Ho Kah Leong
Singapore
“Sir, the Member is right that the sewerage fees comprise two components, a fixed fee and a variable one. The sanitary appliance fee, which is the fixed fee component, is based on the number of sanitary appliances. It is a charge towards the cost of providing the sewerage infrastructure which I think the Member should have no quarrel.”
“Sir, we do not require canned food to be date marked because they are sterilised during canning and will not spoil over a long period of storage. These foods have a long shelf life. Sir, My Ministry does not intend to date mark all foods since there is no need to, from public health considerations.”
“After months of hard work and with the full cooperation of the Joo Chiat residents to spruce up the neighbourhood, the situation showed immediate and impressive improvements. The number of premises found breeding Aedes mosquitoes dropped. Correspondingly, the number of dengue cases also dropped from 28 in 1993 to 11 in 1994.”
“Yes. The Member also touched on malaria disease. Although Singapore has been declared free from indigenous malaria by the World Health Organisation since 1982, Singapore will always be under the threat of malaria because we have many visitors and foreign workers from malaria-endemic countries in the region.”
“My Ministry will continue to educate the public on how to prevent the Aedes mosquitoes from breeding in their homes and properties. My Ministry will also continue to seek out breeding grounds in public places and tighten our control, surveillance and enforcement measures.”
“Let me now turn to the Member for Jalan Besar GRC. Let me first tell the Member that in the business called "promotion of the arts", even if you have done a lot, there is still a lot to be done.”
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“(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, perhaps he did not hear me out. I said that at present, for most schools, there are special school buses carrying school children. If there are more than 30 students on the bus, then there will be at least one attendant. I want to stress here that the safety of the school children is the question uppermost in our minds. We pay very great attention to this matter. I hope the Member for Anson would not try to make use of the opportunity to scoop up some political capital out of this issue. Before he asks any question, I would like him to get the facts correct first. Mr Bernard Chen: Question No. 7, Sir.”
“(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, just now in my reply to questions by the Member for Delta, I said that after the recent accidents have been investigated into and if it is found that the causes were due to the absence of a bus conductor, then my Ministry will not hesitate to request the bus companies concerned to consider employing bus conductors on the buses. As regards safety of school children, this is of utmost concern to my Ministry. Does the Member for Anson not know that almost all of our schools have school buses? How ignorant can the Member be!”
“Here I have records showing that for the period March 1983 to the end of 1985 no bus driver's licence had been cancelled. Temporarily suspended licences numbered 180. As regards preventive or defensive driving courses for the same period, 154 drivers have attended this course.”
“(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, to answer these questions about bus conductors, I think we should realize that whether or not there is a bus conductor on board, accidents can also happen. In the past when there were bus conductors, likewise, accidents also occurred. Here, I would like to tell the Member concerned that OMO bus is not unique to Singapore. It has been practised in many countries in the world, for instance, Hong Kong, Japan, France, Holland, Germany and even the US. In these developed countries where the OMO bus system is in operation, the safety record is good. Here again, I would like to stress that bus safety is not only the driver's responsibility or the conductor's responsibility, but the passengers have also a certain responsibility to bear. Therefore, it is the responsibility common to all concerned. However, Sir, if the investigation into the bus accidents concludes that such accidents were due to the absence of the conductors, then my Ministry will definitely convey the good suggestion of the hon. Member for Delta to the bus companies concerned for consideration. As regards whether the public media have helped in carrying out publicity to educate the public on safety aspects, I would say yes, as it is a social duty. The National Safety Council, the Traffic Police and the public media have all conducted regular publicity programmes through films or in their literature publicizing road safety. Even in today's Straits Times, you can see pictures and articles teaching the public about how to use the expressways safely. The next question is about the revocation and suspension of licences of bus drivers who have had records of accidents.”
“Sir, those who want to apply for a new taxi can approach either the NTUC Comfort or SCL for a new taxi, and their applications will be considered.”
“Sir, here we have to distinguish between a taxi licence and a taxi driver licence. In the case of taxi driver licences we do not impose a limit. But in the case of a taxi licence we do impose a limit because we do not want our city to be over-supplied with taxis.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, let me explain. A taxi driver licence is just a vocational licence which permits the licensee to perform a certain type of vocation, in this case taxi driving. Unlike licensed hawkers whereby they are allocated hawker stalls, licensed taxi drivers are not given taxis to drive. In the case of a licensed hawker, if he does not do business, then he is depriving someone else of chance to do business at that hawker stall. In the case of a dormant taxi licensee, he is not in any way depriving anyone else of a chance to have a taxi driver licence as we do not impose a limit on the application for taxi driver licences. So the dormant licensees do not jeopardize the chances of new applications being approved. In fact, though not in a very substantial way, the dormant licensees do contribute towards the revenue of our State by way of payment of licence fees.”
“Sir, the policy has not changed. It is fair to everybody.”
“The School Management Committee has only to bear 20% of the cost. Sir, it works out to be around $1.2 million to $1.6 million for a brand new primary school of 1980 standard, and $2 million to $2.4 million for a brand new secondary school of 1980 standard. Sir, in the event that the School Management Committee finds it difficult to raise enough funds in a short time, my Ministry allows the SMC to take over a brand new school at a nominal rental of $1 per month for three years in the first instance, as the case of Holy Innocents' Primary School. If, after the three year-period, the SMC still cannot meet its target, Sir, it can always come back to my Ministry to ask for an extension. My Ministry will take a very sympathetic view on the request and will try its very best to help the SMC to overcome its difficulties. For after all, Sir, it is for the benefit of our children and the common good of Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first of all, I must salute the hon, Member for Punggol for he is one of the PAP MPs who takes a personal interest in the school development in his constituency and its surrounding areas. Sir, the Member may be pleased to note that my Ministry has plans to build five primary schools, three secondary schools and one junior college in Hougang New Town, of which two, not one, have been completed and operational. They are the Holy Innocents' Primary School at Lorong Low Koon, as mentioned by the Member just now, and Xinghua Primary School at Hougang Avenue 1. The locations for the other three primary schools are at Lorong Ah Soo earmarked for Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' Primary School, at Hougang Avenue 8 for Xinmin Primary School and at Hougang Avenue 10 for Montfort School. As regards the locations of the secondary schools, Sir, they are at Lorong Ah Soo for Paya Lebar Methodist Girls' Secondary School, at Hougang Avenue 1 for Yuying Secondary School and at Hougang Avenue 8 for Xinming Secondary School. Sir, a junior college will be built along Upper Serangoon Road, more or less opposite the existing Punggol Vocational Institute. 12.45 pm Sir, my Ministry recognizes and appreciates the effort and contribution made by the community, be it missionary or other interested bodies, in the advancement of education. In fact, it is this spirit and the sense of participation that has contributed to the progress of our country. It will be sad, Sir, to see the diminution of such a spirit. It is precisely because of this that my Ministry decided three years ago to raise the capital grant from 50% to 80% for the better aided schools to relocate. Sir, this capital grant includes building cost, furniture and equipment.”
“Sir, clause 36 sets out the powers of the High Court on an appeal under clause 35:- (a) on any ground involving a question of law; or (b) on the ground that the claim was outside the jurisdiction of the tribunal. Furthermore, the Bill also provides that the Referee will decide claims according to the substantial merits and justice of each case with regard to the law but will not be bound strictly by it. The tribunals will have control over its own procedures and not be bound by strict rules of evidence. The Bill therefore contemplates flexible application of procedural rules and substantive law. Therefore, it seems incongruous to permit an appeal on substantive grounds on a question of law. Moreover, it is not necessary for the Referee to record the grounds for his decision as the record of a case shall consist only of: (a) the Claim; (b) summary of the facts of the issue in dispute; and (c) order made by the tribunals. It will therefore be difficult for the losing party to judge whether he should appeal and, if so, how to put his appeal on the basis of the available records. I should be grateful if the Minister would care to clarify. 3.50 pm”
“Sir, the Small Claims Tribunals' main merit, however, will be in its very existence. Because the Tribunals exist, consumers will be less helpless and apathetic. In turn, less than ethical traders and manufacturers, who know consumers can resort to the tribunals, will become more responsive to consumer complaints. Sir, may I now express some of my observations. Although the Small Claims Tribunals seem to be set up for the benefit of the consumers, they are in fact an avenue for redress for both traders and consumers alike. We must guard against the abuse of use of the Tribunals. In particular, we must guard against traders utilizing the services of the tribunals to recover unpaid sums owed by consumem and other traders. If this safeguard is not provided, then the tribunals will become merely a tool for use by corporate creditors for debt collection. This point was also expressed by the Member for Boon Lay just now. It is also possible that employees of the corporate creditors, though without formal qualifications, could acquire a series of skills and a familiarity with practices and personnel of the tribunals which con give the corporate creditors a decided advantage over the unrepresented debtors who may be going through the proceedings for the first time. To prevent such a situation, the Minister may have to consider the following measures: (a) Expressly exclude claims by corporations, partnerships or associations; (b) Preclude professional debt collection agencies from utilizing the tribunals; (c) Limit the number of cases which may be brought up by a particular claimant in a given period of time.”
“On the other hand, a consumer, when faced with the prospect of having to commence proceedings or having proceedings com- menced against him, has to consider how and who to engage as a solicitor in relation to such proceedings. On top of it all, he has also to consider the worrisome problem of meeting the legal cost of such proceedings. These are all matters which are unfamiliar to an average small consumer. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, clause 21 also provides that all actions in the Small Claims Tribunals must be presented by the parties themselves. Grievances may be stated in plain words with no legal jargon. Thus, as far as proceedings are concerned, there is no disadvantage in not being legally trained. Both parties tell their side of the story and decisions can be rendered immediately or within a few days after the hearing. Furthermore, the tribunals' proceedings would take place in private, thus underscoring the informal setting. Sir, the setting up of such tribunals in Singapore will therefore help to remove from small consumers the uncertainties of litigation and in particular the question of legal cost. The preclusion of lawyers from appearing in such a court will help to place the small consumers on a more equal footing with the suppliers of the goods and services. It may also help to deter traders and businessmen from using unethical methods of sale since they may have to justify such methods of sale personally when claims are brought by disgruntled consumers. In such a tribunal, it will no longer be possible for unscrupulous traders or businessmen to shield themselves behind professional lawyers who can avail themselves of the esoteric and impersonal intricacies of the legal machinery to obscure the social aspects of any claim before a court.”
“The formation of the Small Claims Tribunals is therefore commendable as it could act as a deterrent to such undesirable trade malpractices. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the main advantage of having the tribunals, as I see it, is that it enables small consumers to assert their rights by commencing civil proceedings against the suppliers of defective or sub-standard goods and services. It also allows small consumers not to be unduly alarmed by the threat of litigation by unscrupulous suppliers of goods and services which have been foisted upon them by unethical methods of sale. In the Singapore context, it is reasonable to fix the ceiling for small claims at a maximum of $2,000 per claim as such a limit will adequately cater for the needs of the small consumer, for the protection of whose interests the tribunals are intended. Sir, clause 21 provides that no party may be represented by an advocate and solicitor or agent at hearings of a tribunal. This is a good move. At present, many small consumers are deterred from asserting their rights by litigation or are unnerved by the threat of litigation because they usually have no dealings with lawyers. Consequently, they have a very vague idea as to the cost and other implications of litigation. On the other hand, the suppliers of consumer goods and services normally retain the services of lawyers as part of their trade or business, particularly if they know that their methods of securing trade or business from consumers are likely to give rise to dissatisfaction which can result in litigation. It is therefore a routine matter for a trader or businessman to instruct his solicitor to issue threats of legal action against defaulting consumers.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I join the Member for Boon Lay in welcoming the introduction of this Bill which I think is long overdue. It is indeed a milestone in the history of consumerism in Singapore. Hitherto, dissatisfied consumers find difficulty in obtaining satisfactory redress from unscrupulous or recalcitrant traders because of the small nature of their claims. The only way a consumer can enforce his rights is through litigation. However, there are several factors which dissuade a consumer from resorting to this means: cost, time and the complexity of procedure. Sir, in the past experience of my association with the Consumers' Association of Singapore, I know that a consumer with a legitimate claim against a trader amounting to no more than $200-$300 is usually neither prepared to incur legal costs nor expend time and energy to vent his grievance through the judicial system, which may take anything up to six months to two years for a decision. If he is fortunate and if his claim, is undisputed, he could obtain redress within one to two months. However, in the more normal case of a disputed claim, it is just not worth the while to press it. It is therefor probable that many legitimate consumer complaints do not receive due satisfaction. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, justified complaints like these if accumulated could mean consumers losing large sums of money and unscrupulous retailers getting away with trade malpractices much to the detriment of their honest counterparts. Furthermore, there is also the need to protect consumers from being misled or falsely persuaded to enter into contracts for the purchase of goods or services and also from being unduly harassed by traders or businessmen subsequently in respect of such contracts.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, my Ministry is fully aware that there is only one primary school in Ayer Rajah Constituency and also the inconvenience caused to the constituents of the hon. Member for Ayer Rajah. I think we have to recognize as a fact that due to limited resources the building of schools and the building of flats in new towns can never be completed at the same time. It is inevitable that there is always a time lapse. In this respect, Sir, my Ministry is thankful to the hon. Member for his understanding of the problem and his taking pains to explain the difficult position to his constituents when a new school term starts each year. However, his predicament will soon be relieved. I am pleased to inform the hon. Member that a new school will be coming up in his Constituency. The school will be built at West Coast Avenue in Hong Leong Gardens. Piling work has just commenced and the school is expected to be completed in August 1984 and operational in January 1985.”
“Sir, I am pleased to inform the hon. Member that, out of the eight new schools, three primary schools and one secondary school will be built in the Punggol constituency. The rest will be in the Paya Lebar constituency. AIDED-SCHOOLS (Applications for capital grants) 2. Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education if he will state the number of applications for capital grants following the announcement in 1982 that aided schools can obtain a grant of up to 80% of project cost; whether aided schools will be allowed to use Government schools that are now being built to avoid the submission of building plans for approval and the application to solicit funds to build new schools or expand their existing substandard schools to provide better facilities; and whether his Ministry can be more flexible in regard to the payment of 20% of the building cost required to be raised by the aided schools, in view of their contributions to Singapore. The Minister of State of Education (Dr Tay Eng Soon) (for the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, since the announcement to provide up to 80% of project cost to aided-schools last May, 15 applications have been received. Eleven are for relocation of schools and four are for major extension projects. Aided-schools may occupy new schools built by Government at nominal rent for three years in the first instance, whilst they raise funds to pay their share of the cost of the property. Five aided-schools have moved into new Government schools under this scheme. The Ministry of Education will be flexible. It will consider extension of the rental period in the event that an aided-school is not able to raise sufficient funds within the stipulated period.”
“Sir, the actual cost of these two schools is not available at this moment, as the piling tender has just been awarded. However, based on past records, the cost of works and building, equipment, and furniture for a 1980 standard primary school is around $7 million.”
“In terms of physical facilities, two school buildings have been made available to the special schools at nominal rental. The Ministry is also assisting the Singapore Association for Retarded Children to take over the Griffiths School building for the Association's use on a nominal rental basis. Some handicapped children with normal intelligence attend regular schools at both primary and secondary levels. There are nine visually-handicapped pupils and 59 pupils with hearing impairment studying in our regular primary schools. At the secondary level, 36 visually-handicapped students are studying in seven regular secondary schools and 63 students with hearing impairment in two regular secondary schools. Six resource teachers are provided to assist these students. The students attend regular classes with normal students and follow the normal curriculum. They are given special assistance when needed by the resource teachers. At the request of the associations, the Institute of Education is planning to run training courses for special education teachers. The details are still being discussed by the Institute and, the associations. The course is likely to be a 3-year part-time course leading to the Certificate in Special Education.”
“Sir, work will start as soon as a decision is reached that schools in Singapore should go full-day. EDUCATION OF HANDICAPPED CHILDREN 2. Dr Tan Cheng Bock asked the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education why his Ministry is not willing to shoulder the responsibility of educating our handicapped children like the deaf, the blind and the retarded and whether such a move will deprive them of the best education possible. The Minister of State of Education (Dr Tay Eng Soon) (for the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am replying on behalf of my Minister. Far from being unwilling to shoulder the responsibility, the Government has and will continue to give substantial assistance to voluntary organizations in the education of handicapped children. The Government's policy is to encourage the efforts of the voluntary organizations which are running the special schools and to support them wherever possible. The Ministry of Education has been providing teachers to teach in the eight special schools. Similarly, the Ministry of Social Affairs has been providing instructors for the School for the Blind and the School for the Deaf. In addition, the Ministries of Social Affairs and Health give annual grants to the special schools to meet part of their recurrent expenditure. In 1982, 69 government teachers and 11 instructors were sent to the special schools. The Ministry of Education had also agreed to deploy another 25 teachers to the special schools last year. The total government subsidy per pupil in the special schools taking into account the grants provided, the teachers and instructors provided was $1,626 per pupil in 1982. This is 41% more than the subsidy of $1,153 per pupil in our regular primary schools in 1982.”
“Let me now come to the point raised by the hon. Member for Telok Blangah. I share his concern over the education of his constituents. He is correct in pointing out that there are two secondary schools being built in his constituency. In addition, two primary schools will also be built in Telok Blangah. Let me give more details regarding the site and class size of these schools. The two secondary schools will be sited at Depot Road and Telok Blangah Drive respectively and due for completion in December 1982. As for the two primary schools, one will be sited on the former Kampong Jagoh School and the other at Telok Blangah Road. These two primary schools are due for completion in December 1983. All these four schools are of 1980 standard, which means that for a primary school there will be 36 classrooms, including six for pre-primary classes. For a secondary school, there will be 28 classrooms. If we work on the basis of 40 pupils per class, then we will have 4,800 places for primary school pupils and 4,480 places for secondary school pupils. Of course, this works on the assumption that it is a two-session school. Statistics show that, in the Telok Blangah constituency, the school-going population for primary school is slightly more than 4,000 and for the secondary school, it is slightly more than 2,000. With the completion of these four schools, there will be more than enough places for children of his constituents.”
“Sir, the hon. Member for Clementi is correct in pointing out the shortage of schools in new towns. I share his concern over the inconvenience experienced by his constituents. That is why we have to resort to the concept of "holding schools" to hold pupils temporarily in existing schools slightly further away from the new town pending the completion of new schools in the town proper. The holding period normally ranges from one to three years depending on the progress of the school building programme. 6.00 p.m. Coming back to the point raised by the Member in regard to the movement of pupils from a holding school to a new school when it is completed, may I inform the Member that when the new school is completed and begins to function the mass exodus of pupils from the holding school to the new school is done exactly in the same manner as described by the hon. Member just now, except for the Primary 6 classes and those who have been accustomed to the holding school environment and to the traffic pattern and who have opted to stay behind. For the information of the hon. Member, four new schools will be built in the Clementi area. These schools are (1) the Jin Tai Primary School at West Coast Road (12 Km) due for completion in June 1982; (2) Jin Xiu Primary School at Clementi Avenue 1, due for completion in May 1983; (3) a primary school at Pandan Expressway, due for completion in May 1983, and (4) a primary school at the junction of Upper Ayer Rajah Road and Commonwealth Avenue West, due for completion in August 1983. With the completion of these four schools, I think there will be more than enough school places for the school-going population in his constituency. Should the hon. Member encounter any difficulty in future, he is always welcome to call at my office.”
“Member also wants to know the progress of the three supplementary language programmes to help the pupils in the SAP schools to improve their language proficiency, that is, the Immersion Programme, (IP), the Supplementary English Language Programme (SELP) and the Supplementary Chinese Language Programme (SCLP). I wish to inform the hon. Member that these three programmes are closely monitored by the Schools Division of my Ministry. Statistics show that SCLP is the most popular among the three programmes. For example, last year among the Secondary 1 pupils, 1,807 pupils participated in the SELP, while 162 in IP and 577 in SCLP. From feedback, these pupils have benefited from the programme very much. My Ministry is fully aware that as the SAP school scheme is a new one, there are bound to be many teething problems. I can assure the hon. Member that my Ministry will continue to render every assistance that is needed by the SAP schools. In fact, the Director of Education and the Director of Schools do hold regular meetings with the nine principals to find out their individual as well as collective needs and solve their professional and administrative problems. In case there are matters that cannot be thrashed out at such meetings, the principals can always come to me. In fact, some of them have done so. In conclusion, my Ministry is as anxious as the Member is to see that the SAP schools will succeed.”
“As regards special financial assistance to the SAP schools, it is an announced policy that the SAP schools should be given financial assistance to improve their facilities as well as to meet the increased operating costs. Besides the air-conditioned language laboratory, as mentioned by the Member, SAP schools are provided with air-conditioned libraries, audio-visual rooms and music rooms. As seven out of the nine schools are Government-aided schools, special grants from the Education Fund are given to them to supplement the capital grant from voted funds for non-standard facilities. Special interest-free loans from the Education Fund are also extended to SAP schools to improve their physical facilities. A case in point is the Nanyang Girls High School where a special grant and interest-free loan were offered to the school to construct additional classrooms and storerooms. In addition, an annual grant of $10,000 is given to SAP schools to develop their libraries. As regards staff in SAP schools, it is also the announced policy that eventually they will be staffed by the best English and Chinese medium teachers. Moreover, the number of teachers is given above the normal quota to the SAP schools and the principals are allowed to identify teachers for posting to their schools. Every SAP school is given one or two expatriate teachers. In addition, my Ministry has managed to obtain from the Ministry of Finance a post of technician to assist in the running of the language laboratories in SAP schools. It is true that there is still a shortage of teachers in SAP schools, but I can assure the hon. Member that my Ministry will take active steps to fill these vacancies. The hon.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I reply to the points raised by the Member for Leng Kee in regard to the Special Assistance Plan schools. The scheme of SAP schools was first implemented in January 1979 with the following two objectives: first, to raise the English language proficiency of non-English medium pupils in secondary schools to enable them to proceed to their Pre-U education and tertiary education, or to better their employment prospects, and secondly, to preserve a few established Chinese-medium secondary schools to inculcate traditional values in a Chinese school setting. Under this scheme the top 8% to 10% of the PSLE passes are posted to the SAP schools. These pupils have to do two languages, that is, Chinese and English, at first-language level. In the middle of last year, the principals of the SAP schools felt that they needed a basis to gauge the students' potential to cope with their CL1 and EL1 at the GCE 'O' level examination. On their request, my Ministry allowed the Secondary 3 students to sit for their CL2 and EL2 'O' level examination last year. The results show that they have done extremely well. As has been pointed out by the hon. Member for Leng Kee, the percentage of passes and distinctions is very high, even higher than the national average. In EL2 it is 99.7% passes against the national average of 47.3%, whilst in the CL2, it is 99.9% against 82.5%. I am glad that the hon. Member has paid tribute to the SAP schools. I fully agree with him that this is due to the hard work and the extra effort put in by the principals and the teachers concerned.”
“The name of the new school is Cai Qi School which, I believe, is named after a once well-known village in Nee Soon. NEO TIEW ROAD (Damage by refuse trucks) 3. Mr Tang See Chim asked the Minister for the Environment whether he is aware that the heavy refuse trucks of his Ministry are making use of Neo Tiew Road as a short-cut to the dumping ground at 32 km Lim Chu Kang Road, thereby causing damage to the road which is not designed to carry such heavy traffic; whether he will prohibit such use and, if not, why not; and if he is not prepared to prohibit such use, whether his Ministry will undertake to repair the damage caused to the road.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the following ratios are used for the planning of new schools for our new towns: For every 9,500 persons : one primary school For every 16,000 persons : one secondary school For every 120,000 persons : one junior college Thus, for Yishun New Town which is expected to have a total population of 62,000 by 1987, the number of schools planned for the town will be five primary schools which will be built between 1982 and 1987, three secondary schools which will be built between 1984 and 1987 and one junior college by 1987. Beyond 1987, a new School Building Programme will be initiated to cater for the further needs of Yishun New Town as its population grows. The first primary school in Yishun New Town will be completed in April 1982. It will be located at Yishun Ring Road.”
“If this is continuously done, we might see the gradual evolution of our own Singaporean National Culture. I hope the Minister would consider organizing such events which encourage mass participation, together with other statutory boards and private cultural/sports bodies.”
“There was mass participation, and this indirectly promotes the appreciation of one aspect of our cultural heritage within the context of our multi-cultural society. Recently, the Majlis Pusat (Central Council of Malay Cultural Bodies) successfully conducted a 10-day Malay Cultural Festival. Their efforts were indeed praiseworthy. The festival has aroused an awareness and consciousness of the rich cultural heritage of the Malays, among not only the Malays themselves but also non- Malays. It has attracted the attention of tourists and can become, if organized in a big way annually, a tourist attraction. The Ministry could perhaps consider promoting annual festivals, in particular that of traditional games. This festival could include the different traditional games of our multiracial community and perhaps held during the weekend of the Hari Raya holidays. I am sure we are rich in multi-racial/cultured tradi- tional games which can be promoted for the appreciation of our younger generation. This festival of multi-racial traditional games could be organized at different places - at the stadium, parks, etc. available in the different HDB estates. During Deepavali, we could perhaps organize a festival of music and songs of our different communities. This could also be brought to the doorstep of our citizens by ensuring that it is held at open spaces or make-shift stages at different HDB estates. If we could organize Aneka Ragam Rakyat in the past, why could we not hold such festivals of music and songs in the same way? On the three occasions when Singaporeans celebrate the Lunar New Year, Deepavali and Hari Raya Puasa, they will not only be able to celebrate together but these events will help promote greater understanding and appreciation of the different cultures.”
“It will be better to retain the original characteristics of each song, music and dance: and promote it for mass participation by our multi-cultural population. In order to promote Singaporean community dances, we should not just mix the different steps, movements, and music of the different cultures. Let us learn the Lion Dance or Lenggang Kangkong with their original characteristics in movements - organize it for the participation of people from every walk of life. Have explanatory talks and demonstrations of such dances over TV, etc. On principle, we should not distort the unique individual characteristics of each of our four rich cultures in Singapore. In Singapore, we have public holidays in which to celebrate auspicious festivals such as the Lunar New Year, the Hari Raya Puasa and the Deepavali. We have Christmas too, and this is celebrated by Christians in particular and non-Christians in general. These festivals are included in the Tourist Calendar of events in order to attract tourists who are interested to see and taste the colourful way of life of Singaporeans. The People's Association and the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board have organized the Chingay Procession which was held on the second weekend after the Lunar New Year Holidays at different places, particularly in the HDB estate. The procession is normally televised, and it has now been accepted by the people as an event to look forward to during the Lunar New Year Holidays. This year, this event was not televised and it drew complaints from members of the public. That procession included dance items from our multicultural society and was watched by thousands of our residents of different races.”
“Sir, I thank the Senior Minister of State for Culture for his reply, and I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. Encik Saidi Shariff: Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head J be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead JC-01 Object Group 2610 of the Main Estimates. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am moving the amendment to the Estimates of the Ministry of Culture under the subject of Planning and Promotion of cultural matters and exhibitions. The programme description is stated as the organization of musical concerts, photographic exhibition reflecting the national cultural identity and other cultural activities. May I seek some clarification from the Hon. Senior Minister of State as to what our national cultural identity is. We have been presented with some songs and dances at regular intervals over the TV recently - songs such as "Singapura! Oh Singapura!" "Di-Tanjong Katong", "Chan Mali Chan", etc. and community dances which appear to have a combination of all the intrinsic movements of Chinese, Indian and Malay dances. We have also heard about attempts to introduce a national dress and recently a national flower as well. Are all these promotional activities directed at the creation of what we call "a national cultural identity"? Our multiracial society has a rich cultural heritage which must be nurtured and appreciated by all, particularly the younger generation, if we are not to lose our cultural roots and ballast necessary to ensure the stability of our society against the onslaughts of foreign western influence. But we cannot truly create a Singaporean Culture if a mere mixing and blending the multi-cultural fibres of our songs, music and dances becomes a deliberate and the only policy.”
“In particular, I would appreciate it if the Minister concerned could inform this House whether a pictorial will be published to enhance external publicity. As a picture is more convincing than a thousand words, our progress and achievements, if put in a pictorial form, will be more appealing to foreign readers. Personally, I strongly feel that money spent on producing this pictorial is most worthwhile and its effect is also far-reaching. 4.00 p.m.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head J be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead JB-05 of the Main Estimates. Sir, the political developments in Southeast Asia in recent years, particularly after Vietnam's invasion of Kampuchea, have made it important for Singapore to be known and understood by countries in other parts of the world. Although Singapore has no significant place on a world map and, in fact, we are sometimes mistaken as a state of another country, we are by no means inferior to many countries in the world which have large populations and vast acreage of land. Sir, we appreciate the effort made in recent years by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in particular the Minister himself, in an attempt to project Singapore's image at regional and international conferences and assemblies. To a certain extent, they have succeeded. However, we must admit that our external publicity in the past seems to have been centred on commercial aspects only. It seems that emphasis is being placed on advertising Singapore as an investment centre and a tourist spot. Sir, I am not saying that this is wrong. However, a more balanced external publicity should be mounted as our political and cultural backgrounds are seldom known to foreigners. They seem to know Bugis Street better than any other place. In this respect, I think the Ministry of Culture has a very important role to play. I notice that a sum of $94,840 has been set aside for personnel expenditure in carrying out external publicity. Would the Minister concerned enlighten the House on the plans that his Ministry has in mind in launching external publicity in the coming financial year?”
“Sir, first of all, I must thank the Hon. Minister for his kind remarks about me. I am not here to argue on the rationale for the proposed take-over. However, as a Member of Parliament, I think I have a duty to safeguard the interests of my constituents. I would like to place on record that I will strongly oppose any move by the HDB to charge my constituents car-parking fees. On that note, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $51,687,910 for Hood W ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $383,194,000 for Head W ordered to stand pan of the Development Estimates. Head P -”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head W be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead WB-01 Project 8201 of the Development Estimates. Sir, I have heard that the JTC housing estates will be handed over and managed by the HDB very soon. I do not know how far this is true as I have not been officially informed so far. Perhaps the Minister concerned could throw some light on this. Sir, hitherto I should say JTC officials have been quite cooperative, and the estates, bY and large, have been properly maintained. The residents are generally happy to live in Jurong Town and make their home there. 6.15 p.m. Sir, JTC and HDB may have different ways in estate management. I do not know. But I hope the proposed handover will not unduly disturb the lives of my constituents. To-date, one obvious advantage enjoyed by residents living in JTC estates is that they do not have to pay parking fees. In other words, car parks in JTC estates are free of charge. The residents have been accustomed to orderly parking without the supervision of parking attendants. I think the hon. Member for Boon Lay and the Member for Ayer Rajah who also have JTC estates in their constituencies can bear me out on this. I am rather concerned that once HDB steps into JTC estates, my constituents will be deprived of the privilege which they are now enjoying. Could I have the assurance of the Minister that this practice of free car parking in JTC estates will remain when the JTC estates are managed by HDB?”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his reply and I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Goh Chee Wee: *(2) That the sum to be allocated for Head S be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead SC-02 of the Main Estimates.”
“He is not to be trained only to acquire the skill to earn a living or to make money alone; but to be taught other aspects of life. The success of education should, therefore, be gauged on the number of good citizens produced who will mould the pattern of our society in future, and not on the absolute number of children who pass examinations. Sir, I still have many things to say on education. But as many other hon. Members, especially the newcomers, are expected to speak, I would not like to take too much time. I will end my speech by saying this: the success of our education system should be the combination of professionalism and good administration, and this can only be achieved when the dedication of our teachers is motivated. Not until then, can we say that our education policy has been a success. Mr Speaker, Sir, I join the hon. Member for Mountbatten in thanking the President. 4.34 p.m.”
“The large amount of paper work required by the Ministry headquarters has merely increased the workload of the school and involved the people which in effect is a "Much ado about nothing". According to the Addendum, the rate of annual external appraisal by the Ministry is 56 primary and 28 secondary schools. Assuming we have 343 primary and 135 secondary schools, the recurrent appraisal rate for each school is 6.1 years for the primary and 4.8 years for the secondary schools. Since self-appraisal is far from perfect and external appraisal has to take such a long time, I am in great doubt about what would happen to schools in between two external appraisals. Since the specialist inspectorate was scrapped, teachers have nowhere to seek. specialist advice. This is more so in the Art subjects. I am told that many teachers who have no training in Art or have very little knowledge of Art are assigned to teach An. I do not blame the teachers, but the standard of an or, for that matter, any other specialised subjects will definitely be lowered. I am also told that since there is no Art coordinator in the Ministry headquarters, outstanding works have not been collected from schools for participation in international art competitions. I remember the Hon. Prime Minister once lamented on the lack of a sense of art appreciation amongst Singaporeans. With this state of affairs in our schools, I am afraid that what we are able to produce is a bunch of economic creatures. I am given to understand that the external appraisal system which the Ministry is so proud of has been discarded in many states in Australia. The ultimate aim of education is, I feel, to develop a child into an all-rounded person.”
“I am told that owing to the acute shortage of language teachers, many teachers have to do extra work. The Chinese-educated teachers are the worst lot. Many of them have to undergo training after training and sit for examination after examination. In the end they are completely demoralised. The hon. Member for Kampong Ubi has touched on the question of the promotion exercise in the teaching profession. I share his sentiments. But I would like to add that this promotion exercise is one which most teachers are looking forward to, and this is long overdue. More than four years have elapsed since the last exercise in 1976. I do not understand why the Ministry of Education should hold up the promotion exercise. If this exercise is not to be scrapped, then surely the promotion exercise must continue to exist. If it exists, when will it be revived? Next, I would like to touch on the school appraisal system in practice now. While I appreciate the effort of the Ministry of Education to give more autonomy to school principals, I am sceptical of the effectiveness of the self-appraisal system. As principals are not trained nor specialised in all subjects, the accuracy of the appraisal on all teachers, therefore, leaves much to be desired. Certainly an English-educated principal will find it beyond his ability to assess the performance of a Chinese language teacher or other language teachers. I do not know how far this is true, but I am told that the magnificent three-year rolling plan and detailed annual work plan of schools are mainly drawn up to please certain people in the Ministry headquarters. In practice, the schools go on as usual.”
“Member for Yio Chu Kang who spoke yesterday that the future of a child should not be decided at a tender age; as early as nine. From what I can gather, most parents are, in fact, worried and feel strongly that slow learners may lose out in the streaming exercise, in particular for those streamed to do the monolingual course. Another problem that has arisen is that many schools do not conduct the monolingual course owing to its small enrolment and the lack of competent teachers. Pupils in this category, in many cases, have to travel long distances to schools. Either out of frustration or owing to financial constraints, the parents of these pupils who are largely in the lower income group as pointed out by the hon. Member for Yio Chu Kang yesterday, may simply choose the easy way out by stopping the education of their children. Although I have no statistics to show how many such pupils have left school, I am sure there must be some. If the situation is not rectified, the number of children leaving schools will probably increase in the near future. These pupils, in the words of the Addendum "left school virtually illiterate". In the past, the illiterate had left school at the age of 13 or 14; whereas now the age has indirectly been advanced to nine or 10. Similarly, no mention is made in the Addendum on ways to boost the morale of the teachers. It is universally accepted that even if you have the best education policy in the world, without the full co-operation of teachers who are the primary catalysts of any educational system, since they are in the forefront in close contact with the pupils, no policies can be successfully implemented. No teacher will work wholeheartedly if he is in low spirits.”
“However, the achievement of a rapport with the people cannot be attained overnight but is the result of a painstaking process of understanding the problems and needs of the people through the weekly meet-the-people sessions, the meetings with community leaders and the constant constituency tours. In short, a more matured Parliament is to be envisaged. The Addenda to the President's Speech released over the past 10 days have set out the detailed objectives and strategies of each ministry in the next few years. After going through the Addenda at length, I notice that the Addendum pertaining to the Ministry of Education forms about one-third of the whole paper. This is an indication of the importance of education to the nation as a whole as well as the intricate job entrusted to the Education Ministry. Incidentally, allow me to comment sincerely that we Singaporeans are indeed fortunate to have a most knowledgeable and wise man, none other than the Hon. First Deputy Prime Minister, to take charge of education. We know that his advice is even sought by the Sri Lankan Government and other governments in order for them to get rich. However, as a humble man, the Hon. First Deputy Prime Minister had indicated in this Chamber that he would welcome suggestions and constructive criticisms as to how the education policy could best be implemented. Hence I would like to make some observations on education. First, I shall touch on the issue of streaming. I would like to refer Members to the Addendum which rightly admitted that "the exercise aroused widespread public controversy". Although streaming in secondary schools is dealt with at great length in the Addendum, it is surprising to note that no mention has been made to streaming in primary schools. I share the views of the Hon.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the President has, at the opening of the Fifth Parliament on the third day of this month, explicitly set the goals of the Government in the next five years. However, to achieve these objectives, the effort of the Government alone is certainly not enough. Our people have to be mobilised to make their share of contributions. The joint effort of the Government and the people is the key to success. Although our people have shown full confidence in the PAP government, as testified by their choice of a continuing leadership of the nation in the recent general elections, we must on no account lose sight of their will and aspirations. The simple political philosophy that the wealth gained through the concerted effort of all Singaporeans must be justly distributed still holds. Thus our job as Parliamentarians, as Backbenchers, in particular, is to ensure that Government policies are formulated in the best interest of the nation and that their implementation does not unduly upset the life of our people or cause inconvenience to them unnecessarily. The President has rightly pointed out that Parliament should reflect the views, the hopes, the doubts and the fears of the people. With no opposition being elected to this Chamber, the task of Backbenchers is even more difficult in their dual-role function to make the Parliament truly reflective of the will and aspirations of our people. Hence, the injection of new blood to the House will, to a great extent, enrich the substance of debates, as evidenced in the Sitting yesterday and earlier this afternoon. Although many of our new colleagues are professionals, they are by no means insensitive to the feelings on the ground.”
“Sir, the Minister has not told the House how successful the two schemes have been, that is, the intensive farming scheme and the hydroponics, which the Primary Production Department is so proud of.”
“The intensive farming scheme which the Primary Production Department has been advocating for years and the hydroponics scheme which the same Department is so proud of its discovery are two interesting areas in agricultural development. Why then have these two schemes not been fully implemented? As farm licences are recognised as documentary proof of bone fide farmers, it is natural for the farmers to regard them as important documents. According to press reports about a fortnight ago, there seems to be some confusion as to the policy of transfer of farm licences. Will the Minister care to state categorically the policy in respect of transfer of farm licences?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of Object Group 1210 of Subhead Code TH-01 of the Main Estimates. Some people have a misconception that our farmers are uneconomically occupying the land for farming activity and think that the best way is to drive all the farmers away and lease the land out to multi-national tycoons who are likely to pay higher rentals. They seem to have forgotten that man has to eat in order to live. Although our farmers do not grow the main crops, credit must be given to them for producing a sufficient supply of pork, chicken and eggs and some other farm produce. If all our farmers are forced to change occupation, we will have to import everything we eat from abroad. In time of peace, this will be no problem. We can get our regular supplies of food so long as we are able to settle the foreign exchange with the suppliers. However, since the world today is in such a turbulent state, it is hard to ascertain what will happen next. Many of us can still remember the bitter experience of living on tapioca during the Japanese Occupation. If all the farming lands are taken away, then in times of crisis, unless a general supply of food is ensured, we will not even have tapioca to eat. It is not an uncommon phenomenon that our farmers are being chased from place to place. In particular, the pig farmers are the most pitiful lot. They have been chased from Jurong to Chua Chu Kang, from Chua Chu Kang to Punggol, and now from Punggol back to Lim Chu Kang. I wonder why the Government could not set out a long term agricultural policy and set aside certain parts of our island for agricultural development.”
“But in 1977 the National Stadium had an operational surplus of $845,000 against an interest element of $692,000. There was a net surplus of $153,000. Thereafter, the revenue of the National Stadium went down. The operational surplus went down in 1978. It went up further in 1979. The interest element had gone up and, therefore, there was a net deficit situation. I believe a moratorium has been granted to the National Stadium on principal repayment and on interest repayment. The Member for Ang Mo Kio asked a question as to the kind of facilities that have been provided on Sentosa island as a result of further loans being given or as a result of further expenditure incurred. The facilities envisaged include a monorail to be financed by a loan from the Government. The assessment at this stage is that it is a commercially viable project and the loan can be repaid on the terms given. There will be a cycle-cum-jogging track to be financed from the surpluses of the Sentosa Development Corporation. A second golf course will be constructed. This will be financed from membership fees. A resort hotel is planned but this will be a private sector development. A musical fountain is also planned to be constructed on Sentosa island. This will be financed by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board. These facilities to be provided by the Sentosa Development Corporation will cater for the local population as much as they will attract the foreign tourists. Sentosa is meant to be developed into a resort island as well as a day holiday island in the sense that Singaporeans can visit the island on a daily basis. A section of it will be used for resort development. This will cater mainly for the foreign tourists.”
“But SDC, as a whole, still suffers an operational deficit because of the offshore islands. The deficit for the offshore islands was $820,600 in 1976, $575,773 in 1977, $632,345 in 1978 and $452,000 in 1979. The Minister for Finance agreed in the end to convert the loans into grants because he recognised that land reclamation, like land reclamation in East Coast Park, has to be financed from Government budget and not by the Corporation. If we leave it to the Corporation to undertake land reclamation for public recreational purposes, I am afraid the Board of the Sentosa Development Corporation will not be very enthusiastic in making the offshore islands available by reclaiming more land. As regards the related question of the National Stadium and whether a similar case could be made out for it, as I have remarked earlier on, the question should be answered by the Minister for Finance. But, nevertheless, I will venture an answer from my point of view. The National Stadium is different from the Sentosa Development Corporation in the sense that once the structure is completed, there is no necessity for those in charge of the National Stadium to undertake further projects of this sort. There are also no competing services for the stadium, for example, competing venues, whereas in the case of Sentosa island, there are the East Coast Park, the Chinese Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Botanic Gardens and so on. For the National Stadium, there is only one National Stadium. To show that the National Stadium can be profitable, let me give some figures from 1976 onwards. The operational surplus for the National Stadium was $54,000 in 1976. The interest was $457,000. Therefore, there was a net deficit.”
“The East Coast Park is available free of charge to the public of Singapore. So also is the Botanic Gardens. If we require the Corporation to undertake basic land reclamation for recreational purposes, there is no way in which the Corporation can be financially viable. The original objective of giving a loan instead of a grant to the Sentosa Development Corporation was to instil some financial discipline in the Corporation. The Minister for Finance did not want the Corporation to run amok by spending money unnecessarily on various projects. There was a purpose in it. After a few years of operation, it was discovered that there was no way in which the SDC could pay back the interest element as a result of infrastructural development. If I could give a breakdown of the figures for hon. Members here: $23.9 million were spent by SDC on the purchase of land; $11.8 million on infrastructural development; $18.4 million on recreation and other attractions. For the off-shore islands, $33.2 million were spent on reclamation and infrastructure. All these projects were financed by loans from the Ministry of Finance. As a result of the lopsided loan-equity capital ratio, SDC incurred a deficit. Just to give the figures for 1976: before the loan was converted into a grant, the SDC has a net deficit of $1.27 million, including interest. In 1977, the figure was $3,79 million, including interest. When the loans were converted into grants, the picture, of course, changed. Sentosa island itself was operationally profitable. There was a surplus from the operation of Sentosa island. In 1977, Sentosa island itself, not the SDC, had an operational surplus of $344,229. In 1978, the operational surplus was $261,195. In 1979, the operational surplus was $300,000.”
“Sir, I fully endorse the views expressed by my colleague, the Member for Ang Mo Kio. I for one am also interested to know why the loan to the SDC has been converted into a grant. Perhaps, in explaining the rationale for this, the Minister may wish to inform the House what is the cost-effectiveness of this grant and who are the people who are likely to benefit. Sir, I understand that the Singapore Sports Council has an outstanding loan with the Government for the construction of the National Stadium. The SSC is struggling very hard to pay interest of between $900,000 and $1 million to the Government every year. I hope the Member for River Valley, who is also the Chairman of the Singapore Sports Council, can bear me out on this point. Sir, why can the Government not also convert the loan to the SSC into a grant, so that the SSC can concentrate its efforts on sports promotion rather than waste its time in finding ways and means to raise money to pay the interest so that more people will benefit in the long run? Mr Goh Chok Tong: Sir, actually the question should be answered by the Minister for Finance since only he has the authority to decide whether or not a loan should be converted into a grant. But, nevertheless, speaking as the Minister in charge of Sentosa Development Corporation, I would like to explain the rationale why a request was made for the loan to be converted into a grant. The question was asked as to the financial status of SDC and whether, in fact, it incurred a loss. It was not a small loss; it was a huge loss. There is a reason for this. The Sentosa Development Corporation was required to reclaim offshore islands and to undertake infrastructural development for recreational purposes.”
“Sir, I hope the JTC will consider this request. On that note, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn.”