Ho Kah Leong
Singapore
“Sir, the Member is right that the sewerage fees comprise two components, a fixed fee and a variable one. The sanitary appliance fee, which is the fixed fee component, is based on the number of sanitary appliances. It is a charge towards the cost of providing the sewerage infrastructure which I think the Member should have no quarrel.”
“Sir, we do not require canned food to be date marked because they are sterilised during canning and will not spoil over a long period of storage. These foods have a long shelf life. Sir, My Ministry does not intend to date mark all foods since there is no need to, from public health considerations.”
“After months of hard work and with the full cooperation of the Joo Chiat residents to spruce up the neighbourhood, the situation showed immediate and impressive improvements. The number of premises found breeding Aedes mosquitoes dropped. Correspondingly, the number of dengue cases also dropped from 28 in 1993 to 11 in 1994.”
“Yes. The Member also touched on malaria disease. Although Singapore has been declared free from indigenous malaria by the World Health Organisation since 1982, Singapore will always be under the threat of malaria because we have many visitors and foreign workers from malaria-endemic countries in the region.”
“My Ministry will continue to educate the public on how to prevent the Aedes mosquitoes from breeding in their homes and properties. My Ministry will also continue to seek out breeding grounds in public places and tighten our control, surveillance and enforcement measures.”
“Let me now turn to the Member for Jalan Besar GRC. Let me first tell the Member that in the business called "promotion of the arts", even if you have done a lot, there is still a lot to be done.”
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“I think Members of Parliament for the constituencies concerned should be allowed to know early what the actual prices are for the completion of those projects and how much money is left, so that before the financial year is up, the Members concerned can carry out more construction work in their constituencies. Sir, building construction has been very active in our country. Many satellite towns have been built one after the others. This symbolises the development and progress of a country, and this is also something which Singapore can be proud of. However, there is a major fault with all these satellite towns because the authorities concerned know only how to build dwelling accommodation for the people but have overlooked the supplementary and necessary facilities such as schools, markets, hawker centres, clinics, community centres, sports fields, etc. Because these social amenities have not been provided in the building plans, many social problems have arisen relating to hawkers, gangsterism, and worse, the problem of education which bothers the parents very much. Because of the lack of schools in the new satellite towns, parents have to send their children to faraway schools. This is both an inconvenience and a financial loss. Sir, the Addendum to the President's speech on the Ministry of Education mentioned about the intention of the Ministry to build schools in the satellite towns. However, the question is not to build schools but when to build them, and whether the number will be adequate for the need If schools are built 10 years after a satellite town is built, or the number of classrooms is not adequate, it will still not solve the problem of inconvenience to parents.”
“On pedestrian walks, after repairs have been made to the surfaces they are washed away by the rain within three months and the exposed gravel and sand make the condition of the surfaces even worse than before. I have reported all these matters to the authorities concerned. They are now awaiting repair Sir, what needs our attention is the fact that all the instances of damage cited by me occurred shortly after the projects had been completed. I do not know whether this was due to malpractices, inadequate supervision or unqualified contractors. Anyway this would cause inconvenience and more expenditure on repairs. It should not be so. I do not know whether the authorities concerned could set up a "Committee of Supervision" outside the Public Works Department to strictly supervise every piece of tendered work by contractors in order to prevent any malpractices from taking places Sir, there is another point which is relevant to rural construction which I would like to raise here. As we all know, generally the cost of projects is estimated by the Public Works Department. Members of Parliament for the constituencies concerned and the Citizens' Consultative Committee members are only informed of the estimated cost but not the tendered price and actual cost on completion of the project. They will not be given satisfactory information even upon written requests. However, there are three prices relating to such a project namely, the estimated price, the tendered price and the actual completed costs. I am sure they must be different. I do not know whether the Urban and Rural Services Committee has looked into these different figures.”
“The Members for Sembawang and Jalan Kayu mentioned this in this House last week. Obviously, this is not a question of over-production, but a question of a deliberate manipulation to suppress prices. So the Government should investigate thoroughly to find some measure of control. Otherwise, if the prices of farm produce keep falling, small farmers will all be made bankrupts. Only big farmers may hope to carry on. If this is the care, the price of pigs can more easily be manipulated by a few people. This will mean that the citizen cannot hope to buy pork cheaply. Since the authorities concerned have been registering the farms for so many years, they must be quite aware of the conditions existing in our farms. Therefore, I hope they will make use of the available data and, in keeping with our entire development plans, formulate a clear-cut agricultural policy. More important is that we should try our best to safeguard the prices of agricultural produce, to keep them steady so that the farmers may not be adversely affected by falling prices of agricultural produce. Sir, in recent years the Government has spent much money on construction work in the rural areas. But recently it is noticed that many of the projects have not been done satisfactorily. This has caused people to suspect whether there has been any malpractices such as the short-supply of materials or short-work of labour. Even in my constituency there have been such instances. Take for example, the metalling of roads. Even before four months are up, the surface of the road is damaged. On the building of bridges, holes appear on the surface of bridges before they are several weeks old.”
“Whether it is in the towns or villages, not a few people are affected by resettlement. They have established themselves in their respective localities for quite a long time, and are therefore, inconvenienced by resettlement. However, they have to make some sacrifice so that our country may progress and our economy may also develop. Therefore, it is the duty of the Government to give special care to these people to enable them to resume their normal livelihood in the shortest possible time. It is equally important for the Government to look after them during or after their resettlement. Where the Government has not done enough for them, I hope it will do better in future. Sir, the Government is paying equal attention to both the urban areas and the rural areas. In recent years the rural folks have been able to enjoy the taste of modern living, to have good roads and to enjoy the instant supply of electricity and water. It cannot be denied that in recent years, the Primary Production Department has been giving the farmers a lot of help. However, because of the technical aid and scientific knowledge given by the Primary Production Department to the farmers, certain people who are not in the farming business but who are well-off have come in to invest in agriculture for profit. This has caused a flux in agricultural produce. In the end the supply is greater than the demand, and prices of agricultural produce fall below cost, causing many genuine farmers to lose heavily. For instance, in March and April this year the price of pigs had fallen below average. Later with a lot of effort by many people, the price of pigs rose. However, that level of price could not last long. In recent weeks, the price of pigs has fallen steeply again.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the President's speech delivered on the 12th of this month in this House portrays a new profile of our country in the next five years. The President has also stated that in our lively and prosperous society, nothing can be obtained for free. Everybody should get his reward from his own effort in proportion to his ability and effort. Sir, the amplification of this concept is very important. It should specially be inculcated in our student population. The reason is that the younger generation since birth have been enjoying free medical care, comfortable homes, free education, and other modern social amenities. We should not allow them to adopt the syndrome of enjoying the good things in life for free. We should also not allow our people to be lax in their enthusiasm and effort in nation building. Sir, we should also remind the people that Singapore is not a paradise outside of this world. The moderate prosperity that we are enjoying is something that we can be proud of, but we should not ho complacent. Our political situation can always be affected by extraneous factors. Following the normalisation of relations between China and Japan and the assumption of diplomatic relations between China and America, there has been a series of changes taking place in the world. All these changes will have an effect on the changing scene in Southeast Asia. Our foreign policy should be formulated step by step, and it should be modified to keep up with changing times. Unless we cannot help it, I feel that we should not lightly discard our neutral and non-alignment policy in foreign affairs, which has proved to be quite successful up to now. Sir, in social development, we know that Singapore is undergoing changes all the time.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister for Finance has explained just now that a certain sum has been allotted for recreational and other purposes in Jurong, e.g.. the expenditure on the Bird Park and other recreational amenities. I would like to know whether a concessionary rate will be given to residents of Jurong Town to enjoy these recreational amenities.”
“Thirdly, the collection of rubbish and refuse. I have received complaints that the collection of refuse and rubbish has not been regular. The result is that a stench emanates from the accumulated refuse and rubbish heaps. After investigation, I found that the J.T.C, contracted out the work of disposing the rubbish to private contractors, but the contractors have bidded a low tender and therefore their service is not very satisfactory. I would like the Minister to note that the J.T.C, should get proper and efficient contractors to do this job. Even if they can get contractors to collect and dispose of the rubbish at a very low cost, it is useless if they cannot do it properly. Fourthly, the flats put up by the J.T.C., especially those recently built, are concentrated in a small place and in close proximity to each other. The distance between one block and another is, I think, only about 10 feet. I hope the J.T.C. will build flats with liberal empty space between the blocks so that there is more privacy. 3.45 p.m. The fifth point is the serious problem of air pollution. Many residents have complained to me that every morning there is a lot of black soot in the air. This probably comes from the factory chimneys. I hope the Minister concerned will take note of air pollution in Jurong Town.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 91 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 00l*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Teong Eng Siong) Sir, this provision is a loan to the Jurong Town Corporation. I would like to take this opportunity to raise a few questions regarding the housing estate in Jurong Town. We know that in recent years there has been rapid development in Jurong Town and there has been an increase in population which number about 30,000 now. However, it is regrettable to say that the J.T.C, is only concerned with the need for housing, and has not paid enough attention to beautify the environment or to promote environmental health. According to complaints received from the residents there and the observations I have made, I can summarise a few points. I would like the Minister to note what I am going to say. Firstly, the grass, the lawn and the trees in the housing estate in Jurong Town have not been properly taken care of. Many fields are left bare without grass, and the trees in Jurong Town are not growing bigger, although they are growing older. Perhaps the soil is not very suitable, or it may be due to other factors, such as air pollution thus stunting the growth of the trees. I hope the Minister will urge the J.T.C, to look into this. Otherwise the trees will not grow any taller, and will be stunted forever. Secondly, the complaint is that there are insufficient playing grounds for the children. The J.T.C, is only concerned with building houses and have neglected the need for playgrounds and other amenities. This is not proper, because the children have no place to go to in the evenings. Hence, the importance of playing fields. Therefore, some space should be reserved for playgrounds.”
“The Public Utilities Board has said that it will provide rural electrification within one or two years. I hope the Board will keep its word. The people in the rural constituencies also want street lighting. Street lighting will make the road users feel much safer and thus more conducive to the maintenance of law and order. I hope all the rural areas will be provided with street lighting. Although there are not many rural constituencies in Singapore, their total areas are quite big. We do need a greater provision for rural services. I hope that in the next Budget the Parliamentary Secretary will request a bigger provision from the Minister for Finance for the development of these rural areas.”
“However, I hope that the provision of more metalled roads will not mean a deterioration in the quality of the roads. In my constituency, I notice that there are many metalled roads with a lot of pot-holes. As soon as one part of a road is repaired, potholes appear in another part. In less than two years the road seems like an old shirt with mendings everywhere. What is surprising to me is that some of these roads have pot-holes in less than six months after their construction. I have taken photographs showing the terrible condition of these roads, and I have shown them to the Parliamentary Secretary. I am not an engineer and, therefore, I am not familiar with the technical points involved in road construction. But the fact that these roads are easily damaged shows that the foundation of the road is not strong. Why cannot the relevant department first assess the maximum weight the road can support and then make the foundation accordingly. If this is not done, as soon as a road is constructed, repairs have to be carried out every now and again. This will be a waste of public funds. Moreover, some of these pot-holes are not mended in time. I hope the Parliamentary Secretary will look into this matter and provide better roads for the people in the rural areas. Mr Speaker, Sir, people in the rural areas also want the drains to flow smoothly. When the drains are clogged up, they are not only a breeding ground for mosquitoes, but they also give out a terrible stench. This is very unhygienic. Moreover, excessive water from the silted drain will erode the surface of the road. I hope the department concerned will organise teams of workmen to clear the major drains in every rural constituency at least once a year. The people in the rural areas also require electricity supply.”
“In any case, during the dry spells the wells will dry up and they have to depend on Government delivery trucks which give only a limited supply of water. This is a great inconvenience to them. I know that many constituencies have requested for water supplies but their applications have not been approved. The authorities concerned have replied that it is uneconomic to extend the water mains to these remote areas. I hope they will not be too calculating in the analysis of cost and profit. I hope the people in these more remote areas will be provided with adequate water supplies. Mr Speaker, Sir, the people in the rural areas also want better roads. They would like to see all the present mud tracks properly metalled with tar. These mud tracks, which are used by the villagers every day, are uneven, and they hold many puddles of water. This is a great inconvenience to the villagers. The mud tracks in the villages can only last for a short time. In the case of laterite tracks, after a year or two of use, there will be many pot-holes which have to be repaired. During the dry season, the laterite tracks become very dusty, and when it rains they are very muddy. This has caused a lot of hardship especially to the primary school children, because their clean white shoes become dirty with red mud after walking on these laterite tracks. Moreover, these laterite tracks are not durable. Every two or three years they have to be repaired. The repair will cost a few thousand dollars. Mr Speaker, Sir, I know that it is impossible to metal all the tracks within six months or even a year. But I would like to see a greater provision made so that more laterite roads will be metalled.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since the Member for Punggol has been allowed to range over his other amendments, one of which stands in my name*, I wish to speak now so that I need not move my amendment later. * The amendment, standing in the names of Messrs Ho Kah Leong, Ng Kah Ting, Teong Eng Siong and Sim Boon Woo, reads as follows: (6)That the sum to be allocated for Head 78 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 101. Sir, I am in full agreement with what the Member for Punggol has said. The provision for rural services is $3.25 million, and although this is more than last year's provision, it is still not sufficient. If this provision were to be distributed to the various constituencies, each constituency will only get $10,000 or less. This amount Xs not even enough to metal a road. I think a provision of two or three times more than the present provision of $3.25 million should he allocated. Since we are making rapid progress in our economic development, more provision should be made so that the living conditions of the people in the rural areas can be improved. Mr Speaker, Sir, as a matter of fact, the requests made by the people in the rural areas are basically very simple. They want roads properly surfaced, drains to flow smoothly, and public utility services like water, electricity and street lighting. Water is their most urgent need. In the last few years the Government has extended the water mains to the various constituencies. However, there are many areas, especially in the more remote parts, which still do not have water supply. In these areas, the people have to dig wells for their water. Whether or not these wells are hygienic is another matter.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am glad to hear that the Minister knows what is going on in the market. This is praiseworthy. I must show my appreciation for his concern in this respect. Sir, in view of the Minister's promise to make a recommendation to the J.T.C, to build offices and to let them out to the fish merchants, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I understand that not all the fish merchants are rich people. But some may be rich. Those who are rich want to invest their money in deep-sea fishing and other business ventures. So they do not have adequate cash to build their own permanent offices. In this respect, can the Minister suggest to the J.T.C, to build offices and rent them out to the merchants'?”
“I understand, Sir, that the Primary Production Department is now thinking of extending the auction market itself. Between extending the auction market and rebuilding the temporary offices, I think the latter is more urgent. The Minister concerned should give priority to this matter. Sir, the next matter I wish to deal with is the management and administration of the market. I have received several complaints that the management and administration of the market is very poor. Sir, I took up the matter of security of the market with the Minister for Home Affairs yesterday in this House. This is related to the management of the market. I feel that the passes required for entering the market should not be issued at random. Furthermore, there should be stricter check-points at the entrance to ensure that bad elements are not allowed in. I also understand that there is no full-time staff to take charge of administrative and management matters in the fish market. The Primary Production Department sends a man there about two or three times a week to look things over, and on each occasion the officer will stay there for about one or two hours. After that, he will have to go to Changi to attend to other matters. I cannot blame him for that. But whenever this officer is not present at the market, the fish merchants will have nobody to turn to for help. So under these circumstances it is difficult to expect the management of the fish market to be efficient. I hope the Minister will ensure that the Primary Production Department will send a full-time man to take charge of the market.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Minister for his detailed reply. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Mr Ho Kah Leong(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 73 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 302. Sir, a period of three years has passed since the Central Fish Market opened for business. During this time, the fish merchants and fishmongers have been co-operating and working together under the give-and-take spirit, which is in the interests of the consumers and for the progress and development of the country. Members may recall that when the idea of the Central Fish Market was fish mooted, it met with considerable opposition from the fish merchants and fishmongers. Subsequently, after consultations and discussions between the parties concerned, some agreement was reached and the fish merchants agreed to move over to the Central Fish Market. According to officials of the Singapore Fish Merchants Federation, one of the terms of agreement was that the temporary offices in the fish market would be rebuilt after a period of two years. Sir, these temporary offices are made of planks and each office measures roughly 15 feet x 10 feet x 10 feet. They are very small and the height is low, and under the scorching sun they are as hot as oven. Apart from space for desks and cupboards, there is no room left to put even a canvas bed for the workers to rest. I understand that some of the plank walls of these offices have already been attacked by termites. Sir, the question of rebuilding the temporary offices has always been troubling the fish merchants there. They have referred this matter to the Primary Production Department several times but have not received any satisfactory answer.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 73 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 202*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Teong Eng Siong) Sir, this vote is for Intensive Farm Improvement Schemes. I have noticed that this year's vote is a mere sum of $6,100. As compared with the provision for last year, this is a huge reduction. I do not know whether the programme has been well implemented and achieved success, or whether there is no need to further this scheme.”
“In view of the fact that the Minister has said that he will review the matter of getting the Central Abattoir to carry on business for seven days a week, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 73 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 104. Sir, a few days ago we have been debating on the fact that the prices of agricultural produce have dropped to a very low level recently. Even the price of pigs has been going down sharply, causing heavy losses to the farmers. According to a general investigation, one of the reasons is that the Central Abattoir in Jurong has adopted a working system of one rest day every week. Because of this, the usual number of pigs sent on that particular day was not slaughtered. According to calculations that number will total up to 5,000 pigs per month owing to rest days. I believe the Minister is as concerned as Members on this side about the interest and welfare of the farmers. I appeal to him to reconsider the matter of allowing the Central Abattoir to close for one rest day every week. This should stop, and the Abattoir should be opened throughout the whole week.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like the Minister to take personal note of this matter and to expedite the building of this fire station. I hope it can be built as soon as possible. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $961,200 for Head 61 ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head 71 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 61 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 301. Sir, this vote is intended for the building of a fire station in Jurong. Sir, in last year's Budget Estimates, there was a provision of $242,100 for the building of a fire station in Jurong. Jurong urgently needs a fire station. I spoke at length on this matter last year, and in reply to my question the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Affairs said that this fire station would be built sometime in 1971 or 1972. The Minister can refer to Hansard, dated 25th March, 1971, at col. 1337. However, construction of this fire station has not yet commenced. And we are now coming back to this House to approve the same vote. I would like to know why there is a delay in building this fire station at Jurong. Can the Minister say definitely when will work begin on this fire station?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the reply by the Minister of State, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. 4.00 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, my question is this. If he were to receive an application from Loke Yang School for financial assistance, will he give it favourable consideration?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, when the site at Lim Chu Kang area was being selected for a school, a representative of the Ministry of Education was present. Therefore, the Minister of State for Education cannot deny that his Ministry is not responsible for re-siting the Loke Yang School. However, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether he will give sympathetic consideration to an application by this school for funds to rebuild it.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 41 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 503*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Teong Eng Siong) Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether he is prepared to make some provision to rebuild Loke Yang Public School. May I say something about this school? This school was originally situated at the 16th m.s. Jurong Road. It was later demolished as a result of a resettlement scheme. The authorities concerned had reserved two acres of land at the 9 m.s. Lim Chu Kang for the re-building of this public school. I understand that all the villagers have been moved out from the Jurong area. They are mainly poor farmers. It is, therefore, unfair for them to bear the cost of rebuilding this school. I hope the Ministry of Education will provide some funds, at least on a dollar-for-dollar basis, to help these people to rebuild Loke Yang School.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, will the Minister of State then consider this? If it is agreed not to extend the number of classes, will he consider the provision of additional laboratories for domestic science and other necessary facilities?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not satisfied with the answer given by the Minister of State. Jurong Secondary School has a great prestige built up over the years, lit has twice won first prize in the horticulture competition organised for schools in the whole of Singapore. The students have also done very well in the field of sports. Academically too the students have shown a very good performance. Therefore, my request is worth serious consideration by the Minister of State. Even though he does not wish to build more classrooms, he should build more laboratories. There is only one laboratory now, and that is used for biology, chemistry and other experiments. What about a domestic science laboratory? I think it is a question worthy of his consideration.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 41 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 402. Mr Speaker, Sir, in moving this amendment, may I ask the Minister of State for Education whether any provision is being allocated for the extension of the existing secondary school in Jurong. I have appealed to the Minister on several occasions to extend Jurong Secondary School. The Jurong Secondary School is one of the smallest secondary schools in Singapore and it lacks many facilities. In view of the increased population in my constituency of Jurong, there is an urgent need to extend the Jurong Secondary School. I believe the Minister has received a very detailed memorandum from the principal of this school requesting funds for the urgent extension of the school. I do not like to repeat the reasons for this extension, but to ask the Minister whether any provision has been made for the extension of Jurong Secondary School.”
“I thank the Minister of State for Education for his answer. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 41 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 401. Sir, in moving this amendment, I am raising the question of building a secondary school in Jurong. On two previous occasions, I have asked the Minister concerned to consider building a secondary school in Jurong Town. I am glad to note that, in the Memorandum on the Development Estimates for the next financial year, the Ministry has finally agreed to allocate the sum of $1 million for this purpose. This is good news for the people living in Jurong Town. Therefore, I only have to ask the Minister as to when will building work commence. 3.45 p.m.”
“In view of this, I beg leave to withdraw, Sir. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can the Minister of State tell the House how much time will be taken to finalise the work of consideration?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since he has said that staff quarters is part and parcel of the whole development plan, we must wait for the Master Plan to be approved before we can do anything. In that case I would like to know when the Master Plan will be approved and when will such approval be announced. Sir, in last year's debate, in answer to my question, the Minister of State said that as soon as the Ministry of Education received the 10-year development plan for Nanyang University it would be announced. This can be found in Volume 30 of Hansard, Col. 1293. I would like to ask the Minister of State to implement what he said last year.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 41 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 203. Sir, in moving this amendment, I am seeking elucidation from the Minister of State for Education on the matter of students' hostels and staff quarters. Sir, this question was raised in last year's debate on the Development Estimates in this House. At that time, there was a vote of $500,000 for the construction of staff quarters. But according to this year's Development Estimates, the same amount of $500,000 is being re-voted for the same purpose. We can see from this that there has been a prolonged delay in the construction of staff quarters. Mr Speaker, Sir, I understand that the provision of quarters to the staff of Nanyang University is considered an urgent matter. There are about 30 members of the staff in Nanyang University waiting for staff quarters. Furthermore, Sir, because Nanyang University is situated in an outlying area, lack of quarters will cause considerable inconvenience to the staff, and it will also aggravate the difficulty of recruiting more staff for Nanyang University, since new staff will have to travel all the way up there to work. As a result of this, I would like to ask the Minister concerned the reasons for the delay.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, please permit me to ask the Minister a question. This is in relation to the security of the Central Fish Market in Jurong. The Central Fish Market in Jurong is the only venue for the auction of fresh fish. Every day thousands of people do their fish business in this market. Because of the great number of people entering and leaving the market, it is inevitable that some bad hats mingle themselves with the crowd. As a result there have been cases of fighting, Xamb1ing and theft in the market. I have received complaints from the fish merchants in the market to the effect that over the past few months the security of the market has deteriorated. There has been an increasing number of thefts in the market. Fish packed in crates are simply stolen. For every crate of fish stolen the fishmonger loses about $100 to $200. If it is a crate of prawns, then the loss will be about $1,000. Those fish merchants who were affected have reported the cases to the Police, but were told that they could not do anything. I am told that usually the theft occurs before auction begins. This is the time when the businessmen are so busily occupied with the preparations for the auction that the thieves move in. I would like to ask the Minister whether he can send some policemen there between the hours of 10.00 p.m. and 2.00 a.m, to maintain order and security in the fish market.”
“It is absurd for the taxi drivers to park their taxis at the taxi-stands and then go about with their families in other taxis or buses to places some distance away from the taxi-stands. Moreover, under the law, taxi drivers are not allowed to leave their taxis unattended in the taxi-stands. Sir, the matter of taxi-parking in public car parks was, in fact, raised by the Member for Sembawang during the debate on the Reorganisation of the Motor Transport Service in September. 1970. With your permission, Sir, I would like to quote from the Hansard what the Minister for Communications said. This is found in Vol. 30, No. 5, dated 2nd September, 1970, col. 261: `The Member for Sembawang has made the suggestion that taxis should be allowed to use car parks. I see no reason why they should not be allowed if the taxi drivers pay for it. Of course, a taxi driver cannot just go to a public car park, parks his taxi for free, and goes for his meal. But if he parks his taxi in the public car park and is prepared to pay the regular 20 or 40 cents, I personally think [Interruption}. I will look into this matter. I cannot see the logic of it. It is a good suggestion which I am prepared to follow up with the party concerned. In this respect, of course, it is true that the Car Parks Division is in a different Ministry, and I will have to seek their co-operation to agree to this.' Sir, in this respect, I would like to find out from the Minister what decision has since been taken on this matter.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this is what has happened at Tuas Village in my constituency. It is a traditional fishing village. `There are many fishermen staying there. When their land was taken over for development, they were evicted without being allocated land just because they did not belong to the category of farmers. It may well be that due to the difficulties of interpretation the Minister was unable to get the gist of my questions and, therefore, was unable to give me a satisfactory reply. However, because of the time factor, I do not wish to talk any further. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Mr Ng Yeow Chong (Mountbatten): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1107 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1501*.(* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs Ch'ng Jit Koon and P. Govindaswamy.) Sir, I have recently come into contact with taxi drivers in the course of their charity drive campaign. Some of them are my constituents. I have heard grouses from them that they are not allowed to use the public car parks, even if they are prepared to pay the usual fees. I have been told that the existing rules and regulations do not permit taxis to be parked in the public car parks. Sir, I do not quite understand the reason for this objection. There may be occasions when taxi drivers, either owners or hirers, may wish to go shopping on behalf of their wives or children. They may wish to bring their families to the movies. They may wish to park their taxis in some place to go for their meals or to attend to some personal affairs. It is, therefore, illogical and unreasonable to deny them parking facilities at public car parks, not for free but on payment of the usual fees. 5.00 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I appreciate very much the bouquet he has given to the staff of the Primary Production Department. However, he has not replied to my questions.”
“Thirdly, has the Government any intention of negotiating with our neighbouring countries to extend our fishing grounds and to sign an agreement with them to enable our fishermen to fish in their territorial waters? I remember that before confrontation, our fishermen could get licences to fish in Indonesian waters. After confrontation, it has ceased. So I would like to know whether the Government can, through ASEAN or some regional organisations, acquire this privilege for our fishermen to fish in their territorial waters. If this can be done, fishermen who have strayed into neighbouring territorial waters, either because of storms or if they are faced with difficulty and are detained by them, will be able to return to Singapore safely and as early as possible. Fourthly, is the Government prepared to co-operate with our neighbouring countries to eliminate pirates from the high seas? I have received many complaints from fishermen that whenever they were accosted by pirates on the high seas, they were robbed of their fishing nets, and sometimes even their motors were taken away and the crew were taken as hostages until they had paid up their ransom. 4.45 p.m. Fifthly, is the Fisheries Section of the Primary Production Department willing to continue with their training courses to enable our fishermen to acquire some knowledge on deep-sea fishing, for example, the spotting of fish in deep sea, the repair of vessels and other related subjects since our fishermen are not so well informed about modern techniques in deep-sea fishing? I hope the Minister will reply to all these questions.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1107 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1111. Sir, in moving this amendment, I would like to talk about the problem of fisheries. We talked about agriculture just now, so this is a different problem. Sir, I remember last year in this House the Minister concerned mentioned that our fishermen could only catch one quarter of our consumption of fish and he thought that it was a shame. Sir, after a period of one year, has the Minister done anything in respect of promotion of fisheries! Up to the present moment, fishing activities in our country are declining. Although we say that we are going to encourage deep-sea fishing, the Primary Production Department is only providing certain technical assistance to some youths. The Department has not thought of ways and means to encourage people to invest in deep-sea fishing or in joint ventures between the State and private enterprise. So deep-sea fishing activities are still in their initial stage because nothing has been done in this respect. Off-shore fishing is also declining because of deep-sea trawlers operating along our coasts, and the Government has not taken adequate steps to prevent the supplies of fish from dwindling further. Hence the decline in our fishing activities. Sir, firstly, I would like to ask the Minister whether the Government intends to help our fishermen to develop off-shore fishing or coastal fishing. Secondly, is the Government prepared to allocate stretches of land along the coast to accommodate fishermen affected by clearance schemes, so that they may have a place to live and to anchor their fishing boats?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not agree with what the Minister has said. If the Government is sincere in helping the farmers, it can do so by looking for overseas markets so that they could export their pigs. The Minister said that in the last two years the prices of pigs were very high. If the Minister is going to help the farmers, then he can try to help them sell their pigs overseas. The Government can help by doing this.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister mentioned that I have no new theme to speak about. It goes to show that the problem has not been solved. If the problem has been solved, then I would have dwelt on new ideas and opinions. The Minister also mentioned that under the Master Plan for Singapore, there are certain areas which are allocated for agriculture. I would like to ask whether he can inform the House of the areas which have been allocated for agriculture. He has also omitted one of the points I raised. In these zones which have been allocated for agriculture, is he prepared to grant a longer term of lease rather than a Temporary Occupation Licence?”
“For instance, the Primary Production Department as a statutory authority can provide information obtained as a result of research, and also provide plans for production and statistics for the farmers. These farmers can benefit from the result of these various forms of financial and technical assistance. Another matter is about the use of chemicals and fertilizers in the farms, If the Primary Production Department can provide technical expertise in respect of these fields, I am sure the farmers will be able to benefit a great deal. I wonder what the Minister has to say about this.”
“I have here several question3 to ask the Minister concerned: (1) I would like to ask the Minister whether the Government is going to allocate certain areas of land for the use of farmers. Although the land area in Singapore is limited, we can see that certain areas are earmarked for industrial development, residential estates, military purposes, etc. Why cannot we do the same thing for the farmers, that is, to earmark certain areas for agricultural purposes? The majority of our farmers in Singapore are occupying land under Temporary Occupation Licences, meaning a licence for temporary occupation only. Therefore, the farmers have no security of tenure, because at any time they may be asked to move out. I would like to ask the Minister, if he has earmarked certain areas for agricultural purposes, whether he can provide a longer tenure for these farmers, for example, granting a 30 years' or 50 years' lease so that farmers can carry out their farming activities in peace. (2) Is the Minister going to convert the Primary Production Department into a statutory board? As a statutory board, the department can better look after the farmers in various ways. A few days ago we heard the Minister for Communications say that the Telecommunications Department would soon be converted into a statutory board. He said that after conversion the Board would do better in respect of recruitment and implementation and that there would also be a greater degree of flexibility in the management of telecommunication services. I wonder if the Minister for National Development is going to do the same with the Primary Production Department.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have had more than one occasion in this House to speak on the treatment of farmers by the Government, and that is, the treatment is inadequate. After hearing the Minister's reply to the Member for Sembawang, we can see that there is evidence for this inadequate treatment. For example, the Minister mentioned that the current price of pigs is $70 per picul. Let me tell him that the current price is less than $50 per picul. This goes to show that either the officials in the Primary Production Department are sleeping, or some of them are deliberately deceiving the Minister. Because of the fluctuations in prices, farmers are generally adversely affected, but the Minister keeps on repeating the old theme that prices are determined by supply and demand and that he cannot do anything about it. I am sure he can find ways and means of assisting these farmers. For instance, help them to explore overseas markets. At the moment the Government is merely providing certain technical assistance through the Primary Production Department. But that is not sufficient. As the Member for Sembawang has pointed out, the Primary Production Department has, in fact, provided quite a lot of technical assistance to increase farm production, but what is the consequence of an increase in the farm production? The consequence is an overproduction of farm produce. As a result, the farmers are being exploited by middlemen and prices go down, and farmers stand to lose. Sir, our Government believes in democratic socialism. I hope the Government is not merely interested in raising the standard of living of the middle and higher classes, but also interested in raising the standard of living of the lower classes, especially the farmers and the fishermen.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not think there can be any use in continuing the debate on this line. It will not lead to any conclusion, because the Minister does not appear to be very sincere in wanting to help these poor tenants who are affected by land acquisition. However, in view of the limited time, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $1,130,870 for Head 1104 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. 4.00 p.m. Head 1107 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not satisfied with the answer given by the Minister. My intention was to draw the Minister's attention to the fact that officials in the Land Office were not performing their duties properly. If this state of affairs continues, then our resettlement schemes will be hampered. If no compensation is paid to the squatters or the tenants, they will not be able to move out and to rebuild their farms elsewhere. The Minister also said just now that notices were put up on the land itself to request any claimants to come forward. As far as I know, these notices are usually written in English and in a legal language. The notices are, in fact, beyond the comprehension of the man in the street, let alone the farmers. I wonder whether any of them can understand notices written in English and couched in legal language. It is only the landlord who understands these notices, and probably he will be the only person to make a claim. He will, therefore, say that all these lands and improvements thereon belong to him and him alone. Consequently, the officials in the Land Office will pay everything to the landlord at the expense of the tenants. I have received many complaints of this nature, and I have referred them to the Land Office. The answer I invariably received is that all payments of compensation have been made to the landlord and nothing more can be done. Will the Minister look after the interests of the tenants who are not paid any compensation? Can we introduce legislation to ensure that part of the compensation received by the landlord should be paid to the tenants?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Land Office officials for the sake of their own convenience have caused considerable trouble to others. I have received a number of complaints of this nature during my "Meet the people" sessions. These people complained that Resettlement Officers visited them every day in an attempt to force them out of their homes. But without getting a single cent as compensation, and without any savings of their own, how do you expect them to move out? Do you want them to pull their own houses down and live in the open air? Sir, I do not understand why officials of the Land Office cannot take the trouble to make a detailed investigation to find out who the owners of the properties are, and who are the tenants living on the piece of land to be acquired, before they make payment of compensation. They must ensure that compensation is paid to those who deserve it, in order to eliminate all the problems that may arise out of acquisition, which may cause delay to the Government's development programme. In this way, Sir, the people who get the compensation will be resettled without difficulty. Otherwise, the tenants will continue to stay on the land because they have no money to move out.”