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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“I really cannot understand the logic of some hon. Members. In spite of what the Minister for Finance said yesterday that news coverage entails a lot of expenses and that there is wastage of public funds, hon. Members still bring up this matter today. Sir, the policy is to provide an objective and intelligent coverage including local news, news of our immediate neighbours, and of the world at large. Usually, local events which take place before six p.m. are reported the same evening, whereas foreign news usually comes in late and is included in the following morning's programme. The Director of Broadcasting normally decides whether an event is to be covered. His decision is based on the news-worthiness of the events in relation to the efforts required to cover them and the availability of facilities. In this connection, he has classified events into four categories: (1) events which must be covered even if stringer cameramen have to be engaged; (2) events which must be covered with the normal staff; (3) events which may be covered for the sake of variety where facilities can be spared; and (4) events which should not be covered. Normally, Ministers are given preference in coverage, but this is not always the case. The Director of Broadcasting sometimes gives preference to Members of Parliament if he considers that such coverage will give variety to the news programmes and will eliminate monotony. For example, community centre programmes are usually monotonous, more so if dinners are involved which so frequently take place in some constituencies. For more than two and a half years, the News Division has been run with only 60 per cent of the approved establishment and this is bound to affect the quality of newsreels produced.”
“That is the job I am paid to do! Most advertisement agencies conduct their own surveys. If they ftnd the T.V, programmes over-saturated with advertisements which do not achieve the desired effect, they will make adjustments accordingly. On the question of whether television is operated on a commercial or a cultural basis, the policy of the Broadcasting Department is to be self-sufficient and that is to collect sufficient revenue from its commercial services to meet its recurrent expenditure. This objective is being achieved, and the commercial service of the Broadcasting Department collected a revenue of $5.23 million in the first 11 months of 1967 in comparison with $4.53 million in the same period of 1966 - an increase of almost $700,000. At present, Television Singapura includes 12 minutes of advertisements in every one hour of programme. The normal percentage of advertisements for a station operating a commercial service is much higher, as in the case of stations running commercial services in Japan, the United States, Australia, and so on. In the case of T.V. Malaysia, there are less advertisements, which is probably due to the fact that their commercial service cannot get the same amount of business as T.V. Singapura. I will not go into the statistics of adver tisements and collections. But I will end by saying this: somebody complained to me when I was away that While he was enjoying the advertisements, there had to be "Ben Casey" coming along!”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there is no definite evidence that there has been an over-saturation of advertisements in our T.V. programmes.”
“Sir, on a point of clarification. The Member for Bras Basah has said that the Government allows entertainment of a low taste amounting almost to vulgarity and does not allow an old man or an old woman to come into Singapore. May I clarify? Perhaps I can take this up at a later stage when the Ministry of Culture is involved?”
“Unrehearsed! Mr Ho See Beng(In Mandarin): This is the behaviour of the Government. If the Government can allow a strip-teaser to come into Singapore for a low-brow type of performance, why is it that the Government cannot allow an old lady to come into Singapore to be reunited with her son here? If this is the policy of the Government, then I can only say that the sooner it is given up, the better for us.”
“Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Law and National Development what is the total cost of the works on the canal at the junction of Tampines and Upper Serangoon Roads and whether railings will be erected along both sides of the canal to prevent children falling in.”
“Sir, that is not true. The Ministry of Culture is not dependent on anybody. In fact, we have a list of agents and publishers and, depending on the availability of catalogues and bibliographies, we order the books as we deem fit from whichever source available. PLANTING OF SHRUBS AND FLOWERING ALONG ROADS AND ROUNDABOUTS 15. Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Culture and Social Affairs if he will consider the planting of more shrubs and flowering plants along roads and at roundabouts to enhance their beauty and the beauty of the City as a whole. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Affairs (Mr Chan Chee Seng) (for the Minister for Culture and Social Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, I should like to assure the hon. Member that consideration is being given to the planting of shrubs and flowering plants along our roads and at roundabouts to enhance the appearance of the city. Thus, for example, last year flower boxes were placed on the road dividers along Collyer Quay, flowering shrubs were planted in the open space in front of Clifford Pier, and the overhead pedestrian bridge was decorated with flowering shrubs and plants. Recently the roundabout at Empress Place has been replanted with flowers, flowering shrubs and plants. I should like to take this opportunity to mention a special tree planting scheme which is being organised by the Ministry of National Development which will include, among other things, the planting of flowers, shrubs, such as bougainvillaea, on traffic islands, road dividers and other roundabout open spaces all over the island. The scheme will begin with the Airport Road as the first phase. CANAL AT JUNCTION OF TAMPINES AND UPPER SERANGOON ROADS (Total cost of works and erection of railings) 16.”
“Sir, there is some difficulty in obtaining Chinese, Malay and Tamil books as not many Chinese, Malay and Tamil books are published annually compared with English books. So selection is limited and some subjects are not well represented, for example, science and technology. Few bibliographies, book lists, catalogues and other buying aids are available. Some Chinese books published in China do not conform to our local requirements. During the Indonesian confrontation it was not possible to obtain Indonesian publications. Poor physical quality of the books, for example, paper, ink, binding and illustrations, means that books in these languages do not last very long even when rebound and have to be frequently replaced. Such books are purchased from local and overseas booksellers. With regard to the rate between the local dollar and the rupee before the devaluation of the Indian rupee, the cost of Tamil books was 80 cents to one rupee and the present rate is 70 cents to one rupee.”
“Sir, the total collection of books in each of the official languages in the National Library as at 31st December last year is as follows: Malay... 33,018 Chinese... 65,468 Tamil... 18,264 English... 168,955 ------- Total... 285,705. ======= With regard to part (b) of the question, 100 per cent of the votes allocated for the purchase of books in 1965 and 1966 were expended. NATIONAL LIBRARY (Purchase of Chinese, Malay and Tamil books) 14. Mr S. Rajoo asked the Minister for Culture and Social Affairs (a) whether there is any difficulty in obtaining Chinese, Malay and Tamil books for the National Library; (b) what are the sources for the purchase of such books; and (c) what was the cost in local currency per rupee of the Indian price for purchases made in Singapore of Tamil books published in India before devaluation of the Indian rupee and what is the present such cost.”
“Sir, most of the books destroyed by the National Library have been replaced, but not one hundred per cent of them, because, firstly, some of the books destroyed were regarded as no longer of value to the readers, and, secondly, some of the books destroyed are already out of print and no further copies or editions are available. NATIONAL LIBRARY BOOKS (Total collection in four official languages and expenditure in 1965 and 1966) 13. Mr S. Rajoo asked the Minister for Culture and Social Affairs (a) what was the total collection of books in each of the official languages in the National Library as at 31st December, 1966; and (b) what percentages of the votes allocated for the purchase of books in 1965 and 1966 were expended.”
“Member for Bukit Merah has pointed out that the Member for Delta has deliberately proposed to delete paragraphs (a) and (b) of clause 28 but retain paragraphs (c) and (d) so that the women can take advantage of the clause and put the men in a disadvantageous position. That is why there are four paragraphs in that clause to provide equal rights and opportunities for both parties to seek a divorce or to seek a solution - freedom from the anxiety that when they go home one evening, they might find somebody who is out to annoy him or annoy her, as the case may be. I support this clause 28 of the Bill and I would like to make it clear that its aim is to provide a solution for some married people living in misery and not a clause specifically provided to encourage divorces in Singapore.”
“Yes. But she presupposes that all men are evil. On the other hand, the Member for Tiong Bahru presupposes that all women are evil. Sir, I think we are not here to discuss whether men or women are born evil; neither is the discussion on the question of equality of women. The Member for Delta has complained that the economic machinery is controlled by men. I think it is through no fault of men. With regard to advertisements in the newspapers for jobs as lorry drivers or tractor drivers, in a. hundred per cent of cases you do not find women applying for such jobs. They simply refuse to apply for these jobs because they acknowledge their physiological inferiority. In general, we have to consider whether this piece of legislation will build a happier community rather than discuss whether the men or the women are evil beings. Sir, this is indeed a very advanced piece of legislation. In some countries they are still looking forward to having this kind of legislation, but they have not so far got it. I think we are perhaps among the first Asian countries to bring about this legislation. To have two persons living together who are totally incompatible is not only disastrous to them, in that it is a mental strain on both parties, but it is also a definite detriment to the family, if they have any children. So this provision in the Bill is a means to regulate such a situation and not to encourage divorce as suggested by some hon. Members in the House. It provides a solution for this kind of cases. I do not believe there is a possibility of reconciliation if both parties are simply incompatible. So this is a means to allow both parties to acquire freedom to seek a divorce. They can still apply to court for a divorce, and if it is granted, then they are free. The hon.”
“Mr Speaker, I do not want to involve myself too deeply in this Bill. It is not that I am altogether disinterested. I do not think that I will have to take advantage of any clause that is proposed today. Mr Speaker, Sir, the previous speakers in the House have somewhat misled us when they discussed whether or not divorce is a good thing. The Member for Delta very chivalrously protected the rights of women. I do not know what the Minister for Education has to add to what she has said.”
“Point of order, Sir,I think the Member for Jalan Kayu has gone beyond the bounds of a question. He is making a speech. Mr Speaker: Mr Fong, in view of Mr Teo's recent entry into the House, I was giving a little time for his question to develop before I pulled him up. Mr Teo, could you make your supplementary a question and not a statement?”
“We can perhaps reduce the expenses, if the Member for Choa Chu Kang can be generous enough!”
“Sir, I was coming to that before I was interrupted by the Member for Choa Chu Kang. I said that we already have that machinery in Singapore which has so often been referred to by my colleagues, and that is the Central Complaints Bureau. But we do not require a Parliamentary Commissioner to head the Central Complaints Bureau. We have a Director there, and the results of investigations by this Bureau have proved to be effective and honest without any fear of intimidation from any quarter. Sir, I am inclined to think that the Central Complaints Bureau serves the same purpose as the Parliamentary Commissioner. But the difference is that A Report by Justice states that the machinery can "be called the Parliamentary Commissioner (or by some other suitable title)", but we call it the Central Complaints Bureau. Sir, the British Constitutional Commission was appointed as a result of the Prime Minister's speech in November 1959 on the question of looking into the appointment of an Ombudsman. The period 1959 to 1967, by any stretch of the imagination, can be regarded as recent. Even in the Report, they have not altogether recommended that the holder of the office of the Parliamentary Commissioner must be appointed, and they have not made any firm recommendation as to whether it should be termed "Parliamentary Commissioner" or "Ombudsman". We have that machinery. In fact, it is operating very smoothly in Singapore. Sir, I do not believe that any citizen in Singapore cannot seek redress of his grievances. After all, a citizen can seek redress in court, and according to the Hierarchy of the judicial system - the House of Lords, the Privy Council or the Judicial Committee, the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the Magistrate's Court - he can go through all these channels.”
“Sir, if we carry the argument of the Member for Choa Chu Kang further, then this recommendation itself is not conclusive, because it states that only complaints received from Members of Parliament should be investigated and, of course, it suggests that the complaints should be supplemented by other machinery if and when a Member of Parliament requests an investigation into a certain matter. We already have that machinery in Singapore which has been referred to so often. Mr Tang See Chim: Mr Speaker, Sir, may I be permitted to interrupt?”
“I was referring to the Member for Choa Chu Kang, Sir. This Committee comprised Sir John Whyatt - he was the Director of Research and formerly Chief Justice of Singapore - the Chairman was Mr Norman S. Marsch; the members were Sir Sydney Caine and Dr H. W. R. Wade. All of them are men of eminence. In the recommendation of this Committee contained in page 79 of this Report, I quote - Sir, it is a fairly long one but I hope the House will bear with me on this - paragraph 166: `Our conclusion regarding complaints of maladministration is that Parliament is and must remain the most important channel by making representations to the Executive about grievances.' It did not say the Parliamentary Commissioner but Parliament must remain the most important channel. It goes on to say: `We think the existing Parliamentary procedures, in particular the Parliamentary Question procedure and the Adjournment Debates, provide a valuable means for dealing with complaints of maladministration raised by Members of Parliament but that they would be more effective if they were supplemented by machinery which would enable such complaints to be investigated by an impartial authority if the Member requested it. We have therefore proposed that an officer, to be called the Parliamentary Commissioner (or by some other suitable title), with a status similar to that of the Comptroller and Auditor-General, should be appointed, and subject to certain conditions, should investigate complaints of maladministration against Government Departments received from Members of Parliament.'.”
“But it would be naive for us to believe that we have come to that kind of standard when compared to the Western world for the adoption of a Parliamentary Commissioner. Parliamentary democracy and franchise in voting is indeed new in Singapore and, in fact, in Asia. I do not believe that ten years or maybe even 20 years of education on voting and the value of representative government can really defeat the prejudice of the people of Asia, who in the known history of 4,000 years, have not known a single instance in which a government was put into power through voting. Sir, we are not dismissing the recommendation for the establishment or creation of an Ombudsman for Singapore. But if you are to examine this office, I would say it came into being only very recently. I mean the known parliamentary history, particularly after the industrial revolution. The first known case of the appointment of an Ombudsman was in 1809. Is that correct, Mr Tang?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Members will recall that once Sir Winston Churchill said, "Democracy is the worst system of government, but it is the only one that works." We are gathered here today to examine the basic principles and also to come to some form of compromise on which to work out a new Constitution for our young Republic. This reminds us of what John Russell said about constitutions. He said, "Every political constitution in which different bodies share political power is only enabled to exist by the forbearance of those among whom this power is distributed." One of the conscious fears of the people of Singapore is the question of whether or not the basic rights of the minority - in short, the basic rights of human beings - can be entrenched in the Constitution in order to provide a form of safeguard for them. And among the suggestions and recommendations of the Constitutional Commission were the office of the Ombudsman and the Council of State. Sir, in as much as we understand and appreciate the functions and the good work that an Ombudsman or a Parliamentary Commissioner can do and can contribute to this new Republic, I think one cannot, at the same time, automatically conclude that that is the best form, having regard to the existing social structure and the population at large. The office of the Ombudsman automatically presupposes a very high degree of public administration and, of course, a highly and extremely sophisticated population. It is not for us to say that our population is not sophisticated or our public administration is not up to the standard that would have been expected perhaps by the Member for Choa Chu Kang.”
“In the process of integrating the loose collection of peoples into a nation with a strong sense of identity, military service has played a significant role from the great city states of the 5th century B.C, to the 12th century continental super powers. We have seen how the development of national consciousness has been so often centred around service in the defence forces. In Singapore, we are not yet a closely-knit community. So many of our people are of recent migrant origin. All this goes towards creating a sense of value which is personal, self-centred with anti-social tendencies when a conflict arises between personal interests and social obligations. These are the values of the ruthless parvenu of society. We cannot hope to remove them over-night. But in the proces3 of creating a stronger national consciousness among our people, we will find that military service will play an increasingly important role as it has played in other nations and in other ages. This aspect of military service is at least as important as the purely defence consideration." 6.55 p.m. MOMENT OF INTERRUPTION (Business Motion)”
“We have a right and an obligation to guide and to help build up the next generation and to evolve a spirit of oneness. In the most advanced countries of the world, as my colleagues, the Member for Sembawang and the Member for Jalan Kayu have earlier mentioned, almost everyone of them has national service. In some countries, a deserter or one who evades national service will never in his life reveal this fact to his friend or even to his wife, for he regards this as shameful. Evasion of the responsibility to defend the nation is something that we have yet to put into the minds of our population. After all, military service is not purely military service. In the Army, one can learn a trade, the mechanics of repairing a car, fixing up wires, and possibly repairing a bridge. Therefore, in our new nation military service can be very important in one other aspect, i.e., to provide sufficient trained and, most important, disciplined men to fill up the vacancies in our industrial houses. Therefore, Mr Speaker, Sir, it is oui duty to explain to the people that their obligation is to these 224 square miles -- 225 square miles at low tide - of territory and not somewhere else, not further north where a certain country exploded an atom bomb. Some of us in Singapore take particular pride in that, and not in any other country to which by sentiment or race we feel we are attached - Indonesia or India. Sir, to end our discussion today, ][ should like to quote a passage from the speech of the Minister of Defence made on the 29th of December last year at a passing-cut parade. Dr Goh then said: `Throughout man's long history, defence of the community has always been regarded as a novel duty.”
“Today, 10 years later, these are the same categories of people who are serving now in the Vigilante Corps, the Special Constabulary and, most important of all, in the People's Defence Force. The same categories who protested 10 years ago are the same people who now understand the mechanics of survival and they serve diligently in their respective arms. Shortly before the Japanese occupied Singapore, a great number of somewhat questionably able-bodied men and youths were "mobilised", handed with rifles and ordered to go oil to the so-called front. And all of us know what happened after that. With due respect to the people who fought so well shortly before 1942, we cannot afford to face a similar kind of situation - the situation of being caught unprepared. Some of the stories related to us now by the still surviving members of the then Volunteer Forces were that they thought they went for a picnic - and a "picnic" it was, Mr Speaker, Sir. Can we afford another such "picnic"? Are we to be caught again in a state of un-preparedness? As I have said, the fact that we cannot and will never attack others does not mean that we do not have to defend ourselves. National service has more important aspects than military. As the Prime Minister and earlier the Minister of Defence have said, it is through military training that we can build up a disciplined, well-organised, tough and rugged new generation. For if we are to give up this place, we had better know to whom we are giving our authority. If we give up ourselves, and the next generation with soft knees are prepared to compromise under the slightest pressure, then I say we had better pack up now. We have a right to guide ---- [Interruption].”
“And the answer is national service so as not only to provide the means of defence but also to make it obligatory on the part of the people to defend their own interest and their own property. Sir, history has proved that no standing army in Asia can be demobilised. Once you raise an army, you have to maintain and feed it and even to expand it, for a general cannot be a general if you have not got an army division. Sir, this is particularly so when a country's independence is achieved through violent revolution, and after that the freedom fighters form the elite group of the nation's army and claim the right of place in society. After all, they fought for independence. Our situation in Singapore is unique in the sense that there is no front line in view of the smallness of our Republic. You cannot run from Pasir Panjang to Katong. In a nuclear war there will be no one left behind to build a memorial, because there will be no one left to pick up our bones. Even in a conventional war, you cannot run from east to west. It is a matter of 27 miles - 14 miles by 27 miles. There is no front line. Every inch of our territory is, in fact, a front line. Who is going to defend that? Sir, we cannot afford to have a soft-kneed new generation if we are to survive. And we hope through military training that we can build up a tough and rugged new generation that can make this country tick. The situation has changed in Singapore over the last decade or so. In the mid-l950s, national service was the subject of very violent protests from such categories of the population as hawkers, factory workers, shop assistants and students.”
“Yet that does not prevent her from military conflicts with her neighbours, China and Pakistan. The disputes with Pakistan and China have created doubts in the minds of many as to the practicability of neutrality. Sweden and Switzerland, for instance, maintain a sizable army even when their foreign policy is neutral. Sir, we cannot take it for granted that nobody will harm us, that everything is well and good if we adopt a neutral foreign policy. Neutrality is meaningless without safeguards to our national integrity. Who will guarantee our territorial integrity? [Mr Speaker in the Chair] 6.44 p.m. In the past two decades the international boundaries of countries have changed and are still changing. For example, the 38th parallel in Korea and the 17th parallel in Vietnam are very artificial demarcations. The Thai/Cambodian border was the subject of a World Court decision. The West Irian, India and Pakistan, and India and China borders and many African countries are still disputing over their boundaries. Some of these are of military significance, but in our case it is more economic than political. Sir, we cannot afford to involve ourselves in power bloc conflicts in this part of the world. But we cannot, at the same time, be so ridiculously presumptuous that because we will not and cannot play the part of the aggressor, we need not therefore think about our defence. We cannot afford to maintain a large standing army and, therefore, our very small Armed Forces must be a very efficient one. That means that the duty and obligation to defend the country is open to a very small minority of those people who are serving in the regular forces. Others are indifferent.”
“The lesson was that our stake is here, and not anywhere else. If you want to survive, stay here and fight. Sir, going back to recent history, the circumstances leading to our independence can be said to be very unique. Overnight we found ourselves masters of our own destiny, standing alone at the southern tip of the Asian continent. The first step was to establish ourselves internationally and make as many friends as we possibly could. Then came the big question mark: our security. Can we handle the job? How? With or without the British? The position of the British base here in Singapore is more than one of military consideration. But we cannot forever be dependent upon a foreign country for cur livelihood, more so our security. The British are beginning to have a re-appraisal of their defence arrangements east of Suez. For us, the British base here can be a very delicate and explosive political issue. And so we give ourselves a very thorough examination and post-mortem. With the almost immediate withdrawal of Malaysian troops and the Federal Reserve Unit, who forbade people singing Christmas hymns during Christmas time, we would have to more than fill up our security vacuum. This we did. But as a long-term policy, with the impending and eventual and inevitable withdrawal of foreign troops, we have to handle the job on our own. This will lead us to the question, what kind of army do we want to build up? How big should the Armed Forces be? And most important, against whom are we defending? Sir, let us tackle the last question first. Against whom are we defending? The established policy of the Government on foreign policy is non-alignment. India, too, professes a neutral foreign policy.”
“But there are many - perhaps most of the Ministers on the Front Bench - concerning whom the British regrettably admitted that their plans had misfired. Sir, defence was then not our business. We were free to make a living and go to any commercial enterprises provided the resultant benefits were to the British interest and in their favour. And none at that time regarded this place as our permanent home. Very few questioned the rights that were due to them. The question of security then was not our business too, because the security of Singapore meant the security of the colonial interest here. And so when the Japanese were nearing Singapore - not actually in Singapore - the British packed up and Singapore was handed over to the Japanese. They could get away because they had the Prince of Wales. What did we have? Our sampans? We could not get away. And where could we go? For the Chinese, back to China; the Indians back to India; and the Malays back to Indonesia? Sir, the lesson taught to us was that the British could pack up and scoot off and then return at a time when they felt it most opportune to do so. Sir, we were the unfortunate that were left behind to face the music of three years and eight months. Where were the British? The Australians fought well, the Indian Regiment fought well, and so did the Malay Regiment. Not the British. Our forefathers perhaps and our brothers were the ones that fought the Japanese. Sir, the Japanese taught us a lesson. [Interruption] I was five.”
“And if you come down a little bit south, North and South Vietnam, they are still building and fighting at the same time. North and South Korea, for example, had similar experience and they were only slightly better off when compared with the Vietnamese. Even India, which is a neutral nation and has a very sizable standing army, is tied down to two border disputes with her neighbours. Closer to us, the Malaysian Army is still expanding, and it is said that they will build an initial target of at least 35 battalions, with full Commonwealth support. The experience of the Malaysian Army during the Emergency was indeed a hard-earned one. Are we in Singapore going to join in this armed rat race? What for? Who will benefit? Can we afford to raise and maintain a reasonably large army for our security? Or are we expanding the Armed Forces to provide employment opportunities, as some other country not very far from Singapore is doing? Sir, for over a hundred years, under British rule, we had been fed with a different language, a different way of life, and, most important of all, and perhaps the most upsetting thing of all, we had been made to evolve a very peculiar outlook and social assessment based on a philosophy and education system completely foreign to us. Those who were fortunate were given an education which was sufficient to serve the colonial administration but not good enough to question their colonial masters' right; except for a few, of course, to whom the British thought a higher education could be given in the motherland, so that they could be equipped with better knowledge, and then later on baited with high social position and security to serve the colonial interests.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I will confine my remarks to some general aspects and leave the details of the Bill to my other colleagues. In order to appreciate the essence of the National Service (Amendment) Bill, I think we ought to make a brief survey of this part of the world because what goes on in South-east Asia is more than academic to Singapore, being the centre of this region. If you look around us, Mr Speaker, Sir, particularly on the military aspect, you will find that Singapore is indeed in a very peculiar situation. [Mr Lim Cheng Lock in the Chair] 6.32 p.m. Our Singapore Infantry Regiment, which was raised in 1957, is almost ten years old and saw action. Sir, we are only beginning to crawl. But the Indonesian Army is more than two decades old and has acquired a fair amount of combat experience. We do not know much about the Indonesian Navy and the Air Force because they are unknown qualities. Perhaps the only experience we think the Indonesian Navy can claim is piracy during the confrontation. There was an occasion when a disgruntled pilot directed his plane and his guns at the President's palace; and then, of course, the recent coup. If you go further north towards Communist China, the Chinese Liberation Army was developed from large groups of organised guerrillas into a well-established fighting force of more than 2.5 million. And if you were to mobilise each and every one in Singapore, young and old, you would only succeed in getting 1.89 million. The Chinese Army alone is more than the population of Singapore. More so, Sir, the Chinese Communist Army is the only military force in this part of the world that has the experience of fighting in international wars, particularly fighting the Allied Powers.”
“Sir, the Member for Sembawang has suggested that we should include more healthy and constructive programmes and discard unhealthy and unconstructive programmes. Is he implying that the present programmes are unhealthy and unconstructive?”
“I was merely participating in the debate just now - that was not the reply. I am still awaiting a reply from my colleague here. Would the Member please not withdraw his amendment until my colleague has a chance to reply? The Member seems to imply that my colleague is not in a position to reply. My taking part in the debate is to clarify the picture for the benefit of Members in this House.”
“If that is the case, they are more likely to be squatters who have erected temporary structures. But it is not possible to have an area zoned as a green belt and then suddenly over a period of three years you find a new housing estate springing up there. By a new housing estate, I take it that the Member for Sembawang means permanent structures like bungalows or semi-detached bungalows and terrace houses. It is not possible, Mr Speaker, Sir. There is provision in the Planning Ordinance - I think it is No. 12 of 1959 - to allow the Minister to waive certain zoning requirements for a certain piece of land; in other words, to exempt the planning provision applicable to this piece of land. In short, if a piece of land is zoned as a shopping area and if an application comes in for the erection of buildings for residential purposes and if the Minister, after weighing the circumstances, decides that it is more beneficial to have this piece of land for the erection of residential premises, then he will waive the requirements under the Master Plan that this piece of land must be used for shopping purposes. So there are sufficient provisions in the law to enable some degree of flexibility so as not to hamper the proper and justified development for the benefit of the Republic and for the benefit of our economy. I am surprised the Member for Sembawang has put up instances like that, it is very difficult to understand what exactly he has in his mind.”
“If you look at the town map, there are certain areas which are zoned as shopping areas, but when you go down to the actual site and carry out a survey, that particular piece of land may be full of residential houses. The idea is that in the next 5 or 10 years, in the event of urban renewal or if the land owner wishes to demolish a block of buildings to rebuild, then he must comply with the Master Plan provisions, and that is to use that piece of land to erect premises for shopping purposes. As I have said, town planning is a long-term policy which cannot be achieved even in 20 years. I am not aware of areas in the Master Plan zoned as swamps as suggested by the Member for Sembawang. I do know of some un-fixed zoning and they are areas which are shown as white in the Master Plan and are known as "undetermined use", but I am not aware of any area that is used for swamps. Now, the Member has referred particularly to the east coast. I take it that he is referring to the Bedok reclamation area and the Kallang Basin. The reclamation at Bedok and the Kallang Basin is carried out with the full knowledge of Government. It is part of a scheme by Government, in conjunction with the Planning Department, to reclaim land. This is totally irrelevant to the subject under discussion. The Member has said that a green belt area two years ago was so designated as a green belt area and now it is all filled with houses. The reason is that one of two things might have happened. One, there must have been a re-zoning of that particular area whereby they have permitted residential or other forms of development in the green belt area, or houses might have been erected there without the approval of the Government.”
“I do not wish to prolong unnecessarily the sitting today. There are only 25 minutes more. I have been listening with patience. Sir, I think town planning generally is a long-term policy which cannot be realised in a short period of three to five years. In deciding on the zoning of a certain area, the town planner must take into consideration the possible development and the shape of things to come in the next 10, 20 or even 30 years. It is not possible, once you have decided on the zoning for a particular area, to have it implemented forthwith. I should like to quote one example for the rural area, and another example for the city area. If you look at the island map of the Master Plan, you will notice there are four types of maps - the island map, the town map, the central area map, and the central area programme map. If you look at the island map, you will find that certain parts of land are zoned as green belt or open space, and yet when you go down to the actual site, it is all occupied by either squatters, or a portion of it may be even occupied by one or two permanent structures. That does not mean that once you zone a piece of land as green belt, then all the squatters there and even the semi-permanent structures there must be demolished forthwith, and the whole area turned into a green belt. The idea is to reserve that piece of land, as my colleague has pointed out earlier, for possible future development, and also to provide sufficient green area in the Republic to serve as lungs for the people. That is why green belts and open spaces are demarcated.”
“On a point of order, Sir. There is no law to stipulate how men and women should dress themselves. The Chairman: Mr Fong, the Member is within the rules ---”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, frankly I do not see how this has anything to do with culture. It does not come within the purview of the Ministry of Culture. It is a police matter.”
“Sir, the space is rented out to the restaurant at a monthly rental of $1,200, which is inclusive of water and other service charges. We consider this to be on the very cheap side, taking into consideration the surrounding area. And we are looking into the matter with a view to increasing the rental. With regard to the query by the Member for River Valley, I am not in a position to say whether it is the policy of the Government to have a licence for the sale of liquor to be issued in the name of the Government, but the existing practice in the case of the Superintendent, Victoria Theatre, is to issue the liquor licence in his name. This has been in force for several years.”
“Sir, the position now is that the licence is issued to the owner of the restaurant and he pays the licence fee. As I have explained, in order to have better control over the bar and restaurant as from 1967, the Liquors Licensing Board Licence will be in the name of the Superintendent, Singapore Conference Hall. And we pay for the licence, Sir.”
“No, Sir. The Member is asking who pays for the licence now. I say it is the operator who pays for it now. But as from next year we will pay for it.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this restaurant operator pays for the licence.”
“No, Mr Speaker. We are not running this restaurant, neither are we selling liquor. This restaurant occupies a space in the Singapore Conference Hall and we rent out this space to the restaurant operator on the basis of tender. We only require that the licence for sales of liquor be issued in the name of the Singapore Conference Hall and not in the name of the restaurant operator. As I have explained, Sir, this is in order to exercise better control over this restaurant. Mr Govindaswamy(In Tamil): We pay the liquor licence but another person derives profit from that licence! Is that the Government's intention? Who pays for the licence and who makes money out of it? That is my question.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the vote concerns the item Liquors Licensing Board Licences in the sum of $720. The reason why we provide this sum of money for the payment of licences issued by the Liquors Licensing Board is that we require a licence for the restaurant at the Singapore Conference Hall for sales of liquor to be issued in the name of the Singapore Conference Hall and not in the name of the restaurant operator. This is because we wish to exercise better control over the restaurant. There is an existing regulation involving the canteen at the Victoria Theatre, which licence is also issued in the name of the Superintendent, Victoria Theatre, and not the canteen operator.”
“One of the big difficulties is the scouting for talent which I am sure the Member for Anson will have noticed in some locally-produced programmes. In as much as we wish to improve the standard, we do not find it possible for the time being to do so, as T.V. plays and T.V. acts are still in their infancy in Singapore, and it will take some time for local playwrights and artistes to get acquainted with the T.V. studio. The production technique in a T.V. studio is quite different from that in a normal film studio. The next problem is markets for our programmes produced. If we can secure a market to sell or to hire out programmes produced by us, it will certainly help in defraying the cost of production. You will appreciate, Mr Speaker, Sir, that it is very difficult to secure a market for our programmes, as some of them are repetitions of programmes already produced in other countries, and when we compare our programmes with theirs, there is quite a wide choice of preference in view of the different tastes of viewers. So we will bear in mind the suggestion by the Member for Anson and will endeavour to produce more local programmes taking into consideration the various difficulties which I have just mentioned.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since the Member for Anson has expressed his desire to deal with the three subheads together, I will begin by enlightening him on the purpose of the sums allocated for these three subheads. Sir, the provision of $1,150,000 for subhead 2251 involves the acquisition of programmes meant for T.V. only. This amount is to cover the hire of films, telerecording and the purchase of rights of locally-produced programmes and films. The estimate for 1966 was $1 million. The increase of $150,000 for 1967 is to provide for more hours of transmission next year. The provision of $300,000 for subhead 2260 is for Programme Production Expenses. Members of the House will note that there is an increase of $50,000 for 1967 and this is due to the following reasons: (1) The anticipated increase in the hours of production, and (2) The use of four studios in Television Centre as against one temporary studio which is now demolished in the old Broadcasting House. The increase in the number of studios will naturally increase the number of live productions. Subhead 2261 is in respect of Programme Production Fees in the sum of $500,000, and this is for payment of fees to artistes. It will take us some time to give a break-down of the increase in payments to individual artistes. I am grateful to the Member for Anson for his suggestion that we should endeavour to produce more local programmes. In fact, T.V. Singapura under the Ministry of Culture is doing exactly that. In doing so, we have to take several factors into consideration. I will enumerate a few of them for the information of the Member for Anson as well as for the general information of the House. 3.45 p.m.”
“Point of order. Will the hon. Member for Choa Chu Kang please quote the name of the newspaper concerned and the date?”
“I want to ask a clarification from him, and not from me, Sir.”
“On a point of clarification, Mr Speaker. I wonder if the hon. Member was referring to an article in the Malaysian Times, when the Malaysian Minister for Transport came down to Singapore and had some hush-hush meeting with the bus companies?”
“These fountains, which are colourfully lit up at night, add grace to our city. In view of popular response, it is felt that more fountains should be built, especially at traffic circuses and in parks. When planning is done for future fountains and the sites are chosen, every consideration will be given to the building of a fountain at Delta Circus. Madam Chan Choy Siong: A supplementary question in Mandarin, Mr Speaker, Sir. (In Mandarin) Mr Speaker, Sir, just now the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for National Development has given us only part of the answer. I feel that the situation is like this. At present the Government has already built fountains in certain localities. The purpose is to beautify Singapore. Of course, in this respect, I feel that the Government, in doing so, should enable all the people to appreciate its beauty. I can say that all the fountains now built are located in areas where there are rich people.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the question was first raised by the hon. Member for Delta at a sitting of Parliament on 28th December, 1965. On 19th January, 1966, I obtained copies of the Hansard with the relevant extracts and sent them down to the responsible officers in my Ministry to investigate into the matter. About 10 days after the 19th January, the Ministry of Culture began correspondence with the Ministry of Health on this subject, and discussions went on, and many matters came to light. On 9th March I put up a report to my Minister of State, explaining the circumstances and the various consequences that might result from any proposed amendment to the existing legislation. The question of new legislation was also explored. But it was later discovered that a Committee had been set up in 1962 the details of which had been explained earlier by my Minister of State. So you will notice, Mr Speaker, Sir, that since the question was brought up in December 1965, there has been no let-up and there has been a chain of continuous action on this problem. I assure the House that the Ministry of Culture will not allow such constructive criticisms to be left unanswered. FOUNTAIN AT DELTA CIRCUS 7. Madam Chan Choy Siong asked the Minister for Law and National Development whether he has plans to build more fountains, and if he will consider building a fountain at the Delta Circus. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for National Development (Mr Ho Cheng Choon) (for the Minister for Law and National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, there are no immediate plans to build more fountains in Singapore. However, the three fountains that have recently been erected have proved to be a great attraction and added to the sense of civic pride amongst the residents.”
“So the difficulty in this matter is manifold, and with the purchase of this new machine, and together with the new facilities available in the new studio, we hope in the future to be able to produce more locally orientated films, notwithstanding the fact that this may cost the Government a considerable amount of money.”