Goh Choon Kang
Singapore
“Sir, can I ask the Minister of State, in view of the prolonged recession in the construction industry, whether the Ministry will consider regularising the operation of these workers' quarters, so that they will continue to provide low-cost accommodation for foreign workers?”
“Then, when they come here, instead of being brought to see cultural sites, they are brought to shop and they are made to pay high prices because these are the only shops they are brought to. We have been collecting statistics. They are high spenders, especially in jewellery items.”
“Sir, I hope the Minister can respond to the point on relaxing the requirement to study Higher Chinese. RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Sir, in fact, we have really relaxed the requirements for Higher Chinese quite considerably over the last few years. Originally, Higher Chinese could only be studied by those in the top 10%.”
“Faced with the withering number of Chinese talents, including Chinese teachers, and coupled with the picking up of the economy of our Asian neighbour, China, we should promptly change this practice, and actively nurture a batch of new Chinese talents as successors to satisfy the needs of the international situation in the future.”
“The low plot ratio allowed for this area is such that the two existing blocks of 10-storey private apartments have to actually go down to four storeys, if they were to be redeveloped. 5.30 pm This sounds contradictory and inconsistent.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether the Home Team could look into how police presence can be improved in new estates, where residents have a natural tendency to feel insecure in their new environment.”
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“Basically, this project involves engaging a pest control company for routine mosquito control and checking. I was told that the initial result was very encouraging. With the above background information, I would like to ask the Minister the following questions: (1) Has the Ministry of the Environment identified the root cause of the seemingly uncontrolled increase in dengue cases? (2) With the alarming record of high dengue cases reported over the last two years, what is Ministry of the Environment's short term and long term strategies to combat this undesirable trend? And what is the Minister's prediction of the trend in 1998? Is it going to level off, going down or continue to rise?”
“Sir, we have just heard that for the first two and a half months this year, there were 1,291 cases of dengue fever. And one of the worst hit areas, as reported, is the construction site of the new Tan Tock Seng Hospital. So far, 15 hospital staff are down with dengue fever. It so happens that the Minister in charge of the environment is also in charge of health, which is overseeing the hospital. Apparently, the mosquitoes did not choose where to breed and who to bite, so long as there is stagnant water, and so long as they smell human blood. Sir, my constituency also experienced a surge in dengue fever cases for the month of August last year. There was a record high of 74 cases, and together with the Marine Parade Town Council which is managing my ward, we literally combed the whole ward and found that the main source of dengue outbreak was from a HDB construction site at Serangoon Central. ENV together with HDB intensified the source reduction at the construction site and brought the situation under control. This experience led us to think that identification of the main source of mosquito breeding ground is an effective way of eradicating the hazard posed by dengue fever. Based on the recent feedback from my constituents, we feel that the construction site at the Northeast MRT line will be a potential source for mosquito breeding and if it is not effectively controlled, there will be future outbreaks of dengue cases in my ward. 4.15 pm Sir, I understand from the Marine Parade Town Council that currently the Ministry of the Environment is conducting a joint project with the Town Council with the aim of total eradication of mosquito breeding grounds, which I fully support. I believe this is a more systematic way of bringing the dengue cases under control.”
“There are at the moment a few half-way houses, one run by the Ministry of Health and a few run by VWOs. The Ministry of Health does work with them. There are visiting psychiatrists who work as honorary ordinary cconsultants to these half-way houses. So tThey provide the professional or medical cover. They also give professional consultancy to these homes. So it is not entirely true that our Ministry does not supervise their work, or has no inputs. I agree with her that we need to work more in this direction to provide for the number of mental patients we have in our midst and who, after they have been stabilised, after they have gone through this steady state, need some kind of rehabilitation in order for them to be reintegrated into society. As for social stigma, I am afraid iit is very unfortunate that in our society there is still quite a bit of social stigma attached to mental illness. That is why my Ministry has put a great deal of emphasis on mental health education in public education to raise public awareness and also to educate the public on the facts about mental health and how early detection and management, and so on, would help the patients. Finally, Dr Tan Cheng Bock talkeds about the need for an enlarged role for the Home Nursing Foundation. I also agree with him. I can see that the Home Nursing Foundation can play a much more proactive role in the community. It is doing a very, very good job. But I think it can still extend its reach much more through partnership with community-based organisations, including the CDCs. And if Dr Tan Cheng Bock, being a member of the CDC, would like to work within the Home Nursing Foundation, the Ministry of Health would be fully behind him.”
“I must emphasise that when you work with the community, it is not just the number of MOH officers that matters. We work with the community organisations. We work through the professional organisations. We work through the women's organisations. And it is through this outreach that we can reach all sectors of the population. But I agree with her entirely that preventive healthcare is a very good strategy that will raise the health of our nation and reduce healthcare cost in the long run. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked about home nurses. In fact, the Home Nursing Foundation has been in existence for more than 20 years. It has been doing very good work. Last year alone, it had carried out 45,000 visits to homes to do home nursing for patients. This is a charitable organisation. It is not a commercial organisation. And patients are charged according to their affordability to pay. As for the waiting list, yes, we are right now short of nursing home beds. In the past six years, the Ministry of Health has worked with the voluntary organisations and we have built quite a number of nursing homes that have increased our capacity by a great deal. In the last six years, we had built eight VWO nursing homes. At the At present, we have 4,700 nursing home beds. Another 11 nursing home projects are in the pipeline. With the completion of these projects, they will add another 2,100 beds and the total number of beds by then would be sufficient to meet our needs by the year 2000. Mdm Claire Chiang talked about the significance of the psychosocial -socio programmes. I understand what she means and I thank her also for sending me some reading materials. I think the concrete expression of this approach would lie in so-called half-way houses.”
“New graduates from this course will be deemed to have met the training requirement in acupuncture and will be eligible to sit for the qualifying examination. During the transitional period, however, we will give consideration to existing acupuncturists who possess sufficient training and experience. Each application for registration will be assessed. Those who possess suitable qualification and experience will be exempted from the acupuncture common qualifying examination, either in part or in full. For those who do not possess sufficient experience or training, they will be required to attend upgrading training courses and to sit for the common qualifying examination. We will encourage a local professional TCM body to organise and administer the qualifying examination with the help of foreign TCM experts in setting the questions and the passing standards. We will also encourage the major local TCM schools to run the upgrading courses. The above framework for registration of acupunturists will ensure a uniform and upgraded standard of practice of acupunture in Singapore. 6.30 pm Now let me move on to Dr Lily Neo's point. I think I cannot agree with her more that we should put a great deal of emphasis on preventive care. Are we doing enough? She said, no. I beg to differ with her. We try to do as much as we can. We would try to do more. But it is a matter of judgment at this point whether within the resources we have, we are doing enough. In fact, we are doing a lot, and I really I would like to find out from her wherehow she gotets the figures of only five people within the Primary Health Department in MOH doing preventive health work for the elderly, and only five to cater to the entire workforce.”
“Sir, my question is very simple. According to my understanding, the Ministry of Health is planning to register now going about with the registration of acupuncturists. May I ask the Minister to update the House on the for a progress reportprogress? Dr Aline Wong: Sir, I have only about five minutes. I really do not know how I could manage to answer one by one in a satisfactory manner. But if I can, I would like to give the last speaker the first response. On acupuncture, the Ministry of Health has adopted a phased approach to the regulation of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practices (TCMP), ie, first, we have a phase of self-regulation by the TCM community initially, and followed by statutory regulation at a later stage. MyThe Ministry of Health intends to register acupuncturists in the year 2000. This is in accordance with the recommendation of the Committee on Traditional Chinese Medicine. At present, there are about 1,070 acupuncturists practising in Singapore. Many of them have practised for a long time and many practise on a part-time basis. To protect the interest of the public and to raise the standard of practice of acupuncturists, my Ministry's approach is to ensure that applications for registration should meet a uniform, acceptable standard of competency. To this end, a set of training requirements and a common qualifying examination will be established to ascertain whether applicants meet the prescribed standard. Those who pass will be registered. As the Member may well be aware, there is now a standardised 6-year part-time diploma course on TCM, which is offered by the major local TCM training institutions. The acupuncture training offered by this course will be the benchmark training requirement for eligibility to sit the common qualifying examination.”
“Sir, in 1993, we set up Medifund. To the poor people it is a very important fund because people who really cannot afford the medical fees will be able to apply for grants from this Medifund. The fund also ensures that no citizen in Singapore will be deprived of medical care just because he cannot afford to pay for the medical fees. In 1995, there were over 40,000 applicants. In 1996, there were 56,000 applicants. Last year there were around 50,000. Funding from Medifund came to about $10 million. According to the statistics, more than 90% of the applications were approved. But I understand that many citizens still do not know of the existence of Medifund, or they do not know how to go about applying for the fund. Many of them approached their MPs for assistance. Generally, all the PAP MPs know how to assist them. I am not sure about the Opposition Members. In fact, these people can apply directly to the hospitals. They can also apply for Medifund through the CDC. I hope the Government can step up the publicity on Medifund for the benefit of the ordinary citizens. The second thing I want to point out is that since 1993 the Government has already injected $600 million capital grants into Medifund. Because the fund is financed from the interest earned from the capital grant, the capital will not be used up. In 1993, it was $200 million, and from 1994 onwards it was $100 million per year, making a total of $600 million. This year, no grant is provided because of financial difficultiesturmoil and economic slowdown. I hope the Minister can give us an assurance that in future years when the economy improves, the Medifund will continue to be topped up.”
“I understand that the total number of doctors has been increasing every year. For example, in 1987, we had 2,940 doctors. In 1992, we had 3,960 doctors. Last year, we had 4,916 doctors. In 1987, the doctor/patient ratio was 1:940. In 1992, it was 1:800. In 1997, it was 1:760. I believe that by the year 2010, our target is 1:650. What plans do we have in hand to train more doctors or to have more doctors? In terms of nurses, right now we have about 14,000 nurses. But by the year 2000 we will need another extra 3,000. So I would like to know whether the Ministry of Health has any measures to solve this problem of shortage in nurses. Right now, our medical infrastructure is very advanced and quite good. We have a New Changi Hospital, and the new Tan Tock Seng Hospital is already under construction. To develop Singapore into a regional medical centre or medical hub, I believe we have all the necessary hardware. But in terms of software, there is still room for improvement. Can the Minister please tell us what plans the Ministry of Health has in place to resolve all these problems? 4.15 pm”
“Sir, over the past few years, private hospitals havemedical practice has developed quite rapidly in Singapore. Some of these hospitals medical practitioners have already evolved into medical groups and they are continuously expanding their scope of practice. One of these groups has even become a public-listed company. I feel that the development of private hospitals medical practice may result in some brain drain of Government doctors and nurses to the private sector, causing acute shortage of medical staff in the public and restructured hospitals. The Chairman of the GPC for Health has already mentioned that admission for medical students in NUS is quite restricted. This may be another reason for the shortage of new supply of doctors. Apart from all this, I think there may be a question of income gap and the work pressure, etc., which have resulted in the migration of Government doctors and nurses from the Government hospitals to the private sector. Sir, in our GPC's visits to the polyclinics and hospitals, we discovered that one of the clinics which was supposed to be staffed by 12 doctors had only 7 on duty, a shortage of 5 doctors. The same situation applies to nurses. I think this may be a question of social status, remuneration, workload, etc. We should seriously look into the situation and try to find some solutions to resolve the matter. Otherwise, there may be some negative results or undesirable consequences. Firstly, for existing doctors, I think their workload is much too heavy, and at the same time, this in turn may affects their morale too. Secondly, there will be a longer waiting time for ppatients. And finally, oOn the whole, the quality of medical service will be adversely affected.”
“Fortunately, with the advice of friends, he decided to instruct a lawyer to write to the company to close his account. At the time when his account was closed, he found that there was only about $5,000 left in it. Sir, I am moving this amendment to create an opportunity to tell Singaporeans that trading in commodity futures is a highly speculative activity which entails extremely high risk. Some traders have resorted to improper means to induce ignorant and ordinary citizens to indulge in such speculative activities. In the process, these people earn huge amounts of commission, but their poor clients lose all their hard earned savings or even retirement money. I therefore would like to ask our citizens to be vigilant and not to fall into the trap with the hope of making a quick buck. At the same time, I would like to ask the Government to take proper measures to check such unscrupulous business activities.”
“Sir, recently, a voter came to see me and complained that he had been conned by a commodity futures trading company. Within a short period of six weeks, he lost nearly $200,000. This happened some two years ago. Over the past two years, he went from the Commercial Affairs Department to other Government agencies for assistance, but was unable to recover the money he had lost. According to him, he responded to a "vacancy for part-time traders" advertisement in the newspaper and fell into the trap of the commodity trading company. What happened to him was quite similar to what was described in an article published in the Lianhe Zaobao on 17th December last year. This article entitled "One has to be extremely careful when going into commodity futures trading" by one named Zhenwei. According to this voter, the company first arranged for him to attend lectures and to listen to how the company enlisted their clients. Subsequently, he was persuaded to open an account of his own, for trading in commodity futures. He was coaxed into signing the contract without looking into the small print therein. Subsequently, he found that this was a legal contract authorising the traders to transact in commodity futures on his behalf. The people in the company used all kinds of incentives and inducements to talk him into putting all his money into the account. The impression created then was that by "investing" more money, he would be able not only to recover all his losses but also make profits amounting to some $1 million. So within a short period of six weeks, he put in $200,000. When he had exhausted all his savings, he was even asked to sell his flat and get cash for further "investment".”
“Sir, construction of the North East MRT line is expected to start soon. My constituents are both excited as well as worried, excited because this is something that they have been asking for so long and, eventually, it is going to be constructed; worried, because, at the moment, they are already experiencing very bad traffic jams during peak hours along the stretch of roads at Upper Serangoon Road as well as Braddell Road. So with the construction of the North East line, as it is a massive construction project, the traffic situation along these stretches of roads can be expected to worsen. I would like to ask the Minister what are the plans in hand to tackle these anticipated problems. Mr Low Thia Khiang( In Mandarin): Sir, in January 1996, the Government announced that the North East MRT line was to be built. One year later, I read in the newspaper that the Land Transport Authority has awarded design and building contracts for the building of Zhujiao, Farrer Park, Sengkang and Buang Kok stations. There are altogether 13 stations along the North East line, and the Government has agreed that the line from Sengkang to Dhoby Ghaut will be operating first. I would like to know when will the MRT service from Sengkang to Dhoby Ghaut commence, and when will the construction of Hougang station commence? When will the tender for Hougang station be awarded and when is the construction work expected to be completed? Sir, I would also like to know whether the LTA has decided on how to deal with the earth that is going to be excavated when building the North East line. According to reports, the LTA has decided to use catenary system of overhead cable for the North East line. How much would be saved from using this system?”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his answer and beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head U of the Development Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code UH 5100. Sir, consideration for building conservation seems to be based mainly on architectural values of old buildings. Old buildings actually have more than architectural values. They have historical values and therefore educational value as well. Take Chinatown and Clarke Quay, for example. Thirty years ago, many of our parents were still living in these old houses. Many of the families lived in small cubicles. Each storey of these houses consisted of many cubicles. All these families actually had to share a kitchen and just one toilet. The post-independence generation has no idea at all how over the last 30 years, we have, through the public housing programme, rehoused many families into HDB flats. In our conservation programme, however, only the facade of the houses is preserved. The contents are gone, which means that the historical value as well as the educational values are no more there also. Because after conservation, after retrofitting, all these houses are rented out for commercial purposes. Take Clarke Quay, for example, they are all run by commercial people, and we can find a lot of entertainment outlets, including pubs there. Therefore, we find our youths patronising the area, drinking and fighting. I would like to suggest to the Ministry of National Development that, in our effort to conserve, can we consider preserving some of these old houses in their original form as well as the contents, so as to use them for National Education purposes?”
“Sir, I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for his answer and beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head U of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code UE 2100. Sir, community centres (CCs) are very important institutions in nation building, but they seem less important to national development. I am told that because of the construction of the North-East MRT line, CCs near to MRT stations have to give way, not because they are directly affected but because they are sitting on land which are now considered to have enhanced commercial value. Braddell Heights Community Centre is one such CC. As the proposed Serangoon Station of the North-East line is just nearby, the CCMC was informed that it has to relocate the CC. Understandably, the CCMC is very upset as they originally hope that the MRT station will bring more people to the CC. I would like to appeal to the Minister to allow the CC to remain. I am not asking the Minister to make an exception. I am asking him merely to exercise flexibility and also to consider each case on its own merits. For the Braddell Heights CC, because the piece of land is very small (it is about one acre or so), from my point of view, it is not big enough for any commercial purpose, for example, to build a commercial complex out of it. To maximise the use of that piece of land, if the existing 3-storey building is considered too low, we can actually demolish it and rebuild it into maybe a 6-storey building and then we can co-locate with other public facilities, like community library or a Neighbourhood Police Centre. If that is not possible, then I would like to appeal to the Minister to quickly identify another piece of land which is easily accessible for the reconstruction or relocation of the CC.”
“Sir, I am not satisfied with the answer given by the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. As I have said, the New Town requires a community library. But owing to time factor, there is no time to debate with him, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $188,375,820 for Head R ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $166,503,900 for Head R ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code RJ 3100. Sir, as there are no library facilities in Serangoon New Town, many residents hope that such facilities will be provided as soon as possible. Although it is called Serangoon New Town, it is not so new now because the oldest flats there are almost 12 years old. I am disappointed to note that this year's budget does not actually provide for such a community library in the town, although according to the Library 2000 Report there will be such a community library to be sited somewhere in the town centre. But each time when I raised the question, I received a non-committal answer. So I would like to take this opportunity again to raise the same question, ie, when?”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his support of my suggestion. With regard to the calligraphy, the four words "Nanyang University", I think technically it is not difficult to produce a replica because there are many souvenir magazine letterheads bearing the four words. So it is not difficult to produce a replica to be put on the Arch, although the original one was lost. On that note, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“We respect our history, and we must restore it to its original condition. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim( In Malay): Sir, I am interested in this matter because I was the Chairman of a working committee which put up a proposal to the Ministry of Information and the Arts. The Government's efforts to promote our heritage through museums must indeed be applauded. Museums reflect a sense of identity and provide a link to the past. In this respect, I understand that the Government is planning a series of community museums where each community can be proud of its contribution to the history and development of Singapore. One of the examples is the Sun Yat Sen Memorial. For the Malay community, a memorial centre in the name of Lieutenant Adnan is in the pipeline. Lt Adnan led the Malay Regiment during the Second World War against the Japanese. The entire regiment was massacred by the Japanese while defending Opium Hill, which is located in Pasir Panjang and near to Kent Ridge Park. The Malay Regiment was, in fact, the predecessor of the present Singapore Armed Forces. The community museums, however, are not and should not be parochial. In fact, the Minister himself, BG George Yeo, mentioned the need for Singaporeans of different races to know the heroes of each community as heroes of Singapore. During the launch of the English version of the book, The Price of Peace, on 21st June 1997 at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, BG Yeo said, "It is particularly important that non-Chinese Singaporeans are able to read this book, just as it is very important for the non-Malay Singaporeans to know the story of Lt Adnan. In this way, we strengthen our collective memories as a people." Sir, could the Minister, therefore, enlighten the House on the development of the Lt Adnan Memorial Centre?”
“The trishaw riders, the samsui women all took part in the campaign to raise funds for the Nanyang University. Then, we did not have yuppies like today who make a lot of noise, complaining that they do not get their flats fast enough, or that there are not enough COEs to go round. In our National Education, I think the history about the founding of Nantah is very educational and inspiring. How do we preserve this Nantah Arch? I think there are two ways. One is to treat it as a historical relic or monument under the care of the National Heritage Board or the Preservations of Monuments Board. The second way is to leave it to the Federation of Clans Associations to form part of the Chinese Heritage Centre. But from the national point of view, the Government should take care of the matter. I think it is better that way, because it is part and parcel of our national history. It is a very important relic of great significance in our history. Mr Seng Han Thong( In Mandarin): Sir, I support the view of Mr Goh Choon Kang. I was not a Nantah student. But from the point of view of the Chinese community, I think we should preserve the Nantah Arch. I think it is a good reminder of how the Chinese community toiled to found their own university in the 50s. It is part of the early history of our nation building. We should preserve Nantah Arch and restore it to its original state, and its original appearance. There is no need to add anything to it. To preserve the relic is different from preserving our old shophouses. To preserve the old houses, we need to meet our modern needs. We must add airconditioning, do this, do that and add a lot of things. But Nantah is the history of Singapore's education. Nantah Arch is part of our history.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code RI 3100. (In Mandarin): Sir, the Nantah Arch was a very important part of the old Nantah campus. It was erected at the entrance to the university campus. It was a historical symbol. Singaporeans, from rich businessmen to ordinary citizens in those days pooled resources together to build Nantah. That was part and parcel of Singapore's history. Now the campus of the old Nantah is no longer in existence. Only the Nantah Arch and the administrative block are preserved until now. These two structures have great historical significance. They should be preserved as historical relics, and should not be discarded. In April this year, according to the report in the Lianhe Zaobao, the original wordings on Nantah Arch were missing. Then all of a sudden a few Chinese characters were painted on it, ie, the Yunnan Yuen (Yunnan Garden). On the pillars of the Arch were painted a pair of couplets, with seven characters on each side. I think it is not right to do this. Behind the Nantah Arch, there is a history that we should preserve. I think we should restore and preserve the Arch to its original state. Ideally, the original wordings of "Nanyang University 1955" should be put back on the Arch, with a label giving a brief history of Nantah. This is a very important piece of history education. Our secondary school students sitting in the Strangers' Gallery today may not have even heard of Nantah or Nanyang University. They only know Nanyang Technological University. Sir, what I am trying to drive at is that behind the Nantah Arch, there was a history of educational value because, in those days, Singaporeans were not as affluent as they are now.”
“I will now speak on the third topic in Mandarin, Sir. (In Mandarin): Mr Chairman, in the past few years, the Government has taken a series of measures to help the development of traditional Chinese medicine in Singapore. I think this is a move in the right direction. We must gradually help Chinese medicine to go for professionalism and standardisation, thereby enhancing the standard of Chinese medicine, and eventually eradicate the existence of bad Chinese physicians in Singapore. In Singapore, Chinese medicine and Chinese physicians provide a very important service to the people. Many ordinary people are using such services. A lot of voluntary organisations are providing free medical services using traditional Chinese medicine and methods of treatment. So standardisation and professionalism in this area is very important, because it will eventually provide for the healthy development of Chinese medicine. When we are endeavouring to develop Singapore into a regional medical centre, we should not confine ourselves to Western medicine. I believe that Chinese medicine can also play a role in this aspect. I hope the Minister can enlighten us on the various measures that have been taken over the past few years, and what is the progress we have made so far.”
“Sir, with your permission, I will speak on the first two topics, and then on the third cut. Sir, on fees and charges, I understand that the hospitals are required to recover replacement cost of equipment and furniture. I do not know whether they are also required to recover part of the building cost as well. I would like to ask the Minister how does this requirement impact on the fees and charges that the hospitals are collecting from the patients. On the second topic, this year the total operating subvention to restructured hospitals and voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) is $586.87 million. Out of this amount, only a fraction goes to aid the many voluntary welfare organisations and the amount is $31.61 million. The Government is encouraging more VWOs to shoulder the responsibilities of looking after the aged, the aged sick, the disabled, even the dying, through the setting up of nursing homes, community hospitals, hospices and so on. Currently, the Government helps the VWOs to set up such an institution by supporting them 90% of their capital cost, but only 50% of their running cost. As such, many of these volunteers in the VWOs, as some of my colleagues in this House have already pointed out, have to run about raising funds all the time. The running cost of a medium-sized nursing home, for example, I was told with 150-200 beds, is more than $1 million a year. So with 50% Government grant, the volunteers will still have to raise more than half a million dollars a year. Sir, with the greying of our population and with more VWOs expected to get involved in such voluntary work, fund raising will become more and more taxing on the part of the volunteers. So I would think that the Government should seriously raise the funding level, especially for the operating cost.”
“Sir, there are good and sound arguments for upping the water tariffs and also water conservation tax. To cushion the impact of the lower income group, the Government has decided to grant rebates. However, I think there are also legitimate grouses and misgivings on the ground. Again, the Government has resorted to pricing mechanism to solve problems and maybe to drive home the point that water is precious and a strategic resource. It gives the impression that the educational approach has been discounted right from the beginning. I feel that a golden opportunity has been lost, and that is, the opportunity to embark on a national educational campaign before the pricing mechanism was used. But, Sir, better late than never. MTI can still work with MOE to start an educational campaign on the importance of water and the need to conserve water. Of course, campaigns alone would not be enough, and I think the subject of water should be made part of the National Education programme so that our students can fully appreciate our national limitation.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether HDB should consider lowering the reserve tender price in order to have a successful tender, rather than leave the space there vacant for so long?”
“Does the Minister agree that this space was not able to be tendered out because the minimum reserve price is too high?”
“Would the bus companies be encouraged to provide more such express services? Dr John Chen Seow Phun: Sir, currently, there are four express bus services - one from the North, two from the North-east, and one from the East - and these are designed to address the congestion problem that the Member has mentioned. SBS will review from time to time not just its frequency and capacity but also other bus service possibilities.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Ministry consider taking certain measures to alleviate the jams along the alternative routes?”
“Sir, does it mean that the Government will increase the subsidy if the resale price goes up? At present, the subsidy is $50,000. Does it mean that the Government will revise this amount from time to time if the resale price goes up?”
“Sir, does the Minister agree that there is an increase in demand for 3-room flats because more people are eligible to buy these flats, including those who are single and some statutory boards? Because of the strong demand, the resale price of 3-room flats has also increased. Right now, the average resale price of a 3-room unit is around $200,000. In time to come, will it be cheaper to build rather than to buy back such flats?”
“Sir, does the Minister think that the Residential Properties Act, 1976, need to be further amended at this point of time? Secondly, will he consider the following measures: a) imposing a minimum holding period on foreign buyers; b) no resale of uncompleted units in all condominiums for three years; and c) all developers should report to the Tax Department all resale transactions with details of the resale prices.”
“Sir, the point has been covered. So I am not moving.”
“However, the development of this useful service is hampered by the existing fare structure which charges a flat rate, irregardless of distances, thus affecting their viability and reach. It should be feasible to charge according to the distance travelled for feeder bus so that more feeder services can be made viable. I do not think people mind paying a little bit more for that convenience and accessibility. By reviewing the fare structure, the feeder bus services for intra-town commuting and from new towns to the nearest MRT stations can then be improved and increased in numbers. This will make public transportation a more attractive alternative to owning cars. I would like to ask the Minister if there are any plans to comprehensively develop the intra-town feeder bus services and feeder services to MRT stations, taking into consideration a review of the fare structure.”
“Sir, a study conducted by the Land Transport Authority last year found that two major perceived deterrents against taking public buses were long waiting time and uncertain waiting time. Bus services, being the most utilised mode of public transportation, should be reliable in addition to being accessible, convenient, comfortable and fast. If it is not reliable, especially in terms of frequency and arrival time, it will affect the schedule of a lot of people. Sir, most of my constituents experience this frustration and stress every day due to the unreliability of trunk service No. 105. The problem with service No. 105 is that its frequency is unpredictable. The waiting time varies from 20-25 minutes. During peak hours, the situation is even worse. When the bus arrives, it is fully packed. I have brought up this issue last year but, so far, there has been no improvement. Residents at Serangoon Avenues 2 and 3 remain at the mercy of this bus service, which is the only one that is serving the area. Meanwhile, over the last 5-6 months or so, another 400-odd households have moved into their new homes in this area. While people are prepared to live with only one service to avoid the duplication of MRT and bus routes, they should be assured in return that the only service that they have to live with is reliable and efficient. I hope the ground audit conducted by the Public Transport Council will take this into consideration. Another issue which I would like to bring up concerns the feeder bus service. It is a very useful mode of public transportation, because it connects people from their homes and offices to town centres, bus interchanges, MRT stations and trunk services on the main road.”
“It would be helpful if the Minister can further explain on this point. Secondly, those who are affected are also eager to know how and how much they will be compensated based on the so-called market rates. If the properties are owner-occupied, will there be ex-gratia payment apart from the normal compensation?”
“Sir, my constituents and I welcome and applaud the Government's decision to build the North-East line immediately instead of waiting for another four years. This is a decision in favour of a better quality of life for Singaporeans staying in the North-East sector. Most people have indicated that they do not mind paying a little bit more to enjoy earlier the convenience of the MRT. In fact, the user-pay principle is well understood and accepted and so is the rule that revenue must cover operating cost. However, the possibility of paying a little bit more is a result of a less than optimistic projection on the ridership. The actual ridership, which we will only know in about six years' time, may well be more than what is projected in view of the fast pace of development in the North-East sector. Will the Minister consider reviewing the fares and revising them downwards on par with the rest of the MRT lines if the actual ridership is more than the projected figures? Sir, the Minister also mentioned that the North-East line may be run by a second operator. Can he explain what is the rationale? Is it not better to let SMRT which is doing a good job to reap the economies of scale? And if there are two operators, how can we ensure that the standards and services are comparable, if not better? In the event that the service of the new operator is less than satisfactory, what recourse does the public have? Sir, another related issue which I would like to raise concerns the land acquisition for the North-East line. When the stations were announced and confirmed, many people were surprised by the extensiveness of the land acquisition. Many do not understand why so much land is acquired when the line is supposed to be underground.”
“On the social dimension, any likely increase in the utility bills is going to have very adverse repercussions on the lives of the people, although the Minister has revealed that the increase will be in the range of $1 to $2.50 per HDB household. The impact of such increase will not be confined to just the utilities alone. It will affect, I think, a lot of businesses, especially hawkers, eating houses, coffeeshop operators. Exactly how much will they pass on the increased cost to the consumers or take this opportunity to raise prices further remains to be seen. But our experience with the implementation of the GST has shown that this is highly probable. The increased cost may be passed on to the consumers at many more times the original amount. If we do proceed with the increase in the tariffs, are there any effective measures in place to check against yet another round of price increases?”
“Sir, while few would disagree with the need to price key factors of production such as electricity correctly so as to avoid wastage, many would question the move to increase tariffs by 12-14%, just to ensure that Singapore Power has close to market returns at 12.2%. How is this arrived at? Is this right and correct? Or is it arbitrary or subjective? Given the fact that electricity is a basic good supplied by an already efficient state enterprise, why must the Government insist that tariffs be raised to maintain the viability of Singapore Power as a commercial establishment? Even after corporatisation, the fact remains that Singapore Power will still be the only provider of utilities with no competitor and its profit earnings are artificially propped up by tariffs. Then, is it really necessary to corporatise Singapore Power, just for the sake of privatisation? Unlike the corporatisation of Singapore Telecom, people were assured that their phone bills will be lower than before. And indeed this has been the case. Singapore Telecom has won the support of the people. But Singapore Power has yet to prove itself, and it is coming back instead to the people to ask them to pay more. Surely this is not justifiable. If the corporatisation of Singapore Power is meant to price utilities correctly so as to reduce wastage, my question is: what is right, what is correct? Are there obvious signs of wasteful consumption? Are people wasting water, gas and electricity to the extent of turning it on even when they do not need it? Our situation, I think, is definitely very much different from the Communist countries where factors of production are priced dirt cheap and people do abuse it.”
“More importantly, it should be used to reward those who have contributed and give a helping hand to those who have lagged behind. With that, Sir, I support the motion.”
“As a result, SDF ends up subsidising the training programmes of big companies who would have their own internal training with or without SDF grant. Third, some firms, which are most in need of training and skills upgrading, continue to face the difficulty of sending people for training. Fourth, those who are prepared to go for training are hampered by the lack of know-how and the requirement that they be proficient in English and/or Chinese. This is a problem for those who are older and lowly educated but are prepared to upgrade themselves. Because they do not understand English or Chinese, they are stuck at their level, condemned to working in odd jobs and living from day to day. Eventually, this group will become very frustrated because they would be left behind as our economy becomes more sophisticated. In fact, if we are talking about equipping an individual with a skill in carpentary, construction, renovation, electrical system, and so on, there is really no need to conduct the course in English or Chinese. So long as there are people who are willing to sign up, the course should be conducted maybe in a dialect or language which is comprehensible to them. In my view, the training for these people is more urgently needed. Perhaps, the Minister can consider tangible incentives to motivate these workers to complete the training course to upgrade themselves. Tax concessions should also be considered for small and medium enterprises which invest on training their employees. In conclusion, Sir, the budget surplus should continue to be used to reinforce the fundamentals of our society. It should be used generously but prudently to encourage certain ideals, values and principles.”
“I am also concerned that for the same need, people have to pay different fees to buy different levels of service, regardless of individual circumstances. And if these departments are measured on how well they look after the bottomline, then the increased service and customer orientation will come at a painful cost for the people. In fact, the corporatisation of Singapore Power is now viewed less favourably due to the announcement that electricity tariffs will soon be increased by 12% to 14%. The Government should tread very cautiously where the corporatisation of state enterprises or the granting of autonomous status to Government agencies is concerned. These agencies serve the people and the economy alike. If these are increased at will without a system of checks and balances, there will be adverse repercussions at all levels. Unscrupulous businessmen will use this as an excuse to trigger off another round of price increases, thereby increasing the burden of the people. Therefore, the Government must still remain in control over the fee charges even though the particular department has been granted autonomous status. Sir, the final point which I would like to bring up concerns the issue of training. Despite our heavy emphasis on training and upgrading of skills, I am disappointed to note that no fiscal incentives have been announced to encourage the training process. Although the Skills Development Fund (SDF) has been tasked to disburse funds for relevant training, the training process is not happening. First of all, the application for SDF is tedious. Second, for some reasons, the awareness is not there. The small and medium enterprises are not tapping into the many schemes subsidised by the SDF.”
“The account will be easily exhausted in cases of, say, major operations, chronic sickness or complexities. Thus, the Government should consider giving more tax reliefs or incentives or rebates for children who continue to pay for the maintenance and medical bills of their retired and aged parents. I am sure that with continuing education, moral persuasion and tax breaks, we can continue to preserve the cohesiveness of the family. Let me now move on to another area of concern, and that is, giving greater autonomy for higher efficiency in the civil service. I welcome the Minister's announcement of giving greater autonomy for higher efficiency in the civil service. It has introduced the concept of BFR, or Budgeting for Results, whereby resource requirements by the Government departments will be linked to output levels. In addition, every Government unit has to specify its output and set performance targets annually. This will encourage more accountability, responsiveness and effectiveness. However, there is a nagging fear among the general populace that once the Government departments become autonomous like the independent schools, restructured hospitals, charges will go up. In fact, when Dr Richard Hu launched the first 14 autonomous agencies, it was reported that the Registry of Marriages will up its fees - $15 for faster retrieval service, up $3 from the current fee. Therefore, faster service has come with an increased cost. Another example is the Tampines Polyclinic which has also announced that following autonomy, the waiting time will be shortened. That is good. But what I fail to understand is why must these agencies become autonomous before they can increase efficiency.”
“Recently, the Senior Minister has also briefly touched on this issue at the Tanjong Pagar GRC's Lunar New Year cum Hari Raya gathering. Some participants at the feedback session with the Feedback Unit had also given their support for this idea. I think this is an idea worth pursuing since families are the main building blocks in our society. Although the current income tax structure has already incorporated some reliefs for supporting the various members of the family, such as the parent relief, spouse relief, child relief, we should explore further on how the family can be reinforced as a cohesive and self-reliant unit. I think this is a more positive approach. Of late, we have seen the passage of the Maintenance of Parents Bill which is, from my point of view, too legalistic and litigious an approach to the issue of maintenance of parents. The House had also debated the Family Violence Bill. These two Bills, though litigious, have the good intention of ensuring that the members of family are well taken care of. The Government has also taken great pains to promote family values and national core values through extensive public education and campaigning programmes. So we have an additional approach and option, and that is, tax incentive to encourage family members to help and take care of each other. The demands and needs of a greying population will eventually put a tremendous burden on the family. They must be supported to meet the cost of living and health care needs of the elderly in the household. The medical bills especially will pose a big burden to the working persons. Allowing Medisave deductions from the children's accounts to pay for the medical bills of their parents or grandparents are inadequate in view of the rising health care costs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, despite what the unofficial Opposition leader had said, I think he could not find any solid argument to fault this Budget. And the simple fact remains that we are able to have a surplus budget year after year. I think we should continue to do so if we can. Make hay while the sun shines and also save as much as we can for rainy days. Sir, for lack of a better term, the Opposition has labelled this year's Budget as an "Election Budget". It is truly regrettable that a pro-business, pro-family and pro-people Budget should warrant such negative remarks. One need not look far to discover that this comment does not have the concurrence of the general population. In fact, the response from average Singaporeans has been very more gracious and constructive than the Opposition's. They appreciate the hong bao given by the Minister and the sharing of fruits of another year of economic success. Indeed, there are many good points about this Budget. Deserving particular mention is the one-off tax rebate of 10% and a top rate cut from 30% to 28% which will lighten the tax burden of middle-income families. In fact, this group has been hardest hit by non-tax measures such as the COEs, foreign maid levy and rising property prices. I am glad that the Government has taken care of this group in this Budget while continuing to keep its focus on lower-income families. On the whole, all groups have gained from the Budget. Sir, the family has been given particular focus this year. But I believe we can do more. I am particularly drawn to the idea of a family as a tax unit. It would be ideal if our tax policies and future Budget goodies continue to maintain the family focus and explore ways and means to expand it.”
“Can I ask the Minister that if the proposal is accepted, will there be a time frame for this higher fare?”
“Sir, can I ask the Minister how is Braddell Heights Constituency compared to Hougang and Potong Pasir?”
“Does the Prime Minister agree that even if an MP served less than, say, nine or 10 years, he might have contributed significantly to his constituency and also to the country?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can I ask the Prime Minister why ex-MPs who served less than two terms or did not qualify for pension are left out?”
“Yes. Finally, on taxi services. Though taxi service is affordable to many, it is insufficient to meet increased demand. The common frustration faced by commuters is taxi drivers changing shift during peak hours and picking passengers who dial the cab phone line, which is engaged most of the time. These are the complaints which remain to be addressed but the announcement by NTUC Comfort to provide a more efficient radio phone system which uses satellite to locate vacant taxis is very encouraging. This will reduce the number of taxis cruising empty and ensure that its taxi fleet is fully utilised to an optimum level. I hope the Ministry can assist NTUC Comfort and other taxi companies to implement the system as soon as possible.”