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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“Sir, just one point of clarification. Will the Minister consider it as a regressive move if an employer who has already implemented the retirement age at 60 for his employees over the years but now he wants to renegotiate and bring it down to 57 years?”
“The President in his Address to this House spoke about the need to uphold the core values we have: 'We need to enshrine these fundamental ideal in a National Ideology. We need to inculcate this National Ideology in all Singaporeans, especially the young. We will do so through moral education and by promoting the use of the mother tongue, by strengthening the teaching of values in schools [and so on.]' In the Addendum to the President's Address, the Minister for Education said: 'The inculcation of core values must begin in the home. The values can be reinforced in the primary schools by ensuring adequate proficiency in the mother-tongue, and through appropriate lessons in the Social Studies, Moral Education and Extra-Curricular programmes.' Sir, one of the questions that come to my mind is: how are the core values to be taught in schools? I am referring to the medium for the teaching and learning of these core values - English or mother tongue? My personal view is that it should be taught in the mother tongue. This will be in line with the Government's professed intention of promoting the use of the mother tongue. It is also in line with the bilingual policy or in the study of mother tongue for the preservation of our cultural heritage. And I think it would also make the learning of the mother tongue more meaningful. Sir, my second point concerns the teaching of religious knowledge in schools. A report entitled "Religion and Religious Revivalism in Singapore" was released recently. This is a report by three NUS dons. In view of the findings of the report by these three university lecturers, I would like to ask the Minister whether the Ministry will now review the teaching of religious knowledge in schools with a view to deciding whether we should continue such teaching.”
“Thank you, Sir. May I take the two cuts together?”
“Sir, I would like to echo the call by my two colleagues to urge the Minister to review the policy of not building any more wet markets and also cooked food centres in new towns. Serangoon New Town is one of such new town without a wet market and cooked food centre. Perhaps the experience of the residents in this new town is useful for the review. From the feedback I have gathered from my house-to-house visits, residents usually complain that, first of all, the dry market has very limited space, limited stalls and limited choice. Secondly, the prices in these dry markets are higher as compared to wet markets. This is because the rental charged by the stall owners is higher. Thirdly, the Muslim residents in this new town find it particularly inconvenient because there are very few Muslim stalls, both in the mini-mart or so-called dry market and coffeeshops. One of the reasons is that Muslims usually find the rental of a space in a coffeeshop too high and not affordable to them. I would urge the Minister to review the policy.”
“Perhaps to make it easier for the Member for Potong Pasir to understand, I did not say that the racial balance or the percentage of the major races must be the same. I spoke on the procreation rate.”
“Sir, is the Minister aware that some of the properties along Upper Serangoon Road are said to be affected by the plan and as a result, the owners of these properties are unable to sell their properties even though they are in financial difficulties?”
“So, Shi shi sheng yu xiong bian ( ), that is, facts speak most eloquently. Thirdly, I think, Sir, we should, as the President said, promote the use of mother tongue. Indeed, mother tongue should not be taught as a dead language like Latin. Therefore, I sincerely hope that the Government can come up with specific programmes to further this aim of promoting the use of mother tongue. The suggestion to have an annual Language and Cultural Month for each community would not be out of place. The Malay community with the blessing of 1DPM already started one last year. The Chinese and Indian communities should be encouraged to do likewise. Finally, Sir, on our part, as parents, I think we must ourselves adopt a positive attitude towards the teaching and learning of mother tongue. We owe it to our children to encourage, motivate and assist them to learn and to appreciate the importance of mother tongue, the beauty of the language and to be bilingual.”
“But as the old master, Confucius, said, Ming bu zheng, ze yan bu shun; Yan bu shun, ze shi bu cheng ( ) which means, when the names are not correct, what is said does not sound reasonable, and when what is said does not sound reasonable, affairs will not culminate in success. Secondly, I would urge the Government to resist any pressure from any quarter to lower the standard of mother tongue further or to do away with this entrance requirement to our universities. To do so would be like Xue zhu shi lu", ( ), which is to whittle down the feet to fit the shoes, or Wan rao bu chuang ( ) which means, to cut off a piece of flesh from the body just to mend a sore. Sir, a minimum standard of mother tongue should be ensured; otherwise it would defeat the whole purpose of the bilingual policy. But I agree that for the average students we have to set realistic standards, both for English and for the mother tongue. Sir, I am aware that some of those who migrate or go for overseas studies cited inability to cope with the requirement of mother tongue as one of their reasons. But let us look at the figures. I have requested the Clerk to circulate, with your permission, Sir, two tables. [Copies of tables circulated to hon. Members.] These tables show the examination results of mother tongue at '0' and 'A' levels from 1985 to 1987. Examination results may not reflect actual standard. But the tables clearly show that the passing rates for all mother tongue, both at '0' and 'A' levels, were consistently over 90%. And the minimum requirement for entry into the NUS is a mere grade 7. Even those who fail to meet this minimum requirement but have good results in other subjects are admitted first and given time and assistance to make up for it later.”
“The importance of bilingualism, therefore, cannot be over-emphasized, now that we have integrated all language streams into one national stream with English as the so-called first language and mother tongue the second language. Because of this I think, Sir, we have to watch for two potential dangers. (1) Our children will be more directly exposed to outside influences and fads and may succumb to undesirable influences more easily. (2) The wrong impression which some have, that mother tongue is not important or useless, may become more widespread. So what should we do? I think the most important thing is to uphold the bilingual policy and to reinforce it, not to weaken it. In this respect, I am happy to note that the Government has decided to strengthen the teaching of our core values in schools and also to promote the use of the mother tongue. I believe that the bilingual policy needs to be reinforced and not weakened because I think it is instrumental in providing our children with the necessary cultural ballast. To do so, I would like to urge the Government to do the following. Firstly, to do away with this labelling of first and second language because second language may give the wrong impression that it is not important or of secondary importance. So give them back their proper names, either English and mother tongue, or simply English language, Malay language, Tamil language or Chinese language. Some may say, what's in a name? I am under no illusion also that just by doing that we can achieve wonders.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the motion standing in the name of the Member for Siglap. Sir, as a member of the GPC on Education, may I first state that I concur with most of the suggestions brought up by the GPC Chairman yesterday concerning the learning and teaching of the mother tongue. Today, I would like to focus myself also on the bilingual policy. Sir, in his Address the President raised a number of pertinent questions. (1) What sort of society will we become in another generation? (2) What sort of people do we want our children to become? And (3) Do we want to abandon our own culture and national identity? I think the key to these questions is education. And these questions concern education. How we educate our children both at home and in school; how we nurture a new generation of Singaporeans will determine the kind of citizens we will have in future. Education, as the Member for Cairnhill pointed out the other day, is Bai nian shu ren ( ). Shu ren in the broader sense of the term is education. It is not an easy task, but it is an important task. I believe most Singaporeans want our children to have the best of East and West. We want to modernize as well as to preserve our own cultural heritage. Very few would think that wholesale westernization is the right path for us to take. And I think this is where bilingualism comes in. Those who advocate total or complete westernization may think that bilingualism imposes an unnecessary burden on their children and that mother tongue is unnecessary and useless. But I think most Singaporeans are aware of the dangers of Handan xue bu ( ) which means, in attempting to walk like a swan, the crow loses its own gait.”
“Sir, just a point of clarification. I think it may be useful for the Member for Potong Pasir to make clear his stand whether he was speaking for the amendment or against the amendment; because I believe he spoke for the original motion.”
“Or the battle between the Jun zi and the xiao ren, the upright men and the mean men. Therefore, we should continue the struggle. We should soldier on. Finally, Sir, allow me to thank all Members who have spoken, including the Member for Potong Pasir. I must also thank all Ministers, especially the Prime Minister, who have participated in this debate. And I must thank you, Sir, for your patience and indulgence. Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, That this House - (a) supports the firm action of the Government to prevent our country from being subverted whether by Marxists, communists, western powers or other foreign interest groups, (b) deplores, in view of recent disclosures, all foreign interference, particularly that of some United States' officials, in our domestic affairs, (c) calls upon the Government to be vigilant to all such groups and stop them from interfering in our domestic affairs, and (d) endorses the Government's detention, under the Internal Security Act, of the people involved in the attempt to subvert Singapore. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed. - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Adjourned accordingly at Twelve Minutes to Two o'clock pm to a date to be fixed.”
“(2) the ISA is crucial to Singapore. We need the ISA to effectively deal with subversion. And by subversion, we mean any political activity designed to further the aims and interests not of our own people but of foreign powers. And by foreign powers, we mean not just the communist countries but also Western powers. (3) On the Hendrickson affair, we have to register the point of principle. No foreigners, not even a good friend, can interfere in our political development. If we fail to get this point acknowledged, then all foreign powers will conclude that Singaporeans are fair game. To hush up would have been impossible and unwise. It would be mistaken as a sign of weakness and docility, inviting further abuse. On the part of the US Administration, to continue to exonerate errant officials and try to turn black into white would do no good in repairing the damages done by Hendrickson and company. (4) We have to maintain the standards of Parliament. If not, a Parliament of able and moral men who look after the interests of the people will degenerate into a Parliament of immoral and opportunistic men whose concerns are themselves, or worse, their outside masters. Once Parliament is not filled with upright men but small men, or mean men, the whole system of government, and then the whole society, must disintegrate. Sir, the debate is now concluded but the battle has not ended. Singaporeans have been reminded just yesterday that the hostile foreign press has now embarked on an open campaign against Singapore. I think the battle is on two fronts. One, between the campaign to confuse, to mess things up, and the efforts to set things right. The other is a continued and unending fight for the hearts and minds of the people.”
“Personally, Sir, I make no apology for my harsh words on the wrongdoings of Hendrickson and company. Why should we condone? Why should we allow a few blacksheep to impair the otherwise good relationship between Singapore and the United States? Sir, if as a result of this unfortunate incident, both countries emerge as better friends, this would be a blessing in disguise. And I think we are indeed fortunate that such covert activities were uncovered early, and for that, credit must be given to the ISD for its vigilance and professionalism. Sir, I am glad to say that, as a whole, our response to this particular incident has been rational, measured and appropriate. And for this, credit must be given to the political leadership, in particular the younger Ministers. They have been able to handle the crisis in cool, calm, firm and correct manner. And they have been able to set things right and to painstakingly explain the Government's actions to the people. And, of course, to our people for their political maturity. Sir, we have had a useful debate. If there were doubts on the Government's actions against the Marxist conspirators and those who have colluded with foreigners to undermine our stability, to discredit our elected government, such doubts should have been cleared. And in the process, we have re-learnt an important lesson - that we cannot take our stability and security for granted, that all security threats must be dealt with effectively and promptly. Sir, many important points have been brought up during the debate and many of them are worth repeating, but I shall highlight only just a few. (1) The communists never give up and the Marxists never give up. In fact, the fight is now between the ISD and the communists trying to move into the English-educated world.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir. I think we have debated an issue of utmost importance, an issue which concerns every Singaporean, and that is the security of the State. The Marxist Conspiracy and the Hendrickson affair, as we now know, are subversive activities that threaten our security. It is the duty of an elected government to deal with such threats and to ensure the security of the State. As both cases involve detention without trial, all concerned Singaporeans should also make an effort to comprehend them fully. This effort is needed especially when hostile offshore and foreign press are making a concerted effort, orchestrated campaigns, distorted facts, to discredit the Government. Sir, we had a full debate and the truth is for everybody to see, provided one does not refuse to open his eyes. We have spoken our minds and made clear our stand. As representatives of the people, we have also expressed our views and feelings. We support the Government for its firm and prompt action against all subversive elements so as to prevent our country from being destabilized. We sup- port the use of ISA for such purpose. We deplore foreign interference in our domestic affairs. We have registered our anger and indignation. And we have sent a clear signal to outsiders - hands off Singapore politics, Singapore politics is for Singaporeans only, and we are capable of looking after ourselves and charting our own destiny. Sir, much of the debate focussed on the Hendrickson affair. This is understandable. The incident was unexpected, outrageous, coming from a country regarded by us as friends. And we have made it abundantly clear that we are against the wrongdoings of Hendrickson and company and not the US as a whole, not even the US Administration or the State Department.”
“If the Member thinks that they are not, please produce evidence.”
“I think you are requested to interview Mr Patrick Seong since he is now a free man. And if you make the request, I think the Government would allow you to meet all the detainees to get the truth.”
“What is the point of meeting the family members of the detainees?”
“Sir, I think the point here is whether the Member for Potong Pasir accepts the truth in the statutory declarations of these detainees.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, with your permission, I would like to name next Wednesday, that is 25th of May, 1988, on which this motion* be set down in the Order Paper. *The Motion, standing in the names of Mr Goh Choon Kang and Mr Chng Hee Kok, reads as follows: "That this House -- (a) supports the firm action of the Government to prevent our country from being subverted whether by Marxists, communists, western powers or other foreign interest groups, (b) deplores, in view of recent disclosures, all foreign interference, particularly that of some United States' officials, in our domestic affairs, (c) calls upon the Government to be vigilant to all such groups and stop them from interfering in our domestic affairs, and (d) endorses the Government's detention, under the Internal Security Act, of the people involved in the attempt to subvert Singapore.".”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I believe the hon. Member for Potong Pasir in his opening remarks accused me of smearing. Can he repeat the exact words?”
“Sir, in view of the assurance given by the Minister, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting:- (4) That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead LA-02-3310(4) of the Main Estimates.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead LA-01 of the Main Estimates*. Sir, I would just like to take this opportunity to repeat the question I raised just now, ie, whether the implementation of the independent schools will result in higher school fees across the board and, as a result, parents will have to bear a higher educational cost for the education of their children. I believe this is one of the main concerns of the public.”
“What about the retrenchment of SBS workers?”
“Sir, can I ask the Minister how many SBS employees have been retrenched as a result of trimming down its operations in anticipation of the MRT service? Are they given any kind of assistance in securing alternative jobs?”
“Sir, can the Prime Minister tell us whether the CPIB investigation has established as to why the said Mr Liaw Teck Kee choose to report the alleged corruption only after a lapse of four or five years?”
“Can the Minister tell us how many out of the 200 he mentioned have been waiting for allocation of shops for more than two or three years?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it has been reported recently that one of the water agreements has come up for review. Can the Minister tell the House what progress has been made? BG Lee Hsien Loong: We have two water agreements, 1961 and 1962. They provide for the price of water to be reviewed after 25 years, to take into account the value of money. That means the agreements still run. The 1961 agreement runs for another 25 years to the year 2011 and the 1962 agreement runs for another 75 years to the year 2061, which I think is beyond what any of us is likely to see here. But the agreements do not end. It is just a provision within the agreement that after 25 years the price of water can be reviewed, but reviewed to take into account the value of money, namely, only to compensate for inflation. I have to report to this House that there has been no request to review the water rates so far.”
“Sir, point of clarification. The Minister talks about the capacity of our roads, I think it might be more helpful if the Minister can give us some rough idea as to what is the full capacity of our roads. I understand that at the moment we have about 490,000 vehicles on our roads. So how many more can we allow?”
“Sir, on a point of clarification. In replying to a question yesterday by the Member for Pasir Panjang, the Parliamentary Secretary said that the Pasir Panjang cooked food centre was being renovated and more stalls would be added and insular panels would be installed. Can I ask the Parliamentary Secretary whether the Ministry of the Environment has similar plans to renovate other first-generation cooked food centres and markets managed by the Ministry of the Environment, including the one in my constituency, ie, the Lim Tua Tow market and cooked food centre which was built more than two decades ago?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, finally I have managed to catch your eye. But I can see that you are very tired. I need about 25 minutes to do the job. So would you like to call it a day?”