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.”
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“And this consumer, as he is buying something on hire purchase, is obviously a consumer who can ill-afford to bring the matter to court through normal civil litigation. To me, Sir, these restrictions limit the effectiveness of the Bill in helping consumers. The second point, Sir, which I wish to raise is with regard to the efficacy of the process stipulated under the Bill for the specified body to stop unfair practices. Under clause 9, the specified body can seek a declaration and an injunction from the High Court or District Court to prevent a supplier from engaging in unfair practices. However, the specified body can do so only after obtaining an endorsement from the Injunction Proposals Review Panel. In my view, if this procedure is followed, by the time the specified body makes the application to the Panel and then gets an injunction from the Court, the damage would already have been done, or the supplier could have stopped the unfair practice or even removed all evidence of such practices. So I feel, Sir, that the procedure is time-consuming and cumbersome and will not help in stopping unfair practices. A related and final point, Sir, which I wish to raise is with regard to the provision for a specified body to pursue actions against suppliers for unfair practices. It is unclear, Sir, how the specified body will be appointed and the effectiveness of such a mechanism, although powers have been given to the Minister to prescribe regulations for this purpose. The point on whether there is a need to have a fully-funded fair trading agency, Sir, has been raised before. I think there are merits to this argument, as the experience in the United Kingdom, with the establishment of the Fair Trading Office, has shown positive results.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, first I would like to say that I support this Bill as it represents a good development in the Government's efforts to provide better protection to consumers against unfair market practices. There is now a mechanism which consumers can invoke to seek redress against the whole plethora of unscrupulous acts on the part of manufacturers, suppliers and retailers. However, if the objective of this Bill is to be met, there must be meaningful and workable provisions that will help consumers to seek redress and to prevent unfair practices on the part of businesses. Reading the Bill, however, gives me the impression that consumers will continue to face difficulties in protecting themselves against unfair practices. In this regard, Sir, I have three short specific points to raise. Under the Bill, consumers can pursue their claims under the Small Claims Tribunal. However, the value of the claim must be below $10,000 or, by agreement, $20,000. This limits the type of claims that consumers can bring without a huge cost burden to themselves. Moreover, there is also a limit on the types of claims that the Small Claims Tribunal can hear as the jurisdiction of the Small Claims Tribunal has not been expanded. Clause 7(2), for instance, clearly stipulates that the Small Claims Tribunal does not have the jurisdiction to hear any action relating to a hire purchase agreement, a time-share contract or rental or sale of immovable property. So, Sir, a consumer who was made to purchase furniture, through some unfair practice for instance, will have to go to the civil court to seek redress even though the claim may only be a few hundred dollars.”
“Sir, with regard to the first issue, I think it is important that we have in place a system which requires the employers to give reasons when a worker is dismissed because not all cases go to the Ministry, judging from the numbers given. I think the numbers are pretty small. And there are also workers who do not know that they have this recourse. But if employers are told that they have to give reasons, that by itself is a deterrent action. At least, they know that they have to think carefully and they have to justify their dismissals. I would like to urge the Ministry to seriously consider this request that the law requires employers to give reasons for dismissals.”
“Sir, the Parliamentary Secretary has just said that the Ministry will consider if it is a fair dismissal under the present case. But as I understand it, for those excluded from the ambit of the law, the Minister does not have that power. The question is: will the Ministry consider amending the law in order to enable the Minister to have the power to look into the categories that are presently excluded and also to ensure that there is fairness and equity in the treatment of workers who are wrongfully dismissed? Right now, there is no need for the employers to provide any reason whatsoever.”
“Sir, two follow-up questions. My first question is this. In the case of dismissals in Singapore, employers do not normally state the reasons why the workers are dismissed and part of the reason is that this is not required by the law. In most cases, in many countries, the law requires employers to state the reasons for the dismissal. So my first question to the Parliametary Secretary is whether the Ministry will consider amending the law to require employers to state the reasons for dismissals. This is important to ensure fairness and equity so that the worker knows why he is being dismissed and to put the employers on notice that dismissals must have merits. The second question that I want to ask is that the Employment Act excludes from its ambit certain categories of employees, executives and confidential staff and, therefore, they do not have recourse to the appeal procedures for wrongful dismissal stipulated under the law. Will the Ministry consider amending the law to allow those who are now presently excluded from making use of this procedure to enable them to do so, because the present recourse of going to the civil court is too expensive and time-consuming?”
“Sir, if the situation worsens, bearing in mind that even the International Red Cross has closed its offices in Basra and Baghdad, can the Minister tell us what measures will be taken to ensure a speedy and effective repatriation of our servicemen out of Iraq? RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Sir, our servicemen are there to carry out a mission because the situation is uncertain and not stable. I expect that our servicemen should be there for the two-month duration that we said that they will be there.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in the case of the asphyxiation, it was just not involving Serjeant Hu. We had six other cases. My question to the Minister is whether at any point of time, there have been complaints received from either the late Serjeant Hu or in the case of the other six cases that they were receiving such kind of treatment. If there have been no such complaints, does it suggest that the trainees themselves are not aware of what is permitted and what is not permitted? And if they are not aware, they would therefore not be in a position to make any form of complaint if there is a violation. Would the Minister then consider also in the case of training, such as combat training, to keep the trainees informed of what sort of training is involved and permitted? RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Sir, we have not received any complaints from the members of this course with regard to the training that they had received, certainly not prior to the date of the incident. I think Mdm Halimah has a good point about trainees also knowing what is happening. A good lesson should be conducted with the objectives and so on in mind. But one of the things that we do in training our soldiers is to have to deal with surprises on the battle field. So there is a limit to whether we can tell them everything that is going to happen during the course of the training. Otherwise, the objective of the training may not be achieved.”
“On whether there were any previous breaches and how they were investigated, for the Combat Survival Training Course, this was the 80th course. 6,000 trainees have completed this course. There have been no previous similar cases which have been reported, although we are investigating to look into whether the practice may have started before the 80th course. But there were no reported cases which required medical treatment prior to the 80th course. The HBOI is looking into this matter. Sir, whether the two NSmen were ill, first of all, they were not two NSmen. One was a NSman, Recruit Chew, and the other, 2SG Rajagopal, was a regular serviceman. 2SG Rajagopal was a very fit man and that is why he volunteered to go for the Ranger course, and the Ranger course is a physically very demanding course which challenges the servicemen considerably. So 2SG Rajagopal was a very fit man. In the case of Recruit Chew, he did have a medical problem several weeks before the incident. But he had not reported ill on the day and each of the servicemen also had the opportunity to declare if they were not feeling well before such an IPPT test, as any other physically strenuous activity.”
“And in these two handbooks, the method by which a soldier can seek redress, or if he has concerns, the methods for raising them are described. I will read from the booklet and I quote: "The SAF provides for any serviceman who thinks that he has been unfairly treated to raise his problem to his Commander. When seeking redress, you [the serviceman] should give the relevant details of the facts in writing so that necessary investigations can be carried out. If the serviceman is unable to write, his complaint will be taken down in writing. The SAF also ensures that any case of complaint that is reported will be investigated and if it is valid, appropriate action would be taken against the guilty party. [And from time to time, it does happen and we do take action.] If a serviceman is not satisfied in the way the complaint is being dealt with, he can bring this up to the Armed Forces Council in writing. The Armed Forces Council will examine the complaint and take appropriate follow-up actions. Such complaints should be addressed to the Secretary of the Armed Forces Council, Ministry of Defence. The SAF Provost Unit also monitors and investigates any breach of military discipline including misconduct and ill-treatment. Where such complaints are found to be true, the SAF will take action against the offending serviceman." Sir, there are also provisions for counselling for servicemen so that servicemen may call the SAF Counselling Hotline at 1800-2780022 at any time if they need to talk about personal problems which they may have. So, Sir, there are avenues for servicemen to seek redress and the same information is also contained in this book, My Son, The NS Man, which is distributed to all parents of newly-enlisted recruits.”
“In the event of any contradiction on the conduct of the training and training safety on the ground, he has the authority to overrule the conducting officer. The conducting officer conducts the training activity according to lesson plan and ensures that the training is conducted in accordance with the approved lesson plan. He also ensures that all safety requirements pertaining to the training are complied with by the participants, visitors and observers. Safety officers are appointed to ensure compliance of safety requirements by the participants during the training. Over and above this, ad hoc training safety audits and checks are also conducted in the army by the General Staff Inspectorate (GSI). GSI conducts such spot checks on units conducting training to validate the safety awareness and procedures. The checks also serve to ensure that the training is conducted in accordance with the approved lesson plan and that the necessary training safety regulations are complied with. These training audits and checks are being stepped up. In this case, these systems and checks failed to pick up this gross violation of training safety and conduct of the training. In any such system, we depend on people to carry out their duties responsibly. And when people do not carry out their duties responsibly, no matter how many levels of checks, it will not solve the problem. The key here is that people must carry out their duties responsibly and they must be held to account for these responsibilities, and I intend to ensure that that is done. Sir, on channels of communication, every recruit, and indeed every parent, upon enlistment is given a booklet. The recruit gets a Recruit's Handbook and the parents get a parent handbook, called My Son, The NS Man.”
“Fourthly, Sir, were there any incidents of breaches of this nature involving the training of NSmen in the past, were these investigated and how were they dealt with? Finally, with regard to the two other NSmen - Rajagopal Thirukumaran and Andrew Chew - were they suffering from any illnesses before the training, or did they show any signs of distress throughout the training? I would appreciate the Minister's response, Sir. RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Sir, the investigations into the death of Sergeant Hu are being undertaken by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Police and the coroner. So they will have to take their course according to the law and the coroner's inquiry will be conducted in the open. The possibility is that there will be criminal proceedings in court and that will also be conducted in the open, and that will take the due course of the law. Sir, on safety in the SAF, the SAF has evolved a comprehensive system of evaluating risks in all training and the likelihood of occurrence. Safety measures are prescribed which are commensurate with the risks and the likelihood profile of occurrence. For example, there is a mandatory hydration requirement for troops prior and during the conduct of strenuous training activities. There is also a rest management plan which stipulates the minimum sleep requirement for every window of 24 hours when troops are not staying overnight on field training. And this is complemented with a system of training supervision, audits and checks to ensure that the lesson plan are complied with in training. These are stated in the SAF's Training Safety Regulations. Within the unit that is conducting the training, the supervising officer supervises the training and ensures the conduct and safety of the training.”
“Sir, first, I would like to thank the Minister for a very comprehensive, detailed and very open reply on his part. It is of course shocking for us to hear that there has been a gross violation resulting in the death of Sergeant Hu. And I think no matter what we say in this House, it will not erase the pain that the parents of these young men feel over the deaths of three people, particularly in the case of Sergeant Hu. But having heard the Minister, both the parents as well as the public would at least appreciate and rest assured that a thorough and open investigation will be done, the gaps will be identified and steps will be taken to rectify them. And I am also assured by the Minister's personal assurance that he will personally look into this - that the investigation will be done and those responsible will be punished - and that parents can feel safe in entrusting their sons to the SAF for training purposes and to defend the country. Sir, having said that, I would like to ask the Minister a number of questions. I would like to ask, firstly, when will the inquiry be completed, the one involving Sergeant Hu, and when will it be made public. I do not think an inquiry of this nature should take too long a time because of the public interest involved. Secondly, as the Minister has described, there is a system of checks and balances. But, in spite of that, some serious lapses had occurred. So after the review, what assurance will there be for parents that there will not be any future lapses? Thirdly, I would like to ask whether there is a channel of communication for NSmen, who have any grievances or who are not happy with the way they are treated, to air them and get redressed.”
“Sir, when will the tool that was mentioned by the Parliamentary Secretary be ready? Secondly, what follow-up measures will be taken after the tool is in place and results are produced as to the mental state of our workers at work? Thirdly, has there been a survey done at all? I think that question has not been answered. Before we can even have a tool, we would probably want to know what is the current situation and assessment of the impact of work stresses, workload increase and so on. So, has there been a survey? If not, will one be done?”
“Question No. 8, Sir. Column No : 3137 JOB SITUATION IN SINGAPORE (Assessment) 8. Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Acting Minister for Manpower what is his assessment of the job situation in the next six months as many Singaporeans are concerned with the prospect of a jobless recovery despite all the measures that have been taken recently to lower costs and to create a more competitive business environment.”
“Sir, we have received feedback from our healthcare unions that the healthcare personnel in the public sector is actually facing tremendous pressure because there are a lot of healthcare personnel themselves, ie, healthcare workers, who are affected. I would like to ask the Minister what more can be done to rope in support from the private healthcare sector, ie, the private hospitals and private healthcare personnel, to support the work of the public sector healthcare personnel.”
“Sir, first, I would like to thank the Government for extending assistance to those who are on Home Quarantine Orders. I would, however, like to ask the Government to also consider extending some assistance to those who are not on Home Quarantine Orders but who have lost their jobs, who will lose their jobs, or who will suffer drastic pay cuts as a result of SARS. They also need some assistance.”
“Sir, since 11th April 2003, special quarantine measures have been imposed on foreign workers coming to work in Singapore. Can the Minister give us an update on those measures?”
“Because, now, the issue is not just one of taking care of an infant or a young child, but because of the ageing population, there is an increased burden on families to take care of sick and elderly parents as well as sick and elderly siblings. We do not have that kind of a support in our society right now. If the argument against legislation is that it would create rigidity, an argument which I am well aware of and I am also equally concerned, coming from the trade union, or that it would increase cost, then I would argue that it is equally costly for employers to lose trained staff and to incur additional cost to recruit new staff and train them. Also, the use of such leave can be subject to conditions, such as minimum employment period and the leave can be limited to one week, for instance. At the end of the day, I think that society must strike a balance. We want economic progress but we must also understand that without social progress, there cannot be economic progress. So society must provide enough support to the family, so that the family can nurture and develop talents, so that our economy can grow and our society can progress even further. Sir, instances of such leave are common in other countries, including the US, which is the bastion of free trade and free market, and it has the Family and Medical Leave Act which was passed in 1993.”
“Sir, I would like to argue for more support for the Singapore family, as many others in this House before me had done so, particularly in the workplace. I would argue that it is in the national interest to do so if the family is not to end up as an extinct species. It also makes good economic sense, as a look at many Fortune 500 companies show that many of these companies could attract and retain the best talents, because they adopt family-friendly practices. Sir, I worry that the lack of employment policies to accommodate working parents is forcing individuals to make painful choices between job security and parenting. In Singapore's case, we have seen the impact due to the nature of the roles of men and women in our society, the primary responsibility for family care-taking often falls on women. As a result, more women have remained unmarried or, if married, delay having children. Despite all the financial incentives, we now have the lowest fertility rate in 14 years. I am aware of the tripartite initiatives that are currently in place to promote work-life balance, but progress is still slow. Such initiatives are laudable and should continue, but I fear that they may not be enough. Dr Jennifer Lee had said that what is needed may be more than just incremental changes. To me, any change would be better than no change at all. So I do ask the Minister whether he will consider introducing legislation on family care leave. Such a legislation would allow an employee, both female and male, to take leave so as to take care of a child, parent or spouse with serious health conditions.”
“Recently, a parent told about her young kid who, after watching the news coverage on murders in Singapore, and we had a few these last few months, was wondering why people are killing each other all the time and whether that was the norm. Obviously, we know that is not the norm because people do not murder each other every day in Singapore. It is very unusual and rare. But children cannot distinguish between reality and fiction. So certain facts, which are constantly repeated, get distorted in their minds. Of course, we are also concerned about the values of our young people. We see a lot of babies being abandoned, we know of cases of abortions increasing and so on. The situation is very complex now because young people, unlike in the past, are now subject to all kinds of different ideas and messages. In those old days, the message that constantly gets reinforced in us is very clear - from parents, schools, the community. But now, it is very diffused. It is different kinds of values and messages that get transmitted. In view of that, Sir, the questions that I would like to ask are: who is monitoring our media, particularly our television? Is there a cause for concern? What can be done to counter some of these negative values that are being portrayed in the national media, particularly television?”
“Sir, I would like to talk about TV programmes. Over the last few years, the quality of our TV programmes has, in fact, gone up. They are much better now. We see a lot of good documentaries on TV. We also see good Sitcoms like Phua Chu Kang and Under One Roof, which capture nuances and different flavours of life in Singapore and which are very interesting to watch. More of such programmes are definitely welcome. However, Sir, in recent times, there has been a spate of TV programmes - I am specifically referring to reality TV programmes - which I am a little bit concerned about. Let me assure Members that these reality TV programmes are neither real nor realistic. In fact, the kind of values and lifestyles that they project as acceptable, glamorous and fun, are clearly not consistent with our own value system in society. I would like to cite, in particular, two reality TV programmes and they are Temptation Island and The Bachelor. Temptation Island, if Members are not so familiar with the programme, refers to the show which captures a few young couples that are put together in one place and the real test of life for them is to show how loyal they are to their partners. For The Bachelor, the programme concerns a man who is look- ing for a woman of his dream and the dream women are supposed to live up to his standards. They have to do all kinds of things to try and attract his attention. If Members are interested in more details, they could watch the television programmes. I assure Members that I do not watch these programmes every night. On one of those days when I had a hard day in Parliament, I went back home to do some channel surfing and happened to chance across these programmes. My point is that the media has a tremendous influence on the young.”
“I would like to ask that this amount be transferred to a skill save fund kept in the CPF. His own CPF funds to be used for retirement, medical and housing would not be affected. But I am talking about the Edusave portion. The intention is the same - investment in developing human resources. So, transferring from the Edusave to the skills fund in CPF will be a perpetuation of that policy of encouraging lifelong learning as well as encouraging people to take personal responsibility and ownership for investment in their own development. The third flexibility I would like to ask is the one which Mr Ong Kian Min had already argued earlier on, ie, to extend Edusave use beyond three children. I think sometimes the problem is that the Government tries to achieve too many objectives under one scheme - the objective of discouraging people who cannot afford not to have more children and the objective of investing in education. I would argue that the primary objective of Edusave is to invest in the education of the next generation, so that they are prepared for the knowledge economy. Does it really matter, in this case, that the child is a fourth or a fifth child? As in any event, this child will eventually enter the workforce. And if he is ill-equipped and he does not have the skills or the qualifications, the Government will have to pay for his retraining and skills upgrading costs. So, even looking at it from a purely economic perspective, I think it is a rational ---”
“Sir, I would like to request that the Ministry consider some flexibility in three areas with regard to the use of the Edusave. The first area I would like to ask is with regards to the use of Edusave for standard school and miscellaneous fees. Currently, this is not allowed. Parents cannot use the Edusave for payment of the standard and miscellaneous fees, although for fees above the basic they are allowed to do so. My argument for asking that some flexibility be allowed is because of the current economic downturn where a lot of parents face difficulties in paying for these standard and miscellaneous fees. We could, in fact, allow parents to use the Edusave for payment of these basic fees for a very short period. It may not be for a prolonged period. I understand the rationale why they are not allowed to use the Edusave for the standard and miscellaneous fees. The rationale is that parents should bear part of the cost of financing the school fees and also there are other help schemes available. But I think a general policy which allows some flexibility in this area during a general economic downturn, which is pretty severe as compared to many years that we had in Singapore of good economic growth, would be really helpful to parents. In fact, we have allowed some flexibility in allowing fees above the basic to be used. That is already a compromise on the policy. So I do not see why we would not allow flexibility in terms of allowing basic fees to be used for a short period of time. The second flexibility I would like to ask the Ministry is with regard to the portion of the unused Edusave when a person reaches 21 years of age. Currently, what happens is that that amount is transferred to the person's CPF.”
“This would be detrimental to the very children whom we are trying to help. Sir, I also hope that the requirement to license kindergartens and all costs related thereto will not translate into higher business cost. I do ask that the Ministry exercise some restraint in imposing licence fees or other costs on kindergarten operators, as again I fear that this will get transferred to parents. Finally, Sir, I support the flexibility granted to kindergarten operators to develop their own curriculum based on the broad framework set by MOE. This is a step in the right direction and is in line with the need to provide greater diversity in pre-school education. In conclusion, Sir, I hope that we will achieve the outcomes desired by the Senior Minister of State, Mr Tharman, when he described the kind of pre-school children he wants to see - eager to learn, confident of themselves and willing to persevere, able to communicate with teachers and classmates. 11.15 am”
“The Ministry has announced its intention to introduce single sessions and smaller classes for the lower primaries, and I also look forward to a revamp of the primary education syllabus so that there is a continuous flow from pre-school education to primary and to secondary schools. Let me now touch on parent perception. The research that was started by the Ministry on the pilot group indicated that most of the parents are happy with the new pre-school education change. I would like to ask that the Ministry continue to focus on reaching out to parents on the new pre-school education syllabus. My own experience tells me that there are still many parents who like the old rote learning method. Recently, one parent complained to me that the PCF kindergarten did not give enough Chinese spelling to her child, compared to the private kindergarten that her child was previously attending. So, if parents are geared towards one mindset, and the MOE wants to put pre-school education on another track, there will be a mismatch. One suggestion that I would like to make is for MOE to encourage those parents covered under the survey and who had found that the new pre-school education is better to speak up. In this way, other parents will also be more confident and will support the changes better. Sir, one other concern which parents may have is increased childcare fees. The improvements to teacher training and other teaching methodologies will increase the cost of childcare education. This may be passed on to parents. I hope that the Ministry can also address this point. The bottom 20-30% of households, for instance, is very sensitive to changes in prices of kindergarten education, and may pull out their children if prices go up.”
“Sir, I would like to applaud the Ministry for introducing a comprehensive framework to improve pre-school education in Singapore. Currently, pre-school education is not regulated by any authority. Although it is part of the childcare services, it may be subject to MCDS rules. The structure of pre-school education that exists today is very much geared towards preparing children for primary one. There is a lot of focus on teaching children to read, write and count, but very little on how to help them to acquire the kind of skills and thinking capabilities that are needed to help them deal with the increased complexities, both in our school system, as well as in life. However, Sir, to achieve the outcomes that are desired under this new pre-school education framework, we must have teachers with the quality and capabilities to deliver these new standards. This is where the new pre-school education teacher training framework and accreditation of teachers are very important. Teacher training will be a big challenge as many of the existing non-profit kindergartens do not have enough qualified teachers based on the new framework. Another challenge for most kindergartens would be how to provide kindergarten teachers with a challenging career path. If our teachers upgrade themselves, they will need better motivation and career path compared to what currently exists. Sir, with this revamp of the pre-school education system, there is clearly a need to look at the primary school syllabus as there is a linkage between the two.”
“I would also like to seek a clarification as to whether NUS is producing too many general degree holders without much reference to the needs of the labour market as their graduates appear to be worse hit compared to NTU graduates who hold more professional degrees. Madam, in view of the limited opportunities for securing salaried employment, some of these graduates may want to look at other means of earning an income, such as starting their own businesses or being self-employed. But having no capital, expertise or much knowledge of the market or business that they may be interested in, they may need some help and guidance. In this regard, I would like to suggest that the universities, together with the Ministry of Education, and perhaps industry players, look into how to assist graduates who want to start their own businesses. They could be channelled to the appropriate agencies linked up to the relevant bodies with access to the necessary information, so that they could be self-employed or start their own small businesses, and this should certainly help to ease up the employment situation among our graduates.”
“The graduate employment outlook for this year is bleak. A recent NUS survey showed that only 70% of last year's graduates were employed, compared with 80% for the same period last year. NTU graduates did better. 78% of NTU's graduates last year were employed, compared with 82% for the 2001 cohort. Also, NTU graduates managed to secure better starting salaries, a 7.3% difference, compared to NUS graduates. The worst hit are the computer engineering graduates. Their starting pay was less by 15%, compared to last year. Employment for computer graduates was also badly affected. Madam, the situation is not promising for our graduates, particularly the NUS graduates with general degrees. With the MOM's assessment that the job market will continue to remain soft until the end of this year, we will have a lot of frustrated and unhappy graduates who have no jobs. I hope that the Minister could enlighten this House whether this poor graduate employment situation is just a temporary problem, or whether there are more fundamental issues concerning the effectiveness of our universities' manpower planning that needs to be addressed. Granted that in most cases, the universities have to plan at least three to four years ahead, nevertheless, we should not take this as a reason for not ensuring that there is a better match between supply and demand for graduate manpower in all disciplines. Madam, I would also like to know whether the universities work closely with agencies, such as the EDB, TDB, IE Singapore, MOM and key industrial players in its manpower planning and in determining intakes into the universities.”
“I notice that this problem of teachers' nodule is affecting more and more teachers. I have no statistics, or figures, on this except for those teachers that I came across, and this has given me the impression that the problem is increasing. A recent case which I had come across was a young teacher who is my resident and who, soon after starting her teaching career, has suffered from the teachers' nodule problem and has to leave the service. What puzzles me is why do we still have this problem in these days and age where there are so many devices available to project the human voice without teachers having to shout across the class. So the question is whether there are microphones provided for teachers in the class. What steps have been taken to educate teachers on the importance of not straining their voice and maintaining their health? What assistance is provided to those who develop the teacher nodule problem?”
“Sir, the structure of our education system depends a great deal on the quality, dedication and commitment of our teachers. They are the life-blood of the system and will make a critical difference to the quality of education that schools provide to our children. Not many of us can remember our school buildings or our school classrooms. But almost all of us can remember the teachers whom we hate and those whom we like. The teachers who have inspired us, given us a nudge, a pat on the back, or simply held our hands during our bleakest moments when we were growing up, have made a difference. So, as teachers are our most important resource, I would like to find out what initiatives are in place to upgrade our teachers and to take care of their welfare. Specifically, Sir, I would like to ask the Ministry of Education the following questions. Firstly, I would like to know how we are preparing our teachers for all these changes that are sweeping through our education system, beginning with the revamp of the upper secondary and JC curriculum. Are they given sufficient time to acquire the new skills and knowledge to effect the changes? What continuing education programmes are there for our teachers? Are there mechanisms where they can seek help if they have difficulties in coping or where they can get professional counselling? Are there periodic reviews to ensure that they are able to cope with their workload? Sir, the second point I would like to touch on is about teachers' nodule. In case, you are wondering what this means, these are not modules. They are not teaching modules. But teachers' nodule actually affects teachers and it is a form of illness which affects the vocal chord because it is over strained or over used.”
“If the primary school review is in the pipeline, I would like to make two specific suggestions which I hope can be taken on board when the Ministry makes its review. Firstly, I would like to request that the Ministry consider introducing a single session for primary schools. This has already been done for secondary schools and the benefits are obvious. Teachers and students are less harried, compared to a situation where students and teachers from both sessions have to hastily make way for each other. With only one session, students and teachers could also spend more time interacting with each other outside school hours and can use the classrooms and facilities for enrichment programmes or additional classes. Secondly, I would like to support Dr Wang Kai Yuen that the Ministry should consider reducing the class size for primary schools. This is a matter which has been raised many times before but which had not gained much support. But I am aware that, in the review of pre-school education, one suggestion is to reduce the student/teacher ratio. This seems to indicate that the Ministry acknowledges the importance of smaller class sizes in enhancing teaching effectiveness and delivery. I am also reminded of the benefits of a small class size. If you look at the gifted programme, the class sizes are smaller, which is a further testimony of the benefits of small class sizes. With this small class size, more students will benefit.”
“Sir, we have a robust education system which is responsive to changing needs and continuously strive to prepare our students both for the labour market and in their role as responsible citizens in our society. There are, of course, areas where we are concerned about when we hope that sufficient resources will continue to be allocated and attention continues to be focused. This is the impression that our education system is elitist and the concern over streaming and its impact on our children's self-esteem and self-confidence. We understand the principles involved. Different children have different abilities, and the existing system is meant to reduce wastage which was much greater in the past. Many of us have visited the ITE and are impressed with the changes there compared to the old VITB. Examples like this will help to enhance people's confidence in our school system and generate a better understanding of streaming. Sir, let me now come to the point which was mentioned by Dr Wang Kai Yuen. I support his views and I also want to say that the review that is done should be continued with regard to primary education as well. And I also note, recently, that the Ministry has conducted a review of pre-school education. To me, such a review of primary education is not only timely but also logical, as pre-school education is very much linked to primary education and one of its aims must be to prepare children for primary school. Sir, many of us have also argued in this House that there is a need to better align primary school education with the revised curriculum in the upper secondary school with its new focus on developing better thinking, communication and other process skills.”
“For example, the standards can cover things like rest days, payment of salary, sick day and annual leave, some of the very basic and core benefits. In order to enforce these standards, the foreign domestic workers can be allowed access to MOM's labour courts to make claims and to enforce these standards. In this way, they have access to a speedy and inexpensive method of dealing with their claims. I am aware that MOM has done quite a lot to help foreign domestic workers. But I think there is scope for us to further refine our existing rules to better protect them.”
“Sir, there are about 140,000 foreign domestic workers employed in Singapore. Most come from neighbouring countries and have contributed significantly to Singapore's growth and prosperity. Without the foreign domestic workers, it will be difficult for many Singapore women to work, and the economy will suffer as a result. For foreign domestic workers, work in Singapore is attractive as the remittances that they send home help their families and contribute significantly to their country's GDP. According to ILO's estimates, migrant workers' remittances represent the second largest international monetary trade flow, exceeded only by petroleum. But US$600 million flow through official channels and another US$15 million in various unreported ways. So foreign domestic workers serve a mutually beneficial need both for the sending country as well as the receiving country, such as Singapore. Sir, I have asked before whether there is a need for some regulatory framework for foreign domestic workers as, unlike other foreign workers, they are not covered under the Employment Act. I must stress that foreign domestic workers are not singled out for specific treatment. In fact, all domestic workers, including Singaporeans, are excluded from the scope of the Act primarily because of the nature of their work. Hence, I would like to ask whether there are any proposals to review our current position on foreign domestic workers because foreign domestic workers tend to be more vulnerable than other foreign workers, as they work within the confines of the home and are more isolated compared to other foreign workers. Is it possible to consider providing some legal minimum standards for them and a mechanism for them to legally enforce these standards?”
“The third underlying problem is the image of some jobs. Certainly, there is a need to change image, for example, jobs in the shipyards are relatively safe and you do not hear of people getting injured or killed every day. But nothing much is done to counter the negative impression that jobs there are very unsafe. So Singaporeans sometimes may not want to work there. Sir, I would like to urge MOM to seriously look into these underlying issues.”
“Our workforce has grown older, but if the jobs that our workers are asked to do have not changed, if it still requires them to stand up to eight to 10 hours a day, or there are no equipment to help move heavy objects so that they will have to use their physical strength, over time, these jobs will be too onerous for them. Even in the service sector, there are jobs which over time can be quite onerous for older workers. For example, the job of a chambermaid which requires heavy beds to be lifted when bedsheets are changed. A 30-year old can do the job easily. But a 55-year old may find it harder. Sir, we need to have a closer look at this issue of job redesign. And I call upon MOM to give greater priority to this. Sir, another problem is, of course, pay. Many of these jobs pay low salaries, even with training and attempts to upgrade cleaning jobs through training, for instance, the starting pay of $700 to $800 is not likely to excite Singaporeans. I am not sure how far we can further upgrade cleaning jobs so that we can improve productivity and therefore our workers can earn better wages. But I am sure there are other jobs where this can be done. In the old days, in the hotel industry, for instance, different persons do the cashiering, ordering and table cleaning. But, today, all this can be done by one person - multi-skilling, multi-tasking and working across functions are the norms now. And more can be done so that with higher productivity, pay can go up. Sir, the third underlying ---”
“Sir, over the last few days, we have heard a number of comments that are very critical of Singapore workers. In fact, I think the tendency is for us to be too critical of Singapore workers. I fear, Sir, that if we continue to criticise Singaporeans all the time, this will be counter productive. In this House alone, over the last few days of debate, I have heard about the need for mindset change among Singaporeans so many times that I think if we were to patent the words "mindset change", we will probably make a lot of money. This debate about Singaporean workers is similar to what we had some years ago about Singaporeans who job hop. That debate went on for some time until it became clear that it was not doing Singapore any good, and may even affect investors' perceptions about our workers. Sir, if, indeed, our workers have such a terrible mindset, they will not be ranked as the number one workforce by BERI. Surely, that counts for something. So I do ask that when we talk about mindset change, we spare a thought for the effect this will have on investor confidence. I am saying this because I came across a newspaper report where even a foreign MD was making a comparison between local and foreign workers, and repeating the same mantra about negative traits of local workers. If indeed our workers have such serious mindset problems, then we will never have made the leap from a third world to a first world country within a record period of just four decades. 3.00 pm Sir, sometimes, I wonder whether mindset problems have become a convenient excuse to cover other more significant underlying issues that need to be addressed. One that comes to mind is job redesign.”
“In the absence of such a floor, Sir, many may prefer to remain on the existing medical benefits scheme and this would affect our effectiveness in adopting the PMBS.”
“Sir, I strongly support the ERC's recommendation on portable medical benefits. It has also agreed to raise the tax exemption limit for additional Medisave contributions for private sector employees from 1% of an employee's monthly salary at present to a lump sum of $1,500 per employee. What I meant is that Government has agreed to this recommendation. Sir, I would like to request that the Ministry of Manpower consider two refinements in order to encourage more workers to opt into the scheme. Firstly, Sir, I would like to suggest that the Ministry of Manpower or the Government consider providing incentives for older workers to entice them into the PMBS. This is important as older workers would otherwise not find the scheme too attractive, as the PMBS is essentially a savings scheme. For older workers, because they have less number of years to work before retirement, they may find the scheme less attractive as they would not be able to chalk up enough savings and might as well continue with the existing scheme. Having any support from the Government in this regard would therefore be very helpful. Sir, secondly, I would also like to ask the Government to consider pegging the additional 1% contribution to be put into the Medisave account to the median wage. This would ensure that lower income workers have a minimum floor. Otherwise, the contribution that they receive will not be meaningful enough to encourage them to adopt the portable medical benefits. Sir, a worker earning $1,000, for instance, will get $10 a month, whereas a worker earning $5,000 will get $50. These are basic salary floors. Low income workers will have greater incentive to opt into the scheme as the amount will be sufficient for them to purchase an insurance policy to cover their medical needs.”
“Let me just ask a question. My question is: what more can be done?”
“Yes, Sir, let me just wind up on this point. Most companies are not making serious efforts to implement it in the hope that when there is another downturn and they need help, they can get another CPF cut. I am afraid that this will not be simple the next time round as workers will be reluctant to have another CPF cut.”
“The ERC has strongly endorsed the importance of keeping our wages flexible. Sir, I strongly support this call as flexibility is the way ahead in ensuring greater job stability. To help jumpstart the setting up of the monthly variable component, ERC has recommended that companies, in consultation with their unions, transfer a portion of the basic wage into the MVC. This recommendation is timely. Up to 2001, only 4.8% of companies have implemented MVC, although in the unionised sector, the figure is close to 34%. Since the announcement of the ERC's recommendations, I am glad to note that the banking sector and the Singapore Press Holdings have set aside a portion of their basic wage to build up the MVC. Sir, I call upon companies to do their part in implementing the MVC. Instead of cutting jobs, this is certainly a better way to weather the uncertain economic times. With the MVC, we have another means to make our wage system more flexible to deal with future business downturns. We have seen some promising moves after the ERC's recommendation, but more can be done. Companies should not give examples, such as adopting a wait-and-see attitude or that it is too complicated to implement. I suspect quite a number ---”
“Yes, Sir, I am coming to that point. Just one more point and that is on the NTUC's involvement in cooperatives. I want to stress once again that the NTUC Cooperatives gave out $52 million in the year 2001/2002 to help workers who were affected by the downturn and, therefore, we are in all these cooperatives and business ventures for a social objective, and that is very clear. Even without NTUC's involvement, the GLCs and the SMEs will be under severe competition. Let me now get to the issue of flexible wages.”
“Yes, Sir. I want to address the point that Mr Steve Chia said that we are receiving funding. The funding that we receive is very nominal, but the purpose of that funding is actually to address the imbalance between the employers and the labour movement, in terms of ensuring that the labour movement can continue to employ professionals and credible people to serve the members and to serve the public. Sir, with regard to the issue of the symbiotic relationship, I think that is an open relationship. That is an open secret, everybody knows about it. And the reason why we have a symbiotic relationship is also known to everyone and, that is, we share common objectives between the PAP and the NTUC. That objective is to take care of the welfare of the people and workers. Sir, I think the workers are not stupid. Every worker in the labour movement, right down to the shop floor level, gets to elect his leaders once every three years. And if he does not agree, he does not think the symbiotic relationship between NTUC and the PAP works, he will vote out the people who support this policy on symbiotic relationship. I would like to say clearly that the symbiotic relationship is a purely objective and practical one which benefits the workers, and there is nothing sinister in that relationship. On the second point ---”
“Sir, first, I would like to comment on what Mr Steve Chia had said. I must say that I am quite disappointed in the use of his language because I think they are extremely unparliamentary - words like "political subversion", "shameless" and so on. I think those are highly --- The Chairman: Mdm Halimah, that is for me to decide.”
“With the recent change, those earning below $500 do not have to contribute to the CPF. While this is a good idea as it gives them more take-home pay, nevertheless, the flip side is that they may not have enough savings to purchase a house or retire. So, I am concerned about this group and I ask MOM to monitor the situation. Sir, on a final point, I also hope that the Ministry can throw some light on this issue of the retirement age. Many calls have been made in this House to abolish the retirement age. This has given the impression that we have a mandatory retirement age forcing people to retire at 62 years. The Retirement Age Act, to my knowledge, does no such thing. On the contrary, what it does is to create a right for people to work until 62 years, that is, they cannot be retired before 62, but, by mutual agreement with the employer, there is nothing to prohibit them from working beyond this age. Sir, a confirmation on the part of the Ministry on this point will be useful.”
“Sir, starting from 2004, the contribution rates for the Special Account and the Medisave Account will be increased, in line with the ERC recommendation to refocus our CPF to meet the basic financial needs of Singaporeans. I support this move. But in implementing the new rates, I urge the Ministry of Manpower to be mindful of the needs of Singaporeans who are between the ages of 50 and 55 years. This is the group that will have their CPF capped at 36%. When the CPF is restored for Singaporeans below 50 years of age, they will be affected the most, as the higher contribution rate to these two accounts will be transferred from their Ordinary Accounts. By 2006, for instance, their Special Accounts will increase from the current rate of 6% to 9%, and their Medisave accounts will increase from the current rate of 8% to 9%. This means that by 2006, Singaporeans between the ages of 50 and 55 years will have a total amount of 4% transferred from their Ordinary Accounts and deposited into the Special and Medisave accounts. Many Singaporeans in this age bracket are still paying for their homes and so will feel the pinch. The situation will be particularly hard for those earning more than $5,000, as the salary ceiling would also be reduced in 2004. They will suffer a double whammy. The ERC has recommended that we allow CPF members aged 50 to 55 to continue using their Special Accounts to meet shortfalls in mortgage repayments for a longer transition period. I urge the Ministry to heed this call and exercise flexibility in implementing the new rates, so that older Singaporeans will not suffer undue hardship as a result of the change. Sir, I would also like to urge the Ministry to monitor the situation of the low wage earners.”
“I asked whether there is a need to revisit the quota because of the changed circumstances. That is all. I am not suggesting that we send back the foreign workers.”
“Point of clarification, Sir. I would like to ask whether or not the Minister will agree that the foreign workers quota was set at a time when the economic growth was good, structural unemployment was not an issue and the long-term unemployment rate was much lower. Now, with the changed environment, higher long-term unemployment, slower economic growth and structural unemployment, whether or not the quota ought to be revisited. I have never asked for the large number of foreign workers to be sent back because it is completely unrealistic. But I did ask for the quota to be revisited, the issue to be relooked, and not to send back the hundreds of thousands of foreign workers, just to provide jobs for 90,000, because that is not possible.”
“Yes, Sir. I am ending my speech. --- employment structure changes and as the economy restructures.”