Eugene Yap Giau Cheng
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to know from the Minister whether he would like to put up a fence to prevent trespassing. Mr Lim Hng Kiang: We also do not want to put up a fence because when the land is being built, we have got to tear down the fence. That would be a waste of public resources. We control our expenditure very tightly.”
“Sir, I am making this amendment to stress to the Minister that the ethnic integration policy introduced in 1989 has in some way affected the quality of life of my constituents. I believe this probably has also an effect in old estates such as Queenstown and Bukit Ho Swee.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head S be reduced by $10 in respect of Code SA 1500 of the Main Estimates. Sir, not so long ago, in the New Paper, there was a report on a man who was supposed to be the executor of the estate of the deceased brother and he was trying very hard to withdraw the CPF money of his deceased…”
“It means "We are poor people. We do not have CPF. How can we buy our own homes?" Sir, I think we ought to do something for them. When they first moved into these homes, they had no trouble because they were young, the children were young, no space constraints, but today the children have grown up, they become adults - four, five or six of…”
“Sir, I would like the Minister to reconsider the policy of not allowing Singaporeans to rent 3-room flats. This policy is already 10 years old, introduced in 1982, and I recall that when it was introduced it was meant to encourage Singaporeans to own their own homes.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can I ask the Minister to clarify a point which he made in his long speech? If indeed the purpose is to subject motorists to some inconvenience by not expanding or building more roads in the city area, then why was there an announcement in the press recently to expand the PIE?”
The complete record
Every one of 386 lines we hold for Eugene Yap Giau Cheng, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 8.
“When we talk about mechanization, perhaps it will be best for the hotel industry to seek its own advice. But when we talk about mechanization, we are certainly encouraging the hotels to mechanize in order to save unnecessary labour. Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, before asking a supplementary question, let me express my thanks to the Parliamentary Secretary for making an attempt to reply. However, he himself has stated that there will be an increase of 13,500 hotel rooms by the late 80's. This means more than 100% increase when compared to the present number of hotel rooms in Singapore. Bearing in mind the fact that there would be competing demands from the other industries and also the fact that it is not always easy to solve the manpower shortage at the managerial and supervisory grades - at the moment this is a crucial problem - I wonder if the Ministry could consider having serious discussions with interested bodies, so that the private sector, the Government and possibly the Labour movement, could together look into this problem of labour shortage in greater depth.”
“If the hotel industry is interested in remaining viable, then I think it will surely have a plan to train its workers. In September 1979, the hotel industry itself carried out a survey of 20 hotels representing about 51% of the total workforce of the hotels and have come out with their own recommendations such as providing a career development to promising staff, conducting in-house training, improving meritorious and long service benefits and offering more incentives to attract part-time workers, and farming out certain services that could be farmed out, such as security and laundry.”
“Sir, according to the Singapore Hotel Association, an expected number of about 16,000 workers will be required, but this is a rather high figure because the staff to room ratio used is about 1.2:1. If we take the more advanced countries, such as the United States, Japan and even Hawaii, the staff to room ratio is about 0.5:1. If we assume that the hotel industry take heed of the Government's call to mechanize and computerize, and finally achieve a staff to room ratio of 0.5:1, then the present staff should be sufficient to cater for the needs of the future.”
“With a spoon. In fact, he had a spoon. Surely there must be somebody who can sit down and study how these films are to be presented to the public. Otherwise we will get the famous "cancelling effect" that we talk of so often in this Chamber. And all the money that we spend on campaigns and so on will come to nought, wasted. Sir, I also recall the Member for Radin Mas raising a point about pictures shown on TV which did not synchronize with what was being announced. I recall that the Hon. Minister for Culture agreed with him and said that it not only embarrassed SBC but also him. Of course, this happened in the Tamil programmes. I do not know whether the SBC has since remedied this fault in the Tamil programmes. As far as the English programmes are concerned, even recently there were pictures on TV which did not synchronize with what was being announced. Only a week ago, the picture of the Minister of Education appeared on the TV screen and there was no mention of what it was all about. Sir, I raise these matters to question the quality of the work and also the work attitude of some workers in the Ministry of Culture. Until we ascertain how widespread this problem is, it is advisable to take remedial action to check the situation.”
“Do not disturb your neighbour. Please turn the level of your radio or television set down." Yet outside our flats we get a public address system blasting away. I really cannot reconcile the two. Maybe the Ministry of Culture has got some explanation for this. 2.45 p.m. I can cite another example, Sir, to show how the Ministry of Culture or, more specifically, the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, seems to have bungled again. This was on the 23rd September 1980. I was watching a television show featuring a courtesy campaign. The scene was a school with Primary I students being taught how to line up in proper order. It was a pleasing sight to watch these school children lining up to buy their favourite packet of kachang puteh. But the kachang puteh seller was merrily using his hands to fill up the packets with kachang puteh, thereby, breaking the food handling regulations. An hon. Member: How is he to fill the packets?”
“Sir, all I have got to say to the hon. Member for Alexandra is that, first, I understand that he is not married, and secondly, if he were married and has children suffering from typhoid and so on, he would not be saying what he has said just now. Sir, the question is not whether we have made a mistake in a particular activity for, say, once in 365 days in a year. It has to be looked at in its entirety. A mistake here and a mistake there, added together will give us a general impression on the performance of the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation. In this light, I would like to draw the attention of the Ministry of Culture to its control of sound levels in public address systems. Now, from what I know, the Ministry of Culture issues a public entertainment licence subject to the provisions of the Public Entertainments Act and to the rules and conditions stated in the licence. Some conditions even state that only amplifiers fitted with SISIR's noise level reduction unit or those bearing the seal of SISIR are permitted for use. But, Sir, I have yet to see these rules properly enforced. There are still today quite a lot of places one can go to where the noise levels are certainly not below the maximum level that the Ministry of Culture permits, be it in the restaurants, hotel or even a wayang site. People seem to disregard this ruling. It would be helpful if the Ministry of Culture can look into this matter and see what has gone wrong with its supervision, especially at a time when we are all talking about making Singapore clean, green and a pleasant place to live in. We must not forget that we live in an age where noise can be a great nuisance to our citizens. Fancy seeing on the television screen words that go something like this: "Be a good neighbour.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to withdraw notice of my amendment (2) and instead speak on the subject under discussion now as that Subhead also deals with the same topic?”
“I see the problem like this. If an electric wire is to carry a high consumption load or very high voltage, the insulation is thicker and greater. Therefore, I presume the Minister most probably cannot feel what the ground reaction is like. Perhaps my colleague can. I think we can actually go back to the pink slip system. With all our computers and so on, we can trace back to recalcitrants, those people who habitually park for more than five or 10 minutes. Once the attendant places a pink slip on, he already has a record that this motorist has committed an offence once, and he can always trace back when necessary. And the fact that the motorist has to go to town to pay that parking fee is an inconveni- ence and, therefore, it is a deterrent by itself. I would like to support my colleague in this case.”
“Sir, can I just join in to support my colleague?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, will the Traffic Police intensify their action against illegal parking along expressways?”
“Sir, with the introduction of full-day schools, has the Ministry plans to study the nutritional aspect of food sold in school tuckshops? Mr Chor Yeok Eng( In Mandarin): Sir, the Member has asked about the food quality and hygiene in school tuckshops as a result of the introduction of full-day schools. We are responsible for the licensing of food handlers in the tuckshops. As regards the management and supervision of such food handlers, that is the responsibility of the School Tuckshop Management Committee. If the School Tuckshop Management Committee feels that the stall holders are not able to maintain proper standards of food quality and hygiene, and complain to us, then we will take the necessary action. SEWERAGE AT PANDAN ROAD (Completion date) 2. Mr Yeo Toon Chia asked the Minister for the Environment when the construction of sewerage lines along Pandan Road will be completed, and when the existing factories along Pandan Road will be able to make use of them.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can the Senior Parliamentary Secretary explain further? With the introduction of full-day schools and with more tourists coming into Singapore, what plans does his Ministry have to provide greater guidance and more effective education for food handlers at hawker centres, etc. to improve the quality of food sold? Mr Chor Yeok Eng( In Mandarin): Sir, I have already answered the question asked by the hon. Member as to what we did last year. If he wants to know about future action to be taken to improve food quality and hygiene in view of full-day schools, the increasing number of tourists and so on, what I can tell him now is that we will take further action to carry out the promotion of food hygiene, among other things. This year we will perhaps organize another educational campaign on hygienic food handling and storage.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can I just come back to season car parking ticket? For HDB residents who have got parents living in HDB flats in other HDB housing estates, can we not give them the privilege of using their season car parking ticket in other housing estates? This will probably save the cost of printing so many parking coupons. I wonder how much the Minister spends in printing these coupons. The other question is whether the Minister could give people a chance to use coupons if they find that it is too costly to use the season ticket? As for me, I do not use the season ticket. But if I have to go to car parks that require it, then I can use coupons. Maybe my case is not a good example, but other people may need the opportunity to use coupons.”
“Sir, how can we make an exception because once we go on TV that's it?”
“Sir, can I just seek a few points of clarification from the Hon. Minister? First, I think there was mention of the figure of 200-plus accidents and that it was not a really serious figure, or something like that. I would just like to ask this question about motor-cycles and motor-cyclists on the road actually involve motor-cyclists. Am I correct? We have got on television filmlets showing the seriousness of smoking which can cause cancer or diseases related to smoking. Quite a lot of warnings have been given to our viewers. So if motor-cyclists are constantly involved in accidents, I wonder why no warnings of this kind are given on TV, unless I do not watch TV enough. I feel that this figure of 200 can be further reduced. If we can, why not? Another matter is that the Member for Alexandra said something about running short of ideas as to how we can help to prevent people who are over 60 years from getting involved with accidents. And he suggested showing filmlets on TV in dialects so as to get the message across. The Hon. Minister in reply said, "Yes, we will do something about it." Am I correct? If that is correct, then I think we had better be very careful. Let us hold back our horses. If we introduce dialects again, a little bit here and a little bit there, then we give the viewing public the impression that we are endorsing dialects. In the next debate, we may talk about dialects versus Mandarin. Perhaps I would like to suggest that should we have filmlets on TV, we can say, "Sons, daughters, please advise your parents" rather than to use dialects.”
“Sir, I am not quite clear on the Minister's explanation about vertical policing. He talks about vertical and horizontal policing. He says that there is no fixed pattern of policing. I have enquired from four or five homes as to whether they have seen the police around, and every one of the four or five homes, said, "Yes, I see them downstairs." Then that means there is a kind of pattern set by the police. Another matter I want to bring up is that of my own personal experience. Every time I go to the East Coast Park for my walk at 9.30 p.m. I very often see a police patrol car driving very faithfully up and down the service track. I do not know what they are doing there. I also see one or two policemen standing very quietly at one of the car parks at about 7.30 p.m. or 8.00 p.m. Very often they are there. However, when I go to my constituency on every first and third Sundays I do not see them there that constantly. There must be some kind of a mistake somewhere.”
“Sir, I wish to ask a question before the Minister replies. I do not have much facts now about vertical policing, because I have just started to ask questions about it over the past few Sundays. I have asked people living on the top floors of HDB flats whether the police personnel do go upstairs and patrol there, but more often than not I get the answer, "Yes, we see the policemen. But they are downstairs. They do not come up." Perhaps the Minister might like to comment on the effectiveness of vertical policing.”
“Sir, when I asked the question whether the market at Mountbatten could be expanded, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary explained that it was not necessary because there was one nearby at Jalan Batu in Tanjong Rhu. If we were to take the distance between my area and Jalan Batu, it is much closer than the distance between Marine Parade and Joo Chiat. Mr Chor Yeok Eng( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, as regards the Member for Punggol's enquiry whether I could make use of this re-vote to build a market in Joo Chiat, I say that it is very difficult for me to give such an assurance. The first question is whether there is a suitably located land in Joo Chiat and secondly, whether or not the land, if available, is suitable for the building of a market, it is not for us to say. It is up to the Planning Department. As regards the two markets in Whampoa, they were not built by us but by the HDB, and I have no right to reply on their behalf.”
“There are two things I want to clarify. First, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary said that if the hawkers were successful they would not come back to see the Member of Parliament, and that if they were not successful they would come back to see the MP. I think it is all right to help these people to find a better livelihood as we go along. I think there is nothing wrong with that at all. Secondly, I wonder whether the Hawkers Department can arrange it in such a way that when the hawkers come to collect or renew their licences, the staff can explain to them, one group at a time, the implications of poor food handling. We cannot see germs with our naked eye. Maybe the Department can culture them and let the hawkers see for themselves.”
“This is only some of our experience, and I believe my colleagues present in this House will agree with what I am saying now. On the other point about our staff using very high-sounding English terms in their letters to the hawkers that it makes it very difficult for the hawkers to understand, after having heard extracts from the letter, I agree with what the Member has said. I agree that in future when our staff write to the hawkers or stallholders, they must try their best to use simple language to enable the recipient to understand them. As regards the education of hawkers in the matter of food hygiene and a healthy environment, we have been paying attention to this problem for many years. In addition to posters, pamphlets and other measures, we have in the last few years also exhibited film shows and slides in various locations. If it is necessary in future to promote such campaigns, we will continue to make use of such methods or try to innovate some other improved methods. I think I have replied to the questions raised by the two Members. Mr Ho Kah Leong( In Mandarin): Sir, I feel that not all hawkers understand English, whether the English is written in high-class language or in simple language, I hope the Senior Parliamentary Secretary would ask his staff to write letters in Chinese, if not in all the other languages as well, to help the people.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on a point of clarification. I was born in 1942, I was aware of the street hawker situation and I know that the Senior Parliamentary Secretary has done a good job. I do not have to be a Member of Parliament to know this. Mr Chor Yeok Eng( In Mandarin): I am only reminding the Member of Parliament of the situation. On the other hand, he mentioned examples concerning two hawkers. One was selling sweets and cigarettes in the backlane off Meyer Road. On resettlement, this hawker requested for a stall in the Old Kallang Airport Hawker Centre to sell cut-fruit. As it was necessary to know the circumstances, the matter was investigated further and it was found that there was no vacancy there and that also it was not suitable for such a hawker to do business in the locality. Therefore, we asked her what other vacancy could suit her. She said she wanted a lock-up stall to sell daily necessities or sweets. After the stall had been taken up by her, she changed her mind, perhaps because of poor business. She said she wanted another stall to sell another kind of goods. Our current policy towards a request for a change of stall or goods is that it can only be considered after the hawker has occupied the hawker stall for six months. If she had not changed her trade to other goods, it would be easier to grant her permission. It might be that this particular hawker did not inform the Member of the true situation. We have resettled many hawkers in the past. My experience is that after resettlement these hawkers would not return to see the Member of Parliament of the constituency concerned if they have made a good start. Only those few who have failed in their business will return to see the Member of Parliament to trouble him further.”
“My Ministry has now and then reminded our staff that whenever they carry out their duties of resettlement they are to be courteous and sympathetic to the people affected and, where possible, they should be flexible and should give all the necessary help. If it were not for the flexibility and the suitable attitude of the staff in carrying out this task, the situation of hawkers will not be what it is today. The Member for Mountbatten has entered the political arena for only two years now. Had he been on the political scene in the 60s, he would have found that the streets, car parks and roads would all have been occupied by hawkers. The problem then was not as easily dealt with as it is now. It was an entirely different situation. We could well reminisce on this.”
“Because of the unwillingness of some stallholders to deal in certain goods, we cannot force them to engage in the trading of such goods. On the other hand, in certain markets there could be a flux of certain goods. In this case we could consider whether we should make some arrangement to adjust that imbalance according to particular circumstances. If in certain markets there are hawkers selling goods which are not in good demand, then we may allow them to change to other goods upon request. We will give them the permission to do so, if warranted. But the question is whether they can sell a different kind of goods at the same stall in the same locality. For instance, if we were to allow an applicant to sell fish, which is "wet", and the neighbouring stall is selling dry goods, then it may affect the interest of his neighbour. In such a circumstance we will not give him the permission. Because if we do, it will be at the expense of the other. So we have to see whether there is another suitable vacant hawker stall in the same market to enable him to sell the type of goods which he wants. This is my reply to the Member for Geylang Serai. Another matter I want to touch upon which was raised by the Member for Mountbatten is the resettlement of street hawkers. I think many Members present will agree with me that resettlement of hawkers is an onerous task, but this is part of the policy and duty of the Government. The staff of the Ministry of the Environment have to carry out this unpleasant task very often. They have to be resolute and firm in carrying out this task.”
“We are in a society where there is free trade and with an open and competitive market. Therefore, it is difficult for the Government to control the hawkers and the traders in respect of their selling prices. At the moment, there are a good number of food stallholders in fair competition in a free market which is, of course, the best way to check profiteering. If the stallholders engage in too much profiteering, the customers would not want to frequent them. The Member also brought up the question of stall arrangement, their locality and other related matters. In consideration of the needs of customers, we have all along grouped the various hawker stalls into specified areas, fish, meat or vegetables. In particular, dry goods and "wet" goods are sold in different areas, where a group of hawkers will be selling dry goods in one area and other hawkers will be selling cooked food in another area. They are arranged in such a way that housewives and customers will find it convenient for them to call at such places. 5.30 p.m. On the question of certain hawkers trying to profit too much by raising prices to overcome this problem, usually we allocate at least two stalls selling the same kind of goods together in the same market. This is to prevent hawkers from gaining a monopoly over certain articles. Recently there have been a number of applicants for hawker stalls. They do not want to be stallholders selling fish, meat, fruit or daily necessities. If there is manifestation of a manipulation of prices, it may be due to the fact that other hawkers do not want to sell particular articles so that in the end only a few stalls or shops sell such goods and so they can easily manipulate the prices of such goods.”
“It is not. I have some strange feeling that some officers in the Ministry of the Environment need to learn how to write good simple English. Otherwise, I presume that they want the easy way out and just quote from the law. The easiest way is to quote from the law. And I suggest that we be more careful in future because it will not solve the situation. The hawker does not understand what we are trying to tell him. May I then suggest that instead of going round distributing pamphlets - I do not know but I think one hon. Member mentioned pamphlets just now - let us not just distribute pamphlets hoping that the hawkers will read them. I think they will not read the pamphlets. Maybe later on the Senior Parliamentary Secretary might just say that it is their duty to read the pamphlets. I do not know. But my community leaders told me that they did some kind of a survey in the hawker centre and they came to the conclusion that 80% of them are literate either in English or in Mandarin. But I really hope that they can understand the pamphlet that we have distributed. If not, then I suggest we give some simple illustrative talks to hawkers. When can we do it? Simple. When the hawkers go and apply for the renewal of their licences, we can just call them in for a while and explain to them in very clear and simple terms what food contamination means and what the regulations are all about. Mr Chor Yeok Eng( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, let me first answer the questions raised by the Member for Geylang Serai. According to the hawkers' regulations, every hawker must display a price list in his stall. This does not mean that the Hawkers Department or the Ministry of the Environment wants to control prices of goods sold by them.”
“I do not need to explain to the hawker because it is not my job. Some hon. Members: It is!”
“Permit me, Sir, to quote some of the terms that were used: 'The sample was found on analysis to contain E-coli which indicates faecal contamination.' Later on, the letter says: 'You are advised to clean all paraphernalia associated with the article of sale.' Sir, that is a mouthful. Now, Mr Speaker, Sir, imagine writing to an uneducated hawker using terms such as "E-Coli", "faecal contamination", "paraphernalia" and "article of sale". I think hon. Members understand these terms and I do not need to explain them.”
“I know that he does his work very well and I praise him for it. The ultimate thing which I still query is that, at the end of it all, it is still the officer's words against that woman's words. And this is where I want to query and I hope that in future when we resettle hawkers this point is borne in mind. Let bygones be bygones, but in future when we resettle hawkers, we should have a more considerate viewpoint or a more considerate heart towards our poor street hawkers. Mr Speaker, Sir, you have a constituency. If there is a provision in the Standing Orders that would allow you to raise such matters, maybe you would support me because I think your hawkers in Joo Chiat Constituency are also not happy for the same reasons. Sir, I do not believe that there can be smoke without a fire. Basically, I think there must be some problem somewhere. So I suggest that the Minister ensures that hawkers who are resettled in future are treated with some kind of respect. They, like all Singaporeans, would like to have a more secure vocation. With the impending presumptive tax being considered by our Hon. Minister for Trade and Industry, I think it is even more important for us to ensure that we give them an opportunity to earn the kind of subsistence that they want. Anything short of security would create unhappiness. Mr Speaker, Sir, can I have your permission to relate another situation which I think is even more entertaining? This happened sometime last year. One of my hawkers in my constituency was found to be selling contaminated food which could cause diarrhoea. But, Sir, the letter that they wrote to the hawker gives me the impression that they were communicating with a university student studying microbiology.”
“Because once they get in to a poorly located place, they cannot come out. It is very, very difficult to come out. And to change stalls, again it is very, very difficult. So I think they have got good reasons why they do not want to move to stalls that are not so profitable. Mr Speaker, Sir, can I just relate to you a case involving a street hawker? She was supposed to be resettled to another place and she requested for a licence to sell certain goods which she felt would give her better earnings, instead of accepting a condemned stall in a condemned place in an awkward corner of a hawker centre. Actually it is the hawker centre in my constituency. I know this particular corner of the hawker centre. My community leaders also know the particular area of that hawker centre. The HDB Area Office has oft-times told me that this is a bad corner and yet this poor lady has been told to get a stall in that particular area. Because she was persistent, I think some tempers flared up, and later she was told to go to the Environment Office somewhere to explain. Later on the officials said, "Can you please put your thumb print on this little piece of paper here?" She put her thumb print and she went back. The next time she went back to the office and asked, "Where is my stall?" They said, "Your stall is at the place which we gave you." She was not happy because she thought she had been tricked into taking that stall. I do not know whether this is true, but I wrote to the Senior Parliamentary Secretary and he did a very good investigation. He came back to say that he was satisfied and that everything was all right. "There is no problem. Do not worry. I assure you that everything is all right." This is why I thank him very much.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first, I must apologize to the Ministry of the Environment because I cannot shower the same kind of praise that my colleagues earlier on could. In fact, if I had more proven facts, I think all my colleagues will join me in coming down on the Ministry of the Environment like a ton of bricks. Two years ago, I spoke about empathy in this Chamber and at that time I was referring to the Ministry of National Development. This year, in the Committee of Supply, I am not moving any amendments at all when we consider the provisions of the Ministry of National Development because they have, in fact, improved tremendously. Now, I would like to talk about the lack of empathy in the resettlement section of the Ministry of the Environment. I do support the resettlement of hawkers because we get clean food to eat in a better environment, and so on and so forth. It is in the process of resettling street hawkers that the problem comes in. People are not being kind enough to poor old street hawkers. They are poor and they have to be resettled, and I think it is their right to be able to study or to be given some time to investigate the place that they are being resettled to. The reason is that they are going to invest their life savings in a hawker stall selling some goods in order to make a profit. But when after investigation, they find that the particular stall to be allocated to them on resettlement is not a good place, they naturally refuse to take that stall. I have on occasions during my Meet-the-People sessions come across hawkers in such a predicament, and if they are women, they come in tears. I hope I am not unduly soft-hearted, but I do have a heart and I feel that they ought to be given some kind of consideration.”
“Sir, as what I wish to speak involves more the control of hawkers, may I have your permission to speak instead on Amendment (5)* of the same Head? *The amendment, standing in the name of Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe, reads as follows: (5) That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead MB-05 of the Estimates.”
“(1) That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead MA-01 of the Main Estimates. Mr M.K.A. Jabbar (Radin Mas)( In Tamil): Sir, since I have already submitted a Question for Oral Answer on this point, I am not moving my amendment.”
“Earlier on I also objected to the programme "Love Boat" and I am glad that Dr Postman at least quotes this particular programme as one that can be responsible for eliminating the dividing line between childhood and adulthood. It portrays children as little adults, using the same language, having the same interests and possessing the same sexuality as adults. We should be warned and probe further his findings. He even quoted an example of a hand lotion commercial where viewers are shown a mother and daughter and challenged to tell which is which. We must therefore give further thought to how we can best tap the advantages of modern communications such as TV can offer us and not allow it to ruin us. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Motion with reservations. 6.03 p.m.”
“In this interview, Dr Postman expressed concern that watching television over a long span of time can seriously damage children's ability to think clearly and can shorten the attention span of the children as well as eroding to a considerable extent their linguistic powers and their ability to learn mathematical symbols. It is the Government's policy to promote bilingualism and by some statistics the Education people tell us that a child's language ability is somehow related to his performance at school. If we assume that Dr Postman is correct, then, as I said earlier on, we have a silent little box at home that can very silently erode what we are trying to achieve in building up our future citizens. May I have your permission, therefore, to withdraw my earlier suggestion during the time when I was thanking the President at the opening of this Session of Parliament where I suggested that we should screen the more adult-type films in the evenings because, according to Dr Postman, it is a fantasy people have that after 10 p.m. children are not watching television. And if we prefer to believe that our parents can effectively keep children away from the television, then I think we have to re-think again because, according to him, parents can only try to limit as much as possible indiscriminate viewing. But most of all, parents themselves must get away from the idea of just turning on the television set to pass away the time. Maybe the Minister for Culture in this case is correct when he suggested locking up our television sets. SBC can perhaps keep advising parents of the disadvantages of indiscriminate viewing of certain programmes by children. They do so about smoking. They do so about many other things. I will talk about it in the Committee of Supply.”
“The training of nurses, therefore, cannot be over-emphasized and it is important to give due consideration to taking in people with better qualifications when they apply to join the profession. This will ensure that there will be a pool of available talents in the future to fill the more senior positions in the nursing profession. Therefore, if there is no complementary upgrading of the nursing profession to meet the needs of the future, then no matter how we upgrade the quality of our doctors, the proposal to make Singapore a medical centre may not be a success. Of course, the morale of nurses will also have to be duly considered. Maybe the structure of the nursing profession will require looking into and some money may have to be spent on the older hospitals to upgrade facilities, such as the installation of automatic sanitizers, etc. Mr Speaker, Sir, finally can I just take a bit of time to express further my concern about the effects of television on the development of our future citizens. Unfortunately, the Minister for Culture has left, because I was just going to tell him that in making these comments I am not trying to run SBC. Since touching slightly on it during my reply to the President's opening speech of this Parliament, I managed to come across quite an interesting article on TV's disastrous impact on children. This was a report on an interview with Dr Neil Postman, who is a Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences at New York University. By the way, Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Culture had a talk with me outside the Chamber and he said that if I bring this subject up now, he may not be able to reply to me. The Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister for Health might like to reply on his behalf.”
“I am thinking in terms of some of them being conducted at the various community centres and so bring the courses closer to the people. It may then be easier for our people to attend extramural courses. Those who have cars do not mind travelling great distances to the NUS. But those who do not have cars may suffer this disadvantage. They will, therefore, not be able to learn management skills and other skills that are available in these extramural courses. Again, if it is at night and you have to travel great distances, our fair ladies will probably not be able to get there. At the same time, we can save a lot of fuel. Let us swing across to the discussion on the training of doctors. I too support the fact that we should make Singapore into a good medical centre. But I wonder why no mention was made of the training of nurses. I feel that the training of nurses is as important as the training of doctors. Once the doctor has taken care of the patients, his work has to be complemented by nurses, and if nurses are found wanting, we will not be able to achieve our targets. I suspect that with a tight labour market, and more women moving into industries, we may not be able to get the right calibre of nurses if we do not begin to act on the situation soon. However, if we expect the nurses to complement the work of doctors, then we have no option but to see that they complement effectively. And for these ministering angels in white, they need to be motivated to stay on in the profession or join it. Otherwise, if we are not careful, we may find ourselves in a situation where the import of foreign nurses becomes a necessity.”
“The Minister has correctly observed that it will be a great source of technical information for industries here. In fact, without this back-up, it would be like asking us to do industrial research without a library, or carry out whatever we have to do without the necessary tools. Again, I would suggest that we move swiftly. These things are getting very expensive. I suspect that in the days when the Japanese were actually looking at patents, it was easier to get at them than they are today. I am getting a bit concerned, because with most countries moving into the development of their own industries and with difficult times ahead of us, especially for the advanced countries, even a thing like a patent or industrial software may receive its fair share of protectionistic measures. In order to help our local manufacturers upgrade, another way is for Government departments themselves to insist on better specifications and better quality products when they purchase their requirements. The Government is a big purchaser and is, therefore, in a position to demand better and higher standards. Then our local manufacturers will have no choice but to improve, Let us also take advantage of this. The Minister mentioned that Singapore does not have a strong base of local entrepreneurs, as yet. I suspect this problem has already existed sometime ago. The question, of course, is what kind of monitoring are we doing on it and whether or not the situation has improved today. In our efforts to develop skilled technical and professional manpower, I think another way we can help this is to decentralize some of the extra-mural courses organized by the National University of Singapore.”
“How can we expect our local people to compete with expatriates working in Singapore if they are not given a chance to be exposed to new ideas? These expatriates have an advantage over us because they have seen the machines in their own land. They have no problem. We have. An interesting thought occurred to me when I was reminded in the Minister's speech that recession in the major industrialized countries has led many companies to shelve or defer new investments in Singapore. Japan, for instance, has slowed down her investment in Singapore. However, Japan has gone to America. What does this imply? I do not think there is much technology that the Americans can learn from the Japanese, relative to what we can learn from the Japanese. This means that there will be a relatively slower transfer of technology to us here in Singapore which would make us slower in our climb up the high technology ladder. We must take the cue from this disturbing trend. We must, therefore, hasten the development of our science and technology park and our measures to develop our other existing research laboratories such as those in SISIR. There is mention of this in his Budget statement, but I would stress the importance of quickening the building of these facilities. We cannot afford to wait because time is not with us. We want to close the gap as soon as we can between the technology level of the more advanced countries and ourselves; then only can we be more confident of our success in the future. I note in the Minister's 10-year plan the intent to set up our own patent office to enable patents to be directly registered. There is no doubt that the registration and the gathering of information through patents is very important.”
“These industries I feel, will then be able to move into higher value-added products to capture the more sophisticated export markets and consumers who can afford to part with their money to satisfy a personal need, like possibly what the Hon. First Deputy Prime Minister was talking about in terms of gambling. From his speech, I believe the Economic Development Board will continue to encourage local industries to upgrade and participate in joint ventures with foreign companies with the necessary technical know-how and export markets. In his 10-year plan, the Minister mentioned the re-training of managers and workers to upgrade their skills because of the faster changes in technology as we upgrade our economy. The Minister also correctly observed that university education provides only the basic training of professionals. Somehow these professionals will need to work and have commercial experience and exposure to competition to sharpen their skills. And here I have the hon. Member for Punggol to thank for teaching me the value of repetition. So I shall repeat again what I asked for before. Some time ago I appealed to the Government to consider allowing a double deduction on tax for technical missions going overseas to expose Singaporeans to new and advanced ideas in the more industrialized countries like Japan and America. The Minister himself was reluctant to allow this. I am now requesting him to reconsider this. Surely the basic question is whether or not the exposure is good or bad, I think the Minister cannot but agree with me that the exposure is ,good. The thing that remains to be done, therefore, is to set up a group to study the mechanics as to how we are going to think of ways to cut down on or to prevent any abuse. I do not think this is difficult.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the Motion standing in the name of the Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister for Health only partially, provided he can assure us later on that all our suggestions will be dealt with. I know that he would, as he has said so in his Budget statement that he encourages suggestions and comments and I take it that he means what he has said. But from the answers to the Oral Questions we had yesterday some of them reminded me of a funny joke and I must seek your indulgence to repeat it, Sir. There were this Minister and his Permanent Secretary who went on a car ride to some destination only to find that they were lost. Then there came a passer-by. The Minister turned to the passer-by and said, "Can you please tell us where we are?" The passer-by said, "You are both in your car." And so the Perm. Sec. said to the Minister, "How nice an answer to a Parliamentary question." The trick is to say as much as you can but giving nothing away. Coming back to my speech proper, first, I must congratulate the Government and the people of Singapore for working closely together to achieve such excellent results. I think the workers must be congratulated for the double-digit growth in productivity and with better management-worker relationship for the 80's, I trust we will do better. The Minister mentioned in his Budget statement about the disadvantages of labour-intensive industries, and he quoted the textile and shoe industries. He also said that he would give incentives to encourage automation and he would also help them to go into higher technology industries. There is something which we can look into, that is, the high fashion industries somewhat along the lines of Pierre Cardin and Lanvin.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am a little confused. The Hon. Prime Minister has raised the question of hiring and firing. If I was a Prime Minister - but I do not think I will be - I would not take the risk of being hired and fired at a cost of $1/4 million, that is (if you do a quick calculation), on $21,000 a month. But if I was in a bank, or maybe a share broker, I would take the risk of $21/2 million and get hired and fired. Another matter is that the Hon. Prime Minister is now speaking of hiring and firing at a time when we are talking of the Japanese management-labour relationship. I am a bit confused, and so can I ask the Prime Minister to clarify?”
“Sir, they only park for five minutes and they have to pay 40 cents.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, is the Minister aware of complaints that fines are too readily meted out to people who bring their children to their parents' house to be taken care of in the morning?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in case the Minister for Finance is also not aware, can I raise another point to alert him that there is also a general complaint that suggestions from the workers do not sometimes go up so as to be given due consideration.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, is the Minister aware of a general complaint that there is a lack of consultation between the management and workers within the Civil Service and that instructions are usually shoved down the throats of those at the lower levels without due consideration for their workload?”
“Resolved, That the following Address in reply to the Speech of the President be agreed to: - "We, the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore, express our thanks to the President for the Speech which he delivered on behalf of the Government at the opening of the First Session of this Parliament."”
“This does not speak well of the administration. Why, I do not know, but since the Ministry of Education is trying again, it is a good sign. This time, they must try harder and give the Schools Council the true nature and characteristics of the genuine STEP QC Circle which promotes bottoms-up-management. Mr Speaker, Sir, with the permission of the Member for Boon Teck, I would like to borrow his words. The hon. Member, after congratulating you on your re-election to the Chair, said, "How pleased we are to see you there." Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of my colleagues, we all admire you for the tremendous patience you have displayed as Speaker for so many terms in this House. You have oft-times displayed great wisdom. You have indeed managed Parliamentarians with the adroitness of an expert kite-flying enthusiast. Our sympathies are always with you, for you, Mr Speaker, have to sit through so many sessions year in year out listening to us but not able to participate. When sessions get heavy, you did not so much as show even one of forty winks, neither did you yawn. You have disciplined yourself very well. We will endeavour to repay you, and repay you we must. We will from today undertake to provide you with better quality 'Offerings.' Finally, Mr Speaker, can I on behalf of my colleagues and fellow Singaporeans express our thanks and admiration to the Government for the hard work and the time they have sacrificed to give us a pleasant and progressive country to live and work in. Question put, and agreed to.”
“Among others, the pathetic state of the teaching profession which has suffered social devaluation over the years was brought up. It is also interesting to note in the Addendum that among the many young teachers, those 30 years or younger, 81% of them are female teachers. If we assume that the male is still the head of the house, then it could be that the male teachers must have gone to seek better pastures, be it salary or other fringe benefits to better support the family. I would ask this question: at this point of time, are we concerned with the observation of the Ministry of Education that "male pupils may be increasingly deprived of a male image to look up to and to emulate." The Ministry of Education anticipates that with full-day schools, married female teachers may not find teaching attractive any more. Previously the half-day nature of schools used to be attractive to them, and so they may begin to leave the service. The Straits Times did a survey among our female teachers and, if I am right, they appear to have discovered that they may not leave the service because they like teaching. But I wonder whether we can accept this as gospel truth, bearing in mind what the Member for Whampoa predicted yesterday. If they leave, it may be slow, not sudden, and then when we begin to realise it, it may be too late to rectify. This merits closer consideration. The question is: are we doing too much too fast? Already we are short of teachers. To lose teachers again because of full-day schools may be counter-productive. Another point raised was the fear that the Schools Council will only be a rubber stamp for the Ministry's "one-way-street" directives to schools and this reflects the distrust that principals and teachers have for the Ministry of Education.”
“My colleagues are indeed glad that the Minister for National Development has recently assured the House that something has been done and that there are less lift breakdowns. However, if the Hon. Minister for National Development can find some possible means to play "Superman", he might be able to reverse what the Member for Kim Seng calls "the Law of the Universe" in order to prevent the natural order of decay. Considering the achievements of the HDB over the past few years, I am certain that having been the Chief Executive of the HDB for some time, the Minister for National Development is the man to improve living conditions and to ensure that randomness, confusion and disorder will not increase. The Member for Bedok raised a very relevant point regarding the lack of consultation when implementing policies. It is indeed pathetic to have brilliant minds with brilliant ideas rendered ineffective through poor implementation or impatience. Sometimes, all that is required is just a little bit more time and patience. Mr Speaker, Sir, there is a pressing need to look for a more balanced situation regarding the escalation of property prices. Many Members have expressed their concern here. Property prices have been pushed up so artificially by unscrupulous property owners manipulating the market that serious implications can develop. Those who will suffer will be those sandwiched between those who can afford luxurious homes and those who qualify for HDB flats. Although these people only form 1% of the population, it does hurt them, and we are glad that something will be done. Another area of great concern is education, as seen in the rather heated debates that came up on the topic. Many points were raised.”
“Perhaps I might add that our future success will very much depend also on a supportive population like what we have today. In listening to various Members, I feel that I would not have done my duty if I did not reiterate that healthy management-labour relationships should not only be seen in the present Singapore industries, but also in the various Ministries, statutory boards and Government-owned companies. We should be more receptive to new ideas and must encourage them to flow upwards so that they can tap the greatest potential from those who are actually on the job. Some Members certainly did not lack gumption when expressing their sentiments on hikes in bus fares and PUB charges. Whilst it is appreciated that the SBS, like many other companies, has a right to make profits, and although the PUB belongs to the non-profit making category, it will still merit a thorough investigation of the Members' points of view, especially in the light of suggestions that relevant departments should keep trying to find ways to trim costs of operation. Savings achieved can indeed help to reduce the impact on imported inflation. On price increases, just as with promoting better management-labour relationship, we must guard against "trying to take the speck out of our neighbour's eye while not noticing the beam in our own". The Government very closely scrutinizes price increases in consumer items, such as tea and coffee sold in Singapore, but I hope the Government will also scrutinize its own price increases with the same conscience and enthusiasm. Lift breakdowns and leaking roofs of HDB flats, especially the older ones, were raised again and again.”