If the Ministry is really serious about the problems of job-hopping, steps should be taken to penalise employers who encourage job-hopping. Sir, the other point I would like to raise is an article in the New Nation on the 4th of March. It was stated that the Ministry of Labour will be sending more officers specialising in labour affairs for overseas training. It was also stated that such officers can after their training put their knowledge and experience to better use. In the past, the Ministry had sent several officers overseas for training on industrial relations. On their return, none of them was posted to the Industrial Relations Division of the Ministry to put their knowledge to good use. This is surely a waste of funds and talent. Can the Hon. Minister give an assurance to the House that this state of affairs will not happen again. Can the Minister also enlighten the House whether officers presently serving in the Industrial Relations Division will be given the opportunity to be sent overseas for training under the proposed programme? This should benefit the officers concerned by broadening their knowledge.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by the whole sum in respect of Subhead Code MB-02 of the Main Estimates. Sir, during last year's budget session, I brought up the question of the need to check abuses in any retrenchment exercise. We still find some employers resorting to retrenchment of workers under one pretext or other. We were then assured that the Ministry of Labour would closely monitor the situation to prevent,such abuses. It is sad to say that the purported monitoring has little effect at all. A case in point is the recent retrenchment exercise carried out by stockbrokers' firms. This happened at a time when workers from these firms decided to join a union. This provided a convenient loophole for employers to exploit in getting rid of active unionists. Retrenchment was carried out as soon as the union won recognition to represent the workers in these firms. Unions are not opposed to retrenchment if there is a genuine reason, such as adverse trading conditions and so on. However, unions cannot accept blatant abuses because of loopholes in the law. I would therefore request the Ministry of Labour to take necessary steps to ensure that employers do not take undue advantage of the labour laws. The Ministry should make employers provide information like reasons for retrenchment, savings in wage bills and ensure that such cost-cuttings are not squandered on expenditures like buying of cars and other perks for management personnel. The 1976 NWC recommendations provide penalties for job-hopping but nothing is done to curb employers from encouraging job-hopping. Employers including some statutory boards blatantly encourage job-hopping. These can be found in the classified advertisement columns of newspapers.”
“Sir, in view of the Minister's reply, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head K be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code KD-02 of the Main Estimates. Sir, the stress of high-rise living, coupled with the increasing pace of urban life, has brought about many cases of mental illness. These vary from a mild mental breakdown to greater mental stress that requires hospitalisation. As part of the rehabilitative treatment scheme, patients are encouraged to return home for outpatient treatment. This may be a good scheme if the home environment of the patient is conducive for such recuperation. In most cases relatives of these patients accept the advice given by the Woodbridge Hospital authorities, without realising the problems that would crop up later. Some of the patients reside in one or two-room HDB flats. Due to lack of space, some of the patients are left in the corridor of the flats or locked up in the flat. Sir, if a mentally unsound person is left wandering around the corridors of high-rise flats, you will realise the problem it will create not only to neighbours but also to the family as well. Parents living in neighbouring flats will be afraid to let their children play outside the flats for fear of getting themselves hurt. Some naughty children make it a point to make fun of the patients. I wonder whether the Minister could look into the possibility of setting up a sort of half-way house for mental patients that do not require hospitalisation. Such facilities could be located in ideal surroundings to help in the recuperation of the patients concerned.”
“Sir, in view of the Minister's reply, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. 6.45 p.m.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head K be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code KC-03 of the Main Estimates. Sir, it is becoming a common practice for people to call at the Accidents and Emergency Unit of the Toa Payoh General Hospital for non-emergency treatment. Such practice inevitably puts a tremendous strain on the hard-pressed hospital staff, and could lead to frayed nerves and tempers. Under such pressure, misunderstanding arises leading to allegations of a lack of efficient and courteous service in the hospital. I had on two occasions brought my son to the Toa Payoh General Hospital for emergency treatment and I came across an incident involving a patient who according to my observation did not require emergency treatment and the hospital staff did not treat his case immediately. A dispute arose concerning an allegation of queue-jumping. In view of the large number of people calling at the Accidents and Emergency Units, incidents of this nature could arise. In order to avoid such situations and to ensure that only bona fide emergency cases are attended to, may I suggest that the Ministry of Health consider utilising selected outpatient clinics for night service. To augment the possible shortage of staff, the Ministry could enlist the services of private medical practitioners to help run the service. This will not only relieve the pressure at the A & E unit but also provide a service to the many workers who work on night shift. 6.30 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the Minister's reply, I beg leave lo withdraw. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $854,400,600 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $100,000,000 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.”
“As for our Navy, we do not even have a frigate. Is our Navy geared for the modern defensive role to protect our sea-lanes which are so vital to our survival? From time to time we hear of our fishermen being raided or kidnapped by pirates. A recent incident was reported only this morning in the Straits Times, "Pirates kill Singapore seaman in attack". Some of these sea pirates are reputed to be heavily armed. What protection can our Navy offer to our fishermen in the high seas? I would like to ask the Hon. Minister whether the objectives, as outlined in the Budget, can be met and that the capability of our Armed Forces is maintained.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head J be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code JB-01 of the Development Estimates. Sir, under the Armed Forces Programme the objective is to ensure the security of. Singapore through the development and maintenance of an effective defence force. However, it is noted that there is a reduction of $9.6 million in the Development Estimates. Will this substantial reduction impair the capability of our Armed Forces in the defence of Singapore against external threats and aggression? Sir, it is recognised that in any armed conflict, air and naval power can play a decisive role between the combatants. For instance, in the last war, one of the major factors leading to the capitulation of Singapore to the Japanese forces was the absence of adequate air and naval cover. The handful of British Buffalo fighters were no match against the versatile Japanese Zero fighters. The Hurricanes that were supposed to show up never did. The British warships, the Prince of Wales and the Repulse, were sunk off Kota Bahru. The remnants of the Australian Imperial Forces and the Indian Division of the British Army were rendered useless by the advancing Japanese forces. It was then a very sorry sight. Sir, the point I wish to make is that with such a substantial reduction in our defence expenditure, would our defence capability be jeopardised? The backbone of our air defence comprises Hawker Hunters and Skyhawk A-4. Both these aircraft are subsonic. They are not even equipped with air-to-air missiles. Compared to Singapore, the air forces in the region are equipped with supersonic aircraft, like the Northrop F5E and the MIG-21. Both these types of aircraft are equipped with air-to-air missiles and other armaments.”
“Sir, I am surprised to hear from the Minister that when the contractors are careless and damage the cables they are only given lectures. Surely they should be asked to pay for the cost of the damage. The other point concerns combining the two accounts. May I read to the Minister just one sentence from a letter written by a PUB officer? "It is the procedure to transfer the debit from a consumer's account to another, for example, if the account belongs to the same person." That is a reply from the PUB.”
“The third point I wish to make is the frequent over-charging of PUB bills as mentioned by the Member for Anson. Requests by consumers to verify the accuracy of these bills were met with the standard reply that the meter readings were correct despite the obvious discrepancies in the monthly bills. This gives us the impression that either the meters are faulty or the meter readers are faulty in their readings. In the tender system for supply of equipment there is always a possibility of the PUB accepting the lowest tender. As we all know, the value of goods has a bearing on the quality. Is the Hon. Minister satisfied that the power generating machinery and meters used by the PUB are of an acceptable quality and reliability? The last point I wish to raise is whether the Minister is aware that the current procedure of the PUB is to transfer the debit balance from a consumer's account to another account irrespective of whether it is a business or domestic account. Recently, a hawker has his stall business account transferred to his residential account. The stall-holder's business account was in arrears and as a result of this transfer into one single account his residential account also fell into arrears. The PUB then proceeded to disconnect the supplies to his stall as well as to his residence simultaneously, thereby causing extreme financial hardship to the family concerned. Surely, the PUB should have taken action only on the stall's account and not to penalise the family in this instance. Sir, I would like the Minister's comments on this.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the abolition of the 5% tax on PUB bills for consumption levels between $35 and $50 per month is indeed a move in the right direction. This will relieve the burden on the lower income group. The PUB should also take into consideration that the tax levied on a higher level should be on actual consumption of electricity, water and gas and not on hired appliances as well. In he past the PUB encouraged consumers to hire electrical and gas appliances in the hope hat more consumers would substitute electricity and gas for firewood and charcoal which give rise to pollution problems. With this encouragement many consumers took to the hiring of these appliances. It is therefore not fair to the consumers to be asked to pay tax on the hired appliances. I hope the Minister in charge will look into this request or the abolition of this tax on hired appliances. The second point I wish to make is on power failure which occurs quite frequently. Such failure in electrical supplies not only causes inconvenience to consumers but also a loss in production in the industries. In 1976 there were 201 cases of major power failures, 72 of which were due to damage caused by contractors. It was admitted by the PUB that the high frequency of, damage imposed a very heavy burden on the PUB's limited manpower. In the same year, only seven contractors were given letters of warning. Such lenient action will not in any way deter contractors from being careless. Stiffer penalties should be considered for such carelessness. Could the Hon. Minister also advise what action is being taken by the PUB to minimise the breakdown? Has the PUB sufficient experienced manpower now to man the power generating machinery? 3.30 p.m.”
“In drawing the attention of this House to the unsatisfactory and invidious distinction between retrenchment benefit as a contractual payment and retrenchment benefit as a non-contractual compensation, it is my intention to draw the attention of the Government to the purpose of retrenchment gratuities and that is, a payment to compensate for the abrupt loss of career prospects to a retrenched worker through no fault of his own, and to enable the retrenched worker to tide over the period when he seeks alternative employment. Whether a retrenchment gratuity is a contractual or non-contractual payment, it does not make any difference to the purpose for which it is granted or paid. I understand that the Income Tax Department has made certain decisions on this matter but these have not been made known to the public. Could the Hon. Minister kindly throw some light on the subject?”
“As it is, the position regarding retrenchment gratuity is most confusing and perplexing to workers. As Members of this House may know, a retrenchment gratuity is payable when the service of a worker is terminated on the ground of redundancy or of reorganisation of the employer's business, trade or profession. Under the Employment Act, the liability of an employer to pay a retrenchment gratuity is stated to be conditional upon the retrenched worker having a minimum of three years' service at the time of retrenchment. The Income Tax Department had on several occasions decided that if a retrenchment gratuity is payable by virtue of a contract of service or a collective agreement, it is deemed to be a gratuity paid or granted in respect of the employment of the retrenched worker. Therefore, it is taxable. On the other hand, if a retrenchment gratuity is not paid or granted by virtue of any previous contractual agreement, but decided upon by an employer at the time of termination of service, it is deemed to be a gratuity paid or granted in respect, not of employment, but of the termination of employment. Therefore, it is not taxable. To workers who are faced with the traumatic experience of being retrenched, the confusion over the question of income tax liability for the retrenchment gratuity simply adds to their woes.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Bill which is to provide for, among other things, the clarification of income from off-shore financing and the clarification of the effect of a double tax arrangement. It is to be expected that, in the course of Singapore's development as a financial centre for the region, there must arise the need to amend the Income Tax Act to cater for new sources and new categories of income from new financial activities. In that sense, the various provisions in the Bill relating to off-shore financing and such matters as Asian Dollar Bonds and Asian Currency Units may be classified as consequential legislation, that is, consequential to the Government's programme or blue-print of development for Singapore. I do not think any Singaporean, who is truly appreciative of Singapore's ever constant need to ensure the viability of its economy in a competitive world, will question the necessity and desirability of the various provisions in this Bill. One particular provision in the Bill I particularly endorse is clause 3 which provides for all pensions, granted under any written law in Singapore, to be taxed on a 50% basis. Such a provision means, in other words, that a pensioner will receive half his pension free of tax. That should be a considerable relief to all pensioners in Singapore, particularly when the pension is determined at the time of retirement of the pensioner and is normally not adjusted against subsequent inflation which can effectively reduce the real monetary value of the pension. While I am grateful, as a trade unionist, to the concession accorded under the Bill to pensions, I wish to enquire whether the Government would extend its concessionary treatment to retrenchment gratuity.”
“But I am more concerned with the fact that, under the proposed amendment, the Minister is given the absolute discretion to fix the amount of registration fee for application for registration of trade unions. I hope the Minister will give an assurance that whatever fees are to be fixed in future will be reasonable in relation to the prevailing rate of one dollar per application and will not be so unreasonably increased in future as to defeat the provision of section 17 of the Employment Act entrenching the right of workers to be members and officers of trade unions. 7.25 p.m.”
“I am aware that the power to conduct such investigation is confined to the Registrar of Trade Unions, the Commissioner of Police, the Commissioner of Inland Revenue and the Director of the CPIB, and the period for the freezing of the banking account of the union concerned is restricted to a maximum of three months. What I am concerned about is that there is no safeguard in the proposed provision to ensure that an investigation is not commenced unless the relevant public authority has good reasons to believe the investigation is necessary. As it is, any of the stated public authority has the absolute discretion to launch an investigation into the improper use or misapplication of union funds. Thus on the basis of a frivolous. vexatious or malicious complaint, an investigation can be launched under the proposed section 16(2). much to the demoralisation and inconvenience of the trade union concerned. I will, therefore, be grateful if the Minister can give an assurance that an investigation, as envisaged in the proposed section 16(2), will not be commenced except in accordance with an administrative procedure to be devised by the Ministry, to prevent investigation for frivolous, vexatious or malicious reasons. Similarly. I have a slight misgiving about the proposed section 9(2) as contained in clause 2 of the Bill. Ostensibly, the proposed provision seeks to abolish the practice of requiring applicants for registration of trade unions to affix a dollar's worth of stamp to their applications and to empower the Minister to fix the fee for registration. In that way, the Ministry of Labour will be credited with the registration fee which, at present, go into the coffers of the Ministry of Finance by way of revenue stamps.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to comment on the Trade Unions (Amendment) Bill. As a trade unionist I must say that the Bill seems at first sight to be more restrictive than beneficial to the trade unions. But if it is accepted that trade unions and their members have their obligations to society, then the proposed amendments have to be viewed in the light of whether they are compatible with the social responsibilities of trade unions. My comment, however, is directed to the proposed section 1 6(2) of the principal Act, as set out in clause 3 of the Bill. A superficial impression is that section 16(2) is mainly an extension of the existing section 16(1), whereby the Minister for Labour may, if he is satisfied that there is a likelihood of a misuse of union funds, order the banking account of the union concerned to be frozen. But on further scrutiny, the proposed section 1 6(2) is radically different from section 16(1) both in its effect on and in its implication to trade unions. For one thing, the existing section 16(1) deals with the situation of a union under notice, in accordance with section 1 5(2), of deregistration by the Registrar of Trade Unions. In such a context there is every likelihood for the funds of the trade union concerned to be misused and every justification for the Minister to intervene to prevent the misuse of trade union funds. But in relation to the proposed section 16(2), the situation likely to be encountered is entirely different from that encountered under section 16(1). It is not necessary that a trade union under investigation is likely to be deregistered on completion of the investigation. Moreover, it is by no means certain that the investigation will not vindicate the reputation of the trade union concerned.”
“Sir, may I clarify? I am not referring to those owners who have completed the five-year qualification and can sell their flats to any buyer of their choice. I am referring to those who are buying larger flats where they must resell their flat to the Board at cost, otherwise they will not be eligible to purchase a larger flat.”
“When an owner wishes to purchase a larger flat, he has to resell his existing flat at cost to a buyer selected by the Housing and Development Board. The present system is for the Housing Board to send out letters of offer to applicants on the waiting list. This can go on indefinitely, if no suitable buyer is found. I have come across two cases where one owner has to wait five months and another slightly more than one year before their old flats are sold to the buyers selected by the Housing Board. In such cases the vendor has to pay instalments for two flats while waiting for a buyer. May I suggest that a more expeditious system be introduced to reduce the waiting period, such as keeping a separate register for applicants who wish to opt for the purchase of resold flats or repossessed flats. The last point I would like to raise is on sworn declarations. At present all applicants for Housing and Development Board flats have to obtain a sworn declaration from the Supreme Court or a firm of Advocates and Solicitors. This has caused some inconvenience to the applicants. I understand that the Housing Board is looking into the possibility of arranging for some of their officers to administer such declaration at the time when an application for the purchase of a flat is made. May I know when this system will be introduced?”
“Any additional income can provide better food as well as better health to the lower income group. For the better educated, for those with some vocational experience, it may be easy for them to obtain other forms of employment. But there are housewives who, for compelling reasons, are unable to work away from their homes, leaving their young children unattended at home. As there are so many vacant hawker stalls in Toa Payoh itself which are not taken up, there should be some flexibility in allotting these stalls to the people that I have just mentioned. The third point I wish to raise is on application for transfer of hawker stalls. The Hawkers Coordinating and Licensing Committee has decided that applications for transfer cannot be considered. Obviously, this Committee does not understand the plight of hawkers at all. For example, a hawker living in a one-room flat in Toa Payoh has purchased a three-room flat in Ang Mo Kio or any other estate farther away. He has to travel a long distance to his stall in Toa Payoh, notwithstanding the fact that he has to bring along the paraphernalia of his trade. Another example is poor business. Most hawkers are dependent on their trade as a sole means of earning a livelihood. Of course, to the Housing Board the easiest solution is to give up the stall. But one must consider: what about the livelihood of the family? May I suggest that some consideration be given to applicants for transfers in cases of hardship. They need to be assisted in times of difficulty. Finally, may I draw the attention of the House to some difficulties faced by purchasers and owners of Housing and Development Board flats. The first difficulty is on the resale of flats.”