Fong Sip Chee
Singapore
“These include the flyovers at Paya Lebar Way, Aljunied Road, and various pedestrian overhead bridges. Their design and erection procedures were all found to be safe. The PWD will in future require all contractors to adopt erection procedures with two or more independent safety systems.”
“Sir, the Museum has been out of the fishy business for quite some time already. Since the establishment of the Science Centre, I believe that all the natural history exhibits have been transferred to the Science Centre in Jurong where they are properly displayed in a better environment. The role of the Museum has changed.”
“Mr Ho See Beng asked the Minister for Trade and Industry, with reference to his recent speech regarding increase in water consumption and the possible increase in water rates, whether there is no way of reducing water consumption without raising water charges, and whether he is aware that, as the Public Utilities Board has not ruled out t…”
“The Member for Thomson is absolutely right in his call for the insurance companies to be more active in the area of workers' protection rather than be the most passive party by writing out insurance policies. The Government does the legislation and enforcement. The insurance companies just write out policies.”
“We have also conducted a three-month health education programme, between November 1980 and January 1981, for deep-sea fishermen to educate them on the hazards of using compressed air and the precautions to take. A total of 352 fishermen have undergone this programme. The Ministry will continue to monitor the situation.”
“Sir, the proposed functions of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health are training, consultancy and research in industrial safety and health. A study of how such functions are discharged in some developed and developing countries started in April 1980.”
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“These include the flyovers at Paya Lebar Way, Aljunied Road, and various pedestrian overhead bridges. Their design and erection procedures were all found to be safe. The PWD will in future require all contractors to adopt erection procedures with two or more independent safety systems. This will provide additional back-up safety measures to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents.”
“Sir, a long answer is unavoidable to a heavily loaded question. It is not a simple question as such. The option has always been open. Anybody who wishes to change his name into Hanyu Pinyin may do so. All he needs to do is a deed poll. FLYOVER AT WOODSVILLE INTERCHANGE (Collapse of concrete beam) 17. Dr Chau Sik Ting asked the Minister for National Development, in view of the near disaster arising from the recent collapse of a concrete beam of the partially completed flyover at the Upper Serangoon Road/Jalan Toa Payoh junction, what steps have been taken to ensure non-recurrence of similar incidents elsewhere. Mr Lee Yock Suan (for the Minister for National Development): Sir, on 26th September, 1981, one of the 99 precast beams at the Woodsville Interchange construction site, which was lifted into place three days earlier, was dislodged from its seating. It overturned and fell onto the road below. Investigations show that the flyover was structurally sound and the beam was properly designed and manufactured. It fell because the temporary supporting wedges used by the contractor had apparently been knocked out of place by workmen engaged in other work nearby. The contractor has admitted full liability for the incident. Immediate steps were taken to check the tightness of the wedges for the other beams. Additional safety measures, including temporary ties and weldings to interconnect the beams, were taken to enhance the stability of the beams pending the construction of the bridge deck which will ultimately connect them together. These additional measures have fully secured the beams against overturning. Immediately following the incident, a technical review was conducted on the stability condition of all other precast beam construction projects in progress.”
“Mr Ho See Beng asked the Minister for Trade and Industry, with reference to his recent speech regarding increase in water consumption and the possible increase in water rates, whether there is no way of reducing water consumption without raising water charges, and whether he is aware that, as the Public Utilities Board has not ruled out the possibility of further increases in electricity and gas charges, with yearly increases in water rates many families with limited incomes will find great difficulty in making ends meet.”
“The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade and Industry (Mr Chan Chee Seng) (for the Minister for Trade and Industry): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, rusty water experienced in some households in the Boon Lay and Taman Jurong housing estates is caused by corrosion of the water storage tanks in the building. The corrosion has been accelerated by the higher chloride content of the water which comes from the Kranji and Pandan reservoirs. Chemical and bacteriological tests show that the water is safe for drinking. The iron content in the water which causes the colouration is within the maximum permissible level laid down by the World Health Organization. The Jurong Town Corporation has embarked on a programme to repaint the inside of the water storage tanks. It is trying various types of paints to select the one that is most effective against corrosion. In the meantime the tanks are being cleaned and flushed periodically. PUB is monitoring the programme closely. 93 blocks of flats in Taman Jurong and 37 blocks in the Boon Lay area are affected. Normally it will take about 12 months for all the work to be completed, but my Minister has instructed the JTC to speed up the work so that the residents in Boon Lay and Jurong will receive clear and rust-free water at the earliest possible time. PUBLIC UTILITIES BOARD (Increase in water rates) 23.”
“Sir, the Ministry shares the hon. Member's concern for the well-being of the Chinese papers. As much as we like to adhere to our principle that the papers can compete freely, really it is the wisdom of the management of the various papers that finally decide. I am aware of the example that the hon. Member quoted. It was indeed unfortunate, but I would call upon the dailies, particularly the Chinese dailies, to pay heed to the Member's concern. As I said earlier, and as the Member himself has acknowledged, in a more and more bilingual society, if one goes for news one would read the paper that could give first-hand news, be it English, Chinese, Malay or Tamil. The various vernacular papers are already hampered by more cumbersome editorial problems, like trans- lation from the teleprinters, international news plus local news releases into the Chinese, Malay or Tamil languages. It means a longer time spent on editing. This handicap, together with their policy, might reduce the papers into publishing timeless articles and losing out in the publishing of the latest news. I would urge the newspapers to pay heed to the Member's concern but the Ministry will still adhere to our stand that we allow free competition to dictate their own fate. BOON LAY/TAMAN JURONG HOUSING ESTATES (Complaint of rusty water) 22. Mr Goh Chee Wee asked the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether the Public Utilities Board and the Jurong Town Corporation have ascertained the cause of the rusty water supplied to households in the Boon Lay and Jurong housing estates; (b) whether the impurities in the water will cause harmful effects to the residents; (c) what remedial actions are being taken and by whom; and (d) when the residents in those areas can expect to receive clear and rust-free water.”
“It is competition and consumer preference that decides the result. In an increasingly bilingual society, the Chinese and English papers compete more and more for the same readership. Among other things, it is the paper that is consistently first with the news that will get the readers. Mr Yeo Choo Kok (Delta)( In Mandarin): Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether he will agree that with the success of the bilingual policy, more and more people can read both the English and Chinese newspapers. Therefore, if they find that the English newspapers could carry the latest news comparatively ahead of the Chinese newspapers, it will not be necessary for them to read the Chinese newspapers. In the long run, this will not be conducive to the interest of the Chinese newspapers. In fact, it will be a loss not only to the country but also to the Chinese newspapers and their readers as well. Is the Minister of State aware that recently when one of our Minister's speeches was made in Mandarin, it was published in the English newspapers the following day whereas it was published in the Chinese newspapers yet one day later. This is the result of the Chinese newspapers printing their papers too early in the evening before.”
“Sir, the Ministry is aware that the Chinese dailies - Nanyang Siang Pau, Sin Chew Jit Poh, Shin Min and Min Pao - bring out their newspapers the evening before. Nanyang and Sin Chew have the more serious news. They start printing around 9.00 pm. About 8% to 10% of their total daily circulation is put on sale between 9.30 pm. and 10.30 pm. The papers which come out at this time cater for the night market and cover news items up to 8.30 pm that evening. However, unless there are major news items later, both newspapers normally continue printing for the following morning's circulation. Usually, by midnight or so, 30% to 50% of the total circulation of the two newspapers would have been printed. It is normal for the two papers to stop press at around 12 midnight to 1.00 am to incorporate the latest news items. Ideally the two papers should stop printing after catering for the evening market and resume printing only in the early hours of the morning. That would ensure that all morning readers get the latest news. Unfortunately this is not the case. The existing practice saves on overtime costs for the newspapers. It is also preferred by news vendors who find it convenient to collect the papers early. Shin Min and Min Pao, on the other hand, cater mainly for readers who want light evening news. The evening editions, therefore, form the bulk of their total circulation - 56% to 70% for Shin Min, and 60% to 64% for Min Pao. The early publication of the dailies does not contravene the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act. The hon. Member may feel that something ought to be done to ensure that as many readers as possible get the latest news. This is a matter outside official control, How, when and what makes a paper sell does not depend on official edicts or regulations.”
“Sir, the Museum has been out of the fishy business for quite some time already. Since the establishment of the Science Centre, I believe that all the natural history exhibits have been transferred to the Science Centre in Jurong where they are properly displayed in a better environment. The role of the Museum has changed. We are concentrating now on providing more archaeological, historical and cultural exhibits so as to provide a soul to the nation. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON KAMPUCHEA (Outcome) 20. Mr S. Chandra Das asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Culture if he is satisfied with the outcome of the International Conference on Kampuchea recently concluded in New York.”
“I would include students as well, if I were you. This normally comes within the purview of the VITB establishment. I do know that they have a programme on safety, including noise-induced deafness. If it is insufficient, I will impress upon the Minister-in-charge to conduct a review of their safety provision in this respect. As regards the Member for Thomson, it is true that every factory generates some noise. If we were to screen all of them, it would mean having to screen the entire industrial sector, which I think is impossible. We concentrate our efforts only on those establishments where the noise level is above 90 decibels. 50 or 60 decibels are really tolerable. We concentrate on those establishments where the noise level is above 90 decibels. So the figures are based on that. If the Member can let me have a list of those establishments which he thinks the noise level exceeds 90 decibels, which we might have missed, we will certainly move into those establishments. On the question of Mindef and the Air Force, I do know that Mindef has its own safety unit. I speak as a soldier. Every time I go to the firing range, I am given a pair of ear-plugs. The artillery soldiers are also given ear-protectors when they do live-firing exercise. Mindef is very conscious of this. The Air Force technician is a highly specialized personnel. If he suffers from any disease, more so noise-induced deafness, the Mindef will lose him and his training. So Mindef is very conscious of this. Perhaps the Member may want to take on the Minister of Defence when he is on the carpet!”
“Teachers only. Are you not asking about students?”
“Sir, first, the Member for Boon Teck. He is concerned about school students being exposed to high noise levels.”
“We have also conducted a three-month health education programme, between November 1980 and January 1981, for deep-sea fishermen to educate them on the hazards of using compressed air and the precautions to take. A total of 352 fishermen have undergone this programme. The Ministry will continue to monitor the situation. The number of workers involved is small. It is not to say that we ignore their welfare. We will continue to monitor the situation further before we decide whether or not to make it a statutory requirement. Mr Liew Kok Pun: Sir, I share the concern and sentiment expressed by the Member for Thomson. I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Labour whether there has been any study conducted on noise levels in school workshops where the technical teachers are continuously exposed to a fairly high level of noise.”
“Another indication of the effectiveness of the programme is reflected in the increase in the number of workers wearing ear-protection gears. In 197 5, prior to the start of the programme, a sample study showed that as much as 79% of the workers exposed to a high level of noise did not wear any ear-protection gear at all. In 1980, five years later, the survey showed that the number has fallen to only about 26%. The percentage of workers wearing ear-protectors throughout their working hours in that kind of establishment has also increased, from a mere 18% in 1976 to 58% in 1980. Notwithstanding the progress of this programme, we intend to make audiometric screening a statutory requirement under the law. That will perhaps settle the point raised by the Member. Decompression illness is an illness associated with deep-sea diving. At the end of 1980 the Ministry has confirmed 101 cases. Of these 15 were fatal, 56 suffered permanent disability, like paralysis of the lower limbs, and 30 suffered temporary disability. The majority of them, as the Member has mentioned, involved deep-sea fishermen doing diving work with compressed air gear. To combat this, in September, 1976, my Ministry prepared and distributed a good number of pamphlets to these people informing them of the hazards and the precautionary measures they should take. For example, they should not emerge from a deep level too quickly. They must stay at a certain level for a certain period of time before moving up to a higher level, so that nitrogen bubbles will not form in their bloodstream, blocking the capillaries. I have made some study of that.”
“Sir, I hear the hon. Member for Thomson loud and clear. Since 1975, noise-induced deafness has been made a notifiable and compensable disease under the Factories Act and the Workmen's Compensation Act. Since then, the total number of such cases detected and confirmed by the Ministry till the end of 1980 is 2,085. In 1980 alone, 229 workers, the figure as quoted by the Member, were detected. Of these, 280 were in the early stages of the disease. That leaves only 11 confirmed cases out of a screening of 2,085. I cannot agree with the hon. Member that our estimates are grossly understated. The figures were obtained from establishments which are known to have a high level of noise. He questions the effectiveness of the hearing conservation programme. The programme was started in 1976. It is now in its fifth year, as the hon. Member quite correctly noted. During this period more than 5,000 workers from the various establishments with a noise level that is hazardous were screened. This is done every year and it is only for a small nominal fee. These workers are also health educated, so to speak, on the hazards of noise and the precautions to take because this is an illness you can contract even without your knowing it. With the bulk of the noise-induced deafness detected in the first few years of the programme, the number of new cases has fallen significantly. This is because of the preventive screening. In 1980 from the 5,014 workers screened under the programme, only 44 new noise-induced cases were confirmed. Meanwhile the larger factories are being encouraged to conduct their own hearing conservation programmes and with their own audiometric facilities. So far, 13 factories have done so.”
“Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for National Development whether the Housing and Development Board can set aside some parking lots in the seasonal car parks for visitors, who otherwise would have to find a coupon parking area some distance away, and also introduce a system whereby a visitor who has to make a short call can be given a slip permitting him free parking for five to ten minutes, obviating the need for him to display a parking coupon.”
“Sir, first, I have not the slightest intention to be drawn into the same controversy as the debate on police stations which occurred yesterday. Otherwise I will get an open invitation to join that side of the House! That is not the case, neither it is the intention. The need for the institute has been established. But we are studying into the size, the detailed functions and all the aspects as to what is the best form it should take. There are good points in the Japanese example but there are also some frightening aspects. For instance, the amount of money they spend to feed rabbits for their research in that institute is about three-quarters of the entire budget for our Factory Inspectorate. This is just for feeding rabbits alone. We have to feed our engineers in the Factory Inspectorate. It is the size of the project, the extent of commitment that we do not want to leap into. So before we plunge into this project and decide on the scope or functions of the Institute, it is prudent for us to look further. It may not take the form of an institute. The name was given for want of a better one or for want of a better arrangement. It may be a society. It may be a board. But there is a need for us to go into these areas of consultancy, research and training as we become more and more industrialized. I assure the Member that the subject is moving very much in the Ministry. I assure the House that there is no delay in the way that the police stations have suffered from the Ministry of Finance. CAR-PARKING IN HOUSING BOARD ESTATES 3.”
“Sir, the proposed functions of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health are training, consultancy and research in industrial safety and health. A study of how such functions are discharged in some developed and developing countries started in April 1980. The study is to ascertain whether institutes or other arrangements were resorted to and their success or failure. The industrial safety situation of certain countries will also be examined. The study is expected to be completed by May this year. Since the study is an internal one designed to enable the Ministry to decide on whether it should establish the institute in the way that it was originally formulated or resort to other arrangements, it is therefore not proposed to make public the findings. It is not necessary.”
“Sir, Parliament is in no position to compel people to part with their money. I am sorry if I have missed out the point raised by the Member for Kampong Kembangan. He has asked whether a quarter of a million dollars is a token sum. As I have said, we will continue to work together with the Association. We expect more help from them. I do not know how one can describe "profit" as obscene. It is just like describing people who are filthy rich, out of jealousy more than anything else. Previously, when the statistics were not included in the Commissioner's report, the insurance companies turned round and said, "Mr Fong, we are in the dark and we do not know how much we have paid out." We told them that if they were in the dark, then they should not be in this branch of the business. They did not keep statistics because they knew that they were making good profits. When they do keep statistics, it is to prove to the Government that they are not doing well, and they say, "Please help us to increase." As a result of our intervention, as I have said, we managed to get the statistics and they try to use this surplus to cover the other branches of the insurance business, overheads, and so on. It is not for us to demand a fixed sum from them, but there is nothing wrong for them to search their conscience to give us a bit more. INSTITUTE OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH (Comparative study) 2. Dr Chau Sik Ting asked the Minister for Communications and Minister for Labour when the comparative study of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health commenced; when it will be completed and when it will be made public.”
“Sir, the relationship between the Ministry of Labour and the General Insurance Association has, in fact, developed into something more than a mere dialogue. We intend to involve the General Insurance Association in our future work, like accident prevention for the workers. There is an indication that the Association is now more responsive to our call, and I have no reason at this moment to suspect their sincerity. As to the question of delay in the assessment, it is true that a number of cases have been delayed. However, not all cases are due to disagreement in the assessment but rather to the medical reports. The Member for Kampong Kembangan will appreciate that we, in the Ministry of Labour, are all laymen and we have to depend on the medical report. Sometimes, say, in the case of a complicated injury, the doctor is not able to fix a quantum on the degree of disability. It may take some months to assess the degree of permanent disability and no doctor will pen a medical report declaring a certain percentage of disability without a thorough examination of the patient to see how he responds to physiotherapy treatment. It is only after such treatment that the doctor can be certain of the degree of disability. The delay is mainly due to this aspect of the work. However, there is provision for an award of interim payment. We will see to it that the worker does get something in the meantime. But it is important for an injured worker to comply with the doctor's appointment, because if he were to ignore continued medical examination or surveillance he might aggravate his injury and complicate matters. So it is a matter of medical assessment. The Ministry has no alternative but to depend on the doctor's final medical report before we can finalize the case.”
“Sir, there is a periodic, but not regular, review of the amounts of compensation to be paid to the injured workman or his next-of-kin if he dies in an accident. In the revision, we take into consideration the rise in the cost of living, the inflation factor, so that the deceased worker's family or he himself, if he is only maimed, will not suffer any anxiety or hardship in his livelihood, at least for a short period of time. There is a constant review and, at the appropriate time, the quantum will be increased. As to the question of rehabilitative training, that is another aspect of the Ministry's work. There is really no institutionalized training as such, if that is what the Member has in mind. In fact, the NTUC was thinking of establishing rehabilitative training under the Labour Foundation. They are having second thoughts about this. We in the Ministry of Labour have had a very queer experience, i.e. very few of the injured workers are prepared to undergo rehabilitative training. They would rather approach Members of Parliament for a hawker stall, which is an easier and more profitable occupation. So we have been quite unsuccessful in getting enough numbers of these people to undergo rehabilitative training. Under the Employment Service, there is a small section which does rehabilitative training. Unfortunately, again, only a small number of workers who sustained injuries as a result of accidents are undergoing rehabilitative training. Most of these people being trained are really those who were born handicapped either in their limbs or in their vision. No institutionalized training is necessary for the time being because the number is so small.”
“The Member for Thomson is absolutely right in his call for the insurance companies to be more active in the area of workers' protection rather than be the most passive party by writing out insurance policies. The Government does the legislation and enforcement. The insurance companies just write out policies. But there has been a change of heart since. The hon. Member for Jalan Kayu is not here today but, since he took an active part in the General Insurance Association, there has been a very close contact between the Association and the Ministry of Labour. In fact, the Association has offered to donate at least a quarter of a million dollars and they are also considering a yearly donation thereafter to help out in areas of accident prevention. I assure the hon. Member that the Ministry of Labour will not stop just here. It will continue to liaise with the insurance companies to make sure that some of the profits will be ploughed back to the workers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am glad that the Member has noticed that workmen's compensation is indeed a very lucrative branch of the insurance business. However, the Member would not have the privilege or rather opportunity to raise this question prior to 1975. The Insurance Commissioner's report then did not classify workmen's compensation under a separate column. It was lumped under "Miscellaneous". I suspected then that a large amount of the money in the Miscellaneous accounts must have come from the workmen's compensation insurance. As a result of the intervention of the Ministry of Labour, the Commissioner of Insurance had, since 1976, reclassified workmen's compensation as a branch by itself and from that year we were able to compare the figures. On 1st October, 1975, we implemented the new rates for workmen's compensation, resulting in an increase in the quantum of compensation and a concomitant increase in premium. The insurance industry raised the premium by about 100%. The Ministry of Labour again intervened and we managed to cut down the increase in premium to 50%. Even then I thought that the rates were high. But the Workmen's Compensation Act is a piece of social legislation in that not only does it protect the workers, it in fact legislates for the insurance companies. Not only do we legislate for the business but we also enforce it, we make sure that they get the business by penalizing those employers who fail to take up insurance for their workers. We have enforcement measures under the Factories Act to cut down the number of accidents so that with less claims we again ensure that there is a profit margin.”
“Thank you, Sir. He just said that he worked for a bank and he stopped there. I do not think that will create a good impression in the media.”
“Sir, this House owes big thanks to the Member for Punggol when he so promptly stood up and requested the Member for Yio Chu Kang to declare his interest. That was correct. He did absolutely the right thing. Unfortunately, the Member for Yio Chu Kang was maybe a little overawed by the situation. He could have declared his interest and continued with his speech.”
“came to Singapore - I was still in the Ministry of Culture then - there was a packed Jalan Besar Stadium. I remember our Minister for Foreign Affairs was there. M.G.R. was given a standing ovation, not our Minister for Foreign Affairs. Can we say that those Indians are not loyal? The linkage is there, the empathy is there. The Chairman: Mr Fong, your 10 minutes are up. Dr Augustine Tan.”
“So there is no national identity to talk about. It is a case of other people imposing their national identity on you. But we are Singaporeans. We have acquired our identity fortunately. because we succeeded. It is as simple as that. Imagine, if we had failed, we would not be what we are. There would not be anybody talking about the Singaporean identity. Sir, I do believe we have an identity. It is difficult for me to put it in words or in expressive terms. But I like to use a little bit of statistics. Some years ago people talked about the ugly Singaporean. So there is a Singaporean. Whether he is a beautiful or ugly Singaporean, he is a Singaporean. Someone said, "Materialistically, Singaporean has 1-2-3-4-5 identities." A Singaporean has one wife, two children, a three-room fist, four wheels (which the Minister for Communications is not very happy) and a five-figure salary. That is the materialistic Singaporean. What is the spiritualistic Singaporean then? I used to laugh when mention is made that Singapore is a land of campaigns. You name it and we produce a campaign the next day. In fact, I told the House once jokingly that I would like to have one campaign, one and only campaign that would end all campaigns. I would call it, "The Anti-Campaign Campaign". But, Sir, come to think of it, these campaigns have their usefulness. The Singaporean is a rugged Singaporean. We have a clean and green Singapore, gracious living, bilingual Singaporean, and we can name them. This is what Singapore is. Sir, much has been said about the behaviour of the crowd at table tennis, football and badminton matches. We need the cultural ballast and we do not apologise that we are Chinese Singaporean, Malay Singaporean or Indian Singaporean. I remember when M.G.R.”
“It is true that the Chinese people are in the majority in Singapore. I do not think we should apologise for that. Our forefathers were not here of their own free will. I told this American diplomat how Chinese we were or we are today. I said, "We are as Chinese as President Eisenhower was German. He fought the Germans. We are as Chinese as President Kennedy was Irish or a descendant of an Irishman. That was what we were and still are today." We are here as a result of an accident of history. But the important thing is that we are here to stay. We have seen many newly emerging countries fall flat shortly after they acquired independence or they believed they had independence. As I said earlier, the Singaporean identity is the sum total of what we have done, our education system, our way of life, our thinking, our behaviour, our dress, our speech and even our own Singapore English. Whether it is Chinese slang, Indian slang or Malay slang, it is our English. Sir, the reason for why we are what we are is that we have succeeded. Many countries have failed because the moment they acquired independence, they could not produce that small group of hardcore, dedicated, incorruptible, honest and pragmatic leadership - that small corps of men - and therefore collapsed. And the moment they collapsed, other forces moved in. The country is there to be grabbed. We have seen what happened in the other continents. After long years of fighting for independence, countries which are very rich in culture, the people have got their own way of life, own languages, their own beliefs, but because they have failed, they are not allowed to be what they were. So other countries move in. Afghanistan is one country where foreign forces have moved in. The country is there for the grab.”
“If I were to sum up what we have done at the risk of being preposterous, then I would say all that the PAP has done, not this year, not last year, but since 1954, right from the beginning is to create that Singapore national identity. It is an irony that the behaviour of spectators in a sports stadium should command such an interest in the press and also in this House. But really, Sir, this is a question we cannot hide and it is a question that we have been asking ourselves. Try to ask a Chinese, what is a Chinese? Try to ask an Indian who is a Singapore citizen, what is an Indian? Ask an American, what is an American? We find that if we ask 100 Americans, we will probably get 100 definitions of what the American identity is. Someone asked me, "What do you think of the United Kingdom?" I replied in two words, "Strikes and football." Someone asked me, "What is the American image?" I said, "Hamburger." Unfortunately, the Scandinavian countries have taken over the sex part of the American society. Sir, I remember many years ago an American diplomat and I were having a discussion and, although he did not put the question in plain terms, the Chinese question repeatedly came up. I told him of my experience when I was in Canada. When I referred to the Canadian French, I was promptly corrected, "No. it is the French Canadian." They are all Canadians. They have the English Canadian and the French Canadian. So I told this American diplomat that there are Chinese Singaporeans, Malay Singaporeans and Indian Singaporeans, and not Singaporean Chinese or Singaporean Malay. Of course, I pre-empted his next question. I told him that he probably wanted to know how Chinese we were. First of all, as the Member for Kolam Ayer has said, we are here as a result of an accident in history.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for the permission for me to address the House. The speeches hitherto seem to imply that the Ministry of Culture has not done enough in the matter of creating a national identity, Sir, I do not wish to indulge in an exercise to blame the press. By the way, the headlines are not written by the reporters; they are written by the sub-editors. Neither do I want to use the House to educate the spectators or the Kallang roar, since the Member for Anson has said that only animals roar and I shall try to refrain from making this House roar. Sir, I think the basic question is a soul-searching one. It is not so much how we behave or what people perceive us to be in the stadium. National identity is the sum total of what we have been doing, what we manifest, whether we succeed or fail. In fact, I recall that just before the People's Action Party celebrated its 25th anniversary, the Minister for Trade and Industry, the Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr S. Dhanabalan), the Political Secretary to the Minister for Science and Technology and I had a discussion to pick a theme for the celebrations. Several ideas and suggestions were proffered. Finally, I proposed that the theme for the party celebrations was to follow the theme of the exhibition, i.e. "The Party, the People and the State." And thanks to the Political Secretary to the Minister for Science and Technology, he refined it to "The Party, the People and the Nation." He said that "nation" is a more emotive word. Sir, therein lies the crux of the matter: what are we?”
“So we have set ourselves a charted course and a phased development. We hope that this will be a cornerstone in our efforts to look after the welfare, health and safety of the workers.”
“Sir, there is only a provision of $335,190. The bold print at the bottom indicates the total of Government's commitment for the whole Subhead Code. Sir, I do not think we should squabble about the figures. We can clarify that later. The objectives of the Institute had been discussed quite extensively in this House at the previous Budget sitting. I need not go into that again. In his capacity as the Chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Committee of the NTUC, the Member for Kim Seng has been more than vocal on this subject and has been a great help to the Ministry in all these years, and his concern for the workers' welfare is noted. The Institute will be set up precisely for the purpose of meeting the various objectives mentioned by the hon. Member and other Members in this House. 4.00 p.m. The drafting of the legislation for the Institute has reached a very advanced stage and we hope to introduce it in the latter part of this year. The reason we have taken so long a time to go through the fine print of the draft legislation is that we do not wish to charge too heavy a responsibility on the Institute for the time being, as it might render it impossible to discharge its functions; hence it would appear to fall short of its objectives. However, the legislation will have sufficient leeway for the Institute to undertake its activities and to implement the immediate and the long-term objectives of the Government's concern on the welfare and health of the workers. When the Institute comes into operation, it will concentrate mainly on training for the first two years. When its muscles and bones are sufficiently developed, it will take on consultancy work in the third year, and perhaps go into research in the fifth year.”
“Sir, the sum provided under this Subhead is about $335,000 and not $3 million. For one moment I hoped the Member was correct because I would then have more money to spend. But it is only about 10% of what he has quoted.”
“Sir, point of clarification. I think the Minister missed my point. I raised a basic question: what is Parliament for? It seems that Members of Parliament are the last to discuss about taxes, and if Members are not given the opportunity to discuss such matters, then Parliament itself is a mockery.”
“Sir, I am not a drinker. I am just imputing that since the Minister does not levy tax on hard drinks he must have concluded that drinking must be healthy.”
“I do not wish to translate it. I will leave it to the interpreter. This is a common term used with no intention to describe the Minister as a canine. What it means is this: the black dog stole the food, the white dog received the thrashing. So while the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Communications imposed the taxes, the Minister for Trade and Industry stands before the House to take the punishment from the Members here. It may be a good tactic, Sir, a good image building. "We give away. It is not my fault. It is the other chap. Poor fellow." I do not know how this tactic will continue. I thought he has got nothing to do with that. It just happened that way. The Leader of the House is here; I hope I have not stepped beyond the bounds. Finally, Sir, may I, my observation and my complaints notwithstanding, join Members in congratulating the Minister for a job well done? Well done in many respects. Well done, Sir, in that he gets away with a lot of things - on the road tax increase. Well done also, Sir, that he always gives himself a way out by moderating his statement. Well done also, Sir, that in so doing he has established himself as a pretty humane Minister. I am sure that such support and feelings for him would do him well and even propel him to greater heights in future.”
“In short, our political objective must be ever present in the minds of all Ministers. What we say in Chinese in this case is, hei gou tou chi, bai gou dang zai ( ) It is a Chinese idiom. An hon. Member: Translate it.”
“Thank you very much, Sir, for this leeway. Mr Dhanabalan has been making frequent statements on the development in ASEAN. He has taken a high profile in the Vietnamese refugee problem and a low profile in ASEAN arrangements. I thought that is the correct policy, Sir, in that while we want to develop ourselves with the world as our market, we should at the same time be very alert to the sensitivities of our ASEAN neighbours. The irony is that, Sir, while we increase our productivity, improve the quality of our products and so on, to sell our products to the world, this may be a disincentive for the making of a better ASEAN trading arrangement, for obvious reasons which, I think, the Minister will understand. It is the level of development. So taking a lower profile may be less objectionable. The trouble is that he has been highlighting our achievements in too many areas to the extent that we have become the envy of many. This envy can develop into something very hostile. My point is that the Budget statement ought to go down in the history of Singapore that whilst we prepare ourselves for the Eighties, we must not lose sight of our social and political objectives, particularly on what I have quoted from the Minister for Health earlier on about his statement made in 1960. This must be borne in mind all the time. I do not know whether we deliberately want to depoliticise the population. If we consciously do, then we have done pretty well in the last five years. The point is that if we do not have a responsive population, that is, our people do not respond to Government policies in the right spirit, then with the facts and figures, and information, it can develop into a very explosive situation.”
“Sir, your ruling puts me in a predicament. There are two Senior Ministers of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There are, of course, distinctive features to distinguish them but I do not wish to employ these in this House as it will be a more grievous infringement of Standing Orders. I have also considered whether I ought to classify one as the Senior Minister of State and the other as the junior Senior Minister of State. This, also, is unacceptable. And to refer to him as the Member for Kallang would be a disrespect. May I therefore be allowed to refer to him as Mr Dhanabalan?”
“Of course, the press is doing its share of educating the public by conducting, sometimes even engineering debates in the press. I thought that is a healthy thing. This is my basic problem, Sir. Members here should be given the opportunity to discuss budgetary measures. We have done well in most other aspects. The Minister has given us an outline of his objectives not only for the year 1980 but beyond. His Budget statement really covers the Government's financial policy for the Eighties. Emphasis is placed on world trade. The world is our market and we must increase our productivity to give us that much more competitive edge. We must increase our skills and precision, if we are to sell our products to countries which demand a higher standard. At the same time, we must not forget our closer neighbours. I think the Minister spoke with very cautious optimism about trade arrangements and development within the ASEAN countries. I remember Mr Dhanabalan said -”
“In that respect, Sir, I congratulate the Minister for Health. I have held this matter back, Sir. He has put before the House his proposed increase in hospital fees. When he did that the last time, Sir, he even engineered a debate through the previous Member for Potong Pasir. This is what Parliament should be. What are MPs for? But now we find ourselves in a situation where we are the lest to discuss the increase in taxes. This is a very basic question, Sir, Maybe they thought that for such measures, there is no harm. It is a matter of one or two months before the Budget. So what is the hurry? Perhaps he wanted to beat the lifting of the excise duty. People have been buying cars, placing orders in large numbers. But it was the Government which decided in which month - was it April? - that the excise duty would be increased, hence removing the protection. This takes time. However, he suddenly found that he had to impose these taxes before Budget because by the end of the Budget debate it would be April. Having fixed the passenger car owners by raising the road taxes, barely two weeks later he suddenly punched the commercial vehicle owners. "Ah, I forgot to punch that fellow. Now I punch him." and promptly imposed another tax on the commercial vehicles. Why can't it be done at the same time? Maybe he wanted to lessen the pain. He hits at two different people at two different times. But my main concern is that Members of Parliament should be given the opportunity to discuss this matter. As I have said, I support the tax increases, but I thought that Members of Parliament should discuss the matter in the proper place, that is, in Parliament, instead of discussing it at a TV forum and in the press.”
“It is true that mention of the other Ministries was made in the memorandum but, in the statement proper, crucial areas like Health, Culture, and community centres - which the Member for Kim Seng has been crying out so loudly recently and perhaps would do so again in this House later - are important social objectives but not given the right of place in the Budget statement. What are we up to? What do we want? Members also praise the Minister for a painless budget and, of course, they complain, as I did in the post, that the pain always comes between budgets. Whilst we spend so much time in complaining about pains inflicted between budgets, I think we miss one important point and, that is, what is Parliament for? What is budget for? If the imposition of fees is not a budgetary measure, then the increase in registration fees is a measure that can be implemented without coming to Parliament, but any increase in tax ought to be a budgetary measure. Road tax is a tax. Otherwise you call it "road fees" and not "road tax". I do not want to discuss the wisdom of this measure. If anything, Sir, I subscribe and I support this increase in road tax. The observation I wish to make is the manner in which it is implemented. It is not so much a question of imposing it before the Budget but a question that all of us MPs are concerned. Members of Parliament happen to be the lost people to talk about the road tax. It was discussed in the newspapers. It was debated in a TV forum. Members of Parliament, however, have to wait until Budget time and the Committee of Supply to discuss it. As Members of Parliament, I thought we should react to this matter promptly. It is not because we do not want to react to it promptly but because we have no opportunity to do so.”
“' What social objectives? The economic objective is very clear hers. What do we hope to achieve? What kind of a profile do we hope to mould for Singaporeans? There is no mention in the Budget statement, I do not know whether we really have that objective in mind at all. The motion before the House reads as follows: 'That Parliament approves the financial policy of the Government for the financial year 1st April, 1980 to 31st March, 1981.' Frankly speaking, having gone through the Budget statement, I think it should rightly be: 'That Parliament approves the trade and industry policy of the Government for the financial year 1st April, 1980 to 31st March, 1981.' It is heavily orientated towards that line. Once you are in the "trade", you just cannot escape this little inclination. I do not know whether it spells out a financial policy. Its social objectives are not mentioned. Only the Ministry of Education and Housing development were mentioned in the Minister's Budget statement proper. Of course, mention was made in the Memorandum to the Budget statement. This is an innovation by the former Minister for Finance when he presented his budget in 1967. He observed quite rightly, and quite contrary to what the Member for Anson has said earlier, that most Members in this House as well as the public were not quite interested in statistics. So he proposed at that sitting to introduce an innovation by incorporating the statistics and other details in a memorandum, and this has since been the practice. May I come back to the point, Sir?”
“True, the Minister can fly in any direction but I must caution him - make sure that he flies with a gyroscope - a little gadget to maintain stability and balance, just in case he flies upside down. Any pilot can tell you, Sir, that at a certain altitude you do not know where the land is, or where the horizon is, in which direction you are nearer to God, or in which direction you might just vanish into thin air! And the gyroscope in this case is a political gyroscope. In saying this I have in mind a statement made by the Minister for Health almost 20 years ago. The Minister for Health, Dr Toh Chin Chye, then the Deputy Prime Minister, said this on 31st December, 1960, at the sixth anniversary of the Party, and I quote: 'It is obvious that our political ideology must be brought to bear in the execution [of any policy] if it is not to be regarded as a simple and straightforward piece of work. In other words, the task of bringing it to fruition cannot be divorced from our political thinking.' The emphasis then was quite different from today. But it does not mean that having reached the stage that we are in today we should totally divorce ourselves from the political objectives. I went through the Budget statement and I found it fairly devoid of any political thinking. Perhaps, in wanting to save time, the Minister did not include this in his statement. I have no doubts of his ability to include it, but it is important in any budget statement to set down the political and social objectives. Of course, in his statement, the Minister said: 'Development objectives. The Budget should reflect the thrust and objectives of our policy to restructure the economy and of our development strategies for the Eighties. It should balance economic growth with social objectives.”
“It is a very useful thought for Singaporeans to know why we are able to afford to give now, and the reason behind it is that we have done well. Not out of luck, Sir, but through sheer hard work all these years from the threat of the British military withdrawal and mass unemployment to the need of having to import foreign workers which, in the process, has given us some social problems. We have gone through all that ore through sheer hard work, and we are now able to give away just that little. The Minister is not altogether an unthinking fellow. He has also given us hints in his statement that there may be further reductions in future to rationalise the income tax structure to bring Singapore in line with other countries, particularly in this part of the world. We hope to attract more investment and to provide more incentives for the professionals to work even harder. An hon. Member has complained that the tax relief is not sufficient. If he could be a little more patient and, if the Minister is true to his words, perhaps in the next few years the hon. Member for Changi would be able to satisfy himself and his constituents. I have gone through the statement and I have found that something is amiss. I am particularly impressed by this statement of the Minister, and I quote: 'I am grateful to him (Minister for Finance) for this privilege and for the confidence he has in me. I can assure the House, however, that whilst I have the liberty to fly [I do not know the altitude - whether it is high-fly or low-fly] in the direction I please and in any manner I choose, I have no intention of flying off-course or performing any aerial acrobatic. That will be kamikaze.' I found it right at the second paragraph of the Minister's statement. There is something amiss.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since the Whip is not lifted, I have no alternative but to support the Government on its financial policy for the year 1980/81. In so doing, Sir, I will have to be extremely cautious with my remarks, lost I stop beyond the bounds. I have perused the statement of the Minister for Trade and Industry several times over. It is a good Budget statement, though not quite conformed to the standard demanded by the Member for Anson. But it is good enough to bring cheers and happiness to many Singaporeans. It has been described as a "give-away budget", "go-getter budget", "sweet budget" and "painless budget". I am sure Members will shower the Minister with more adjectives of that son during the course of this debate. But I must caution that one should not simply regard it as a give-away budget because there is a reason for giving. True, we have done well in our economic development. It is true that we have amassed a reasonable amount of wealth in the coffer. It is true that we can afford to give away a little but we must understand that it is not because we con afford to give but rather the reason for giving. The hon. Member for Alexandra has likened the budget to giving the child first a beating and then giving him a candy so as to stop him from crying - thereby causing noise pollution! But I would rather liken it in this manner, Sir. It is for a good cause, we must understand the reason and the thinking behind the giving. It is not just because we can afford to give. I think the Minister has done well in cautioning us that, in so giving, we expect the people to respond and, most important, to understand the reason behind this give-away budget. It is our expectation that Singaporeans will respond and do well, perhaps even better.”
“Sir, this is a neutral question, more a matter of information. How many golfers do we have, and how much money was spent on the Sentosa Golf Course?”
“Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. CIVIL LAW (AMENDMENT NO. 2) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.14 p.m.”
“The master of the vessel against whom a warrant of arrest has been issued, however, left the country before the warrant could be executed. Among those charged in court, except for one person whose case has yet to be heard, the penalty imposed ranged from a maximum fine of $10,000 to a maximum term of imprisonment of six months. Notwithstanding these penalties, the deterrent effect appears insufficient. This is evidenced by the occurrence of three serious accidents soon after the Spyros disaster, one in a construction worksite and two in shipyards. Each of these accidents claimed three lives. Investigations into accidents in the recent past invariably showed a lack of concern for safety on the part of those responsible, despite the efforts of the Factory Inspectorate, in safety education and enforcement. We have to reverse this trend. Apart from the unnecessary human suffering and hardship caused to workers and their families, the economic cost of industrial accidents is unacceptably high. Mr Speaker Sir, the Bill before the House now seeks to enhance the maximum penalty under the Factories Act, 1973. It amends section 82 of the Act by adding a sub-clause to provide for a maximum penalty of a fine not exceeding $25,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to both such fine and imprisonment for any offence which results in the death or serious injury to any person. It is hoped that this increased penalty will provide sufficient deterrence to those persons who disregard safety. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Fong Sip Chee].”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Honourable Members will recall that the Factories Act, 1973, was amended in March 1978, The amendments then provided for more stringent requirements on safety measures to be taken by the occupiers of factories for the safety, health and welfare of workers. They also provided for an increase in the maximum penalty for contravention of the provisions of the Factories Act, 1973, from a fine of $2,000 or an imprisonment not exceeding six months or both to a fine of $10,000 or an imprisonment not exceeding six months or both. In the 17 months since these amendments were made, there has been very little improvement in the industrial safety situation. While the total number of industrial accidents reported to my Ministry decreased marginally by only 21 cases from 4,575 cases in 1977 to 4,554 cases in 1978, there has been a marked increase in the number of serious accidents despite the measures taken by the Factory Inspectorate to contain them. In this period the number of accidents resulting in the amputation of limbs increased from 135 to 156. Of greater concern, however, is the jump in the number of deaths which rose from 57 cases in 1977 to 131 last year. In particular, the number of industrial accidents causing multiple injuries and deaths continued to rise from 23 in 1977 to 25 in 1978, although an increase of only two cases, nevertheless they resulted in multiple deaths. The one which will remain long in the memory of hon. Members and the people of Singapore is the Spyros disaster which killed 76 and injured 69 others. Those responsible for the Spyros disaster have been charged in court for contravening the provisions of the Factories Act and the Penal Code.”
“Sir, on a point of clarification. We do not depend on our position as Members of Parliament for a living. But professionals do.”