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.”
The complete record
Every one of 843 lines we hold for Ho Kah Leong, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 11 of 17.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1104 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1O11. Sir, I wish to take this opportunity to comment on the anomaly which has arisen out of the acquisition of land by the Land Office. The Land Office is the Government agency which is responsible, among other things, for the acquisition of land for development purposes. Every year the Land Office acquires considerable areas of land. Generally speaking, there should be no problem with the process of acquisition if reasonable compensation is paid to those who deserve it. But what is the actual position, Sir? The Land Office, to save itself from any trouble, normally adopts a perfunctory manner by paying compensation to the landlords instead of taking the trouble to count the number of families involved, the buildings, the improvements, and the number of fruit trees affected by the acquisition. It is at this point that problems crop up. As you know, Sir, it is quite normal to find more than one family living on any one piece of land. Very often the landlord sublets the land to others such as families who live on farming. The farmers then build up their farms and homes and planted fruit trees on the land, and after many years of hardwork and toil they begin to enjoy the fruits of their land labour. 3.30 p.m. But when the land is acquired by Government, it is only the landlord who gets the compensation. The tenants, in many cases the poor farmers, do not get a single cent as compensation. This creates a lot of problems. Without being compensated, how do you expect them to move out? How do you expect them to resettle elsewhere to rebuild their farms?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in his reply, the Minister said that the co-operative societies closed down because of poor administration and management. In this respect, Sir, I think the responsibility should fall on his Ministry. We know that all farmers and fishermen are of comparatively low educational level and they lack experience in organising co-operative societies. As they also do not have the time to engage themselves fully in the activities of the societies, so the main bulk of the organisational work should fall on the shoulders of his Ministry. Since the Minister has promised to assist in this matter, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $1,541,720 for Head 1001 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 1002 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1001 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1261*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy). Sir, you will recall that two years ago I brought this matter up with the Minister requesting him to grant assistance to our fishermen and farmers to set up co-operatives. But today, after a lapse of two years, nothing has been done at all by the Ministry concerned. A few days ago, I also brought up the question of the plight of farmers and fishermen in Singapore. I pointed out that they are in a state of hardship and they have been exploited by middlemen. Therefore, in order to help improve the lot of the fishermen and farmers in Singapore which, in fact, is one of the aims of the P.A.P, socialist Government, it is perhaps time for us to help the farmers and fishermen to set up co-operatives so that they may be freed of any exploitation. Sir, you will also recall that two years ago when the Minister replied to my question he pointed out that due to the shortage of staff in the Registry of Co-operative Societies and to other difficulties, it was not possible at that time to help the farmers and fishermen to organise co-operative societies. Sir, I would like to remind the Minister concerned to give serious consideration to the request for assistance to help farmers and fishermen set un co-operative societies. 7.00 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since the Parliamentary Secretary has given a very detailed reply, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $21,463,540 for Head 0901 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. 6.15 p.m. Head 1001 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1824. Mr Speaker, Sir, this provision is for an Education Officer in the Museum. We know there are lots of precious exhibits in the Museum. All these exhibits are very valuable teaching aids for schools. Students can obtain a useful knowledge from these exhibits, especially in the field of history. I would like to know something about the post of Education Officer. In the Estimates, I can see that there is provision for only one Education Officer. I have some doubts as to whether this person is capable of doing all the work involved. We know that our country practises the policy of multi-lingualism, and I am doubtful if this Education Officer can satisfy the requirements of all the four language stream schools.”
“Apart from a few pieces of rocks and plants. I do not see any proper decoration on the traffic islands, except one in Tiong Bahru. We have many sculptors in Singapore and we can very well display their work on the traffic islands. We have some well known sculptors in Singapore, and the Ministry of Culture can liaise with the other Ministries concerned so that the traffic islands can be a venue for the display of statues and other sculptural works produced by our sculptors. Mr Speaker, Sir, I think these proposals merit some consideration.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as the Member for Sembawang has pointed out just now the Ministry of Culture has a record achievement last year in the promotion of healthy cultural activities. In this-respect, I wish to say that the Minister for Culture himself has been very active in the cultural front. Although he has not been able to participate in this debate today, I have to show my appreciation for his efforts. Through his hard work we are able to see art exhibitions in the various community centres almost every week, and local artists are now able to use the art centre at Outram3 Park at a very low rental. May I take this opportunity to make three proposals to the Parliamentary Secretary in the field of cultural promotion? First, the setting up of a permanent Art Gallery. Mr Speaker, Sir, there are many artists in Singapore. Many of them now enjoy a great reputation overseas. They are well known not only locally but also internationally. However, so far there is no permanent place or Art Gallery to display their work. Although the proposal to build an Art Gallery was made last year, so far nothing has been done. Therefore, I wish to know from the Parliamentary Secretary what progress has been made-in this respect? My next proposal is this. Will the Ministry of Culture ask for a piece of land to be used for art displays in the open air? For example, we can ask for some space along Queen Elizabeth Walk for our local artists to display their work in the open. This open air art exhibition will attract foreign tourists. My third suggestion is whether the Ministry of Culture will seek the assistance of the other Ministries concerned to put up sculptural works on our traffic islands. The traffic islands are decorated only with plants and rocks. There are no sculptures.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, although I am not quite satisfied with the explanation given by the Minister, but because of time I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Mr P. Govindaswamy: Mr Speaker Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1306 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1191. Can the Minister of State for Finance enlighten me as to why the owner of a television set is charged a licence fee at the same rate as one who owns both a television set and a radio set? Surely anyone who possesses just one item should only he charged a fee for that item only. We should not charge a flat rate of $36 for a television set, irrespective of whether or not one possesses also a radio set.”
“I would like to ask the Minister of State whether he is willing to exempt the Basketball Association of Singapore from income tax.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1306 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1041. Sir, in moving this amendment I would like the Minister to explain one point as regards the policy for the collection of taxes from societies registered under the Societies Act. I think the Minister will agree with me that the existing societies in Singapore play a very important part in our efforts to build a closely-knit society. The Minister should be aware that these societies are organised on a voluntary basis and depend on their members' subscriptions and public support. If these societies are going to raise funds for the construction of their premises or the establishment of scholarships or other meaningful projects, they will have to carry out a fund-raising campaign. 4.15 p.m. Sir, from what I know a large -proportion of these funds which the societies have raised after great pains and efforts goes to the Inland Revenue Department in the form of income tax. Since they are working for public good or charity, this tax, in fact, serves to discourage them to continue with their efforts. I think the tax measure is not fair, and should be abolished. Income tax should not be levied on societies. If these societies can be exempted from tax, then they will be greatly encouraged to carry out their meaningful activities -for the welfare of the public. This, I believe will be of great benefit to our society and our country.”
“Sir, in that case I am not prepared to withdraw my amendment. Question on the amendment put, and negatived. 4.00 p.m.”
“I do not agree with what the Minister of State has said. We cannot give lip service only if we want to encourage cultural activities. Without adequate financial aid, it would not have been possible for us to send a cultural mission to Adelaide. Therefore, I would like the Minister of State for Finance to seriously consider increasing the allocation for next year. Instead of $10,000, I hope he will give an assurance that there will be more funds for next year. Otherwise, I will not withdraw my amendment.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am somewhat taken by surprise by the reply. I was trying to speak for the Ministry of Culture to get the Ministry of Finance to give more money for cultural activities. However, the Parliamentary Secretary does not seem to think that this is necessary. The question is this. Is the National Theatre worthy of financial assistance from the Government? If so, it should give more money so that it would not have to run into annual deficits of more than $200,000, which can only be met by contributions or donations from members of the public. If it has to carry on like this every year, the difficulties will be great. What will happen to the National Theatre if it fails to get sufficient donations?”
“I would like to ask the Minister for Finance not to stinge on the cultural expenses. Sir, I read in the newspapers that a cultural mission was sent to Adelaide to take part in the cultural festival under the leadership of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture. It was a great success and the performance was applauded by thousands of Australians, thereby enabling them to have a better image of Singapore. Sir, on this basis I would like the Minister for Finance to allocate more sums to the Ministry of Culture to set up a permanent cultural mission to visit and perform in various countries overseas. In the first place, this will promote cultural activities in Singapore. In the second place, it will give added publicity to Singapore and the promotion of our tourist trade. I think a cultural mission is a better means of promoting Singapore than mediums or trishaws organised by the Tourist Promotion Board. I hope the Minister will consider this matter seriously. 3.45 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1303 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2281. Sir, this is a provision for contributions and financial assistance to cultural organisations. Looking at the Estimates, this provision of just a mere sum of $10,000 is too small as a means of contribution and financial assistance to cultural organisations. It is inadequate for their activities. It is common knowledge that cultural activities certainly require an assistance of more than $10,000. Sir, from the policy statement of the Finance Minister we know that our economy has established a firm foundation. At the same time we are also promoting a gracious living in Singapore because we do not want to produce ugly Singaporeans. Therefore, I would like to ask the Minister for Finance to allocate more funds as a contribution for the promotion of cultural activities in Singapore. Mr Speaker, Sir, the largest theatre in Singapore is the National Theatre. Though it is called National Theatre, it is not run by the State, but by the National Theatre Trust. Notwithstanding this fact, Sir, under the planning and organisation of the National Theatre Trust, various significant activities have been carried out in the cultural front. But this is not a direct management from the State. Because of this, the National Theatre Trust is annually faced with financial deficits of more than $200,000 per annum. It has to make public appeals for donations every year to meet the deficit. What I fail to understand is why has the Government not allocated a sum of $200,000 to 5 300.000 to the National Theatre Trust to make it possible for the National Theatre Trust to successfully promote cultural activities in Singapore?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have also received complaints from principals of schools which do not have technical classes for Secondary III and onwards that, as a result of the aptitude test all their best students have been selected to go to the technical schools. This has been mentioned by the Member for Anson just now. If the best students are selected for the technical classes, what will happen to the teaching of the humanities and other social sciences? Of course, we will produce the best of technicians, However, if we do not have people with a knowledge of the humanities and the social sciences, then we can at best build only a technical society which can be listless. In the long-term interest of the nation, I do not know whether or not this is good. The next point is that after these students have been selected for the technical classes in other schools, the extra-curricular activities, in particular, the uniformed groups in their schools, are affected and put at a great disadvantage. They cannot carry on their activities because the best students have been taken away. I would like the Minister to think of a solution to this problem. 7.30 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the emphasis on education has been shifted from the academic to the technical, resulting in the Establishment of the Technical Education Department. Technical education has been given priority from all quarters, and consequently the officials in the Technical Education Department seem to have become rather arrogant. I have received complaints from principals and teachers that there is too much bureaucracy in the Technical Education Department. I have personal experience of this attitude. I have tried to take up the case of a teacher who claims recognition of his past teaching experience but without results. I wrote two letters on the 14th of June and the 21st of July last year to the Technical Education Department. There was not even an acknowledgement, not to say of achieving a due reply. Such treatment is meted out even to a Member of Parliament, and let us not mention about treatment to members of the public. I do not know whether or not letters from Members of Parliament carry any weight, or is it a question of inefficiency in the department itself? I would like the Minister to explain this in this House. The next point I wish to raise is the question of textbooks for technical subjects. We are on the fourth year of technical education. However, there are still no proper textbooks for the technical students. There is only the syllabus on technical education, and because of the dearth of textbooks different teachers have devised different notes for distribution to students. As a result, the progress in technical education differs from one school to another. I do not know whether the Technical Education Department has taken any action to produce textbooks.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not wish to concern myself too much with the closure of the School of Education, so long as opportunities for further education are given to ambitious and enterprising teachers. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn, Mr P. Govindaswamy: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1251. Sir, since the introduction of the Educational Television Service, there have been programmes for technical and primary schools. However, all these programmes are screened in the daytime. Sometime ago the Adult Education Board announced its intention to introduce E.T.V, programmes for adults. So far there is no sign of it. May I ask when will these E.T,V, programmes be introduced for our adult population?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1221*.(* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy.) When the new Minister for Education took office, he shelved the Institute of Education Act. It was a great disappointment to the teachers and as a result, some of them left the Education Service. I understand that the School of Education in the University of Singapore has also closed down recently. I would like to ask the Minister concerned what opportunities for advancement are there left available for ambitious and promising teachers? Are there training courses for teachers to acquire degrees in the T.T.C.? If there are, ambitious teachers in the primary and secondary schools can undertake such degree courses and thus our education system will be improved. I wonder whether the Minister has any information on this matter.”
“Sir, in view of the answer given, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, the Minister has not told this House whether or not the two Principals are for two separate schools, and what are the schools.”
“Sir, in view of the assurance given, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. 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 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1161. Sir, I understand that after the readjustments of salary scales, following the negotiations between the Ministry and the Teachers' Unions, the post of "Principal" does not appear in the Estimates any longer. Teachers are no longer known as teachers. All teachers and principals are known as Education Officer, Senior Education Officer and Principal Education Officer. All the salaries of these Education Officers have been properly regraded too, in view of this, I do not understand why there are still two posts of Principals of Secondary Schools, Grade G, appearing in the Estimates. Can the Minister concerned explain which are the two schools that require a Principal at Superscale G, and why?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if the forms to be filled by the schools are of any use, then I have no objection. But as far as I know there are some forms which have been filled in and submitted to the Ministry of Education, but they were just shelved without putting them to any use at all. Sir, I would like the Minister to give us an assurance that, in future, all forms to be filled in by Chinese schools should also be in Chinese.”
“Can the Minister concerned please enlighten the House?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1111. Sir, I received several complaints from principals that for the past year they have been filling in more than 100 different forms. They complained that these forms are very complicated and have to be completed in English. It is not easy to fill in all these forms. Sometimes when forms have been filled in and submitted to the Ministry of Education, they are returned because they have been wrongly filled. As a result, a lot of time is wasted before all the forms are properly filled. If a school principal is kept busy with this form-filling exercise, then the rest of his work will have to be sacrificed. Let us take this academic year by way of illustration. So far, more than 20 forms have to be filled in by principals. In one instance, a form is to be filled in by school children giving the constituency to which they belong. In this respect, even the teachers themselves are not sure about what is required. The students are also confused, because they do not know which constituency they belong to. When they ask their parents, they too do not know. So they just fill up the forms haphazardly, as a result of which the necessary correct information is not obtained. I have also been given to understand that these forms are required by the Research and Statistics Department to ascertain the school requirements for the next ten years. If this information is to be supplied in such a great hurry. I do not know whether they will be of any use. Sir, I would like to know what is the exact function of the Research and Statistics Department in the Ministry of Education. What has this department done so far to be of benefit to education?”
“At the moment, the tendency to indulgence, looseness and self-seeking on the part of youths is still in the incipient stage, anti therefore it is time we took steps to arrest such tendency. However, this cannot be done by merely holding a few seminars or talking and lecturing by some experts. It is not a time to sit and talk but a time to stand up and act. In this respect, the Ministry of Education should shoulder its particular responsibilities.”
“The answer may be that the schools do not bother to control the students, The less you do, the less trouble you get, otherwise your good intention may get you evil recompense from the students, What is the reason for this situation? It is because the schools are not given proper authority to deal with the students. Teachers are not given the right to mete out corporal punishment. With the system of automatic promotion, persuasion and character records will have no avail on the situation. If any corporal punishment is to be meted out, the school must be prepared to brave the possible anger of parents because they may write to the Ministry or to the press to complain. Under such circumstances, is it any wonder that most schools do not want to get any credit hut hope to avoid getting into trouble by not exercising control over the students? Thirdly, parents do not exercise their guidance adequately. This might be due to lack of time or proper understanding on their part. Most of them send their children to school in the hope that they will be taken care of by the schools. Since students spend about 5� hours in the school and most of the time at home, then if parents do not take proper care of their children but allow their children to wander about and to get mixed up with bad elements, they will be led astray. These are hut a few common causes; there are many other factors. If we want to produce a rugged and healthy generation, which possesses not only brawn hut brain, we must allow the schools to have a settled and peaceful environment. To achieve this, the maintenance of discipline in the schools is most important.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to touch on the behaviour and thinking of our students in the schools. I think the kind of behaviour and thinking they have will have a great bearing on our future. Sir, not long ago the students in our schools were guilty of extremism in their thinking and behaviour which caused us some concern, They were a bit radical and this lasted for some length of time, and they were criticised by the society at large. However, now there has been a complete change to the other extreme. They have become indulgent in pleasure seeking and licentiousness, and some of them even try to imitate hippies of the West. This has also infected our schools. You can notice it. If we do not arrest such trends now, allow it to continue, it will result in our young people becoming decadent and degenerate. How then are we going to bring up a rugged generation? The purpose of having extra-curricular activities in the schools is to channel the learning and energy of our students to the right direction. Hence we have civic subjects in our schools. How then could our youths have changed? I think we can deal with this matter under several subheadings. Firstly, the evil vogue and environment in our society exert harmful influences over our youngsters. Youngsters of lesser will power will not be able to resist such enticements and trends, Mass media like Radio and T.V, broadcasts, gramophones, the press, advertisements and posters, bookstores and coffee houses, all exert a kind of degenerating influence on our young people. On this, the Member for Thomason has given his view in the House a few days ago. Secondly, the disciplinary control by the schools has recently been lax on our students. Many teachers have sighed with a heavy heart about this. What are the causes?”
“Sir, I am glad to know that the Minister for Education has seriously discussed matters with us here. However, there is one point which he has overlooked, and that is the question of raising the standard of English in Chinese schools. I would like to hear his views on this.”
“Some schools even go to the extent of providing additional English teachers out of their own funds to teach the English language. However, all these efforts seem to have achieved not much success. Basically, I think it is because both the textbooks and the teachers are far from ideal. Generally, not every English teacher in Chinese schools is properly trained in the teaching of the second language. There is great mobility of such teachers too. Some pre-university level classes are taught by teachers with only a Cambridge School Certificate. It is necessary to have trained teachers and to have new textbooks compiled to meet the needs and background of our local situation in order to meet the actual requirement for a better standard of English in Chinese schools. Sir, I would like to raise a final question for the Minister's consideration. That is the abolition of the post allowance to school Vice-Principals. In October last, the Teachers' Unions had reached an agreement with the Ministry of Education on the readjustment of salary structure. To be fair, the Ministry should not change the substance and spirit of the agreement by acting unilaterally. How can the post allowance of Vice-Principals be entirely abolished in the course of the readjustment after it has been implemented for so many years? I would like the Minister to explain this.”
“" This was the reply given to the Chinese Middle School Teachers' Union by the Ministry of Education and it was published on 1st March this year in the Chinese newspapers. If that is the case, why not abolish the combined primary school leaving examination? Why not let us do away with all this, so that teachers may be able to effect better teaching methods to achieve the expected aims of education? Another example is the use of so-called "wordless new syllabus". It may be all right to experienced teachers and bright students. But if the teachers are without any experience and the pupils are backward, then it will amount to nothing, whether the students are attending school or not. I have come across certain pupils who, after attending primary school for two years, are still not able to write their own names. Sir, I am not being very archaic and I am not against educational reforms, but the question is whether these reforms are good for our education. Here, I would like to suggest to the Minister that before the implementation of any change in the education system or policy, we should consider the views and opinions of all the people concerned. We should not merely go by the reports of experts or the liking of some. In case of any failure of the reformation, the losers will always be our innocent students. It will also adversely affect the quality and interest of our nation in the long run. Now, let me touch on the question of the teaching of second language in Chinese schools. All along Chinese schools have been using English as a second language. They have been striving hard to promote the learning of English by increasing the sessions or by other means.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am glad to see that the Minister for Education is now able to answer all queries with ease and in a calm manner. I hope he will have the same confidence when we come to the next amendment. In the past few years our education system has been undergoing tremendous changes. Besides the major change from academic-bias education to technical-bias education, there are many other changes. However, I am sorry to say that some of these changes are indecisive in nature, while some others are dependent on the change of Ministers. Whether the changes are all for the good, we will have to wait for history to tell. Because of the speed of the changes, sometimes even people in the educational circles feel at a loss. Thus, I wonder whether adequate and prudent consideration had been given before the changes were made. For example, a few years ago, it is required to use English in teaching Mathematics and Science in Chinese schools, and the teaching of History, Geography and Civics in Chinese in the English schools, and so on. However, before long the directive is not rigidly enforced and principals are given the discretion to decide. At the moment, it is not certain in what language textbooks are to be used for Mathematics and Science in Chinese secondary schools. The reason given for the abolition of geography and history as examination subjects for the combined primary school leaving examination is "to raise the interest of the students in these subjects so that the students may not have to learn by rote for the examination. Thus the teachers will be better able to use their teaching methods freely to obtain greater effect in order to achieve the aims of education as expected.”
“I am sure the 200,000 or 300,000 people of Singapore who depend on agriculture and fishing will be very grateful to him. I support the Budget presented by the Minister. 4.51 p.m.”
“We-know that the large-scale reclamation of land has led to land and sea pollution. This has an adverse effect on the catch of the kelongs in various areas. Of course, we cannot criticise the-Government's reclamation schemes. However, we must consider the question of giving assistance to these kelongs so that the fishermen can carry on with their livelihood. Mr Speaker, Sir, we know that in the last few years there were many cases of fishermen being robbed by pirates. Some of them were also arrested by foreign governments. Sometimes they were also kidnapped and were released only after the payment of a few thousand dollars. I am sure that our Government and all the people are sympathetic towards these fishermen for their hardship. I hope the Government will think of some adequate measures-to reduce, if not altogether eliminate, such incidents. For example, our Government can enter into an agreement with our neighbouring countries on the question of fishing rights so that our fishermen will be allowed to fish in their territorial waters without fear of being arrested, tortured or prosecuted. The Marine Police should also increase their vigilance and prevent plundering by sea pirates. I have also been informed that some of these pirates have even come to our kelongs to rob our fishermen. Mr Speaker, Sir, the personal safety of these fishermen must be protected. The Minister for Finance knows better than I do of the contributions that agriculture and fisheries make to our economy. I only hope that he will spend some time considering in depth how to develop our agriculture and fisheries and I hope that in his next Budget speech he would devote more time to agriculture and fisheries.”
“In the same way, there is no reason why we should not succeed. Deep-sea fishing has not been developed to any significant extent in the last few years. The setting up of a Fisheries Training School is not sufficient by itself. Deep-sea fishing requires a large amount of capital and it involves great risks. Without the active participation of Government, there is not much prospect of deep-sea fishing developing as an industry. The Government has already withdrawn the pioneer industry status for deep-sea fishing. However, other kinds of preferential treatment should be given to encourage local and overseas businessmen to develop deep-sea fishing. Mr Speaker, Sir, there is no conflict of interests between deep-sea fishing and off-shore fishing. Therefore, the Government should also encourage off-shore fishing. It is a fact that during the last few years the Government has neglected the development of off-shore fishing. In fact, it has regarded off-shore fishing as an archaic or useless occupation. Mr Speaker, Sir, we must also look after the sea-beds from which large quantities of fresh fish are obtained. I am referring now to the small trawlers which operate near the off-shore areas, and in the process they affect the natural environment of the sea. The presence of these small trawlers makes the sea more choppy and, as a result, the fish and the prawns do not reproduce in large numbers. We should impose a total ban on the operation of these-small trawlers in the off-shore areas. The Marine police and the Primary Production Department should co-operate in this respect. During the last year, only eight trawlers were arrested and we-cannot help but have some doubts on the efficiency of the Marine Police. Mr Speaker, Sir, I shall now touch on the question of reclamation.”
“It is no use for Government officials to sit in air-conditioned rooms, expecting farmers to come forward and register themselves to form a co-operative. The Government should take a positive step to help the farmers, because they are usually very busy and they lack the necessary experience and knowledge. If the Government does this, great benefits will be shared not only by the farmers but also the consumers at large. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would now like to touch on fisheries. We know that Singapore is surrounded by the four seas. But our fishermen can only catch one-quarter of our total consumption of fish. The Minister for Law and National Development has said that this is a shame. According to a survey our consumption of fish is the highest in Asia. The figure comes to 35.6 kilos per person per year. Following the increase in our population, the consumption of fish is bound to increase. It is estimated that by 1975, our consumption will reach the figure of 82,000 tons. On the other hand, we can see from the annual reports of the Primary Production Department that if fishing activities are declining and if allowed to continue, we would have to import more and more fish. Then this will not only lead to a loss in foreign exchange but, if there is any external factor, also to an increase in the price of fish. The people who stand to lose will be our home consumers. Sir, we know that the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean have an abundant supply of fish, and there is a great potential for deep-sea fishing. There are fishing trawlers from Taiwan and Japan catching the Tuna in the Indian Ocean, and they are exporting them to Europe. Why cannot we do the same thing? In fact, the distance from Singapore to the Indian Ocean is only half that from Taiwan or Japan.”
“There will then be no profit to the farmers despite all the technical aid provided to ensure good harvests. Mr Speaker, Sir, at this time last year I asked the Minister for Finance about the establishment of an agricultural bank. After one year's deliberation, may I know what is the decision of the Minister? Even if there is no intention to set up an agricultural bank, I think the Minister should consider setting up a department in the Development Bank of Singapore to deal with financial matters relating to farmers and to provide low-interest loans. It is only through the granting of low-interest loans that farmers can rid themselves of the exploitation by the middlemen. This move will improve their well-being. Secondly, the question of over-production is due to the farmers' lack of ability to analyse markets. They produce without any proper planning. But we cannot blame them for this, because they do not have either the knowledge, the data, or the machinery for analysis of the market. This work should, in fact, be done by the Primary Production Department, so that the problem of over-production can be solved. In addition to this, I think Intraco should also assist farmers to explore and open markets overseas so that the agricultural surplus products can be exported. I think the Government should also encourage the setting up of industries and factories processing agricultural produce. This will absorb the surplus farm produce. Mr Speaker, Sir, to eliminate the exploitation of farmers by middlemen, it is necessary to set up a co-operative for farmers. The Government has been successful in the implementation of co-operatives for transport and insurance for the workers. So there is no reason why the Government cannot succeed in the field of agriculture.”
“The suppliers act as a sort of middlemen and moneylenders. Mr Speaker, Sir, in spite of the rising costs of fertilisers and animal feeds, the prices of primary farm produce are going down. We can see from this that a bad relationship exists between the primary producers and the middlemen. I can only use the word "exploitation" to describe the relationship, in the absence of a better term. Sir, farmers are not rich. They do not even have the money to buy things on cash terms. They have to purchase their supplies on credit. It is only when their livestock are big enough for sale and sold will they be able to raise some money to pay for the supplies of animal feeds and fertilisers. Another difficulty which the farmers face is that when the harvest is plentiful, there is an excess of supply over demand. Again the poor farmers will be exploited by the middlemen and the suppliers of their animal feeds and fertilisers. As a result, the prices of their products dropped. They will then again experience difficulty in repaying the debts that they have incurred. This is an unusual phenomenon which should be removed. A socialist Government cannot continue to ignore the unreasonable acts of the middlemen who exploit the primary producers. Government must do something to ensure that everybody gets the fruit of his labour. All along their interests have been looked after by the Primary Production Department by providing them with technical aids. If the Government does not give further help to the farmers in the form of financial aid, planning, marketing and sales, then whatever benefits they may get from the Primary Production Department will be cancelled out, because of the low prices of their produce.”
“After resettlement a few unfortunate ones have to move again. As a result of resettlement, farmers experience great inconvenience and losses. The Government should therefore take steps to avoid resettling the farmers more than once. Sir, farmers require land just as fish require water. Since land is leased to them under T.O.Ls, they are always liable to resettlement or eviction. Psychologically, this has a bad effect on them. Because of this, they tend to take things easy, instead of trying to find permanent ways and means to increase their production. This is a great blow to our agricultural activities. Mr Speaker, Sir, although we are not in a position to implement "Land to the Tillers" scheme, we should designate agricultural areas and grant longer leases of, say, 30 to 50 years, so that they will be able to till the land for a fixed period, so that they can also plan for improvement and expansion. Sir, as the Minister for Finance may probably be aware, the prices of primary farm produce especially of pigs and eggs, have gone down recently. In some cases, the prices have dropped to below cost. Some farmers are experiencing considerable hardships and are on the brink of bankruptcy. This shows the weakness of our agricultural economics. Farmers are engaged in these activities for a living and they only manage to make ends meet. But with the small returns they get, they cannot be sure of even three meals a day. This is the case not only in times when the harvest is poor, but also when the harvest is good. This is the result of the rising costs of fertilisers and animal feeds. Farmers normally obtain animal feeds and fertilisers on credit. They repay the suppliers for their fertilisers and animal feeds when they have a rich harvest.”
“If, for any reason, there is further decline in the production of supplementary food, we will have to spend a great deal on foreign exchange in order to import food from other countries, and should this supply be cut off for any reason, we will all be starved to death. I, therefore, feel that definite policies must be formulated for fisheries and agriculture, in order to look after the interests of our farmers in Singapore. Mr Speaker, Sir, there are about 23,000 families engaged in agricultural or fishing activities. Together with relatives and allied workers, merchants and hawkers, I think about 200,000-300,000 people are dependent on agriculture and fisheries for their livelihood. This constitutes more than one-tenth of our total population. So their contribution to our economy cannot be completely ignored. Sir, there are signs that agriculture and fisheries are on the decline. We can see from the annual reports of the Primary Production Department that farming and fishing activities in Singapore are declining at a tremendous speed. We must do something to stop or check the decline. Because land is scarce in Singapore, we have to find ways and means to make the best use of whatever land we have and, after industrialisation, allocate some land to farmers for agricultural pursuits. However, the tendency is towards urbanisation and industrialisation. As a result, it is understood that agricultural land available amounts to only a small area of 33.000 acres. Apart from the small portion of private land, a greater part of it is State land, leased to farmers under Temporary Occupation Licences. Because they have to farm under T.O.Ls they always have the sense of insecurity and are convinced by the fact that they are often resettled from time to time.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, like my colleagues, I would like to express my support and convey my congratulations to the Minister for Finance for announcing his third painless Budget in this House. Sir, although we are not entirely out of the woods yet, our economy has all the time been going up instead of declining. This is largely due to the able leadership of the Government, combined with the strong will and determination of the people to overcome obstacles. Mr Speaker, Sir, despite increases in expenditure for Defence, Education, Social Services, and others, the Minister for Finance has been able to balance his Budget without having to increase existing taxes or introducing new taxes. On the contrary, he has been able to introduce six tax reliefs. I must congratulate the Minister for Finance on this. However, I must also echo the disappointment of the rural people. There is no mention in the Budget Statement of any change in the policy on agriculture and fisheries. I am not an economist, and so I will not be able to say how much profit can be made out of agriculture and fisheries as compared to industry, for the same amount of land that is being used. However, I know that some land should be allocated for agricultural purposes. I am sure most of us remember that during the Japanese occupation of Singapore, almost every family planted tapioca or potatoes for their own consumption. But now there is no land available in the city to grow even a plot of potatoes. Most of our farmers are engaged in the production of supplementary food. Due to lack of proper care, they are left entirely on their own for survival. Agricultural land is continually being diminished.”
“May I ask when a secondary school will be built in Jurong Town? The Minister has not replied to this question yet.”
“This shows that parents are deeply concerned about their children's future. They were pre, pared to queue up day and night am! even went without food in order to get a place for their children. This deserve our commendation. On the other hand, we have to ask ourselves this question: why should parents queue up to get places for their children? This is not desirable. If foreign tourists were to pass by these schools, they would be under the impression that there was an influx of refugees from other countries. What is more serious is that certain unscrupulous characters exploited the situation by occupying some places in the queue and selling them at exorbitant prices to waiting parents. I feel the Ministry of Education should not shirk its responsibility any more. It should make an overall review of the registration system for Primary I classes to stop similar occurrences. Sir, I associate myself with the Member for Ulu Pandan in thanking the President for his speech to this House. 4.20 p.m.”
“It must ensure that the status and position of teachers are not affected and changed. The characteristics and traditions of the various language-stream schools should be preserved. It is important to have more language periods. On the other hand, we must also ensure that essential information, necessary for children growing up, is imparted to them. One good feature about Chinese education is that character training and ethics are taught right from the beginning in the primary schools. This feature is worth preserving. Mr Speaker, Sir, education is a long-term process. The effectiveness of our education policy will largely affect the future of our nation. We should therefore be cautious in implementing any new policy. We should not be too hasty if we want to get good results. Experiments and pilot schemes should be carried out to test whether the new theory is workable before implementation. Thus it would involve many facets of education. Whether or not our education policy will be successful mainly depends on the Teachers' Training College's efforts in producing efficient teachers. There is a saying that if you want to do a thing well, you must sharpen the tool first. The effectiveness of the T.T.C, will have very far-reaching effects on whether our education policy will he successful or not. I believe that in our educational reforms, the T.1'.C, should play a more effective and important role. In fact, it should become a centre for theoretical studies and research. The findings of the centre could then be implemented by the Ministry of Education with full participation by all the schools. In this way, the effects of educational reforms will be more beneficial. Judging from the enrolment of Primary T pupils in the last few days we can see that it is a very good sign.”
“We know that certain subjects, whether in primary schools, secondary schools or pre-university classes, are repetitious in nature. No doubt the subject contents have been progressively graded. However, I think it is not necessary to go deeper into these subjects repetitiously, and we should not spend so much time on the same subjects. I hope in the new curricula for the primary schools, the Ministry will give recognition to this. We realise that we have educational experts engaged in research into the new curricula, and the success or failure of [his reform will affect both our present and future generations and our national future. So 1 hope the Government will invite educationists from the various educational bodies in the communities to participate In more of such research and to give their views. I agree that more time should be spent on the teaching of second languages in the primary schools. Bilingual education should commence when children are in the primary schools. No doubt, this will be at the expense of certain other subjects. But these subjects could be taught later on to allow more time for teaching second languages. However, the curriculum should be properly planned and balanced by our experts. Otherwise, our pupils will acquire only a superficial knowledge of languages, lacking in certain important information. This will not help meet our social requirements. More flexible subjects such as physical education, the fine arts, handicraft and music might he taught in the second language to provide more scope for our pupils to practise their second languages. This will help raise their proficiency in the second language. However, when implementing this policy, the Ministry of Education should not be too hasty.”
“Although many farmers are very keen on donating to the building of a school, however, as settlers, they are not economically strong enough, though their hearts are willing. Even with the donations they get added to the compensation given by the Government, they still would not be able to build a standard-type school. If a substandard school is built, with lack of equipment and facilities, how are they going to raise the standard of education of the pupils? In the addendum to the President's speech, mention is made of the raising of the quality of education. How are we going to achieve this? I hope the Minister will remember that the Government labels itself as a socialistic government. When the farmers have been resettled elsewhere, the educational needs of their children should be well looked after. I hope the Minister will personally take the initiative to see to it that in the resettlement areas, enough schools are built, for which he will be amply thanked by the resettled people. Sir, talking about building schools, let me deal with certain questions of education. From the policy speech, we know that there will be a greater flexibility in the field of education so that every child will be given an opportunity to learn two languages. Thus, in the coming years, our publicised multilingual system with four official languages will be given a true meaning and will have a bright future. Sir, in the past, the problem of bilingualism centred on the time available for the teaching of the languages. However, the number of subjects remains the same. Although we are now stressing the importance of learning a second language, the total time available for teaching is the same. We have rigid lesson plans which cannot be changed.”
“According to my understanding, the Resettlement Department is very shorthanded. Unless it can recruit enough personnel, it would not be able to cope with our rapid development. I hope the Minister will take note of this. Yesterday, the Member for Jalan Kayu said that the Government should pay attention to the rehabilitation and welfare of resettled people. At the very least, they should be provided with such social amenities and services as they used to get before they were resettled. I fully agree with what the Member said. However, what puts me in a daze most is that whenever the authorities intend to carry out certain resettlement schemes, no provision is given to the building of schools as part of the resettlement blue-print. Thus the farmers who are affected by resettlement are worried by the prospect that their children would not be able to get places in the schools. Sir, I think there is no need for me to stress the importance of education here. To the poor farmers in particular, it is very important that their children should get a good education. This is a means to improve their economic position whereby they can bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots. It is regrettable to say that no provision or consideration is given by the authorities concerned for the building of schools in resettlement areas. For example, in my constituency, Loke Yang School was asked to make way for development. After so many appeals, the school could only get about $30,000 as compensation and a piece of land in the Lim Chu Kang resettlement area from the authorities. That is the end of it. The farmers are expected to build the school by themselves.”
“For example, in Jurong, when a certain area is earmarked for development, the farmers in that area would like to move out to a new place quickly, because if the period of waiting is long, they would not be able to carry out their normal activities, thus resulting in a reduction in their income, Also, because of reclamation work around the area, some of the roads are blocked out causing difficulties in traffic. Because of the fleet of lorries conveying earth from one place to another, even the wells from where the farmers get their drinking water are polluted. However, these are not the worst of their problems. The most distressing problem which is causing the deepest anxiety among them is that the ditches and drains are silted and choked, causing floods whenever there is a heavy downpour. Their chicken-pens and pigsties and even their dwellings would then be soaked in water, and their crops destroyed. The losses could be quite considerable. I have been to such areas and I personally have seen that the ditches and the drains have been silted and choked to such an extent that dredging them is impossible. The only\ solution to their problems is to help these farmers resettle in a resettlement area as quickly as possible. Sir, a few months ago, when making an adjournment speech in this House. I touched on certain problems relating to resettlement. However, these problems have not been entirely solved up to now. The authorities have not been able to give speedy and adequate compensation once and for all to the ground squatters in new resettlement areas. This has given rise to disputes and confusion between the ground squatters and the new settlers and has thus slowed down the resettlement scheme.”
“Any force threatening our survival, whether from inside or outside, should be countered vigorously by all our people in unison. Sir, one of the inadequacies of our natural resources is the limited land we have. This cannot be overcome in a short time. Although our reclamation schemes are being carried out day and night, they take years to complete. In order to keep on progressing and developing, we have to acquire more land to development. On these lands, properties and the means of livelihood, etc, will have to be resettled elsewhere. It is gratifying to note that the Government could appreciate the difficulties and hardships of the people affected by resettlement. Recently, the Government has announced that higher rates of compensation will be awarded to those affected by resettlement. As there will be financial losses and inconvenience resulting from resettlement, those who are carrying out the resettlement scheme should, where possible, see that the settlers should not suffer any unnecessary hardship. They should be helped to tide over their difficulties in the transitional period to resume their livelihood. They should abide by these principles of the Government. Although in the last ten years the resettlement scheme has been smoothly carried out, the Resettlement Department, which can boast of its efficiency, has assumed a very burdensome and onerous task because of rapid development. This seems to be difficult for the department to cope with, thus affecting the settlers adversely.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in the last few days Backbenchers and certain Members sitting opposite have spoken at length on the policy speech delivered on the 21st of last month in this House. The debate has been lively and thought-provoking. Although the Members in this House all belong to the same party, however, we, the Backbenchers, are not forgetting our role as such. We have been able to make certain frank and constructive criticism of the implementation of policies and of certain aspects of the policies. As the Member for Katong has just said, many of the original views of Backbenchers have been incorporated in the policy speech. This shows that our Government is able to accept and follow the views of Members of Parliament, namely, those of the people. Our Government is elected by the people and its policy has to be based on the wishes of the people. This goes without saying. The policy speech has inspired and enlightened us and has given us a lot of food for thought. It has filled us with confidence for the future of our country, which is the most important aspect of it. It is gratifying to note that after six years of independence we have been able to make progress on all fronts. However, we must avoid a sense of complacency permeating our society. We are just at the initial stage of nation-building. Although we have been able to surmount many difficulties and problems, the tasks ahead and the problems facing us are still enormous and thorny. They await our resolute solution, especially so when we are living in this region of super-power politics. As a small island-state, we should he cautious and prudent in our policy and in our actions in order to ensure our survival. Hence, national interest should take priority over everything else.”