Halimah Yacob
Singapore
“Thank you. I think that is certainly a very good idea and that is what we want to do and wish to do, to have the integration of the facilities. As the Member said, it is to encourage inter-generational bonding and support. In fact, we have already started one in Mr Seah Kian Peng's constituency.”
“I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the clarification, and for his information, I have written twice to LTA. The answers have been negative. My question is, what is the alternative because the purpose of the overhead pedestrian bridge is for people to cross over but the elderly has difficulty crossing over?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am really happy to hear about the immense investment in helping households cope with the rising cost of energy. There will continue to be households that, despite these assistance measures, will face difficulty in paying for their electricity bills.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister: if the problem in Japan is not resolved within the next few months, what measures will be in place to assist sectors that are affected, notably, sectors like electronics?”
“Madam, I have two concise clarifications. My first concise clarification is to ask the Minister about the very low unemployment rate. Given this very low unemployment rate, does MOM have strategies in place to help people who want to find jobs, not just those who are already displaced but those who are currently employed?”
“Madam, on behalf of the House, I would like to thank the Minister, the Minister of State and the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the very comprehensive and detailed responses given. This year, the Ministry of Manpower did not have the highest number of cuts. That honour went to the Ministry of National Development.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,190 lines we hold for Halimah Yacob, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 16 of 24.
“Like I have said before, that is just part of the larger movement that is happening in Singapore, to give genuine ex-offenders who have reformed a second chance. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. COMPANIES (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. The Second Minister for Finance (Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Background Sir, the Companies Act has been amended three times since 2002 to implement the recommendations of the private sector-led Company Legislation and Regulatory Framework Committee (CLRFC). The recommendations sought to simplify business regulations, reduce the costs of capital maintenance in Singapore, and update our corporate regulatory practices. The Bill will give effect to the following recommendations of the CLRFC: (a) abolish the concepts of par value and authorised capital; (b) reform the capital maintenance regime; (c) introduce the concept of treasury shares; and (d) liberalise the amalgamation process for companies. Sir, I shall now highlight the main amendments proposed in the Bill. Abolishing the concepts of par value and authorised capital Currently, all shares issued by a company must have a par value and the company is required to report its authorised share capital. Par value is the minimum value ascribed to a share in a company. It is the amount of money that the shareholder holding the said share is statutorily required to pay off for the new share issued to him.”
“It is not as though because this man has put the person in prison in the first place, he will be less inclined to allow the application. Because after all, the criteria are also set out in the Act. He looks at the nature of the offence, he looks at the sentence that has been meted out, he looks at the conduct of the applicant subsequent to conviction. So let the Commissioner do his work. As to safeguards, Mdm Halimah felt that there are certain professions which are so serious with security implications or with implications impinging on the safety of children that the applicant for a job in that industry should divulge his record. This is, as I have mentioned earlier, the need for balance. That is why, again, the point that I have addressed earlier, as to Ms Indranee Rajah's question. Why do we not go straight into the expunging regime? Because we are mindful that we have to convince Singaporeans that the scheme will also take into account their concerns of safety and we will balance them accordingly. The screening process that has been in place for professions which have security implications, for example, security guards, or for professionals in the teaching profession, ie, pre-school teachers, that will still be in place. It is not going to be thrown out just because we have this scheme. This assures Singaporeans that there is a balance. So the screening process will work in tandem with this new spent regime. I think I have made all the comments in response to Members. Finally, I just want to thank Members for supporting this Bill. But like I have said, if all of us are enlightened, including all Members who are employers, I think we can show the way.”
“That is why we are taking some time to work out these details, whether it is sending out the letters, which will be about three to four months' time, or setting up the portal, which will be about eight to nine months' time. One other point that Mdm Halimah asked is why the Commissioner for Police has the powers to decide whether or not to let the person who does not qualify under the stated criteria also have his records spent. She is right because, in implementing this scheme, it flows like this. There are certain criteria that the person must meet, that means, his offence must have attracted a punishment of not more than three months and not more than $2,000, then he must remain crime-free for five years. But the Bill also states certain disqualifications. For example, if he has two registrable offences, or if he has got an outstanding warrant of arrest, that also will disentitle him. But having looked at all these barriers, if he feels that notwithstanding that he may not qualify, he wants to make out a case for him to be considered to have his records marked spent, then he will apply to the Commissioner for Police. That is not a new power that the Commissioner has. Actually, there is a parallel, but not quite the same. Currently, under section 7, anybody who has committed an offence under the Second Schedule of the Act - not the First Schedule as it lists out the more serious offences and the punishments are heavier - where it states another set of offences and the punishments are generally lighter, he can actually write to the Commissioner for Police to ask that his record not be entered into by the Criminal Registry Office. So it is not a new power that the Police Commissioner exercises. I am sure, as a Police Commissioner, he will exercise it objectively.”
“The other big point that all Members make is the need to reach out to more segments of the society, including Mdm Halimah who talked about public education, whether we could consider having some pamphlets. I think that is an excellent idea. That is something I will ask my officials to look at because some Singaporeans may not be that computer savvy. We have the Police website on the Internet. It is easily accessible. I have looked at what they will put up. There is a long list of FAQs that will explain how this policy will be implemented over time. That is quite good because the details are there. But on top of that, I suppose for many Singaporeans who are not that computer savvy, something like a hard copy will be useful. We will certainly consider that. So let me say that public education will in fact be part of the outreach. Because after all, Singaporeans out there must also understand what is a registrable record, what is a non-registrable record. So they must, for example, look at the Registration of Criminals Act and the Schedules. Even for lawyers, it may not be so easy to fully comprehend and grasp this concept. So that is something that we will educate Singaporeans on. When the portal is implemented over time, it will be user-friendly. I think that will solve Mdm Halimah's concern whether it will be easy to check. It will be something where an ex-offender who wants to know more about this practice will be able to access. We will think about the implementation, in terms of confidentiality. That is important too. Here, again, we have to balance accessibility with confidentiality.”
“Before that, those with criminal records would only be employed by the civil service with the approval of the Prime Minister's Office, that was before August 2000. But subsequently, autonomy has been given to the Ministries and they have the flexibility to recruit even ex-offenders, taking into account the nature of the offence committed and the nature of the job. I am happy to say that at the latest count, because I asked for the figures, the civil service has recruited more than 50 ex-offenders over the past three years. And on its part, MHA currently employs more than 20 ex-offenders. But numbers do not tell the full story. I think the attitude is also important. So part of the reaching out process of MHA is also to work with the Public Service Division to see and explore how they can reorientate or fine-tune their approach to employing ex-offenders in the light of these amendments. Another point that Ms Indranee Rajah asked is what happens to the particulars that have been obtained from the ex-offender - these can be his DNA, records of his fingerprint impressions. As Ms Rajah knows, these are all investigative tools which are internal to the Police. Therefore, even though his record may be marked spent, that is important to him because then it enables him to interact with the outside world as someone who does not have a criminal record. Internally, the Police will continue to keep these records in its database because, after all, the strength of the database for investigation purposes and for identifying possible offenders in future cases is the size of it. These are already particulars in the database which will be kept, but only for that purpose.”
“Even if we remove the expunge regime, they may try to skirt that just by asking simply, "Have you ever been jailed or fined before?". It is important to reach out to them as to what we are trying to do and to give reformed ex-offenders a chance at making something of their lives. Whilst legislation can facilitate the process, it is definitely not sufficient. That is what Mr Khalis has said. Part of reaching out to employers, of course, is to let them know that it is in the law that if the employee answers truthfully that he does not have a criminal record because he has checked the portal and his record has been spent, therefore, he is telling the truth. He is not misrepresenting the truth. The employer cannot subsequently thereafter, if he discovers that this fellow had been convicted and has a record, dismiss him on that ground alone. But I think Mdm Halimah, having worked with the unions and workers, will know that it may be difficult to pin an employer down if he dismisses an employee because he will not say that he is dismissing the employee because he has discovered that truth. He will find other reasons. Mdm Halimah is right that we have to educate employers and, indeed, even employees who feel that they have been victimised, that they can go to MOM and present their cases to MOM. Mr Khalis asked about what Government can do. I agree with him entirely. The Government must also show the way. We must also show that we are an enlightened employer. And this has been happening because those of you who have been in the House for some time will know that, over the years, at various COS debates, MHA has been taking questions on this aspect on how to reintegrate ex-offenders and the focus has been on the Government. So I am happy to say that there was a change in 2000.”
“Like Mr Ahmad Khalis has opined, the law should not be made such that we tell them not to ask certain questions. So how do we go about striking this balance? The other balance, of course, is the concern of society and the interest of the ex-offender. Just like we did for the Home Detention Scheme where we started small, and after operating the scheme for four to five years, we expanded it recently. I think it is right for us to, as we introduce the scheme, start on the spent regime platform and then we will review. We also review the experience of other countries that have the expunging approach like the UK and see whether we should expand. So that is my first point to Ms Indranee Rajah which is linked to the fact that to get this scheme fully off the ground, there is a need for us to engage employers, and that MHA certainly will do together with the Ministry of Manpower and specifically reaching out to the Singapore National Employers' Federation, which Ms Indranee Rajah has spoken about. Having said this, I am very happy to report that there are indeed many enlightened employers out there. Mr Ahmad Khalis has talked about his involvement in SCORE. He would therefore know that SCORE has a database which, over the years, has multiplied. And last year, there were some 1,400 employers on the list, up about 25% from the year before. So that is what we will continue to do, ie, to engage employers, bearing in mind that, like Mr Ahmad Khalis has quite rightly said, if the employers are so minded to find out everything about the employees, whatever way we frame the legislation, they will try to get round it by asking very specific pointed questions other than they have a conviction.”
“However, there is an exception to this rule for exempt posts which are jobs that involve working with, for example, children, young people, the sick, old or vulnerable. Under the New South Wales law, a person will have to reveal to an employer about the spent conviction if he is applying for a job in a position of public trust, such as teachers, teaching aides or childcare providers. So I would like to seek the Senior Minister of State's clarification on this point. On balance, this is an important and good amendment. It will definitely provide more avenues for employment and better integration into society for ex-offenders. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, I thank Ms Indranee Rajah, GPC Chairman, Mr Ahmad Khalis and Mdm Halimah for supporting the Bill and, more specifically, for the very useful comments and points they have made. Sir, an enduring theme in their speeches is the importance of reaching out to employers. I think that is the key point. As Ms Indranee Rajah said, it is important to change their mindsets. Like Mr Ahmad Khalis and Mdm Halimah have said, it is important to reach out to them and to convince them that this scheme is worth supporting. We have taken some time to come up with the scheme and we have also made a cautious start, because this is a scheme that is introduced for the first time. There are improvements and expansion that we can make. But we are also mindful that, even if we do this for the first time, there is also a need for us to be aware that we are also balancing various interests. We have, on the one hand, the interest of the employers who may want to know as much as they need about prospective employees and, of course, the other side of the scale is the interest of the ex-offenders.”
“Finally, Sir, the amendment seeks to provide some safeguards by stipulating that even if a person's record is treated as spent, for appointments to any job or any office, or for admission to any profession or vocation which by law disqualifies a person with a conviction, then the person is legally obliged to reveal that he has a criminal record. This amendment, as I understand it, seeks to try and balance what we can see as conflicting interests - on the one hand, the interest of the ex-offender and his desire and also in the public interest that he may be integrated into society, and then there is also the other aspect, the larger public interest, and that public interest is one where in certain offences, the knowledge of those offences is necessary for certain types of employment and jobs. I note that under the new section 7E(2)(d), it is stipulated that for any appointment or job or any profession or vocation which by law disqualifies a person with a conviction, then the person is legally obliged to reveal that he has a criminal record. My concern is that, with this provision, the safeguards may be too narrow. For example, if a person with a previous grievous hurt record which is spent applies for a job in a school, he need not reveal about his record during the interview since there is no law disqualifying him from doing such a job. Although this will put him in a situation where he will come into frequent and close contact with young children, I believe that it must be the intention of section 7E(2)(d) to protect such groups. The present section does not cover this situation. In the UK, Sir, a person is not obliged to disclose a criminal conviction which is spent when applying for a job.”
“The New Zealand's Ministry of Justice has also developed information pamphlets to increase awareness of the effect of their legislation as part of their public information campaign to ensure that potential employers know about the effect of the legislation. Copies of the pamphlets have been distributed to employers. Individuals can also secure a copy of the pamphlet from the courts, police stations, community law centres and other public places. They can also view the pamphlets online, and these pamphlets, Sir, are available in English, Maori, Samoan, Tongan and other ethnic languages in New Zealand. I would like to suggest that the Ministry of Law provide a similar service where persons can access to ascertain whether their criminal records are spent. The Ministry of Law can also conduct an awareness campaign targeting employers as well as the public. Such pamphlets could also be made available to individuals in the CDCs, CCs, police stations, courts as well as online. Sir, in other jurisdictions where there is a similar law, where the records are not automatically spent such as the US, for instance, the power to decide on a person's application is usually vested in the court. In the present amendment, for those offences where the records are not treated as automatically spent, the disqualified person has to apply to the Commissioner for Police if he wants his record to be treated as spent. I think, considering that the Police is also the authority responsible for making arrests and maintaining law and order in Singapore, it may be more appropriate, in my view, for the application to be determined by a court. The Minister's comments on this would be helpful.”
“I note what the Senior Minister of State had said about setting up a portal and individually informing the ex-offenders. But I think the Ministry could go much further than that. And I would like to recommend that the Ministry set up a system which ex-offenders can access on their own to ascertain the status of their criminal record as not all offences are covered under the amendment. There are offences where the records will be automatically treated as spent while others require a person to apply to the Commissioner for Police to have his record treated as spent, and the discretion lies with the Commissioner whether or not to approve the application. Even for records that will be automatically treated as spent, the effective date that this takes place varies, depending on the situation. For example, for someone with a custodial sentence, the five-year period starts after he completes his prison term. Whereas if the penalty is only a fine, the period starts from the date that the sentence is passed. It is not possible for us to expect a person to understand the various legal positions to determine whether or not his criminal record is spent. This may lead to a situation where a person may unwittingly commit an offence under the Act, by failing to declare his conviction which he thought is spent when he has actually not met all the criteria. Sir, in New Zealand, which has a similar law, individuals can request for a copy of the criminal record from the Privacy Assistant of the Ministry of Justice to determine if they meet the criteria.”
“A second situation could be that an employer may ask him, after being thoroughly educated - as my colleagues in this House have suggested, we should educate employers, which I thoroughly agree - "Do you have a criminal record?". But he may not understand that he should reply to the question "no", and he may then answer "yes" because, to him, having a criminal record and a criminal conviction are one and the same thing. So this confusion, I think, to some extent, will weaken the impact of this Act, unless the Ministry takes it upon itself to educate employers thoroughly and also the ex-offenders. The second point about this amendment, Sir, is that the primary objective is obviously to try and help rehabilitate ex-offenders by helping them to secure employment. But in the Bill itself, there is nothing to stipulate as to what happens if an employer subsequently, if he discovers that this person has a conviction, dismisses him on that ground. So I think that is an important consideration as well because at that point of time, assuming that he replies he has no record, and subsequently it is discovered that he has, he is dismissed by the employer on that ground, there is nothing in the law to actually take care of his interests or protect him. So I would like to suggest that in this situation, the Ministry of Home Affairs should work very closely with the Ministry of Manpower and the employers as well to educate them on the various facets of this Act as well as to explain to them the importance of not discriminating or using that as a ground to subsequently dismiss ex-offenders who have secured employment with them. The next point I wish to raise, Sir, is with regard to the need to make ex-offenders understand this new amendment.”
“Sir, I rise in support of this Bill. I would like to applaud the Ministry of Home Affairs for making this amendment as I feel that it will help our ex-offenders to look for jobs and integrate into our society. Everyone, Sir, deserves a second chance. This amendment will give that much needed second chance to those who have committed minor offences. We have heard over the last few months of the difficulties faced by many ex-offenders who cannot get jobs even though they have turned over a new leaf. This amendment alone will not remove the social stigma that our society sometimes unforgivingly attaches to people, but, at least, it will help to reduce some barriers. Much more needs to be done, and this certainly goes beyond the Ministry of Home Affairs. Sir, there are a couple of points which I wish to raise. One of them has already been raised by my colleagues who spoke before me, and that is concerning the fact that this Bill mentions about a record being spent but that the conviction still remains. On the ground, when a person - a layman - is asked by an employer whether he has a previous conviction or whether his record is spent, it is difficult for the person to make that kind of a distinction. So he may end up in either one or two situations. He may think that having his criminal record spent means that the conviction is no longer there and, therefore, he may reply "no" when he is asked, "Do you have a previous conviction?". In that situation, he may then be violating the law because he does have a criminal conviction, as what has been removed is only his record as it is treated as spent but his conviction remains. So his reply may not be correct. But a lay person may not understand that distinction.”
“Sir, the Minister mentioned that sex with girls below the age of 16 is an offence, regardless of consent. Unfortunately, that does not apply with regard to sex with young boys below the age of 16 or younger. So, is there some way where the Ministry can work with other relevant Ministries, such as the Ministry of Home Affairs, to ensure that we have a much more comprehensive law to protect young people, regardless of their gender, against sex exploitation and abuse?”
“Sir, the number of 1,200 out of 700,000 policyholders only benefiting from ElderShield seems to indicate a very small number. Is there any particular reason why the number is so small? Is there some way in which this policy, before it is ultimately reviewed in the year 2007, can be made more effective from now up to the period of review? The Minister explained that three months is the standard policy in the insurance industry for processing of claims and it is also a standard policy that the claimant has to pay for the fee for certification by the doctor. That may be so for the private sector insurance industry. But for a national scheme or public scheme, used by those who cannot afford the private scheme, the rules should be made more flexible. Therefore, can the three months' processing time be reduced? Also, can the insurance company or the plan absorb the certification fee by the doctor?”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister how the funds which the transport companies contribute to the Public Transport Fund will be disbursed. Would the Minister be able to tell us whether the grassroots organisations will be able to tap on those funds?”
“Firstly, what proportion of the nursing profession the Ministry is targeting to have as APNs? Secondly, would the upgraded nursing professionals be embarking on the path of a generalist or specialist like the current route taken by our doctors?”
“Thirdly, under clause 14 (section 32(7)), it is provided that the Board may disclose information about the APNs to prescribed persons. There is no definition as to who are the prescribed persons, leaving this to be decided by the Board. There are issues of confidentiality that is involved. For example, if a nurse is facing a disciplinary inquiry, will the inquiry board be given particulars and information about the APN without even her knowledge, let alone her consent? Fourthly, clause 20 introduces a new section 43A which allows the Board to compound any offence under the Act which is prescribed as a compoundable offence. It is not clear as to what are the compoundable offences. I think a clarification on this would be useful. Fifthly, although the Act is described as the Nurses and Midwives Act, over the years, the role of midwives has diminished a great deal as everyone now wants her child to be delivered by an obstetrician. There is a need to boost the professionalism of midwives and to accord this profession better recognition. By doing this, we will not only increase the pool of real practitioners and skilful midwives, but we can also help to contain healthcare costs, especially the costs related to child birth. In the UK, there are nurses called doctor nurses who have attained the level of GPs and, because of the severe shortage of surgeons, they are performing an expanded role, such as conducting minor surgeries. We should also look at ways of allowing our midwives, in line with this Amendment Bill, to play a more significant role. Finally, my parliamentary colleague, Dr Chong Weng Chiew, is not present but, on his behalf, I would like to raise two questions for the Minister's response.”
“As practising certificates are crucial to nurses for them to earn a living, it would be better if these prescribed conditions are spelt out, if not in the legislation, at least in the regulations or guidelines, so that it is less arbitrary and nurses are aware of what are the conditions they have to fulfil in order to keep their practising certificates. Also, in prescribing continual professional education as a condition for renewal of the practising certificate, there is a need to exercise some flexibility as nurses too are human beings and do have families and other commitments to meet, unless of course the courses are conducted during working hours. Secondly, under clause 8 (section 19(2A)), the due process has to be observed when a nurse has violated any of the provisions stipulated under the Bill is prescribed. Under the new section 19(2C), it is stated that a nurse who is the subject of the inquiry will be given an opportunity to be heard either personally or by counsel. Sir, I would like to request the Minister to consider amending this part to allow a nurse who is a member of a trade union to be represented by the union. I am not sure whether without an amendment that is also possible. If that is possible without an amendment, I really welcome that. Nurses who face disciplinary inquiry do not have the skills or knowledge to represent themselves and engaging a solicitor can be very expensive and beyond the means of the nurses. In the interest of fairness, nurses who are members of a trade union should therefore be allowed to represent them. This is not something new as the Public Service Division allows their officers facing disciplinary inquiries to be represented by the union.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Nurses and Midwives (Amendment) Bill. As a whole, the amendments will elevate the standards of nursing practice in Singapore to that of the developed countries. It will also provide our nurses with greater career advancement opportunities. These opportunities provided to our nurses to upgrade themselves are well appreciated and will help to attract and retain talented nurses in the nursing profession. Sir, over time, as the APN scheme becomes more established, we hope that it would help to reduce healthcare costs as well as also provide greater focus on preventive measures, particularly in the management of chronic illnesses. APNs would be important partners of doctors and collaborate with therapists, home nursing caregivers and medical social workers to improve the quality of healthcare in Singapore. I am also particularly happy to note that failure on the part of the nurses to update the information is no longer a criminal offence, although the fine has been increased from $1,000 to $2,000. This is a more humane approach, as it is indeed harsh to criminalise our nurses just because they forget to update their particulars within 28 days of a change occurring. I would however like to seek a few clarifications from the Minister. Firstly, under clause 7(b), the powers are given to the Board to refuse to grant or renew a practising certificate if prescribed conditions are not met. The prescribed conditions are not stated. But the Minister, in his speech, cited mandatory continuing professional development as one likely condition.”
“I know they are not entitled to that. But as the Ministry responsible for looking at all these issues holistically, would it be prepared to make that recommendation to the relevant Ministries to support the same benefit to be extended to single women?”
“The question is: will the Ministry support the request for tax exemption for singles who are taking care of aged parents and who have a maid?”
“I am talking about the tax relief. Currently, if a married woman has a maid, she gets double the maid levy, in terms of the tax relief. But this is not available to the singles.”
“The Minister has misunderstood my question. Is the maid levy tax relief applicable to singles?”
“Sir, I am aware of that. What I am asking is about the tax relief.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether the Ministry will support a suggestion that exemption be granted, in terms of tax for the maid levy for families also, to single women taking care of aged parents. Because they also actually need a maid to help them take care of their families.”
“" This, Sir, is an important commitment, and we as a community should work closely with the Government to see how we can benefit from the integrated resort but, at the same time, not compromise our values or succumb to gambling or other associated vices. 4.50 pm”
“Since there is an exclusion option available to gamblers, their families or those who are at-risk of gambling, the Muslim community, if we feel strongly about this, could encourage our members who feel that they or their families are at risk or are vulnerable, to opt for these exclusions. You could even facilitate this by offering the service to the mosques or the Malay-Muslim organisations. Sir, we should also take this opportunity to strengthen our religious and moral values as this is the strongest safeguard that we can provide to prevent someone from getting trapped in gambling or other social ills. I also call upon our Malay-Muslim organsiations to refocus their efforts in combating social ills in our community. We need a social action plan in our community where the re-modelled mosques, the re-engineered Malay-Muslim organisations and the various helping hands from the Government to assist the community can be synergised so that the community can march ahead with the other communities in Singapore. We could achieve this together within the wider context of the community of excellence leadership forum. There is a perception, Sir, that the Government is leaving it to the welfare groups to pick up the pieces arising from gambling addiction problems once the casino is introduced. This is not true, Sir. The Government has outlined its programmes yesterday and also today and it has held itself fully accountable. But it seeks to do this with other partners who are close to the ground for it to be fully effective. If I may quote what the Prime Minister said. He said, "I carry the ultimate responsibility for the decision.”
“But I believe the Government must have looked carefully at all the additional costs of training people in psychiatry, treatment in psychology, counsellors and the various contact points of assistance as well as putting in place a whole security system to prevent other vices associated with gambling. I think the Government must have carefully considered those scores and what are the economic costs as well when it decides to proceed with this integrated resort proposal. Sir, I can understand the disappointment felt by the Muslim community over the decision to proceed with a casino because of our deeply held values and beliefs. Although gambling addiction is not a serious problem in our community, the MCYS' survey shows that only about 12% of Malays gamble. Nevertheless, as the community faces other challenges, the concern is whether this will be yet another serious issue for us to contend with. Sir, I urge the community, now that a decision has been made, to move on, and not allow this issue to divide us or create a rift between us and the Government. There are many issues that command our attention and we have much work to do. We should not be spending endless hours debating over this issue and diverting our focus and attention from other important challenges in education, employment or marriage. On the casino issue, now that we are in the midst of re-modelling our mosques, equipping our mosques with people who have the competence to deal with social issues, including gambling, should be one of our focus areas. I hope that our mosques and other Malay-Muslim organisations can work with the MCYS and other relevant Government agencies, dealing with the problem on gambling addiction, to work out programmes to safeguard our community.”
“Our schools should concentrate a lot more on moral education and in inculcating the right values in students, so that they do not acquire the habit of gambling at a young age and do not progress later on to become problem gamblers. Sir, there is a general feeling that there are not enough counsellors available to deal with the increased problems arising from gambling addiction. We have about 30 family service centres located all over Singapore with differing levels of competence, resources and professional staff to deal with social problems, let alone gambling addiction. These family service centres will need a lot more resources to be more effective in their work. A lot more Government funding and support are also needed to train counsellors with the right skills and knowledge at the community level. Apart from counsellors, Sir, the Institute of Mental Health's capacity, something which Mr Khaw mentioned earlier on, will also have to be strengthened. Currently, there are only 12 qualified staff members working in the Institute's Community Addictions Management Programme dealing with a whole spectrum of addiction issues, including drug abuse and gambling. The IMH has estimated that more psychologists will have to be trained to meet the increased demand. Again, this requires long-term planning and support, and I hope that the Government will also address these issues. We also heard yesterday that $40 million will be allocated and various other measures will be put in place. I think all these will incur costs.”
“In other words, Sir, will more gambling opportunities encourage more people to gamble? We do not know, because we never had studies done before, and I think this is one area that has to be addressed. Sir, the MCYS' study also shows that 2.1% or 55,000 Singaporeans are likely to be problem gamblers or become addictive. An Institute of Policy Studies' report said that each problem and pathological gambler was estimated to affect eight to 15 others, be they spouses, children, extended family and friends. The figures, Sir, are staggering. I do not know whether it is accurate, but I think it is right that the Government does not attempt to minimise the potential social problems that we will face with a casino in place. Unlike other countries, Sir, our only resource is our people, and therefore every individual matters. Sir, the MCYS has announced a number of safeguards that will be put in place to deal with the problem of gambling addiction. I note that most of these measures are meant to help those who have already become addicts. Some research figures in the US show that only 8% of gambling addicts overcome their addiction. Therefore, I think that it is equally important, if not more important, that we focus on prevention. This should start in schools. As a recent newspaper report highlighted, even our young are gambling, and mentioned that school gambling appears to be a part of Singapore life. It reported that three in five students aged 18 years and above gamble now and then. Almost four in 10 of those who gamble began the habit when they were between the ages of 18 and 24. This points to the fact that we need to be vigilant, even at the school stage.”
“According to the FBI crime statistics, crime rates in casino areas are nearly twice the national average. According to some reports, our suicide rate due to gambling is about 4%. But these are some indicators that I think we must monitor carefully to identify the stress signals in our society after the introduction of the IR, and to come up with appropriate help programmes. It is a fact, Sir, that even without a casino, there will be those who cannot resist the lure of gambling, as they can join the cruise ships or go to Batam or Genting. While this is true, the point remains that, with a casino located right here, there is now greater accessibility. The greatest danger with the casino, as some have pointed out, is the element of instant gratification that one gets from participating in the various activities, compared to other forms of gambling where the impact is more delayed and you have to wait for the results which are not immediately known. Sir, the MCYS' survey shows that 58% of Singaporeans had gambled at least over the last one year, and 40% gambled at least once a week. While this shows that even without the casino, a high percentage of Singaporeans are already gambling. What we do not know is how this compares with the past, before the various forms of gambling, be it 4-D, Toto or football betting, were available to Singaporeans, as there was no base line study before this. If such a comparison is available, then we would have a better picture to determine whether or not the greater accessibility to more gambling opportunities will result in a greater number of Singaporeans gambling, and that would have given us a better idea of the extent of the impact of the casino on Singaporeans.”
“There is also already very strong competition in the region, with Macau having 17 casinos, the Philippines has 11 casinos, and there are casinos in Genting, Batam, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, and with Thailand planning one as well. Sir, many Singaporeans have some experience of families affected by gambling. I have come across examples of some of these in my meet-the-people sessions. In one case, a family was torn apart because of the gambling habits of the husband. In the end, the family had to sell their private condominium to settle the debts although he could not settle all the debts. The man's marriage ended in divorce, and the problems at home caused one of his two children to drop out of school. Will there be such cases even without a casino? The answer is probably "yes". Will there be more of such cases with a casino? The answer may also probably be "yes". There are also other concerns. The Australian Productivity Commission, in its report, had highlighted the adverse impacts of gambling on individuals and the community. An Australian government press release on problem gambling quoted that 290,000 Australians are problem gamblers and account for losses annually of over A$3 billion. Their report shows that gambling does have an impact on productivity at work. As a country, we take great pride in the fact that we have consistently been ranked as the Number One workforce in the world and, surely, this will be a matter of concern to us in terms of how it will erode our work ethics. Sir, in America, studies have shown that bankruptcy, divorce, child abuse, domestic violence, crime and suicide increased in communities where casinos and slot gaming machines were introduced.”
“In fact, despite its casinos, Geneva has managed to retain a professional and business-like image and reputation as an international convention centre where many world bodies are located. As a Muslim, Sir, I am against gambling, and I also have very serious concerns about the social ills associated with the casino. Often, as gambling addiction strengthens its grip on its victims, they lose all sense of balance and priority, and their families suffer. The Government should not try to minimise the problems that we will face as a result of gambling addiction, and I am glad, in yesterday's session, there was a clear acknowledgement of this in both the Prime Minister's speech and those of the other Ministers as well, and their assurances that safeguards will be put in place. It is important, Sir, that we cast the debate correctly. The debate should not be about the trade-off between economic growth and social development, ie, we should try to tolerate some social ills because of the economic benefits. If we take that line, then I think we will lose a significant number of Singaporeans who are deeply concerned about the kind of Singapore that we want to create and where we want to bring up our children. Rather, we must come up with clear convincing arguments on how both priorities can be met, not only in the short term but also in the long term as well. Some are concerned that steps to exclude and deter Singaporeans will weaken over time, when there is mounting pressure from the casino operators who want to recover from their hefty investments. Australian casinos, for instance, Sir, have 96% local clientele. In Las Vegas, only 9% of the gamblers are foreigners, although 87% of the visitors gambled.”
“So, you can imagine how fast the machine is moving, and how very high technology the level of that machine is. And they only have the machines produced in Singapore and Japan. Looking at that machine, I of course remind myself that, clearly, the shift in the kind of jobs created in the electronics manufacturing sector is becoming quite rapid. Hence, the service sector will be the engine of job growth in Singapore, and the IR will be a major contributor to our job pool. I certainly hope, Sir, that these 35,000 jobs that are created will benefit Singaporeans. There have been some concerns expressed that foreign workers may benefit more from this job creation. I know that the Government cannot give any commitment, but at least I think it is important that we bear this in mind, that the 35,000 jobs will benefit Singaporeans. Sir, let me now come to the views of the Muslim community and also some of my concerns. The views of the Muslim community on the casino issue are clear. Yesterday, Minister Yaacob had dealt on this quite extensively. Like all religions, Islam is against any form of gambling, as it is harmful and addictive. It erodes our society's core values of thrift and hard work. It may project a wrong image of Singapore with our squeaky-clean image, as casinos are associated with all kinds of crimes and other social ills, such as prostitution. I must say, though, Sir, that I travel extensively to Geneva for my international organisation work, and there are casinos there, but I never had the impression at any time that I was there that Geneva is a sleazy or undesirable city with neon lights flashing all over.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, yesterday, the Prime Minister gave us a very comprehensive explanation on the integrated resorts proposal and economic arguments for this. He assured this House that the casino component is small - less than 3% of the total floor area allowed for the Bayfront IR, and 5% for the one at Sentosa. He further assured this House that measures will be taken to mitigate the social impact. This has helped to shed greater clarity on the whole concept. But a lot more can be done to allay the concerns and fears of some Singaporeans who still view the project as nothing but a big casino outfit. It would be helpful if the Government can overcome the objections of bidders and allow Singaporeans to view the designs and models of the IRs, so that Singaporeans will have a better understanding of what the Government is talking about. Sir, of great significance is also the number of direct and indirect jobs that will be created. 35,000 jobs is a significant number and, for many of us who have been actively involved in the job redesign efforts, and in trying to place structurally unemployed workers, this is no mean feat. Being closely involved with the workers in the electronics sector, Sir, I can see the shift in the kind of jobs that are created in the sector. Most of these jobs now require higher skills, and not all the unemployed fit the requirements. As the economy further restructures, despite huge investments, fewer number of jobs will be created in the manufacturing sector. Last week, Sir, Panasonic Factory Solutions launched its new name as well as its international headquarters status. At the same time, it also launched a new machine which it is producing, called the T122. The T122 is a machine that mounts chips at the rate of 0.066 seconds.”
“Sir, I am not suggesting that we remove the day licences - I think that is useful and it serves a purpose - but rather the purpose for restricting the use on Saturdays, which is obviously because of the traffic flow in the morning when people go to work. But now that the majority of companies are operating on a five-day work week, that reason does not seem to apply anymore. Would the Ministry still consider reviewing this requirement so that we can promote greater family-friendly environment, in line with the total Government policy on this?”
“Sir, I think the instances of discrimination do not only involve situations where a pregnant female employee is terminated or dismissed. But it could involve other forms of discrimination as well, in terms of how they are treated at work, in terms of access to opportunities and other areas. So, this actually requires a need to look at having proper effective human resource practices and policies at work pertaining to the employment and retention of pregnant female employees. Would MOM also care to look into that as well and not just the issue of dismissal?”
“Sir, in the case of the Ta-Ching incident, one of the things surfaced was that the addresses of the foreign workers were submitted and they were under the impression that it was already approved by the Ministry. The question is: is there a list of approved addresses against which employers can check so that they do not run foul of the law? The second question is that there seems to be an insufficiency of dormitories to house foreign workers. Are there plans to assist employers by expanding the availability of such facilities? The third question is: are there rules to regulate the commercial companies when they operate dormitories for foreign workers? Will there be a one-stop service centre because it seems to involve multiple agencies - SCDF, JTC and MOM? It can be very confusing for employers. Are there plans to have a one-stop centre for them on this?”
“Sir, the Minister did mention that VRE may become part of our eco-system. My question is whether there is a danger of VRE becoming entrenched in our hospitals, like the situation we see in some US hospitals and therefore becoming quite a menace. My second question is: is there a need for us to educate the doctors and the public on the use of antibiotics because that apparently seems to be the cause and the bacteria become more and more resistant to the use of antibiotics?”
“Sir, just one point of clarification. I think there is also an emerging issue here, and that is of Muslim couples remarrying. Can the Registry of Muslim Marriages not just concentrate on the marriages of young couples, but also remarriages? Extend the counselling service to them, because there is also a high percentage of divorces among couples who remarried. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, couples who intend to remarry after divorce would have to go to the Registry of Muslim Marriages, and that is where we offer some of these courses to them. But I agree with the Member that this is also an important trend for us to keep an eye on because some of them get married immediately after divorce and, therefore, they remain vulnerable to subsequent divorces.”
“It is important that we continue to maintain links with them and provide them with support so that they remain connected to Singapore and stay in touch with the developments here so that they can play a relevant and more effective role when they return to Singapore. Last year, MUIS announced the establishment of a Student Resource Development Secretariat ---”
“Sir, our goal and challenge in Singapore is to develop a Muslim community of excellence. For this to happen, we need to develop our key stakeholders in the community, particularly those dealing with religious education, as they play an important role in guiding the community on religious matters. Our challenge is to remain strong in our religious values but yet be open and receptive to the vast changes that are taking place in the modern world which we can harness to benefit the community. Sir, asatizah play an important role in the Muslim society. Hence, the kind of asatizah that we have will have an impact on our ability to develop a Community of Excellence. In today's world, where knowledge is the key enabler, we need asatizah who are not only very sound in religious theories but they must also understand global challenges facing the community living in a modern world. Sir, the role expected of asatizah has changed and it is more demanding now. In fact, with the progress made in Islamic banking in Singapore and globally, there will be a demand for asatizah who are well-versed both in Islamic law and financial products offered in the financial markets. Are our asatizah able to rise to such challenges and benefit from such developments which will enhance their economic opportunities? I would like to ask the Minister what are MUIS' plans to develop key stakeholders in the community, particularly the asatizah. Are there any programmes or schemes that MUIS will be introducing to enhance their capabilities so that they can provide better guidance in religious matters? On a related issue, there are a number of students who are pursuing religious education in overseas Islamic universities.”
“Sir, the conduct of Government as an employer is always looked upon by the private sector as a model. So with regard to the employment of older workers, I would like to ask the Minister whether the Ministry will be the champion in terms of encouraging the public sector, the statutory boards and the civil service to employ people beyond 62. Secondly, we have so many awards in Singapore for businesses. Would the Ministry consider creating an award where we have a champion of older workers award on the part of the employers? That will be a recognition of employers who champion older workers by employing them. Will the Ministry consider such an award?”
“Sir, just two clarifications. First, I would like to thank the Ministry. I think it is really wonderful news that the Government will be ratifying Convention 138 this year. I think that is a major step ahead. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary has said that last year 6,420 employers did not pay their workers. I would like to ask how many of them have been prosecuted for not paying wages to their workers. And I would like to ask what is the success rate for the workers in terms of recovering the wages from the employers. Secondly, there is a WoW! Fund to help companies to introduce flexible work arrangements. Could the Senior Parliamentary Secretary inform this House what is the utilisation rate and what more could be done to encourage employers to make use of that fund to introduce flexible work arrangements at work? Mr Hawazi Daipi: Sir, I do not have the information the Member has asked for on non-payment of salaries and how we have helped workers to get back the salaries owed to them. On the WoW! Fund, I mentioned earlier that $343,000 had been disbursed to 15 companies. We will continue to encourage companies to make use of this. The information is on our website and through industry groups and our tripartite partners, we will disseminate the information to companies so that they could implement further worklife strategies, which will benefit not only the workers but also the companies themselves.”
“Sir, Singapore has no child labour. This is obvious to Singaporeans and foreigners alike. Our children are most precious to us and we take great care of their welfare. Hence, in my view, Sir, there is no difficulty for Singapore to ratify key international conventions which deal with the rights of the child. One such international convention is the International Labour Organisation's Convention 138 on minimum age for admission to employment. This is considered a core human rights convention to protect children. Convention 138 is one of the most highly ratified conventions of the ILO. A total of 135 countries out of 176 member states have already ratified it, including many developed countries which also do not have child labour. Sir, in the past, we could not ratify Convention 138 because our Employment Act is not in line with it. Under this Convention, children are not allowed to enter the workforce before the age of 15. However, children between the age of 13 and 15 may perform light work if it does not affect their education. Beyond 15, they can work as long as the work is not dangerous or hazardous to their health. With the amendment last year, our law is now in line with the Convention. There appears to be no other difficulty in ratifying this Convention. In response to my question in Parliament last September, the Minister had said that the Government would ratify Convention 138 expeditiously. Can I get a clarification from the Minister as to how soon this will be and how expeditious?”
“For example, how many employers have been charged for not paying their workers' wages? How can we reduce the long waiting time before workers are paid their workmen's compensation? Secondly, is there a need to review the number of inspectors that the Ministry employs to ensure enforcement? Thirdly, what more can we do to educate workers on their rights because sometimes, by the time they discover that they have been shortchanged or they have a problem, it may be too late? What more is being done to educate them?”
“Sir, over the last few years, with greater economic uncertainty, we have seen many more cases of employers neglecting their workers' welfare. A number of cases where employers do not pay salaries to their workers or when employers have delayed settling their workers' workmen's compensation claims, for example, the case of a foreign worker who was stranded in Singapore for more than a year and reported in newspapers, show that incidents have increased. There is a spate of industrial accidents, resulting in eight deaths just in the first quarter of this year. In today's Zaobao, a seven-month pregnant childcare teacher was terminated by her employer. According to her, it is because of her pregnancy. Last year, a few such cases of pregnant women being dismissed were reported in the press. The number of people employed on short-term contracts and as part-time employees has also increased. Anecdotally, there is an increasing number of cases where these cases are not paid CPF contributions. All these point to the fact that although the unemployment figure has gone down, difficult business conditions and efforts to cut corners and save cost have made the workplace a lot more difficult for workers. Invariably, workers get squeezed and their welfare gets compromised. This also points to the fact that having laws in place alone is not sufficient. What is of greater importance is enforcement of these laws. Equally important is bringing errant employers to task by charging them and making sure that they are penalised. The question I would like to ask the Minister is whether MOM can step up enforcement action so as to better protect our workers, particularly now that there are certain categories that are more vulnerable.”
“Sir, two short points for clarification from the Minister. The Minister talked about the need to control wage cost, which I do not disagree with him. But I also feel that it is not just wage cost that we should look at because there is a limit to how much one could go on cutting wages. Employers must also look at other ways of increasing revenue. And, of course, it is the responsibility on the part of the Government to ensure that business costs are kept down. So I would like to seek a response from the Minister on that. 2.30 pm On the second point, I think whilst we focus on getting jobs for people who were retrenched, it is a lot harder once a person is retrenched, particularly if he has to overcome this difficulty of structural unemployment. So our strategy must continue to focus, as much as possible, on upgrading the skills of the existing workforce. For the 94% or so that are still employed, one of the difficulties we face is that employers are sometimes not too keen to train people outside their immediate job needs, and that is an obstacle, in terms of releasing and supporting them, or even just releasing and not having to support them. Does the Ministry have any strategy to assist us? Upgrading of the 94% of the people employed is absolutely critical to prevent them from going into the area of structural unemployment.”
“Sir, there are two points that I would like to seek clarification from the Minister. Firstly, I fully support the framework, focus and emphasis. However, I am a little bit concerned about the emphasis on self-regulation. I understand the purpose is to ensure that there is ownership all along the chain. But the focus on self-regulation is a concern to me. The question I would like to ask is whether it would lead to a dilution on the role and responsibility of the employer. There are many things which the workers have no control. For instance, the workers have no control on how the factory is built, how the machinery and equipment are designed, how the production layout in the factory is done. So they have no control, as they are not a contributing party to the ability to create a safer work environment for themselves, of which the employers must take ultimate responsibility. So would the Minister clarify? Would this focus on self-regulation result in a dilution of the employer's responsibility, a transfer of responsibility to other stakeholders and in particular, it should not result in the transfer of responsibility to the workers? The second point I would like to ask is the importance of education. Educating people about the importance of safety is very critical, particularly in Singapore, where there is a higher number of foreign workers working side by side, and foreign workers are from so many nationalities. So there must be a common language when it comes to safety and that everybody can speak and communicate along the line.”