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
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“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 1105. Sir, hon. Members on this side of the House have already raised several questions in respect of the Police Force, and I would like to air my views in this regard. The Minister said just now that the Police Force will be enlisting full-time national servicemen for police duty. I endorse this move to be taken by the Government. But at the moment there are part-time national servicemen in the Police Force, that is, the Special Constabulary. I think care should be taken of these people. According to my understanding the morale of the Special Constabulary men is very low. Many highly educated part-time national servicemen have been posted to do watch-dog or jaga duties, or even office-boy duties. Naturally these people are frustrated. As a result of this frustration their morale is very low. I have also heard of more interesting episodes. One is that a Police officer told the Special Constables in his charge to issue three summonses a day after which they could go home to sleep. If there are such cases, I think we have to stop them. We should think of ways and means to remedy the situation and raise the morale of the Special Constables who are part-time national servicemen. They form a vital link, if I may say so, in the Police Force. The Minister also said that he will continue to hold Police Weeks to further promote good police/public relationship. I say that it is a good idea to continue with the Police Week. However, we should not forget that when we ask the people to cooperate with the police, we should also ask the police to cooperate with the people.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I also have amendment and I would like to take this opportunity to speak.”
“Sir, I would like to ask in which year and at what time was this ruling made? Mr Lim Guan Hoo: Sir, the Member for Sembawang must have a very good memory of this. Perhaps he can help to trace the record.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this term is a colloquial expression used by the people. It is not meant to be offensive to this House or to cast any aspersion on any Minister or Member. How are we going to reflect the views of the people if we do not use the term as used by the people?”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister what are the criteria adopted by the Primary Production Department in making recommendations for the allocation of land, and whether the survey of farmers by the Primary Production Department was done before or after finalising the registration of farmers by the Resettlement Office. Can the Minister enlighten the House?”
“It made a very absolute recommendation to the Land Office - allow me to read out the original letter for the appreciation of hon. Members here. 'Although the two incubators have been removed from the structure, they are presently placed outside the store and the power points are still intact in the structure. We are therefore of the view that the two incubators and the power points should be totally removed from the premises so that it will not be possible for him to reuse the structure as a hatchery at a later date.' Sir, this farmer is regarded as though he was a criminal, having committed a heinous crime and would have to be put to death by the Primary Production Department. As an MP for a rural area, I am most disgusted and painstricken at the base attitude adopted by the officers of the Department who regard the farmers as enemies. With such an attitude, how are they going to promote agricultural development? I hope the Minister will reassess the scope of operations of the Primary Production Department and conduct a special political training course for those officers who have frequent contact with the people. Sir, under the current resettlement regulations, the allocation of land to affected farmers would have to be recommended by the Primary Production Department. However, there are complaints that some people who are not engaged in any agricultural work at all have been so recommended. Finally these people chose to be allocated a free flat with higher compensation, while some genuine farmers were not recommended for land allocation.”
“Sir, although the Member for Anson is an MP for an urban area, he has been very sympathetic towards farmers and fishermen. For that I am very grateful to him. Sir, I believe that the job of the Primary Production Department is to further the development of our agriculture and fisheries and to assist the rural people to improve their methods of production so that their standard of living could be raised. However, I am most disappointed to find that recently the Primary Production Department officers have become land inspectors instead. They go round to check whether the villagers have erected any illegal structures or whether their buildings have been used for illegal purposes. I have here a letter from the Commissioner of Lands addressed to me saying that a farmer in my constituency is manufacturing kaya a kind of coconut jam in his house, and that this matter was reported to him by a land inspector in the Primary Production Department. Then there is also another farmer who was found by a Primary Production Department land inspector to have used his store as a hatchery without permission. In actual fact a hatchery is another form of agricultural activity. If the farmer had not applied for such a permit, then the Primary Production Department officer should be more sympathetic in his attitude. He should advise the farmer as to how an application could be made for this purpose. On the contrary, the land inspector not only did not give any advice but reported it to the Commissioner of Lands. So this poor farmer removed the incubators out of the store, thinking that the matter would end there and there would be no more trouble. But the Primary Production Department did not stop there.”
“I would like to know whether traffic lights will be installed there and at the junction because traffic accidents have occurred there.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, under this subhead I would like to ask the Minister a few questions. As we all know, Jurong Town is the largest industrial town in our country. There are about 500 factories and the working population number about 100,000. But of all the roads leading into Jurong Town, only one is a main road and that is Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim. Therefore, there is bad congestion during peak hours and even during non-peak hours. Although the factories in Jurong have staggered their working hours in answer to the Ministry of Communications' request, traffic congestion there is still not alleviated. I think the Member for Bukit Panjang can confirm this because he is working there. So I would like to ask the Minister what plans are there to build other roads leading into Jurong Town. If it is just a question of expanding Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim, it will not solve the matter. At the moment at the mouth of Jurong River there is a bridge built by a contractor. The bridge links up Jalan Buroh and Jalan Penjuru, and the other road along the west coast. I would like to ask the Minister whether he will permit vehicular traffic to make use of the bridge built by this contractor. I feel that the bridge must be strong enough because it has been used by lorries to carry earth. If the PWD thinks that the bridge is not strong enough, then I would like to ask whether this department has any plan to build other bridges. In my opinion this bridge is very useful in helping to solve the traffic problem in Jurong. 6.45 p.m. Another question is in regard to traffic lights. A request has been made to the authority concerned for the installation of traffic lights along Corporation Drive at the junction of Yung Kuang Road. Up to now, there are still no lights.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir just now I raised the point about old structures and the absence of such records in the Land Office It is possible that these records could have been lost or mislaid But if Members of Parliament or member of the Citizens' Consultative Committee :could certify as to the long-standing existence of such houses, I wonder whether sympathetic consideration can be given to prevent the demolition of these structures. Mr Barker: Sir, consideration is being given to such cases. However, the members of the CCC and some of the MPs are new, and some of the houses may be even older. But if someone occupies land on TOL from the Land Office, it is usually known. It would be on record as to whether it is a house or what kind of a building is there. If it is private land there may be no record, but if it is Government land let out on Temporary Occupation Licence the record is there to say what type of structure is on it. But in doubtful cases we would have to consider them. If the MP has been there for many years, and if he certifies its existence we will take his word for it. But, as I have said, even the CCC started only in 1964. Of course, ten years have passed, but they might claim that the house is 20 years old.”
“If the so-called unauthorised structures are put up under extenuating circumstances in which the people concerned have no alternative but to add to, change or alter their existing structures, then proper guidance should be given to regularise the unauthorised structures instead of just issuing a notice to demolish. But where unauthorised structures have been put up for profit-making, then no sympathy can be expected from Members of Parliament. I am sure the people concerned will have nothing to say if such unauthorised structures are pulled down. The next matter I would like to raise concerns absence of records in the Land Office of existing old buildings. There are cases of people who have been living in old buildings for many years. When the Land Office discovers that such a building is not on its record, a demolition order is issued. In such cases the Member of Parliament or members of the Citizens' Consultative Committee can certify the existence of these old buildings although they are not on record in the Land Office. But such certification and representation by the MP and CCC are not considered at all. As a result, the poor rural people have to live on the roadside. I think liberal consideration should be given to such cases. I would therefore urge the Minister once again to consider sympathetically such representations by the MPs and CCCs, or even from the rural people themselves.”
“Only then would we be able to handle the problem with consideration and sympathy, instead of ordering them about like criminals - asking them to demolish their unauthorised structures within 24 hours or within a specified period, and if they fail to comply, action would be taken to demolish such unauthorised structures and to charge them the cost of demolition. Sir, we know that in rural areas there is always a need to renovate old buildings or to repair old structures. And sometimes because the family is increasing there is need to extend the building to accommodate the family. In my constituency there are cases where 20 people live in a small attap house. In the circumstances, there is always a need to put up a lean-to to provide an extra room to accommodate the increasing number of people in the family, or some partition may be required to make another room. If such alterations or lean-to are discovered by the Land Office, they will be regarded as Unauthorised structures and action will be taken to demolish them. The demolition squad does not come from the Land Office alone; the Building Control Division as well as the Primary Production Department also take part in the demolition process. I have seen notices served by the Primary Production Department to the rural people to demolish their unauthorised structures. So the poor rural people are confronted with three big Government departments. Sir, I would like to suggest to the Minister that the Land Office should handle such cases with great sympathy and consideration. They should make a distinc tion between the various cases.”
“Sir, as a Member of Parliament from a rural constituency, it is my duty to reflect in this House to the Minister concerned the various difficulties, hardships and grievances of the rural people. On this basis I would like to endorse the views expressed by my colleagues from other rural constituencies, because I too have come across similar problems as they have. Perhaps the Minister might not understand the situation in the rural areas as well as we do, and therefore it is our duty to point out to him the various difficulties so that he would be able to direct his officers to handle the problems of the rural people in a proper manner. It is my belief that a kindhearted Minister like the one we have now would certainly do so, because every time I write to him he will personally reply to me and for that I am very grateful indeed. Some other Ministers, or even Parliamentary Secretaries for that matter, do not regard Members of Parliament with due respect. Whatever letters they receive from the MPs, they will direct their officers to reply instead. I would like to inform time Minister that there are some unauthorised structures in the rural areas. MPs from rural constituencies will share my view that there is no place in a rural area without any unauthorised structures. Why should there be unauthorised structures in the first place? Therefore, we have to get down to the root cause of the appearance of these unauthorised structures.”
“In view of the most satisfactory reply so far, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendments stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting - (14) That the total sum to be allocated for Head R in respect of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100. (15) That the total sum to be allocated for Head R in respect of the Development Estimates be reduced by $100.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BFA 8101. Sir, the subject of Jurong Fire Station has been brought up in this House on many occasions. I hope this will be the final one. Every year the Minister or his Parliamentary Secretary says that the fire station will be ready the following year, but up to-date the fire station is still not operational. During the past year, as far as I know, several factories in Jurong had been burned down; so there is an urgent need for a fire station in Jurong Town. In this respect, I would urge the Minister to expedite the matter and to ensure that the fire station will be operational as early as possible. Just now in reply to a query by the Member for Anson, the Minister said that the Jurong Fire Station will be commissioned sometime in June this year. Can the Minister confirm this? I would also like to find out from the Minister how will this fire station be run. Will it be operational round the clock, and how many fire engines will be stationed there?”
“Sir, in view of the reply given by the Minister, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr L. P. Rodrigo - (11) That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 8201.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BFA 2030 Firstly. I would like to find out from the Minister why the provision apportioned to this subhead has been reduced from $15,000 to $8,000 this year. Does it imply that the primary aim o, the Fire Brigade Week has been attained or otherwise? Would the Minister care to enlighten this House? The next point is that the Fire Brigade Week should place emphasis on driving home to the people the various methods of fire prevention and in case of fire the best means of escape, instead of sheer manifestation of new fire-fighting equipment and techniques. I am not opposing something interesting to attract the crowd, but the primary objective of the Fire Brigade Week should not be outdone by too many unnecessary performances.”
“The Primary Production Department, in fact, has been giving direct assistance to the farmers instead of encouraging the development of farmers' cooperatives for which management expertise is difficult to develop. Past experiences have shown that farmers' cooperatives do not fare well. Since 1960, nine societies have been de-registered and two have been dormant for some time. So far, agricultural cooperatives have not been very successful. Recently, however, the Teachers' Multi-purpose Co, operative Society has sponsored the formation of a new Livestock and Agricultural Farming Cooperative Society, which may be the beginning of a new period of modern agricultural cooperation in Singapore. However, I would assure the Member for Jurong that should there be a need for farmers to form cooperatives in the future, the new Cooperative Development Department would be most happy and willing to look into the feasibility of forming farmers' cooperatives in consultation with the Primary Production Department and the Farmers' Association. The Department will provide all the necessary assistance and guidance to farmers for such purposes.”
“system of primary societies, secondary societies, and an apex organisation. ` The fundamental change in the new Act is to ensure that the movement will grow by giving emphasis to cooperative development. This is done in two ways. Firstly, the new Cooperative Develop, ment Department will help to monitor the growth of the movement and foster the development of cooperative societies by providing guidance and advice as well as training for cooperative officials in cooperative subjects such as management of cooperative societies, marketing, financial administration, and so on. The Department will have trained staff to undertake this work. Secondly, an apex organisation will be formed to provide the leadership to the movement so as to encourage cooperative societies to work closely with one another to seek improvements through the pooling of ideas, resources and manpower. The new Act will also, among other things, provide for the establishment of a Central Cooperative Fund to finance centralised services for the benefit of all cooperatives in Singapore. The Member for Anson wanted to know whether non-citizens could be allowed to hold office. It is the intention that non-citizens should be debarred from serving in the management committees of cooperative societies unless the prior approval of the Minister is obtained. In reply to the Member for Jurong, the formation of a farmers' cooperative is not entirely a new idea. In fact, when cooperative societies were under the Primary Production Department, there were moves to organise farmers on a cooperative basis. It was found that there were inherent difficulties in doing so due to lack of interest among members, poor financial position, weak leadership and the resettlement of farmers as a result of rapid urbanisation.”
“Since then, my Ministry has appointed an ad hoc committee to study the cooperative movement and to develop a Framework for cooperative development in Singapore. The ad hoc committee was assisted by two experts, Dr J, von Muralt, ILO Cooperative Technical Officer, ,and Professor Hans H. Munkner, 1LO expert on cooperative legislation. Dr Muralt recommended the reorganisation of the Registry of Cooperative Societies into a Cooperative Development Department and the setting up of a cooperative apex organisation. He also recommended the diversification of cooperative activities and the establishment of a Cooperative Education Fund, the setting up of a Cooperative Training Institute and a programme of Cooperative Education and Training. Similar recommendations are also made by Professor Munkner who made other recommendations, including the complete revision of the Cooperative Societies Act, the creation of a central audit system, the setting up of a Cooperative Training Centre and a new system of provisional registration of societies. Both experts have worked closely with leaders of the cooperative movement and NTUC. Based ,on the Framework for Co, operative development, the Ministry has worked, out the requirements to, be incorporated into the new cooperative legislation. At present, Professor Munkner together with legal officers of the Attorney-General's Chambers are preparing the new Cooperative Societies Bill. It is expected that the draft Bill will be finalised in the middle of this year. The new cooperative legislation will provide a sound legal framework for the development of cooperative societies in Singapore. It will encourage the consolidation and diversification of cooperative activities and the establishment of an integrated .”
“The present Registry of Cooperative Societies, transferred to my Ministry from the Primary Production Department, is only equipped to handle routine administrative work such as inspection and audit of accounts of societies, enquiries, arbitration, liquidation and the registration and de-registration of societies. The new Cooperative Development Department will be the Government machinery to undertake promotional and educational work in the cooperative field. The cooperative movement had been in the doldrums for many years. Only in recent years, there has been a spurt in the growth of the movement with the setting up of the various NTUC cooperatives and the development of consumer cooperatives and multi-purpose cooperatives. In the context of the changing socio-economic conditions in Singapore, cooperative societies, rightly conceived and efficiently managed, can play an important part in improving the economic and social, positions of persons of limited resources and opportunities. We have now 80 registered cooperative societies with a total membership of 74,000. Seven of these societies are inactive Regarding multi-purpose societies, there are only two, but there are 11 other societies which are providing auxiliary consumer services to their members in addition to their normal activities. These societies, in addition to the consumer' activities of the NTUC cooperative supermarkets and consumer clubs, have helped in no small measure in combating inflation in Singapore. The Members for Anson and Toa Payoh will recall that I mentioned to the House during the last Budget debate that my Ministry would seek the services of experts to strengthen the cooperative movement and to re-draft the cooperative legislation.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like first to congratulate the Minister for converting his Registry of Cooperative Societies into the Cooperative Development Department with a view to coordinating and expanding the cooperative movement in Singapore. This is commendable. However, I must remind the Minister not to forget another section of our population which also needs the help of his Ministry to form cooperative societies. This section is none other than the farming community. In the past the farmers tried to form all sorts of cooperative societies, but most of these societies ceased to function after a few years, due mainly to poor management. Now that the Ministry has established the Cooperative Development Department, can this Department pay special attention to help our farmers to organise a Farmers' Multi-purpose Cooperative Society, with emphasis on production and the marketing side? If this cooperative society is formed, I believe that not only the farmers themselves will benefit but the consumers as a whole will also benefit. The reason is obvious. If the farm produce can be passed on from the farmers direct to' the consumers, without having to go through the middlemen, prices will be greatly reduced. So it `is in the interest of both the farmer and the consumer, if an effective Farmers' Multipurpose Cooperative Society is formed. In this respect I would urge the Minister to give serious thought to this matter. Encik Othman Bin Wok: Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the various hon. Members who endorse the idea of reorganising the Registry of Cooperative Societies into a Cooperative Development Department.”
“Sir, I accept the Parliamentary Secretary's invitation. For the moment, because of the time factor, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $78,021,070 for Head P ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $82,700,600 for Head P ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head Q -”
“Sir,I am grateful to the Parliamentary Secretary for saying so much on how one should behave in life and about life in general. But he has not directly answered the points that I have raised. I know that the Parliamentary Secretary is good in tai-chi. He has admitted in his reply that the particular hawker centre that I referred to was built with old materials, which resulted in so many problems. So my question is: since it is the intention of the Government to look after the welfare of hawkers, why did they not adopt the improved design and use new materials? If they feel that a fully covered roof results in poor ventilation, then they could have planned a higher roof for the hawker centre. Why must they keep the roof to a very low level? This is the crux of the problem. My question is: when will repairs be made to this particular hawker centre? And no answer has been given yet. The second question I raised, Sir, refers to the supply of water, which is the basic facility required by hawkers. They may not ask for anything else. They pay a monthly licence fee and all they ask for is some water. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary says it is because of the problem of management, etc. Those are minor problems which can be easily solved. If there is any particular problem about management, I can help him to make arrangements to ensure that there is no wastage of water by any hawker. Therefore, I would like to ask him again whether arrangements can be made for water to be supplied to licensed hawkers on the streets.”
“What I am trying to say is that if it is the intention of the Government to help hawkers by spending so much money on them then we should build some decent hawker centres which are practical and will meet their requirements. The hawkers will then be grateful to the Government for putting up a very fine hawker centre. In this regard, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister some questions concerning the Corporation Drive Hawker Centre I that was newly constructed in Jurong. When will repair and renovation be made to this hawker centre? When will the leaky roof and gutters be changed or repaired? I would also like to ask the Minister whether a proper awning will be put up on one side of this hawker centre so as to provide shade for the stalls from the sun. One or two years ago a lot of licences were issued to hawkers, that is to say, hawkers were put under control by licensing. Once licences are issued, hawkers have to pay a licence fee. Pork sellers have to pay $30 per month, payable quarterly at $90 per quarter. For other types of stalls, the fee is $10 per month, payable quarterly. The licensed hawkers who ply on the roadside also have to pay a licence fee but they do not enjoy all the privileges that they are supposed to have. For instance, they do not have water supply. Sir, hawkers require water for cleaning and washing and to keep the place clean. This is a reasonable request that should be granted. I fail to see why the Hawkers Department has refused to grant this reasonable request for water supply. I, therefore, ask the Minister to explain. 3.00 p.m.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head P be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead RCA 8101. Sir, I wish to raise two questions under this subhead. The Hawkers Department has spent a great deal of money on the construction of hawker centres to accommodate the hawkers in sanitary conditions for them to do their business, instead of in the open where they are exposed to the elements. The policy is good. But the design and construction of hawker centres, particularly the quality of materials, are open to question, and I doubt whether such an objective can be achieved. For example, in my constituency one hawker centre was built with very old building materials. In other words, old materials have been used for the construction of a new hawker centre. As a result, there are holes in the roofs and gutters and the pillars are very shaky. When it rains, water pours down through openings in the roof, and consequently the whole hawker centre is flooded on rainy days. On a sunny day the stalls along the sides of the hawker centre are completely exposed to the sun. They cannot do business in the sun. When the hawkers want to put up tarpaulin, they do not get the permission. As regards the design of the stalls in the hawker centres, I find that the size and space of the stalls are becoming smaller and smaller. They cannot meet the requirements of the hawkers. If the hawkers want a larger wash basin or a wash tub, there is not enough space. So most hawkers prefer to have a clear empty space for a pitch than a stall with all sorts of amenities that restrict free movement.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head P be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BCA 1111. Sir, we all know that land is limited in Singapore and we cannot allocate too much land for use as graveyards or cemeteries. There is, therefore, a need to change the people's customs and traditions on burials. The people should be encouraged to adopt cremation as a funeral rite, because cremation being economical both in cost and space and cleaner merits active encouragement. I do not know whether our Minister, who is well known for campaigns, will be prepared to launch a nation-wide campaign to encourage the adoption of cremation as the standard funeral rite. In line with this campaign we should also build more crematoria and columbaria, which should be distributed evenly instead of concentrating them in a certain area. With proper distribution of crematoria, it will be more convenient for the people. There should also be a proper place for the columbaria that the ashes could be kept in accordance with the different religious rites. The next question is in regard to funeral parlours. At present, many people are living in flats as land is so limited. There should be more funeral parlours to serve the people. The Government should not only build funeral parlours but also allow private enterprises to build more funeral parlours. I understand that a certain association has applied for planning approval for the construction of a crematorium and a funeral parlour, but the application was turned down. I would like to know why this application was rejected.”
“The dustbins that have been provided are too small and the rubbish spills on to the floor. It is most probable that there are not enough lorries and men to clear the rubbish. Therefore, they have to clear the rubbish at least twice or thrice a day.”
“Sir, I would like to clarify. What I am saying is that Members of Parliament should be consulted in regard to the site of the hawker centre and the number of stalls. If Members' views are sought, I would be very grateful. We do not want a situation in which Members of Parliament actually supervise the construction of the site. That is not what I am asking. In regard to the question of hawker inspectors, although the Minister has said that they have been instructed to be polite in the performance of their duties, very often they forget about the need to be polite. So they become very harsh with the hawkers. For example, during the peak hours of business in a market, a vegetable hawker may have dropped one leaf of vegetable on the ground and the hawker inspector comes round and say, "There you are. Pick it up, otherwise I will give you a summons." Again, some inspectors may require a stallholder in a coffee shop to sweep the place at a time when there are so many customers around, or during the peak hours. This action is unreasonable. Sir, you may be aware of the belief that if you sweep the floor when there are a lot of patrons in the coffee shop, you will lose business. Under the circumstances there should be some flexibility and understanding. If the hawker inspectors and health inspectors are polite, they can expect politeness in return. Courtesy begets courtesy, and there will be no unhappiness and unfortunate cases. Mr P. Govindaswamy: Sir, the Minister complained that I have been repeating my complaint about rubbish again and again. If the Minister had taken action in clearing the rubbish, then I would be mad to bring up this complaint again. The population has increased, so has the rubbish.”
“So during peak hours they do not have the time to clean up the place and thus open themselves to summonses. Recently I received many complaints of this nature. These hawkers complained that the inspectors are fussy and unreasonable or even try to be difficult with the people concerned by issuing summonses indiscriminately. I think the Minister will agree with me that in places like coffee shops and markets, it is quite impossible to keep the whole place spick and span at all times. Therefore, public health inspectors and hawker inspectors should be sympathetic, considerate and reasonable. If at the end of the day's business the place is not cleaned, then perhaps the hawker and health inspectors may be justified in issuing summonses. Nothing can then be said against them. So I hope the Minister can instruct the hawker inspectors and health inspectors, who come under his control, not to behave like overlords ruling over the heads of the hawkers and members of the public. They should be reasonable in issuing summonses. Otherwise, they will only increase their occupational hazards.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister two questions. One is the selection, of sites for hawker centres and the number of stalls. We know that the basic policy of the Government in respect of hawkers is to build hawker centres to accommodate licensed roadside hawkers. This i5 not a bad policy at all. But there is still something wanting in the choice of site and the number of stalls to be provided in the hawker centres. Members of Parliament have no say at all in this matter, even if they have such problems arising in theirs Contituencies. I feel that since Members of Parliament are in a better position to understand their own constituents, they should be invited to air their views in the matter of the number of hawker stalls and the site for hawker centres. If MPs arc not allowed any say at all, then at least they should be consulted SO as to avoid the selection of a wrong or unsuitable site for a hawker centre. An erroneous decision usually results in a lot of complaints being brought to the attention of the MPs concerned. Sir, the next point I wish to raise is about hawker inspectors and environmental public health inspectors. Some Members have in the past few days made complaints about discourtesy on the part of civil servants towards members of the public. Here I would like to give a few instances to illustrate the discourtesy and harassment on the part of public health inspectors and hawker inspectors. These public servants feel that because they have the power to issue summonses, they continue to issue summonses until the shopkeepers and hawkers succumb. Most shopkeepers and hawkers are very law-abiding citizens. They are conscious of the health regulations, but during peak hours of business the place is dirtied by the customers.”
“If all the small time farmers are eliminated in the course of national development leaving only the big time farmers to continue, this will result in a scarcity of supplies and prices will be easily manipulated by the few big time farmers, This is what the consumers do not like to happen. I feel that the authorities concerned should pay more attention and care for the small time farmers to help them to develop. The authorities should not just pay attention to the big time farmers alone. Sir, to sum up, our agricultural sector is on the decline with ever greater speed, and this is the time to save the declining agricultural sector. I hope that the Minister for Finance can spend some time to seriously look into the question of how to promote our agricultural industry so that our people can be fortunate in the supply of food, which is something good for our country too. 4.10 p.m.”
“If some financial assistance can be given by the Ministry of Finance to help them recover quickly, it will help develop agriculture and improve the livelihood of the farmers. Sir, in the Addendum to the Presidential Address in this House sometime ago, it is stated that "Singapore continues to be self-sufficient in fresh pork, eggs and poultry". This is a correct objective. The authorities concerned should give priority to the question of giving the producer reasonable profit and the consumer a fair price in order to achieve this objective. At the moment thousands of pig farmers are faced with an important question: whether to keep the number of pigs within 100 heads, or to exceed that number and face resettlement for the sake of anti-pollution measures. This is something that affects the farmers greatly. Some of them have already been resettled more than once before, and because they are not certain of their future and of the rate of compensation for resettlement clean-cut answers are required to help them decide. In order to be self-sufficient in water supply, there will be stringent anti-pollution measures in the catch-meat areas. Of course, nobody can find fault with this objective. As citizens, the farmers will also give their fullest support. However, as constituents of the population of our country, the farmers are entitled to a basic livelihood, and their basic means of livelihood should also not be neglected. The younger generation may find it not too much of a problem to change their career, but with these aged farmers it is very difficult to get alternative employment. Sir, we have been self-sufficient in the supply of pork, chicken and eggs, and the prices are quite reasonable. This is mainly due to the contribution of the big and small time farmers.”
“Sir, although land is limited -- there is not much for agriculture - we can still allot a certain part of land for agricultural purposes. In the course of our development in industrialisation, urbanisation and in the pursuit of antipollution measures, arable land is constantly being reduced. To make the agricultural sector viable and to ensure a profit for the farmers so that they can carry on with their activities, then new techniques and new farming implements must be adopted, and farming should he intensified. There should also be anti-pollution facilities. This involves a large capital and it is not what the farmers can bear or help themselves. So I feel that the Ministry of Finance, in the same spirit that has been given for industrial development, should provide the necessary and convenient means of loans at low interest to the farmers for agricultural development which has a long history in our country. The Ministry of Finance can assess the needs of the farmers from the survey and recommendation of the Primary Production Department and give the farmers some economic help. At the moment the farmers have been obtaining their loans through tontines, middlemen, or credit accounts with the feedstuff merchants. The farmers repay their debts by their agricultural produce. Very often the middlemen and feedstuff merchants use the produce of the farmers to set off their credit accounts. The prices are therefore usually determined by the creditors and the profit of the farmers, as we can see, will be even lower. If the prices of agricultural produce are low, the diligent and frugal efforts of the farmers are all "gone with the wind". Sometimes even their "sweat capital" is entirely lost. In order to recover, the farmers have to get some capital.”
“In fact, with the middleman the income of the farmers is reduced even further because the difference between the wholesale price and the retail price is usually four or five-fold. A clear example is when the price of eggs is reduced, consumers still pay the same price as before. Agricultural produce cannot be sent direct to the consumers. This is a shortcoming in the trade cycle. Trading without going through a third party is beneficial both to the producer and the consumer. Sir, the Finance Ministry has done well in curbing inflation and I hope it can also pay more attention to this matter of facilitating direct trade in agricultural produce. Sir, land is a necessary factor of production of the farmer. Most farmers lack sufficient land for cultivation. Therefore, many of them are occupying land on Temporary Occupation Licences from the Land Office. Only a few farmers have their own private land. The TOLs do not stipulate the number of years that the land can be occupied and since the rental is uncertain, whenever the land is acquired by Government, the farmers have to move out. Therefore they dare not put in too much capital to develop their land. Although genuine farmers may be allotted alternative land it is usually much less than before. I feel that the Government should give genuine farmers some form of land title for a definite number of years, instead of TOLs in order to enable them to realize the concept of the tillers owning their own land. In this way they will safeguard their land. This will strengthen their love for their homes and their land, and they will strive harder to increase production and further development. This in any way is to the good of our national economy as a whole.”
“In other words, about 10% of our total population are dependent on agriculture for a living. All along, our agricultural sector has been left alone to sink or swim by itself. Under the pre-requisites of industrialisation, the agricultural sector has to give way and the farmers have to make sacrifices for the sake of the future of our country. They have made sacrifices and incurred certain inconveniences. However, it is not justifiable to call on only one section of the population to make great sacrifices for the development of the country. However, those farmers who are affected should at least be granted reasonable compensation to match current prices. Otherwise, the meager sum of a few thousands of dollars as compensation would not help them rebuild their household in a resettlement. So the authority concerned should adjust its resettlement compensation rates now and then, just as the Public Utilities Board has been readjusting its rates on consumption now and then. Ours is a small country with a small population. Therefore, the domestic market for our agricultural products is limited. In addition to this, the agricultural sector has not been given any proper planning. Therefore, whether the harvest is rich or poor, the farmers do not get much in the end. Whenever there is a rich harvest, there is a glut in the market and prices are reduced; and so the farmers have to sell at lower prices to avoid incurring greater losses. If there is a poor harvest, then the supply is reduced and prices increase. However, although the farmers would hate to produce less, their production is limited and therefore their profit is also limited. Then there is also the exploitation by the middleman.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, under the double impact of world economic recession and inflation, our actual economic growth last year had achieved the rate of 6.8%. It was really a rare and commendable feat. It was due to the unity of our people and their effort in production. We have a good Government administration and our society has been stable. These are the basic prerequisites for economic development. When there is economic growth, we do not have to spend our foreign reserves to meet our increasing expenditure. This is very commendable and something to be congratulated for. As for the coming financial year, other than the increase in tax for those who drive, drink or smoke, there are no other important or unfavourable taxation measures to affect the daily livelihood of the ordinary people to any appreciable extent. Besides this, the Minister for Finance has also proposed several measures to stimulate our economic activities to ensure that our economic growth will recover as quickly as possible. Therefore, it is a Budget that is to be welcomed by all the people in all walks of life. Sir, what I regret to say is that in his Budget speech, as in the past, he has again omitted any mention of our agricultural development and its related matters. This shows that in spite of several surveys conducted by the Primary Production Department on the agricultural sector, the Government still does not have any clear-cut policy in respect of agricultural development. According to statistics, in our country there are nearly 20,000 people engaged in agricultural activities. To add it up to people who are directly or indirectly connected with agricultural activities, the total number is not less than 200,000.”
“The aim is correct and proper and, that is, to remove the fear among our primary school children of examinations and to give them an opportunity to develop intellectually and to make learning more interesting and pleasant. There is a general concern among parents on the question of how to assess the children for a seven-year or a six-year education. Furthermore, there is also the question of restreaming. How should the streaming be done in the secondary stage? If there should be any erroneous assessment or restreaming, will it be possible for a student to change from the science stream to the academic stream, or from the academic stream to the technical stream, so that our talents are not misused or wasted? I hope the Minister for Education will, in preparing this restructuring programme, also give parents the opportunity to clear their doubts or misgivings. This is something which I hope the Minister will consider. Sir, I beg to support the Motion in the name of the Member for Kim Keat. 4.56 p.m.”
“Furthermore, the civic organisations equally are attaching greater importance to education. We still have Boards of Directors in the Government-aided schools. These schools are run on contributions from members of the public, and when they are affected by urban renewal, then the school boards will have to raise money to rebuild their schools elsewhere. This is the spirit that we should continue to encourage. Furthermore, the various civic organisations also have scholarships, bursaries and study loans available to our student population. These, together with those available from the Government sources, Singaporeans can enjoy equal opportunities in education. No matter how poor a student may be. he will be given an opportunity for higher education, so long as he is hardworking and talented. In this way, we are able to make the best use of our only resource, that is our human resource. Sir, times are changing and so must our Education system change to adapt to the changing times. From the Addendum on the Ministry of Education, we are informed that the outmoded legislation on education will undergo an overhaul. We hope that in the process of amending the legislation on Education, the Ministry of Education will seek the views of the people concerned or interested in education, particularly the teachers' unions, so that the new Education Act will be able to meet the present needs of our country. The next major restructure of the Education system is the conversion of the present six-year primary education to a seven-year primary education, with the provison to allow the brighter students to complete in six years.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in his Address to this House, the President has made an analysis of the position of Singapore. This analysis is both incisive and easy to understand. It points out the crux of the problem and it enables Singaporeans to understand the emphasis in the various Government ministries. More important, Sir, the President has painted an optimistic forecast of our economic prospects, and this is very encouraging and meaningful to Singaporeans who have made their sacrifices in the national interests. In a disordered world economic structure and under the influence of economic recession and inflation, other countries have been adversely affected, but Singapore's growth rate has been comparatively much better. Notwithstanding all this, we have taken several measures to contain inflation so that our people will not suffer any more hardship. As a result, credit squeeze was imposed but this has also adversely affected our commerce and industries. Therefore, it is necessary for us to be able to implement with proper flexibility and strategy the various measures to counter inflation and recession for the interest of all the people. I believe that under the enlightened leadership of the Government and with the cooperation of peoples of all walks of life, all problems will be solved in due course. As our President has said, in the second half of the year our economy will turn for the better. Now I would like to touch on education. Education is a matter which requires a hundred years of planning according to a saying. Every country regards the education of its citizens as a matter of prime importance. Every year we set aside a large sum of money in our Budget for expenditure on education. It shows how much importance the Government attach to education.”
“Although the reply is not very satisfactory to me, but in view of the time, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, according to the reply given by the Parliamentary Secretary, the primary school in Neighbourhood II will be completed next year. I want to know a more definite date. January next is next year; December next is also next year. So I would like to know the definite completion date of this school. Secondly, regarding the extension of Joo Long School that I mentioned, the position as I have said just now is that this school has already applied to the Land Office and the Jurong Town Corporation. But according to the reply given, it should get the permission of the Ministry of Education. So I would like to ask the Minister for Education whether he will allow the school to extend its building. As to whether more schools would be built in the vicinity, I think the Ministry of Education is in a better position to tell.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head PA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead DA 3001. Sir, under this subhead, I would like to ask the Minister a few questions. In Jurong Town, which is in my constituency, the population is increasing. People are now moving in to live in Neighbourhood II and the total population will be about 50,000 ultimately. At about this time last year the Minister said in this House that there would be plans to build a primary school. However, only now do we hear that work has just started. So I would like to ask the Minister whether he can speed up the work and when can this school be completed. Another question is that even if the primary school is completed, it cannot accommodate all the students from Neighbourhood II. I believe there is a primary school called the Joo Long School in the vicinity. The school is trying to apply to the Land Office for permission to extend its premises and it was advised to make a request to the Jurong Town Corporation. But the Jurong Town Corporation in turn asked the school to apply to the Ministry of Education. So I would like to urge the Ministry of Education to give favourable consideration to its application for extension.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, just now the Minister replied that the standard of admission to the Pre-U classes has been raised. I did not mean to say that the standard should not be raised. What I meant was that there should be prior planning, and not at the last minute change the number of classes. If the number of classes is reduced all of a sudden, it will be very difficult to allot the number of teachers for these classes.”
“Teachers seem to be losing interest in applying for the post of principals because of the additional duties and the greater responsibility and burden entrusted on principals. This is probably because of the abolition of the system of paying post or charge allowances. Of course, I agree that teachers or those in the teaching profession should not quibble too much about dollars and cents. But teachers are also human beings and so they will also think for themselves. The principals have more work, more responsibilities and longer hours of work. They have even got to be school clerks sometimes or take over classes when necessary. During school vacations principals still have to go back to the schools to do whatever there is to be done. In those circumstances, who will be interested in the post of principals or in becoming principals for that matter? This particular problem is of great interest to us because in some cases teachers are promoted to a salary scale higher than that of principals. In such a situation, how do we expect the principals to be able to supervise the work of the teachers, particularly in schools where teachers work to rule, so to speak? Sir, I ask for the restoration of the payment of post or charge allowance for principals.”
“Sir, in reply to my query the Minister said that there will be another promotion exercise this year. This, of course, is good news for the teaching profession. According to my understanding, in the early days when the teachers' unions were negotiating with the Ministry of Education, there were certain criteria for promotions, i.e, in addition to the confidential reports put up by the school principals, the additional qualifications and the social work done by the teachers were also factors to be considered for promotions. I think I mentioned all this at the last sitting of Parliament, and I hope that the Ministry of Education will look into this matter and take these matters into consideration in the second promotion exercise to be conducted this year. Sir, the Pre-University classes in the Chinese stream have just started their lessons. According to my reckoning, it appears that the opening of these classes at Pre-U level has been rather belated and the number of students has dwindled. In some schools, only one class has been set up instead of two. Sir, before opening I think comprehensive arrangements had been made for the provision of activities and other facilities in the school for the whole year. But after the opening, there has been a sudden change in respect of the Pre-U classes. This will cause great difficulties to the schools and also to those students who have enrolled for these Pre-U classes. What arrangements are being made to look after the interest of these students who have enrolled but who have no classes to attend? Sir, the next point I wish to raise is the question of post allowance or charge allowance for principals.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head PA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AB 1105. Sir, as I am aware that Backbenchers are not allowed to speak for more than 10 minutes on an amendment, I have therefore reserved this item to enable me to continue with what I could not finish just now. The Member for Paya Lebar referred to an incident of an act of bureaucracy on the part of a senior official. I am in sympathy with what he said. I feel that there is a lack of rapport between officials in the Ministry of Education and principals and teachers in the schools. In fact, the gap between them is widening. I remember a few days ago the Minister for Education addressed a gathering of some 25 principals in which he said that the gap between the Ministry of Education and the schools should be narrowed. This is proper and is an urgent matter to be tackled. Sir, there are some traditional reasons and causes for principals and teachers of school to be afraid of Inspectors of Schools because, in the past, the Inspectors went to the schools and threw their weight around, thinking that they had all the power in the world to control the schools, the principals and the teachers. And they wielded the power in order to satisfy their own ego. Sir, Inspectors of Schools are given such a name because we hope that they would be able to help the teachers in their duties, instead of throwing their weight around, and threatening school teachers and principals with their power. Henceforth I hope that when Inspectors of Schools visit the schools, they would go about in a more friendly manner, with sincerity, in order to help bridge the gap between them and the teachers and principals.”
“In some schools, the student has bought the first Book I, but he is required to buy Book II of a different edition. This adds to the burden of parents in Singapore, particularly in the face of a rising cost of living.”