Ho Kah Leong
Singapore
“Sir, the Member is right that the sewerage fees comprise two components, a fixed fee and a variable one. The sanitary appliance fee, which is the fixed fee component, is based on the number of sanitary appliances. It is a charge towards the cost of providing the sewerage infrastructure which I think the Member should have no quarrel.”
“Sir, we do not require canned food to be date marked because they are sterilised during canning and will not spoil over a long period of storage. These foods have a long shelf life. Sir, My Ministry does not intend to date mark all foods since there is no need to, from public health considerations.”
“After months of hard work and with the full cooperation of the Joo Chiat residents to spruce up the neighbourhood, the situation showed immediate and impressive improvements. The number of premises found breeding Aedes mosquitoes dropped. Correspondingly, the number of dengue cases also dropped from 28 in 1993 to 11 in 1994.”
“Yes. The Member also touched on malaria disease. Although Singapore has been declared free from indigenous malaria by the World Health Organisation since 1982, Singapore will always be under the threat of malaria because we have many visitors and foreign workers from malaria-endemic countries in the region.”
“My Ministry will continue to educate the public on how to prevent the Aedes mosquitoes from breeding in their homes and properties. My Ministry will also continue to seek out breeding grounds in public places and tighten our control, surveillance and enforcement measures.”
“Let me now turn to the Member for Jalan Besar GRC. Let me first tell the Member that in the business called "promotion of the arts", even if you have done a lot, there is still a lot to be done.”
The complete record
Every one of 843 lines we hold for Ho Kah Leong, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 17.
“Sir, I am quite satisfied with the reply given by the Minister, except for the problem relating to shortlisting, which I would like him to clarify. Just now he said that the Ministry has been very cautious with the shortlisting of applicants. I would like to ask him why is it that in the recent promotion exercise, out of 28 applicants in a certain school, 26 were called for interview. And in certain other schools, none of the applicants was called for interview. Is it because certain schools are good and certain schools are bad? And is it necessary to transfer good teachers from one school to another?”
“As a result of such anomalies, there has been widespread dissatisfaction, which is caused by the fact that applications must be accompanied by confidential reports put up by the principals. These reports become the prerequisite for an interview for promotions, and undue importance has been given to such confidential reports. And those teachers, who were not even shortlisted for interviews, have blamed the principals for not putting up proper reports. As a result, there has been some misunderstanding and dissatisfaction. The next point is that some senior assistants have not been selected or shortlisted for interviews. On the contrary, some junior teachers have been shortlisted. This is a source of embarrassment to the senior assistants. In the earlier days, senior assistants were appointed because of their outstanding performance. But now they are not even given a chance to go for an interview in the promotion exercise. Sir, although it is a good policy to promote teachers or to give them opportunities for promotion, teachers have been demoralised because of the present system of promotion. I hope the Minister concerned will look into the matter, and remedy the situation.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the implementation of education policies and the achievement of its objectives depend to a very great extent on the efforts of teachers. To ensure that there is no brain drain from the Education service to the private sector, the Government decided to hold negotiations with teachers' organisations two years ago on the restructuring of salary scales and improvement of conditions of service. As a result of such negotiations, an agreement was reached. This agreement, however, does not give, and will not give, teachers any immediate benefit. One of the terms of the agreement was the promotion prospects for teachers. This, of course, is a source of encouragement for teachers. But, Sir, the recent promotion exercise, in which interviews have been held, has caused a lot of new problems. This has also exposed the defects of the present promotion system. The basis for promotion is that a teacher, in addition to being good in teaching, should also be good in other activities, such as extracurricular activities in school and community service outside the school. He should set a good example in extracurricular activities and community service. In other words, a teacher does not belong to the school alone. He belongs to the society and the country. He should not only be a teacher of pupils but, in time of need, he should be able to make his contribution to the country and the society. So a good teacher, by this definition, would be an activist, and a creative educator of man. But what are the prospects of promotion? Under the present system, all teachers with five years' teaching experience are allowed to put in their applications. Of course, this is quite democratic. But anomalies have arisen out of this system.”
“Sir, since the Members for Anson and Sembawang have touched on the question of promotion, may I be permitted to express my views on this point?”
“We cannot expect these people to produce good textbooks within six months of the publication of the syllabuses, because the publication of textbooks involves not only editing, printing, but also research. So we cannot rush out a good textbook in any case. Finally I would like to suggest to the Minister that prices of textbooks should be rationalised so that there would be no undue profiteering by publishers and bookshops.”
“The Member for Paya Lebar has brought up the question of textbooks, and I would like to add my views to what he has said. There has been quite a lot of criticisms against textbooks published locally. While we here are not concerned as to whether this is the result of some overt or covert rivalry between publishers in the private sector, such criticisms have brought into the open the defect in the present review system of textbooks. Sir, textbooks are not to be regarded as bibles. However, there is no doubt that they form the basis of teaching and learning. Therefore, if there are any defects in them, they will be very unreliable. I fully endorse that there should be freedom of publication, because if there is freedom of publication there will be competition, and if there is competition there will be improvement. But this should not be taken haphazardly or done in a very irresponsible manner, particularly in regard to textbooks for schools. I would like to take this opportunity therefore to propose that henceforth book publishers or book-shops should be asked to set up a textbook editorial committee with such members to be approved by the Ministry of Education. In this way, we can prevent publishers or bookshops from getting anyone they choose within a short time. Next, the Ministry of Education should also set up a committee consisting of experts in their own field, such as specialist inspectors and representatives from the various teachers' associations. We cannot continue with the present system of giving $50 to each textbook reviewer and expect good result. In fairness, we should also ensure that adequate time is given to the compilers or editors of textbooks.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, over the past few years the Ministry of Education seems to be very busy taking note of the ages of old teachers in Singapore. Those teachers who have reached the age of 40 years and 50 years or more have to report their ages to the Ministry of Education. It is as if the Ministry of Education is afraid that they will stay on to teach for one day more than is necessary. There have been many applications from the retired teachers for extension of service. Some applications have been granted on a three-month or six-month basis, and only a very fortunate few are granted an extension of one year. Unfortunately, some teachers are only allowed to get 80 per cent of their last drawn pay when they are so-called "re-employed". I think this is a bit ridiculous. Since we allow these teachers to extend their services, that means we consider their services useful, valid and effective. Since they are useful and effective teachers, why should their salary be reduced by 20 per cent? To an old teacher who has dedicated his whole life to education, this is a great blow to him morally. Unlike people in other professions, teachers start their professional work at a late age because of their professional training. These teachers are brain workers. But if they are forced to retire at the age of 50 which, according to experts, is the maturity age, and this also is the important stage of the teachers' career, then this will not only be a great loss to the teachers themselves but also a loss to the country. It is my hope that the Minister will sympathetically consider the applications from teachers for extension of service, and that on re-employment their salaries should not be reduced by 20 per cent.”
“I thank the Minister for his reply, and I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $368,326,810 for Head 1401 ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $847,090,310 for Head 1401 ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. The following amendments stood on the Order Paper Supplement: Head 1402 -”
“Sir, I asked a question about the rate of interest. What is the rate of interest for this particular loan? The Minister has not replied to this question.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 51. I would like to ask the Minister to clarify one point regarding the loan to the Singapore Teachers' Union. I would like to know what is the purpose of this loan to the Singapore Teachers' Union, and what is the rate of interest charged. If other teachers' associations would like to have a loan from the Ministry will their request be considered?”
“Sir, I am still not satisfied with the reply given by the Minister. He said that teachers in the Government-aided schools are not Government servants. I quite agree with this. However, I seem to have heard the Minister say that those officers in Divisions III and IV would be given the option to convert from the pension scheme to the Central Provident Fund Scheme. If this is done, then there is not much difference between Government and non-Government servants. The Minister also mentioned that teachers in the aided schools are not entitled to the current housing loans given by Government. So I would like to ask the Minister whether he is prepared to consider granting housing loans to the teachers of Government-aided schools.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether the housing scheme can be extended to teachers in the Government-aided schools. We know that in the teaching profession more than half the number of teachers are employed in Government-aided schools. Those who teach in Government-aided schools have the same teaching load as their counterparts in Government schools. I am glad that the Government has already granted the same medical facilities to teachers in Government-aided schools. So, on the same ground, I think we should extend the housing scheme to the teachers in Government-aided schools.”
“(4) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 13.”
“I feel that the people in Jurong do not have sufficient recreational facilities. The ground floor of the blocks of flats cannot be used as a playground for the children, as is the case with the new blocks of Housing Board flats. I would like to ask the Minister whether the flats to be built in Jurong will have playground facilities for children on the ground floor. Sir, my third point is related to the question of hygiene and health in Jurong. The environmental condition in Jurong is getting from bad to worse. I know that the cleaning up or sweeping of public places and the collection of refuse in Jurong is done by contractors. If the contractors are not able to employ enough workers to carry out the job, perhaps because they pay very low wages or for any other reason, the result is that the drains are clogged up and rubbish begins to pile up in these public places. Sir, Jurong Town, as pointed out by the Member for Sembawang, is a model industrial estate in Singapore. It has attracted many tourists from abroad. If all these untidy and dirty conditions prevail, it will leave a bad impression on the tourists. I would like to ask the Minister to request the Jurong Town Corporation to pay more attention to environmental hygiene in Jurong. If the contractors are not doing their job, change them and get new contractors.”
“Sir, I am grateful to the Member for Sembawang for his lavish praises on Jurong. However, I feel that there is room for improvement in the development of Jurong Town. I would like to ask some questions relating to the development of Jurong Town. There are two types of flats in Jurong Town; one is low-cost housing and the other is executive housing. Priority is given to workers in Jurong. Low-cost flats can be purchased with CPF contributions. But one cannot utilise his CPF contributions for the purchase of executive flats. The first few blocks of executive flats were sold a few years ago at a price of $33,000 per unit. The second lot is about to be sold, and I understand that the price per unit is $38,000 upwards. To purchase an executive flat, one has to make a down payment of 20 per cent of the selling price. Not every executive can afford such a big sum of money for the down payment for the purchase of executive flats. I understand that the Housing Board is building five-room flats, and the price of these flats in the urban areas is around $30,000 per unit. These HDB five-room flats are about the same as those executive flats in Jurong. I do not understand why one can utilise his CPF contributions for the purchase of five-room flats but one cannot utilise his CPF contributions for the purchase of executive flats in Jurong. I would like the Minister concerned to explain to the House the reasons for this difference. My second point is related to children's playgrounds in Jurong. There are about 40,000 people living in Jurong but there are only three children's playgrounds. One playground is still in good condition, but the other two are unfortunately in a state of disrepair. The play-things like the swings and the other equipment are already damaged.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to clarify one point. I feel that the Minister for Finance regards the societies registered under the Societies Act as a kind of trading concern. I think basically this is wrong. These societies have volunteered to work for the good of the community and their members. For example, they raise funds to build their own premises or to give scholarships. They raise funds to give money to their members. In the circumstances, I would like to ask whether these societies can be exempted from income tax although they are not charitable organisations as such.”
“Sir, if these societies can be exempted from paying income tax, they will have more funds for certain projects which are beneficial to the society as a whole. For example, they will have more money for scholarship funds and for the promotion of sports and other recreational activities. In this way, they can help promote the development of our society. I sincerely hope the Minister for Finance will consider favourably the question of granting exemption of income tax to these societies.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I raise a question relating to the exemption of income tax for associations and societies? In Singapore, there are about 2,000 organisations registered under the Societies Act. These societies are useful for the promotion of a closely-knit society and they are financed by the subscriptions from members. Most of the office-bearers are voluntary workers. Some of these societies may employ full-time staff and their salaries are paid from the subscriptions collected from members. Occasionally these societies carry out fund-raising activities for the construction of new premises, for the establishment of a scholarship fund, or for sports and other recreational activities. Sometimes fund-raising is also carried out for the purpose of organising study missions and friendly visits to other countries. Sir, these funds which are collected by the societies after making a great effort are not exempted from income tax, unless more than half of the amount are from members' subscriptions. Sir, what I do not understand is this. Why cannot the Government exempt these societies from paying income tax? The office-bearers of these societies voluntarily play their part in running the affairs of the societies. After great painstaking efforts, they find that a great chunk of their collection goes to the Government coffers. They are rather discouraged. I think the societies which contribute towards the development of our country should be exempted from paying income tax. If we do not grant exemption, then the desire to serve our country will be dampened. Therefore, from the long-term point of view, this is undesirable.”
“When all the roads are metalled, the Government only need to spend a small sum for the maintenance of the roads, such as the patching up of pot-holes. So in the long run, it is more economical to metal a road than to repair it every now and then. I would therefore urge the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for National Development, who is also the Chairman of the Urban and Rural Services Committee, to seriously take note of my suggestion and recommend a bigger sum for the construction of roads for 1974-75. Sir, I also wish to suggest to the Parliamentary Secretary that the various projects should be adequately supervised. Otherwise, through lack of supervision and the poor quality of work of the contractors, the project is ruined as soon as it is completed. I have invited the Parliamentary Secretary to make a site visit to Jurong to see for himself the poor quality of work of the contractors. I am thankful to him for accepting this invitation. He has seen for himself the standard of work done by the contractors. Sir, to repair the damages, additional expenditure has to be incurred. This is, therefore, tantamount to a waste of public funds. I would urge the Parliamentary Secretary concerned to look into this matter seriously.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as a rural Member of Parliament, I share the sentiments expressed by my colleague, the Member for Sembawang. Members may recall that this subject was brought up for discussion in this House last year. If I remember correctly, the general feeling then was that the amount of money provided for the construction of roads was too little, and we hoped that in the next fiscal year more funds would be allocated to meet the pressing demands for the construction of roads. However, to the disappointment of Members from the rural constituencies, the amount provided for road construction for 1973-74 is the same as that for 1972-73, i.e, only $750,000. When this meagre sum is divided and allocated to the various rural constituencies, each rural constituency will get not more than $60,000. This sum is usually not enough to metal one agricultural road, let alone setting aside a certain amount for repairs of existing roads. Although the rural areas have been shrinking due to industrialisation and urbanisation, there are still many rural areas where roads, drainage systems and social amenities have to be provided. The rural folks want good roads. No road is considered good if it is not metalled. A laterite road or even a quarry-waste road will not resist wear and tear caused by the weather. Therefore, it is subjected to damage every other year. Sometimes the amount spent on repairs is quite sizable. If we add up the repair costs of a road over a period of 10 years, the sum might well be enough to metal a road. Since we have a surplus in our budget, I fail to understand why the Government cannot set aside a bigger sum of money to metal all the rural roads.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I will put up the same request with the authorities concerned. However, in view of the answer, though not quite satisfactory, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I heard the same answer last year. As I had pointed out to the Minister last year, not all fish merchants are as rich as he imagines. If some of them are rich, they would have invested their money in deep-sea fishing. I would suggest that he makes a recommendation to the Jurong Town Corporation, since the land belongs to the Corporation, to set up a permanent office for rental to the fish merchants. All these suggestions have been made before and recorded in the Official Report of Parliamentary Debates.”
“Sir, I am referring to the permanent office in the fish market for the fish merchants. The position is as follows. At the moment there are temporary offices made of wooden planks for the fish merchants. They are not satisfied with such facilities. Each unit is very small, and it is very hot in the day. After four years certain planks of the wall have been attacked by white ants. They have therefore requested whether the Jurong Town Corporation or the Ministry of National Development can provide them with more permanent offices.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister seems to have omitted the point I raised about the permanent office in the fish market. I raised this matter in the previous Budget debate last year, and he replied that he would negotiate with the authorities concerned. I would like to know the position now.”
“Perhaps when we issue entry passes, we should scrutinise the applicants carefully before issuing them with passes. At the same time the authorities concerned should also maintain close liaison with the Police. Perhaps it might be useful if the Police could send some officers there during auction time in order to reduce the incidence of thefts.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1107 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1201. Sir, I would like to ask the Minister many questions on this subhead, Fishing Port and Fish Auction Markets. First, will the Ministry of National Development expand the present fishing port? As I understand it, the present port facilities are not sufficient for us because there are several ships anchoring alongside the wharf, and it is not possible to cram them. This has caused some difficulty in the loading and unloading of fish. Since our population is increasing, more fish is needed for local consumption. I, therefore, feel that there is an urgent need to expand the facilities at the fishing port. Secondly, there is also a need to set up a permanent office at the Central Fish Market. I had touched on this question during the Budget debate last year. When I brought up this matter at that time, the Minister replied that he would recommend to the Jurong Town Corporation to set up a permanent office there for the use of the fish merchants. He can refer to Hansard, Vol. 31, col. 1205, dated 22nd March, 1972. I would like the Minister to inform us of the progress, if any, which has been made in this respect. Thirdly, the question of management of the Central Fish Market. Recently I have received several complaints that many petty thefts are taking place at the fish market. Sometimes whole crates of fish and prawns are stolen. I know that there are about 3,000 people going in and out of the fish market every night. There might be some bad hats among the crowd, and they impose certain difficulties in respect of management and security. Therefore, there can be no excuse at all for relaxation in management and control of the fish market.”
“This disease has posed a grave threat to our livestock farmers. As a result the Malaysian Government has imposed a ban on imports of our poultry to Malaysia, thus causing hardship to our poultry farmers. I do not know whether our Government can help the farmers to petition the Malaysian Government to lift the ban. According to the experts, this kind of disease will not spread to poultry and I therefore hope that our Minister will help our poultry farmers in this respect.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Members for Changi and Punggol have both raised the problem of illegal trawling operations in the east coast and the Straits of Johore. I would now like to tell the Minister that similar activities are going on in the west coast, namely, Jurong. The Members for Changi and Punggol have already given a detailed account of these operations and the harm they have caused to our inshore fishermen. When these illegal trawlers operate along the coast, they destroy or damage the nets and fishing gear of our inshore fishermen. And when this happens, certain consequences will result. That is why the inshore fishermen hate these illegal trawler operators. Hence, I urge the Minister to adopt stringent measures to stop such illegal trawling operations along our coast. Another matter which I would like to bring up has already been mentioned by the Member for Sembawang. Although the Primary Production Department has done a lot for our farmers, the livelihood of the farmers has not improved. There are various reasons for this. For example, the pig-rearers in our country have been leading a very miserable life. Last year, there was a drastic drop in the price of pigs, and they lost a lot. At the beginning of this year, there was an improvement in the price of pigs. However, the prices of animal feed have gone up. Thus their gains have been set off. The prices of animal feed have gone up because of the increase in the prices of raw materials in the supplier countries. However, the price at source has come down but the prices of animal feed have not come down. I would like the Minister to investigate this matter and help our pig farmers. 4.15 p.m. Just now the Member for Anson touched on the foot and mouth disease of animals.”
“The place is definitely overcrowded. They have no choice but to stay in it. So they extend the existing house illegally to get more rooms. 1 hope the Minister will consider such cases sympathetically. In the case where the size of a family has increased considerably, permission should be granted to them to partition more rooms. Their lot should be improved. Sir, the Minister also said that if the CCC is given the power to deal with applications for repairs and so on, there may be chaos or confusion. However, I think the CCC should at least be permitted to do something, such as the responsibility of certifying the existence of the unauthorised houses, some of which were put up years ago. So the CCC would be able to certify this fact. I think that is quite proper and adequate. As mentioned by the Member for Paya Lebar, CCC members are supposed to be the community leaders who have been living in the area for many years and they are quite acquainted with the conditions there. They know what is going on. So if an unauthorised house has been in existence for many years, and if it is certified by the relevant CCC, then I think their applications should be given sympathetic consideration.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully sympathise with the Member for Paya Lebar in connection with his complaints against the necessity for landlords to put their signatures on applications for repairs to be carried out. Sir, since you are not there to see for yourself, it is very difficult for you to understand the hardships suffered by the people. Some landlords simply refuse to sign the application, as indicated by the Member for Paya Lebar. Sometimes the landlords resort to extorting money from tenants who want to carry out repairs to their houses. They demand exorbitant sums of money before they put their signature on the document. So if the poor rural people have not got enough money, the landowners will not sign the papers. Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister also mentioned just now that buildings must be controlled. I agree with him that there must be some form of control. But, at the same time, we must not only look at the legal side of the matter, but also think of the human side of it. Some of these attap dwellers are living under difficult conditions. In fact, I have come across one such case. So I took a picture of this house which was in a state of great disrepair and dangerous for people to live in. I then wrote to the Minister about it and, in the end, some arrangements were made. There can be other similar cases, or cases where the house is badly damaged. There may also be cases of attap dwellers who, with better means would want to provide their families with better amenities. So they ask for permission to reconstruct the building and to partition more rooms within the same space. But usually permission is not granted. So they have no choice. Sir, there are cases where about 30 people live in a house occupying only 1,000 square feet of land.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I heard the Parliamentary Secretary say that the fire station is expected to be completed by July 1974. I hope his Ministry will keep its word. On that note, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $4,078,230 for Head 1003 ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $650,000 for Head 1003 ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Pursuant to a resolution of the House, Mr Speaker thereupon left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1003 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 11. Sir, I really fail to understand why the construction of a fire station in Jurong Town should take such a long way and such a long time. In my simple reasoning, if the need is there, then it should be met as soon as possible. I think the Minister will agree with me that Jurong, being an industrial town with some 400 factories, a fire station is indispensable. Sir, I believe that the idea of building a fire station there was first mooted in 1966, and now it is 1973. Seven years have elapsed, and yet there is no fire station in sight. I hope this is not caused by the red tape of the relevant authorities. If my memory serves me right, this is the fourth time that I raise this same subject in this House. I hope that this will be the last time so that we do not have to dwell on the same subject next year. In this connection I will appreciate it if the Minister could enlighten this House as to where, in what part of Jurong Town, and when will the fire station be erected. This time, Sir, I expect a definite answer from the Minister.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I merely want to find out from the Minister for Culture in what way the Ministry is going to help the community centre now being built in Jurong Town. $400,000 is the target cost of building this community centre, and it will take a long time and a lot of effort to get this large sum of money. When asking for contributions, I have often been asked in what way is the Government giving financial assistance for the building of community centres. Is it a dollar-for-dollar grant in the case of this Jurong Town community centre? 6.45 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, 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 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1551. Sir, I would like to ask the Minister for Culture whether there are any plans to set up a library in Jurong Town. As we all know, Jurong Town is under rapid development. There are about 40,000 people living there now. In years to come it may well become a satellite town of 100,000 people. There are branch libraries in the other satellite towns built by the Housing and Development Board, such as Toa Payoh and Queenstown. Therefore, may I ask the Minister for Culture whether he intends to set up a branch library in Jurong Town? Perhaps he can make use of one of the HDB premises as a library.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, does the Minister mean to say that the present anti-smoking campaign is adequately carried out and, therefore, he does not intend to do anything else?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1071. Sir, we know that the Government is looking after the health of our people. It has therefore banned all forms of cigarette advertisement. It has organised an anti-smoking campaign over the TV and radio. Logically, as a result of this campaign, people should have stopped smoking. However, I see at page 6 of the Memorandum on the Main and Development Estimates that: `Despite the campaign to discourage cigarette smoking, there are indications that the consumption of local and imported cigarettes may increase marginally.' So I have my doubts whether our anti-smoking campaign has been intensive enough. I wonder if the Ministry of Culture will intensify the campaign by displaying anti-smoking slogans over pedestrian bridges.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, last year when we debated this item, I raised a matter with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture, in the absence of the Minister who was then away. During that debate, I made the proposal for an open air art gallery at the Queen Elizabeth Walk for local artists to display their work and to provide portrait painting for tourists. This could give encouragement to local artists and could turn the place into a tourist attraction. I also made the proposal that some form of sculpture work should be on display at traffic islands. We could invite local sculptors to put up their work on some outstanding or convenient places, like traffic islands. At that time, the Parliamentary Secretary promised to look into the matter and give me an answer. And I am raising the matter again because I am still waiting for an answer. Mr Ng Kah Ting: Sir, may I have your permission to speak now, as I do not wish to speak on amendment (9)* when it comes up later? * Amendment (9), standing in the names of Messrs Teong Eng Siong, P. Govindaswamy and Ng Kah Ting, reads as follows: That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1751.”
“I have received complaints from residents in Jurong Town that every morning when they wake up they can see and feel a layer of black dust on their furniture, or on any flat surface in the house. I would like to ask the Minister whether the black dust is injurious to health and whether steps are taken to ensure that the production of such black dust is minimised. Lastly, Sir, I would like to raise the question regarding the hygienic conditions of Jurong Town. Jurong Town is a model industrial town in Singapore. Tourists very often pay visits to this industrial town. Because of these foreign visits, whether the state of the environment is hygienic or not will leave a good or bad impression on the foreign visitors. Sir, does the Minister know what is the actual position regarding the hygienic environment of Jurong Town? I have seen that in some places the situation is far from satisfactory. Some drains are choked up in one place, and in other places, rubbish is strewn all over. These are the places occupied by foreign workers. Perhaps these imported labourers do not know the legal aspects of our social requirements. There may be cases of those who choose to ignore our requirements. But the fact remains that there are people in Jurong Town who do not keep to public health standards. I wonder whether the Minister concerned can do something about this.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as a Member of Parliament from a rural constituency, I fully endorse and sympathise with the Member for Paya Lebar in respect of the hardships suffered by the rural people of Singapore. It is, therefore, my hope that the Minister will give sympathetic consideration to his appeal. Here I would like to take the opportunity to raise a few points with the Minister. The first question is that of the disposal of industrial waste. We know that industrial development in Singapore is in full swing and is going at a very high rate. As a result there has also been an increase of industrial waste in Singapore. In my view, the present method of disposal of industrial waste is inadequate. Whether it is in respect of a single-storey factory or flatted factories, we can see that around such factories there is always a collection of industrial waste, heaps and heaps of rubbish attracting a lot of flies and other pests. They are also a fire hazard. In fact, some factories have suffered losses as a result of fire. I wonder whether the Minister concerned has any new method of disposal of the accumulating industrial waste in Singapore. The next question I wish to raise is in connection with air pollution in Jurong Town. Jurong Town has developed into an industrial area with many factories in production. There are some 40,000 people living in the residential part of the industrial town. 2.45 p.m. According to a recent survey, there is indication to show that the air in Jurong Town is the most polluted. As a result, there have been many complaints from residents who are concerned over the increasing pollution of the air in their environment. I would, therefore, ask the Minister whether he is aware of the increase of air pollution in Jurong Town.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, under this amendment, I would like to raise two questions. The first question is about trunk calls. I understand that many businessmen have complained that trunk calls take a long time before they can get a connection. Sometimes it takes three to four hours. And sometimes when trunk calls have been booked in advance, they do not get any reply. When they inquired from the Singapore Telephone Board, they found that the operator had forgotten about the booking. Perhaps the staff are overworked, so much so in some cases they have forgotten about the bookings. Sir, we all know that Singapore is going to be a regional financial and industrial centre and, therefore, the communications link between overseas countries and Singapore must be maintained and improved. Part of this is, of course, the trunk call service. I hope that this inadequacy will not handicap the development of our country in this respect. I would like to know what the Minister proposes to do to improve our overseas trunk call service. The second question is in regard to the telephone service in Jurong. We know that Jurong is our largest industrial estate. There are about 400 factories in full production. But the telephone service in Jurong has not improved very much. This is particularly obvious in the mornings between the hours of 10 a.m, and 12 noon. Very often we cannot get our calls through. This is the peak period. I do not know what plans the Singapore Telephone Board has to improve the telephone service in Jurong.”
“This can only cause friction and suspicion among the teachers. Senior assistants can very well turn round and say, "Well, if you think that so-and-so, a junior, is better than I am, for an interview, you can ask him to take over the burdensome administrative work. Why should you let me remain as a senior assistant?" So how can the morale of teachers be enhanced? I am pointing out all these matters in order to draw the attention of the Minister to the fact that, instead of raising the morale and improving the relations among the teachers, there have been suspicion and low morale because of the poor recruitment and promotion exercise. Many teachers are changing their jobs. The Ministry of Finance should probably review the system of promotion exercise and make provision for a better and more reasonable exercise. Notwithstanding my criticisms, I still support and endorse the Budget statement of the Minister for Finance. 5.19 p.m.”
“The development of deep-sea fishing will make available to us the inexhaustible resources of the ocean and open up a new avenue of employment and an outlet for our surplus capital. Sir, I hope that positive steps will be taken to develop deep-sea fishing. Sir, my speech will be incomplete without any reference to education and teachers. In his Budget statement, the Minister for Finance said that in order to provide some incentive to teachers and to raise their morale, the Government has decided to give them opportunities for promotion. This is all very good. But what is the actual position in regard to its implementation? The effect is just the opposite. According to my understanding, this is the first promotion exercise for teachers, and therefore many qualified teachers have put in their applications. Some 4,000 to 5,000 teachers are said to have applied. By right, the Ministry concerned should have set certain criteria for the short-listing of applications, instead of giving the important job of short-listing to the computer. What happens to this computered short-listing? We find that, as a result of this, in some schools not even a single teacher was called up for interview, whereas in other schools as many as 20 to 30 teachers were called up for interview. Again, some senior teachers with many years' service were not given the opportunity of an interview, while junior teachers in the same school have been called up. So, Mr Speaker, Sir, can you really say that in a school with a few tens of teachers not even one teacher is eligible for an interview? What will parents and students think of such a school? Again, in the same school, senior assistants were not called up for interview, whereas junior teachers were called up.”
“They often live in extreme difficulties. The pig farmers provide a good case in point. Firstly, they suffer a sharp drop in the price of pigs. Secondly, they were manipulated by middlemen, when there was an over-production of pigs. Yet under those circumstances, the Ministry of Finance did not extend a helping hand to the poor farmers. In many cases, the smalltime farmers had to "close shop and call it a day". In the case of the big-time farmers, although they managed to pull through the difficult period, they suffered heavy losses. Then, they were faced with the rising prices of animal feed, it was argued that that was due to the rise in the cost of raw materials. But now, prices of raw materials have come down but the prices of animal feed still remain almost the same. What has the Ministry of Finance done to help these poor farmers? The farmers work and toil the whole year round but they are still on the brink of semi-starvation. The world seems to be too harsh and unfair to them. Sir, I would now like to turn to fishing. The Government is encouraging deep-sea fishing. It is regrettable that in spite of earlier talk on the development of deep-sea fishing, nothing further has developed beyond that. While the population is increasing, there is no increase in our catch of fish. We have to rely on foreign supply. We can produce at most only one quarter of the total consumption. This is an unfavourable trend which should not be allowed to continue if we are not to rely too much on foreign supply. Because over-reliance On foreign supply will not only cause a loss of foreign exchange but also expose its prices to foreign manipulation.”
“The next matter concerns the prices of land and houses. As a result of soaring prices in land and houses in recent years, wage earners in the income group of $1,003 a month find it impossible to own houses built by private developers. The third ill-effect of this excess capital in Singapore is that factories are finding it more and more difficult to get workers, and domestic help is also difficult to obtain. Provision shops, barber shops, workshops and farms too find it difficult to get local labour, and they have to rely on labourers from other countries. Although these labourers and workers are welcome, they bring along with them their unwelcome bad habits, which have ill-effects on our own workers. As a result, the standards of morals and ethics in Singapore are put to a severe test in the light of rapid industrialization and urbanization. Thus the inevitable concept of money in command has become the value which has taken root in the minds of not only the older generation but also the younger generation. This is one aspect detrimental to our development which we must try to check and prevent it from becoming worse. Sir, the Minister for Finance seems to have over-emphasised the importance of commerce and industry at the expense of agriculture. I certainly do not have the audacity to expect the Minister to raise the status of agriculture to the same footing as commerce and industry. But agriculture deserves due attention. Experts have expressed the view that countries which do not produce the food that they require will suffer dire consequences in the event of a cut-off of supply from foreign sources. Therefore, I would like to point out to the Minister that our farmers deserve some form of economic and financial aid from the Government which they are not getting.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Budget statement delivered by the Minister for Finance on the 26th February came as a relief to the people of Singapore in the midst of soaring prices. I would like to congratulate the Minister on one particular aspect and, that is, he has taken heed and accepted the views of Members of this House expressed last year and has made adjustments in regard to the collection of taxes. I hope that this year he will again listen to what Members have to say and to bear them in mind when drafting the next Budget statement. Sir, you will remember that the topic of soaring prices was a favourite subject during the past two Budget debates. I believe that this time it will also be a hot topic for discussion. This is not because we enjoy harping on an old tune but because we come from constituencies in which the lower and middle income groups predominate, and also because prices are still soaring in recent months. In fact, prices have gone up by 10 to 20 per cent. Since wool must ultimately come from sheep, the brunt will have to be borne by the middle and lower income groups who are finding it more and more difficult to make ends meet. So I hope that the Minister for Finance will make efforts to check the soaring prices or at least to control the prices of some daily necessities to ensure that there is no profiteering by unscrupulous merchants. Sir, with the economic boom and the influx of foreign capital, there has been an excess flow of currency in Singapore. Capital is increasing in Singapore, and this is not without its ill-effects. For example, our share market has become overheated, and I am therefore glad to note that the Government is taking remedial action to cool the overheated share market to ensure its proper functioning.”
“The people do not have an adequate knowledge about pollution. To what degree will pollution be harmful to man is a question which I think the residents as well as the factory owners would like to know. To be fair, we can say that many factory owners are willing to abide by the law, as they do not like to be caught for polluting the air. I do not know whether the authorities concerned can set up devices to detect and to record the degree of pollution at strategic places, so that all of us will know whether pollution of the air has reached a degree as to be harmful to man. These devices can help to reduce the worry of the people affected. Moreover, factory owners and the people concerned may know the extent of pollution that is present, and that proper control can be exercised. The Member for Aljunied, at the last sitting of Parliament, has said that prevention of air pollution demands the effort of all our people. But I feel that it is important that the Government should be in the position to guide and to control. I hope the new Ministry will play its role in the industrial areas, particularly in Jurong. Sir, I support the motion to thank the President for his address, 4.10 p.m.”
“We know for a fact that for the survival and development of a particular ethnic group the mother tongue embodies the cultural tradition, ethics, moral concept and cultural heritage and values of that particular group. In a prosperous Singapore, it is not enough to master one's own mother tongue. Our citizens should discard old shackles and old concepts and try to master a language commonly used in the fields of technology, science, commerce and trade, so as to make it a means of earning a living. In view of this, we fully support the policy of the Ministry of Education to encourage all our teachers to be finally bilingual In this respect I hope the Ministry of Education can compile a practical curriculum on the second language for study by those teachers who want to learn it. To start with, principals of integrated schools who are not bilingual should be the first to learn a second language. Sir, because of industrialisation, we have created a lot of employment opportunities, but vexing problems have also cropped up as a result. One of them is air pollution. However, I am glad to note that the Government has set up a new department specially charged with environmental control. During the last session of Parliament, several bills for the control of pollution had been passed. But we have yet to see the effects of enforcement of these laws. However, I have the duty to urge the authorities concerned to pay attention to pollution in the largest industrial area in our country, namely Jurong Industrial Town. Up to now, we can still see many factories freely emitting black smoke and burning industrial wastes in open ground day and night. This has caused the residents to worry because of the high state of pollution it has reached. The subject of pollution is new in our country.”
“However, under the present circumstances, teachers can respect their profession, but they do not find it easy to be contented with their job, because, other than having to be in step with changing curricula and having to teach the normal daily lessons, many of them have to be responsible for two or three kinds of extra-curricular activities. So how can we make them happy when there is so heavy a load on them? As for the students, they are also hard pressed with lessons, and they strive very hard in order to pass the final examination so as to qualify for a certificate. As such, they do not even have time left to study books on extracurricular activities. Studying has become a hard pursuit for them. We have often heard that the Ministry of Education would lessen the burden of the teachers and the tasks of the students and would reduce the teacher-student ratio. I hope these promises will not turn out to be castles in the air. I have noted in the Addendum that the Ministry of Education is going to revise the curriculum. In actual fact, the contents of the lessons, teaching materials and teaching methods will also have to be reviewed from time to time to meet the changing times and needs. In reviewing them, the authorities concerned should consult the teaching profession. Sir, I am glad to note that the new Minister of State for Education, namely, the Member for Bukit Batok, in his maiden speech has mentioned the effort made by the Singapore Chinese Middle School Teachers' Union to promote the learning of the second language. I may inform the House that the Union has all along been supporting this bilingual policy of the Government. We hope to make a definite contribution towards this end.”
“For instance, in Jurong constituency there is only one primary school with a maximum enrolment. Last month, when registration for Primary I next year was opened, 500 pupils were enrolled. Luckily, the school had earlier on built six temporary classrooms so that these new pupils can be accommodated. But, following the development of Jurong Town, it is expected that more Primary I pupils will be enrolled next year. So how can we accommodate all these pupils? This is the problem that the Ministry of Education should pay attention to. Sir, education is the foundation of nation building. In order to raise the quality of our citizens, the first thing we must do is to raise the quality of education. This burden is mainly borne by the teachers for they are the ones who actually implement educational policies. Teachers are mentors and exemplars. They are in the forefront or the vanguard of educations. They have to be cautious in carrying out their duties and should not fail in what is expected of them by the society. Teachers have a duty to impart knowledge and to exercise control over the thinking and conduct of their students. Because of this heavy responsibility they often become targets of criticism by the so-called "specialists". Through any fault of the pupils, all the blame is put on the teachers. It is not fair. We must realise that students attend school either in the morning or afternoon for five hours only, and for the remaining part of the day they are either at home or elsewhere. So, to be fair, parents should also bear part of the responsibility of looking after their children. Sir, teachers should respect their profession, and should also be contented with their job.”