Ho See Beng
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether he is aware that each time re- settlement takes place, the business houses or firms suffer a terrible loss. Although the HDB could provide them with alternative shop premises, they have to rent them from the HDB.”
“Sir, I want to ask a supplementary question with vested interest. This concerns a teacher who upgraded himself or herself and got admitted into the University, but the teacher has got to forgo his or her salary. In the case of an SAF officer, if he is sent to the University, he does not have to sacrifice his salary.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask whether the Minister will consider giving incentives to consumers who read their own meters?. I ask this question because it will save PUB a substantial amount of money by way of salaries for meter readers, if the PUB succeeds in teaching consumers how to read their own meters.”
“But before I could explain the relevancy, I was interrupted by the Member for Anson, who stood up and denied that he had ever said anything about supplying me with such a list.”
“Sir, as I have said, I intend to appeal to the Minister for National Development whether he will consider giving priority allocation of flats to the Blair Plain residents who will be resettled by PSA soon.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, when the House adjourned at 8.00 pm last night, I was reminding the Member for Anson that I have yet to receive his list of Blair Plain residents whom he claimed to have attended his meeting and approached him for assistance on the matter pertaining to resettlement.”
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“Sir, Members here who listened to me just now would have heard my first opening sentence, which was, "If the offence is serious . . . I am not against stiff penalty." I have always borne that in mind. I am also not here to advocate two sets of laws. I am only saying that if the demerit points were derived as a result of minor traffic infringements, for instance, if they do not give way, or they drive too slowly, or they do not keep to the left, then they should be given more consideration. I am referring to this sort of minor offences. If the offences are serious, I support stiff penalties.”
“The length of suspension could be as long as six months, and this long period often brought about loss of income leading to financial hardship for the persons concerned. In view of their family hardship, I would like to suggest that the suspension of driving licences should not be more than a week if all the demerit points were derived as a result of minor traffic infringements.”
“Sir, in speaking on this amendment, I would like to draw the attention of the Minister for Home Affairs to matters relating to traffic law offenders. However, I must first say that I am not against the stiff penalty meted out to the law breakers if the offences are really serious, but if they are of a minor nature, the Traffic Police should take into account all extenuating circumstances and treat each case according to its own merit. Sir, I am referring to the demerit points system devised by the Traffic Department to penalize errant drivers. As you are aware, Sir, we have two categories of drivers - the professionals and the amateurs. The former refers to salaried employees, namely, the office and domestic drivers, taxi drivers as well as drivers employed in factories and commercial houses and lorry drivers, while the latter refers to private motor car owner-drivers. Between these two categories, the job of the professional drivers is considered rather onerous and more taxing than the amateurs. Therefore, whenever traffic offences are committed, the traffic enforcement officers should be more lenient in meting out penalty to the professionals due to the nature of their work. Besides this, I feel that the demerit points system also works against them. I say this because the professional drivers are required to do more trips on the road and are, therefore, prone to infringe traffic rules while the amateurs only drive to work and socialize and are, therefore, less liable to make mistakes than their counterparts under the circumstances. Since the demerit points system was introduced, a good number of professional drivers' licences had been suspended.”
“Sir, I heard the Member for Punggol said that he has got a lot of things to unravel. In the interest of the nation and in the interest of the public, I would like to invite the Member for Punggol to reveal what he has seen.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if the Minister can just tell us when this meeting between the Police and the Ministry of Finance officials took place, I will persuade the Member for Ang Mo Kio to release the Minister from the horns of his dilemma.”
“Sir, take, for example, the case mentioned by the Member for Radin Mas. The two persons concerned were released which shows that it was a wrongful arrest. They were not charged. So did the police make any apology to these two persons concerned or not?”
“Sir, the Minister said that if the arrest was wrongfully made, the person concerned could always sue the police and that if he had not got the means to sue the police he could approach the MP. But my question is this. If the police knows that it is a wrongful arrest, why cannot they make an apology instead of waiting to be sued?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, should not be our objective. We are all concerned with inflation and unless our Government takes positive steps, our international competitiveness in industry and services will be priced out by inflation. 5.44 p.m.”
“In fact, since such investments do not generate economic activity, there is no reason for them to be encouraged. Mr Speaker, Sir, surely the time has come to put a curb on the sales of property to foreigners, even if they attempt to make their purchases through local proxies. Singaporeans need houses and they need them at prices within their reach - within their earning capacity. Sir, such restrictions should not affect our economy because the profits earned by foreigners through a rise in prices are not earned income but capital gains. If it is argued that such restrictions would slow down the pace of our building industry, well I say, so much the better. Singapore is short of labour and we have to utilize the services of thousands of guest workers to keep the building industry going: and there is always the possibility of guest workers becoming a social and even national problem. The policy of allowing foreigners to acquire properties above six storeys benefits only the developers, the wealthy and speculators, whose combined operations made a positive contribution to inflation in Singapore. It is obvious that if the upper storeys of high-rise buildings can command fantastic prices, surely then the prices of lower storeys and other buildings will rise and contribute to our inflation. Sir, I would therefore urge the Government to conduct a full enquiry into the property market and take adequate and bold steps to curb speculation in property, so as to prevent private housing going beyond the reach of the average Singaporeans. Otherwise, Sir, we will soon find ourselves in the position that Hong Kong is in today. I shudder whenever I hear valuers and property developers contend that our prices are low because we are behind Hong Kong. The prices of housing in Hong Kong.”
“I am not an economist, Mr Speaker, Sir, but the question that has to be asked is "who ultimately pays" and I say the ordinary man pays in the end; because when the prices of houses, which are a basic need, go up, the prices of other service and goods also follow the trend and in the end we have greater inflation. It is therefore a matter of urgency that curbs be put on such speculation and one possible measure which could be used is to prohibit the resale of properties for at least one year from the date of purchase, and not six months as proposed. In fact, more drastic steps may have to be taken later but such steps can only be taken after a full enquiry. Sometime ago we were told that Singaporeans and not foreigners were responsible for the rising property market, because they were primarily responsible for speculation in landed property. This is no doubt true to a certain extent, but I would like to enquire on what basis was the statement made? Was there a survey conducted and checks made to ascertain whether the local buyers were utilizing their own funds or were proxies of foreigners? In any case, Sir, one of the contributing causes of high property prices and that of inflation is the policy of allowing foreigners to buy flats and other accommodation above six storeys. This concession was made several years ago when the building industry was sluggish and developers complained that they faced immense losses. This concession was apparently given at the prodding of developers to enhance their profit. This policy has enabled foreigners to purchase property, to invest their surplus funds in Singapore, in an area that is detrimental to Singapore in general, and beneficial only to a small group of developers.”
“I have watched with dismay the soaring prices of the property market, and the reluctance of the Government to take positive steps to curb the artificial escalation of prices, especially speculation in property, which is one of the obvious causes of the high cost of private housing. 5.36 p.m. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] It is often argued that the rise in prices of commodities and other items is due to inflation in Singapore, and that such inflation is imported inflation and therefore not within our control; this argument, however, is not always correct. A few years ago, when the price of rice (which is imported) was increased, the increase was blamed on inflation. But when the Government took positive steps, which included importing rice by a Governmentowned company, the price of rice dropped considerably to a tolerable level. Sir, inflation affects the poor man more than the rich, and if our Government is concerned with its socialist principles, it must take positive steps to dampen inflation. One of the causes of inflation is the secondary effects of the rising cost of private housing. It is clearly desirable that steps should be taken to check these spiralling costs which are, in part, the result of speculation. A fine example of such speculation was evident in the recent registration for apartments and shop houses being built by a private developer. Persons with small incomes and wealthy persons too were booking flats and apartments merely for the purpose of speculation. And while in the process they will make thousands of dollars in profit, the prices of private housing will be pushed up further.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to congratulate the Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister for Health for his initiative, vision and courage in discarding the shackles of tradition and precedent, and giving us a pragmatic and practical budget. This is a bold and innovative budget which unfettered the outmoded conservatism and historical patterns, the legacy of our colonial past, and has taken into consideration Singapore's economic and social mood with priorities for the 80s. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, one of the problems of national development is that human beings tend to be conservative and traditional. This human trait is often reflected in Government policies, and in their problems. We tend to be bound by the past; it takes courage and vision to break away from these constraints. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in 1959 when our Party was first elected to form the Government, we took the bold step of providing housing in large numbers for our people. At that point of time this was a radical departure from traditional thinking because housing for the people was supposed to be the responsibility of private enterprise. Today, we all realise that if the construction of thousands and thousands of Housing and Development Board flats had not been given priority, the social and environmental conditions of our people would be a source of discontent today. I therefore welcome this new approach in Government budgeting, which pattern, I hope, will be maintained in the years to come to meet the changing situations as we move into a new era in the 80s. In regard to housing, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to focus the attention of the House to the disastrous social and economic consequences of inflation on private housing.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I merely want to seek a point of clarification from the Hon. Prime Minister. Are these Annexes and Tables put before this House to justify the upward revision of the Ministers' and the MPs' allowances? If that is so, I would say that there is no need because not only Singapore but the whole world knows that the PAP Ministers and MPs are underpaid.”
“Does the Minister also know how much the good name of the Socialist Government like the PAP Government has suffered because of this withdrawal?”
“May I ask the Acting Minister for Social Affairs how much money has he saved from stopping this allowance to the 1,600-odd recipients? Dr Ahmad Mattar: Mr Speaker, Sir, I cannot give offhand the amount that has been "saved", as the Member put it. Perhaps if he wants, he can put in another question for Oral Answer. But since he is a Member of the PARC, he will know soon.”
“Sir, from what the Minister has said just now, it appears to me that in the course of time pig-farming will be abolished. If there is going to be no pig-farming, what is the point of building the pig-waste treatment plant?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, how does the Minister expect a one-room flat to accommodate a family of 10 persons?”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether he has taken into consideration the consumer's deposit of 1 1/2 months' charges for water and electricity. The consumer does not owe the PUB anything because he has got 1 1/2 months' deposit with the PUB.”
“Sir, when someone does business, he needs to have capital. The PUB expects to do business without even wanting to pay for the printing cost of the reminders. So how could that be possible? Mr Goh Chok Tong: Mr Speaker, Sir, it costs the PUB about $200,000 per year just to send out reminders, and this cost has to be recovered from those consumers who need such reminders.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, that is a very ridiculous answer. I would like to ask the Minister concerned whether he can do business without having capital or without incurring expenditure.”
“Sir, the Minister seems to favour the higher income bracket applicants. The income ceiling for the HUDC applicants has been revised upwards. If he allows this revision, why can the Minister not do the same for the lower income wage earners?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it seems to me that the Government is uncertain about when to build the MRT. If that is the case, why did the Government conduct a feasibility study in 1979?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am quite satisfied with the answer given by the Minister for Home Affairs. But, nevertheless, I still wish to ask the Minister whether he can assure the House that such an incident will not be repeated in the future.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to make a point of clarification. I would like to ask the Acting Minister for Social Affairs whether he will agree with me that there are unfilial sons, the lousy children, who refuse to look after their aged parents. A caring PAP Government concerned with aged people who are unemployable, cannot afford to see them hungry and starved to death. The Social Welfare Department is in the habit of making an investigation whenever a destitute person receives public assistance. If the officers find out that a recipient has children, the public assistance is immediately withdrawn. If the Minister does not agree with me, I will bring up a case from my constituency to him. He will remember that towards the end of December 1980, there was a spate of complaints about the withdrawal of public assistance. I think the Minister himself might have come across cases like this. This complaint is not only from the Member for Khe Bong but also from many other constituencies.”
“7,632 minus 7,275.' May I mention that this figure represents close to 20% of the Primary I cohort. Since we are streaming less than 10% of the Primary 1 cohort, I do not think there is great risk that we are doing any injustice to a child who would have chances of performing well if he had not been streamed to the monolingual course. Now I will deal with specific points raised by Members. First, the Member for Moulmein. The Ministry has spent vast sums of money in engaging foreign consultants and I think we will do well if we engage him as a consultant but, unfortunately, according to the rules of the House we will not be able to pay him any money.”
“Some four or five years ago the situation in schools was easier and the Ministry decided that if children did not pass their class examinations at the end of the year they would be retained. If they failed three times they would be streamed into the Basic Course which is a monolingual course. The trouble with this arrangement was that by the time the child failed three times he had lost interest in school education and the drop-out rate from the Basic Course was extremely high. Before the year was half-way through, about half the pupils had dropped out, and in the case of those in Basic 4 less than 10% remained. How dependable is streaming at Primary 3 when the child is only nine years old? Are we not taking a dangerous step in deciding a child's future at such a tender age? In August 1979, the systems engineers did a study called "A Survey of Weak Pupils". This is the study [indicating] and it is a rather voluminous one. I am afraid I cannot invite Members for tea again. The Ministry is much too poor for tea, not to speak of lunch. So if any Member is interested, he can get a copy of this for a small sum of $5, I will read out the principal findings of this survey. It studied a sample of some 2,500 pupils in the Basic Course in some detail and also the general performance of some 7,800 pupils channelled to the Basic Course for the years 1977 and 1978. This is the major finding: 'It was observed that 93% of Group I pupils [i.e. the Basic Course pupils from all levels, from Basic 1 to Basic 41 had failed their P3 examination. The average number of P3 pupils who had failed the school examination was 7,632 for the years 1976, 1977 and 1978. Nearly all pupils who had failed P3 will end up being channelled to the Basic Course since the difference was only 357, i.e.”
“I think the objects are clear but people are not happy and have reservations about implementation. Parents are anxious. They are always anxious when their children have to sit for examinations, but with streaming it becomes more complicated. Last year, for instance, there was a lot of fear expressed about streaming at Primary 3 into the Monolingual, Extended and Normal streams. This year, the attention has been turned to streaming between the Normal and Express streams. Although the percentage of children streamed into the Monolingual stream this year is nearly twice that of last year, there has been no public comment on it. I suspect the reason is that children of professionals are hardly ever streamed into the Monolingual stream and those who do are probably from the lower income groups who are not very vocal. Of course, it is quite right that parents should be concerned about their children's education. Members have raised two points about the Monolingual stream. The first is whether it is right that streaming should take place at Primary 3 when a child is at the age of nine. The second is what would be the future of those in the Monolingual stream. As I said before, monolingual education is really not an innovation. Remember that we are dealing with the lowest 10-15% of school children. In the early years when we had to produce more schools and more teachers, the system just had to push children ahead regardless of whether they failed or passed the class examinations. The result was that the bottom 10-15% got promoted, and as they got promoted they understood less and less of what was taught in schools.”
“The Member must have more confidence in Milton Friedman. He makes an important point that in our monetary policy we should pay particular attention to the exchange rates. I entirely agree with him. He advised me to monitor the exchange rates of the Singapore dollar closely. I have done so, but I do not think that the Member has acted on the advice he gave me because if he did he would find much in the exchange rate of the Singapore dollar over the last few months that would gladden his heart. I now turn to matters raised by Members on the new education system. It seems to me that nobody has really pinpointed one of the major defects of the new education system, and that is, its name. It is not really a new education system. The system should be called "Old Education System, Mark II". I will give Members the points on which the basic structure of the system remains the same. First, the terminal point of the education system for most students will be the 'O' and 'A' levels examinations. As regards the Normal stream, in a sense we are really reverting to a practice of some years past when most students took five years for the 'O' level. Even the Monolingual stream is not new, as I shall explain later. The PSLE has remained unchanged. The bilingual policy again remains the same. The choice of schools based on points scored in the PSLE is exactly the same as in the past years. The only difference is that this year, we give details of grades scored by pupils, and for reasons which the Member for Whampoa explained, this created misunderstanding because parents equated an 'A' as a distinction. However, this matter has been explained to the public, and I hope most of them are satisfied. What is new about the system is streaming.”
“Thus on the one hand we are rightfully reminded of our laudable responsibility of looking after older people; on the other hand the Government appears to be disowning any responsibility for the welfare of old people. I find it difficult to reconcile these two approaches. At the same time, Mr Speaker, Sir, we are spending thousands and thousands of dollars on making Singapore a garden city. I am rather puzzled by this approach. The question we should then ask ourselves is whether we value our greenery more than our old people. It will be interesting to compare the money spent on Public Assistance with the total funds being spent on making Singapore a garden city. 4.24 p.m. The First Deputy Prime Minister (Dr Goh Keng Swee): Mr Speaker, Sir, with your permission, I will first deal with matters which really do not concern my portfolio. These refer to subjects like gambling and speculation raised by the Member for Whampoa in his most excellent address. First, gambling. He condemns gambling. I also condemn gambling, but for a different reason. I always lose in gambling and I do not like to part with my money easily. But other Singaporeans are different. They like to part with their money in gambling. So why should not the public revenue benefit from these generous Singaporeans? As regards speculation, we had an interesting account of speculation in property. The Member for Whampoa quoted a case where identical houses were sold at greatly different prices; $600,000 in one case and $800,000 in the other. There is an economic explanation for this. The Member for Whampoa must be a well-qualified economist and he is sure to be familiar with the term "market imperfections". The remedy for market imperfections is - not less speculators but more speculators.”
“It is only right and proper that every effort should be made to maintain the family as a cohesive unit, where the children deem it not only a responsibility but also a pleasure to take care of aged parents and relatives. But, Sir, it cannot be said that such a spirit of consideration and compassion is being manifested by the Government in its welfare policies. It has been pointed out time and time again, for example, that those receiving public assistance receive less than half of what they require for minimum subsistence. And yet the Ministry of Social Affairs appears to be mounting a campaign to deprive this small group of people from receiving public assistance of their pittance. One of the devices is to withdraw public assistance from old people, if they have relatives who have earning capacity. This is causing untold hardship and problems. Relatives close or distant who might be willing to lend a hand are now becoming reluctant to do so, because the moment they do so they are saddled with the full responsibility of looking after such older people. Thus the sympathy and care for the aged parent and relatives shown by the children or other relatives will eventually rebound on them as a financial responsibility. Mr Speaker, Sir, as a result of the Social Welfare Department's intractable approach and lack of sympathy, few people today are prepared to volunteer to look after aged relatives who may be receiving public assistance. They fear that the Social Welfare Department will cut off the meagre public subsistence which, as we all know, is not enough to pay for the rent of a room; and they will become responsible for the unfortunate old person.”
“The military normally does not have experience in the an of government and the situation tends to get worse. This has happened in some developing countries throughout the world. This conscious development of a second echelon, instead of leaving it to chance, will safeguard Singapore's future, in the same way as our positive economic and social programmes drawn up soon after independence safeguarded and ensured Singapore's progress during the past two decades. If the Government in 1959 had left things to chance, leaving economic growth and social programmes to develop in a haphazard fashion, Singapore would not be what it is today. This is the crux of the matter which we must bear in mind. And now, Sir, I would like to turn to the emphasis that has been laid on the need to preserve Singaporeans' basic values and the essentials of their philosophy of life. In this context it will be recalled that in recent times there have been calls for renewed vigour in preserving and strengthening the family, as the basic social unit and the pivot of Singapore society, especially in the light of social transformation accompanying our Republic's economic development. Singaporeans are being continuously exhorted not to discard family ties, and as part of this family commitment not to neglect the aged, be they members of their immediate family or relatives. These calls, Mr Speaker, Sir, to the public of Singapore are most timely. The social and economic transformation of Singapore and the change in our lifestyles have tended to make inroads into our traditional ways of life. And one of the casualties appears to be the older people whose numbers are increasing year by year.”
“It is not easy to understand the horrors and the tragedies of war and the degradation of inhuman government under communist or totalitarian regimes unless we have experienced such situations. Impressions from the media, newspapers and television become distant memories and are often forgotten, because we are usually too busy to think about them, and often because human beings do not like to remember unpleasant things. Singaporeans who have been abroad and have visited countries which have been ravaged by war, insurrection or occupation by a foreign power would understand these things more easily, because there is no substitute for experience. But not many of us have witnessed such tragic situations and so, Mr Speaker, Sir, the need to recognise the role of defence and security to ensure Singapore's independence and prosperity cannot be over-stressed. Mr Speaker, Sir, I think Singapore is about the only newly independent country which has taken concrete and positive steps to build up a second echelon to take over the reins of government when the old guard fades out of the picture. Indeed, this is another demonstration of Singapore's pragmatism. It is obviously a necessary step for man does not go on forever, and it is a tribute to the Government that they have selected a new team of high quality, efficient men with proven talent and capacity who will look after and safeguard the interests of Singapore in their time. Sir, if we look around most developing countries we often find that the leadership has passed their prime, but they tend to cling to power until the bitter end. It then often happens that people get annoyed, and trouble starts, and often when things go wrong a military junta takes over.”
“In the final analysis, the concept was that the worker must be antagonistic to management because management was antagonistic to workers. This is not the philosophy for development nor should it be the philosophy for any developing country. We have seen the consequences of this approach in many countries and it is clear that far from making progress they are only creating problems for themselves. This is not to say that workers' welfare should not be safeguarded. As pointed out recently, workers and management must work as a team for a common objective. In other words, as implied by one of my colleagues, both workers and management must wear a common hat, namely, the Singapore hat. They must not feel that they are on opposite sides of the fence. The stress on good labour-management relations thus is most timely. n It is also appropriate that the pivotal role of defence and national service be reiterated because, although the subjects of defence and national security have been emphasized over and over again, it is all too easy to forget because of our affluence or relatively affluent societies to develop complacency and indifference which will ultimately erode and undermine our vigilance. Singapore is a little distance away from the horrors and tragedies that are at present being perpetuated in and around Kampuchea, and so we must never forget how easy it will be for us to be overtaken by a similar situation if we are not on our guard at all times. It is quite easy for us, basking in the prosperity of Singapore and in an environment where law and order prevails, to forget the dangers that lurk around the corner - around the corner and not too far away.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to congratulate the Government for highlighting, and setting out in simple terms, the three most important tasks ahead for our nation in the 80s. Singapore has often been described as a "freak state" among the developing countries of Asia. It is true that in a sense we are unique. We are a city state, with no hinterland or natural resources and, as has often been said before, our only resources are our human resources. I think, however, we would not be immodest if we say that we have made progress, despite natural and geographical handicaps. Mr Speaker, Sir, during the past 20 years our country has, because of good government, surmounted various crises, both national and international, rather satisfactorily, and continued to make economic and social progress. This has only been made possible by careful forward planning and strict social discipline which has earned the approbation of all Singapore citizens and demonstrated by Singaporeans at the recent general elections. It is this hard-headedness which saw us through the first two decades after independence. It is the same hard-headed pragmatic approach which moved us to develop a new economic strategy for the 80s. And in this context, it is gratifying to note that appropriate emphasis is being given to the building of a modern industrial society, resting on sophisticated economic activities and on new relationships between management and labour. Sir, the most excellent economic and social plans and projects are futile if the people who are concerned with the implementation and execution are not united in their approach to achieve the goals set by the planners. Singapore, as a former colony, inherited certain traditional western attitudes of labour-management relations.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, will the Senior Parliamentary Secretary assure me that he will look into the matter if I can refer him to cases of recipients whose doles have been withdrawn on the ground that they are receiving financial aid from their friends? Mr Chan Chee Seng: Sir, we will look into those cases, and if the assistance given is inadequate, we will consider them. SINGAPORE FIRE SERVICE (Fire-fighting in high-rise buildings) 24. Mr Yeo Choo Kok asked the Acting Minister for Social Affairs whether the Singapore Fire Service is sufficiently and adequately equipped to fight fires in high-rise buildings.”
“Sir, I am still not convinced. The funds come from the people. Therefore, we should consult the people. If the people say, "Yes", then we spend the money. What is wrong with that?”
“Sir, I would like to know whether there has been any conviction of a drug trafficker that entails capital punishment in 1980.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Minister whether there is any difference in the number of cases of capital punishment between 1979 and 1980.”
“If they are allowed to withdraw their savings to buy HUDC and HDB flats, why cannot they be allowed to use their CPF money to buy private houses? This is the only way to protect their money from being eroded by inflation. Mr Sia Kah Hui: Sir, I think we are going into a long argument over this. But knowing the number of people who have the money to buy privately-built houses, I think the hon. Member will probably agree with me that the number is very small. The hon. Member surely knows the cost of a privately-built house these days, and even if they were to withdraw the full credit in their CPF account I do not think there are many people who can afford to buy them. ELECTRICITY SUPPLY TO PULAU UBIN 2. Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for the Environment whether the Public Utilities Board will reconsider supplying electricity by means of generators to the residents of Pulau Ubin now that the contractor on whom the islanders had relied for their electricity supply has ceased such supply, thus affecting a community centre and about 150 families.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, what is the Minister of State's justification for disallowing CPF members to withdraw their contributions? He must be aware that the funds are being eroded by inflation year after year.”
“Sir, if I am not mistaken when the Singapore Pools (Pte) Ltd was formed, one of its objectives was to obtain funds to support sports. If the Government now says that it is difficult to get enough money to assist sports activities, I wonder whether the Government can use the fund of the Singapore Pools (Pte) Ltd to subsidise sports activities?”
“Secondly, send Parliamentary delegations abroad on friendly visits to neighbouring countries. We must not depend only on contacts between higher levels for relations between countries. We must also look forward to contacts at lower levels. Through these contacts at various levels and visits abroad, we can, to a great extent, promote a better relationship. As Parliamentary Members, their visits will promote national policies and foster closer mutual relationships. Thirdly, various international organisations and conventions should not try to economise by cutting down on the number of participants or just sending scant delegations which are hastily-assembled for the purpose. Some of these conferences or conventions might not appear to be capable of yielding worthwhile results. However, there is a saying that you keep an army for a thousand days, so that you can use it for only one day. Sometimes, it may turn out that these conventions and organisations concerned are very useful and necessary. So we must attach great importance to this, and be better prepared to send properly composed delegations abroad to international functions, Although we are small, we still have to engage in international relations, otherwise we may find ourselves in an isolated position.”
“Just now my colleagues have suggested several methods, including the suggestion that the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation should formulate more good programmes in order to cultivate a sense of national consciousness and identity into our people. There was also the suggestion that newspapers must take up the responsibility of publishing more of such articles to cultivate in our people the aspiration to formulate a national identity. It will take a long time to achieve our aim. While to teach our people to look after their own national interest first, which is both proper and necessary, we should also be mindful of the interests of our region, especially ASEAN. Just now, the Member for Kolam Ayer correctly quoted the Chinese proverb yuan qin bu ru jin ling ( ) namely, distant relatives are no better than closer neighbours. Our fate is linked with the fate of ASEAN. We must all be united for the sake of political safeguards and economic interests. Therefore, we must take upon ourselves to cultivate in our people the spirit of ASEAN. Between countries, they can have mutual relationship only on the basis of trust and mutual understanding. According to the Member for Nee Soon and also the Member for Kolam Ayer, it is easier for us to understand others but it is not so easy or simple for others to understand us. I feel that in this respect the Government has not done enough. Let me give my views here for the consideration of the Minister. Firstly, the Ministry of Culture should produce some sort of a pictorial magazine which can be an official publication of our scenes, activities and national policies. This publication may include various articles and pictures, whose content will project our national identity and achieve profound propaganda effect on foreign readers.”
“Mr Ho Kah Leong (Jurong)( In Mandarin): Sir, a little while ago Members of Parliament in this House have expressed their opinions and I share the same sentiments with them. We have been independent for over 14 years, but in the promotion of national consciousness and national identity we have not done enough. So we should strive harder in the fields of education and culture. Sir, a country with its people lacking in national consciousness and identity is like a heap of loose sand. Such a people would only know how to make money and to earn a living. They would take to their heels should a crisis befall them. Lacking in national consciousness and identity sometimes would make a people myopic, their vision blurred because of ethnic, religious and other factors, so that they would not be able to exercise correct judgement on events going on around them. Of course, we cannot take the response shown by some of the audience at the recent badminton matches between China and Indonesia to be a reflection of the general attitude of the whole populace of Singapore, and thus there is no national identity. The audience of a few thousand people at the Badminton Stadium is only a fraction of the total population of 2.3 million. Therefore, that does not truly reflect the general attitude of Singaporeans. However, it is regrettable that the behaviour of certain fans has aroUsed strong sentiments which have been expressed in the Indonesian newspapers. We can now take stock of this and see how we can strengthen the inculcation of national consciousness and national identity in our people. Of course, all this belongs to the realm of idealism which cannot be formed overnight and cannot be ordered into being through any magic formula.”
“If the Chinese people cannot be influenced to support the policy of the Barisan Sosialis in 1962 when Singapore's economy was at a low ebb, I see no reason for them to be pro-China now, especially when our economic situation has improved by leaps and bounds and our per capita income has exceeded $4,000, In the words of the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Huang Hua, it would take China 20 years from now to be able to reach $1,000 income per capita. Hence, it would be foolish to say that the Singaporean Chinese prefer China to Singapore. With regard to the adverse comments made by the Indonesian newspapers on the behaviour and attitude of the spectators at a friendly badminton match between Indonesia and China on 22nd and 23rd February, 1980, strong criticism was levelled at the spectators for being pro-China and anti-Indonesia by Merdeka and its English language newspaper, the Indonesian Observer. These two newspapers appeared to be holding our Government responsible for the spectators' behaviour and attitude. I know in no uncertain terms that the charges alleged by these two newspapers do not represent the opinion of the majority of the Indonesians nor the view of the Indonesian Government. They seemed to be unhappy with us one way or the other. However, I wish to sound a word of caution to the Chinese community of Singapore - they must remain alert at all times and allow no doubts whatsoever to be cast on their national identity as citizens of Singapore. On this note, Mr Speaker, Sir, may I conclude by reminding these two newspapers concerned that the Singapore ethnic Chinese cannot change their outward features nor need they be apologetic about it, and it would be grossly unfair to penalise them for an accident in life. 3.30 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, when the referendum for Merger and Malaysia was held in 1962, the questions of citizenship, national identity and the centre of loyalty were subjects of great debate in the then Legislative Assembly as well as in the hustings. The Government of the day then was in grave danger of collapse, with overwhelming pressure of social, economic and political problems brought about by the then opposition parties, Unemployment was critical, and there was no way of solving the problem in the immediate future. In determining to foil Merger and Malaysia, the Barisan Sosialis used unscrupulous methods to agitate and inflame the feelings of the Chinese with racial and cultural controversies in the hope of swaying their votes against the issue at stake. They even rumour-mongered that if merger between Singapore and Malaya succeeded, the Chinese would not be allowed to eat pork. Sir, everybody knew what the Barisan Sosialis stood for, and what the consequences would be had they won the Merger and Malaysia issue. Fed with falsehood by the Barisan Sosialis and subjected to overwhelming influences along racial and cultural lines, the Chinese in Singapore, nevertheless, stood up and identified themselves as Singaporeans by voting for Merger and Malaysia. Mr Speaker, Sir, this historic event proved beyond a shadow of doubt that the Chinese are genuinely pro-Singapore, and what other people say about them does not matter, because events would prove them wrong again in future.”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Hon. Minister for his very frank answer to my questions. i beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. The following amendments stood on the Order Paper Supplement -”
“I am afraid I cannot accept the explanation of the Minister. He said that in 1979, the number of cars that entered into the restricted zone has gone up instead of down. But he tried to defend it by saying that it was too early to gauge the effect. So I would like to pose this question. Let us suppose that in time to come the number of cars entering the restricted zone area does not come down, what will he do? An hon. Member: Increase the fee.”
“Sir, in moving this amendment, I merely wish to seek information with regard to the application for a taxi driver's licence. The processing of applications for taxi driver's licences appears to be unduly slow. I wonder whether steps could be taken to improve the method of processing these applications. Most of the applicants are unemployed and their grouses are justified because they have been waiting from six months to a year. In this regard, I would like to urge the Minister concerned to look into the method of processing applications for taxi driver's licences. Another matter concerns the increase in the Area Licence Fees. Recently, there was an increase of 25% in the ALF from $4 to $5 daily and from $80 to $100 monthly. The object of this increase appears to be purely to raise revenue rather than to deter entry into the Central Business District (CBD). I would like to ask the Minister for Communications whether he could provide the House with statistics of the number of area licences bought in a month when it cost $3 and for a month when it cost $4, and the basis of his calculation of the anticipated drop in the purchase of area licences with the present fee of $5. 4.00 p.m.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head I be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code IF-01 of the Main Estimates. Sir, may I have your permission to range my remarks over my amendment (6)?”