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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“Many seniors suffer from chronic conditions which require extended care and that can be very expensive. Most outpatient treatment is not covered by MediShield Life and access to MediFund is only available to the very low income. The use of MediSave is subject to annual withdrawal caps. This can have an undesirable effect of discouraging seniors from seeking early treatment. Can MOH allow MediSave withdrawals for the treatment of all chronic conditions, not just those under the Chronic Disease Management Programme list to ensure that no one is excluded just because they suffer from a less common chronic condition? And can MOH remove annual withdrawal limits on the use of MediSave of patients over 60 years old, who have a balance of at least $5,000 in their MediSave accounts? This can be rolled out at polyclinics, restructured hospitals and CHAS clinics where tight procedures are already in place to ensure that only medically necessary treatment is prescribed. Value-based Healthcare”
“I earlier suggested that how we should use tactile signals to enable visually impaired commuters to cross roads late at night. I look forward to that being implemented. Sheltered Pedestrian Crossings”
“Efficient and convenient public transport is vital to achieving many of our national priorities. It allows HDB to build more flats away from the city. It enables workers to travel to further out workplaces and it helps us to reach our climate change goals. I sold my car five years ago and now make most of my trips by bus and MRT. I have not regretted this decision and I highly recommend it to others who can afford not to drive. Improving the commuter experience can convince more people to take public transport, reducing both traffic congestion and carbon emissions. How can we nudge much more people towards going car light? I have a few suggestions. First, reduce the amount of walking needed during the journey. Singapore's tropical weather is not conducive for walking outdoors for long distances while dressed up for work. Transport planners should keep this in mind when planning the location of bus stops and routes for feeder bus services. For example, some of my HDB and condominium residents living along Bedok Reservoir Road do not have a direct feeder bus to the nearby Bedok North MRT and have a rather long walk to and from the station. Second, construct more cupboard linkways from from housing estates including private condominiums to transport nodes. Covered linkways can influence the commuters decision whether to brave the elements or to take private transport. Third, reduce crowding on trains and buses so that commuters can have a more comfortable ride with better safe distancing. I hope MRT operators will also stop removing seats from their train cars because we commuters like sitting during our rides. Forth, continue to make our roads and public transport more accessible for people with disabilities.”
“I thank the Minister for his Statement. However, it did not mention MinLaw's effort to protect victims of workplace sexual harassment, which is also very serious. An AWARE-Ipsos survey in November found that 40% of workers in Singapore said they had been sexually harassed at the workplace, but only three in 10 of them officially reported it, for reasons that include the fear of not being believed or being blamed for bringing it upon themselves. So, my question is, has the Government done any victimisation surveys of its own to uncover the extent of workplace sexual harassment in Singapore? And if so, what are the findings? And secondly, are there plans to table any legislation to oblige employers to prevent and address workplace sexual harassment. I understand that TAFEP has issued a tripartite advisory on managing workplace harassment and that is quite comprehensive. However, it is only an advisory and it is not a statutory requirement. So, employees can choose to ignore them. I also understand that we have POHA, but that requires the victim to file for a court order which may be too onerous for them. So, would it be better to give the TAFEP advisory more teeth?”
“Thank you, Sir. I do not believe any of the officeholders have addressed my proposals about the Temporary Development Levy (TDL). First, I have asked whether the TDL applicants will discuss the split of the TDL between the landlord and the tenant; second, to give businesses a choice of temporary permission of between three and five years to align with typical commercial tenancy agreements; and third, to give deserving businesses rebates or deferments of their TDL if they need it. 7.00 pm”
“The temporary development levy or TDL, is a tax payable when permission is granted for a temporary enhancement of the land value. The TDL can amount to tens of thousands of dollars payable by a small business every year and can form a significant portion of their business costs. Tenancy agreements seldom specifying who is responsible for paying the TDL and tenants are often in a weaker bargaining position vis-a-vis their landlords when the TDL is levied. Often, the tenant is unaware of the TDL until they received the bill and would not have factored this into their business expenses. It can also be inequitable if the tenant bears the full TDL because the landlord also benefits from the enhancement of land value by being able to charge a higher rent to the tenant. Could URA require that all change of use applications include an undertaking from the applicant that the TDL has been discussed between the landlord and tenant. Second, for some industries, URA grants temporary permission or TP for only one year at a time. This can result in widely fluctuating TDL payable every year, making business planning difficult. Can URA provide businesses more certainty by providing them a choice of TP between three and five years to better align with typical commercial tenancy agreements? This will allow tenants to negotiate equitable rental contracts with their landlords and make other business plans. Lastly, some businesses have lamented to me that their TDL far exceeds business revenue, especially during the pandemic. If businesses are unable to pay the TDL, they might have to close down, leading to losses to themselves, their landlords and their employees. The Government will also lose out on tax revenue. Can URA consider giving such businesses rebates or deferments of their TDL? 4.”
“Every year, around 9,000 students graduate from private education institutions offering degree courses in Singapore, while thousands more study in universities overseas. Apart from the few who obtain scholarships, most of these students will have to pay full tuition fees for their studies. This can cost them between $8,000 and $30,000 a year at local private education institutions, which vary considerably in instructional quality and resources and an average of $33,000 annually in overseas universities. These are enormous financial commitments for them and their parents. In contrast, their peers and local Autonomous Universities spent around $8,200 annually for a non-medical degree after benefiting from tuition grants. Many Polytechnic graduates feel the pressure to get a degree because better job and salary prospects as they compete in a globalised job market even in Singapore. The cohort participation rate in local Autonomous Universities last year was 42%. Can our AUs continue to open up more places, raising the target cohort participation rate to 50%? This will allow more deserving Singaporeans who want to attend the AUs to tap on the tuition grant scheme and benefit from the high quality of education offered by our AUs. Contemporising University Education”
“In Primary school, students may take a combination of Standard and Foundation level subjects based on their strengths and choices. However, many students and parents may not be aware that for the purpose of Secondary 1 posting, even a perfect score at a Foundation level maps to a Standard level's Achievement Level (AL) of only AL 6. In contrast, students taking Standard level subjects can achieve AL 5 if they score just 65%. A higher AL translates to a poorer PSLE score. When parents opt for their child to take a Foundation level subject after Primary 4, it will be an uphill climb to get back to Standard level in Primary 6. Poor grades in school are seldom a full reflection of the student's abilities. The quality of instruction they receive and their home environment make a big difference. Some students simply need more encouragement and guidance to do better academically. What are the objective and subjective criteria that schools use to determine the student's subject level combinations? How are parents, including those who may be less educated, made fully aware of the impact that taking Foundation level subjects will have on their child's PSLE score? How do schools ensure that late bloomers will have a fair chance at taking Standard level subjects at the PSLE despite poor examination performance in Primary 4 and Primary 5? Enhancing Open Access in Primary Schools”
“The Progressive Wage Model currently covers three industry sectors – cleaning, security and landscaping. It will cover the lift and escalator maintenance sector by 2022, and there are now discussions to implement PWM in six more sectors. Based on MOM labour force data, apart from the aforementioned sectors, there are still more than 80,000 Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents aged 50 and over, working in other sectors earning a gross income of less than $1,000 a month. These include 27,300 in transportation and storage, 10,900 in public administration and education, 8,000 in manufacturing, 7,400 in health and social services, and, if we include those earning less than $1,500 per month, the numbers more than doubled. Can the Minister share whether MOM has plans to roll out PWM in these sectors and, if so, what are the broad timelines for doing? The NTUC wants to look at a vocational PWM for lower wage occupations, like clerks, general machine operators and electricians. How does MOM plan to implement PWM for these vocations, given they cut across multiple sectors? What levers will MOM use to impose wage, training and career progression requirements in the absence of licencing conditions? Finally, Deputy Prime Minister Heng said that the Government's aspiration is for every sector of the economy to have some form of progressive wages. Moving forward, how will the Government roll out the PWM differently so that it can be implemented at a quicker pace and made universal? For example, which processes and requirements will be streamlined or removed to ensure a faster rollout?”
“Mr Chairman, I declare that I am a director of a local SME providing technology consulting services. SMEs face many challenges in attracting and retaining local talent. There is sometimes a bias against working for SMEs in favour of MNCs, GLCs or the Civil Service. Many SMEs try their best to attract local talent, for example, by offering competitive salaries, but with mixed results. We need to help our SMEs attract more local talent if we are to nurture globally competitive, homegrown firms. I propose three ways to help them achieve this. First, in both the classroom and at home, teachers and parents could encourage our young people to broaden their career aspirations and widen their definition of success. Not every child needs to aspire to be a doctor, lawyer, banker or government scholar. Many SMEs provide incredible opportunities to learn different skills and take on multiple roles. Second, there needs to be a rebranding of SMEs as employers of choice. We have many local enterprises made good. We could do more to profile SMEs both in the media, and also as business case studies within classrooms. Third, Enterprise Singapore could assist more SME managers to adopt modern management practices. They could be provided easier access to certified executive coaches who can provide one-to-one guidance on improving their management approaches. I believe all these could help our local SMEs become more attractive workplaces for Singaporeans to work and enlarge the SMEs' talent pool. Innovation and Enterprise Development”
“Neighbour disputes are some of the most thorny issues in public housing estates. Residents often contact the police, HDB, town councils or the Ministers of Parliament to seek assistance. Avenues like the Community Mediation Centre (CMC), or Community Dispute Resolution Tribunal (CDRT), are available, but many residents seem less keen on using them, because of perceived administrative hurdles or perceived ineffectiveness. Can there be a more streamlined, efficient and effective process available to residents at the first instance? The CMC could be that avenue, but it first needs to be given more resources and more teeth. First, when a resident chooses to lodge an application for mediation, the CMC should mandate that both parties be present at the mediation. It should not be voluntary. Second, the CMC should be staffed with full time, professional mediators to mediate cases. This can also help boost their authority in the eyes of the disputing parties. Third, agreements must be binding on all parties. If violated, the complainant should be able to use it to file a case with the CDRT for a fast track application for an injunction. And fourth, the Government should publicise the CMC more, so residents know that they can contact the CMC before they call the police or HDB to settle their disputes. I believe that if these proposals can be implemented, the CMC will provide a more streamlined avenue for residents to seek a resolution to their disputes and relieve the burden of mediating these neighbour disputes on agencies like the Police.”
“Around one in three marriages in Singapore is between a Singaporean and a non-Singaporean. Currently, foreigners married to Singaporeans can apply for a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP), or an LTVP+. LTVP+ provides access to additional benefits like subsidised healthcare and permission to work. However, LTVP+ is not the same as Permanent Residency, or PR, in terms of benefits. PR is much more difficult to obtain. Of the many Singaporeans I meet at my Meet-the-People sessions, who are appealing for their foreign spouse's PR applications, the overwhelming majority of them are from the lower income groups, with spouses from countries like China, Vietnam and Indonesia. Are economic considerations and educational qualifications given more weight than family ties in determining PR application outcomes? If so, this would disadvantage the lower income. May I suggest that for PR applicants who have a Singaporean spouse, child, or parent, family ties should be the primary consideration for approval of their PR. Their close kinship with Singaporeans makes them part of the Singapore Core. And we as a society, should try to integrate them into our fold. Improvement to the Investigation Process”
“Chairman, I have a clarification for the Minister. I appreciate the Minister's remarks in response to the violence in Myanmar yesterday, including stating that Singapore is appalled at the use of lethal force against unarmed civilians. Can I ask the Minister if he will be communicating these sentiments directly to the military leaders in Myanmar to emphasise our concern about the escalation of violence and to urge them to return to the negotiating table with the democratically elected civilian authorities?”
“A cornerstone of Singapore's foreign policies defending our interest at multilateral organisations, such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and International Maritime Organization. Singapore has won a seat on the councils of both organisations. Last year, we achieved another milestone in having a Singaporean, Mr Daren Tang, elected as a Secretary-General of the World Intellectual Property Organization. Towards securing our candidatures, we need to depend on the support of more than just our major and regional partners. Singapore also has to engage countries in Africa, Latin America, the Carribean and the Pacific Islands. However, engaging these countries is a mammoth task. In MFA, there are about eight desk officers who cover about a hundred countries in these regions and only three resident embassies in these regions. Inevitably, we sacrifice depth of knowledge for width of engagement. Can I ask the Minister, are the current resources sufficient, given increased competition from other countries? Second, is MFA receiving enough support from other Government agencies? While it is understandable that domestic issues are prioritised over hosting foreign visitors, sharing expertise and offering technical assistance, the latter set of actions are a key aspect of our engagement in our larger foreign policy goals. I am glad that the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) has moved some courses online. The SCP is a useful tool in building goodwill for Singapore and it is vital that its effectiveness is maintained despite COVID-19. The on-going pandemic has reduced the number of opportunities for direct high-level physical contacts with these countries. Has MFA been able to maintain or step up such contacts through virtual meetings? Protection for Diplomatic Staff”
“Sure. Is there a framework for enhanced coverage for servicemen who are killed or injured in action?”
“Chairman, I thank Senior Minister of State Heng for responding to my cut. Can Senior Minister of State Heng clarify if operationally-ready NSmen who suffer service injuries or accidents will receive the same compensation and insurance coverage as full-time National Serviceman? If not, can MINDEF move towards this framework, given the invaluable contributions of our NSmen to our nation's defence? 1:30 pm Second, could SMS also share whether there are plans to increase the existing group term insurance coverage? Finally, is there a framework for enhanced payouts for servicemen who are injured or killed in actual operations?”
“Mr Chairman, Singapore's defence strategy is dependent largely on the contributions of our National Servicemen. It is important that should our soldiers suffer injuries in the course of their service to the nation, they will be fairly compensated. This will give them the assurance to give their best during training and operations. I have a few questions for the Minister about MINDEF's insurance and compensation schemes. 11.45 am First, does the current $150,000 Group Term Life and Group Personal Accident insurance cover operationally-ready National Servicemen? NSmen may be serving only up to 40 days a year, but they often participate in dangerous military exercises during that short stint. Second, how was the amount for their insurance coverage derived? Is there room to increase it to provide better coverage in the event of death or total permanent disability of the servicemen? And third, what are the factors considered for the lump sum disability compensation in the case of permanent disability? Lastly, if a serviceman suffers a service injury in the course of actual combat operations, is the quantum of payouts the same as for training injuries? Financial and Post-NS Employment Support”
“Sir, I have two quick questions. One for the Minister for Trade and Industry and one for Minister for National Development. For the Minister for Trade and Industry, was this erroneously cleared 4.5 hectares of land, would it have been eventually cleared anyway and if so, when would that have been done? And for the Minister for National Development, the Minister, I believe, said that the developers can start planning works while environmental studies are on-going but they have to wait for approval before proceeding. However, if detailed requirements for developments are drawn out and multimillion-dollar tenders are issued before the studies are completed, is there a risk that the clearance of natural vegetation becoming a fait accompli by the time the environmental studies are completed?”
“Just the last point on the sectoral wage floor. We want to see a $1,300 minimum wage across all sectors eventually. As for the sectoral wage floor, we acknowledge that one way of rolling out this $1,300 is to implement $1,300 wage floor for each sector, going sector by sector. But it does not mean that we are saying that we should immediately start adjusting the different wages for the different sectors. That can be done in the PWM but let us get the minimum done first so that we can progress onto the next step.”
“Dr Koh is trying to understand whether or not we have changed our position on this minimum wage issue. We have not changed our position. Our position still remains that we should roll out a minimum wage first, to all low-wage workers who earn less than $1,300 a month. That is the position that we are still pushing for, but two things: First is that we accept that we are not in Government, and the Government and the People's Action Party is in Government. The People's Action Party has decided to proceed with this PWM model. So, we are trying, in the interest of protecting our low-wage workers, to find a way that we can propose how you can start off with this minimum wage, and then you can do those other things like career progression and wage increases. I am not digging in, just to say that, "Oh, I want to stick with my position and my position is right, your position is wrong". I think we are all working together to find out what is the best way to benefit our low-wage workers.”
“In the cleaning sector, the security sector and in landscaping, have we seen massive unemployment is the result of the implementation of the PWM? I do not think so. And I believe that if we implement a wage floor which is reasonable, and we have actually put out a number there – $1,300 a month – if we implement a wage floor which is reasonable, I do not think we will see massive unemployment. I think the effects of this wage increases will be minimal on many other industries.”
“Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker and I thank Dr Koh for the clarifications. I will address some of the points that he responded to. First, about strata management and solar technology sectors, and why he feels that it is important because of the wage stagnation. I share his concerns about wage stagnation in any sector, not just the low-wage sectors. But my point was that, as important as it is to address the wage stagnation issue and provide career ladders for the different industries, why can we not just focus more first on the low-wage workers to ensure that all 100,000 low-wage workers who are not covered by the PWM now, are covered first. Why do we not work harder at that first, rather than venture into other things? I am not saying that career progression is not good and I am not saying that it is not good to have increases in salaries beyond the minimum wage. But I think we need to really double down and focus on the low-wage workers first, to ensure that they are protected before we go into other areas. I do not think we want to have a situation where perfect is the enemy of good. We want to make sure that we implement the good things first and then try and perfect it later. The other point about the sectoral wage floor and the convergence he mentioned. Yes, indeed, there is some convergence between our proposals because the minimum wage is the first component of the PWM and it should continue to be that way. So, let us focus on that first component first before we go into career progression and other aspects. He also mentioned about the concerns about unemployment that will be brought about by increases in wages. Yes, it is true that if we increase wages by too much, there could be unemployment. But let us look at the actual real-world examples.”
“To ease the transition for all employers, the Workfare Income Supplement can be used to temporarily top up wages to the minimum wage, and these can be eased off as the economy recovers, with employers taking over. Dr Koh Poh Koon said yesterday that the Wage Credit Scheme (WCS) could be used for this same purpose. Mdm Deputy Speaker, rolling out a basic wage floor more widely and quickly will not only improve the welfare of thousands of our lowest paid compatriots and their families. It can also have positive effects on our economic recovery. The lower income have a higher marginal propensity to spend because they need to meet their basic needs, so putting more cash in their hands will have a multiplier effect on our GDP growth. Higher wages for these occupations will encourage more people to enter the workforce and ease the labour crunch in many essential industries. Those already in the workforce will be more motivated at work, resulting in improved personal productivity and lower turnover and retraining costs for companies. It will be a win-win-win for workers, employers and our economy. Mdm Deputy Speaker, our people have demonstrated great resilience during this pandemic. However, in order to emerge stronger together from this economic downturn, we need to jettison some legacies that have lost their relevance in today's world, and be willing to adopt new paradigms to bring our country forward. Madam, I support the Budget.”
“Someone on Reddit once remarked that the PWM is like a Rube Goldberg machine which tries to solve too many things at once, without solving anything well. This may be a rather harsh critique of the PWM and I know there are many officials who are working very hard to make the PWM work. However, I believe there needs to be a fundamental re-ordering of the PWM framework so that it can be rolled out faster, for the benefit of more of our low wage workers. The current pace of rollout of the PWM is much too slow. At this rate, it will be another decade or more before all low-wage workers are on the PWM. What is more, we have to-date only picked the low-hanging fruit. It will be far harder to roll out the PWM, particularly in its current form, to the remaining industries and occupations. I believe it will be less bureaucratically complex and more efficient to first set a basic wage floor for specific industry sectors, and expand the list of sectors quickly so that we can eventually cover all our local workers. The other aspects of PWM like training requirements and career progression ladders can still be brought in, but later. Given the urgency of the problem that remains to be addressed – 100,000 employed and self-employed workers earning less than $1,300 a month – we need to pick our battles more carefully and focus on what will move the needle the most and the quickest for our low-wage workers. Since the PWM is a "minimum wage plus", we should focus on implementing the "minimum wage" portion of the PWM across all industry sectors as soon as possible, then roll out the "plus" portion only later where practical. I acknowledge that the pandemic period is not a good time to impose wage increases across a large swath of industries.”
“Even as the Government subsidises much of the training and absentee payroll, it does not mean the training is free because it is still borne by taxpayers. Second, providing pathways for career progression for our low-wage workers is also a worthy goal to strive for. However, it has limited utility for many low-wage workers. How many elderly cleaners are striving to be promoted to supervisors, where they have to manage a team and churn out monthly reports for management? For most of them, their priority is first and foremost to earn enough to provide for their families. And third, the PWM is designed to be rolled out to specific industries through licensing conditions set by the respective lead sector agencies: NEA for the cleaning sector, Police Licensing & Regulatory Department, or PLRD, for security agencies and NParks for the landscaping industry. These lead sector agencies require that firms implement the PWM before they are issued operating licenses. If an industry does not currently have any licensing conditions, the relevant lead sector agency will need to introduce a licensing requirement before implementing the PWM. This will be the case for the proposed roll-out of PWM to the retail sector, which currently has no licensing requirements. This two-step process will be cumbersome for both the Government agencies and the firms involved. It would surely introduce more red tape and dent productivity, leading to more overheads to firms, which may cost them far more than just what a wage hike may cause them. It may cause them far more than just a wage hike to meet the basic minimum wage. I am glad to hear that the NTUC is looking at a vocational PWM and I look forward to more details of how this will be implemented.”
“This is how the WP derived our figure for a national minimum wage, which will rise with the AHEBN. However, the PWM's goals are not limited to setting a basic minimum wage. This is something which the Government has emphasised as the very reason why it favours the PWM over a national minimum wage. The PWM also seeks to chart out skills ladders and career progression for workers. NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Koh Poh Koon shared plans to roll out the PWM to six more sectors in the next two to three years. These sectors include strata management and solar technology, both of which do not typically employ low-wage workers. I find this rather puzzling. Why are we venturing into PWM for these industries when there are still so many more low-wage workers who lack a basic wage floor to protect them? The basic principle of the PWM is that higher wages must be a result of improvements in productivity, not Government fiat. Higher productivity can be achieved by upgrading workers skills through training. With a better skilled and more productive workforce, firms will be able to pay their workers better while still remaining profitable. This sounds great in theory, but is less straightforward in practice. First, the training element of the PWM may be well intentioned, but training can improve productivity only to a limit. In many low-wage occupations, there is a skill ceiling due to the manual nature of their work. How many more HDB blocks can a conservancy worker sweep if we send him for more training? After completing basic training, further training will reap diminishing returns. Worse, it could cost the firms money and lost work hours with marginal or no improvements in productivity.”
“The Deputy Prime Minister said in his Budget Statement that the Government's aspiration is for every sector of the economy to have some form of progressive wages, echoing NTUC's call for a universal PWM. Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has termed the PWM a "minimum wage plus". It is not my objective today to debate the merits or demerits of the PWM vis-a-vis the national minimum wage. I think the parties have stated their position on this issue. The Workers' Party (WP) has called for a national minimum wage, first set at $1,300 in take-home pay per month; and the Government and NTUC had explained why they have chosen the path of the PWM while pointing out that they are not ideologically opposed to the minimum wage. I accept that the Government is heavily invested in the PWM. My goal today is to discuss how the PWM framework can be improved so that we can achieve our common goal. Whether Singapore adopts the PWM, a universal PWM, a national minimum wage or a minimum wage plus, I believe the common goal of everyone in this House is the same: to raise the wages of all our low-wage workers and ensure they earn a living wage that can support their families in what is one of the most expensive cities in the world. A household budget study by researchers from NTU and NUS in 2019, found that to meet basic standards of living in Singapore, a single elderly household needs $1,379 per month while an elderly couple needs $2,351 per month. According to the MTI, the Average Household Expenditure for Basic Needs, or AHEBN, for a four-person household was estimated to be about $1,300 a month in 2017. AHEBN is an estimate of the average that households spend on essential needs such as food, clothing and shelter every month.”
“We need to accord sufficient recognition to workers manning these positions. I am glad that nurses and healthcare workers are getting a much-deserved raise, but let us not forget our repairmen, refuse collectors and delivery drivers. These everyday heroes, kept our country running when we were all locked down at home. I understand that even here in Parliament House, workers were here until late last night to fix a broken toilet pipe. [Deputy Speaker (Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo) in the Chair] But with the restrictions in the supply of foreign workers and the reluctance of many locals to take up 3D jobs, the demand for workers in these occupations often exceeds their supply. Based on the law of supply and demand, these workers' wages should naturally rise to reach a higher equilibrium price. In practice, however, many of their wages still remain painfully low. This is in part because of the structure of our industries and in part because our society does not esteem them highly enough. This is a market failure. The state needs to intervene to ensure that these workers' earnings increase to match the value they bring to society. In 2012, the Government introduced the Progressive Wage Model, or PWM, to raise the wages of low-wage workers. Today, almost a decade later, the PWM still covers only 15% of workers in the lowest quintile of income earners and only from three industry sectors: security, cleaning and landscaping. According to MOM, there are a residual 100,000 workers in other sectors who still earn less than $1,300 a month. The NTUC has announced plans to roll out the PWM to six more sectors. It is yet unclear how and when all these 100,000 workers will be covered.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to re-examine what constitutes an essential job. Some supposedly higher skilled jobs have turned out to be less critical than their lower skilled counterparts. This was amply demonstrated during the just concluded Australian Open Tennis tournament, which was held in Melbourne under the shadow of the pandemic. To minimise the spread of viruses, all human line judges were replaced with Hawkeye, an electronic line judging system. Umpires are still featured, but their role seems to be relegated to calling the score, not adjudicating line disputes. It remains to be seen when they too will be made redundant. On the bright side, ball kids face far brighter prospects since it is harder to build a robot which can run, retrieve and throw balls on cue. Naturally, to gear up my kids to be future-ready, I signed them up to be ball kids at the ATP 250 Singapore Tennis Open which is taking place this weekend in the Singapore Sports Hub. This tournament also uses electronic line judges. Automation is by no means limited to the tennis court. Many other highly skilled jobs are either being taken over by machines or offshored to lower cost locations. According to the OECD, 14% of jobs in rich countries are highly automatable while the further a 32% are likely to change because of because many of their routine tasks can be automated. Robo advisors are giving active fund managers a run for their money; X-rays can be read by radiologist in India; and mobile app development can be outsourced to developers in Vietnam and Romania. The pandemic has showed us that many so-called "3D" jobs – dirty, dangerous or difficult – have turned out to be more essential than some white collar jobs.”
“We should not see our fellow Singaporeans as competition for promotions but as partners we can cooperate with to improve the products and services of our company's, thereby improving our company's earnings and contributing to our bonuses. Government-linked companies or GLCs could look at more ways to collaborate with the SMEs in ventures overseas and form local consortiums with them, thus increasing Singapore's competitive edge. Mr Speaker, the pandemic support measures have helped many low-income families. However, we must not forget the plight of the middle income who make up a growing proportion of our population. Middle income families often find themselves squeezed from both ends. Their incomes render them ineligible for many Government benefits. Yet, they still have to cope with high costs like their home mortgage, children's education and aged parents' medical fees. The increase in petrol duties adds to this squeeze and so will the future hike in GST. All this leaves them with little buffer against the vicissitudes of life. An unexpected shock, like a family medical emergency, can throw them into financial distress. We need to provide more help to this group. To be clear, I am not calling for universal handouts. Assistance should still be targeted but I hope to see more flexibility when it comes to assessing the eligibility of applicants for schemes, like the COVID-19 Recovery Grant. Individuals who narrowly miss eligibility requirements or have circumstances that deserve special consideration should not be denied assistance. Such flexibility should be exercised at the first instance based on their merits. The Government agencies should not wait for these individuals to pluck up the courage to send in appeals before they can get the help they need.”
“Mr Speaker, in line with the theme of the Budget Statement, I would like to examine four areas in which we can work together towards emerging in a stronger condition than we were in before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, I wish to address how we view and approach competition. Competition is a ubiquitous aspect of life in Singapore. In school, our children compete for grades, awards and places in top schools. Even in co-curricular activities, they compete for a spot on the school team to improve their chances of entering Secondary school via the Direct School Admission (DSA) scheme. We even grew a billion-dollar industry in the form of tuition centres, which have fuelled the competitive dynamic that is part of our education system. Keen competition continues after finishing school. Employees compete with each other for raises and promotions or enterprises engage in the survival of the fittest. Competition in itself is not bad. It can draw out the best in each person and each firm. However, when competition starts taking negative edge, we need to re-examine our priorities. As we are told time and again, Singapore is a small and vulnerable country which needs to stay relevant and competitive. Therefore, we must ensure that our competitive spirits are directed towards the right targets and adopt a more cooperative mindset with our fellow Singaporeans. For example, Singaporeans at the workplace could orient themselves more towards looking out for each other and helping each other succeed. This is how professionals and workers from other countries instinctively operate, even when they are working here.”
“Sir, I just want to get some sense of the kind of timeline that the NTUC and the Government are looking at to implement PWM across all these different sectors. I understand that things are still in the works, but what is the kind of rough timeline? Is it five years, 10 years or 20 years?”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I have a clarification for Senior Minister of State Koh based on his speech just now. I believe Senior Minister of State Koh mentioned in October last year that after implementing the PWM for the cleaning, security and landscaping sectors, there will be a residual 100,000 workers who are still earning less than $1,300 a month. With the new six sectors added to the PWM fold, how many workers will still be earning less than $1,300 a month? Secondly, how many workers will be covered under this vocational PWM that he has just proposed? And are there any plans to include self-employed and daily-rated workers under the PWM? And lastly, what is the timeline for the rollout of the PWM to these six new sectors plus the vocational PWM?”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for the answer. I have two supplementary questions. Should medical workers feel over-worked or over-stretched, what recourse and remedies are available to them and how will they be assured that there will be no penalty on their performance assessments? Secondly, studies have shown that it is important for hospital managers to carry out management practices that promote job control, in order to reduce burn-out risks. Job control enables workers to make decisions regarding their work and gives them more autonomy at work. Is promoting greater job control something that the hospitals are looking into?”
“I thank the Minister for his very comprehensive reply. Regional instability precipitated by events, like in Myanmar, can impinge on Singapore's interests. I understand that there is a special meeting of Foreign Ministers of Southeast Asian nations being called to discuss the situation in Myanmar. Will Singapore be represented at this meeting and what are the key objectives that Singapore would like to see achieved at this meeting? Secondly, given that Singapore is one of the largest, in fact, the largest foreign investor in Myanmar, does the Singapore Government or Singapore companies, including Temasek-linked companies, have any joint ventures with the Myanmar military and its network of companies? If so, given the high possibility that the US and other western nations may slap further sanctions on the Myanmar military and its companies, is the Government providing the necessary advice and assistance to companies, which may get caught up in this, so that they can reduce their exposure?”
“" Can I confirm that this remains the intent of this Bill?”
“On the flip side, is it worth it if even one COVID-19 cluster goes undetected because a few people deactivated the TT app out of privacy concerns? Sir, I will, with some reluctance, be prepared to support this Bill. However, I hope the Government and the Police will now consider this question carefully in deciding how often and to what extent it uses the broad powers conferred on it by section 20 of the CPC and this Bill. Mr Speaker, I have some further clarifications for the Minister on this Bill. First, we now know that SafeEntry data is also accessible to the Police. Since its launch, how many times have the Police used SafeEntry data for investigations and how many of these investigations were outside the scope of the seven serious crimes in the Seventh Schedule? Second, the sunset clause proposed under section 82(8) gives a lot of power to the Minister to determine if we still need digital contact tracing and when the contact tracing data will be deleted. The pandemic may last another four to five years, as Minister Lawrence Wong has recently alluded to. In an even more pessimistic scenario, COVID-19 may never be fully eradicated but will become endemic in our population. If this happens, will these digital contact tracing systems ever be stood down? What are the criteria that will be used to determine this? Third, do the safeguards in section 82 of the Bill cover data that has been uploaded to MOH databases for the purposes of contact tracing? If so, will the Police still be allowed to access this data even after the pandemic is over? I asked a similar question on 5 January and the Minister answered then, "I believe that once the pandemic has passed, that data – certainly the specific personalised data – those fields should be eliminated.”
“Secondly, just because 80% of residents have downloaded the app or collected the token, does not mean that they are actually using it, a point that the Leader of the Opposition also made earlier. There are many ways that TT can be disabled. There is even a pause function within the TT app itself. Suffice to say, one does not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out how to legally disable the TT app or token. With the 4 January revelation, many people who anticipate engaging and even minor misdemeanours may choose to disable TT just to avoid detection. Some might even do so to avoid being called as a witness in a Court case. Others may do so as matter of principle or because of their lack of trust in the Government. All these might add up to a not-so-insignificant proportion of our population. We may think that these people are holding out on TT for unjustifiable reasons, especially since the seven serious crimes have already been scoped in. However, we cannot control every action that individuals make with their electronic devices. Ultimately, TT relies on user consent. Perceptions will drive behaviour. The net result may be a lower than desired usage of TT which will hamper our contact tracing efforts. The Government does not want to constrain itself by committing to "never use TT data for crime fighting". However, is the potential cost of slower containment of the community's spread of COVID-19 worth it? Put another way, if the COVID-19 situation were to take a turn for the worse, overwhelming our healthcare system, will the Police still use TraceTogether data if it inevitably suppresses the adoption rate and hinders contact tracing efforts? Mr Murali has said that it is worth using contact tracing data even if one serious crime is solved.”
“Three days later, on 8 January, the Smart Nation Digital Government Office announced upcoming legislative provisions for the usage of data from TT and SafeEntry, which are in the Bill we are debating today. Why did the Government choose the make this revelation only on 4 January, more than nine months after TT was launched? All that time the TT's privacy statement contained a more absolute assurance and, I quote, "Any data shared with MOH will only be used solely for contact tracing of persons possibly exposed to COVID-19." This privacy statement changed only sometime after 12.25 pm on 4 January, the afternoon that the PQ was answered, with the new clarification that it can also be used for criminal investigations. On 8 June 2020, the Minister for Foreign Affairs had stated in a press conference that TT data is "only used for contact tracing". While the Minister has since admitted that he had not thought of the CPC at that time – and I appreciate his explanation – why did anyone in Government not come out sooner to correct this statement? Many Singaporeans downloaded the TT app and collected the TT token in large numbers, in part, because they trusted the Government's assurances of privacy and limitation of use. This unfortunate sequence of events may make many Singaporeans more wary of taking Government's statements at face value. Some may now adopt Ronald Reagan's adage, "Trust, but verify". We may now have an 80% adoption rate for TT but we should not rest on our laurels and become complacent. First, the more people use TT, the more effective contact tracing will be. We should always aim for maximum adoption and usage and minimise any obstacles to adoption. For example, privacy fears or poor app performance.”
“Mr Speaker, when I first read the 4 January Parliamentary Question by the Member for Holland-Bukit Timah Mr Christopher de Souza, I anticipated that the Government would answer it in one of two ways. One, that TraceTogether or TT data is not and will never be used for anything other than contact tracing, as per their earlier assurances. Or two, that the TT data may be used for criminal investigations in some circumstances. I thought the second scenario would be less likely. I shared with a colleague ahead of that day's Sitting that I did not think the Government would use TT data for non-contact tracing purposes. It will cause a public outcry as it would inviolate TT's privacy policy and what the Government had been saying about TT's privacy protection so far. More damagingly, it could lead to a lower adoption rate of TT, which would in turn hinder our battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. As it turned out, option two was closer to reality. Minister of State Desmond Tan said that, "The Singapore Police Force is empowered under the Criminal Procedure Code or CPC to obtain any data, including TraceTogether or TT data for criminal investigations", and went on to assure the House that the data was secure and only authorised officers are allowed to access it. In response to my supplementary question that day, the Minister of State clarified that other than for the purpose of criminal investigations and protecting public safety and security, TT data is to be used only for contact tracing. The next day, on 5 January, the Minister for Foreign Affairs made a clarification, following a lot of unease expressed by Singaporeans about the previous day's revelations, where he stated that the use of TT data would be restricted to serious crimes.”
“However, as Yale Environmental Studies Prof Daniel Esty pointed out in this article, "Red Lights to Green Lights", this command-and-control framework is now widely recognised as slow and inefficient. The government does most of the work of spotting problems, analysing causes of various harms, spelling out standards and requiring specific technologies to be adopted by particular industries. But an over-reliance on the government as the central actor can lead to high cost, avoidable inefficiencies and disincentives for innovation. Instead, more government incentives should be put in place to encourage broad engagement in environmental problem solving, that draws on all stakeholders, including companies, entrepreneurs, academics, civil society activists and ordinary citizens in the pursuit of a sustainable future. These practical incentives will induce innovation and help embed a green mindset in all firms and households. Mr Speaker, while I acknowledge that Singapore has taken many steps to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, the urgency of the problem grows stronger with each passing day. I suggested today some ways to enhance our efforts to integrate more environmentally friendly and sustainable practices in our firms and households. Given the urgency of the climate situation, I call for the House to acknowledge that a state of climate emergency exists in Singapore. Sir, I thank Mr Louis Ng for tabling this Motion and I support the amendments to the Motion proposed by the Member for Hougang, Mr Dennis Tan.”
“Given that the power industry is the single largest source of Singapore's greenhouse gas emissions, even a small efficiency gain will reap a significant greenhouse gas abatement. Based on EMA data, the average thermal efficiency of power plants in Singapore in 2019 was about 50%. Can efficiency be increased by operating gas turbines at a higher average part load? For example, a 4 percentage-point improvement in thermal efficiency of power plants will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.65 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, or about 5% of Singapore's 2050 carbon dioxide reduction target. It will also save almost $100 million a year in natural gas costs at current prices. In this regard, I would like to know if EMA has looked into what impact the power generation sector's over capacity has on energy efficiency of the power generation sector in Singapore; and whether it has explored ways to increase average part loads and therefore improve the thermal efficiency of our power plants. Given the deregulated market mechanisms that are currently in place, I acknowledge that this will be a challenging task. However, given the potential benefits to be gained, surely, we can find a way towards a win-win solution. For example, is it possible to maintain the present deregulated system, but revert to some form of efficiency-driven-central load dispatching? The final point I would like to make is on creating an innovation-oriented sustainability strategy. Environmental protection has traditionally been the domain of governments which set the regulatory framework and push it down to industries and households to comply.”
“This complements existing reporting requirements and shows the risk posed by ESG factors managed for future returns. However, no such requirement is placed on private companies. ACRA could consider requiring simplified environmental sustainability reporting for private limited companies with the revenue of over 100 million dollars and with more than 200 employees. The Government could also provide grants to incentivise SMEs to optionally submit sustainability reports. This will aid our local firms in their ventures overseas, where they may face increasingly stringent demands for sustainable business contracts, and help them to be more globally competitive. We should equip our local firms before they are affected by such de facto barriers to trade. It is vital that we look into improving our energy efficiency towards reducing our consumption of fossil fuels and emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Much has already been put in place by way of the Energy Conservation Act of 2013. I would now like to talk specifically about energy efficiency in the power industry, which produces 39.7% of greenhouse gas emissions in Singapore. Singapore's total registered power generation capacity was 12,582 megawatts in 2020 while the highest peak system demand since 2005 has been 7,404 megawatts. This currently leaves a spare capacity of some 5,178 megawatts in the system. Combined cycle gas turbines (CCGTs) operate at a lower thermal efficiency when partially loaded. For example, the Alstom GT26 gas turbine CCGT, of which there are several in Singapore plants, has a turbine efficiency of 59% at full load but suffers a 14-percentage-point drop in efficiency at a 30% part-load.”
“The Government should take the lead in promoting more sustainable practices through green public purchasing. One of the ways we can do so is by making sustainability a criterion in more public sector procurements. This will provide industry with incentives to develop environmentally friendly works, products and services. It could also lead to savings in public expenditure, especially if full-life cycle costs of contracts and not just the purchase price are considered during the procurement process. Enhancing GPP practices will also equip public officers with more knowledge and experience to meet evolving environmental challenges. GPP in Singapore has already been introduced via the public sector taking the lead in environmental sustainability initiative. Under this initiative, public sector agencies have been encouraged to put in place environmental sustainability measures, like energy efficiency, water efficiency and recycling. Other green factors that can be considered in public procurement could include recycling, reducing single-use plastics, data centre efficiency and reduction of food wastage in catering. There is increased demand for corporate performance metrics on a range of environmental, social and governance issues or ESG as more investors seek to align their stock holdings with their issue interests and values. In the biggest survey of its kind ever done, the UN Development Programme's People's Climate Vote found that more than 60% of 1.2 million respondents aged between 18 and 59 see the climate situation as urgent, with 58% of those above 60 affirming. We can thus expect more investors placing environmental issues as a priority. The Singapore Exchange introduced sustainability reporting in 2016 for listed companies.”
“Royal Dutch Shell pivoted away from crude oil towards a low-carbon slate of fuels will cost Singapore 500 jobs and half of the processing capacity in Pulau Bukom in the next three years; while ExxonMobil, BP and Chevron will be cutting the global workforce as well. Keppel Offshore and Marine recently announced that it will be pivoting away from its offshore rig business to clean energy, in large part, due to depressed global oil demand. More than 10,000 workers will be impacted by this move and it remains unclear how many will end up losing their jobs. The International Labour Organisation in its guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies recommended several active labour market policies such as: one, helping enterprises and workers transition to the green economy by facilitating access to jobs, employment and training; two, giving particular attention to workers at risk of unemployment in industries affected by climate change including those in the informal economy; and three, introducing well-targeted subsidies that allow workers to acquire skills through work experience and on-the-job training. In this vein, I propose extending the Special Employment Credit Scheme to provide time-limited wage support to all Singaporean workers while taking up their first job in the green economy. This will incentivise companies to expand their ventures in the green economy and hire and train workers in this growing industry. In order to formulate more effective policies, it is important that we improve the quality and quantity of statistical data on the green economy. Such data is necessary for us to assess the impact of climate-related policies on our economy, health and social inclusion so that we can fine tune and adjust them.”
“We can rebuild our economy to be greener by introducing and improving measures such as one, the provision of grants, loans and tax relief directed towards green transport, the circular economy and clean energy research; two, financial support to households and businesses for energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy installations; and three, new funding and programmes to create jobs and stimulate economic activity in green industries. There are other steps that we can take towards reshaping our economy in this fashion. The Government is aiming to fully electrify transport by 2040. Can we be more ambitious and bring forward our timeline to 2030? Norway is aiming to reach this milestone by 2025 and the UK and Germany have aimed to do so by 2030. In fact, Norway is very much on track to do so and it has just become the first country in the world where electric car sales outstripped those powered by other means. Our 10-year COE system makes it easier than in most countries to have a fully electric automobile fleet earlier. In the last few weeks, we have seen an outpouring of support for the conservation of Clementi and Ulu Pandan Forests. Rather than using our limited remaining forests for urban development, we should look first into redeveloping existing industrial land and golf courses instead. Our workers are the backbone of our economy. It is crucial that we find ways to leverage on our manpower resources to develop a talent pipeline for the green economy. The hard reality is many industries, particularly those in the fossil fuel-related sectors, will be hard hit.”
“Mr Speaker, the climate situation is a looming crisis. It has been growing in urgency for some time. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres highlighted the severity of the problem during the Climate and Vision Summit in December 2020. The world is 1.2-degrees Celsius hotter than it was before the Industrial Revolution and if current trends continue, global temperatures will rise by three-degrees Celsius by the end of this century. Mr Guterres noted that the G20 Nations has spent 50% more of their respective stimulus packages on fossil fuel production and consumption than on low carbon energy. He called on all leaders worldwide to declare a state of climate emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached, noting that some 38 countries have already done so. As a tropical island state, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels and changes in weather patterns resulting from climate change. Given the way our economy is intertwined with the global economy, disruptions resulting from climate change in other parts of the world could well have a deleterious effect on our country as well. For example, on our food security. The Government has already recognised these risks. It is thus important for Parliament to acknowledge that our country is in a climate emergency in order to further focus our national priorities on mitigating and adapting to climate change. The on-going COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global economy hard. However, the crisis has also provided an opportunity for us to reshape our fractured economy. We have a chance to develop industrial sectors, which are less destructive to the environment and thus enhance our overall resilience.”
“Sir, given that the Government has signed advance purchase agreements with Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Sinovac, will these agreements have any bearings on whether the latter two vaccines are eventually approved? Secondly, will MOH roll out only the safest and most effective vaccines available or are there other factors like price and country of origin that are considered?”
“Yes, Mr Speaker. I want to thank Minister Vivian for his candour and explaining the circumstances and the thought that went behind the considerations whether or not to have a carve-out for the CPC for the TraceTogether data. I just wanted to clarify that my purpose for raising that intervention yesterday was mainly in the interest of maximising the adoption of TraceTogether. It was not exactly from a civil liberty perspective although there is a time for discussion about that in the future. But my intervention was mainly for the purpose of ensuring that there is a maximum adoption of the TraceTogether system because I have been a strong advocate of it on the ground with my residents in the face of quite a bit of scepticism actually, about the system. I have exactly tried to convince people to not only use the token but also use the app and use the app instead of using the token if they have a mobile phone. So, I think I just want to put on record that I do support the TraceTogether system and I do encourage Singaporeans to use the token or the app as much as they can. In response to Member Mr Murali's point about the GDPA and the PDPA, I do not intend to open up a whole debate about this. But just to clarify that, if I recall right, what I said during the debate was that the GDPA does have carve-outs for security purposes. So, it is possible to have a PDPA that has carve-outs that allow the Police do certain things and access certain data. It is not incongruous to what I said earlier on.”
“Thank you, Sir. Two clarifications. Minister Balakrishnan just now said that once the pandemic is passed, the TraceTogether programme will be stood down. My question is, will the data that collected by TraceTogether including data that is beyond 21 days, will that be stored on a server and will that still be accessible by the Police if they invoke the CPC? And secondly, has the Government considered the impact that yesterday's clarification would have on the adoption and the usage of the TraceTogether app as well as the token? Because as I mentioned yesterday, although we might have 78% adoption, there is no real way of finding out whether people actually using the system because you may have it downloaded on your phone, but you can switch off your Bluetooth when you enter the building or you could use what is called a Faraday bag to keep the token. So, there are many different ways which people can prevent themselves from being tracked if they could well be criminals or engaging criminal activities. Which is more important then? Is it the fight against this pandemic or the exceptional circumstances where the Police, with all their other powers on hand, are not able to trace where the person is and track the person down?”