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 16 of 17.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, 1 am not satisfied with the reply of the Parliamentary Secretary because he has not answered to the point. The first point is this. Why did the Commissioner of Lands fail to consult or liaise with the Economic Development Board before he allotted resettlement land to the people? He allotted various areas to people at his whim and fancy, an-d later on when he discovered to his surprise that the areas were ear marked for development, he had to refuse subsequent applications for these areas. So the people feel there is injustice and indiscrimination. As a result of his mishandling the situation, our development programme has been delayed. Secondly, why should the collection of royalties or revenue fall into arrears? Is it due to the negligence or oversight of the officers? The name of every operator of sand quarries is listed in the Land Office and he is required to pay royalties annually. So the collection of royalties should not have been left in arrears for five years. Can the Parliamentary Secretary be certain that he will be able to collect the arrears in full'? If not, there will be a loss in our revenue. My third point relates to road repairs and road construction. It has nothing to do with repairs to houses. The Parliamentary Secretary has not answered my point. My complaint is this. Applications for road repairs and for the construction of bridges have to be cleared with the Land Office, because the areas are earmarked for development, before they are referred to the Urban and Rural Services Committee for consideration. It happens that the Land Office takes a lot of time to reply. The roads are in a state of disrepair and they become worse because of the undue delay.”
“I fail to understand why the Land Office has classified this area as a development area. I think the officers must be blind to realities. As a result, unnecessary trouble has been created and the officers concerned should be held responsible. In fact, in the surrounding areas, permission has been granted for the rural folk to build their huts and houses. Will the Minister give appropriate-instructions to his officers to look further into the matler so that the rural folk will be given the necessary facilities?”
“Thirdly, in my constituency, many areas have been earmarked for industrial development, and construction of public works is going on, such as repair of soads, construction of bridges and so on. There are usually some difficulties in the approval of these works. One of these relates to the undue delays by the Land Office in the clearance of applications for certain projects. Sir, I wish to amplify on this point. It will be a waste of public money for people to develop areas which are earmarked for development. Some people from development areas have recently been resettled in my constituency, and it is unreasonable for the authorities to resettle them once more in another area in such a short time, because the areas in which they live now will be developed. So there is actually no reason for the delay mentioned above. In fact, applications for clearance of construction projects will be answered only after a period of six months or one year. I had on the same occasion here last year complained of the inefficiency of the Land Office and I am mentioning it again in order to catch the attention of the Minister. Mr Teong Eng Siong (Sembawang)(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to draw the Minister's attention to some of the complaints made against the Land Office. In my constituency, there was an instance which gave rise to-unnecessary inconvenience to the people due to the inefficiency of the Land Office. At the 15th milestone of my constituency there is a village which has about 100 families. One of them applied for permission to renovate his-shop, but his application was rejected because that area has been earmarked for agricultural development. I have already mentioned that my constituency is in the rural area.”
“I wonder whether there is any inter-departmental liaison, in my opinion, the Commissioner of Lands should at least get in touch with the Director of the Economic Development Board to ensure that the island which I have mentioned will not be used for industrial development before he allows any family to be resettled there. Secondly, some Government officials do not collect revenue on due date and allow arrears to accumulate. This gives rise to inconvenience to the public and probably a loss of revenue to Government. I have noticed with growing concern that there are more and more cases of arrears in revenue collection. This happens not only in the Property Tax Department but also in the Land Office. As far as I know, there are about 50 sand-quarry operators in Singapore and, under the regulations, they are required -to pay a royalty to the Land Office. I do not know whether it is due to the oversight of the Commissioner of Lands or for some other reasons that this royalty has not been collected for the past few years. But somebody recently discovered this and the sand-quarry operators were asked to pay the arrears in royalty amounting to about $500,000 for five years. It is not reasonable to expect them to pay this amount in one lump sum. In fact, many of them were unable to pay such a huge sum of money and some of them have even stopped operation. I do not know whether it is still possible to recover the arrears from those who have ceased operation. I wish to ask the Minister why such arrears have been allowed to accumulate. Is it due to the negligence of the officials concerned?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to draw the Minister's attention to three matters. Firstly, in order to create employment for our people, we have already embarked upon our industrialisation programme. As a result of this, we have selected Jurong as the site for an industrial estate which is in my constituency. In the process, some rural folk have to be resettled and problems usually arise in relation to resettlement. Sir, generally speaking, the rural people do not quarrel with our industrial development programme. They are quite prepared to make some sacrifices and move to the resettlement areas provided, of course, that they are given adequate and reasonable compensation. The resettlement problems, however, are usually complicated by some Government officials who mishandle the situation. I wish to quote one instance. In my constituency, there is one island known as Pulau Ayer Chawan which, as Members are aware, has been chosen as the investment site of Esso (Singapore) Limited who will establish a $200 million refinery there. The people living there will have to be resettled on other islands. But for one reason or other, the Commissioner of Lands has allowed one family to move to an island known as Pulau Ayer Merbau. As a result, the other families on Pulau Ayer Chawan have also asked to be resettled on the same island, but their applications have been rejected because the island has been earmarked for further industrial development 2.45 p.m. So they are dissatisfied; they think it is not fair. There are now seven families still staying in Pulau Ayer Chawan. Is this not a case where our industrial development is being hampered because of mishandling by Land Office officials'?”
“I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $249,896,060 for Head 0901 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0902 -”
“Sir, I am coming to the point very soon. Owing to the frequency of exercises, 3-ton military trucks using the good roads in my constituency have spoilt them. These trucks are sturdy and therefore they are not damaged. But when the roads are spoilt, the people are inconvenienced. Requests have been made to the Ministry of National Development to repair the roads, but usually it takes some time before they are re paired. I would like to ask the Minister whether a sum of money could be allotted under his Ministry for the repair of roads which have been damaged by military trucks. Perhaps he can also direct the troops to repair the roads in order to improve the relationship between the troops and the rural residents. The second point is that when the troops are on an exercise some of them steal rambutans and other fruits belonging to the rural folk. This usually hap pens at night. This should be stopped, otherwise it will create bad feeling among the rural folk and the good relationship between the troops and the people will deteriorate. I hope the Minister will look into this matter and make the troops realise that they should not do such a thing.”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, due to shortage of time, I am not moving amendment (6)*. I would now like to move amendment (7) . Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $100+. * Amendment (6) reads as follows: That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 3170. + The same amendment also stood in the name of Madam Chan Choy Siong. Sir, in moving this amendment, I wish to ask the Minister to pay attention to two matters. Perhaps Members are aware that the Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute is situated in my constituency. In Jurong, there is also a camp of the Singapore Infantry Regiment. It appears that my constituency has become a training ground for military personnel. Sir, I do not object to the training of military personnel in my constituency. I realise that troops must be trained in military capability because I am a member of the People's Defence Force.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $198,712,470 for Head 0701 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0801 -”
“We must not blame the whole profession because of one or two black sheep. The majority of the teachers have been blamed because of the misbehaviour of some teachers. The Education Ministry recently issued orders that teachers should not go to bars, dance halls or engage in gambling. This would give people the impression that they generally indulge in these activities. Although I am not against such orders - for this would exercise some disciplinary control over the teachers - it should not be done at the expense of the good reputation of the teachers in general. I hope the Minister will deal carefully with this matter. I would also like to ask him how many school principals and teachers have been sacked or given warnings this year because of their bad behaviour or negligence in their duties.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $100*. * The same amendment also stood in the names of Mr P. Govindaswamy and Madam Chan Choy Siong. Mr Speaker, Sir, we have been debating on the vote for the Education Ministry yesterday and this afternoon. Many Members have mentioned the quality, character and profession of the teachers. It is not because I am a teacher myself that I want to say something good about them. But, generally speaking, they have been called the engineers of the souls of human beings. Some people describe them as creators of future society. They generally have a high esti mation of teachers. We, of course, as teachers, understand our duties and position. We appreciate the expectations which the public have of us. In fact, the majority of teachers regard teaching as their profession. They understand that, as teachers, they must have self-discipline and set good examples to the students. They must have integrity. I will now touch on the officials of the Education Ministry. There should be good personal relationship between the Ministry and the teachers. As the Member for Serangoon Gardens has said, under the present education system, teachers are in a passive position. They have to comply with the instructions issued by the Ministry of Education just like employees taking instructions from their employers - in order to safe guard their jobs. As the Member for Paya Lebar has said just now, officials of the Education Ministry are regarded as important persons. The Ministry itself is regarded as an employer. If one or two teachers err, the whole teaching profession comes under the whip of the Education Ministry. There are, of course, black sheep in all professional bodies.”
“of manure and night-soil. As a result, they will have to incur additional expenses. If they are unable to sell their manure, their income will decrease. Another point is that if nightsoil or human excreta is not allowed to be used as manure, then the farmers will have to buy chemical fertilisers as a substitute. Chemical fertilisers are expensive and the farmers find it difficult to pay for them. This is an added financial burden on them and they will find it more difficult to make a living. Sir, I hope that we will not be too strict in the implementation of the provisions of the Bill, otherwise the livelihood of the rural people will be greatly affected. I also hope that the Minister will deal with the problems carefully. 8.45p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I understand the necessity for the Minister for Health to introduce the Environmental Public Health Bill. The intention is good because he wants Singapore to become the cleanest city in this part of the world. In October, he launched an island-wide public health campaign which received the general support of people of all walks of life. He has now consolidated all the original laws on public health and has also incorporated new provisions into the Bill before the House. The move to introduce this Bill is worthwhile and will win the support of the people. The Bill contains some very strict provisions which will affect the livelihood of our people, especially those living in the rural areas. These provisions, if strictly implemented, may cause a lot of inconvenience to them. Clause 24 which prohibits the use of night- soil or human excreta as manure is one such provision. Sir, I think you will agree with me that the rural people are generally poor. Their livelihood depends mainly on agriculture, the rearing of pigs, etc. They use human excreta as manure for the cultivation of vegetables. Those farmers who do not plant vegetables sell the excreta from their domestic animals. This excreta can also be used as fertiliser for vegetable gardening. Some provisions in the Bill will cause hardship and an additional financial burden - to the farmers. One of the reasons is that they will have to spend money on the construction of a hygienic pond to collect manure and night-soil. This pond needs at least a few hundred dollars to build. Generally, the farmers are unable to shoulder such a burden.In addition to this, after constructing a hygienic pond to collect manure and night-soil, it is necessary for the farmers to engage people to do the collecting.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister has not given a reply to my question on extra-curricular activities.”
“For instance, there have been shortcomings in the Board in the past owing to lack of supervision. Some teachers are assist ing students by paying for their fees and thereby inducing them to stay on in order to make up the required number of students for one class. In this way, they will be paid by the Adult Education Board and thus recover the money that they have spent on the students. We know that the Ministry of Education will be moving to a new building. I hope that, in future, the efficiency of the Ministry will be improved. In the past, perhaps it was because the offices were housed in separate buildings that the efficiency of the Ministry was low. For instance, a certain teacher organisation wrote to the Ministry requesting for per mission to hold a table tennis tournament during a particular term. But there was a long delay and the reply was only given when the term was about to end. So the tournament had to be cancelled. I hope the inefficiency in administration will not recur when the new building is occupied.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, earlier on I was talking about extracurricular activities. I agree very much with the Government's policy on extracurricular activities. But at present there are many faults in the implementation of the policy and, as a result, the objectives cannot be achieved. Firstly, the teachers in charge of extra curricular activities are not experienced and are unable to demonstrate the correct techniques. As a result, the students are not keen on these activities. Because marks are awarded for extracurricular activities, they have to participate in them in order to gain more marks whether they like it or not. Secondly, some extracurricular activities take up three or four periods a week and normal lessons are therefore disturbed. Some extracurricular activities are concerned with taking part in public performances. As a result, teaching hours are used up in the train ing of these activities. Just because the students want to get some extra marks, they have to sacrifice their normal study lessons. Sir, do you think that extracurricular activities of this kind are good for the students? Students very often take part in national parades, youth festivals and other public performances. I feel that the Minister for Education should look into this problem. Sir, the Adult Education Board has achieved results in providing adults with supplementary education. The Board will have greater responsibilities in the coming years. Besides providing classes for students who have failed the Primary School Leaving Examination, the Board is also providing evening classes to over-aged students. This is very good. But I feel the Ministry of Education should take the responsibility of super vising the activities of the Board.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, you are aware that I have not finished with my speech on education. In view of the explanation given by the Parliamentary Secretary, I am quite satisfied and I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“But we must not try to hurry these things in view of the problems still existing in connection with teachers and textbooks. If we try to rush through things before these problems are solved, we will not be able to get the desired result. The Minister has also noted the possibility of using the second language as a medium of instruction in other subjects. He said that, according to a survey in Primary I, the result shows that the standard of the second language will not be lowered and the teaching of the subject in which the language is used as a medium of instruction will not be lowered. But if he were to make a survey, say, in Secondary I, probably he will not be able to get as good a result. 5.00 p.m. Sir, since we are trying to build a rugged society, we must place emphasis on extracurricular activities. I fully support this policy. But there are many defects in the present system. As a result, we have not been able to -”
“The excessive powers given to the principals also give rise to some other effects. Moreover, the duties of school inspection will add to the burden of the principals. As a result, their other duties will have to be performed by some other teachers. And it is usually the senior teachers who have to take on the extra load. The work of school inspection is part and parcel of the education system. It should be done by properly trained people in order to get the desired results, so that the teachers and students will benefit. I hope the Minister will review the present system of school inspection. Mr Speaker, Sir, on the 12th of this month, the Minister for Education made a clear statement that great changes will take place in respect of the teaching of the second language. The result will be that a truly multilingual and multiracial society will emerge from this policy. I hope this policy will succeed. We do need a great many bilingual and multilingual people in our society. This is not only useful in the field of human relationship but is also an advantage in finding employment for our citizens. As the Minister has pointed out, in the past the teaching of the second language was confined to the language itself. All that we tried to do was to increase the teaching time and improve the teaching methods. In his view, this was not enough. I agree with him. We must go beyond the normal teaching hours for the second language and give our children more opportunity to learn it. We have used English as the second language in the teaching of Mathematics and other science subjects. We have used Chinese, Malay or Tamil as the second language in the teaching of Geography and History - subjects which are connected with culture and language. In my view, this policy is praiseworthy.”
“In my view, the teachers responsible for such training should not be included in the quota allowed for teachers. Otherwise it would greatly increase the teaching load of the teachers. It is possible that the teachers may have to take seven teaching periods a day. This is too much for any efficient teaching to be successful. Sixthly, as a result of the reforms we are bringing about in secondary education, the study load of our students will definitely increase, not only in terms of subjects but also in terms of learning hours. Consequently, the students will not be able to cope with their subjects. In my view, although they may be required to learn as many subjects as possible, the examination subjects should be reduced so that the study load of the students may be reduced. At the same time, I wish to appeal for the abolition of the Cam bridge School Certificate Examination. It should be replaced by a local examination. Mr Speaker, Sir, I now wish to go on to a new subject. This is in respect of school inspection. As far as I know, there have been recent appointments made of inspectors of schools. However, in the final analysis, the confirmation of promotion or the extension of service of teachers is handled by the principals themselves. I cannot see the merits of this system. Rather, I see many disadvantages. In the first place, not all principals are properly trained in the School Inspectorate. They are actually outsiders as far as school inspection is concerned. As a result, they are doing a slipshod job. What is even more ridiculous is that some principals who are not conversant in the second language are asked to observe the teaching of the second language. After the observation, they will ask a senior teacher to make a report. This is ridiculous.”
“After the teachers have gone through a hard day's work, they are probably exhausted and by the time they go into the class-rooms for their course, they have no energy left and are in low spirits. In these circumstances, the teachers whom it is hoped to produce instantly will not be able to undertake the responsibility of training the students in technical and vocational subjects. The training courses must be on the same basis as the training courses being conducted by the Economic Development Board. The teachers must be given full-time courses and enough time to go through the theoretical as well as the practical aspects of their training. They must be given opportunities to do practical work in the factories or workshops. Fourthly, as from next year all male students from Secondary I and Secondary II, as well as 50 per cent of the female students from Secondary I and Secondary II, are required to do three hours' practical work in the workshop. This means that our students will have the opportunity of doing some practical work in their vocational and technical education. However, I have some misgivings about the position of those who have talent in painting, drawing and music. I do not know whether provision will be made to exempt these students from attending such courses. Through such a course, Singapore will in time be able to produce musicians comparable to the talented Fou Ts'ong the well-known Chinese pianist. At the same time, it is my hope also that, in addition to domestic science, female students would be given the opportunity to take up other subjects, such as sewing, typing, book-keeping, etc. Fifthly, as from next year, students in Secondary I will be given three extra hours for technical training.”
“However, our new education policy will give rise to some other matters which need to be considered. And here I would like to give my views for the consideration of the Minister for Education, Firstly, in order to ensure that our school leavers will be absorbed by our rapidly developing industries, the Ministry of Education should maintain close liaison with the industrial sector. In this way, a proper and regular review can be made of the curriculum of our technical and vocational education in order to meet the changing needs of our society. In my view, a permanent agency should be set up in the Ministry of Education, comprising representatives from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Finance, and the industrial and commercial sectors in order to look after the workers. This agency will plan and look after the employment pro blems of our school leavers. Secondly, in promoting technical and vocational education, we must not overlook the cultural aspect of education. Education has two aims, One is cultural and the other social. We must be able to look after both aspects of education at the same time. Overemphasis on technical and vocational education at the expense of the cultural aspect of education will result in the production of human robots in our school leavers. This is certainly against the principle of education. It defeats the purpose of education, for the aim of education is also to make a cultured man. Thirdly, the present scheme for the training of teachers in technical and vocational subjects is not to be corn-mended. The courses are given on a part- time basis.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. * The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Teong Eng Siong. First of all, I would like to congratulate the Minister for Education on having taken steps to reform our system of education, More attention is now being paid to the education of blue-collar workers in order to meet the needs of the industrial development of our country. Seven months have now elapsed since May this year when the policy statement on education was announced at the beginning of this session. On 12th December, when we were debating the Budget for next year, we learnt from the speech of the Minister for Education that his Ministry had prepared well in advance a comprehensive policy on education for the coming years ahead. Thus, many problems will be solved, Many worries which are present in our society will be swept away. The development of education has now reached a new phase. We are now implementing a new policy, a reformation in education, so that the products of our schools will not lind themselves unemployed and can do nothing with what they have learnt after they leave school. Our new education policy will enable our graduates to make a contribution to our society. It is thus a good policy. The sum to be allocated to the Ministry of Education is about $200 million. This is a very large sum of money and second only to defence expenditure. This large allocation will help to produce more capable men. We will have more people who can perform various tasks and take part in activities which will improve our society. We will thus be able to meet the coming changing situation.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Parliamentary Secretary, during the course of his reply to the queries on citizenship, said that an advisory board is in existence to review the rejected cases before final decisions are made. I wish to ask about the composition of the Board.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, 1 would like to clarify that I did mention the problem of a community centre in Jurong Town. I said that the present community centre was not properly built. It is only an assorted collection of several flats and is situated quite far away from the workers' homes. That is why it cannot be used for cultural activities.”
“Sir, I am coming to the end of my speech. According to estimates, the con sumption of water by the various industries is 5,000 million gallons a year. I understand that sometimes the supply of water is interrupted, as a result of which there is great inconvenience and production in the factories is interrupted. If the supply of water is to be interrupted because new pipelines are being laid or for any other reason, I ask that adequate notice be given to manufacturers in order to minimise inconvenience to them. Sir, to sum up, Jurong Town at the present moment is in reasonably good shape. It is becoming a self- sustaining ,town. But the Government should pay more attention to it. Otherwise we will not be able to attain our objectives. Sir, I support the Budget Statement of the Minister for Finance. 4.38 p.m.”
“It is convenient for large factories with plenty of industrial waste to hire lorries and dump the industrial waste at Lim Chu Kang. But for the small factories with a small amount of industrial waste, it is uneconomical for them to hire lorries. If they are to combine their resources, it is also quite inconvenient because of the varying amounts of industrial waste produced by these small factories, and also because of the time factor. Therefore, I hope the Ministry of Health will send more rubbish trucks to Jurong to take away the industrial waste from the light industries section. Sir, the supply of water for industrial estates is of great importance.”
“I feel that we should discuss these matters frankly and face the realities of the situation. At present, the factories in Jurong appear to be doing quite well and they may be getting good returns for their investments. But there are many pioneer industries which are unable to make any profit this year owing to lack of markets. Therefore, to increase the rent of factory sites is generally not a wise move. This is an additional burden on the factories which are not making money, and may be a factor leading to their closure. I feel that the attitude of the authorities in encouraging industries should be more realistic. We should not ask the established factories to give up their vacant land in order to induce more investments and establishment of new fac tories. We should help the manufacturers in Jurong to solve their problems and help them develop. In my view, the Government should give consideration to individual cases in respect of rent increases. The Government should not increase the rents of those who are just able to make ends meet. If Government intends to increase the rent, a decision should be postponed. The next point which I wish to cover in my speech is fire prevention. I do not know whether the Government intends to set up a fire station on the Jurong industrial site. There is none in existence there. The two nearest fire stations are in Queenstown and Bukit Timah, at least seven miles away from Jurong Town. If there is a fire at the Jurong industrial estate, by the time the fire engines arrive, the factories will have been burnt down. I hope the Minister for Finance will take note of this. Sir, the next point concerns industrial waste. This is a problem confronting our industrialists in Jurong. No doubt there is a dumping ground at Lim Chu Kang.”
“At the moment, what the workers need is a place where they can rest or take part in recreational activities. Although there is a community centre in Jurong Town, it was not built according to plan. It is only a centre made by merging several flats together. Moreover, it is quite far away from the majority of residences of the workers. It does not meet the needs of the population there. I would like to suggest to the Minister for Finance that a "Workers' Cultural Centre" should be set up in the most populous part of Jurong Town. Here they can take part in various activities which would benefit both their minds and their bodies. We hope a gymnasium with facilities for games and sports will be provided. We hope, too, that reading rooms and rooms for recreational activities will be available at this cultural centre. We can ask the trade unions, the employers' association and the Jurong Town Corporation to help in the management of this centre. We can also ask the People's Association for their assistance in this matter. I would now like to talk about some of the other problems relating to Jurong Town. First, the increased rent of factory sites in Jurong Town. In the beginning, when the Government wanted to encourage the setting up of factories there, the rental was low. It was six to nine cents per square foot per year. With the prospect of a common market with 'Malaysia, many industrialists invested in Jurong. There are at the moment 137 factories in production. This achievement, of course, is attributable to the efforts, co-operation and contributions of the Government, the employers and the workers. Sir, I have learnt that the authorities concerned have tried to increase the rental of the land by as high as 50 per cent.”
“They should be provided with sufficient social and cultural facilities. Their needs in these fields should be satisfied. House occupancy is said to be 99 per cent. Some of the houses there are occupied by military personnel at Taman Jurong and other personnel from abroad together with their families. There is a lack of good transport. Although most of the -'workers in Jurong Town are now staying there, their families are still staying in urban areas because of the lack of social amenities and transport in Jurong Town. Workers have no intention to settle down there. I do not know whether the industrialisation policy is being properly implemented. Otherwise how could these considerations have been overlooked? Or could there have been some other reasons why the workers and their families have not been provided with social amenities? It is only recently that these shortcomings have been discovered by the authorities. It is only now that the Jurong Town Corporation is thinking of providing these social amenities. We also know that the Corporation is trying its best to develop Jurong into a tourist centre. In the vicinity of the Jurong River, there will be "artificial islands". There will be a floating rest aurant, an aviary for birds and an 18-hole golf course, etc. Of course, it would be a good thing if Jurong could be developed into a tourist centre. But I do not think the ordinary workers there have the time and leisure to play golf, to see the birds in the aviary, or to go to the floating restaurants and bars to enjoy themselves. I hope the Minister for Finance will seriously consider the question of providing practical social amenities and recreational facilities for the workers so that they can actually enjoy themselves.”
“If there has not been too wide a range of new taxation, it is because the Government do not want the people to bear too much of the burden. According to the Finance Minister, in the first nine months of this year, trade figures show that imports reached a figure of $3,840 million and exports $2,880 million. There is therefore a trade deficit of $960 million. There are many items of international income derived from shipping, insurance, tourism, etc. Although no exact calculations have been made, these items are estimated to reach about $600 million. Subtract this sum from the trade deficit, there is still a deficit of $360 million. If this condition were to continue year after year, I would like to ask the Finance Minister whether this would affect our foreign exchange. Sir, I now wish to talk about the problems of industrialisation. It is undeniable that industrialisation has been going on at a tremendous pace. At the moment, we have 174 factories employing 18,000 workers. In addition, the Government has set up three institutions, namely, the Development Bank. the Jurong Town Corporation and INTRACO, to help develop our commerce and industry. I believe our indus- trialisation has a bright future. The centre of industrialisation is now at Jurong. Seven years ago Jurong was a barren land. But now 3,600 acres of land have been developed. About 137 factories are in production, employing 14,000 workers. However, as the Minister for Finance has pointed out in his Budget Statement, there is an urgent need to improve the social amenities of Jurong Town. This is true. At the moment, there are no social amenities and facilities for recreation which one would expect in a normal town. There are not enough housing and medical facilities for the workers there.”
“Our economic growth will be slowed down if our people do not work hard. We will then have to choose between doing away with additional expenditure on defence or social services and resorting to increased taxes. All this is not to our liking. If in the few years ahead when the British are withdrawing we can face the trials and overcome the economic problems, our future will be bright. Secondly, it is a general feeling that increased taxation is not something which all the people welcome. Nevertheless, the seven new items of taxation to be imposed next year are mild. They are taxes which the people can afford. I believe the decision to impose these seven types of taxation has been arrived at after very exhaustive deliberations. The taxation is based on democratic socialist principles. The aim is to make those who are most able to bear the burden pay more towards the national expenditure. This new taxation will bring in about $35 million, which is only about one-tenth of our total defence expenditure. This additional amount of revenue is not merely to maintain our military requirements. After taking away $40.7 million, there is a deficit of $11.7 million which will be met from the reserve fund. The new taxation will not affect incentives for investment which are now being given to industry. This is a judicious policy; otherwise investors will fight shy of coming here and, as a result, there will be difficulties in our industrialisation efforts. Sir, with regard to the revenue and expenditure for next year, there will be a deficit of $11.7 million. If I am not mistaken, this is the first time, since the Government came to power, that the deficit is of such a size.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, although defence expenditure has increased to $337 million, our wise Minister for Finance has been able to surmount this problem of increased expenditure by good budgeting. I must congratulate him on this. If I am not wrong, he must have deliberated hard and long over the preparation of the Budget. I believe those people who are rational will undoubtedly welcome it in its present form. In my opinion, there are two aspects to the Budget. First, the increase in defence expenditure does not seriously affect social services and development in other fields. We all know that in order to safeguard our independence in the present age, we must modernise our defence system. Of course, we have to spend large sums of money to achieve this. From the Budget Statement of the Minister for Finance, we learn that the defence build-up of our country will proceed step by step so that we will not have to bear an unduly heavy burden. We are not like many other countries which build up their defence at the expense of social services and in the end their societies deteriorate and they cannot but come under military rule. Our defence expenditure will be met out of the economic growth in our revenue. Expenditure in other fields, such as education and social services, will have to be at a standstill. At the same time, necessary funds are allocated to sectors needing additional expenditure. This course is very judicious, so that we can make at least normal progress. Our per capita domestic expenditure has also increased from $1,682 in 1967 to $1,940 in 1968. Our gross national product has also been increasing every year as a result of the diligence of our people and the stability and economic progress of our country.”
“The cost of raw materials, therefore, will be higher than that obtaining in other countries. The only way to lower the cost of production is to try to increase our productivity. To increase productivity, we require modern machinery, skilled workers and the spirit and willingness to work hard. Sir, the Employment Bill provides ways and means to raise productivity. The intention is most commendable. However, there are certain provisions in the Bill which are not clear or convincing enough to dispel some of the fears of the people. Some provisions are not clearly drafted. This Bill has given rise to some controversy, especially in regard to bonus, annual leave, retirement age and so on. These provisions will have to be carefully considered by the Minister for Labour. If we are to pass these provisions as they stand, it is doubtful whether our objectives will be attained. On the other hand, if the workers become depressed and lose interest in their work, I do not think we can increase productivity. Some provisions in the Bill allow the employers to control the fate of the workers. I think these provisions will be easily abused by some employers who may take advantage of the situation and exploit the workers. If this happens, I do not know what the Government intends to do. For example, the Minister for Labour and the Minister for Culture have mentioned that a certain employer who owns a local newspaper took advantage of the situation when the Bill was introduced to fish in troubled waters. I would like to know what steps Government proposes to take to check employers who exploit workers. If the Minister for Labour can look into this problem, I will fully support this Bill. 4.08 p.m.”
“If our economy stagnates, then in a few years' time our society will degenerate into unimaginable chaos and trouble. These examples are found in many newly emergent countries. If we do not wish chaos and trouble to occur here, we have to plan and resolve to utilise fully our human resources. We have to learn from the more advanced countries, especially Japan and Germany. Only 20 years ago, these two countries were defeated in the Second World War and were in ruins. But today, they are among the highly industrialised countries. If we analyse carefully the reasons for their growth and prosperity, we will find that their peoples are willing to learn all the time. They are willing to work hard and persevere. These are the reasons for their prosperity today. Sir, we must industrialise rapidly. Only then can our country have a future. As many of my colleagues have pointed out, to attain these objectives, we have to create a favourable investment climate. In order to achieve this, we must have political stability, good labour and employer relations and other factors such as export incentives and so on. Since the P.A.P. came to power, the relationship between employers and employees has gradually improved. With the establishment of the Industrial Arbitration Court, many industrial disputes have been settled peacefully and strikes have been reduced in number. Quite apart from good labour and employer relations locally-manufactured products must be of good quality and cheap if they are to compete in overseas countries. In order to achieve this, we have to increase productivity and lower production costs. As we do not have natural resources or raw materials, we have to import them from other countries.”
“The implications in defence and the effects on our economy are very serious with the withdrawal of the British troops. At this stage, we have to assess calmly the problem in great depth. We have to plan and make provision for the future. With the withdrawal of the British Forces, the annual Forces' expenditure of $450 million will be no more. We will have to look for other sources of revenue, otherwise our country will experience an economic recession. Moreover, the 20,000 workers at present working in the British bases will become unemployed. This number, together with the existing number of unemployed plus the annual number of school-leavers who will be entering the labour market, will be increased to an estimated figure of 120,000 unemployed - a total of 20 per cent unemployed. This is a very big percentage in our economically active population. In the last few years we have tried our best to industrialise to create employment opportunities. The Jurong industrial estate was started in September 1961. Seven years have elapsed and there are now, in all, 116 factories. The total number of jobs created is 12,000. The number of jobs created each year is only 2,000. However, the population density in Singapore is 8,000 per square mile. According to statistics, from 1963 to 1967 the average number of babies born yearly was 55,000, but the number of deaths yearly was 10,000. The net increase in population is 45,000 per annum. With this rate of population increase, our population will soon reach the figure of three million. The average population density will be 12,000 per square mile. Men have to eat to survive. We do not have any natural resources. We have no land for planting food crops. Unless we plan properly now, we will not be able to meet the demands of the future.”
“(In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the last few days, my colleagues have spoken with enthusiasm on the Employment Bill which will affect the future of our country. They have given their opinions freely. I would like to give my views now. Like my colleagues, I support this Bill in principle. I think all reasonable men will appreciate the Government's intention in introducing it. It is not to satisfy the personal interests and welfare of the Ministers. It is also not to exploit the workers. The main concern of the Bill is the future welfare of our country. Its aim is to build a strong foundation for our society. All reasonable men should support this objective. We have been independent for almost three years. Under the able leadership of the Government and with the co-operation of the people, we have been able to overcome many difficulties during this period. The people are now enjoying a secure and -prosperous life. Some people think that by their not affording economic co-operation, we will be doomed and we will have to submit to their demands. In fact, the effect has been to the contrary. Some Singaporeans have, on their own, tried to develop various fields of industry so that our economic productivity will be increased year by year. Our housing, education, social welfare and public health services are the best in Southeast Asia. If we have the opportunity to go overseas and compare the social conditions of our country with those of other countries. We will understand the situation. We will be surprised to find that Singapore is, after all, a lovely country. Indeed, our country is a paradise in Southeast Asia. It is a place where people would like to stay. There is a Chinese saying that what is good will not stay long.”
“They are then faced with two alternatives: one, they have to wait till their houses completely collapse; two, they have to repair their houses without any authority. If they adopt the first method, they will incur losses. If they adopt the second method, the court will order them to demolish their houses. If they do not do so, they will be fined and the Government will send somebody to demolish their houses. If they are allowed to stay on, they will have to sign an undertaking with their landlords to the effect that if the land is acquired for development purposes, they will not ask for any compensation. What kind of situation is this? What do you expect such people to do? There is a saying, "Rigid law, but flexible application." But this is not so in Singapore. I do not understand why Government servants should be so rigid and harsh and do not understand the difficulties of the people. They should be more flexible and should not keep rigidly to the regulations. On the 10th of this month the Member for Ulu Pandan raised the matter concerning a coffee-shop owner who committed suicide by jumping down from a high block of flats. I believe if the Government officer concerned had been more flexible and more understanding, this man's life could have been saved. Sir, in the coming crucial years I hope this small group of civil servants will be more flexible and understand the people's difficulties and work hard for the welfare of the people. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Prime Minister's motion. 3.01 p.m.”
“As a result, they have to sell their poultry and pigs at very low prices. Their vegetables and fruits have to be sold quickly. Therefore, this will involve them in some considerable loss. Sometimes after receiving a notice to remove and making preparations to do so, they are still not told to remove after six months or a year. During this period, they dare not engage in production and, as a result, they have to rely on their savings to tide them over this difficult period. Also, very often the land on which they are resettled is very much smaller. This is quite understandable, because land in Singapore is limited, but the allocation of land should be based on its suitability for farm production. At least there should be adequate water supply to feed pigs and for irrigation purposes. It is only in this way that farmers can resume production. But in point of fact, some farmers have been resettled on hills or barren land which is completely unsuitable for farm production. Many farmers have begrudgingly been resettled in Choa Chu Kang. I hope the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance will look carefully after them. Sir, there is another point. In certain areas delineated for development, some residents have very dilapidated structures and they apply to the proper authorities for repairs to be carried out to them, but their requests are always turned down. The Government officers sitting in their offices know only how to work strictly according to regulations without actually understanding the hardships of the people. Some structures are in such a dilapidated state that they cannot be occupied any more, and the applications of residents for reconstruction work are turned down.”
“When our fishermen meet the pirates, they cannot protect themselves and often their outboard motors and fishing nets, costing from two to three thousand dollars, are taken away. They are lucky if they are left alone. What is worse is that sometimes they themselves are taken away and are only released after a ransom has been paid. I think the Government should negotiate with the countries concerned and find ways and means to protect our fishermen; otherwise we will have to rely on imported fish and other sea products. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am very proud that we have an industrial site in Jurong and the Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute which will help to develop our economy and expand our defence respectively. We have to try to expand all the time. Precisely because of this, the problems of resettlement in Jurong are becoming more severe. I must say that in general the people understand the difficulties of our country and appreciate the importance of developing our industries and defence even at the expense of personal loss and sacrifice. They have given the Government full co-operation. However, hon. Members will agree with me that when a farmer is resettled, he faces many difficulties. He has to work on a plot of land which is often very much smaller than his old land. His income is bound to be reduced and his life becomes harder. Under these circumstances, the Government should try its best to minimise their difficulties and losses. But what is the actual situation? Let me elaborate a little. In certain areas earmarked for development, it is often not known when the people are supposed to remove. Sometimes when villagers receive a notice to remove, they have to do so within a very short period of time.”
“For example, the Jurong Abattoir, which cost $6 million, was based on the model of the Denmark abattoirs, but the efficiency of this so-called modern abattoir in Jurong is less than that of the old one in Singapore. As a result of this, many butchers and pork-sellers are not happy to send their animals there to be slaughtered, because the meat of the animals slaughtered becomes stale after some time. There was also some talk about using the animal waste of pigs as fuel. I do not know how far this has progressed. If land for cultivation is limited, the farmers need scientific techniques to increase production. May I ask what has the Primary Production Department done in this direction? In fact, in order to look after the interest of the farmers, there are certain things which have to be done by the Department; for example, the adoption of effective procedures to stabilise the prices of farm products and poultry. At the same time, it should try to eliminate the exploitation of farmers by middlemen. For example, the vegetables produced by farmers are sold at two or three cents a katty, but in fact we have to pay 20 to 30 cents a katty on the market. With regard to the development of fisheries, I think the Government should protect fishermen who use fishing nets. This is more beneficial than spending large sums of money on research into deep-sea fishing. This is because if we cannot give our fishermen adequate protection in shallow waters, how can we guarantee their safety in the deep seas? As the Member for Punggol pointed out on the 9th of this month, sometimes fishermen are robbed by pirates in the deep seas. At the risk of their lives and property, these fishermen go out to deep waters to fish because within the three-mile limit, there is not much fish.”
“Thank you for your indication, Sir,I was dealing with the work carried out by the P.A.P, in rural development. The Government has spent large sums of money on construction work in the rural areas so that the rural people are able to enjoy modern facilities. But it is almost certain that the rural areas are bigger and wider in scope so that the money allocated to them is not enough to cover all aspects of rural development. We may be able to use the money on one aspect at the expense of other aspects. So if money is spent on water supply and electrification, we may have to neglect other aspects of rural development. As far as I know, if you want to apply for these amenities to be given to the rural areas, you have to go through the usual procedure. Sometimes the official correspondence may take about half a year before approval is finally given. The work may not even commence straightaway after approval has been given. It may take some months before it can be started. For example, in Jurong constituency, an electrification scheme was approved last year, but there is still no indication as to when the work will start. Mr Speaker, Sir, we all know that the Primary Production Department is set up to look after the interest of the rural people in order to increase the productivity of their primary products. It may not be fair to say that it has done nothing outstanding in this respect, but I do hope it will be able to adapt book knowledge to local conditions. It should not copy from textbooks, particularly those published in foreign countries. Formerly, there was a misconception that the moon seen in a foreign country was brighter than the moon seen in Singapore. This attitude should be corrected.”
“Government has spent large sums of money in rural development. Mr Speaker: Order. May I draw the attention of Members to Standing Order 48 (d) which reads as follows: - 'Members shall not read newspapers, books, letters or other documents except such matters therein as may be directly connected with the business under debate.' I will be grateful if this rule is observed.”
“At the present moment, Sir, what is the position of our kindergarten education? To my knowledge, and it is a fact, too, most, if not all, kindergarten classes are run by private or aided schools. Because of lack of supervision, many kindergartens are not able to run their classes in compliance with the proper and correct principles of education. Because of this, many of our children have not been able to receive the kind of introductory education that will lead to further development of their talent in future. This, if I may say so, is a crime in so far as our children are concerned. I feel that our education authorities should include kindergarten education in the education structure in Singapore and make kindergarten education a very vital link in the whole chain of education so that more supervision may be exercised in the kindergartens. Sir, education is the basis for nation-building and it is of vital importance to our national survival. Whether our next generation will be able to continue the good work of nation-building depends on what sort of training we give them and how we nurture them. In this context, I feel very happy to note that there will be reorganisation in our educational system. And I hope that the Government, the parents, the teachers and the students will all co-operate to help in the implementation of this work. Sir, I shall now deal with rural development. This matter may be divided into two scopes. In the first place, we have community projects in the rural areas in order to cater for the interest of the rural folks. The second aspect is the urbanisation and industrialisation of the rural areas, such as turning them into satellite towns and industrial sites. It is undeniable that the P.A.P.”
“For example, we have set up integrated schools and tried to improve the teaching of a second language in the various streams of education. But, unfortunately, as far as I know, the efforts put in in the English stream in raising the standard of teaching of the second language have not achieved as much as in the Chinese stream. I fully support the proposal that the text-books of some subjects in Chinese schools should be in English and the text-books of some subjects in other streams of education should be in the second language. At the present moment, some Chinese schools have already adopted this system by using English text-books in science subjects. So there is no problem in the implementation of this policy. But I am not so sure of the other streams. Sir, the idea of integrated schools is good. But sometimes the persons in charge of these schools are not themselves bilingual or multi-lingual. Therefore, they are not able to look after the welfare and interest of the students in the various streams in the integrated schools. Because of this, the various streams in the integrated schools do not have balanced development, and this is a defect which must be rectified. Sir, the idea of introducing the integrated school system into our aided schools is good, but it should not be done in a hurry. We must always remember the saying, "More haste, less speed." Now let me turn to kindergarten education. We all know that young children are most impressionable. When they begin their first lesson, it will leave a great impression on their lives. Most educationists have mentioned the impact of introductory education on the future development of children. In fact, many countries pay special attention to the introductory education of their children.”
“On the one hand, we have a surplus of non-technical teachers, and, on the other, as I have said, we have a shortage of technical teachers. So the best way to solve this problem is to run crash courses for technical education so that the non-technical teachers will be given technical training. In this way, they will gradually be able to teach technical subjects. In my view, the present Teachers' Training College requires some reorganisation in order to implement the policy of re-training our non-technical teachers to teach technical subjects. For example, science teachers at present are compelled to undergo training in the methods of language teaching. This is an anomaly which should be removed. Sir, in my view, our children are fortunate because the Government pays attention to their future careers. They have equal opportunities in education. It has been disclosed in the President's Speech that henceforth, in the field of education, we will be paying more attention to quality instead of quantity. On principle, this is good. But I am worried that when we try to improve on the quality of our education, we may neglect the quantitative aspect of our educational system. I refer to those children who may be deprived of the opportunity to go to school on the excuse of qualitative bias in education. Of course, I agree that the Government has built many schools. But we should not stop at the present juncture in view of the population increase. So it is necessary for us to build schools in proportion to our population increase so that no children will be turned away from school. We should not deny them their birth-right to have an education. Mr Speaker, Sir, our society requires people who are bilingual and trilingual. We have done quite a lot to bring this about.”
“MrSpeaker, Sir, last week I was talking about the fact that some people are biased in favour of white-collar jobs. This is deep-rooted and cannot be easily weeded out. So I suggest that the Government should hold a large-scale exhibition to change the traditional attitude and concept of parents of students by giving them concrete facts and figures. Of course, to change the traditional education for white-collar jobs to blue-collar jobs needs comprehensive reviewing and planning. In my opinion, in undertaking this comprehensive change of the traditional educational system, we must keep close watch on the development of our industries. We must consider the future needs of our industries and also the students who, after they have been in school for eight or ten years, will be absorbed into our society without any difficulty. The Government should also plan to avoid teaching students those subjects for which there is no application. In certain fields of education more students have passed out than can be given employment. I think parents can have some say in choosing the type of education for their children. But they should not have all the say because the Government should plan well and should give to the students the type of education they should receive, namely, vocational, technical or academic. Without this planning by Government, there will be redundancy and unemployment difficulties. If the present trend is continued, there may not be enough skilled personnel to man our industries. Therefore, we should give consideration to all aspects of the training of students, even training for artisan and craftsman jobs. Sir, before we can change over from general education to technical education, we have to tackle the problem of shortage of technical teachers.”
“There will be school-leavers entering the labour market every year. But, on the other hand, the new industries we are having now lack the necessary industrial personnel. This will undoubtedly produce many social problems. The Government is now trying to rectify this unfavourable balance in our society. This is really a laudable act. Sir, there are some parents of students who still have the traditional bias for white-collar work. They think that white-collar work is better for their children and that it will ensure them a better future. They regard vocational schools as a place for students of lower intelligence. If possible, they do not like their children to have a vocational education. This wrong attitude should be changed. As the Minister for Science and Technology has pointed out, there are three kinds of technical personnel, namely, the ordinary craftsmen, the artisans in the middle, and the technologists who are of a higher standard. Vocational and technical schools are not meant for students of low intelligence. On the other hand, in the present circumstances, it will be easier for technical personnel to get jobs. It is very obvious. But the bias of people for white-collar 6.30 p.m.”
“For the sake of national interest individuals will have at times to make some sacrifice. We must always be prepared to face any challenge. Sir, let me talk about education. From the Ministerial policy statement which was broadcast over the air and from the Addendum to the President's Speech, we know that our education policy will go through a major change. The traditional education policy of producing white-collar workers will be changed. The emphasis now will be on the production of blue-collar workers. Sir, this change is very necessary. Otherwise the large sums of money that are being expended on education will produce a large number of students who will not be required by society. This would be a waste of public funds. They would also constitute a hindrance to social progress. It is true to say that the purpose of education is not just to enable those receiving education to have a means of making a livelihood. Education should also teach students to develop good character. About 20,000 of our secondary school-leavers have the same standard of ordinary education. The Member for Bras Basah (Mr Ho See Beng) walked into the Chamber and took his seat.”
“MrSpeaker, Sir, after a history of 150 years Singapore is now marching forward steadily into a new stage. It can be expected that this new stage will not be smooth going all the way. It will be beset with difficulties and obstacles. Never have there been so many problems and difficulties which need us to rack our brains for their solution as it is now. But the people of Singapore have never been daunted by any difficulty. We have creative ability and the capacity to accomplish tasks which others think cannot be completed. Therefore, I believe with our group intelligence and under the dynamic leadership of our Government, we can all attain a bright future if our people can be united for one purpose. Sir, from the Addendum to the President's Speech, you can see that we may face many difficulties. We are not adopting a negative policy. We are adopting a positive policy to increase our economic growth. This is the best way to enable us to march forward. It is true to say that in the coming years our social structure will not be the same as it is at present. We hate violence because we believe that social reforms can be achieved through peaceful means. On the other hand, there is the human desire for peaceful living. As a rule, people are not willing to go through violent and bloody revolution. Ideologically, there has been a great change in our people ever since our independence. The past colonial thinking has now been replaced by new ideas. There is a new attitude of self-reliance and nationalism. In the coming crucial years there will still be some remnants of the old thinking which should be eradicated. Perhaps this is a painful process but it is necessary. In the new era group interest should be above personal interest and personal enjoyment.”