Gerald Giam Yean Song
Singapore
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. The focus of my supplementary question will be on the film classification guidelines, which currently state that, quote, "Chinese films meant for theatrical release should generally be in Mandarin, in line with the Speak Mandarin Campaign.”
“Mr Speaker, we cannot allow physical infrastructure expansion to blind us to the shifting digital geography of global trade nor should we allow frontier technology to reduce the economic agency of our transport workers.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his replies. I understand the difficulty in getting the exact numbers. But is there an order of magnitude that the Government can provide as to how many such fees were collected and what is the total quantum? Just an order of magnitude, does not have to be an exact number.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Ng Chee Meng for acknowledging my OJT proposal. I am aware of the work of CTCs, but my proposal goes beyond what the CTCs currently provide. First is the depth of the wage support, and second is the structural design of OJT.”
“I thank the Minister for responding to my question just now. I am glad to hear that there will be more precise matching with the help of SWDA's the integrated intelligence function. But can I ask if this function will be provided to all jobseekers who approach SWDA or its agencies, like e2i, to seek for job assistance?”
“Sir, can the Minister elaborate a bit more about how SWDA will enhance the job search assistance programme? Specifically, will career counsellors move beyond basic resume editing and portal referrals to leverage real time vacancy data for proactive matching and advocate for candidates?”
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“However, cheering the Lions once every two years is not enough. Our sporting talents are playing in the international tournaments throughout the year. They should be better featured. For example, Loh Kean Yew's historic victory at the 2021 Badminton World Championships could only be watched live on Cable Television. Non-subscribers had to wait almost a week to watch it on free-to-air TV. Featuring more of our local sporting talents on free-to-air TV or local online channels, like meWATCH, will not only imbue a greater national spirit, but will also inspire generation of young sports enthusiasts, who may go on to become future champions. Finally, I believe we need a resilient government. A sizable presence of opposition Members in Parliament will keep the government on its toes and responsive to the needs of the people and increase the resilience of our government. On the other side of the coin, as an efficient and effective civil service, I commend our public servants for demonstrating great resilience in helping our nation through the pandemic. I was once a civil servant and, to this day, I hold close to my heart a piece of advice that my Permanent Secretary gave to me when I first joined the service. He told me he expected me to be a subject matter expert on the issues covered by my desk. He said it was my responsibility to provide objective recommendations in my policy submissions I put up to the senior management and Ministers. This was sound advice. Civil servants should not second-guess what their political masters want or implement instructions blindly, just because the Ministers said so.”
“I welcome the requirements for all local workers to be paid at least $1,400 a month, if their companies employ foreign workers. All the workers are in a Progressive Wage Model (PWM) sector or occupation. I am cheered that the Government is going to co-fund the pay increases for low-wage workers over the next five years. Building on this approach, would the Minister consider also co-funding for five years the pay increases of all Singaporean workers who are taking home less than $1,300, including those who are not in sectors or occupations covered by the PWM? This will help companies adjust to paying their workers a minimum wage and bring Singapore closer towards implementing a national minimum wage, something that the Workers' Party has been consistently advocating for. In addition to strengthening our workers' rights, we also need to build more resilience in our local workers. Some employers have lamented to me about local employees quitting when they are made to work long hours, in contrast to foreigners whom they claimed have no qualms about working overtime. We should not be dismissive about those who may have genuine domestic responsibilities like taking care of children or elderly parents. However, for those that do not, including many young professionals, I feel it does not hurt to "pia" a bit more during your first job, so you can establish your career and compete more effectively with the global workforce. Of course, do this without sacrificing your mental and physical health. A vibrant local sports scene contributes towards building a resilient society. The Suzuki Cup football tournament was a great demonstration of how sports can promote national unity. I experienced it myself when I took my son to see one of the matches.”
“Good economic prospects and technological advances disproportionately benefit the high-skilled. To make our growth more inclusive, we should engage more Singaporeans economically, including people with disabilities and the elderly. Companies should extend work-from-home opportunities to engage and empower Singaporeans with mobility issues. Not only do they form a large untapped labour market with valuable experience to contribute, enabling them to work from home will help them to connect better with society, improve their overall well-being and strengthen Singapore's social security. I hope MOM can consider ways to incentivise companies to extend work-from-home opportunities to this group of Singaporeans. In his Budget Statement, the Finance Minister introduced a $500-a-month minimum income requirement to qualify for the Workfare Income Supplement from 2013. This could potentially impact up to 46,600 employed residents, inclusive of part-timers, who earn less than $500 a month. It will disadvantage workers who have extremely low incomes and are forced to work reduced hours through no fault of their own or have unpaid caregiving responsibilities. The Minister said that this is to encourage part-timers and casual workers to take up regular full-time work. However, I fear that it will result in the exact opposite. Workers may decide to drop out of the workforce because their income cannot even cover their travel expenses. I appeal to the Minister to rescind the minimum income requirement, so that all lower-wage workers will benefit from Workfare. This was a call made yesterday by the Leader of the Opposition as well. We must ensure that every working Singaporean receives a decent minimum wage.”
“The world has entered a stage where cyber warfare is a real threat, as demonstrated by Russia's alleged cyberattacks Ukrainian's infrastructure, long before the air, land and sea invasion began. Adversaries can potentially maliciously shut down or control critical infrastructure with the click of a mouse. Are our Government agencies putting enough resources into countering this threat and are critical infrastructure providers, like water treatment plants, power grid operators, telcos and public transport operators, ready to counter these threats? Our companies have seen challenging times in this pandemic. Many are still struggling to stay afloat. The pandemic has shown our over-reliance on our foreign workforce. We need to transform our economy to boost the attractiveness of local talent to companies. MOM should watch out for companies that circumvent market testing requirements, for example, doing a token posting on MyCareersFuture when they already have a foreigner in mind to hire. Where there are instances of companies claiming that they are unable to find Singaporeans to take up positions, we need to make a deeper qualitative assessment on why this is so. For example, are there gaps in our education system that are preventing our schools from producing market-ready graduates? On a separate note, I believe that one of the brightest sparks from the pandemic is the mainstreaming of work-from-home arrangements. A large proportion of both employees and employers want to continue remote work, at least part of the time, even after the pandemic ends. We should build on these gains and encourage more companies, especially the traditional SMEs, to provide work-from-home options for their employees.”
“However, policies designed to achieve this must take into account the local context. Most shoppers do not throw away their plastic bags but use them to bag their thrash before throwing it down the rubbish chute. If they do not have enough plastic bags from supermarkets, they might end up buying plastic bags or, worse, throwing their rubbish directly down the chutes. Therefore, any policy interventions should strive to encourage intrinsic attitudes towards conservation, not lead to people trying to work around punitive measures. Instead of a per-bag charge, has NEA considered requiring large supermarkets to offer a discount as an incentive for not using plastic bags? Singapore's rapid urban development and ascent on the global economic stage was made possible in large part due to good infrastructure. Our public transport network has seen improvements in recent years although the convenience and frequency of bus services in some areas like Bedok Reservoir has been a bugbear for many commuters. This has shown up in commuters' surveys which rate bus services the lowest among transport modes. I will speak more about this during MOT Committee of Supply. Moving on to digital infrastructure, the prevalence of online scams points to the need for more resilient cyber infrastructure, not only at the backend but also at the frontend, with efforts to detect attempts at social engineering and prevent people from falling prey to scammers. While our public education is important, the financial institutions must redouble their efforts to use technological solutions to detect suspicious patterns of use and stop using SMS as a channel for sending passwords.”
“I hope that MOF will give careful consideration to the needs of CPF members with lower balances before raising the BRS. For our children, building resilience starts at home. All parents, myself included, view our kids as precious gems, but we must be careful not to mollycoddle them. Let us encourage our children to take part in competitions, whether in sports, games or the arts. Every competition will have only one winner and many losers. Let them learn to win with grace and remain resilient in defeat by picking themselves up to fight another day. Let our children take public transport to school instead of ferrying them everywhere by car. This brings an additional benefit of reducing traffic jams around schools. I commend schools that disallow parents from turning up at schools with water bottles or homework that their children left at home. Occasions like these are opportunities for our children to take responsibility for their actions and their belongings. Next, on building a resilient environment. I am glad to hear the Finance Minister announced that Singapore aims to achieve net zero emissions by or around mid-century. In order to realise this goal, Singapore must be prepared to make big investments in emerging green technologies and take decisive steps towards wielding the mantle of climate leadership, regionally and globally. I would like to renew my call made in January for Singapore to launch a national hydrogen strategy, and roadmap to spur the creation of a hydrogen economy in Singapore. This will set Singapore on a path towards being a global player in the hydrogen industry and benefit Singaporean workers. NEA is now mulling the introduction of a mandatory plastic bag charge at supermarkets. I support the reduction of one-time-use plastics.”
“Mr Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a reminder to all of us of the importance of national resilience. We are now moving towards life with COVID-19 as an endemic disease, a path which is bound to be fraught with unexpected challenges. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a stark demonstration of the fragility of territorial sovereignty in the face of aggression by a larger neighbour. Building national resilience is a key effort we need to undertake to prepare for current and future challenges. It has to be a joint effort, borne out of the partnership between the people, society, companies and the Government. It is vital that Government policies must be supportive of this endeavour to build and strengthen resilience. As I respond to the Finance Minister's Budget Statement, I will talk about seven pillars of resilience I believe that we need to continuously build up our nation. These are resilient families, resilient environment, resilient infrastructure, resilient companies, resilient workforce, resilient society and resilient government. Families are the building block of society. We must do all we can to increase the resilience of family units whatever form they might come in. I am concerned about the plan to raise the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) by 3.5% per year for the next five cohorts turning 55 from 2023 to 2027. MOF said that eight in 10 CPF members turning 55 in 2027 will be able to set aside the heightened BRS. This means that 20% of them will not be able to withdraw more than a token sum from their CPF. Currently, some 435,000 Singaporeans aged between 55 and 70 are unable to meet the prevailing BRS. Many of them struggle with their living expenses and are not able to use their CPF of housing payments.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. Given that Singapore has cordial relations with the US, Europe, Ukraine and Russia, to what extent have the recent events put our efforts out of balance? And how can we maintain our interest vis-à-vis all the parties? Secondly, are there concerns that the recent events in Ukraine might trigger similar territorial incursions elsewhere, notwithstanding different geopolitical interests and settings? And how may this impact Singapore's interests?”
“Sir, I have clarifications for the Minister for Communications and Information as well as the Minister for Finance. For the Minister for Communications and Information, once the sender ID registry becomes a whitelist like what she described just now, will scammers still be able to send SMSes from overseas with the sender ID that is not registered in Singapore's registry? And if so, how would such scam messages be prevented? Secondly, is there a fast-track channel in which scam websites can be reported even by members of the public and blocked expeditiously? For the Minister for Finance, recent scams have demonstrated that SMS is an insecure channel for sending either one-time passwords or hyperlinks. According to MAS' Technology Risk Assessment Guidelines to financial institutions, end-to-end encryption should be implemented for the transmission of customers' passwords. SMS is not an end-to-end encrypted channel. So, why is MAS not immediately prohibiting the use of SMS one-time passwords, especially to protect the less tech-savvy customers who are at risk of getting scammed?”
“Sir, there remains about 3% of 12- to 19-year-olds who have yet to get vaccinated and this works out to almost 10,000 unvaccinated adolescents, not counting children aged five to 11. Given the findings that adolescents and children have a higher COVID-19 Omicron infection rate than older age groups, does the Senior Minister of State agree that it is better for them to get vaccinated with the Sinovac vaccine, than remain unvaccinated? I recognise that it is generally better for them to get the Pfizer vaccine because it is more efficacious. However, these adolescents have chosen not to for various reasons. Anecdotally, from the residents I have met, either they or their parents have a preference for non-mRNA vaccines and are unlikely to change their stance. So, why not approve the Sinovac vaccine for adolescents so that they will get vaccinated and our population can reach closer to a full vaccination rate earlier? Secondly, the Sinovac vaccine has already been approved in Singapore for adolescents who are medically ineligible for the Pfizer vaccine. Jurisdictions like China and Hong Kong have already approved it for those aged three and above. So, what are the residual safety concerns to it becoming generally available for children and adolescents?”
“Sir, under this agreement, before the end of the 25 years, is Indonesia permitted to apply to ICAO to manage the airspace which is delegated to Singapore to manage if they feel that they are ready to provide air navigation services and this could include the airspace closest to Changi Airport? If so, how would the change in ANS provider affect aviation safety and security, the efficiency and the status of us as an aviation hub? Secondly, will the Government be making available the maps of the new Flight Information Regions for the public to have a better picture, literally, of the outcome of these agreements?”
“There is one question which I think was not answered, which is, is it possible for EMA to allow SMEs to buy – I am talking about SMEs which use between four MWh and 20 MWh of electricity a month – at the regulated tariff, instead of at the wholesale electricity price?”
“Thank you, Sir. Several businesses in my constituency have shared with me they are shocked at seeing their electricity bills jump threefold or more despite their efforts to reduce electricity usage. Businesses with consumption of more than four MWh but less than 20 MWh, which include many neighbourhood kopitiams, have to buy electricity from SP Group at the wholesale electricity price, which is very elevated and volatile now. They are also facing difficulty buying electricity from retailers because many retailers are not offering contracts until later in the year or even next year. Can EMA extend TRECS for another six to 12 months beyond May 2022, in view of the current economic and energy supply situation? If this is not possible, can EMA allow these SMEs to buy at the regulated tariff instead, so that their operational costs do not skyrocket? Secondly, the Minister mentioned that TRECS was fully subscribed for the months of January and February. How many businesses have applied for, during these two months under TRECS, but were not able to obtain contracts? Are there plans to expand the number of slots in TRECS available for those who need it?”
“To clear, I am not suggesting that the Government should unconditionally subsidise landed property owners or companies to install solar panels, which they can later profit from by selling electricity back to the grid. They should be required to transfer excess electricity back to the grid without receiving any payments until their installation subsidy is fully covered. At the end of the day, this will still be a win-win for property owners and the nation, In conclusion, Mr Speaker, Singapore needs to be bolder and braver in setting green goals to secure our future. Some of these may be stretched goals today but we have to trust that future generations will discover breakthrough technologies to overcome our disadvantages. Technology is improving all the time and more so when huge resources of governance are being poured into research and development into low-carbon alternatives. We need to ride the technology wave; not fall behind it. If we take a wait-and-see approach to hydrogen and other technologies, we might start seeing even our neighbours overtake us. Let us push harder on the adoption of FCEVs, come up with a bold hydrogen roadmap and incentivise the installation of solar PV panels in Singapore. This will move the needle significantly to advance Singapore's transition towards a low-carbon society. I support the Motion.”
“We should make a stronger push to install solar panels on all rooftops, both public and private, that do not have physical encumbrances. This is similar to a call made by my hon friend, Mr Leon Perera back in 2017. This would greatly increase our solar energy capture. Currently, EMA allows consumers to be paid for channelling the excess solar electricity back to the grid and BCA has a green mark scheme for solar panel adopters. However, from a reply by the Minister for Trade and Industry to the Member of Sengkang Assoc Prof Jamus Lim, I note that the Government does not provide grants or subsidies to further incentivise the adoption of solar energy. The Minister also stated in his reply to Assoc Prof Lim that the cost of solar energy is now generally cheaper than the retail electricity price and regulated tariff. It would therefore make economic sense to encourage widespread installation of solar PV panels among private property owners and purchase electricity from them. This rings especially true in view of the current high electricity prices caused by supply, shortages of natural gas, which we are currently over depended on for power generation. This is a subject which I elaborate during the debate, on the Energy Resilience Bill last November. The Government should rethink its current approach and provide more incentives for solar adoption in the private sector. Landed properties, condominiums and commercial buildings provide a significant amount of rooftop space for solar panel deployment. Incentivising all of them to install solar panels could greatly improve our solar panel coverage. It could help Singapore derive more than the projected 4% of our electricity from solar energy.”
“What are the steps that the Government is taking to transition our public transport and goods transport systems to use green hydrogen? Hydrogen is not just useful as a source of clean energy for vehicles. It also has multiple other industrial applications, including in clean power generation. About 30 other countries, including New Zealand, the Netherlands, Belgium and South Korea, have already rolled out hydrogen roadmaps. Singapore should do the same. This national renewable hydrogen strategy will spur the creation of a hydrogen economy in Singapore. It should map out our plans to invest in the development of hydrogen technologies, propose new legislation, set national targets for low-carbon hydrogen and develop a pipeline of local talent to take advantage of careers in this emerging sector. This will set Singapore on a path towards being a global player in the hydrogen industry and benefit Singaporean workers. The Government is targeting a two gigawatt peak of solar energy by 2030. Yet, even if this target is met, solar energy will still supply only about 4% of our total electricity demand. Given that solar energy is one of Singapore's most promising renewable energy sources, we have to make a much bigger push to develop it and set bolder targets for solar energy in our electricity mix. Rooftops present one of the most promising platforms to deploy solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, given are highly urbanised landscape. The Government's SolarNova programme is looking to install solar PV systems on the rooftops of public sector buildings, including HDB flats. I asked the Minister for National Development on 10 January whether HDB intends to install solar PV panels on all HDB block rooftops where feasible. I am glad to note the Minister has replied in the affirmative.”
“In terms of vehicle fires, leaks and explosions, FCEVs are measurably safer than ICE vehicles. Hydrogen is much lighter than petrol vapours and dissipates much faster if there is a leak, reducing the potential for explosions. In any case, safety regulations will dictate that hydrogen fuel stations must store gas above the ground in well-ventilated areas. FCEVs bring with them some advantages over BEVs. First, they can be refuelled much faster that BEVs are recharged. Each BEV will require at least 90 minutes to fully charged using a fast charger and up to six hours using other types of chargers. In contrast, FCEV buses can refuel their hydrogen tanks in as fast as 10 minutes. Second, with improvements in technology for the production and distribution of hydrogen, FCEVs could eventually have a lower carbon footprint than ICE vehicles and possibly even BEVs. Third, a study by Deloitte forecasted that the total cost of ownership of FCEVs will be less than BEVs by 2026. Currently, the cost of production and distribution of hydrogen is much higher than diesel or petrol. However, many countries are devoting significant efforts to developing sustainable hydrogen production technologies. With improvements in technology, hydrogen prices are expected to decline over 40% in the next 10 years. With the benefits that FCEVs bring and some of the risks and disadvantages of BEVs, it would be prudent for Singapore to include FCEVs in our local mix of EVs. The KBR hydrogen study commissioned by the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) found that taxis, buses and heavy goods vehicles are well-suited for hydrogen fuel, given the high daily distances they travel.”
“More than half of the world's cobalt comes from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo and there are ongoing concerns about the health, human rights and geopolitical risks of mining this mineral. Any disruption in supply of materials for BEVs might affect their production and raise their prices in future. The price of cobalt rose by 90% between January and December 2021. Economists have warned against the possibility of "green-flation" caused by supply chain shortages, leading to higher prices for metals and minerals that are essential to EVs and other renewable technologies. We have to keep this in mind that the mining of lithium and cobalt and the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries also produce large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. This could negate some of the green benefits across the full cycle of BEVs. A large number of BEVs will also place a heavy load on the electricity grid. Will the grid be strong enough to support so many vehicles being charged at the same time, including many using fast chargers, which will drastically increase peak power demand? The cost and carbon output of grid upgrades will need to be considered if you want to fully electrify our transport using BEVs. Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are another major type of EVs which are much less discussed than BEVs. They run on hydrogen, the most abundant gas in the universe. They are more energy efficient than ICE vehicles and produce no harmful tailpipe emissions, only water vapour and warm air. They are powered by electricity generated by fuel cells through an electrochemical reaction between the hydrogen fuel and the oxygen in the air, facilitated by a fuel cell catalyst. Some might have safety concerns about the FCEVs becoming Hindenbergs on wheels.”
“This will equip only about 6% of public carpark lots and 3% of private carpark lots with charging stations. Given that it takes anywhere from 30 minutes to six hours to recharge a car, and assuming people charge their cars only once every five days, my calculations indicate that the infrastructure will support only about 30% of cars in HDB estates and 15% of cars in private estates each night. I am, in fact, making optimistic assumptions about driver behaviour. In reality, range anxiety will dictate that drivers will avoid waiting for their batteries to run flat before recharging them, just like we do not wait for our mobile phones to go flat before plugging them in. To avoid hogging the charging stations, one driver will have to hurry down to the carpark at 12.00 midnight to unplug her car and find another parking spot, while another will need to come down at the same time and plug his car into that same charging station. Imagine the disruption to everyone's sleep rest cycle and the number of neighbour disputes that this would spark. One possible solution to this problem would be for charging stations to serve multiple car lots at once, with an automated system that recharges the cars on a rotational basis. This will spare drivers the need to unplug and re-park at night. The technology for this already exists, but it is unclear if these types of chargers will be deployed in Singapore car parks. The batteries in BEVs are heavily dependent on two metals: lithium and cobalt. According to a study by Deloitte, BEVs account for about 27% of global lithium demand, while lithium-ion batteries account for about 59% of cobalt demand.”
“Making low-carbon technology widely available at a reasonable cost will be critical to spurring industry adoption and helping the world to achieve net zero carbon emissions. We may be small, but that does not prevent us from working around our constraints of a small land area, high urban density, hot tropical weather to innovate solutions that could mitigate climate change in an increasingly urbanised world. Our constraints can actually be our comparative advantage over other nations. Our green inventions could spread far and wide beyond our shores to benefit the rest of the world. Climate change is global. We should therefore aim to make a global impact in our climate change efforts. We should be prepared to make big investments in emerging green technologies and in doing so, take decisive steps towards wielding the mantle of climate leadership. In my speech today, I wish to focus on a few of these green technologies and how the Government can play a bigger part to drive their adoption. First, the transport sector, which is one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases in Singapore. Singapore plans to phase out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2040 and replace them with electric vehicles. Almost all the current plans for the rollout of EVs focus on battery electric vehicles (BEVs). However, it may be risky to place all our bets on BEVs. For starters, it is still unclear whether we will have the infrastructure to handle an all-BEV fleet of vehicles once ICE vehicles are fully phased out. A study by KBR, commissioned by the National Climate Change Secretariat, estimated that approximately 164,000 publicly available BEV chargers will be required for a 100% BEV scenario. Singapore plans to roll out just 60,000 BEV charging points by 2030.”
“Mr Speaker, combating climate change is the challenge of our generation and quite possibly, the next two generations. If our generation does not set in motion sufficient changes to mitigate climate change, our grandchildren will pay a painful price for our lack of resolve and action. It will be infinitely harder for successive generations to reverse the impact of global warming, even if they try their best to. It is therefore incumbent upon our nation and the world to rise to meet this challenge. Singapore has in the past approached climate action as a small nation which is unable to make much impact on the vast world. This approach has thankfully evolved in recent years. Nevertheless, a greater resolve in our outlook towards this challenge is needed. We are still constantly reminding ourselves that we are a small country with inherent limitations as to what we can do to reduce emissions. We wave the flag that our alternative energy disadvantage status is officially recognised by the United Nations' Framework Convention on Climate Change. Certainly, these are realities that we cannot run away from. However, we must not, in our attempts to temper expectations, allow these mantras to limit our imagination and innovation. Decarbonisation within Singapore's boundaries is important. However, carbon dioxide does not respect national boundaries. Arguably, the biggest impact that Singapore can have on averting climate change, and hence saving ourselves from the harm that global warming will do to us, will come from test bedding and developing new green technologies and sharing these discoveries with the rest of the world.”
“Thank you, Sir. I have got two supplementary questions. The Government has been encouraging the use of ART swabbing to prevent the spread of viruses. However, in many situations, self-reporting of ART results is not allowed. Instead, people are required to conduct the test only at approved testing centres, which not only costs more but is more inconvenient. Can we move to a regime where people are trusted to accurately report the ART results, just like how it is done in schools and, indeed, here in Parliament? This will reduce the cost for many people and make administrative procedures at events more efficient. Second question: there is a tendency for some activities to be prohibited, even though the transmission risk is low. Can the lead agencies issue more specific advisories to organisations based on the actual prevailing risk of viral spread, so that we move closer on the path towards normalcy?”
“Thank you, Sir. The Minister cited a study that found that Singapore can only reach a maximum solar potential of eight gigawatts peak by 2050 and this will contribute to only 10% of energy demand. Was this study based on current solar technology or did it include projections for future improvements in the technology? I am asking this question because I just want to be sure that the Government does not limit its expectations of the potential of solar energy on account of this study alone because technology will improve over time and the viability of solar has improved tremendously in recent years and could improve much further in the years to come.”
“Are we providing companies sufficient incentives to boost adoption of energy storage systems that are paired with solar installations? Besides solar energy, have we done a deep dive to explore other renewables like tidal energy, geothermal energy and offshore wind farms? We do not have much time to diversify our energy sources away from natural gas. As countries shut down their pollutive coal-fired power plants, natural gas will increasingly be used as a transition fuel. This will reduce the supply available to us and raise its price. The Government, industry and our people need to double down to innovate and come up with more clean energy solutions to diversify our energy mix, strengthen our energy resilience and meet our current climate change pledges. Singapore's energy transition must be accelerated but managed well to ensure that our lights stay on and our electricity bills remain affordable. Sir, I support the Bill.”
“Australian support for the export of renewable energy to Singapore may also wane with political winds. Some NUS researchers recently warned that the Australian government may suffer some pushback from its powerful coal lobby. On the flip side, even countries which support the development of renewables, might prefer to use that clean energy domestically to meet their own net zero pledges. With Singapore potentially sandwiched between competing interests that we have no control over, how will the Government manage the political risks associated with importing 30% of our electricity in the future? With both natural gas and electricity imports carrying risks, we need to strengthen our indigenous capabilities to produce clean energy. Our geography and highly urban landscape limit our renewable energy options. We do not have wide open deserts to set up large solar farms, but we have plenty of building rooftops and intense tropical sunlight. Solar power, however, tends to be intermittent. When the sun stops shining, the electrons also stop flowing. Fortunately, battery technology has improved tremendously in recent years, driven by the growth in electric cars. At the same time, the price of lithium-ion batteries is expected to fall 45% between 2018 and 2030. Better energy storage systems will smoothen out the imbalances between supply of and demand for solar power. EMA has said it is targeting a two-gigawatt peak of solar energy by 2030, Yet, even if this target is met, solar will supply only around 3% of our total energy demand. Is this really the best we can achieve with solar? Are we planning for a large-scale deployment of solar panels on building rooftops, reservoirs and even offshore islands?”
“In fact, it may already be happening, even in the absence of diplomatic problems. In February 2020, the Indonesian government announced that it intends to halt gas exports to Singapore by 2023, when one of our two gas pipeline contracts expires. This ought to set off alarm bells, given our heavy reliance on Indonesian piped natural gas. Over the years, Singapore has worked hard to diversify our national water taps away from an over-reliance on imported water from Malaysia to ensure a more robust and sustainable water supply. We need to do the same for our energy supply switches. How will the Government diversify our current 95% dependence on imported natural gas for power generation? Clearly, we cannot afford to shift back to dirty fuels like coal and oil, which, in any case, also need to be imported. Therefore, our future lies in greater reliance on renewable energy. The third supply switch envisions tapping on regional power grids for clean energy imports. Singapore is planning to import up to four gigawatts of low-carbon electricity by 2035, which is expected to make up around 30% of Singapore's electricity supply. However, the proposed import of electricity from solar farms in Australia's Northern Territory will be via undersea cables running through Indonesian waters. This could provide the same political risks as transnational gas pipelines. The Indonesian government had to approve the undersea cable route last September and it is unclear how long this approval will be for. On 22 October, Malaysia announced that it will not allow renewable energy exports to Singapore. Their former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, questioned why non-renewable energy exports to Singapore were allowed.”
“I note the Minister just said in his Second Reading speech that the Government's preference is for the private sector to build, own and operate electricity infrastructure and that, before exercising this power, EMA will explore the other options available. The Minister has also assured the House that EMA will put in place Government structures to mitigate conflicts of interest. Can he elaborate on what these Government structures will be to ensure fair competition in the electricity market and mitigate conflicts of interest? The Government has announced plans to embark on a multi-decade programme to transition our electricity generation to low-carbon generation sources through four supply switches. These are: first, by increasing energy efficiency of natural gas power plants; second, by accelerating solar deployment; third, by tapping on regional power grids for low-carbon electricity imports; and, fourth, by developing low-carbon solutions, such as hydrogen and carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS). About 95% of our electricity is generated from imported natural gas. This is unusually high compared to other countries and it carries concentration risks. Recently, the tiny European nation of Moldova, which gets almost all its gas from Russia, had to declare a state of emergency over a gas shortage. The Russian state gas giant, Gazprom, hiked its prices four-fold, then reduced supply when Moldova refused to pay. Moscow has been accused of weaponising its gas monopoly in Moldova, which recently elected a pro-Western president and parliament. In Singapore, around 70% of our natural gas is piped from Malaysia and Indonesia. Will we face similar threats should relations with our neighbours get rocky, as they do from time to time?”
“I would like to reiterate the request I made yesterday for lower-income households to be given a one-off special additional electricity rebate to assist lower-income households during this difficult period. This should be on top of existing U-Save rebates, which were calculated before the current electricity price increases occurred. I appreciate Minister Tan See Leng's reply yesterday that he is exploring with MOF further means to help and is working out the details with them. The current electricity price increase can be traced to disruptions in the supply of natural gas to Singapore and higher demand globally. In the last few months, the curtailment of the flow of gas from Indonesia's West Natuna gas field and the lower landing pressure of gas supplied from South Sumatra has severely impacted a vital source of our power generation needs. The Energy (Resilience Measures and Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill that is before the House today is timely, as it seeks to better safeguard Singapore's energy security. It enables the Energy Market Authority (EMA) to construct, acquire, manage and protect electricity infrastructure and authorises EMA to implement policies to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in the generation of electricity. It is comforting to know that EMA will be able to step in to build, own and operate power generation plants, if needed. However, in practice, will this be done only as a last resort, for example, if existing gencos fail in their roles? Or is EMA already making plans to directly build and operate critical electricity infrastructure like undersea cables to import electricity from overseas?”
“Mr Speaker, the recent natural gas supply disruptions and consequential increase in electricity prices have brought to the fore the importance of strengthening our nation's energy resilience. To date, five electricity retailers will be dimming their lights and others have stopped accepting new customers. This has impacted over 150,000 customers, who will most likely have to pay more for electricity in the coming months. This may be just the tip of the iceberg of people affected by increasing electricity prices. About 714,000 households which had not previously switched to a retailer in the open electricity market are paying a regulated electricity tariff, which has increased by 32% since last September. According to the answer to a Parliamentary Question (PQ) I asked in January, 79% of HDB 1- and 2-room households and 63% of 3-roomers are paying the regulated tariff compared to just 40% of those living in landed properties. This indicates that lower-income Singaporeans may be disproportionately impacted by higher electricity prices. Other households which have locked in lower rates in their retail contracts will soon face their day of reckoning when they renew their contracts, as the new rates will reflect the higher prevailing electricity prices. This electricity price hike could not have come at a worse time for many households. Our economy has yet to fully recover from the pandemic-induced downturn and many Singaporeans are still struggling with job losses, salary reductions and disrupted careers. Many are working and studying from home, resulting in higher household electricity usage.”
“Thank you, Sir. I join the Minister and Senior Minister of State in expressing my deepest gratitude to our healthcare workers for fighting this battle on the frontlines and holding the fort in very trying conditions. I have two clarifications. First, based on the situation that Senior Minister of State outlined, it appears the number of healthcare workers is the limiting factor for further reopening. Since healthcare human resource capacity cannot be easily ramped up and our vaccination coverage is almost maximised, what prospect then is there for a further reopening anytime soon? Secondly, while the Sinovac vaccine has been added to the national vaccination programme, I understand it is still not available to those who can take mRNA vaccines. Others can register their interest but are not guaranteed the booking. So, in the interest of maximising vaccine coverage and minimising hospitalisations, can MOH make Sinovac generally available to all those who have not been vaccinated but simply prefer to get that vaccine, whatever the merits of that preference are?”
“Sir, I have two supplementary questions: one on energy security and another on electricity prices. How much leverage does EMA have over foreign gas suppliers to ensure that disruptions and low pressure do not become a regular occurrence, for example, through the imposition of liquidated damages? And have these levers being exercised so far? Secondly, a larger proportion of customers who never switched electricity retailers are from the lower-income households. About 79% of 1-room to 2-room households versus just 40% of landed property households. This is from data from a PQ I asked in January. This means that the lower-income group has been paying elevated regulated tariff prices for several months already. Will the Government consider a special one-off additional electricity rebate to assist these lower-income households during this difficult period?”
“Asking the banks to use other forms of authentication besides SMS.”
“I thank the Minister for answering my PQ. Given that SMS OTP diversion is something that takes place overseas where MAS has no jurisdiction, how are the banks going to prevent this from happening to their customers again? For example, are banks or IMDA going to work with these overseas telcos to close these loopholes? Secondly, will MAS be directing banks to move their multi-factor authentication methods away from SMS to, for example, more secure app-based authentication methods? If so, how will they ensure that the less tech-savvy customers will not be left out? Lastly, can MAS also require banks to allow existing customers to disable SMS multi-factor authentication for their own accounts and then use app-based authentication instead, because they are more secured?”
“Sir, I beg to move that the two amendments* to clause 78 standing in my name as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. Reasons for the amendments have been explained in my speech earlier. [(proc text) *The amendments read as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) In page 126: after line 9, to insert — (proc text)] [(proc text) "(f) a member of the central executive council, or its equivalent, of any registered political party in Singapore; (proc text)] [(proc text) (g) a senior public servant holding the office of deputy secretary or above, or its equivalent; (proc text)] [(proc text) (h) a board member or chief executive of a key statutory board or government company listed on the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore,". (proc text)] [(proc text) Consequential amendment: (proc text)] [(proc text) In page 126, line 9: to leave out "," and insert";". (proc text)]”
“Sir, I beg to move the two amendments* to clause 14 standing in my name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. The reasons for the amendments have also been explained in my speech earlier. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]”
“Sir, I beg to move the two amendments* to clause 8 standing in my name, as indicated in the Order Paper Supplement. The reasons for the amendments have been explained in my speech earlier. [(proc text) *The amendments read as follows: (proc text)] [(proc text) (1) In page 29: to leave out lines 31 to 33. (proc text)] [(proc text) (2) In page 30: to leave out lines 1 to 4. (proc text)] [(proc text) Consequential amendment: (proc text)] [(proc text) In page 29, line 30: to leave out “;” and insert “.”. (proc text)] [(proc text) Question, put and amendments negatived. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clause 8 ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] [(proc text) Clauses 9 to 13 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill. (proc text)] Clause 14 –”
“Sir, I would like to point out that the Workers' Party opposed the Public Order Act and with respect to Mr Xie's specific points on part E of the Public Order Act, yes, it is. But the Public Order Act does not have clause 7F – to prevent any foreign interference directed towards a political end in Singapore. Clause 7F leads on into clause 8, where it defines the political end in Singapore. So, I think it is important for us to understand that we want to scope down the Bill to make sure that we focus on the acts that actually cause harm to Singapore, not provide a catch-all phrase inside the Bill for the Minister, if he cannot find anything else to use, to use that as a tool against harm. There are specific qualifications for what qualifies as harm against public interest, against public health and so on. I have given examples on how, let us say, if there is a threat to public health, the Minister can take action on that. There is nothing preventing him in this Bill from taking action and the Bill has many other strong clauses to give the Minister the power to be able to take action. So, nothing is preventing him from doing that just because (f) and (g) are removed.”
“Sir, I thank Mr Xie for his questions on my speech. I believe I actually explained that quite clearly in my speech as to why I think that even with the removal of clause 8F and G, the Minister will still have all the powers he needs to stem hostile foreign interference. I mentioned that clause 7, which defines what public interest is, already gives the Minister the power, in the public interest, to take actions if it is necessary to ensure the public health, public finances, public safety, public tranquility, public peace and public order. All those are already in clause 7 and so there is no reason why the Minister cannot use those clauses to invoke directions in the public interest. I do not believe it is necessary to have such a broad and wide sweeping catch-all clause, which is what we believe parts (f) and (g) are, in order to give the Minister the power that he needs. He has already all the power that he needs.”
“The ambassador was later prosecuted in Sweden but acquitted due to insufficient proof. The PAP Government has rejected the notion of the press being the fourth estate which scrutinises the actions of public officials and public institutions in the public interest, calling for accountability for their actions. This could handicap our efforts to weed out hostile foreign influence. We cannot rely only on legislation or law enforcement or intelligence agencies to stem foreign influence. Given the risk that foreign interference poses to a small and open country like Singapore, we need to use more tools in our arsenal to counter it by drawing on a wider range of intelligence, including research and exposure by the press. We are made more secure, not less. A free press which invests in investigative journalism can shine the light on shady activities as well as inform and educate the public and policymakers about hostile information campaigns taking place on our shores. Mr Speaker, the approach taken by FICA amounts to using a sledgehammer to crack one bad nut at the expense of perhaps a dozen good ones. Yet, in the area of preventing elite capture, it falls short, compared to foreign lobbying laws in other countries. My Workers' Party colleagues and I have proposed some very reasonable amendments to the Bill to prevent over-reach, ensure greater transparency and provide more judicial oversight. With these amendments, FICA will retain all its teeth to keep foreign interference at bay while assuring Singaporeans that its fangs will not be used unjustly on our own citizens. I appeal to this House to seriously consider these amendments and approve them for the benefit of all Singaporeans and our future as a country.”
“As a small country which seeks to be friends with all countries, large and small, it is sometimes inconvenient for the Government to front public discussions and education of this nature. Some countries might bristle at being called out by the Singapore Government and this could impact diplomatic relations. Academic institutions, NGOs, researchers and even school teachers should step forward to play a greater role in this national effort. These independent organisations and individuals will have more freedom to educate the public or their students without being seen by foreign powers as Government spokespersons. They can, therefore, be more candid in sharing their views, even in public forums, without Singapore incurring the ire of other countries. Government agencies, especially MFA, MINDEF and MHA, should regularly engage these groups and individuals in closed-door sessions to share the Government's perspectives on our core interests, but without dictating what they should or should not do. Many incidents of foreign influence operations in other countries like Australia, Sweden and the US came to light because of investigative reporting by their free press. A former US National Security adviser resigned after journalists investigated and reported about his contacts with Russia. He was later charged and pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Sweden's ambassador to China was recalled and investigated after the daughter of a Chinese-Swedish bookseller, jailed in China, made a blog post, which was reported in the media revealing that the ambassador had commissioned businessmen to negotiate a sensitive case involving her father without the knowledge of the Swedish ministry of foreign affairs.”
“This is a point made by the Leader of the Opposition earlier. Back in 2019, Minister Chan Chun Sing also said that a discerning electorate is the best defence against foreign influence. I could not agree more. Given the growing sophistication in the way foreign powers conduct their influence operations, which Minister K Shanmugam has taken us through in his handouts, we need a whole-of-society approach to counter them. Sustained public education of both the young and old will help remind us that we are a sovereign nation with our own core interests. This requires a consciously planned and sustainable approach so that Singaporeans are aware that other countries have their own agenda and our national interests are not necessarily aligned with theirs. For example, some countries, to further their own agenda, may insidiously play up their cultural affinity card. They may, for example, appeal to Singaporeans of a particular ethnicity to share with their friends their pride in that country's military and economic progress and they might even chastise their own Government for not showing sufficient deference to them. This goes against our national interest. Yet, the vectors of this campaign may not even realise it. Issuing directions under FICA to block the transmission of their messages may be like cutting off the head of the mythical hydra. A new head will grow again until these Singaporeans are convinced that they have been deceived. This is not something that a legislative hammer like FICA can easily achieve. We need more frank and open discussions about the tactics used by foreign powers to influence our population so that Singaporeans will recognise them and will not unknowingly spread foreign propaganda without realising their goals and origins.”
“The fact that many Statutory Board members are foreigners is even more reason to impose transparency requirements so that the public and the Government can be more confident that they are acting in the best interest of Singapore. Our list also includes the board members and chief executives of Temasek, GIC, MAS and CPF Board. These individuals provide directions on policies and long-term asset allocations that involve hundreds of billions of dollars of our national reserves. Surely, we can all agree that these decisions must be guarded against any malign foreign influence. All these influential individuals should be subject to the same level of scrutiny of their foreign connections as election agents and candidates, the latter of whom are already on the list of defined PSPs but are much less influential in policy-making. Lastly, central executive committee members of registered political parties are included because they have a role in setting the policy and political positions that parties take into elections and Parliament. While this expanded list of defined PSPs does not cover every possible person who can influence policies, it provides for additional scrutiny over interactions between Government elites and foreign principals. It will require them to disclose foreign affiliations, reportable arrangements and migration benefits with foreign principals, all of which have the potential to colour their decisions on domestic and foreign policies, which affect all Singaporeans. The last part of my speech will focus on the other actions that are essential to our efforts to combat foreign interference and protect our core national interests. We need to focus much more on public education and avoid over-relying on legislative measures to curb hostile foreign interference.”
“These are places where informal discussions on policies may take place well before they are discussed in the media or drafted into law. Yet, in the Bill, the list of defined PSPs excludes senior public officers. This could make it easier for malign foreign actors to co-opt local elites to use their influence either wittingly or unwittingly for the benefit of foreign powers. This is why I tabled the amendments to the Bill to add several more classes of people to the list of defined PSPs under clauses 14 and 78. My proposed additions to the list include Permanent Secretaries (PSes) and Deputy Secretaries (DSes) in Government Ministries. These officials lead the formulation and drafting of legislation. They are the subject matter experts who provide important policy advice to Ministers almost on a daily basis. The Minister has argued that civil servants are subject to the Instruction Manual and various rules and declaration requirements, which are, cumulatively, stricter than the FICA requirements on PSPs. This is even more reason to include PSes, DSes and Statutory Board CEOs as PSPs. FICA will provide a stronger layer of public transparency, accountability and oversight without making it more onerous on them. Their names will be made public on the register of PSPs and any foreigner dealing with them will know that they are PSPs and vice versa. The chairpersons, board members and chief executives of Statutory Boards also have important roles in influencing and implementing Government policies. I cannot agree with the Minister that it is impractical to define this group as PSPs just because some of them are foreigners. Statutory Boards are not private firms.”
“While high-profile influence campaigns tend to hog the limelight, clandestine foreign lobbying of individual elites is, by definition, done in secret. The most likely targets of this secret influence operations are our political elites. Many democracies have countermeasures in place to deal with the risk of such influence operations. The US has the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) enacted in 1938, which requires agents of foreigners to register or risk prosecution under federal law. These agents must disclose their agreements with foreign principals, report the funding they have received and provide a log of all activities performed on behalf of the foreign principals. The Singapore Government would be familiar with FARA because agencies like EBD, STB, Temasek Holdings and the Government itself have already been registered as foreign principals. These registrations are transparent to the public and can be downloaded from the FARA website. Australia has the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act, which has a Registry of Interests. Taiwan has the Sunshine Acts, which require public officers from the President all the way down to the Administrator for Company Registrations and their immediate family members to make public declarations of their assets, which help combat both graft and foreign influence operations. In addition, most of these democracies provide for independent legislative review through regular select committee hearings. Policy-making in Singapore is highly concentrated in the top ranks of the Government and the civil service. Many policymakers regularly exchange ideas with one another in informal settings like golf courses and exclusive clubs like the Pyramid Club.”
“This is why the Member of Parliament for Sengkang, Assoc Prof Jamus Lim, tabled amendments to clause 120, to codify MHA's assurances in this Bill. I tabled amendments to subsections F and G under clause 8 to be removed. Removing these two subsections will not hinder the Minister from applying the brake on hostile foreign influence operations that could harm Singapore. Clause 7 already has a list of actions that are contrary to the public interest which the Minister is empowered to authorise Part 3 directions against. These include threats to public health, finances, safety, tranquilly, peace and order as well as incitement of feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different groups of people in Singapore which may endanger the public peace and public order of Singapore. Let me address the scenarios given by the Minister in his speech earlier. Setting one race against another or using religion to drive a wedge between religious groups could be considered incitement of feelings of ill-will between different groups of people in Singapore and will already fall under clause 7D. A foreign agent promoting harmful falsehoods, for example, about approved vaccines, could be reined in to protect public health under clause 7B. In short, our amendments to the Bill will not prevent the Minister from acting against foreigners seeking to do harm to Singapore but they will go some way in preventing genuine political discussions from being stifled either deliberately by the government of the day or, inadvertently, due to their mere presence. Next, I wish to highlight an area where the Bill does not do enough of, which is preventing elite capture.”
“In turn, clause 8 defines an activity to be directed towards a political end in Singapore if its purpose includes influencing public opinion on a matter of public controversy or if it promotes or opposes views on a subject of a political debate in Singapore. Public interest is one of the basis for the Minister to authorise Part 3 directions, anticipatory directions, designations of Politically Significant Persons (PSPs) or entities, Technical Assistance Directions or directives regarding donors. With the inclusion of clause 8F and G, the Bill's interpretation of political end covers an extremely wide variety of policy matters and issues which may be discussed by Singaporeans. Public discussions on these issues, invariably, involve the views and voices of foreigners. FICA sets a low bar on what constitutes public interest. It empowers the Minister to block public discussions if it is, in his opinion, in the public interest to take action. This gives the Minister for Home Affairs a very wide discretion to authorise Part 3 directions or designate PSPs. It could stifle genuine political debate by discouraging Singapore Citizens or local non-government organisations (NGOs) from speaking up, even in good faith, for fear of being issued a directive under FICA or designated as a PSP. While the Government might argue that having a directive issued against, say, a Facebook post, is not a death warrant, it carries a reputational risk to the target of that directive. It would be very unfortunate if an NGO engaged in advocacy work, for example, speaking up on migrant workers' rights, is designated as a politically significant entity. I note that MHA has tried to give assurances that this type of activity will not be stopped. But these assurances are not in the letter of the law.”
“Mr Speaker, since the FICA Bill was tabled just three weeks ago, we have seen a flurry of criticism by lawyers, NGOs, academics and journalists, with some wondering if it will affect perceptions of Singapore as a global hub. Some of my constituents have written to me expressing their concern with the Bill's over-reach. These criticisms are not unfounded. They are reflective of the disquiet felt by many. The root of this disquiet is that FICA enacts many broad and sweeping measures in an attempt to prevent Singaporeans from being misled by hostile information campaigns over the Internet. If these draconian measures are not properly limited, they could have a chilling effect on freedom of speech and the exchange of information among Singaporeans. At the same time, FICA seems to be lacking a sharper approach to deal with real threats that Singapore might face. The Bill does not provide enough countermeasures against elite capture, which is the clandestine foreign lobbying of Singaporeans holding positions of influence. Elite capture can, potentially, have a far more negative impact on public policies than influence campaigns on the general public. Fundamentally, no legislation can effectively counter foreign interference in our politics by itself. Public education and a freer press are also needed to inoculate our population against these risks. Let me now elaborate on these three points. First, on protecting public debate. The definition of public interest in clause 7 includes the prevention of any foreign influence or interference directed towards a political end in Singapore.”
“Sir, my first supplementary question is for Minister Ong Ye Kung and my second supplementary question is for Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary. Sir, many Singaporeans and businesses are very frustrated with the repeated open-shut of our economy and our lives. Minister Ong Ye Kung said on 21 September that during the preparatory period, MOH projected handling 100 to 200 cases a day. This is far lower than the actual caseload since 19 August. Why were these projections so far off? Delta has been with us for almost six months and there is plenty of data on Delta infections from countries like India and Israel, which were hit by the Delta wave before us. Why was the Government not better prepared for the caseload after reopening? And for Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary, what is the rationale for children under 12 being ineligible for home recovery, given that children, even those unvaccinated, usually have mild or no symptoms when infected? Because allowing them to recover at home, by default, allows their parents to care for them and will also reduce the load on hospitals.”
“Companies which apply for Employment Passes and S Passes should be required to submit to MOM a breakdown of employee numbers by nationality at each level of seniority within the company and in the department that the work pass applicant is being hired into. This will allow MOM to objectively assess the concentration risk of foreigners from any one country before issuing them work passes. MOM should make transparent its criteria to determine what is an acceptable threshold for each industry and size of company. Companies must provide a reasonable justification if they cannot adhere to this threshold. None of what I have proposed should cause much inconvenience to companies. They just need to run a simple query against their employee database to come up with the numbers. It will not be a deterrent to invest or set up business in Singapore, since we are not imposing any hard quotas on them or preventing them from hiring foreigners. Yet, this level of transparency will nudge companies to relook their HR policies and expand the opportunities they provide for the hiring and advancement of local talent. Mr Speaker, I have spoken about how we can address the local manpower shortage in the ICT sector, create a stronger pipeline of skilled ICT professionals and provide a more level playing field for Singaporeans. These solutions are neither easy nor cheap, but they are necessary if we are to remain a competitive economy and a cohesive society in the decades to come. Sir, I support the Motion as amended by Mr Pritam Singh.”
“However, in many cultures around the world, this is the normal way society works. While it is not my place to judge other cultures, I think Singaporeans expect that local culture and norms are adhered to while operating in our country. This should not be difficult because most of our international friends in Singapore already do this. Companies which operate in Singapore should adopt a zero-tolerance stance against cronyism in the workplace. This should be reflected in each company's corporate ethos and codes of conduct. Companies should provide channels for whistleblowing and encourage reporting of such practices. Anti-discrimination legislation should provide the MOM powers to prosecute employers found engaging in discriminatory practices in hiring and promotions. Although this is hard to prove, it could serve as a deterrent in egregious cases. To encourage companies to demonstrate their commitment to promoting more qualified women, minorities and Singaporeans in their senior leadership, listed companies in Singapore should be required to report the gender, racial and national composition of their boards as part of their ESG (environmental, social and governance) impact reporting. I note that Singapore Exchange Regulation is already proposing to step up efforts to enhance board diversity. This should be stepped up further. Foreign MNCs and startups which benefit from Government incentives and schemes should be made to submit yearly reports to MOM of the gender, race and nationality of employees at each level of their organisational hierarchy. These confidential reports should be shared with the Parliamentary Standing Select Committee on foreign employment, which the Leader of the Opposition proposed earlier.”