He Ting Ru
Singapore
“When our researchers develop AI system that work across Southeast Asian languages, we create tools that can be deployed in our own service sectors, our hospitals, our schools. When our companies lead in AI adoption, we generate demand for new skills, new roles and new industries that our workers can be trained into.”
“Thank you, Sir. I would like to ask the Minister for further colour about the longitudinal tracking of bullying incidents, as in my Parliamentary Question, both in terms of perpetrators and how does the Ministry actually track that.”
“Mr Speaker, while I am supportive of the Government's zero tolerance approach towards stamping out vapes, we should also be holistic and mindful of the socio-economic and even possibly psychological undercurrents that give rise to vaping.”
“With decisions like periodic increases to tobacco duties, I hope we are seeking to maximise the sin tax impact instead of considering its revenue impact. Similarly, we should be doing more to curb the health impacts of public smoking, for instance, by tackling smoking while walking.”
“Sir, I would like to once again thank our Parliamentary staff for their work in ensuring the smooth running of the various functions of our Parliament. And with that I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. [(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“For instance, during a debate on the Online Safety Bill, we proposed that OSC submit annual reports detailing the number and categories of reports received, directions issued and findings of online harms trends.”
The complete record
Every one of 636 lines we hold for He Ting Ru, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 13 of 13.
“First, I would like to thank the Senior Minister of State for her commitment towards safety for our migrant workers. The Senior Minister of State mentioned earlier that there will be a consultation with various stakeholders. I would like to know whether the question I asked, about studies to be done, about how much costs will be increased by increasing any safety measures, whether there are any studies done, whether such studies will be done, so that we can have a more informed discussion. Because every time we bring this topic up, we hear the counter-argument, saying there will be increased costs. So, we need to actually understand how much costs will be increased by, before we can have a meaningful conversation about whether or not there need to be further safety measures put in place. The second point that I want to ask a supplementary question on is, the Senior Minister of State mentioned earlier as well that ferrying workers at the back of lorries is actually something that is done in other countries. But I note that this is not the case in all other countries. So, I would like to know whether a study can also be done into those countries that outlaw this sort of practices and to find out how, what sort of ways they use to overcome some of the costs and practical and operational issues that the Senior Minister of State mentioned earlier.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. I just have one point of clarification. Is the Minister saying that jurisdiction with more legal aid or a more beefed-up legal aid system will lead to bad outcomes? Are there not ways that we can expand our system or having safeguards to make sure that the abuses that he cited do not happen and that costs do not spiral out of control? Thank you.”
“" The legislation is very specific about the circumstances which make such persons eligible for compensation, and the amount of compensation depends on the seriousness of the offence of which the person was convicted or accused, the severity of the punishment suffered, the conduct of investigation and prosecution of the offence and any other convictions of that person. I realise that this is a complex issue which requires a balance in ensuring that genuine victims of miscarriages of justice are compensated against being so generous as to possibly introduce a chill factor in carrying out prosecutions that may hamper the efficient administration of justice for crimes committed. However, note that, in the UK, there were only 14 successful cases between 2010 and 2013 out of a total of 398 applications. Be that as it may, serious consideration of our existing scheme is still warranted to ensure that wrongly convicted persons may be adequately compensated in what is, after all, a serious deprivation both financially and to their personal liberty. Mr Speaker, in conclusion, while the house of justice and its four pillars may be strong today, it does not mean we stop looking for ways to continually strengthen each pillar to ensure that the house remains strong and able to provide shelter to all despite any storms or subsidence that may batter away at it. Mr Speaker, I support the Motion. Thank you.”
“The final topic I would like to speak on today will be in relation to the statutory compensation for miscarriages of justice. The Member for Aljunied has already spoken about compensation for victims of crimes. However, I believe the review we are calling for should also look into whether there is scope to bolster the current compensation scheme that we have for accused persons who have been acquitted. Currently, section 359(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code allows for the acquitted person to be compensated a sum not exceeding $10,000, provided that the Court is satisfied that the prosecution was frivolous or vexatious. This qualifier does not account for how an accused person still suffers emotionally from having to go through a trial where they stand accused of a crime and that they may also suffer financial losses or loss of income while the charge is hanging over their heads, even if the prosecution was taking it up in good faith. Genuine mistakes do happen and, given that cases can last a long time, such as the case of Chibuike being a recent one where the accused was in remand for nine long years after his arrest for drug trafficking. This contrasts against schemes in other jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom where section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1998 states that "The state shall pay compensation for the miscarriage of justice to the person who has been convicted, suffered punishment and subsequently had his conviction reserved or pardoned on the ground of a newly-discovered fact that shows that there was a miscarriage of justice.”
“Given all these, perhaps it is now time for us to enact the provisions of the original Legal Aid and Advice Ordinance which were first introduced after David Marshall in 1955 called for a statutory requirement for the provision of legal aid, including criminal matters, to the indigent, for everyone in Singapore to have equal access to the justice system rather than rely on having these resources provided on a voluntary basis by the profession. Apart from that, the review we are calling for should also consider automatically providing legal aid to certain groups, such as to all individuals charged with serious non-capital offences carrying long-term imprisonment sentences and do not qualify for CLAS or, in the case of Canada, where legal aid is mandatory for all youth offenders. The review should also look into how we can ensure that vulnerable segments of society are informed of their rights and where to seek legal aid. It should also look into considering amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code and whether there should be a fixed time within which an accused person will be permitted access to a lawyer. Finally, on this topic, I am happy that the Law Minister stated that we are seriously considering setting up a publicly-funded Public Defender's Office for all criminal matters which takes on defence counsel work for accused persons throughout a criminal matter. We can explore having a system of rostering state-funded police station or Court duty lawyers, enabling a person arrested on suspicion of a criminal offence to consult with a lawyer after arrest or allow an accused person to be represented by a lawyer at a Court on their first appearance if they have not or have not been able to contact their lawyer.”
“Additionally, the rights to be allowed to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner of choice in Article 9(3) of our Constitution has been qualified by case law, such as Jasbir Singh, a 1994 case of the Court of Appeal that an arrested person is only entitled to consult defence counsel a reasonable time after arrest. The consequences of this is that accused persons can be held without access to counsel when police investigations are on-going. This is contrasted against other countries, such as New Zealand and Denmark. In New Zealand, legal aid is available to persons arrested and detained on criminal charges, persons charged with a criminal offence and persons imprisoned on criminal charges. The state is also obliged to provide legal aid to persons with intellectual and mental disabilities, persons who face a potential prison sentence of six months or more, and persons who meet a financial threshold. The legal aid scheme also does not have a set income level in determining the means test but instead adopts a flexible approach by considering various factors, such as a person's gross income for the past 12 months, together with their disposable capital. In Denmark, the police have a duty to guide an accused person on their option to have defence counsel appointed when provisionally charged in a criminal case. And in a number of cases, the courts may appoint a public defence counsel for the accused person. As a general rule, defence counsel must be appointed in all criminal cases, unless the case is minor. And the cost of appointing public defence counsel is initially paid out of public funds, with such costs to be recovered only upon conviction.”
“One of the ways in which we should improve access to justice for all will be to enhance existing legal aid. The right to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner of choice is a fundamental liberty found in Article 9(3) of our Constitution. Can we be said to be taking this right seriously if a significant number of individuals who face criminal proceedings are unrepresented? Presently, only those charge with capital offences are guaranteed to have legal counsel appointed in the form of the Legal Aid Scheme for Capital Offences if they do not have means to engage their own lawyers. There is no means test to pass or eligibility criteria to satisfy and the scheme applies to all accused persons, regardless of nationality. For non-capital offences, the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme or CLAS administered by the Law Society of Singapore and also funded by the MinLaw provides accused persons with a disposable income of not more than $10,000 per annum and disposable capital of not more than $10,000 may be granted legal aid, subject to an additional merits test. Foreigners too can apply for the scheme. Finally, the ad hoc pro bono referral scheme administered by the Law Society of Singapore offers legal representation for persons of exceptional circumstances who do not meet the criteria for existing legal aid schemes, but nonetheless are in urgent need and may apply for it. Yet, it appears that the schemes are still limited in their reach, as can be seen by the large number of underrepresented persons and such pro bono legal representation still largely relies on the goodwill of lawyers.”
“Only when everyone can access to justice and when all the public can see that they can enjoy such justice and that the justice system can be enjoyed fairly by everyone. Then this country can really build our democracy. In English. (In English): As I have mentioned earlier, one of the pillars, the house of justice, represents defence counsel who represent persons who are accused of crimes. These lawyers are there to ensure that the accused persons are aware of their rights and obligations under the criminal justice system and act as their advocates and their cases before the judiciary. Given the crucial role of defence counsel, it is disquieting to see that a significant proportion of accused persons still appear before the Courts unrepresented, with approximately 40% of accused persons who claimed trial appearing unrepresented at the State Courts during pretrial stages. It is possible that this figure is significantly higher, if you include accused persons who plead guilty. Studies, some conducted within the Singapore system, have also shown that unrepresented persons have a significantly greater chance of being convicted and are also more likely to receive more severe sentences upon conviction, raising the risk of miscarriages of justice occurring. As a concrete example, what would be the chances that Parti Liyani or Portela Vilma Jimenez would have secured acquittal upon appeal if they had not been represented by a defence lawyer? Some of the more common reasons for accused persons appearing unrepresented include lack of funds and also awareness. Many of us are familiar with residents stating that they can either not afford a lawyer or that they do not know where to begin to find one for themselves.”
“So, what we are suggesting here includes the investigative procedures of the Police to make it better, including the power of the AG and AGC to raise charges. Third, Sylvia Lim also mentioned about the possibility of paying fines and instalment and for bill, to allow the accused to also be able to adopt the other official languages of Singapore, Malay, Tamil and Chinese to offer their own written statement. All these procedures and measures will ensure that the victim will also, even though they are vulnerable to also have access to justice under our current system. During this course of matter, we also need to ensure that the entire legal system is more equal. We must ensure that enforcement side have the right to do what they need to do to ensure that the victims or rather those who — the perpetrators do not escape justice. At the same time, we must be honest with ourselves and review ourselves. Living in this society, do we feel unease? Are we willing to accept that this justice system will not make any mistakes. But at the same time we also meet to calibrate very carefully and balance it to make sure that the perpetrators do not escape justice. We must know that if our justice building is built too narrowly or if the the threshold is too high, then not enough people can squeeze into the building or be able to enter the building. Just as equality must be the principles, the pillars and foundational pillars of the founding of Singapore society, these are the cornerstones of Singapore. We must continue to strengthen these four pillars of our legal system and continue to strengthen and expand this legal system to ensure that more people can be covered and protected by our system.”
“This is the result of our justices, our officers, legal officers and other participants, all the good work that they have done in enhancing and upholding our legal system. We have no reason to brush aside the good work that they have done all this while. Workers' Party is also not insinuating that the legal system is not doing what it is out to do. However, we insist that we must ensure that the justice system must be able to operate in a manner without where no one can face any obstacles today. We must ensure that what we do today will allow the next Liyani to be able to subscribe to justice. In Singapore this is very important. Without any legal representation – if our country faces any obstacles for the vulnerable, especially those without the resources to find our own legal representation, without any knowledge of the legal system, then when they are charged, they will become very nervous and they will just own up to all the charges put across to them and what is worse is that even if they have the ability to seek justice, then simply because they were not allowed, they do not have the ability to pay for the bill, therefore their are case is delayed and, therefore, they are discriminated by their own friends and family. Defence lawyers also face a very unequal system against them. In contrast to the Prosecutors, these defence lawyers have no right to hold onto the evidence or to force certain witnesses to give their evidence. Only by having a more equal system, can we have a better outcome? Allowing Singapore's legal system to be able to protect the poor and vulnerable so that the legal system will not just be riding on the backs of the poor and the vulnerable.”
“[Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Speaker, I am very honoured to be here to support my colleague Ms Sylvia Lim in passing this, in proposing this Motion. The title of this Motion is "That this House affirms that fairness, access and independence are cornerstones of Singapore's justice system" and this is a very key goal of our legal system. What we hope to have is one where everyone must have access to justice and there must be four key points, pillars to this. First of all, that the police must investigate based on procedures to the AGC. AG must also look into the case. Third, the Court, the justices must also establish standards in how evidence should be looked into. Fourth, the defendant's lawyers have also got a role to play so that we are not just listening to one side of the story. This is a very important channel to ensure that we have a better outcome. If these four pillars are operating efficiently at the same time, then our justice system can achieve what it sets out to achieve. Can we allow this access to justice to be enjoyed by everyone? It really depends on the pillars themselves. How strong the pillars are? The larger the building is, the heavier the building is, the more that the stronger these pillars should be. In recent years, the acquittal judgment that was passed in Liyani's case has already pointed out the need for us to strengthen the pillars only through a very sound legal system. Can we ensure that the innocent can also enjoy good justice? Just as my colleague Ms Sylvia, Lim has said, Singapore's justice system within this country and also outside of Singapore enjoys good reputation.”
“I have two supplementary questions. The first is whether there are any plans to make any investigations into such complaints about sexual violence and sexual misconduct, whether to make them independent to give students better confidence? So, basically, independent in the sense that it is not undertaken by the Universities or the institutions themselves. My second question is, as Ms Carrie Tan mentioned earlier, the Minister of State has responded regarding Secondary school level, steps taken for these students to make sure that they are aware of sexuality and issues relating to consent, is the Ministry taking any proactive steps to making sure to examine whether this is also a problem at younger levels, and whether there is any studies being conducted at the Secondary school level to see whether there are any problems? So, just being proactive and find out whether it is an issue.”
“Fertility is inextricably linked with sustainability and of increasing concerns about the Earth's finite resources. Even as we work to boost our birth rate, we must take action now to soften the impact and address the concerns of a world where an inverted age pyramid will become the norm with all the economic implications that come with it. We must no longer operate within the parameters or assumptions that we can keep our economic strategies along traditional population and economic growth models and ensure that we are not at the same time tackling increase costs of our ageing population, while maintaining inter-generational fairness. Our CPF, care systems and even physical spaces must now begin in another shift towards a society where older people will form part of majority. We must also combat ageism, embrace innovation, productivity and entrepreneurship, for a golden age, and the time to do so is now.”
“We must relieve the pressure on parents and build a more forgiving education regime, where children are given fairer opportunities to succeed from kindergarten and up, and where kids and their families are not made to feel like the next examination will determine their life trajectory. Reducing class sizes, increasing the support and training for teachers to focus on a more inclusive and nurturing system would be a good first step as we start to tackle the stresses caused by our demanding education system. Having said all of this, one can only imagine how much more difficult this year has been for single parents who often have less access to alternative resources and support structures. It is only natural that single parents end up more stressed and burnt out than their married counterparts. Regardless of whether we believe such family structures should be encouraged, their children are innocent and better support for their parents only benefit these children. Therefore, I would like to ask for a clarification from the Minister if single parents too will be eligible for the Newborn Support Grant, and if not, whether they can be included. To close, the $3,000 of additional payment for families is a welcome. However, the effectiveness of this policy is limited by the extent to which the Government is willing to lean in to encourage and foster greater gender equity in the home and drive more flexibility in the workplace. This one-time payment must not obscure the importance of doing the hard work of changing the culture around care-giving and what we define as work in the context of family, even if these measures do not have an instantaneous effect like a transfer into a bank account. The importance of getting this right cannot be understated.”
“Businesses should seize on recent disruptions caused by the pandemic and turn it into an opportunity to rethink about how we work and understand why it is important that we allow more flexible working arrangements in our businesses. For parents and family members who chose to stay at home to care for the next generation, I reiterate the call I made last month for better support and recognition for informal carers. We often hear jokes about maternity leave being a four-month long holiday, and stay-at-home mothers are idle "tai-tais". But anyone who has had to spend any amount of time being responsible for a young child would quickly debunk these ideas. However, there have been scant studies and time-use surveys done on parents in Singapore and there is also little research on parental burnout. Now would be a good time to conduct these to enable us to better understand the strains and pressures that these parents face. It is only when we have better identified these problems that we can start looking at the solutions as a whole, and change the narrative to better support and recognise the invaluable work of these unpaid carers. To add to the mix, our unforgiving and high stakes education system has created significant anxiety around raising children and is cited as a reason why families hold off on having kids or have fewer kids. I hear of parents having to volunteer for many hours to get their child a chance at a top Primary school, of the multitude of tuition or enrichment classes that parents send children to, and the stress that parents undergo whenever a key examination looms.”
“As a first step, the Workers' Party has called for enhanced shared parental leave of a total of 24 weeks that would allow couples to decide how best to split the care of their newborn child, with a minimum of 12 weeks to be given to the mother. Our current policy of a new father being able to share only up to four weeks from the mother's leave only encourages the sense that it is primarily a mother's job to care for her newborn. However, leave policies are only the tip of the iceberg. As children grow, they require an incredible amount of care and attention. The emotional, physical and time demands on carers have been made worse by the pandemic. And I am not the first to point out that studies from all over the world have shown that parents, particularly mothers of young children, have found lockdowns especially challenging and have seen their share of caring responsibilities multiplied. Given that the end of the pandemic and its social and economic effects are probably nowhere in sight, we should pay special attention to the needs of young families to ensure that they are not burning out while trying to cope with what is after all a unique situation. We must encourage employers to support greater flexibility and career options and ensure this recalibration of work is accessible to both mother and father. This will allow families to make childcare arrangements that work for their particular circumstances. This move away from traditional work structures must not be seen as a cost borne by employers. Instead, it is the key to fully unlocking the human capital in their employees. With a bit of trust on both sides, businesses would benefit from better motivated employees with a resultant increase in productivity.”
“It is notable that studies have shown that in developed economies, greater gender equity is correlated with higher birth rates. That is, better support given to women boosts fertility rates. To address this, one important area would be the role that fathers play in child-rearing. Just last weekend, while visiting friends for lunch, our two-year-old announced that he needed to go to the toilet. My husband stood up to take him, and was immediately met with a chorus of amazement and praise for being such a hands-on father. Would the same have occurred if a mother had brought her child to the toilet? Should we not also think hard about what it says about the roles of mothers and fathers that we are expected to sing high praises for fathers who change nappies or who bring their children out to "give their wives a break"? To be sure, we should not knock positive changes in fathers becoming more involved in bringing up their children in recent years. Yet, at the same time, it strikes me that we should be making better and more conscious efforts to view parenting as something that both parents have equal stake in, and that domestic and child-rearing work should not be the purview of mothers only. Looking at this from the other side, I would like my sons to grow up in a world where they have the freedom to decide for what works for their families. If they would like to have children, they should feel completely at ease to choose to stay at home be stay-at-home fathers, and not be seen as a "failure" or "not manly" enough for choosing this path. Every family should have a right to decide what works best for them and their children's care needs. And our policies must support their choices.”
“Mr Speaker, like many expecting parents, the news of the one-off Baby Support Grant is a welcome one for our family as it will go towards defraying the costs of having a new child amidst the global uncertainty brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. It is also good to hear the Government reiterate its commitment towards supporting Singaporeans who aspire to get married and have children. However, the policy start date of 1 October this year has meant that parents with newborns today do not benefit from the grant. Can we consider extending this grant to parents with children born since the onset of the pandemic? It is noteworthy that the Baby Bonus Scheme was introduced on 1 April 2001, almost 20 years ago, and has gone through numerous rounds of enhancements, the latest being in 2012. Parenthood tax rebates and other types of tax incentives are also given in an attempt to boost the birth rate. The Marriage and Parenthood Package is also stated to cost the Government approximately $4 billion a year. Yet, in 2019, our Total Fertility Rate was 1.19, and appears to be on course to stubbornly remain far below the replacement rate of 2.1 and still ranks amongst the lowest in the world. To make matters worse, we are now anticipating that couples will put off their parenthood plans, which will in turn have knock-on effects on our population's fertility rate. Singapore is not alone in trying to boost our birth rate, as fertility rates around the world have also been falling. However, we should ask ourselves, are there any blind spots in the way we have tackled this issue? Have we focused too much on the financial aspects of child-rearing, and forgotten to tackle other significant barriers to having children? The matter needs to be dealt with in a holistic way.”
“We could do so by having another look at our Clean and Green campaigns over the years to figure out what has been effective in the past. Have these campaigns overly emphasised fines, penalties and shaming for specific behaviours with less regard to the reasons behind our actions rather than address wider issues relating to shift in awareness that everyone has a role to play in keeping our shared spaces clean. A coherent multi-faceted approach that starts from a young age and is tailored to fit our changing society needs to be taken – from punitive measures for those who litter and dirty the environment to public education campaigns at all levels about environmental protection, driving the need to reduce and better manage waste and to foster a pride in our shared spaces. Youth voices would be extremely important in this and we should fully involve the young from the start in our efforts to effect such changes and driving home the message that our reliance on cheap and elderly labour to clean up after us has to go. Perhaps, it is also time that we look to wisdom espoused by Goethe who wrote: "Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean." This is a shared philosophy that I hope will be one of the legacies that we leave behind for future generations of Singaporeans to come. 4.55 pm”
“It is one of the industries targeted by our much-vaunted Progressive Wage Model which tells us that these are possibly low-pay, low-status jobs, a future which parents threaten their kids with if they do not study hard enough The reality though, is that the pandemic and associated lockdowns around the world have shown that cleaners are key frontline workers keeping economies and societies running while running risks to their own and their families' health. The stigma associated with what is traditionally seen as an unskilled, unimportant job can undermine how we view public health and hygiene and lead to under-investment in the industry. This prevents the implementation of new technologies and digitalisation initiatives that would otherwise raise productivity and make such jobs less physically demanding on our older workers, but also removing some of the stigma associated with being a cleaner. The wider point here is also one of sustainability, environmental, economic and societal. We are now facing an uncertain future where the planet is fast running out of time to deal with limited resources and effects of climate change are becoming more real. We can ill afford to use and consume as if our resources were unlimited. Likewise, our ageing demographics also tell us that there will come a point where it will become unrealistic to keep relying on low-wage, low-status workers, often either foreign or elderly, to maintain cleanliness standards while we continue to treat them as being unimportant and invisible. Even if the cleaning industry looks to more long-term sustainable solutions to provide the services expected of them, we, as in society, must start developing the type of social consciousness required for each one of us to adopt a clean lifestyle.”
“Like many point out, we also have much to learn from the experiences of societies such as Switzerland, Japan and Taiwan which maintain high levels of cleanliness with hardly any litter bins and street sweepers in sight. Such societies have evolved and have high levels of social consciousness where residents take pride in their surroundings. This extends to having a culture where people who are sick automatically wear surgical masks to avoid infecting other people without being mandated to do so by law. Residents also automatically sort their rubbish into different categories to facilitate recycling rather than rely on workers in waste processing centres to do it for them. While living in Germany, I also remember being extremely conscious about how I would sort out my rubbish for fear of accidentally placing the recyclable materials in the wrong bin and possibly contaminating the material in the entire bin. On a weekend trip to Switzerland, stopping for breakfast at a cafe, we witnessed a man at an adjacent table carefully sweeping up the crumbs of the croissant that he just ate before meticulously dusting them onto his plate and returning it to the waiter behind the counter. Back in Singapore, our environmental services industry is estimated to employ approximately 78,000 workers with almost two-thirds of employed residents in the sector aged 55 and above.”
“Mr Speaker, the COVID pandemic that is still affecting our lives has brought home the importance of keeping to high hygiene and cleanliness standards and ensuring that these standards are upheld at the risk of becoming threats to public health and safety. The Bill before us implements mandatory cleaning standards for specified premises and will, indeed, go towards ensuring that premises which have poor hygiene standards may result in operators being held accountable. The aim is to provide enough of a stake that we would see improvements to our living spaces when they fall below acceptable levels. [Deputy Speaker (Mr Christopher de Souza) in the Chair] Yet while Singapore has an international reputation as a clean city and despite years of Clean and Green campaigns, I believe it is still important to ask ourselves if we are a clean city or a "cleaned" city, as a few of my colleagues have pointed out earlier. Are we truly a nation where individuals take responsibility to ensure that our environment is clean and hygienic or do we instead see it as someone else's problem? Do we make messes in our living environments and expect cleaners to do their jobs and clean up after us? We all agree there is a big distinction in the society which is able to maintain high hygiene standards because people do their parts to keep clean compared with one where low-wage, low-status workers are employed to do their jobs to clean up messes that others have left behind without a second thought. What does it say about us as a people when we leave our food dishes and rubbish strewn all over the table after a meal and justify it by not wanting the poor cleaners to lose their jobs?”
“I thank the Minister of State for her answers to the questions. One supplementary question I would like to ask is basically, the tender was awarded in 2016 as we understand. That was four years ago, technology moves very quickly these days. So, I am just wondering what were the tender specifications that basically resulted in us being bound by the design that we committed to four years ago, rather than allowing for flexibility to update that as and when we went along? And whether we will consider this in future tenders and future calls for tender to allow us to have greater flexibility given that technology moves really quickly? And that, we do not inadvertently as in this case, end up incurring costs if we need to change the design as and when with public consultation and when technology moves along.”
“These, all together, will help everyone make sure that these schemes are not abused and are maximally effective.”
“I thank the Minister for the reply. I have some supplementary questions. The first relates to retrenchment. Would the Ministry consider publishing monthly, more granular updates available, especially during crisis periods like what we are going through at the moment? This is for us to be able to monitor and see whether the many, many schemes that have been introduced are working and how effective they are, whether there are areas that need extra support. The second is whether we will consider also publishing – because I notice the Minister answered the question about the number of Singaporeans who were retrenched, but that figure sometimes seems to also include residents – so, whether we can have a bit more granularity as well between Singaporeans and PRs? Ultimately, Singaporeans do not have the back-up option of returning to their home countries. So, I think there is some value in knowing the data about whether Singaporeans are more affected. Thirdly, have there been any public sector retrenchments so far this year? I have some more questions on traineeships. I thank the Minister as well on traineeships. It is good that SBF has agreed to partner with MOM. However, I am just wondering whether we can have a bit more structure in this sort of on-going assessment reports of employers who have taken part in the schemes. For example, whether there will be monitoring visits being undertaken, whether we can publish regular achievement rates and information on how successful these companies are in converting traineeships into permanent job placements. And, finally, whether the trainees themselves will be given a chance to provide feedback on the schemes and also on the specific employers.”
“I thank the Minister for her detailed explanation. I would like to post three clarifications or further questions. The first is, the Minister mentioned that most of the companies exit this watchlist after a year. But I would like to know how many persistent offenders have we seen amongst the companies who have been on the watchlist. Because this will inform us as to whether the sanctions are enough. I think this is helpful information for us to know. And second is the balance of complaints and active surveillance that has been conducted by MOM. The third is whether there are any GLCs who are currently on the watchlist.”
“In Europe, these surveys have been conducted since the 1970s and have continued with relative frequency across the region. It is significant that Singapore does not conduct such regular time use surveys. Regular measurements immediately recognise the work as being of value to our society and also give us an idea of how our policies have implicit effects on such unpaid workers and how effective other policies are in addressing the problems that they face. Indeed, countries such as Finland and New Zealand have made concerted efforts in measuring the scale of unpaid work which has resulted in policies that address the gender differential, for example, by providing adequate paternity leave. Mr Speaker, it is time for us to tackle this head-on so that we may understand more fully the full scale of this issue and to thus take steps to mitigate the impact on our personal, social and economic fabric. I support the Motion.”
“These are unpaid workers are unsung heroes, like my mother, who have devoted their entire lives to providing care for those who need it, be it their elderly parents, children, grandchildren or family and friends who have special needs. Their contributions to our society are equal to any other wage-earning job, but unequally measured by traditional indicators of growth or value. Yet, informal and unpaid carers often end up being vulnerable themselves, as their care responsibilities often have a detrimental impact on their own physical, mental and economic well-being. We know that Singapore is not unique, and that unpaid work falls disproportionately on women. In addition, in the most vulnerable segments of our society, children may also be called upon to undertake domestic labour by being solely responsible for the care of younger siblings and doing housework, often at the expense of their own education and childhood. Yet, the magnitude of the issue is unclear, and we do not have a good idea of how this has been trending. We must therefore measure unpaid work to make it visible. Such an approach immediately recognises this work as being of tremendous value to our society and will be a first step in changing how we think about such work and in understanding the profile of these workers. Having better visibility and measures of unpaid work also mean that it is easier for our policies to pay more attention to inequality. In many countries such as South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, time use surveys are now a key part of the national statistics systems and these are conducted regularly. The US does an American Time Use Survey every year since 2003.”
“Our changing social fabric and demographics have accentuated the challenges facing our care infrastructure. Having to adapt and thrive in a post-pandemic world has made it all the more important that we cohesively tackle this head-on. Failure to do so would lead to widening health inequalities and increasing burdens on households already struggling to get by. We must ensure that our care systems keep pace with evolving demands and that carers, especially those who undertake unpaid care and domestic work, are more visible and supported. The pressing problems faced by an ageing Singapore must first be tackled by further integrating our social, health and informal care systems. This will enable more seamless support for growing elderly population and people with long-term conditions who require care and support. This means joining up hospital and community-based services for physical, mental and social care needs. We would see greater efficiencies by breaking down barriers between services and focusing on growing our ability to provide care in our homes and communities. As care needs are complex, a fully integrated system would also result in less confusion and stress among family members struggling to cobble together – a care plan for loved ones. There should also be room for more innovative care solutions and infrastructure, such as situating elder and childcare centres within the same facilities, which has the added benefit of facilitating intergenerational exchanges and solidarity while also tackling the pandemic of loneliness. We must also consider our informal carers and integrate them into our care delivery system.”
“Like my colleagues who spoke before me, I instead see many opportunities for Singapore here. Some potential growth areas can include our move towards Industry and Supply Chain 4.0, by harnessing new technologies such as blockchain and Internet of Things, not only to develop expertise and helping companies and industries digitalise, but to use these new technologies to commit to a completely sustainable supply chain from source to final product. Such expertise can be developed by our enterprises and be exported to other economies in the region, as we set the gold standard for what true sustainability means. Similarly, I am pleased to hear of a stronger commitment to green financing and green tech which would also definitely benefit the environment. This too can be a growth area for our economy going forward. However, there remains a large gap between enterprises and access to green financing and technology remains challenging for SMEs. This is also reflected in green bonds forming just 1.4% of Singapore's total corporate debt market. Awareness of green issues, too, should start from a young age. We should look to the example set by a tiny town in Finland, which has managed to reduce its carbon emissions by half between 2007 and 2015. There, older students become green ambassadors and are responsible for guiding their younger schoolmates towards green and sustainable practices. As an added sweetener, if the school is successful in reducing its bills due to successful green practices, students are given unfettered freedom to decide what to spend 50% of the savings on. It is this type of youth- and community-led projects that we hope to be able to implement in Sengkang.”
“Mdm President and many Ministers have spoken about the need to strengthen our Singapore identity. This is a key factor in ensuring the sustainability of a harmonious society. Instead of berating Singaporeans for being xenophobic, we should instead really listen to their concerns and try to understand why they feel this way. We should also continue to involve more segments for our society, engage with them and empower them to take the lead in building our Singapore identity and future while, at the same time, involve more in integrating and welcoming newcomers. Economically, the COVID-19 pandemic has focused the world's attention on global supply chains and their vulnerability. It is good that the Government now plans to strengthen our food and essential supply chain security to ensure that we are not so much at the mercy of global forces that are mainly beyond our control. But the shock to supply chains goes beyond just food and consumption and has severe repercussions for the structure of our economy. It is a commonly held view now that the recovery from the pandemic, together with increasingly complex geopolitical tensions, will further accentuate shifts from truly global supply chains to concentrate manufacturing and production being moved to the continents or regions of end consumers. Trade patterns will correspondingly be affected, and Singapore needs to be ready. To deal with this and remain sustainable, our economy must therefore become more nimble and our education system needs to encourage inquisitive exploration and less rote learning in order to produce a workforce that is able to adapt to disruptive new horizons and opportunities. Environmental sustainability does not just have to mean costs and compliance.”
“He was successful in gaining admission, a place to read law at one of our local universities and was about to start a training contract with a prestigious firm. When asked if he was a sterling example of our meritocracy, he replied firmly that he was instead an example of tokenism. This reluctance to lean in is based on a certain perception of meritocracy, society's ossification, and something that we have to urgently address. One way is to encourage more existing university students and members of professions to take a more active role in speaking to and mentoring the next generation of applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds early on. They would be available to encourage them, to discuss their concerns and to guide these students through the recruitment or application process, and thus demystify some of the pre-existing notions that these students may have. Other ways of doing so include smaller class sizes that the WP has been calling for and deeper engagement between schools beyond the bonding activities that are currently planned. And we must remember that engagement is always two-way and there are always many things that we can learn from segments of society that are different from us. Next, I would like to touch on sustainability. I would like to declare that I work for a multinational corporation active in the global supply chain for natural resources and we have done much work in the sustainability sphere over the last few years. It is good that we now have a Ministry for Sustainability and the Environment (MSE). Climate change and environmental issues are important, but sustainability goes beyond this. We must also ensure that Singapore is a socially, economically and demographically sustainable.”
“This has been made worse by the ongoing pandemic which has exposed our weak points and hit vulnerable members of our society harder. The number of residents who are struggling and require assistance appears to be increasing and we believe that this will worsen. To respond adequately, we must be willing to review some previously accepted norms and principles. It is a good start that we are now, like many other developed economies, finally recognising the limits and even failure of meritocracy. We must not let blind reliance on what meritocracy can achieve turn us into a harsh and unforgiving society, where the vulnerable are blamed for their plight for not being hardworking or talented enough to strive for a better life for themselves and their families. The expansion of programmes such as KidSTART and the increase in the Ministry of Education (MOE) Kindergartens is a good first step. How ever many programmes and task forces that we have, I believe that the real danger facing us now is the perception of the lack of social mobility and the presence of elitism. When I worked with my university's access schemes to encourage students from disadvantaged backgrounds to apply to top universities, we found that it was often a lack of belief and confidence that held many of these students back. Often, they showed great potential but it would never cross their minds to even put in an application as they felt they stood no chance. Even for those who do apply and succeed, this perception can also persist. I remember once speaking to a volunteer who came from an under-privileged background after obtaining a polytechnic diploma.”
“Instead of solely thinking about competition between groups, we must learn how to come together to find shared interests and resources while, also at the same time, learning to disagree respectfully when differences arise. In this way, we can foster a stronger sense of solidarity, be it intergenerational, inter-societal or even inter-regional. This is not just about creating new schemes or another task force. Indeed, the Addenda to the President's Address alone contain mentions of around 12 maps and master plans, 24 committees, task force and networks, 32 centres and agencies, 32 schemes and programmes, and 24 funds, packages and grants. It is no wonder that people and enterprises are confused and often end up feeling demoralised and helpless when faced with problems. While we acknowledge that Singapore faces complex issues and appreciate that the Government and its agencies are working hard to address problems and issues faced by Singaporeans, surely there can be scope to simplify these grants plans policies and initiatives. This will ensure that we do not have to expend too many resources on just keeping a proper track of them all. It would also make for a much better user-centric experience. Indeed, my colleague, Mr Leon Perera, has previously spoken of the need for a unified portal for residents and companies to transact with Government and have better access to schemes that they are eligible for. The streamlining would also aid in tracking how effective and productive the schemes are. With this, I am glad that we all agree on the "Singapore for all" and that the Government has committed to strengthening social mobility and a society of opportunities for all. Change these days seems much faster.”
“I often find myself being asked challenging questions about the WP team, about our work and our policy proposals. Deeper, more thought-provoking questions are also being asked of us, of society and of the Government’s policies. These two trends, taken together, mean that we must step up our own engagement with all levels of our community and keep discussing with and involving everyone in deciding Singapore’s future. We must recognise that everyone has something to add to the conversation and there is no one way to do it. Instead of relying solely on highly structured Singapore Conversations and Emerging Stronger Conversations, and Government-mandated or approved schemes, we should also look to more informal forums, such as coffeeshop walks, which the WP team has been doing. We have found that the informal nature of these has a frankness, directness and immediacy which has been invaluable in shaping our understanding of the issues. Our ground-up movements can also begin with a small spark and do not have to be only possible under the People’s Association (PA) and other "designated enablers". Instead, we have already seen some of these initiatives on the ground, with residents chipping in to start community gardens and small projects to look out for their neighbours. We hope to add to this by organising our own hackathons and town halls within Buangkok and Sengkang and working in close partnership with various organisations and bodies on the ground to ensure that residents feel a greater sense of community and ownership. The Government, too, must play its part in fostering an environment which enables a more Engaged Singapore – from our youth, workers and enterprises.”
“Mr Speaker, it has been more than seven weeks since Polling Day and over two months since the commencement of Phase Two of the circuit breaker. Like all Singaporeans, our team has been adjusting to the "new normal" in the age of COVID-19, while getting to know our residents and communities in Sengkang and Buangkok. Once again, we are touched that voters have taken a leap of faith in the Workers’ Party (WP) and are grateful for the opportunity to work together with everyone to make our home a better one for all. In between setting up Sengkang Town Council and conducting our groundwork, we have also been privileged to receive warm welcomes from residents into their homes, into their preschools, Senior Activity Centres (SACs) and other parts of their community, and also from the various agencies and teams who work tirelessly to serve the residents of Sengkang. Our friendships and partnerships have only just begun. Today, I would like to talk about the Singapore that we hope to build together. In the last two months, set against the difficult backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have seen much evidence of an "Engaged Singaporean", contrasting against the "Ugly Singaporean" label that we unfortunately sometimes hear being applied. We have been struck, time and again, by the experience of seeing residents from all ages and all walks of life banding together, looking out for one another and coming together to look after the more vulnerable in our communities, so that no one is left behind. Being engaged in our community is now a value that Singaporeans hold dear and they expect the Government to support this too. We are also seeing the Engaged Singapore in the emergence of a more discerning electorate.”