Goh Keng Swee
Singapore
“Sir, since that was not a supplementary question, may I be allowed to comment briefly on that. When we form a Committee of the House to inquire into an activity of the Government, the assumption must be that there has been something improper. In this instance, where is the impropriety?”
“The career of Brig-Gen Lee is well-known to the public. It has been published in the newspapers. Why then does he come out with all this drivel, other than to impute improper motives? Mr Jeyaretnam: Sir, I object to the term "drivel" as spelt out by the First Deputy Prime Minister. He should know better as a Member of this House.”
“Sir, this is getting most tiresome. So I will just say this - that Brig-Gen Lee Hsien Loong has proved himself in so many ways, both inside the Army and outside the Army, to be a person of outstanding quality. When the Member for Anson says the public are worried, he is again talking nonsense.”
“Sir, I rise to clarify. Actually, the limits are not set by me. I do not have a heavy hand. I regard the MAS as the implementing agency of Government, and in this respect I have to listen to the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Trade and Industry.”
“How you set them, how restrictive or how liberal, would determine two things: (1) the degree of imported inflation from abroad via goods and services from abroad, and (2), the degree of capital inflow from abroad which will affect our money supply in Singapore.”
“Sir, if the land could be more profitably used, say, for commercial or residential purposes and if the Minister for National Development requires such land, then, of course, the land will be acquired and the generous terms will apply.”
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“But part of the increase is more apparent than real. After some time the soldier either gives up or gets caught. He is then deleted from the list of deserters. Therefore, a good number of those deserting in 1974, 1975 and 1976 will eventually return to the army in future years. Regarding defaulters who stay abroad, exit control by Immigration keeps numbers to manageable proportions. Those who have registered for National Service and want to go overseas for study or to visit foreign countries are required to furnish a financial bond of a minimum of $50,000 before they are issued with Exit Permits. In addition, where a registrant fails to return to Singapore or where a National Serviceman deserts and decides to stay abroad, the governments of those countries concerned are informed of the status of these persons, that is, they are deserters or defaulters from National Service. It is not likely that the government of any reputable country will want to offer citizenship or permanent residence to such persons. The Member asked whether these measures are adequate. On the whole I think we can say that so far they are. WORK PERMITS FOR BAR GIRLS (Particulars) 3. Mr Ho See Beng asked the Minister for Labour (a) how many work permits have been issued to bar girls up to the latest convenient date; (b) what skills do they possess to merit the issue of work permits; and (c) why the issue of work permits to prospective employees in coffee shops, small restaurants/eating houses and provision shops is not as liberal as it has been to bar girls. WORK PERMITS FOR SHOP ASSISTANTS AND RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES (Request for relaxation) 4.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since National Service was introduced in 1967, 544 persons evaded National Service by remaining overseas. Of these, 169 were abroad when National Service was introduced and some 100 Singaporeans or more were resident in Christmas Island. The number of defaulters each year is as follows: Year - No. 1967 - 129 1968 - 31 1969 - 31 1970 - 41 1971 - 55 1972 - 41 1973 - 45 1974 - 53 1975 - 58 1976 - 42 1977 - 18 Total 544 Over the years, this averages 49 a year as compared with some 20,000 enlisted each year. In addition, there are 75 defaulters whose whereabouts are unknown but are presumed to be in Singapore. This gives an average of 6.8 per year. These are the persons who never turn up for National Service when they are liable to do so. Deserters are those who have served National Service, but found that they did not like it and then decided to abscond. Most of these cases - known as Absent Without Leave or AWOL in the Army - eventually realised that their decision to abscond was wrong and they accordingly returned to their unit to take their punishment. However, there are some who stay away for a very long time. These may be considered as deserters as distinct from absentees. If we take 31st December 1976 as a cut-off date, there are 74 such National Servicemen, and the numbers against the year in which they absconded are as follows: - Year Deserted No. 1970 - 1 1971 - 1 1972 - 2 1973 - 5 1974 - 14 1975 - 21 1976 - 30 Total 74 The number of deserters seems to be going up year by year. There are several reasons for this. In recent years we have been enlisting youths of poor educational levels and they are more prone to abscond than better educated youths. The drug problem in recent years has doubtless made a contribution to the number of deserters.”
“Page 83. First in Chinese. He said: Hou er bu neng shi ( ) Ai er bu neng ling ( ) Luan er bu neng zhi ( ) Bi ru qiao zi ( ) Bu ke yong ye ( ) It means roughly that if you are over-indulgent to your soldiers, you lose command and control over them; then they become like spoilt children and are totally useless. So we must find a balance between humane treatment and over-indulgence.”
“Yes. The Member is interested in this because he has played a prominent part in the drafting of this code of conduct. It was through him that I contacted a Jesuit priest who made the first draft. I am afraid the teaching of the code of conduct in the SAF leaves much to be desired, partly because it is taught by officers who go through it year in and year out and not to a particularly inspiring class. In one case, we found that a soldier put a transistor radio under his cap during this code of conduct lesson. We are trying to find ways of improving it. Regarding the humane treatment of soldiers, I agree completely with what the Member for Katong said, particularly as he was able to back Sun Tzu for his views. But I would also like to quote another part from Sun Tzu.”
“The problem is a real one in the army and it is unavoidable when you handle large numbers of soldiers. I think I have dealt with the points raised by the Member for Katong. The Member for Changi objects to young men in uniform making catcalls at girls or whistling at them. Not so many years ago he himself was a young man. I do not know whether he did not engage in this kind of activity. I would hate to think that our youth are so lacking in red blood corpuscles that they do not do these things. However, if it is really serious, the Member should get the details, time and place of occurrence, and there is a good chance that we will catch the culprit; but it must really not be harmless remarks made in good fun and clean spirit which probably the girls themselves might not object to. 4.00 p.m.”
“So now after each act of para-suicide, a board of officers goes into the details to see whether there is justification for further punishment, and there usually is. These people break down under stress. They cannot cope with their work, and they commit these acts partly as a means of protest and partly as a method of drawing attention to what they consider as their "distressful" situation. We have been following this over the years. This happens not only in the SAF but also in other armies of the world, in fact, all armies of the world. The rate of para-suicide among our national servicemen in the army last year was 55, about one a week. This works out to 128 per 100,000 of population. The rate of para-suicides for other armies, the Member for Katong might be interested to know; in the American Army for the year 1969/70, the para-suicide rate was 392; in the Australian Army for the year 1971/72 it was 225. The figures are not strictly comparable because definitions are not precisely the same. But it does show that what happens in our army does happen in other armies in more or less the same proportions. In fact, the suicide rate in the SAF is always the same as that in the American Army. The suicide rate among soldiers last year was 15.3 per 100,000 in 1976, In the American Army it was 15.6 between the years 1959 and 1964. What is the solution? Perhaps if there is some way of testing young men to see whether or not they could stand up to the stresses of army training, this would be the best way. But so far as I know, no country has devised this kind of test. In any event, if we apply this kind of test, there is no way of ensuring that those who go through it might not be malingering.”
“Sir, the Member for Katong has been regaling us with a shaggy-dog story about how doctors dispose of recruits. It is about the same level as the Member for Anson who said that his relative's children joined the Army to smoke and drink. Actually a recruit goes through not just one but two medical examinations. I have been advised by my Manpower Division that each examination lasts a minimum of 75 minutes for those who have no defects either of eye, foot or whatever. For those who have to go for a further test, do so because their eyesight is not good, or something is wrong with their blood, leg or chest, and the examination lasts 110 minutes. If the Member for Katong has any doubt, he is free to go to the Manpower Division at any time to see how the medical examinations are carried out. But he has raised a serious point about soldiers who break down under stress and commit all kinds of unseemly conduct. In this morning's Straits Times there is a picture of a half-naked soldier on the sixth floor of a Housing Board flat threatening to jump down. This is quite a familiar experience in the SAF. We call them "para-suicides" - they threaten to commit suicide but actually they never do. The favourite forms of para-suicides are consumption of insect repellents, soap solutions, Brasso; sometimes even pins and needles, but that is rather rare. When para-suicides consume these things, they make sure that people are around so that help is immediately forthcoming. At one time, and acting on the advice of psychologists, we thought we should treat them rather gently; for instance, giving them psychiatric treatment and changing their vocation from a hard one to a soft one. The result was that the para-suicide rate doubled.”
“Sir, the Junior Flying Club has really proved its worth in many ways. It is extremely popular among school boys and indeed among school girls as well. The membership now stands at 1,571, of which 337 have the basic academic and physical requirements for flying in the Air Force, The others can take part in aeromodelling and also enjoy facilities of the Club, such as joy rides, picnics and so on. As regards university undergraduates, there was a University Air Squadron in existence years ago but it was abolished in 1975 when the squadron was merged into the Junior Flying Club. Since then, no less than 39 undergraduates have been enjoying the facilities of the Club. The real purpose of the Club is not only to increase and spread enthusiasm for flying among young boys and girls and undergraduate students but also to give practical training to young people who want to test their ability and aptitude for training as Combat air force pilots. Since 1971, 276 school boys and girls have been given flying training lessons and a good number of them have obtained their private pilot licences (PPL). Of the boys, 83% of those who have obtained the PPL have applied to join the Air Force and a good number of them have succeeded in their applications and have done exceedingly well at the Air Force training school. In fact, the wash-out rate, as it is known in the Air Force, is extremely low among ex-members of the Junior Flying Club. So this is a very worthwhile enterprise.”
“Sir, it is true that community centres do not send many of their staff or their youth leaders to the Outward Bound School. For instance, between January 1969 and December last year, 4,642 persons went through the Outward Bound School courses. 2,500 were from Government departments and only 32 were from the community centres. This is not the fault of the Outward Bound School. Community centres must be urged to send more of their staff to these courses which are pretty useful and have been acknowledged by many people as being useful training.”
“This looks to me a peculiar case. I suggest the Member gives me the full facts of this case and we can go into it and see if there is any injustice. I doubt there is. But if there is an injustice, it will be set right.”
“Sir, it is not the policy of the Government during this financial year to recruit women into the NSF, nor is there any money provided for such enlistment. Under these circumstances, would the Member be in order to raise this matter which is not provided for in the budget?”
“Until some means could be found to get better results, 101 PDF will, I fear, continue to limp along. This is where hon. Members can help, especially the younger MPs and the new ones. Unless they show an example by coming forward to join 101 PDF, they can hardly expect the general public to respond with enthusiasm. If there are sufficient numbers of MPs volunteering to join the battalion, I will arrange for a suitable officer cadet course which could be undertaken after working hours and during weekends for these MPs as well as for existing members of the battalion who are of officer material. Following this, the MPs concerned could help in the recruitment drive. Nearly all constituencies have youth groups, some of whose members could be suitable material for this battalion. If Members find this idea attractive, I suggest that they could form a committee under the leadership of the three Members of the House who are members of 101 PDF, and work out plans on how to progress the scheme. PDF HQ is thinking of raising, in three phases, four Rifle Companies of the battalion, a support company, as well as an HQ Company. We have sufficient regular officers and NCOs to assist in the buildup and training of the battalion; training areas and training courses could be made available. The problem is to get enough men who are as keen, dependable and durable as the hardcore which refused to give up. And I hope that the young, fit and new MPs will respond to this challenge. Some hon. Members: Hear, hear! 3.44 p.m.”
“One corporal complained that he served between 1947 and 1956 in the volunteer corps and had reached the rank of sergeant. When he rejoined in 1969, his old rank was not given him, There was a widespread complaint that employers were not sympathetic in granting them leave to attend in-camp training. All the volunteers wanted to know what the future was. As one soldier puts it: `Because of the peculiar type of treatment we volunteers get, some people think we must be Out of our minds to volunteer, but nevertheless we still volunteer.' One soldier identified in the MINDEF report as No. 2175148/J, Pte Lau Teik Soon, asked the research team to get answers to two questions from higher authorities: (a) For what priorities do volunteers exist as far as MINDEF is concerned? (b) What are the prospects for volunteers? The questions posed by Pte. Lau Teik Soon have been exercising the minds of MINDEF General Staff and PDF HQ. Since Pte. Lau has transformed himself into the Member for Serangoon Gardens, it has also been exercising my mind. I therefore want to examine the problems in detail and to suggest some solutions. The root of the problem is that the hardcore, i.e., those who refuse to die, is not sufficient in numbers to form a full-strength infantry battalion. The hardcore consists of 41 officers and 133 other ranks, as against some 800, all told, needed to form a battalion. Before any solution is possible, there must be some credible means of getting more volunteers. Previous recruitment exercises met with disappointing results. In 1972, against a target of 300, there were only 35 suitable applicants of which only 19 were subsequently enlisted. The exercise in 1974 fared no better.”
“One soldier told the research staff: `We can quit any time we want and our presence here today is art indication of our interest and our happiness.' The report goes on to note: `A look at the barrack lines reveals the presence `of clothes of all colours and hues blowing triumphantly on the clothes lines (outside the barracks( in the afternoon sea breeze coming from the South China Sea Inside and outside the barracks, men appeared in various types of clothes, regulation training uniforms, regulation PT kits, unregulated shorts and T-shirts of all sizes and colours, some even bearing the slogan "Cancel last order", whilst some soldiers were jogging around in beautiful track suits. An air of freedom and satisfaction appeared to be the prevailing mood: Military performance was not too bad and the trainfire result not entirely discreditable, 67% passing the test. Discipline seemed to be excellent, there being only one disciplinary case, a private soldier being reprimanded for arguing with a volunteer officer. There seemed to be a camaraderie among members of the battalion which is not often found in other army units. The report stated that most officers and men agreed that the quality of food had improved considerably. However, they felt that the quantity of food served was insufficient to satisfy the improved appetite of men under rigorous physical training. However, the private soldiers complained about having to serve food to officers during meal time. The research team listed out some of the grievances of members of the battalion. In general, they felt that they were being neglected, which was of course quite true. They felt that promotion prospects in the battalion were virtually absent.”
“This is to distinguish it from the PDF reserve battalions consisting of certain categories of national servicemen after their ROD, and these battalions start with lower serial numbers. 101 PDF is really a composite unit of volunteer elements consisting of the original infantry battalion, the volunteer engineers, formerly 106 PDF. the S Battery of the Volunteer Artillery and the PDF Women. This amalgamation took place in May 1974. This was necessary because each of these different groups had been dwindling in numbers through the years, mainly because no significant role could be found for the volunteers. After amalgamation in 1974, it was still not certain whether the battalion would survive or would die a natural death through continuing attrition of members leaving the battalion. Many in MINDEF thought that the battalion would die, but in fact it refused to do so. No one understood what the reason for this was although there was some speculation. One school of thought, for instance, believed that the continued survival of the battalion was due to the fact that the officers' mess had the most sumptuous airconditioned bar in the SAF. I do not believe this theory because I think, by and large, ours is not a boozing army. Another theory was that the annual in-camp training was well attended because members wanted to escape from their wives. This may or may not be true. I have no evidence one way or the other. So to find out what the facts were, when 101 PDF carried out its annual in-camp training from 17th May to 29th May. 1976, at Pulau Tekong Camp I, I decided to send MINDEF's research team to this Camp to find out what was happening. They reported an interesting situation. Morale appeared to be very high.”
“Many are posted to outside Ministries, for instance, in the Inland Revenue Department where they are good at calculating what taxpayers have to pay. They work, of course, under supervision of experienced staff. Finally, the Member for Serangoon Gardens has raised the question on the future role of volunteers in the People's Defence Force (PDF). He asked whether a volunteer force could not be detailed to certain security duty so as to release the regular army and reservists for other roles. The PDF has a long and interesting history and close connections with Members of Parliament during a period. In fact, at one time, all MPs who were physically fit were members of the PDF, and a good many were commissioned as officers. Sad to say, of these, only two remain, namely, the Member for Pasir Panjang and the Member for Kampong Chai Chee. These two are now officers in the 101st Battalion, PDF, and have reached the rank of Captain. Since the last elections, the number of MPs in the battalion has increased by 50% from two to three, with the election of the Member for Serangoon Gardens. I would like to say a few words about the history of this battalion, 101 PDF, as the soldiers call it, how it came about, and what its future is likely to be. The 101 PDF can trace its ancestry to the former Singapore Volunteer Corps which was started by the British in the year 1854. During confrontation, some volunteers were mobilised for full-time service and the unit was re-titled 10th Battalion, Territorial Army. Members would recollect that we were then part of Malaysia. After August 1965, the battalion was re-titled 10th PDF and the number has now been changed to 101 PDF.”
“The Member for Serangoon Gardens has made a number of observations on defence policy, and I would like to comment on them in detail. The hon. Member seems to be in favour of total involvement of all citizens, men and women, in the defence of our Republic. While I respect the sentiment which inspires such a view, I am doubtful as to its wisdom. One of the prime objectives of building up a defence force is to create a climate of confidence which would enable the ordinary business of life to go on without impediment. If we were to adopt the policy he recommends, that is total involvement of every man and woman in defence of the country, this may well create anxiety, and even introduce a crisis atmosphere where none exists now. I think this is a wrong thing to do when there is no military threat to our security discernible on the horizon. As regards deferment on medical or financial grounds, the principle has been well established. Applications for exemption on financial grounds are considered by an advisory board which consists of prominent citizens from industry, the civil service, the universities and the professions. Exemptions are granted only in serious cases in which hardship is more than temporary. Exemptions on medical grounds are granted only if the person is certified by a medical board (consisting of three doctors) to be permanently unfit for national service. However, those with HSC/4 qualifications are still called up for full-time national service even if they are medically unfit and are posted to sedentary civilian occupations instead of undergoing military training. This is to ensure that the medically unfit do not have an advantage over the fit in respect of university education.”
“Should any of them encounter difficulty over employment, they could get a certificate from the Central Manpower Base to the effect that they are not liable for full-time national service. Older MPs are aware of this procedure, This is a problem which affects Malay MPs more than the others because of the specific circumstances of past recruitment policy in the SAF. In the past, recruitment into the SAF had to take into account the ethnic distribution of soldiers, both national servicemen and regulars. This is an accepted practice in multi-racial societies because military service is a matter of importance and the ethnic distribution of soldiers is obviously an important, yet delicate, subject. When national service began, there was a large preponderance of Malay soldiers in the army because the regulars of the two battalions we inherited from the British were preponderantly Malays. The non-Malays, especially the Chinese, were simply not interested then in joining the army. This was especially true of the regular NCO ranks. Because of this, the intake of Malays into national service was limited for some years. This did not present any problem to the army because total numbers available were in any event much more than could be absorbed into the army. Now, over the years, we had increasing numbers of non-Malays entering the regular service as NCOs and the ethnic balance of this important group of military personnel has moved nearer towards the proportion in the general population. So, as from this year, increasing numbers of Malay youths are being enlisted into the army and this will be evident at the decentralised National Day parades this year. The problem which the Member for Kampong Kembangan raised is, therefore, a passing one.”
“This is a matter of simple arithmetic and I do not think that it is necessary to have a public forum, as the Member has suggested, to prove that two plus two equals four. The proposal to extend NSF to women has excited a lot of comment because it seems novel. There are two points of clarification I want to make on this. The first is that women soldiers are not really a novelty in Singapore, as Members are well aware. But few people know that we have no less than 2,544 women soldiers in the regular service. In fact, we have more women soldiers today in the regular service than there are soldiers in the two battalions during the colonial times These women are in vocations such as typists, clerks. telephonists, electronic technicians, drivers and storekeepers. My second observation is that enlistment of NSF women is not something which will take place immediately. The manpower shortage is prospective rather than immediate. The Member for Kampong Kembangan has made a plea on behalf of women and expressed the hope that since they are a special asset to the nation, and the greatest asset is their feminity, national service for women should be such as not to destroy this feminity. I give the Member full assurance that the Singapore Armed Forces will not perpetrate such a heinous deed as destroying the feminity of our women. The Member for Telok Blangah makes the point that those who are not selected one year after the call-up age of 18 should be granted deferment. This, in fact, is the general practice at present. There could be special circumstances; for example, a registrant needed time to recover from illness or he is doing secondary or tertiary education at the age of 18. In such instances they will be called even after the age of 19.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, one subject raised in the Defence Policy statement excited more attention, both inside this House and outside it, than other matters. This is the proposal to enlist women into full-time national service. Most MPs who spoke on the subject supported the idea, including the Member for Serangoon Gardens and the Member for Delta. The Member for Delta argued quite logically that since men and women are equal, this equality should extend to their obligation to defend the country. When the time comes to enlist them, women will be trained and posted to non-combatant duties, as is the practice in other countries. A number of MPs, however, queried the need to enlist women into the army. Their reservations are however based on a misunderstanding, which I now wish to clear up. The Member for Kampong Kembangan argues that it is not necessary now to extend national service to women. I agree with him. There are now enough 18-year old men to replace those going ROD. But, as explained in the Addendum to the President's Address, the numbers available in future years will get smaller and smaller and that in ten years' time, the number will be about 30% less than what it is now. The Addendum states that this has consequences which are being examined in MINDEF, Obviously, there is a need to review manpower establishment in the army, but however much we trim down the establishment, it is unlikely that this could achieve a 30% saving in manpower. Therefore, if we want to maintain force levels at present strength, it will be necessary to recruit women to fill up non-combatant posts, as is being done in other armies.”
“I do not think there is a contradiction between what I say now and what I said the last time. The sole breadwinner would be exempted naturally because if he is called up for national service then there is economic hardship. But it does not work Out as simple as that. For instance, if the sole wage earner in the family cannot prove that he earns much more than what he will earn in the Army, then there is no hardship in calling him up for national service. On the other point about construction workers, they do not qualify for exemption. We, however, do run a special scheme whereby apprenticeship training schemes requiring two to four years of indentured apprenticeship come under special arrangements where industries have a need for skilled workers and these skills can only be acquired by long training over two to four years. What we do is when the Industrial Training Board recommends a case we send him off for three months basic military training with SAFTI. After that he does his apprenticeship training for two years or four years, at the end of which he comes back for his reservist training in the PDF battalion where he does the more simple military chores. But I do not think it is feasible to disrupt national service on grounds of working in the construction industry. Once you allow that, the question is: just where do we stop? Apart from that, it is a very rare Singaporean who wants to work in the construction industry. Most of these tough jobs are now, I believe filled by work permit holders. 3.45 p.m.”
“So the way out is to allow them to come in civies and thereby avoiding some of the criticisms. So far as long hair is concerned, we are trying to control it as best as we can, and we have been successful in the active battalions. But for the reservists there must be some give-and-take and within that situation we are doing as well as we can,”
“But so far as the Army goes, nearly all battalion camps have a camp barber and recruits are taken there on the first day and are charged 60 cents a hair cut. So far as the active battalions are concerned, there are regular muster parades and I do not think there is a problem with national servicemen. However, once a soldier leaves the Army and goes back to civilian life, he acquires all the bad habits of the civilian, including long hair. In the early days when reservists were called back for their annual in-camp training, the officers were of course quite taken aback by a number of long hair styles, and they had to borrow barbers from several camps. But this did not work too well because camp barbers gave them a 4 x 2 Army-style haircut and there were howls of anguish from the reservists, some of whom claimed probably with justification that they needed long hair because they were fashion designers or this and that. So morale in that battalion camp dropped very low and we had to consider what options were available. One, of course, was to treat every case on its own merits. That was not possible in the Army. Either they all wore the same kind of hair style, or sent to the camp barber, or not at all. So in the end we decided that so long as a reservist has a decent haircut, in accordance with the photograph put up by RTS, he is allowed to carry on. Longer than that, he goes to the camp barber and he has to pay 60 cents for his haircut. The problem is, however, in between the annual in-camp training what do they do? They have to report once a month to their Reserve battalion headquarters and, of course, their hair could be quite long on those occasions. If they turn up in uniform, they give the Army a bad impression.”
“This is not a very high rate of accident considering that Army drivers on the average have just one year's driving experience. We recruit more than 2.000 national service drivers each year. and since they do two years' national service the average experience is one year. In order to reduce the rate of accidents we have introduced this bonus payment referred to by the Member for Anson, whereby a driver gets $50 bonus if he has an accident-free record over three or four months. The matter is being reviewed because, although many drivers have qualified for this bonus and quite a large sum has been paid on this account, the accident rate remains about the same as it was before the bonus was paid. I am afraid this privilege may have to be withdrawn and other means found to improve their driving standards. Perhaps stiffer penalties may be more effective than the bonus payment. On scholarships, the position is this. Where the scholarship is a genuine one granted under the auspices of the Public Service Commission, then of course there is no question of paying any bond to ensure that the scholar comes back to do his national service. Where it is a private scholarship, then the matter is referred to the Public Service Commission to see whether it is really a meritorious award or whether it is some kind of a fiddle, or whether in fact it is a minor kind of academic institution. If the PSC says. "Yes, this is a good award". then of course no problem arises. However, if the PSC says. "This kind of scholarship is humbug", then the scholar is not allowed to leave the country. He has to do his national service first. On long hair, I cannot speak for the Police.”
“Sir, I am in sympathy with what the Member for Bukit Panjang has said. As far as possible, the policy is moving in the direction he recommends, that is, enlist everybody. In the past, of course, it was not possible to do so because there was limited requirement for manpower. But lately Government has decided that national servicemen can be enlisted to do full-time national service in the Police, the Fire Brigade, as well as the Vigilante Corps. I do not expect that in future there should be much difficulty over this. But it is not possible to insist that every youth does full-time national service because there are cases where genuine hardship will be caused by doing so. That is the only ground on which we can allow deferment from national service. Parents who feel that economic hardship will be caused by national service call-up can make an appeal to the Appeals Board where cases are fully investigated, and in a fair number of instances appeals are allowed, something like 30% of applications. Regarding national service drivers, in my view they are a much maligned group. We have been keeping records of accident rates over the years and the figures show that in the last few years there have been 2.5 accidents per 100,000 kilometres travelled. Accident is defined to include cases where the fault is not with the Army drivers alone but with the civilian drivers also. A study of Police reports shows that in all accidents involving Army and civilian drivers, the blame lies equally with the civilian drivers as with Army drivers so that, in effect, as far as accidents due to Army drivers are concerned, the accident rate is something like just over one per 100.000 kilometres.”
“They, unlike the general practitioners in private practice, are involved in looking after cases which general practitioners are unable to look at, and they are therefore preoccupied with investigative work. The total number of doctors in each hospital therefore is only part of the answer to the question asked for by the Member for Anson. Whether the number of doctors is sufficient to cope with the cases referred, it is impossible to give a positive or definitive reply. I am afraid that there are no standards against which it can be determined whether there are enough doctors for any particular type of work. But it is true that it is possible to reallocate doctors so that the doctors are posted to units where there are shortages and where demand is great.”
“Sir, of course, there are many lines of education for which there is no equivalent work in the armed forces. Architecture is one of them. True, we can make use of the architect in a civilian role but then he will not be doing national service. He will be doing civilian work. What about Mathematics? How do we employ mathematicians in the armed forces as mathematicians? So, in many vocations, they are assigned to do combat work. In fact, for most University graduates, the policy is to assign them to an appropriate combat arm where they will be trained in the officer cadet school so that eventually they can provide leadership in the SAF. DOCTORS' ATTENDANCES IN GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS 2. Mr P. Govindaswamy asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the number of local and foreign doctors in the Government hospitals; (b) what is the daily average number of persons referred to those hospitals and how many doctors attend to those cases; (c) whether the number of doctors in those hospitals is sufficient to cope with the cases referred; and (d) what steps are being taken to recruit more doctors. The Minister for Health (Dr Toh Chin Chye): Mr Speaker, Sir, the numbers of local doctors and foreign doctors in the Government hospitals are 319 and 71 respectively. I have given to the Clerk of Parliament a list* (*See Appendix, cols 1311-2) of hospitals which spells out the number of outpatient attendances, admissions and the number of doctors allocated to each of these hospitals. I presume the Member for Anson has been given a copy also. It is not possible to give these attendance figures in greater detail as the amount of work that the doctors are engaged in the hospitals are varied in character.”
“Naturally, training and experience in a particular civilian vocation would result in better performance in the SAF in related vocations, particularly in technical vocations such as mechanics, electricians, draughtsmen, fitters and so on. However, it often happens that the supply of technically trained recruits in particular lines exceeds the requirement for that intake. When this happens, the surplus will have to be assigned to other vocations. Mr Teong Eng Siong (Sembawang)(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether national servicemen are assigned to jobs according to their educational qualification. I would like to cite an example. A national serviceman who is an architect is assigned to the Navy where he is required to teach the men how to maintain ship's machinery. This assignment is irrelevant to his line of education. If he were assigned to the Architect Division, his knowledge would be put to proper and better use. I hope the Minister will give consideration to this point.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, experience shows that there is an association between a soldier's performance and his educational background. Army commanders prefer better educated soldiers because they know that whether these men are riflemen, storemen, medical orderlies, clerks or cooks, experience has confirmed that better educated soldiers are easier to instruct, carry out their orders and daily chores with fewer mistakes and generally pose fewer disciplinary problems. In the past there have been research studies conducted by the Personnel Research and Educational Department of Mindef to evaluate how useful criteria such as education level and IQ test performances have proved in assigning recruits to various army vocations. Statistical computation shows that a significant level of correlation exists between performance in course results and education level. If we take education level and IQ results together, the correlation is even better than education level alone. In February 1973 the study covered five vocations - clerk (class II), pay clerks, technical storemen, linesmen and recce troopers. At other times similar studies have been made in respect of other vocations, both in the army and navy as well as in the officer cadet courses. As expected, the association between performance in these courses and education level is statistically significant. These studies will be made available to the hon. Member if he wants them. Regarding the second part of the Member's question, that is, relating to training and work experience, these are taken into account in assigning recruits to military vocations.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The formal amendment to section 29 of the Enlistment Act is to rectify an omission. The amendment would facilitate proof of knowledge of registration, medical examination and enlistment notices on the part of persons to whom they apply. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. -[Dr Goh Keng Swee]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. MONEYLENDERS (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.04 p.m.”
“The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Dr Goh Keng Swee] Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. ENLISTMENT (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.00 p.m.”
“Care has, however, been taken to ensure that punishment administered under these regulations will not be of the kind administered to hardened criminals. Firstly, such punishment will not cause bleeding or leave permanent scars. Secondly, the Bill provides that all such punishment must be approved by the Armed Forces Council before it is carried out. The present limit for dealing summarily with offences is six months from the date of the commission of the offence. This limit has caused problems in dealing with those reservists who fail to report for routine or occasional reporting, in-camp training, etc, and who cannot be traced till after six months. There are also instances of negligence in stores administration and other similar work being detected by MINDEF's Internal Audit or by Boards of Inquiry. However, in some cases, by the time the offence is detected six months have passed and the offender has been released from full-time national service into the reserve. Often these offences do not merit a court-martial but because of the six months limit they cannot be tried in any other way such as by summary proceedings. The Bill therefore extends the period of summary dealing to three years for offences committed by reservists and those committed within six months prior to the date that a serviceman is released from the SAF. Two other amendments deserve attention. One of these empowers the Armed Forces Council to review a case on its own initiative even though no petition for a review has been submitted by a serviceman. The other provides that a serviceman under open arrest will not lose his pay. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.”
“Keeping large numbers of soldiers under detention is also costly in terms of food they consume and the administrative staff needed to house and look after them. In view of these facts the Bill provides that such offenders will be sent to a disciplinary barrack for a short stint, where offenders will be subject to a harsh regimen. Such detention would serve as a more effective deterrent than present detention under conditions of well-fed idleness. Detention in the disciplinary barrack can only be awarded by courts-martial and will be for a short period not exceeding three months. A harsh regimen in the disciplinary barrack is bound to encounter resistance and, unless these instances are handled firmly, the system will break down. In view of this, the Bill empowers the officer-in-charge of the disciplinary barrack to inflict corporal punishment for offences such as mutiny, escape or attempted escape, assaulting a disciplinary barrack officer, and such like offences. This power is similar to that given to the Superintendent of Prisons under section 54 of the Prisons Act (Cap. 79). Certain additional safeguards, which I shall enumerate below, have, however, been provided when corporal punishment is to be inflicted. National service intakes cover all strata of society, including those of low education and intelligence. Past experience shows that recalcitrant offenders belong to this group and existing forms of punishment have not been adequate as a deterrent. In view of this, apart from detention in the disciplinary barrack, the Bill provides for corporal punishment of incorrigible offenders committing the offences of prolonged absence without leave, desertion, escape from custody, disobedience of order, disobedience of general orders and insubordination.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Singapore Armed Forces Act, 1972, has been in operation since June 1972. Experience in implementing the Act during this period has shown that it is inadequate in a number of respects in dealing with new problems that have arisen and requires to be amended. Accordingly, this Bill is before us. The Bill extends the jurisdiction of courts-martial to SAF personnel who have committed the offences of murder, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, waging war against the Government and offences against the President. This is to ensure that if there is a repetition of last year's incident in which a soldier shot and killed an officer, such offences will be tried swiftly and punished swiftly. A court-martial will, however, try a case of murder or culpable homicide not amounting to murder only if all parties, victim and accused are SAF members. These are grave offences. In view of this, it has been provided in the Bill that the President of a court-martial trying these offences will be appointed by the Chief Justice and will be a Judge of the Supreme Court. An additional safeguard is that in such cases an appeal will be determined by a specially constituted Military Court of Appeal composed of three Judges of the Supreme Court. Courts-martial inflict sentences of between two months and 24 months detention for absence without leave (AWOL) depending on the length of AWOL. Detention for insubordination, disobedience, and so on is also for similar lengths. It is doubtful whether long detention sentences are appropriate for these offences, taking into account the nature of the offender, usually a poorly educated teenage national serviceman.”
“Here again, I am afraid the facts do not bear out about what the Member has said. When we opened the Dempsey Road Supermarket in April 1974, the reason was that the Beach Road Supermarket was rather crowded as it comprises only a very small room. There were spare buildings in Tanglin Barracks and we thought we would open a supermarket there. We were almost certain that having two supermarkets would be too big for the SAF which after all is not all that big, and therefore we decided to extend in stages to various departments and branches of the Government. At present, the two supermarkets have a combined annual turnover of about $4 million. For instance, in January 1975 Beach Road Supermarket had a turnover of $202,000 in that month alone and Dempsey Road Supermarket had a sale of $189,000. I do not think the Member is correct in saying that the goods in Dempsey Road Supermarket are inferior. They are the same as in Beach Road Supermarket. In fact, they are the same in supermarkets elsewhere. They buy the same brand of goods. But Dempsey Road Supermarket will be moving into consumer durables and will enter into some kind of easy instalment payments for members of the SAF and the civil service, who will be able to buy consumer durables like refrigerators, radios, tape-recorders, etc, on fairly good terms.”
“We are trying to improve the situation as best as we can, but so long as most of the drivers are national servicemen (and this will have to be the position in the national service army) you cannot expect the same high standard of driving as in the regular army where all the drivers are experienced and long-term professionals. The final point about NCOs. Here again, the Member has been misinformed. Last year there were four promotion exercises carried out for regular NCOs. About 480 of them were promoted, which comes to about three-quarters of those who were within the promotion zone. In fact, the number of vacancies in the senior ranks of the NCOs, a vital cadre of the Army, is so serious that the risk is the other way round - we promote people faster than they normally would be promoted.”
“They are fed and they get free transport, free meals and free clothing. So they are protected from the cost of living increases to that extent. In fact, it is the taxpayer who has to meet the additional cost of feeding and clothing the soldiers, whose cost has nearly doubled in recent years. On the other hand, the regular soldier generally lives outside the camp and he has to feed himself. He has got to look after his family and clothe them. He is not protected, to the same extent as the national servicemen, from the effects of price increases. So there is really no case for giving this $25 increase to national servicemen. On the question of whether National Day parades will be the same or whether there will be variety, the answer is that there will be variety. The form of the parade will be under the direction of the Minister in charge. Generally speaking, what we aim to achieve is a more informal atmosphere, a happier and less precise parade, as compared with the central National Day parade at the Padang. On reckless driving, I do not think the Member for Anson can say that his complaint last year had not brought any result. Partly because of what he said, the SAF has bought equipment to catch army drivers speeding by installing radar traps in various places. The Member will be glad to hear that last year 328 soldiers were fined between $20 and $100 each for speeding. But by and large, the accident rate in the Army has not reached the dangerous limit. I will give him some figures if he is interested. In 1974, there was one accident per 45,000 kilometres, and in 1973 there was one accident per 47,000 kilometres. So in 1974 there was a slight deterioration.”
“The solution is that we have to make-do with what we have, in view of the shortage of land and money being none too plentiful. The ideal solution is beyond the grasp of SAF. Regarding misbehaviour and catcalls to girls, in my five years as Defence Minister I received two complaints on this subject from girls who were outraged by soldiers making catcalls at them. On investigation, it was found that it was not just a matter of the soldiers being high-spirited but they were rather nasty. So the soldiers were duly court martialled and sentenced to 40 days' jail. But there were only two cases in five years. If the hon. Member's girl friends are subject to this kind of treatment, and if they object to it, then please let me have the details. Regarding long hair, I think this is a very general allegation. Standards are being maintained. I would advise the Member for Sembawang to look at an RTS illustration of what constitutes long hair and what does not constitute long hair. I can assure him that the hair style of my Senior Parliamentary Secretary is not taken to be the ideal. The Member for Anson wants the $25 increase to be extended to national servicemen. When we decided not to give this additional sum to national servicemen, we explained that the purpose of this $25 is to meet the additional cost of food, transport and clothing, as against the NWC 9% increase which is the result of economic growth and general sharing of prosperity. So we have to distinguish these two elements of wage increase. The $25 is meant to offset the rising cost of living last year and the subsequent 9% increase which was a share of the bigger GNP growth which Singapore achieved. Nearly all the national servicemen are unmarried and they live in camps.”
“Sir, the Member for Sembawang is quite wrong about Mindef policy in regard to the call-up of only sons who have to look after the aged parents. The policy is that if the young man is the sole supporter of the family, he is not called up for full-time service. In fact, in 1974, 238 such cases were approved when they appealed against full-time national service. During the Meet-the-People sessions and elsewhere, Members of Parliament are told rather biased stories by parents, which on investigation turn out to be inaccurate. But if the fact is that he is the sole breadwinner in the family and enlistment into national service would impose hardship because of decline in income, then there is a clear case for exemption from full-time service. 3.30 p.m. Regarding cultural activities in the SAF, every person has his taste and if the Member for Sembawang does not like pop songs and loud music he need not turn up at the road shows of the SAF. But he is quite wrong in suggesting that if we only play marches and rousing music the soldiers' morale will go up. This is entertainment and relaxation for them and they want to forget the rigours of military training. Therefore, we have to give them something which they enjoy. Unfortunately, the Member for Sembawang's taste of music does not coincide with that of the soldiers. On the question of sports, there is a sports officer in every unit. The trouble is this. We do not have enough sports fields and even in the biggest and best battalion camp you often find there is only one football field and perhaps two or three basketball pitches. That is about all that is available for nearly a thousand men. This is totally inadequate.”
“Sir, I am happy to clarify that. There are two types of daily-rated workers. One is a person who, although he may be daily-rated, is on regular employment in a firm. To that extent, he is covered by the provisions of this Bill. The other type are often casual workers going from one place to another, particularly in the construction industry. It is very difficult to cover them here because they change employers so often that you cannot pin them to any particular employer. In effect, such people would come under the category of "own account" workers, of which there are quite a substantial number in the reservists. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. -[Dr Goh Keng Swee]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. SINGAPORE COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.02 p.m.”
“In the Bill these three sections have been amended so as to extend them to the volunteers in the People's Defence Force and the Special Constabulary. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“Apart from making provision for makeup pay for the categories who are already eligible, the Bill requires employers to pay make-up salary to both the volunteers and national servicemen (i.e, those who are performing part-time service) in the People's Defence Force and the Special Constabulary when they are called up for training or reserve service and to volunteers in these Forces when they are mobilized. Employers may deduct the amount paid from their payroll tax. Those employers who are not liable to pay payroll tax, and those whose payroll tax is insufficient for such deductions, may claim reimbursement from Government. Self-employed members of the People's Defence Force and the Special Constabulary can claim reimbursement also from Government. The Bill also provides that employers of volunteers in the People's Defence Force and the Special Constabulary are to continue to make Central Provident Fund contributions to the extent that they would be liable had the volunteers not been mobilized for full-time service or called up for training. The Bill repeals section 13 of the Vigilante Corps Act and with this repeal, volunteers in the Vigilante Corps will not be liable for full-time mobilization. There are two main reasons for repealing section 13. First, it is unfair to impose the liability of mobilization on volunteers in the Vigilante Corps. Secondly, it is not intended to mobilize the volunteers anyway, as there are large numbers of national servicemen doing part-time service in the Vigilante Corps. The other important points in the Bill relate to reinstatement in employment, prohibition against dismissal and leave of absence when performing service. The provisions in respect of these matters are found in sections 21, 22 and 23 of the Act.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Special Constabulary comprises volunteers and part-time national servicemen. Its members are paid nominal allowances for their services during duty hours. Their employers are under no obligation to pay them the difference between their civilian pay and the allowances paid by the Police for their services. To assist the members of the Special Constabulary the Police Force has, as far as possible, arranged their duty hours such that they suffer minimal disruption in their civilian occupations or suffer loss of personal emoluments. However, in view of a severe manpower shortage, the Police Force intends to utilise the Special Constabulary more intensively. This may result in loss of pay to members of the Special Constabulary unless the Government is in a position to compensate the losses through make-up pay, as is being done in the case of national service reservists. Just like the Special Constabulary, the People's Defence Force is also composed of national servicemen and volunteers. Recently the Force was reorganised to enable it to undertake additional operational duties. Members of the People's Defence Force are only paid allowances during their training periods. Unless they are national service reservists, their employers are under no obligation to pay them any make-up pay. As a result they too would lose in terms of pay if they are not compensated. It is intended to remedy the situation through this Amendment Bill. The Bill seeks to repeal and re-enact section 24 of the Enlistment Act (i.e, the present provision providing for make-up pay).”
“In the PDF there are two battalions, the 10th and 15th. The 15th will be closed down by the SAF, and the men transferred to the 10th Battalion. I hope the volunteering tradition will continue, and I agree with a lot of what the Member has said. As regards the SAFTI accident, a Board of Inquiry has been set up and it has just completed its findings. A full statement will be made shortly on this tragic episode. Briefly, the Board found that the most likely cause of the accident was a defect in the fuse of the mortar bomb. As regards the comic sketches, I am glad the Member enjoyed it. I hope he will be welcome to attend all future road shows. As regards the SAF English, he will be interested to know that the Personnel Research Department of Manpower Division, MINDEF, is compiling a glossary of SAF English jargon.”
“The soldiers asked all kinds of questions which the MPs consider quite trivial, like too many guard duties, no time-off, eggs not properly cooked, lavatories out of order, and so on. As for the impact of the MPs on the soldiers, I am afraid my officers were rather polite. Those who recorded the effect of the exchanges said that the MPs were very sincere and very eloquent. But they did not know what effect they had on the soldiers. However, if the Member for Sembawang feels very strongly about this, perhaps we can arrange for him to be in a road show some time so that he can give a talk to the soldiers. But I must warn him that the audience of soldiers will be in darkness. The stage is well lighted, and if they do not like it, then they will show their dislike very audibly. Mr Teong Eng Siong(In Mandarin): Sir, I thank the Minister for his detailed answers to my various questions. At the same time, I believe that the Minister and the officers under him are all trying their best to improve the consciousness of our national servicemen to become patriotic soldiers and to become good citizens also. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Tay Boon Too -- (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head DA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 2010.”
“Sir, the Member for Sembawang brought up what seems to me a very important point which indeed may constitute a serious weakness in the Army, that is, the spirit of national consciousness, the willingness to take up arms on behalf of your country. However, if he believes that this is something that Army commanders can bring about in two years, he is asking for something quite impossible. I have discussed this matter with Army commanders, and they say that this is something they expect to be cultivated in schools, in homes and indeed in general society. If we get a situation where a young man turning up in the Army knows nothing about these matters and believes that what matters most is his own personal interest, there is very little that we can do in two years to change that kind of attitude. We cannot brainwash soldiers in two years' time. We did an interesting experiment in May last year. I invited six or seven Members of Parliament taking turns to visit various battalion camps and training institutions. Those who took part remember their experiences very well. The idea, first, was to give the MPs -many of them were young MPs - a chance to see the soldiers and get the feel of their attitudes, how they are taking to national service, what their problems are, and that sort of thing. That is for the MPs to get to know the Army. The other part of the exercise is for the MPs to tell the soldiers just what the Member for Sembawang has been saying, that is, the importance of their work, the need to defend the nation, patriotism, and so on and so forth. I paid a great deal of attention to this exercise and had it closely documented. After a month the MPs and myself came to the conclusion that it was not a very profitable exercise.”
“I think I understand what the Member for Anson is trying to get at. What happened was in the past NCOs, mostly national service corporals, in their exasperation against recruits who kept on making the same mistakes or not obeying orders or whatever it was, took upon themselves to inflict punishment of various kinds, many of which were contrary to the regulations. So it was made very clear to them that if they continued to inflict illegal forms of punishment on soldiers under their command, they would be court martialled. And they were accordingly court martialled and sternly punished, as I think they should. But that does not mean that the NCOs do not have powers to inflict punishment. Punishment must be meted out according to the rules and regulations.”
“I think the Member for Anson should address his question to the ANZUK Commander! ANZUK does not come under me. Seriously speaking, ANZUK is rethinking the whole position, and no doubt they will come up with new plans in course of time. About the NCOs, here again I must ask the Member for Anson's pardon if I did not get him right. He says that senior NCOs have not been given adequate powers. I am not quite sure what he means by that.”
“Sir, I did not say anything about the ANZUK forces because I did not understand what the Member was saying! Mr P. Govindaswamy: Sir, I was saying that Australia had pulled out quite a number of its troops from Singapore. I wonder how effective the ANZUK forces is at the moment, and to what extent are its future plans in terms of defence training and common interest?”
“Unfortunately, these are what one statistician, studying categories of Government expenditure, calls "regrettable necessities". If the Member for Potong Pasir has studied the figures closely, he will have noticed that the increase in defence expenditure is the smallest of all the Ministries. The increase in this financial year asked by my Ministry comes to rather less than 2� per cent as against some 10 to 15 per cent increase in the general run of Ministries.”