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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“Because of this English school teachers who had taken an examination in second language are asked by the Ministry to teach that second language. Of course, administratively it may be quite right. But from the Education point of view a language teacher must not only know that language but he must also be proficient in that language. Otherwise he can only prepare one lesson ahead of the students, and that is not the right way of doing it, as the students will lose the benefits of proper teaching. I fully endorse the implementation of bilingual education, but I cannot agree to this method of teaching because such teachers took their second language examination some eight or ten years ago as a single subject and since then without further brushing up the language they might have now forgotten it. Whatever they may remember now is inadequate for teaching purposes. If there is, in fact, a shortage of second language teachers in English schools, I would like to urge that the Institute of Education should set up more classes to train such teachers and, if necessary, to borrow teachers from Chinese schools for this purpose. The retirement age of Chinese language teachers may even be extended by unifying the retirement age at 60, instead of some teachers retiring at 55 and some at 60 years. In this way, perhaps the problem of second language teachers can be solved. But whatever it is, Sir, it is not right to make use of teachers who happen just to have passed a second language as a single subject to teach that second language in the English schools. I would like to ask the Minister concerned whether he is aware that the second language textbooks have been changed frequently.”
“Next, I would like to deal with the question of medical benefits for aided school teachers. This is only a recent innovation to enable aided school teachers to enjoy the same medical benefits as teachers in the Government schools. This, of course, is a very enlightened policy which we appreciate. But unfortunately when a Government aided school teacher retires, he has to surrender his medical benefit entitlement card. Sir, generally speaking, when a man gets older he becomes weaker and so requires more medical attention. But a Government aided school teacher will not be entitled to medical benefits after his retirement. So he has to rely on his meagre sum of money in the Central Provident Fund to pay for his medical expenses. This will cause him a lot of financial difficulties. Sir, a few days ago the Minister for Finance announced that pensioners would be given a special new Singapore Allowance because of the rising cost of living, but there is no corresponding increase in the CPF contributions for retired aided school teachers. So this proves that they require medical benefits even more. Our national policy is to build a fair and just society. We recognise that civil servants or Government school teachers do contribute to the society, but we cannot deny that aided school teachers also make the same contribution. We have done a great deal in the promotion of multi-racialism and multi-culturalism. We have also been actively promoting bilingualism in our educational system. This is praiseworthy. In pursuance of such a policy, I understand that this year the exposure time for second language in the various language streams has been increased.”
“In some small schools, there is none. In other schools they have to share the services of a school clerk. I feel that the school clerk plays a very important part in the running of a school because, like civil servants in the British system, they are so familiar with the rules and regulations that they know all these at their finger tips. So they are just like the head of a department. As they know all the rules and regulations, they can advise the principal on procedural matters. If the school clerk is efficient he will be a tremendous help to the school and to the principal. That being the case, we can see that he is a very important person. So his remuneration and service conditions should also be properly adjusted to benefit him. That will only be a reasonable gesture. After considerable negotiations with the Teachers' Union, the Ministry of Education has at last accepted the proposal that teachers with ten years' experience are to be recognised as trained teachers. This only shows that the Ministry of Education is amenable to public opinion. It also shows that the Teachers' Union has done the right thing. But there are few tens of graduates from some foreign universities who have been trained at the TTC for one or two years. They are not entitled to this benefit, and have not been given the salary of graduate teachers. Sir, since we want to raise the quality of teaching and solve our educational problems, we must give the teachers the proper remuneration and conducive working conditions. I feel that the foreign graduate teachers who have been trained in our TTC should be properly recognised and given the benefit of graduate teachers' pay as had been accorded to an earlier batch.”
“Sir, if you may recall, in 1973 the Ministry of Education increased the collection of miscellaneous fees by $1 per student. At the same time the Ministry of Education also announced that the teachers were to be paid the 9 per cent wage supplement. Putting these two facts together, people get the impression that the $1 increase is to pay for the 9 per cent wage increase. But the fact was disclosed a few days ago by the Minister for Finance in this House that the Ministry of Education had a large balance of some $7 million in the School Fund Account. So the cat is out of the bag. This increase of $1 in miscellaneous fees was made because of higher expenditure. But the Member for Anson has already pointed out that it is quite difficult to make use of the money in the School Fund Account. So I would like to ask whether it is because of the very strict regulation governing the appropriation of money from the School Fund Account or whether it is because of too much red tape. I entirely agree with the Member for Anson that since the fees are collected from the students, they should be used for the benefit of the students. I would like to take this opportunity to speak on school clerks. Although the school clerks draw the same salary as those in the public service, we must realise that the duties of the school clerk are more onerous because they have a lot of other duties to do. They have to answer telephone calls. They do typing work, printing, and a lot of other things. But their services are not properly recognised. They do not have division of labour like other clerks in the civil service. The allocation of school clerks is based on the number of students in each school. However big a school may be, one may only get two or three school clerks.”
“I thank the Minister for his reply to my questions, and I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the names of Dr Ong Leong Boon and Mr L. P. Rodrigo - (6) That the total sum to be allocated for Head OA in respect of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100.”
“Fifthly, I would like the Minister to tell this House whether the JTC will consider giving concession to Jurong Town residents when they visit the parks and gardens or make use of the sports facilities in Jurong Town? Sixthly, I would like to seek information from the Minister whether the JTC will exercise stricter supervision on the work of the refuse collection contractor to ensure that there is regular collection of refuse and cleaning of the grounds within the precincts of the JTC so as to avoid accumulation of rubbish. Seventhly, I would like to deal with the question of flats. There are now non-citizens tenanting JTC flats. Some of them are asked to quit their present premises and to rent rooms from Singapore citizen tenants. In some cases, although the head of the family is not a Singapore citizen, members of his family are Singapore citizens. I wonder whether the Jurong Town Corporation will give sympathetic consideration to those affected families with at least one member who is a Singapore citizen to continue occupying the flat? In the case of new applications, will the Jurong Town Corporation consider those cases where only the head of the family is a Singapore citizen, is a worker in Jurong Town, and wishes to settle in Jurong for good? These people who work in Jurong Town are hoping that they will be able to settle down in Jurong, provided accommodation is good. Lastly, I would like to deal with the question of the luxury flats in Jurong Town for the executives. When will such flats be completed, and when will applications for purchase of these flats be opened and called for? What will be the condition and minimum requirements governing the application for the purchase of these flats? How will these flats be priced?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head OA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead CA 3001. Sir, I would like to ask a few questions on the Jurong Town Corporation. Firstly, when will the Jurong Town Hall be ready for occupation, and when will the JTC offices move into the Jurong Town Hall? Will the JTC leave behind an area office in the present neighbourhood when it moves to the Town Hall? And will it set up area offices in each neighbourhood for the convenience of the residents? These area offices, in my opinion, are a great convenience to the residents of Jurong for the payment of their PUB bills and other charges. Secondly, there have been complaints on the poor quality of work of the JTC flats. Most of the complaints are related to wall and ceiling cracks, choking of sewers, failure of the drainage system, etc. I would like to know whether the JTC would exercise stricter supervision over the construction of flats to make sure that there are no malpractices by contractors. Thirdly, Sir, we are aware that the Housing and Development Board maintains its own markets and hawker centres within its housing estates. There is a Markets and Hawkers Unit to look after all these matters. I wonder whether the JTC will also set up its own Markets and Hawkers Division like the HDB. Fourthly, in Sembawang and in other places, the JTC will be setting up satellite towns. When the satellite towns are built, will the JTC ensure that the essential facilities such as markets, shop houses, schools and other amenities are provided when the flats are ready for occupation? In this way, when the residents move into the satellite towns, they will not find that there are no facilities for shopping and marketing. 3.45 p.m.”
“Sir, yesterday in this Chamber when we were talking about agriculture, I said that it was my duty as a rural MP to raise the point that the lifting of import tax on frozen chicken had caused considerable hardship to our poultry farmers. In fact, as far as I know, some of them have already given up poultry rearing as a result of this measure. The Minister for Law and National Development in his reply informed the House that this was a matter for the Ministry of Finance, and that his Ministry was strongly in favour of reimposing the import tax on frozen chicken. Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to ask the Minister for Finance what is the reaction of his Ministry on this matter, and when will the import tax on frozen chicken be reimposed.”
“Without agricultural activities in our farms, we will have to pay at least 30 cents for an egg imported from abroad. Therefore, every assistance must be given to our farmers to enable them to increase their production, so that higher productivity will help to bring down prices and the cost of living in Singapore thereby helping our consumers. Mr Speaker, Sir, our agriculture is now in great difficulties. It is only the Government that is in a position to revive agriculture which is declining in Singapore. I would like to take this opportunity to ask the Government to extend a helping hand to the development of our agriculture. It should not be allowed to swim or to sink by itself.”
“Sir, it is becoming increasingly difficult to engage in farming activities in Singapore because of the diminishing returns of farm land. Although a lot of land has been acquired from the farmers, they are resettled in a much smaller plot of land. Furthermore, the rate of compensation still remains the same, despite the increase in the cost of building construction and materials in recent years. This has also made it difficult for farmers affected by resettlement to build their own farms and farm-houses. Mr Speaker, Sir, our labour shortage has also affected farmers because it is difficult for them to engage help on the farm. So they will have to pay higher wages to engage farm help. This is another item that adds to their burden. Sir, furthermore there is the question of the rise in the price of animal feed. Animal feed dealers have not only increased the prices of their products but they have also asked for cash from the farmers instead of allowing them credit. Because of this difficulty, the cost of production has definitely gone up, and if no help is rendered to the poor farmers, I am afraid they will suffer in the end. Sir, if what is left of our agriculture cannot be developed or even continue to exist, it will be a great tragedy for Singapore because it will mean that all the consumers in Singapore will have to pay more for imported farm products. The situation will then be much worse. Sir, it is quite right that because of geographical limitation, we do not depend on farming and agriculture for a living. But it cannot be denied that farming activities are also an asset to our national wealth because they help to solve our unemployment problem on the one hand, and they help to balance the prices of farm products imported from overseas on the other hand.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since I am the Member of Parliament of a constituency, half of which is rural, I feel that it is necessary for me to reflect in this House the poor plight of our farmers. I believe the Member for Chua Chu Kang will also have the same feeling, although he is not in the House yet. Sir, most of our farmers are rustic folks of great forbearance. They are law-abiding, hardworking, and their only aspiration in life is to earn three comfortable meals a day. They neither play with power, nor do they manipulate our market. So when there is a manipulation of prices of farm products in Singapore, the greatest victims of such manipulation are the farmers. Sir, when prices of farm produce fall, who extends a helping hand to the farmers? But when there is a slight rise in prices, everybody tries to keep it down. For example, a scheme was introduced to stop slaughtering pigs for two days a week, and there was even the lifting of import duty on frozen chicken and the lifting of the import ban of pigs from other countries. As a result of such measures, our farmers have been very hard hit. Mr Speaker, Sir, the world seems to be unduly harsh and unfair to farmers in Singapore. We are very hard hit by imported inflation and we cannot do anything about it. The 20,000 farmers in Singapore are also affected because they have to pay more for their daily necessities. In the case of employed workers, they have the 9 per cent and $25 recommended by the National Wages Council. But who is there to look after the poor farmers and help them fight inflation? So it is fair that when there is a little rise in the prices of farm produce, attempts are made to suppress it.”
“Sir, I have an amendment* under this Head and since everybody is talking about agriculture, can I join in? * The amendment reads as follows: (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head LK be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead CA 1111.”
“Sir, in view of the Minister's explanation, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I think the Minister has totally missed my point. When I referred to supervision, I meant supervision at the time of construction of the road and not after it has been completed. More often than not, when roads in rural areas are metalled, potholes would appear everywhere one or two months later. This is the point I want the Minister to look into. Mr Barker: Sir, I certainly will. Of course, there is more supervision when a road is being constructed than after it has been constructed. But not all roads in the rural areas are metalled. And if big lorries go over them every day, and the rain comes, there must be pot-holes. The Member for Sembawang suggested more gotong royong. Gotong royong more recently has improved. I remember gotong royong in one constituency where, after the first week-end, everybody went home and the Public Works Department had to complete the work and it cost more. Since then, I am glad to say, matters have improved, and we have had several gotong royongs. But it means that Members must work. It is up to them to get the national servicemen and their constituents to take part. We will provide the expertise and the materials, but they must finish the job. 4.45 p.m.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head LG be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 3007. Sir, you may recall that on the 24th October, 1972, when we were debating the President's Speech in this House, I brought up the question of strengthening supervision on road construction in the rural areas. This was recorded in Hansard, Vol. 32 [cols. 916-7]. Sir, I am sad to say that, to-date, the situation has not changed. Take, for example, the pedestrian pavement at Hong Kah Road in my constituency. The work was so badly done that it was damaged within three months after its completion. Reports were repeatedly made to the department concerned. By now only one side has been repaired. The other side is still in a bad condition. I do not know what has gone wrong. Another example is a road called Lorong Kabong which was metalled half a year ago. Now pot-holes exist all over the road, and some are so big that the diameters are not less than 1.5 metres. Naturally this road needs a major repair. Sir, the point I am trying to stress is that instead of patching up pot-holes every now and then, why do we not correctly plan on the necessary quality of road to be constructed and, at the same time, strengthen supervision on construction to ensure that no malpractices, such as the short-supply of materials or short-work of labour, take place? In so doing, I think we can save a lot of money which can be utilised to build more roads for the rural folk. 4.30 p.m.”
“Sir, as the Minister has rightly put it, whether or not the Bah Soon Pah farm will succeed only time will tell. The Minister also informed the House that besides the big project there are some smaller projects. I wonder whether the Minister could inform the House what the smaller projects are that his department intends to undertake. As regards the question of pollution, I think the problem is not so acute that we have to choose between water and pig production. If the Government is more sympathetic towards the affected farmers, it can help them move away from the streams which run into our reservoirs, by giving them financial assistance in the form of subsidies or low-interest loans. I think the Government should do something now to help these poor affected small farmers, otherwise they will disappear and only the big farmers will be left, i.e, the capitalist farmers, who can then easily manipulate the pig prices.”
“Surely the Government can build standard multi-storey pigsties with infrastructure provided and let them out to our small-time farmers to enable them to make a living out of pig rearing. I think this is more workable and beneficial to our farming community as a whole. I will, therefore, urge the Minister concerned to give serious consideration to this proposal.”
“Sir, I rise in support of my colleague, the Member for Bukit Panjang. Sir, though we cannot deny the commendable job done by the Primary Production Department on agriculture over the decade, we must admit that sometimes it does make silly decisions. Although we are not discussing the merits and demerits of the Department at this juncture, I cannot but point Out to the Minister one or two mistakes made by the Department recently. One mistake, which appeared somewhat shameful on the part of the Government, was that sometime ago the Primary Production Department ordered the feedstuff merchants to decrease the price of feedstuff. However, later the merchants not only ignored the order but also jacked up the price further. Surely the Department could have studied the supply and demand of feedstuff before placing an order, and then the order could be made firm and effective. 2.45 p.m. Another mistake was the decision to lease out the plot of land, as mentioned by the Member for Bukit Panjang, only to big-time farmers for the purpose of pig rearing. This is another evidence that the Primary Production Department is in favour of big-time farmers only. Ordinary farmers, I believe, are frightened by the rules and regulations in respect of this proposed pig farm. In the first instance, I think it is basically wrong to look after the big-time farmers only, for this is in violation of the fundamental principles of democratic socialism which our Party advocates. It is the small-time farmers that we should look after. Sir, we all know that land is scarce in Singapore and we have to make use of air space to develop agriculture.”
“Sir, in view of the Minister's explanation and assurance, I beg leave to withdraw this amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $5,545,790 for Head KC ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $1,433,200 for Head KC ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Pursuant to a resolution of the House, Mr Deputy Speaker thereupon left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head KC be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 3001. Sir, this item is in connection with the setting up of a fire station at Jurong. If my memory serves me right, this allocation has appeared in the Estimates for many years, sometimes more sometimes less. Although we see this allocation many a time in the Estimates the fire station has yet to be built. We can only hear the sound of requests but we cannot see the fire station in existence. Recently, certain factories have been burnt to the ground, and the National Productivity Board itself was nearly burnt down. I feel that the Minister should pay more attention to this question of building a fire station at Jurong. In fact, he should give it top priority and should not postpone it year after year. I would like the Minister to give me an assurance now that the fire station in question will be built within the next financial year, and not postponed again to another year when I will have to raise the matter and so wasting my time as well as his time.”
“I beg leave to withdraw, Sir. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in reply to my remarks the Minister said that there was a survey on the need for transport and that the response was not very good. What I would like to point out to him is that those people who make use of the creche in Jurong Town at present either live near the creche or they may have their own transport arrangements. But those who have transport problems have not been able to send their children to the creche. And I do not know whether there is any response from such people to the survey. I would suggest to the Minister that if at all a survey is to be conducted, it should be a thorough survey covering other people living in the area so as to reflect the actual needs of the people.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head KB be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AC 1201. Sir, we know that creches for the care of children are essential in an industrialised society, especially when in our present state of industrialisation we are faced with a shortage of labour and are trying to recruit female labour for our factories. More creches should, therefore, be set up in the industrial estates. However, it is one thing to set up more creches, and it is another thing to improve the facilities in these creches. And if the creches are well-provided but the service is not adequate or that it is not up to the expectation of parents, the creches will only be a white elephant. On an open-house day for the creche in Jurong on 5th November last year, I made two suggestions to improve the creche. The first suggestion was that the creche should lengthen its opening hours. At present the creche is open only up to 5 o'clock. I hope the opening hours can be longer in order to help workers on shift duty, especially those living in Jurong area who work on second shift so that their children will be looked after. Therefore, I think creches should extend their opening hours. The second suggestion was that transport to the creches should be provided for the children, because during peak hours it is very inconvenient for mothers to carry their children to the creche and then take a bus to the factories. If there is transport to send the children to the creche, this will be most welcome to the parents, and more and more parents will send their children to the creche. I would also like to take this opportunity to ask the Minister whether he has any intention to set up another creche in Neighbourhood II in Jurong.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not agree with the Member for Bras Basah in describing the aged, who are without care, as social parasites, because there is a Chinese saying that we should give due respect to the aged and befriend the childless and look after them. As we all know, these aged people do not have anyone to support them. We must, therefore, respect them and put them in the home for the aged. This is one way of showing our esteem and respect for them. To apply the term "social parasite" to these aged people is, therefore, improper. However, I share the sentiments expressed by the Member just now, when he said that the amount of public assistance to such people should he increased because they are in dire need. They would not try to fool the Government into giving them more aid. They are in actual need of more financial assistance. The present amount of assistance is merely a pittance to them and is only enough to keep them on a bare level of subsistence. It can neither fill their stomachs nor starve them to death. We should therefore increase the amount of public assistance in the present state of inflation. 6.45 p.m.”
“Sir, on the Co-operative Development Unit, I share the same sentiments expressed by the previous speakers. The function of the Unit should not be confined only to the registration of co-operative societies. It should be developed into a body to promote the co-operative movement in the Republic. Sir, I believe you will agree with me that the co- operative movement is still in its infancy. At the present juncture, we know that prices are rising day by day and certain traders are indulging in profiteering. We also know that the way to deal with profiteering is to set up more consumer co-operatives. The Ministry of Social Affairs can do a lot more in this respect. In other words, it should make the people aware that there is such a thing as a co-operative movement, especially the consumer co-operative societies. For example, in Queenstown there is a consumer co-operative society which has done a lot for the consumers. We should make this as an example so that the other constituencies could learn from Queenstown in setting up consumer co-operative societies. If we launch it vigorously, we will be able to deal with profiteering by traders effectively and to counter inflation in the Republic.”
“The ninth question is: has the Ministry audited or examined the accounts of SBS monthly to see whether there is any irregularity in the accounts? The last question is: If the SBS cannot carry out the instructions given by the Ministry of Communications, for example, to increase the number of buses, will the Ministry withdraw its licence?”
“The fifth question is related to a point brought up by the Member for Sembawang as to whether the Minister is prepared to introduce the 14-seater mini buses in Singapore. As we all know, Singapore is embarking on a "Conserve Energy" drive at the moment, and the public transport system is inefficient. The introduction of these mini-buses would, I think, improve the services provided and also conserve some of our energy as a mini bus carries more people than a taxi. The sixth question: I would like to ask the Minister whether he has noticed that roads in the vicinity of bus terminus, whether or not white lines or yellow lines are drawn are flooded with SBS buses at night. This creates traffic hazards to some extent. I would like to ask whether this would not be an infringement of the rights of other road users. The seventh question is in regard to Jurong. In Jurong we have about 50,000 people. At least 20,000 of them work in the factories. There are not enough buses which ply between the various residential areas in Jurong and the factories. The number of buses operating in Jurong is rather small. The buses that come to Jurong from the City are usually full when they reach Jurong. So the residents in Jurong cannot board these buses. I would like to ask whether the Minister is prepared to introduce internal bus services within the Jurong area to facilitate travel between various areas in Jurong. The eigth question is this: We know from the announcement of the Ministry of Communications that the management of SBS is based on a clannish and family-type of business. Is this modern management? Should we not help it to update and modernise the various styles and techniques of management? Perhaps our National Productivity Board could lend a helping hand.”
“I would like to ask the Minister whether he is prepared to reconsider this problem of minimising the need to take a second service to reach the same destination, or the commuters be charged according to old rates when they have to take a second service. The third question is related to the question of bus lanes. Some people say that the small pirate taxis have been eliminated but the big pirate taxis have emerged in their place, and these are the big buses. Even before the introduction of bus lanes, the bus drivers behaved as though they were the only users of the roads. Now, we have allocated up to one-quarter of the width of the road for the exclusive use of the buses. We must remember that the construction of roads comes from the taxpayers' money. Is it fair to reserve this space for the exclusive use of buses? Another point is that I understand the Ministry will confiscate vehicles that violate bus lanes for more than three times. Is the Ministry prepared to reconsider this point? The fourth question is this. From the press we learn that since the introduction of the supplementary transport service, the SBS immediately sent out a great number of inspectors to assist commuters at the various bus stops. Before the introduction of the supplementary transport service, we did not see any form of such assistance. It is only after the introduction of the supplementary transport service that we see this improvement in service. The SBS sends out these people in order to get more bus commuters. Is this not an example of better service resulting from competition? 6.15 p.m. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Member for Anson has asked the question: was the amalgamation of the three bus companies really necessary? That is a valid question.”
“Sir, food, clothes, accommodation and transportation are the main problems of living. The problem of transportation is the most important that affects our citizens. The need to improve the bus services is, therefore, very great. Up to today we have not seen very definite results from the efforts to improve our bus services as pointed out by the various Members of Parliament. The main aim of the bus service is to provide efficient and timely service. I am afraid that the present bus service is departing further and further away from this principle of cheap, fast and good form of transport. I would like to ask the Minister a few questions. The first one is the upward revision of bus fares which has unfortunately increased the burden of our people in the midst of the inflation, in particular, the lower income groups who usually travel over a distance of less than four bus stops. Everyday they have to incur an increase of 20 cents in bus fares. I would like to ask the Minister whether he is prepared to consider a reduction in bus fares for distances of less than four bus stops to restore the old price structure. The present rates for the other number of bus stops may remain the same. The second point has already been brought up by the Member for Jalan Kayu, that services for certain routes in the old schedule are actually necessary. Unfortunately, after the revision, these routes have disappeared. The result is that those who used to travel in one direct service now have to travel on more than one service in order to reach their destination. This would mean an increase of 40 Cents in bus fares.”
“(9) That the sum to be allocated for Head GA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 3002.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the various points raised by the Member for Anson. On the one hand, while there is an acute shortage of workers in our factories, on the other hand, work permits are not easily obtained, so that employers have to employ workers without work permits. And if the Ministry of Labour finds this out, the factories concerned will be fined. I would like to ask the Minister for Labour whether this is the way to increase the national revenue. Another question I would like to direct to the Minister for Labour is this: just now, he said that only those who are skilled will be issued with work permits. However, there are many places, such as barber shops, bakeries, coffee-shops, which have to employ workers. I do not know whether or not they are categorised as skilled workers, but will the Minister issue them with work permits?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, some factories have been found to have contravened the Labour regulations by employing non-citizens without work permits. Here I would like to ask the Minister to be fair to some factories. It does not always mean that these factories like to employ non-Citizens. It is just because they cannot find enough workers. In fact, in Jurong I have received a number of complaints from factory operators that their applications for work permits have not been approved. So to keep their production going they have to resort to the employment of non-citizens with work permits. I would like to urge the Minister to consider liberalising the granting of work permits, particularly after the Chinese New Year season. I understand that many foreign workers returned home for the Chinese New Year but have not come back to Singapore to continue with their employment. As a result, there has been an acute shortage of labour in the Jurong factories. Sir, the Member for Bras Basah has also raised the question of marriages. I understand that most of the applications have not been approved. But the rejection of the applications does not mean that the applicants do not get married because the force of love is greater than the approval of their marriages. They get married somehow, legally or otherwise. That will leave us with a great social problem, and a social problem of this nature is very serious because if we have too many illegal marriages, then it will be a very unhealthy development. Mr J. F. Conceicao (Katong): How can marriages be illegal, Sir?”
“We should let bygones be bygones and help lessen their burden, instead of punishing them for what they did in the past by depriving them of the opportunity to educate their children in order to get out of poverty. If we do not, these poor people will forever be in poverty. Apart from these observations, Sir, generally I fully endorse the various points raised in the Minister's speech. 3.34 p.m.”
“This is either because of the obstinacy of the parents or because of the failure of the family planning scheme. I do not wish to quarrel about who is at fault. But these things happened five or six years or even a decade ago. In the light of a rising cost of living, I do not think anybody has got the guts to defy inflation and produce more children. But what about those poor families who already have a lot of children? Instead of helping them, it seems that some punitive measures have been imposed on them. For example, the fourth child will not be given priority in school enrolment. School children have to pay unnecessarily more for miscellaneous school fees and other expenses. Most of the poor families with a lot of children live either in one-room Housing Board flats or in dilapidated attap huts in the rural areas. They find it difficult to make ends meet with their present income. And because of such punitive measures, things have become worse for them. As a result, some of them either have to give away their children or to stop their children's education in order to lighten their burden. Mr Speaker, Sir, in this way the poor people who hope to get out of poverty by educating their children will have their wishes shattered to pieces. Their children will then become drop-outs because of poverty. If the children are good, they will be prepared to take up odd jobs or work as labourers. If they should unfortunately associate themselves with bad hats, they will become gangsters. They will become not only a social burden but also a social threat to our country. Mr Speaker, Sir, I must make it clear that I am not against family planning. What I am saying is that where poor families with a big number of children are concerned the mistake is a fait accompli.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, our able Minister for Finance has once again presented us with a painless budget. In his Budget Statement not only did he not introduce any new taxes or increase them, he has instead given four tax concessions. At a time when the common people of Singapore are creaking under the pressure of inflation, this is a welcome move indeed. Sir, Singapore is but a small country. In the midst of world-wide inflation, crop failures and energy crisis, Singapore can still stand solidly on its own. All these depend on our energetic leadership and our hardworking people. In the turbulent waters of the world, Singapore is just like a small boat being tossed about. Our people realise the importance of co-operating with the Government in such a situation. In the new situation where the era of cheap oil has come to an end, there is all the more a need for the people of Singapore to have faith in the leadership of the Government. With co-operation between the Government, management, and labour, we will be able to increase our productivity to offset the effects of inflation. With this effort coming from all quarters, we can maintain our economic growth, though at a lower rate. Sir, we want to set up a democratic socialist country of justice and equality. This is a principle that we cannot budge or change about. That is to say, we must bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, the have and the have not, otherwise socialist ends cannot be attained. The poor then will not go into deeper poverty. The poor people should be given equal opportunity to get out of poverty. This is not a very easy task. For some reason or other, the poor people have more children than others.”
“Sir, I would like to ask whether the secondary school in Jurong could be completed by the end of this year so that from next year onwards it will be able to take in new students.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister said in his reply that it is advisable for small farmers to gang up together to pay for all these sanitary facilities. I would like to inform the Minister that because of geographical and other reasons, it is impossible for small farmers to form larger units. I would like to ask the Minister whether he is prepared to set up a committee to look into the matter of reducing the difficulties of these small farmers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister has said that a committee will submit its suggestions to the Government. I wish to ask the Minister how soon will it be? As far as I know, the farmers do not have enough funds to build their new houses. Therefore, will the Minister be able to give more compensations as soon as possible?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1501 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 31. Sir, under this subhead, I would like to ask the Minister whether he is prepared to build a primary school in Jurong Town. As we all know, there are about 40,000 people in this town, and there is only one primary school now. This year there are about 500 Primary I pupils, and next year the number is expected to be around 1,000. So there is an urgent need for another primary school. I would like to ask the Minister whether he is going to build a primary school there and, if so, when will it be completed.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1501 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 22. Sir, under this subhead, I would like to raise something about staff quarters in the Nanyang University. If I can recall rightly, I remember that every year we had occasion to come to this House to revote about half a million dollars for the building of staff quarters of Nanyang University. Last year there was such a revote. This year there is again a revote of half a million dollars for such a building. Maybe next year we will have to revote again. I would like to ask the Minister why has the building of the staff quarters been delayed. According to my understanding, the staff are waiting to move into the quarters because many of them have come from abroad. If there is no such facility, it is rather inconvenient to them because at the moment they are living very far away from the University. Although they are used to the travelling distance at the moment, but if we can provide them with these quarters, it will be helpful to them. I would like the Minister to clarify the position to this House.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his answer, and I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1501 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2141. Sir, as we all know, the Teachers Training College will be known as the Institute of Education from 1st April, 1973. In this respect, I would like to ask the Minister whether the Institute will be awarding degrees, and whether all the teachers in the TTC will be absorbed by the Institute of Education. They are at present Government servants. What will their position be if they are absorbed by the Institute of Education? 5.30 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, having heard the views of the various Members and Parliamentary Secretaries, I have become more confused. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Labour says that there is no problem in recruiting school crossing patrolmen. But, on the other hand, there is this real difficulty of a school in getting a patrolman. Six months have elapsed, and the school is still without a school crossing patrolman. I do not know what has gone wrong. If the Minister of State for Education can give me the assurance that proper steps are being taken to fill the vacancy, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the Government Benches are in a state of confusion. We have been talking back and forth without getting an answer from the Minister of State as to which is the best method to get a school crossing patrolman for the school in question within the shortest possible time.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not know whether the Minister of State for Education is aware that a school crossing patrolman must first be trained by the Police. Without the proper supervision of the Police, no Tom, Dick or Harry can do traffic control duty. Therefore, it is impossible to get hawkers in the school tuck-shop to take up this job without proper training. To say that school crossing patrolmen should be employed on a part-time basis is also unacceptable. No doubt the actual working time is five hours, but the five working hours are spread over the whole day. He cannot therefore be expected to be gainfully employed in between his duty hours, which are spread over three sessions, morning, afternoon and evening. He cannot take up any other employment in between his duty hours. I hope the Minister of State will consider increasing the salary because this is one way of getting the necessary manpower for this job. If you ask a teacher to take up this job, of course, he will have to do it. But I do not think this is an appropriate duty for a teacher. Another suggestion from the Minister of State is that senior students should be asked to do this job. But I think it is quite risky for them to do so.”
“Unless their wages are increased, I am afraid that this school in Jurong will never be able to employ a school crossing patrolman. I hope consideration will be given to this matter.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1501 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2126. Sir, this is an allocation of funds for school crossing patrols, and I would like to seek clarification from the Minister or his Parliamentary Secretary. On the question of school crossing patrol in the Jurong Town Primary School in Jurong Town, they have a problem which has been in existence for some time. It is a source of worry to the parents and students because of the difficulty in employing people to do the school crossing patrol. As a result of the difficulty in recruitment, some teachers have been given the duty of guiding the school children across the road. They do this by rotation. I do not think this is proper because the teachers have other duties to perform. Moreover, they have no experience in school crossing patrol work. Requests have been made to the Police to help the students to cross the road. But a policeman would only turn up at certain times, while at other times he would fail to turn up. You can imagine, Sir, how heavy the traffic is along Corporation Drive because of the industrial development there. It is difficult to cross the road. Without any help from the school crossing patrol, the students will be exposed to a lot of danger. I understand that there has been a high rate of resignations of school crossing patrolmen because of the low pay which, I understand, is only $4.65 per day. This wage is only paid for working days. In other words, they do not get paid on Sundays or public holidays. They can only earn about $100 per month for doing this kind of work. They can easily get more than this amount in any factory in Jurong.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1501 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2120. Sir, this provision under the Ministry of Education is in respect of the Annual Youth Festival. Sir, over the past few years the Annual Youth Festival has been organised by the Ministry of Education so that our youths would be given an opportunity to show their potential in art, music, sports and other activities. This is commendable. However, much organisational work is involved during the period before the Annual Youth Festival. It takes months to prepare for this festival, and only those students involved in it will take part in such activities. Other students are not even aware of the Annual Youth Festival. I wonder whether the Minister for Education will set aside one day as a Youth Day so that all the young people in Singapore can take part in the celebration of the Annual Youth Festival. For example, the children have Children's Day on which the primary schools are closed for the celebrations to be carried out. Therefore, we should have a Youth Day to enable the youths in Singapore to take part in various activities and give more meaning to the Annual Youth Festival.”
“Sir, from the speech of the Member for Delta, we know that certain anomalies still exist in the two universities. I think it is time to review and standardise the administrative system, and to put right the various anomalies. The Nanyang University is a University initiated by the people. After the reorganisation of the university, it is under Government's finance. The Nanyang University is doing the job of training the elite of our society. We should not discriminate between the two universities. Another point I would like to raise is in regard to the housing loan for Nanyang University staff. I know that the staff in the University of Singapore are entitled to housing loans. But the staff, both teaching and administrative, in the Nanyang University are riot entitled to housing loans. I would like the Minister to review the policy in this respect.”