Hany Soh
Singapore
“Thank you, Speaker. Just one supplementary question on whether there are any recycling plans in the pipeline for collaborations with our partners in the region or globally, or for a start, coming up with a common framework in terms of recycling across our Association of Southeast Asian Nations region?”
“I thank the Minister of State for her response. I understand from a few seniors whom I have interacted with in Woodgrove recently that a number of their peers were unable to join them for their regular outdoor qigong and brisk walking activities due to respiratory-related health conditions lately.”
“In this regard, perhaps PUB could consider an "opt-in", at least for the implementation or installation of the Costal Protection Measures for private owners or lessors instead of requiring them to procure the same from scratch.”
“Thank you, Chairman. I have two clarifications. One is pertaining to what Senior Minister of State Janil has shared about MySkillsFuture Portal, revamping it. Can we explore to actually allow the functions for the users to actually navigate through the portal based on locations wise, so that it allows the users to benefit from it.”
“To encourage more Singaporeans to utilise their SkillsFuture training credits, I hope that SkillsFuture@PA programme can be further expanded. In addition to CCs, it could also extend to running courses at the Residents' Network Centres.”
“The first question is, can we explore rather than to not totally include or consider the waiver of fees, instead can we explore increasing the search fees instead, so as to achieve the objectives that Senior Parliamentary Secretary had mentioned in terms of defraying the fees for maintaining such a services in the Wills Registry?”
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“I believe that the People's Association or PA, as the foundation of the community, can eb a valuable ally in our mission to encourage ground-up initiatives by the community for adopting of the 3Rs wihtin our community. For a start, our Community Clubs, CCs, especially those that are to be built or scheduled for renovation, should endeavour to achieve the BCA Green Mark "Platinum" certification. The BCA Green Mark is the national green building rating system which evaluates a building for its environmental impact and performance. Not only will this raise awareness of the importance of green living, it also ensures that the CCs islandwide will attempt to reduce their own emissions as a result. Next, the PA can also help to provide platforms for residents to exercise green living, for example with organising events that encourage residents to pick up the 3Rs. Some CCs and RCs in Singapore have already begun doing so, through collaborations with the Northwest CDC, Tzu Chi Foundation and NEA with a monthly "recycling day" where residents can bring out their recyclable waste for sorting and processing, fostering good habits and also presenting an opportunity to bond as part of a community. Another option that we can consider to do is to hold regular flea markets for the exchanging or trading of pre-loved items between residents in the halls of our CCs. On such flea market days, we can take the opportunity to also welcome community partners or residents to share tips on adhering to the 3Rs. One of my residents in Woodgrove Zone 5, Christy, she shared with me her hobby of "Turning Trash to Treasure" – she would often go around the neighbourhood, sometimes to pick up and collect abandoned broken furniture.”
“It is important to continue to engage schools as partners and educate our children on these recycling and energy saving tips, so that they will in turn educate their parents and influence the people around them to conserve resources and adopt eco-friendly practices at home and in the community. Secondly, we can measure and reward the amount of savings on electricity and water by each household. I believe that we should measure the reduction of resources consumed through the use of monitoring systems powered by digital applications. It can be difficult to understand one’s contribution towards the greater whole while adhering to the 3Rs; if we can show them that tangible change is occurring through their actions, I believe residents will be further encouraged to continue these good habits. Meanwhile, we can also introduce new initiatives to encourage the use of energy or water saving devices and appliances in every household. If coupled with the aforementioned monitoring systems, we may see increased adoption islandwide. To jumpstart these schemes, we can first work with grassroots volunteers and schools to engage residents via a pilot project that "adopts" a pioneer batch of select blocks, which students will visit and share energy saving tips with every household. These blocks can thereafter be monitored and their outcomes measured to evaluate the results of these measures. To further incentivise adoption of the energy saving measures, we can grant the block showing the highest drop in energy and water usage with rewards such as grocery shopping vouchers or ActiveSG credits. Lastly, ground-up initiatives.”
“The other being that residents are largely reluctant to repair broken items which typically cause many faulty electrical and electronic appliances to be thrown away as rubbish instead of repairing it and extending its lifespan. With these factors at present, how should we step up our 3Rs efforts nationally in order to achieve measurable outcomes and a positive impact for our environment? Mr Speaker, in Woodgrove, we have a G.E.L mission. "G" pertains to Green Living initiatives. Through the feedback which I have gathered from our Woodgrove residents and various community partners, I wish to suggest a few ideas for consideration. Firstly, Education. I believe that education can go a long way towards inculcating values that favour the 3Rs. We should therefore endeavour to educate every student and resident on good 3Rs practices through experiential learning. MOE can also consider incorporating Responsible Resource Consumption Saving Tips as part of the school curriculum. Over the years, various schools in Woodgrove have participated in North West CDC’s Reduce@Northwest, where students would conduct door-to-door house visits to encourage families to reduce energy and water consumption and food wastage in their homes, while also imparting knowledge on fighting climate change. The schools also adopted another North West CDC’s initiative called WeCare We Recycle @ Northwest, where students are educated on proper recycling practices to counteract the high contamination rate of existing blue recycling bins. As part of this initiative, active recycling points are set up within the participating schools, enabling our students to put the knowledge that they have learnt into good use by taking the lead in active recycling.”
“(In English): Like many First World countries, Singapore has begun taking steps to address the issue of climate change and environmental sustainability. While this is a good first step, it is important to ensure that this movement continues to gain momentum amongst our Singaporeans. J F Kennedy once said, and I quote, "Ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country." Apart from the Government's efforts in transforming our industries to build a sustainable economy and providing opportunities for the green section to be a growth industry in its own right, every individual in Singapore should also play our part to ensure the preservation of the environment we live in. Semakau Landfill is our only offshore landfill in Singapore. For the past few decades, we have relied on it for our waste disposal while being fortunate enough to be unaffected by any harmful toxins, awful smell and appearance. However, Semakau Landfill has been filling up faster than expected, with our projections for reaching capacity changing for the worse. This is attributed by several different factors. One, being a general increase in consumption by residents without sufficient implementation of the 3Rs. To rectify this, we will need to encourage responsible consumption of resources, such as food, water and energy, while advocating for environmentally-friendly means of disposal for non-perishable items such as electrical appliances. The second being that many recyclables are being disposed as general refuse, which in turn wastes landfill space and energy to incinerate. A renewed focus on recycling will go a long way towards slowing down the landfill’s rate of usage.”
“Residents who need counter services have to walk about 30 minutes to go to the branches in the shopping mall. This is very tiresome for the elderly and those who have difficulty moving around. Many elderly living in the seniors' Studio Apartments told me that they live off their CPF retirement money and government subsidies every month. Because of this, they will personally go to the bank at least once a month to use the counter services to withdraw money. Some of them are illiterate and some have poor eyesight. Hence, they are less inclined to use ATM cards to withdraw money. Most of them do not know how to use Internet banking either; they are fearful that they may transfer their lifetime savings to others if they click wrongly. Another advantage of counter services for senior citizens is that they form a line of defence against fraud. Frontline bank staff are specially trained to sense suspicious transactions and would verify with the customers repeatedly, so that they do not fall victim to fraud syndicates. If Singaporeans, especially our senior citizens, are to keep pace with technological changes and accept and use online banking services, the banks should fulfil their social responsibilities by using their resources to work more closely with the Government and the community. Banks can work with IMDA to set up e-banking training kiosks at bank branches in the neighbourhood centres and digital transformation offices at CCs, to help seniors apply for online banking tokens, and teach them how to use online banking services with peace of mind. I am confident that with the guidance and help of dedicated people, our seniors will gradually accept and move towards a more diverse digital life.”
“" These are the complaints I often hear from them. Fortunately, the Government has worked together with businesses, community organisations and Singaporeans to overcome these challenges. For example, our digital ambassadors have helped the elderly to take the first step towards digitalisation and help them acquire digital skills at three levels, so that they can keep in touch with their friends and relatives via video link, make e-payments at hawker centres and markets, and use SafeEntry in the SingPass mobile's visitors registration system to log in and out of wet markets. Our local enterprises such as NTUC FairPrice have also set aside a special time for senior citizens and persons with mobility issues to purchase daily necessities in supermarkets with peace of mind. In addition, their neighbours and Residents' Committees have also demonstrated the kampung spirit by helping them to buy food and essentials items and deliver them to their doorstep. Yet, one thing that cannot and should not be done by someone else on behalf of the elderly is bank transactions involving money. In recent years, all the banks have undergone transformation by introducing more artificial intelligence, encouraging customers to use online transactions and making banking more invisible. These moves have reduced banks' operating costs by a lot, for example, in rentals and manpower. This is also in response to the Government's call for technology transformation and further strengthening Singapore's position as a global Asia node of technology, Innovation and enterprise. But my concern is: have our seniors kept up with this technology advancement? Recently, in Woodgrove, two local bank branches around Fuchun area were closed; one in mid-August and the other is undergoing renovation.”
“Mr Speaker, "ensuring that the last, the lost and the least are being adequately taken care of" is my impression of what our Government and the community have endeavoured to do in a decisive and united manner for the past several months when tackling with this COVID-19 Pandemic. I speak in support of the Supplementary Bill and will be emphasising my speech today on the following two points: one, the efforts to better support our seniors in their transition towards i-banking services as our country steps up on its Smart Nation initiatives digital connectivity; two, the suggestions with regard to building environmental sustainability within our community to fight climate change. In relation to the first point, pertaining to digital banking for seniors, Mr Speaker, please allow me to speak in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In the face of COVID-19, many senior citizens, especially those living alone, feel helpless and are at a loss. Before the outbreak, they often went out with like-minded friends. They will participate in community activities, they will go to a coffee shop or hawker centre and sometimes, they will order a cup of coffee and spend the whole day chatting with old friends. However, when the circuit breaker came into effect, all of a sudden, they seemed to be at a loss: "I don't know how to use a smartphone. How can I get online and have a video conversation with my grandson?”, “I am alone at home facing the four walls. I am so bored. When can I go back to the CC with my friends and do our health dance?”, “The queues at the wet market are too long, I am too weak to stand for such a long time.”, “When I go to the supermarket, I am too slow to compete with others. Is there a way to improve the situation?”
“Many of the Members who were sworn in at the Old Parliament House are no longer with us today, or have decided to serve in other roles, making way for the younger generations to contribute in Parliament and elevate the country to the next level. But what has not changed in all these years, is the unanimity in the conviction of the members, past or present, who have taken the oath of allegiance – to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of Singapore. In Parliament, we raise issues that are vital to our people. Outside Parliament, we listen and serve our people; all of which, we have endeavoured to do, to the best of our abilities for Singaporeans. The late EW Barker once shared and I quote, "No Member will stray from the straight and narrow path if he always let his conscience be his guide." I will bear these words in mind as I assume the voice of Woodgrove constituents in Parliament and as a PAP backbencher Member of Parliament, speaking out on what is best for Singapore and Singaporeans. [Applause.]”
“I therefore think that upstream legal education is important, equipping them with knowledge of their rights in order to better prepare them for potential situations concerning legal matters. During the course of the past few days of the President’s Motion of Thanks debate, I have observed that everyone in this House – both from the PAP and the Opposition parties – have affirmed the need for our country to stay united and at the same time, keep our economy and society open, and not turn inwards. I believe that speaks well of the consensus we all share in shaping the overall character and tone of our society. Ours must always be a diverse, inclusive and multi-cultural Singapore – a nation where everyone has a place and where everyone belongs. We must uphold the interests of all Singaporeans regardless of their backgrounds and origins. At the same time, we continue to welcome and integrate new arrivals who identify with Singapore and our way of life. As Minister Josephine Teo had said in her speech, many of our new citizens and PRs are the spouses and family members of Singaporeans. This is what I have observed in my constituency as well. During house visits, I often meet residents who share with me that they have worked in Singapore for many years and subsequently decided to establish their roots here. They purchased a HDB flat and set up a family in Singapore. One day, I met a Caucasian resident who had married a Singaporean and later became a naturalised citizen. He approached me, and instead of saying, "Hi", he greeted me with a uniquely Singaporean "Ho seh boh?" Mr Speaker, it has been almost 55 years since the First Parliament session took place.”
“The whole objective of meeting the targets as set forth by this framework is not for schools to eventually be carbon copies of each other, but allow each of them to explore ways to excel with the manpower and resources available to them, enabling their students to feel motivated and inspired to pursue their passion. Mr Speaker, today, 4 September 2020, is incidentally Teachers’ Day. At this juncture, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all teachers, a very Happy Teachers' Day. [Applause.] Thank you for your dedication and hardwork, in bringing out the best in our students and inspiring them to pursue meaningful lives. In relation to the courses to introduce for lifelong learning, I am suggesting for the MOE and MinLaw to collaborate and introduce courses targeting our seniors to increase their awareness and knowledge on certain aspects of the law, such as consumer rights and the importance of estate planning. I was appalled to learn recently that the top 10 most common scams active during the first half of 2020 had stolen an estimated $82 million in that period of time, with e-commerce scams being one of the most commonly reported. Mr Speaker, I serve as the Co-chairperson in the Law Society Pro Bono Services’ Community Legal Clinics’ Committee and had been running a community legal clinic in a Residents’ Committee centre prior to becoming a MP. More often than not, residents come to see us when they encounter unfortunate situations, such as when they were scammed of their life savings, or when their spouses had become critically ill or passed on abruptly. They are invariably helpless and financially-strapped during these periods of time. My experience had informed me that prevention is better than cure.”
“Mr Speaker, while it is true that schools like Bendemeer have conducive learning environments and teachers capable of inspiring children to pursue their own goals, it will require more effort to convince parents likewise. When I was expecting my daughter back in 2018, the first question one of my friends had asked me was not about the name I was planning to give to my daughter, but whether I had planned on which kindergarten and Primary school for my daughter to enter in future. I was taken aback by that at first, but she shared with me that this is actually a common question discussed by many parents in the "mummy" chatgroups that she had joined, where the common consensus is that the school which the first child enters is important, as that will make the applications for their subsequent children a lot easier. As a result of this mentality, many parents when registering their children for Primary 1, typically find themselves vexed by the whole process. In this regard, I humbly urge the MOE to introduce measures to break this trend and think of ways to boost parents’ confidence regarding sending their children to other, more accessible schools. One suggestion that MOE can consider is to introduce a framework for all schools in Singapore to adopt and work towards, akin to the Business Excellence certification set forth by Enterprise Singapore to recognise schools that have attained a commendable level of performance to achieve world-class standards of excellence.”
“With this revelation, I took the opportunity to encourage the parents not to choose schools purely based on their children’s PSLE scores, but where their child’s passion may lie instead. The late E W Barker once said and I quote, “Education should always seek to find and nurture the best in every student, inspiring him to contribute confidently and fully in the area of his own capabilities, rather than made to feel useless and ashamed for not having made it to the top of the school.” I wholeheartedly agree with his words, and I therefore applaud MOE’s decisions that the PSLE will soon have wider scoring bands and Streaming will eventually be phased out. This will offer students more opportunities to pursue subjects at a level suited to their strengths and interests. While this is a great leap forward for the country’s education policies, many Singaporeans are far more concerned with the perceived quality of the schools themselves, with the reasoning that only some schools are good, and only the best teachers are in good schools. Mr Speaker, I am a firm believer that every school in Singapore is a good school in its own way, able to bring out the best in every child. My alma mater, Bendemeer Secondary School, is one such example. Back then, my parents chose Bendemeer primarily due to convenience’s sake; it was just a two-minute walk away from our HDB block. They would often walk past the school when returning home and see the school motto – "From Each His Best", eventually growing fond of it. My time at Bendemeer was formative. Till to-date, I remain eternally grateful for the opportunities and encouragements that my teachers had given to me, believing that a Normal (Academic) student can become a lawyer one day if she worked hard for it.”
“Most of them will opt to take public transport or walk whenever they go out to buy groceries, pick up their grandchildren or go for regular check-ups at the polyclinics as these save money. But due to the deterioration of their knee joints, it is very strenuous for them to go up and down the stairs of the overhead bridges. Whenever it rains, they would rather get drenched than to use the overhead bridge. It is even more difficult for those who have mobility issues, let alone those using crutches or wheelchairs. If we want to encourage more Singaporeans, especially the elderly and the disabled, to use public transport, we should not just focus on how to improve public transport amenities as that may not solve the root of the problem. We should at the same time, also improve the environment around these public transport. For example, ensuring that covered walkways are extended to all HDB estates, we have to make sure that these walkways access are barrier-free and that lifts are installed at overhead bridges, especially in areas and along the trails towards where the elderly and mobility handicapped would like to go to, such as Community Clubs, town centres, polyclinics, hospitals and shopping centres. (In English): During the term when I served as the School Advisory Committee Chairperson in Zhenghua Primary School, I would conduct motivational talks to the Primary 6 students prior to taking the PSLE, and I would hold intimate chit-chat sessions with their parents before they receive their PSLE results. On these occasions, I shared with them my unconventional journey in becoming a lawyer, including the fact that I actually did not do well for my own PSLE.”
“In a recent survey conducted by Morgan Stanley Research with their summer interns, more than three-quarters of those surveyed plan to increase recycling efforts, while almost half are willing to change their diet to more sustainable food sources. A sizable portion of them are also reported to prefer the use of electric cars. We must do the same here in Singapore with regard to increasing awareness and taking action as a society. For the past few years, I have been involved with green living initiatives at a grassroots level, organising recycling drives for the Bukit Panjang community, and I fully intend to do more as part of what I call my "G.E.L." mission for Woodgrove, with the "G" representing "Green Living"; "E" meaning "Embracing Parenthood" and "L" being "Law Awareness". On a national level, I agree with MOT that “transport is part of sustainable development of Singapore.” Apart from looking into improving and expanding the infrastructure of the public transport system, I would also like to suggest that MOT explore opening up carpooling rights to taxi operators so as to maximise the usage capacity of each vehicle. In so doing, hopefully, we can reduce the country’s overall carbon footprint. Working towards a more inclusive transport system should involve more than just improving public transport per se. We need to look deeper to better support the less ambulant. Mr Speaker, kindly allow me to elaborate this point in Mandarin please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Speaker, many elderly residents in Woodgrove have told me that overhead bridges without lifts are useless to them.”
“He also shared with me that delivery riders like him typically earn about $6 per delivery, and that he would sometimes lose part of his income due to summons while rushing to complete deliveries and meeting customers’ expectations. Mr Speaker, being a food delivery rider is not an easy job. They earn their wages by being constantly on the road and weathering the elements as they go. Because of the nature of their work and the tight deadlines imposed on them, they are often at risk of incurring such penalties – around $70 for fines imposed by LTA enforcement officers and about $300 for unclamping charges imposed by the Managements of shopping malls. More or often than not, these are due to the lack of designated parking facilities for delivery riders. In this regard, I am seeking the community’s support and the Government’s backing in implementing transitional parking of about 15 minutes grace period for food delivery riders, and also hope that all commercial malls in Singapore can provide designated food delivery pick up points. This will provide a win-win situation that reduces the risk of fines and clamping charges for illegal parking, enabling a smoother food collection and delivery process. In recent years, the threat of climate change has grown ever more urgent, with reports of forest fires and floods making the news more frequently than before. While Singapore has not seen major environmental disasters in recent years, the world’s rising sea levels may soon become a profound danger that poses a risk to our safety and way of life. But the world is taking notice of the problem, with many developed countries making a push for "green living" and sustainability to mitigate the effects of climate change.”
“Mr Speaker, I rise to thank Mdm President and speak in support of Her Excellency’s Address. On 24 August 2020, I was privileged to be sworn in at The Arts House, being the Old Parliament House where our Pioneer leaders themselves were sworn in during their time. Standing in the same Chamber as they had decades before, drove home the sacred duty of being a Member of Parliament (MP), and the importance of what we do here in Parliament. Like our forefathers, we too are charged with safeguarding the interests of this country. We now face new challenges, some of which they may not have foreseen. But I am confident that, by adopting the same spirit that our forefathers had, we can overcome these challenges with perseverance, unity and the conviction to do what is best for our Singapore. I concur with Mdm President of the need to look out for our lower-wage workforce, many of whom, such as food delivery riders, are also essential workers keeping Singapore afloat throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Many of the people in this House may have heard about or watched the video concerning Mr Abdul Rahman, a food delivery rider who found himself at the tail-end of a National Day mobile column on 9 August this year. Seizing the moment, Rahman spontaneously waved to some of the onlookers, who then responded with loud cheers in return. This heartwarming incident was fortunately captured on video and quickly went viral on social media networks that very same day. I subsequently discovered that Rahman is actually a resident of my constituency and I paid him a visit at his residence in Woodgrove recently. Rahman revealed to me that he works up to nine hours a day, six days a week to provide for his family.”