Ho Tat Kin
Singapore
“The only other stadium with a retractable roof in Europe is the Amsterdam Arena, which has a capacity of 50,000. The stadium has an adjoining retail, leisure and pleasure development, including shops, restaurants, pubs and hotels. There is a full year-round programme of international and local activities.”
“For example, NAC did not fund the musical Rent as it presented homosexuality and alternative lifestyles as an accepted way of life. I would like to reiterate that MITA has clear guidelines and criteria for the support of art productions. They include artistic merits and track records of applicants.”
“Preparing for retirement with sufficient money is only one important aspect. There are many other variables to take care in ageing. Sir, the Ministry has over the years spawned a whole new industry in childcare centres. These childcare centres provide good care for children with working parents.”
“What is the Ministry's plan on this? To give our sports a boost and lift it to higher levels, foreign talents would have to be imported. While they can play a supporting and aspiring role with local athletes, challenging and motivating them to excel, they should not replace our local talents.”
“Sir, MCD reviews the public assistance given to the poor and needy once every two years. I believe, this year, public assistance will be up for review also. I would like to ask what adjustments will be made to increase the amount given out under the Public Assistance Scheme.”
“May I ask what progress has been made by this Inter-Ministry Committee? Sir, in dealing with juvenile crimes, we should focus on the child and to see how best to reintegrate the kids back into society.”
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“The only other stadium with a retractable roof in Europe is the Amsterdam Arena, which has a capacity of 50,000. The stadium has an adjoining retail, leisure and pleasure development, including shops, restaurants, pubs and hotels. There is a full year-round programme of international and local activities. To promote arts, we are spending a sum of $594.8 million for the building of the Esplanade Concert Hall, which will be completed next year. For the promotion of sports, we should spend no less for a first-class all-weather sports stadium which would be the centrepiece in our efforts to make Singapore a sports hub. This sports hub would help to increase our capabilities in sports science and sports medicine. May I have the Minister's views on this? 6.15 pm”
“Sir, we aspire to be a sporting nation, where sports excellence will strengthen national pride. We hope to be a society where sports binds our multi-racial community. We want to encourage our people to exercise regularly and enjoy sports for a healthy lifestyle. And, if we can increase the size of our sports industry, that will create and add value to the country, offering many new career opportunities. To achieve all these ideals, we will need not just a new building for the National Stadium, but a whole new sports and recreation complex, which will be a focal point for all things related to sports and healthy recreation. The new sports complex must have transportation convenience, with easy access from a nearby MRT or light rail station, to cut down traffic build-up and car park congestion. To encourage Singaporeans to be a sporting nation, our new sports complex should be one of the best in this region, comparable to some of the best in the world. After all, we are now a developed nation, a First World economy. To be commercially viable, the new sports complex must have sufficient commercial abilities to ensure viability and that it will not be a dead town in between major competitions. It should be located where people could go to on an average evening in a normal day, for workouts, games and recreation, and therefore it should not be tucked away in some outlying location with difficult access. Sir, I would like to quote an example of such a sporting complex that has been built in Wales, at Cardiff, the Millennium Stadium, right inside the city. This new stadium was rebuilt with a seating capacity of 72,500, with a roof that can be fully opened and closed within 20 minutes, to enable events of all kinds to be held under all weather.”
“Sir, with a rapidly aging population, there is a need for a comprehensive infrastructure for eldercare. Currently, most of the eldercare facilities and programmes are operated by VWOs. My questions are: Are the current eldercare facilities sufficient? What measures will be taken to improve the quantity and quality of elderly care? What role can the private sector play in caring for the senior citizens? What incentives do we put in place to encourage the involvement of the private sector in developing an eldercare service industry? Eldercare, by nature of its work, is very labour intensive. Currently, there is a great dependency on volunteers and befrienders. But many of these volunteers and befrienders are themselves aging. Efforts will need to be made to develop a sufficient number of suitable care-givers for the aged. What measures will be taken to ensure that there will be sufficient human resources to take care of the aged? Sir, the majority of our elderly population is healthy and is a valuable resource to our nation. There should be as many opportunities as possible for them to remain engaged in society, and to continue their contribution to it. One problem, Sir, is the mindset of employers. While retraining will help to a certain extent, however, not all jobs are suitable for the elderly. Many jobs would need to be re-engineered to make them suitable for the elderly to perform. What measures will be taken to encourage and help organisations re-engineer some of their jobs, to make them suitable for the older people in our community?”
“Sir, recent data from Census 2000 indicated that 8.7% of the total resident households are households with no income earners, up from 7.5%. But translated into absolute numbers, that is a total of 80,000 households, which is not a small number. The statistics also show that the average monthly household income for the lowest 10% of families was a startling $61 per month. Sir, these figures do not represent the true picture, as the Chief Statistician himself admitted that the figures were misleading. Firstly, it is actually impossible for the lowest 10% to have an income of only $61, unless they are not aware of the public assistance scheme or, for various reasons, do not qualify for public assistance. Anyone with such low income would have qualified for public assistance, which gives a minimum of $230 per month. Secondly, also as indicated by the Chief Statistician, the figures, for those without income, include retirees with savings, stocks, working children who support them, and some who own landed properties. Sir, could MCDS help to normalise these data, using the retiree factor, so that we can have a more accurate picture? What I would like to know is the actual number of the really poor no-income families. For those families, how do they survive? Is public assistance able to help them? How does MCDS tackle the income inequality of these households? How do we make sure that children from these no-income families can get a decent education?”
“It will allow a local talent to work with international big budget movies with opportunities for international exposure. Sir, shall I move on to the next one?”
“Sir, the Singapore Film Commission has been formed to promote the film industry in Singapore. It was the right decision that has helped fund many budding film producers locally. Sir, I would like to know what progress has been made so far. How much has been spent and what achievements have been made? What are some of the fundamental issues confronting the film industry and what measures would be taken to overcome them? I would like to suggest to the Singapore Film Commission to widen its scope of work to include the nurture and training of local talents for both the front end and back end production of local movies. When bringing in instructors and course leaders, we should widen the scope to include also professionals from the East - from Hong Kong, from China and Japan - where there are many well-known producers. The Singapore Film Commission should also help in building up the supporting industry, such as dubbing, animation and post-production houses. Sir, the Singapore Film Commission could work closely with the Singapore Tourism Board to promote Singapore as a good location for making movies. Promoting Singapore as an international production centre, we encourage the use of Singapore location, service facilities and personnel. We could provide financial incentives for foreign film makers to come to Singapore. For example, the Yukon Film Commission in Canada offers a travel rebate to assist production companies in the course of getting there. And the Yukon labour rebate will be given up to 35% of wages paid for eligible Yukon labour working on foreign productions. Bringing foreign production houses to Singapore will produce many good job and career development opportunities for local talents.”
“For example, NAC did not fund the musical Rent as it presented homosexuality and alternative lifestyles as an accepted way of life. I would like to reiterate that MITA has clear guidelines and criteria for the support of art productions. They include artistic merits and track records of applicants. However, for private sponsorship of the arts, we would like to leave it to the respective corporations to decide.”
“The Renaissance funds increased per capita annual arts expenditure from about $7 (before the report) to $9 last year. This is still modest compared to the cultural capitals of the world. For example, London's per capita spending is S$108, 12 times higher than ours while Hong Kong's is nearly four times higher at S$33. Nevertheless, our modest increase of 30% last year is a relatively big step for us. I would like to thank Dr Jennifer Lee for her support of the arts and for her comments on the NAC. I think the NAC has been doing a good job and it is true to some extent that it is difficult for NAC to juggle both the roles of promoter as well as a funder and regulator. This is why for plays like Talaq, it has been necessary for PELU, which is under the Ministry of Home Affairs, to take the final decision, based on various considerations, including the views of MUIS concerning the religious sensitivity of the play. The Ministry of Home Affairs has suggested that this function be transferred to MITA. This is something that we are now actively considering. If it does come to MITA, then I think the licensing and approval functions will go under our Films and Publications Department and NAC will concentrate on the promotion of the arts. 6.00 pm I would like to assure all Members that in approving the staging of plays and funding for the arts, we exercise sensitivity and flexibility so that local and international works with artistic merit, even some difficult and provocative ones, could be encouraged in Singapore. But at the same time, we acknowledge that public funding for the arts should be prudent so as not to project wrong social values and to cause societal conflict.”
“One of the activities targeted at the HDB heartland was the Community Arts Day last October, which was jointly organised by NAC and Sembawang-Hong Kah CDC. Another is the NAC-Shell Community Arts series of outdoor concerts, held at town centres, such as Clementi, Hougang and Yishun. NAC also actively collaborates with the private sector to bring the arts to the working population. NAC joins hands with Raffles City to bring Arts in the City, a series of regular lunchtime concerts at the Raffles City Atrium, now into its third year. We have also expanded our arts education programme to more schools and students. Currently we cover 86% of schools and more than 50% of the student population. The AEP, which aims to bring the arts to every student through exposure, experience and excursion programmes, was extended to Institutes of Technical Education for the first time last year. NAC hopes the AEP will reach out to all schools by 2005. Similarly, the National Heritage Board (NHB) works closely with Ministry of Education to promote awareness of our multi-ethnic heritage among the younger generation. NHB's outreach activities include the Community Involvement Programme for schools, the Heritage Badge for uniformed groups, travelling exhibitions, educational workshops, talks, cultural performances and other activities. NHB will be holding the inaugural Heritage Festival this month. The activities of the week-long festival, such as talks, music and dance performances and demonstrations of traditional games, will take place in various parts of the island. We are still at an early stage of our cultural development. In terms of the number of arts events, artists and audiences, we are behind cities like Melbourne and Hong Kong, let alone London and New York.”
“NAC itself has to be selective because we have to really groom up the best and not just support all and sundry who want to dabble in the arts. More funds have also been expended on arts training. NAC has set up new schemes for skills development and professional arts scholarships. We recognise that arts practitioners, arts managers and production personnel are crucial to the production process of the arts. The Professional Skills Development fund is to provide opportunities for them to upgrade their skills through short-term training courses locally or abroad. NAC's Professional Scholarship Scheme has been set up to provide financial assistance to arts managers and practitioners who wish to pursue full-time undergraduate or postgraduate studies overseas. We are also intensifying efforts to give international exposure to our top artists. Examples of arts groups that have performed overseas include the T'ang Quartet, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, TheatreWorks, and Singapore Dance Theatre. Singapore will also be participating in the prestigious Venice Biennale this June. The Biennale features top and emerging visual artists like painters and sculptors from around the world. Major arts events will be improved upon qualitatively and quantitatively. The SPH-NAC Golden Point award, for example, will include a poetry section for the first time this year, while the National Piano and Violin Competition has plans to go regional in the near future. Other activities that will contribute to the vibrancy of the arts scene include Nokia Singapore Art and the Singapore Writers Festival. We have also intensified arts outreach to the masses by bringing the arts to the community in the heartlands.”
“MediaCorp will also be looking into other suggestions by the public to improve TV Mobile. It is in MCS' interest to win over the public to the value and benefits of TV Mobile. Dr Ho also asked whether there are plans to introduce this scheme to other modes of transport. The answer is yes. If it works well, it will be extended to the MRT and taxis. But, of course, we have to first overcome some public resistance in the area of buses. Perhaps one way could be for the bus commuters to buy a very simple radio set, which may cost no more than $10 with earphones, which can be tuned to channel 89.3, and they will be able to receive the voice over the TV. In that situation, we will be able to lower the volume of the TV set. Let me now deal with issues raised by various Members regarding the arts scene. The development of Singaporean arts and artists lies at the core of our Renaissance City vision and the bulk of funding has gone into major grants for top arts organisations. The new two-year and annual grant schemes are aimed at advancing the professional development of our local arts companies. With more support, arts companies will be able to improve the quality of their productions. To date, four companies have received the two-year grant and 13 companies the annual grant. I think the total sum involved for all these 17 companies is something like $3.8 million. Because of the additional funding available from this new Renaissance City scheme, the funds that would otherwise have gone into these 17 companies can now be made available to other companies. Hopefully, many more small arts companies would be able to benefit. Many, in fact, are working with PA in the CCs and elsewhere.”
“In fact, most HDB residents who have not subscribed to cable TV have been enjoying much better TV reception through cable without having to pay a cent more. Dr Ho Tat Kin raised the issue of TV Mobile on buses and whether we should review the granting of such licences. Let me say that TV Mobile is part of the move to eventually introduce Digital TV services to Singaporean households. Traditional broadcasting services are giving way to better quality, interactive and mobile forms of digital entertainment and information in developed countries. Already, the US and Europe have launched full scale Digital TV services and are building up their digital programming capabilities with interactive services like email access via TV. Last month's launch of TV Mobile in Singapore, a first in the world, was done after a two-year feasibility study by MediaCorp, Singapore Bus Services, and SMRT, and a one-month public trial in 1999 which received positive public responses. MediaCorp is also currently field-testing terrestrial digital television broadcasting with some 200 homes in preparation for a commercial DTV service launch in the near future. DTV allows numerous new and better services to be introduced, as well as higher quality broadcasts including High Definition TV. The introduction of new services often involves change in consumer behaviour. Given time, the benefits will become evident. We are living in exciting times; some projects will thrive and others will fail, but we must keep up with the changes and make them work for us. MediaCorp has already taken action to resolve the teething problems encountered with TV Mobile. They are installing additional transmitters to improve reception and also lowering the sound levels in buses.”
“It does not make sense to have the artistes hurt as this would harm MediaCorp's reputation and production efforts. Nonetheless, I have asked MediaCorp to be extremely careful in deciding whether certain stunts are really necessary. Let me now turn to Prof. Toh See Kiat's query on PSB funding and licence fees. This has also been raised by several persistent writers in the Forum pages. Let me say that almost all the funds collected go to paying for Public Service Broadcast programmes. These pertain to the production of current affairs, local drama, and minority language TV and radio shows which reflect our Singaporean values and way of life as well as local sports and selected arts programmes. Such local programmes may cost up to 30 times more than canned entertainment programmes acquired overseas and cannot be funded by advertisements alone. For a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural society like Singapore, PSB programmes are a crucial element of our nation-building efforts. PSB programmes can either be funded through the collection of radio and TV licence fees, or through Government taxes. We have opted to collect radio and TV licence fees because it is still the best way to fund PSB programmes. The fee is not used to fund local entertainment programmes as these usually attract larger audiences. Compared to other countries such as the UK which also collect TV licence fees, the licence fees in Singapore are relatively low and have remained unchanged since 1994 at $110 per annum for a colour TV licence, or less than $10 per month, and $27 for a car radio licence. They are also low compared to the monthly fees for cable TV, which is something like $35 per month for a basic package.”
“This could be partly because of the different media. It is obviously not possible for us to apply the rules of the Internet to the wider world. Because, with the Internet, it is almost impossible to control. But out there in the cinema, on our TV especially, we are especially careful because these are open to all and sundry, including young children. That is why we have a graduated approach for different categories of media, with the most severe being for TV shows. That is why although we allow R(A) films to be shown in the cinemas, we do not allow R(A) VCDs in the homes. The thinking is that the VCDs could be viewed by children. So that points out really to the need for self-regulation, for parents to have a greater say in what their children do and to decide for themselves what is appropriate for themselves. But anyway this is something that will have to be all looked into in the context of a future review of the censorship policy. Mr Seng Han Thong raised a query with regard to the safety of MediaCorp artistes performing in charity shows, that efforts to attract audiences are not made at the expense of safety. I share the Member's apprehension. I was quite concerned last year when I saw a cyclist perform an aerial jump over some local artistes lying on the stage. If any unforeseen accident had happened then, we would not be able to see some of our brightest stars on Caldecott Hill today. I asked my staff to check with MediaCorp whether this was necessary. They were told that the safety of the actors and actresses is a primary consideration. Whenever stunts are performed, maximum precautions are employed, and professional trainers are on hand to help the artistes execute the stunts comfortably and confidently.”
“The PAC is mindful that action movies with violent themes or scenes are not appropriate for prime-time family viewing, and SBA has advised broadcasters to exercise greater care and sensitivity when scheduling programmes. As for cartoon violence, no major areas of concern have been expressed by the public or SBA's Children's Programme Advisory Committee. Nevertheless, MITA will look into the cartoon called `Cow and Chicken' that Mr Chew has raised. SBA currently funds some 1,500 hours of local children's programmes annually. This should hopefully provide some balance. Concerning wrestling programmes on Sportscity, I am aware of the different opinions expressed in the Forum pages on this issue. SBA will continue to monitor this area to assess if further guidelines and actions are necessary. Mr Zulkifli has spoken eloquently on the need to review the censorship policies. And as he has rightly pointed out, we have taken a light-touch approach with regard to Internet regulation that emphasises industry's self-regulation and public education. 5.45 pm I would like to assure the Member that the situation is not static. Although the last review was done in 1992, over the years, as technology changes and with the advent of the Internet, the Ministry has in fact moved and taken a pragmatic approach. For example, we have only blacked out 100 sites, mostly pornography sites, as a statement of our values. We have also provided parents with alternative access to what is known as the Family Access Network. The question is how to make this network more effective and how to introduce this network to more parents, some of whom are not computer literate or who may not be aware of what is available in the market. He pointed out what he called certain inconsistency in our guidelines.”
“We welcome them to come to Singapore and report on local developments, based on the principle of accuracy, fairness and balance. However, they must not engage in our domestic politics, as this is the preserve of Singaporeans. The Newspaper and Printing Presses Act already establishes this policy in relation to foreign newspapers and magazines. Foreign publications deemed to be engaging in domestic politics would have their circulation restricted. Over the years, the foreign media have come around to accept this policy and our right of reply. MITA intends to extend this policy to include foreign broadcasts in Singapore. I will soon be introducing a Bill to amend the Singapore Broadcasting Authority Act to provide the Minister with the power to declare any foreign broadcasting service to be engaging in the domestic politics of Singapore, and to limit its distribution. The Minister can then impose conditions on errant foreign broadcasting services. The system of regulations on foreign broadcasts will be similar to that on foreign newspapers. Our aim is not to ban information but to restrict subscriber and advertising revenue to an errant channel. Mr Chew Heng Ching has suggested that we review our censorship policy with regard to violence as portrayed in our mass media. The next review of censorship policy will certainly focus on this important issue, amongst others. Concerning violence in TV programmes, MITA and SBA have received very few public complaints, as broadcasters have generally conformed with the guidelines on TV violence stipulated by SBA's TV Programming Code. The Code is constantly updated, incorporating feedback from SBA's Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) and the public, to ensure that it meets current requirements and expectations.”
“We are assisted in our efforts by several advisory bodies, such as the Publications Advisory Committee and the Programmes Advisory Committee, which include members from a wide cross section of society to reflect public opinion. Mr Chew Heng Ching asked if the role of the Publications Advisory Committee (PAC) will be stepped up. The PAC will continue to advise MITA on the content and trends of newspapers and publications, consider complaints by members of the public, and review newspaper and publishing guidelines. MITA intends to tap on the PAC on a more regular basis. The PAC will also submit an annual report of its findings to MITA, similar to the practice of the Programmes Advisory Committee for the broadcasting industry. Prof. Toh See Kiat and Mr Zulkifli have also proposed the setting up of media self-regulating bodies, such as a Media Watch Council, to set media ethics and standards. This is something which the industry may wish to consider if, despite the intense competition, it is able to reach a gentleman's understanding to subject itself to public and competitor scrutiny. It may not be practical yet to have an umbrella body for the entire media industry as the different components of press, broadcasting and Internet have different characteristics and functions. MITA, on our part, will continue to exercise overall responsibility, through the Films and Publications Department and the Singapore Broadcasting Authority, to uphold high standards of print and broadcast content. Mr Seng Han Thong has also asked if MITA has any guidelines to protect Singaporeans from the undesirable outcomes of foreign media competition. Where the foreign media are concerned, the rules are simple. They operate here as a matter of privilege and not of right.”
“The two local media companies, in their drive to outdo each other, should also be mindful that biased, one-sided reporting is not in keeping with the spirit of fair competition and professional conduct, especially if third parties are hurt in the process. This is illustrated by the negative coverage of the recent Miss Singapore-Universe beauty pageant. I thought the contestants did reasonably well considering the pressure that they were under with the live telecast to many Singaporean viewers. However, the reports that came out blasted them for being "beauties without brains." This was unfounded, ungracious and unfair to the contestants. The organisers did make some slips in their first attempt at live broadcast of a beauty pageant. However, someone told me that the extremely negative reports in several newspapers could be partly because of the media competition. I am not sure if there is any truth in that. In any case, I would expect our media companies to compete fairly and professionally, even if the report is about an event concerning their competitor. Our media should compete on the basis of better quality and not negative reporting. With the proliferation of alternative viewpoints in the media, the public has to adopt a more discerning and critical attitude towards the information they receive. Any attempt by the local media players to dumb-down, sensationalise or stir up controversial issues may appeal to some readers or audience. However, it could also damage the media's credibility and risk consumer backlash. On our part, MITA will encourage our media to set high standards of professionalism, accuracy and objectivity.”
“The liberalisation is to meet public desire for a greater variety of views and programmes as well as to inject some competition into our local media industry. The aim is to strengthen the local media so that they are better able to hold the attention of our local audience to share Singaporean viewpoints and experiences in the face of increasing competition from foreign media across all media platforms. Constructive competition for the local media will attract much needed talent, augment consumer choice, and improve the quality of local content in the long term. Our media companies will have to be vigilant, innovative and adaptable to stay ahead of the competition. It is already evident that competition has injected new vigour to the local newspapers. Feedback has shown that Singaporeans welcome the expanded choice of newspapers and I am confident that each newspaper will find its place, with offerings from serious news to entertainment. Nonetheless, there have been some concerns raised by Members and others on the need for standards to be maintained, given the proliferation of English newspapers and additional TV channels following the liberalisation. I can assure Members that MITA shares this concern and is closely monitoring the situation. We would like the local media to maintain high journalistic standards and make sound editorial judgements of what constitutes good taste and decency. Like Prof. Toh See Kiat and Mr Chew Heng Ching, I have also observed that there is an occasional tendency for some newspapers to publish pictures which cross the line for good taste and intrude into the privacy of some members of the public.”
“The need still remains for us to fund public service programmes and to encourage the production of programmes with local values and content - good values and content also, I must add. Because of our small market, such programmes are expensive and cannot solely be funded by advertising. On the other hand, if they are so important to the national good, should they not be funded entirely from the Government budget, just as education or health care is? I do admit that perhaps there could be some form of co-payment from users according to use, if that is possible. Sir, let us call a spade a spade. We are not paying for licences to own our radios or TVs. We are paying a broadcasting tax, or perhaps a fee for use, in which case we should have a mechanism to ensure that bigger use means bigger fees. And lousy programmes do not get my fees! Perhaps then the SBA would not need to explain ad nauseam why we still collect licence fees in this day and age. The Minister for Information and the Arts (Mr Lee Yock Suan): Sir, I wish to thank Members for their comments and suggestions. With their support and critical feedback, MITA aims to do more and hopefully better each year, to realize our goal of turning Singapore into a vibrant, global city of the arts and media hub. Let me first touch on broadcasting and media issues raised by Mr Chew Heng Ching, Mr Seng Han Thong, Prof. Toh See Kiat and Mr Zulkifli. They have asked about the impact of competition on the media and how we should regulate the media in this Internet age. Last June, I announced that we will issue an additional broadcasting licence to SPH and a newspaper licence to MediaCorp.”
“Sir, MITA granted TV Mobile licence for buses. Ever since the launch, there were many complaints from the public. The Straits Times Forum page received 62 letters on TV Mobile. Of these, only five or 8% were in favour of this so-called innovation. The Straits Times interactive survey showed that 1,450 respondents or 62% gave the thumbs down, while 479 or 29% were indifferent. Another street poll done by Straits Times from Bishan to Orchard Road also showed close results. In view of the animosity towards TV Mobile, will MITA re-examine the current licensing policies? Sir, my second question: are there any plans to allow TV Mobile to be installed in other forms of public transport? Assoc. Prof. Toh See Kiat: Sir, Mr Seng Han Thong said that television programmes are to be watched. By Mr Chew Heng Ching's example of WWF, Mr Seng's example of charity shows and if you want another example, the example of "Survivor", I think we really need to look at the kind of TV programmes we are paying for with our licence fees, because "Survivor" does not teach us anything good at all. We inherited from our former British rulers the idea of a State-run radio and TV station funded by licence fees. In those days, it made sense. Radio and TV were powerful channels of communication to the masses and had to be closely regulated and licensed to prevent chaos and disorder. And I wonder perhaps maybe a bit of Second World War attitude where radios could be used to communicate with the enemy. Those days are gone. Radio and TV stations are private businesses now. Licences are anachronistic in the age of the Internet. We do not even need radios or TVs now to listen to radio programmes or to watch television narrowcasts.”
“Preparing for retirement with sufficient money is only one important aspect. There are many other variables to take care in ageing. Sir, the Ministry has over the years spawned a whole new industry in childcare centres. These childcare centres provide good care for children with working parents. The Ministry should now draw up guidelines and provide good incentives for the private sector and VWOs to set up more senior citizens care centres, where workers could place their elderly parents, and professionally trained geriatric care staff can take good care of senior citizens at affordable rates.”
“Sir, with good medical care, senior citizens are now living to an older age, averaging about 77 years. Currently, there are already cases where the old, about 60, are looking after the yet older parents who are in the 80s. This type of elderly care is obviously not efficient. Although the full impact of the ageing population will not be seen until 15 to 20 years' time, I am glad that the Government had taken the initiative with a high-level Inter-Ministerial Committee to make an in-depth study on this issue. While the Inter-Ministerial report on the aged is a total approach to the issue, I believe the Ministry of Community Development and Sports should be the lead Ministry to take care of the total solution. Based on the current budget allocation, this amount will not be sufficient to take care of the ageing population. The Ministry should work closely with the Ministry of Finance for higher budget allocation which could be related to the population of the aged. 1.00 pm Sir, currently, young mothers are allowed to take leave to take care of sick children below the age of six. With the ageing population, I would like to ask for elderly parent care leave which will allow workers similarly to take care of aged parents of 60 years and above. This will encourage more people to take an active part in the care of ageing parents. The fertility rate has dropped from 1.82 in 1980 to 1.48 in 1999. If this trend continues, there will not be enough siblings to take care of their parents. Loneliness will be the biggest problem which the aged will have to learn to cope with. Teaching the senior citizens how to cope with ageing will be a major task. The Ministry should work out comprehensive plans to help senior citizens adjust to the problem of ageing, especially in the mindset.”
“What is the Ministry's plan on this? To give our sports a boost and lift it to higher levels, foreign talents would have to be imported. While they can play a supporting and aspiring role with local athletes, challenging and motivating them to excel, they should not replace our local talents. With money, we can buy the best sports persons and field them in our national teams. But we must ensure that the foreign talents must be able to assimilate into our Singapore society. Sir, I would like to know what strategies and programmes would be put in place to provide our local sports talents a good sports career. The field lives of many career sports persons can be limited perhaps due to injuries during play or to ageing. The Ministry must therefore have a comprehensive retraining programme for the career sports persons so that by the time they retire from the field, they can also have a rewarding second career.”
“Sir, with the expansion of the MCD to include sports at the Ministry level, sports finally have a higher profile. The signal is that the Government is finally serious about sports. In 1990, the formation of MITA allowed the arts to take off in Singapore. Hopefully, we see the same results in sports. Besides Sports for All and Sports for Life, the message is now Sports Excellence, Sports Tourism. This will spawn a whole new sports industry with many exciting careers. When we think of a career in sports, we probably think of the professional athlete winning the championship, world famous coach, sumo wrestler or sports commentator on TV. But these high visibility roles are only the tip of a business that spawns professional sports, sports education, amateur sports and all the services that support them. So if a person loves sports and wants to spend a sports career, there is probably a role that will match the passion and skills set that will provide a sports career. The sports industry in Britain generates more than pound8 billion sterling in revenue per year. The number of sports-related jobs in British sports increased from 10,000 in 1985 to 470,000 in 1990. There are literally thousands of different jobs related to sports encompassing virtually every business discipline in addition to actual play and coaching. The Americans spent about US$6 billion a year on spectator sports. 6.30 pm Sir, until now, the main concern of parents when they decide whether their children should go into training for sports excellence is whether there is a good career path. Sportsmen and sportswomen themselves are also asking, is there any sports career? Even that we want more sports persons. We need to consider what is being done to develop the sports career or sports persons.”
“Thank you. Sir, over the years, TCS has produced many artistes; however, a substantial number have left. When they left TCS, I believe they left the station but not their acting career. But, unfortunately, our film industry is still small. Ex-TCS artistes have to take up other jobs to earn a living. This is a waste of good acting talent, especially in the context of our limited manpower and talent pool. We have today a substantial pool of acting talent and supporting technicians to support a film industry. We have also the financial resources to develop Singapore as a film centre. The Singapore Film Commission was formed in 1998 in response to the rapidly growing local film industry. Some of our local productions have been well received locally and overseas. The Commission helps to facilitate 12 productions in the past years through grants. The first locally produced 3-D animation, Rex-2000, The Young Heroes, has high quality animation and an interesting story line. We therefore now have the capability and the capacity to develop Singapore as a 3-D animation centre. Sir, film making is an expensive business, but it is a high value-added industry. MITA should work closely with EDB to provide attractive grants and incentives to encourage more local productions. Co-productions could be encouraged, especially co-production between local and overseas parties. Getting permission to make a movie is still a very tedious process in our regulated Singapore. Many applications have to be filled and submitted to different Government departments. Would MITA consider setting up a one-stop service centre where movie production houses could submit all the relevant applications for permits, and MITA, with its efficient staff, help to get fast clearance with the other relevant agencies?”
“Sir, Channel NewsAsia, following its launch last year, has proved to be a successful station. It is now known as the news channel of quality and fair reporting, presenting not just a Singaporean viewpoint but also an Asian viewpoint. The coverage of major events is timely and balanced. The success of Channel NewsAsia has strengthened Singapore's position as a media hub. I congratulate the management and staff. However, Sir, I would like to make a suggestion concerning the one-hour news broadcast which, to many, seems a bit too long. For most of us, we are interested in the news itself and not so much the analyses and discussions. Perhaps MITA can advise Channel NewsAsia to reformat the one-hour news to a half-an-hour news, followed by a second half hour devoted to more in-depth discussions and analyses. Channel NewsAsia plans to launch the Asia service by satellite later this year. Many of our business community, especially those who travel often, will welcome this service. But the question is: why limit the broadcast to Asia? Why not extend this service to the other countries? In view of Channel NewsAsia's success, is there any plan to have a similar broadcast also in Chinese? Many of the Chinese business community who are unable to understand English are currently unable to enjoy the benefits of this news channel. In the meantime, perhaps some Chinese subtitles could be used to help the Chinese-speaking community. Sir, may I go on to the next amendment, please?”
“May I ask what progress has been made by this Inter-Ministry Committee? Sir, in dealing with juvenile crimes, we should focus on the child and to see how best to reintegrate the kids back into society. The family is the primary institution of care for the young and good parenting is probably the single most important factor in determining the quality of the upbringing of the children. Good parenting skills today, among many others, should include capability to detect signs early to guide troubled children and developing strategies to help them. What programmes would the MCD provide to help parents to develop good parenting skills? What measures will be taken to involve the parents more in the rehabilitation of the juveniles?”
“Sir, many people think of juveniles as kids who are left to themselves and cause trouble in the shopping malls. They stare at each other, they get into fights. Many of the juveniles are beyond parental control. Some 339 children were brought before the Subordinate Courts because they were beyond parental control. More juvenile crimes are being reported and more juveniles are being sent to reform homes. Statistics also show that young juveniles are committing more serious crimes. Juveniles are no longer limited to boys. Girls also form gangs which are just as violent. I was told of a case in a reputable girls' school where they actually set fire to the school toilet to express dissatisfaction with the teachers. Sir, today, with the Internet, children are not just left to wander by themselves in the shopping mall but also in the whole wide world. They can now be exposed to all the bad elements that are found on the Internet, without having to step out of the home. Children must therefore be trained to be smart, especially on the Internet. The old grandmother teaching the children not to talk to strangers is just as true today for the Internet age. There are some views that certain groups of incorrigible juveniles will not be suitable for treatment under the current juvenile justice system because of their attitude and character and their presence may make rehabilitation of other juvenile offenders in the juvenile justice system difficult. May I ask the Minister how true is this view, and what statistics are available to support this allegation? An Inter-Ministry Committee to review the Children and Young Persons Act has been formed, with the objective of looking at the adequacy of treatment options to deal with juveniles who commit serious crimes.”
“Sir, MCD reviews the public assistance given to the poor and needy once every two years. I believe, this year, public assistance will be up for review also. I would like to ask what adjustments will be made to increase the amount given out under the Public Assistance Scheme. With more than 28,000 being retrenched last year, I understand not all those who lost their jobs received retrenchment benefits. The criteria for Public Assistance Scheme which till now still help only the very poor need to be relaxed. Older retrenched workers, particularly those with outdated skills and with families to support will need temporary help to tide them over prolonged unemployment, especially during this economic crisis. Sir, may I ask what schemes will be put in place to provide temporary assistance to those who have been out of the job market for some time, especially those who have exhausted their savings?”
“In October it set up a high-powered Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Aging Population. May I ask the Minister what progress has been made so far? In preparing the master plan of service for the elderly, I hope the Government can take into consideration the different needs of different groups of senior citizens. The needs of the senior citizens in the next millennium will be very different from those of the senior citizens that we know today. They will be healthier, better educated with bigger and buying power because of CPF savings and investments. I hope the Government in its deliberations does not just concentrate on material well-being but also consider the spiritual and intellectual well-being. Keeping busy, both physically and mentally, is important for senior citizens' well-being. There should be opportunities for many of them to go back to school to study subjects of interest which they could not pursue in their younger days due to the need to earn a living. Along this line of life-long learning, I hope the Government can consider setting up a Senior Citizens University. Sir, the aged must not be seen as a problem. They present opportunities and challenges and these must be identified and taken up.”
“Sir, according to the United Nations, the number of people aged over 60 will increase from the present 550 million, or 10% of the world population, to 1.2 billion, or 14% in 2025. Singapore society is also rapidly aging. Projections are that our proportion of the aged, defined as persons aged 60 and above, will increase from the current 10% to 26.1% in 2030, or one in every four persons. This makes Singapore the fastest aging society in Asia, after Japan. The effects of this demographic change will be pervasive. The needs of the elderly in the areas of the employment, financial security, healthcare, community support and housing will be all the more accentuated and urgent. The aging population will not be an issue which just concerns our senior citizens and the families but every aspect of our society. As senior citizens grow to be an even larger portion of our population, we must ensure that senior citizens are able to lead meaningful and fulfilling life in their own age. Family ties must be strengthened so that this becomes the primary source of support for senior citizens. We must ensure that senior citizens are able to live productive and active life so that they continue to be an integral and contributing part of society. Employers must recognise that senior citizens can be as productive as younger workers can, particularly in a knowledge-based economy. The retail industry must make available accessories and implements that can help the elderly remain independent. Developers and town planners must make home and public facilities elderly-friendly. Together, all sectors of our society must prepare for an aging population. Sir, the Government has realised the need to prepare for the challenges of an aging population.”
“These are key technologies which will propel the local broadcasting industry into the digital age. This will give consumers more programming choices, offer newsreels for broadcast and enhance Singapore's position as a broadcasting hub. Digital audio broadcast has been launched on a limited scale. I believe we have offered Asia's first digital audio broadcast service. May I ask the Minister what is the result of this launch and when will the full launch be implemented? I would also like to ask the Minister the results of the digital television test to study the three technical standards currently available. Has a conclusion been reached as to which standard is most suitable for Singapore? When will digital television be rolled out eventually and how long will it be before analogue TV is phased out totally?”
“Sir, I want to talk on dialect broadcasting. With news being broadcast in dialect, our senior citizens are now kept well informed of local international developments. What is more important is that the senior citizens are able to understand Government policies from news which they can hear for themselves rather than having to listen to third party translations, which very often are not the exact. Dialect news broadcast has been well received. Currently, with cable TV, there is sufficient bandwidth to provide more dialect programmes for old people. MITA could encourage more dialect programmes to be broadcast, especially in the day time, for senior citizens, as it is the time when their children are at work and senior citizens need entertainment. Dialect opera and classic movies will be welcome. With the current widespread use of Mandarin among the younger generation, the problem of dialect diluting Mandarin will be non-existent. I hope the Minister can consider this suggestion. Sir, I go on to digital broadcasting. To position at the forefront of technology, we are committed to embrace new technology and continue to improve all forms of services for Singaporeans. This is the same for broadcasting. Digital audio broadcast (DBA) is the latest buzzword in the radio industry and has been labelled the sound of the future offering interference-free, CD quality sound, graphic pictures and text information in addition to audio signals. This means useful information like traffic and weather reports, headline news, including leisure and financial information, can be transmitted via DBA for listeners' benefit. SBA has announced Singapore's commitment to implement digital radio and digital TV.”
“There is also a need to provide certain product differentiation between regional news and local news. The question then is the quality of newscaster that is available. Is there a sufficient number and, if not, what measures will the Government take to improve this? Sir, currently, Channel News Asia is broadcast only in English. Has TCS studied the feasibility of setting up a similar Mandarin channel? The information available will be of great significance to the Chinese-speaking business community as well.”
“Sir, TCS launched a new free air channel on 1st March to provide news when you want and where you want it. With this new channel providing different market views from TCS, CNN and others, there is a potential to develop a regional audience for regional news. Reliable information for informed business decision is important. During this economic crisis, there is an urgent need for more accurate news and different news perspective. For example, the western media reports on China are always on the viewpoint of human rights and unrest in Tibet. But news in China is more than just Tibet. Businessmen will be more interested in matters such as possible devaluation of the Renminbi, economic changes in China or new investment regulations from Beijing. Channel News Asia is therefore a much welcome change. This channel also has the potential to develop into a much sought after channel by the international business community. Currently, a number of areas still have difficulties in receiving Channel News Asia. Right within my own division of Toa Payoh East, 22 blocks of HDB apartments are not able to receive this channel. It is not just HDB estates but private estates are also affected. What measures would be taken to rectify this problem? Sir, with the glut of satellite transponders that are now readily available, TCS should consider expanding Channel News Asia to satellite transmission and really establish Singapore as a regional news broadcasting centre. It will also allow Singaporeans based overseas to keep in touch with reliable news reports of events happening back home. Can I ask the Minister for his views on the future development of Channel News Asia and whether establishing Channel News Asia requires more grants from the Government?”
“The community clubs management committees could be made patrons to these arts groups, which can then be adopted by the community clubs who can also help to support the arts groups financially, besides providing a convenient venue to house the arts groups. 4.30 pm”
“Sir, the promotion of arts needs, amongst other things, strong financial support. The economic slowdown has affected many sectors. Many charitable organisations have reported significant drop in their donations, some as much as 40%. I am sure our arts groups must have been similarly affected. Corporate funding would dry up if the economy does not improve. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] 4.25 pm May I ask how badly has the National Arts Council's special account scheme been affected? While I can understand private sector funding will be drastically reduced, I hope the Government will not slow down or cut back public sector funding for the arts. In fact, if the Government cannot increase the funding to make up for the shortfall in donations from the private sector, the minimum the Government can do is to sustain the existing level of funding for NAC grants. I urge the Government to seriously consider more Government funding for the arts so as to help strengthen the role and relevance of the arts in Singapore in the next century. Sir, efforts should be made to bring the arts to the masses. There should be more outreach programmes for the young and old, as well as families and the working public to enjoy and have fun. This can include more outdoor concerts in the parks, neighbourhoods and shopping centres as well as arts activities organised for residents at the constituencies. MITA should work closely with the Community Development Councils to promote arts on a shoestring budget and try to reach out to the HDB heartland on a wider scale. Community clubs could be encouraged to join with some arts groups and to excel in at least one of the art forms.”
“In short, Sir, how ready are we for the Y2K problem?”
“Sir, the Y2K problem has caused more than 2,500 websites to spring up, giving tips on how to cope with the millennium bug. In fact, extremes who are concerned over the potential chaos resulting from programming defect lurking in millions of computers has swelled from a weak irritation that the video recorder might not work, to panic over a doomsday scenario of riots, financial crashes and nuclear war. They believe that a computer failure will start an accidental release of radiation or a nuclear warhead will be fired by mistake. Fears over the reliability of international air travel, weapon systems failure or merely food suppliers are reflected on the Internet. It was reported that China is one of the potential areas where the Y2K problem is not adequately solved. It was also subsequently reported that the Chinese Government has ordered senior officials to take a flight on the airplanes on 31st December to prove that they have tackled the problem and it is safe to fly. Sir, a US senate panel in a recent report cited that Japan, Mexico and Germany were nine months to two years behind schedule in their Y2K fix. An assessment by the Garner Group, a private consulting firm that helped prepare that same report, predicted a 33% chance of a major computer crash in countries such as Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, France and Germany. Sir, the question I want to ask is how much of our Y2K problems have been solved. Are all the Government ministries and statutory boards already Y2K compliant? Have all the financial institutions and highly computerised organisations carried out exhaustive tests to validate their Y2K compliance? What percentage of computer installations in Singapore will still be non-Y2K compliant by the deadline?”
“Indeed, the whole family can now sit down comfortably in front of the computer and shop to their hearts' content. I can see that many may be tempted by the offers that may come through the Net and be persuaded to spend even more than they should. I hope that the relevant agencies will closely monitor this new phenomenon of cyber shopping and to regulate it more carefully if the need arises. Sir, I support the Bill subject to the comments I have made.”
“When prosecuted for such offences, it may claim that it is a network service provider, thus attracting the exemption of some liability under clause 10. Frankly, it may well succeed. Surely this cannot be intended. So if we were to have such a wide provision for exemption of liability, I would respectfully suggest that the definition of a "network service provider" be provided in the legislation. In contrast to the wide exemption for liability of network service providers, certification service providers seem to be provided for only in terms of forged digital signatures and misrepresentation. One should have thought that it is necessary to include a provision to exempt certification service providers from liability relating to inaccurate facts given to them by subscribers provided the certification service provider has taken reasonable steps to verify them. Similarly, there should be some limitation to liability with regard to the use of certificates for purposes that were not intended by the service providers. Sir, I have raised the issues above not because I am against the Bill. I am strongly in support of such legislation but I think that more careful consideration needs to be given to its provisions. I hope that sufficient time will be given for consideration of these provisions. As it stands, the Bill is technical and the content gaps should be plugged. Frankly, the Bill is seeking to facilitate electronic commerce. We can in principle support such an effort. Finally, may I just say that we must realise that there will also be social costs involved. Member of Parliament Mrs Lim Hwee Hua has already made reference to these. I am concerned in particular about the ease with which trading can take place on the Net.”
“In passing on this subject on certainty of terms, I should also mention that the effect of the provision in clause 7, where the law provides that certain contracts should be in writing and electronic version can also be acceptable, is a very, very serious one, because it means that contracts of guarantee which are required to be in writing can now be in electronic form. They are not excluded under the Bill. Contracts of guarantee impose secondary liability on guarantors and usually it is absolutely essential to ensure that the terms of the guarantee are clear and that the guarantors know what they are letting themselves in for. This section (clause 7) seems to allow electronic guarantees. I am not sure whether this is intended for it can have serious repercussions on those who are guarantors. Now I turn to a provision that is both imprecise and perhaps too wide. I refer to clause 10 - liability of network service providers. First of all, there is no definition of what a network service provider is. As the exemption from liability is extremely wide for network service providers, they are exempt from both civil and criminal liability in certain situations. It seems to me to be a serious omission not to have defined the term "network service provider" in the Bill. Leaving such a technical term for the judges to define may be to risk imprecision and create uncertainty. Unscrupulous organisations may also be able to use the wide exemption from liability for undesirable purposes as the provision also can exempt them from criminal liability. Let me take a simple example. Organisation X may set up a string of servers to allow users to upload copyright or defamatory materials.”
“Let me take consumer protection first, and the importance of realising that electronic contracts are very different animals from paper-based contracts that most of us are used to. When we sign a paper-based contract, we are appending our signature to a document that is frozen in print and for that matter in time. Any dispute arising out of the contract can then be referred to the document containing the terms. Usually both contracting parties would have a copy. In the electronic world, contract is a dynamic entity that is capable of change in microseconds. To take a simple example, in the law of contract, it is possible to incorporate by reference terms found in another document. However, such terms would not be binding unless the contracting parties know of their existence at the time of the contract. In the electronic environment, the provision of hyperlinks is commonplace. What is also likely is that the person who posted a document can change a hyperlinked document at will. My worry is that in electronic commerce, trading partners may change terms, say, regarding time for payment or interest rates without the knowledge of the other party. This would be very serious indeed because if a dispute were to arise, it would be by no means clear that the consumer would have a specific contract to refer to. There is no such thing as an original contract and a copy in the electronic world. How this issue should be tackled is not readily apparent in this Bill.”
“To call a certification service provider a certification authority may be misleading to the general public and I would hope that the term be redefined to its proper form, that is to say, certification service provider. Third, the Bill is very technically drafted. If one of its objectives is to promote public confidence in the use of electronic transactions, it will take a very serious attempt to make the general public understand the complexities contemplated in the public key infrastructure. In particular, I would draw attention to the technical definition of "digital signature" which in turn depends on the definition of "electronic signature" - two definitions. Both these definitions do not seem to convey the idea to the general public that these signatures are meant to be unique links to the signatory, that they are capable of identifying the signatory and are presumed to be under the signatory's control. It is also necessary to assure the signatory, the public, that subsequent alteration of data would not be possible using such a system. This simple but important reassuring element is not found anywhere in the Bill. Frankly, the Bill needs to be less technical and technology-specific if it were to achieve its purpose of raising public confidence in the use of electronic transactions. Now I turn to the very serious issues concerning liability in the electronic world. There are at least three areas of concern here for me. The first has to do with consumer protection in the world of electronic commerce; the second, the liability of network service providers, and the third, the liability of certification service providers.”
“So I hope that I am not estopped from speaking on them. I find it necessary to draw the attention of Members to a number of issues that this Bill raises but are not adequately dealt with. Sir, the Bill, in its intention, is to facilitate electronic transactions, especially commercial transactions. That such a Bill is necessary, there can be no doubt. Among the stated purposes is the security of communications as well as, and I quote, "to promote public confidence in the integrity and reliability of electronic records and electronic commerce." These are aims that we can all support. The question is whether the Bill, as it stands, achieves these purposes. Let me deal with a couple of preliminary issues. First, despite what the Minister indicated just now, it should be noted that the Bill is not technology neutral. It deals in the main with digital signature systems. Of course, there are other security systems that are in frequent use. For example, certain US companies are using secure socket layers, avoiding the need for the rather more cumbersome process of certification and digital signatures. The Bill does not cover this type of secure transactions even though for ordinary electronic commerce, such methods are perfectly acceptable and efficient. Second, the Bill adopts somewhat confusing terminology. I refer, in particular, to the use of the term "certification authority". In Singapore, we use the word "authority" to refer to Government agencies and regulatory bodies. Frankly, what the Bill is seeking to refer to are actually certification service providers who are in turn subject to the control of an authority, in this case, the so-called Controller of Certification Authorities.”
“The level of appreciation of SMEs today on the potentials for electronic commerce to provide competitive advantage, encourage and support export opportunities, is still relatively low. There is an urgent need for Government and their agencies to set up programmes to assist SMEs in coming to terms with electronic commerce more quickly. This can be done through extensive education and training. NCB perhaps could establish an electronic commerce resource centre which will help SMEs to accelerate adoption and implementation of relevant electronic commerce technologies for business benefits. The Government can help SMEs to avoid uncoordinated development of underlying technology which could cause incompatibility resulting in problems of integration in the global market. Assistance in the form of funding could be provided for projects that encourage SMEs to be involved in electronic commerce. SMEs usually do not have the in-house expertise for system integration and many will need to seek external advice and assistance. Perhaps Government should consider grants for SMEs to engage consultants to advise on how to implement electronic commerce strategies. In conclusion, electronic commerce will be the next lap for business growth. With this Bill, the legal safeguards are in place. The Government should now encourage and help all businesses to formulate a coherent and integrated electronic commerce strategy as a basis for sustainable economic development. Assoc. Prof. Chin Tet Yung (Sembawang): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to speak in general support of the Bill. May I just say first that I was in fact consulted earlier as a member of the NUS Law Faculty regarding this Bill, but I did not make any representations on the issues that I will raise today.”
“On the one hand, the European Community is concerned that the Internet will create a black market that cannot be taxed, which will mean a loss of revenue to the government. The United States, however, advocates that no new tax be applied to Internet commerce. Sir, is our 3% GST applicable to electronic transactions? Sir, the development of electronic commerce in Singapore must have consistency with international regime. International cooperation and inter-operability are necessary. Will the certification authorities specified in this Bill be globally inter-operable? Perhaps the area where electronic commerce causes the greatest problem is jurisdiction of tax. Cyberspace is a borderless and yet cross border transactions will become more popular. Identifying which country has jurisdiction to tax the proceeds from the new form of commerce is a significant and difficult issue. How does the Bill apply to cross border transactions, tax and legal issues, when there is a lack of geography in determining the place of formation and performance of contracts? Studies in the United States have shown that electronic commerce brings big and small organisations to an even footing as the entry barrier to a presence in the virtual shopping mall is very low. There are some 91,000 small and medium enterprises in Singapore employing more than half of the country's workforce. They will benefit most from electronic commerce. But SMEs are today predominantly concerned with the more immediate and fundamental issues like staying in business, trying to make a profit, and overcoming competition. SMEs generally do not perceive that electronic commerce can substantially assist them with these primary concerns.”
“Japan is giving a big push for electronic commerce. Their Ministry of Trade and Industry (MITI) has since 1995 committed an equivalent of S$486 million as seed venture capital to finance 50 electronic commerce projects. The Minister has also given an indication of electronic commerce in the United States. The electronic commerce in the US is expected to exceed US$500 billion within this year and is expected to increase by US$70 billion per year through the end of the decade. The emergence of electronic commerce is transforming the way business is conducted globally. The possibilities for new business opportunities are practically limitless. Singapore has always been in the forefront of IT development and usage in this region. With our IT infrastructure, we are able to position ourselves as an international electronic commerce hub. We have the capability to play the role of a secure and trusted node where electronic commerce transactions from anywhere can be processed. To do so, we need to provide a conducive legal and policy framework to facilitate the development of electronic commerce. Sir, we have that environment now. The Bill before the House today seeks to provide the legal regulatory and enforcement framework. It is a timely Bill with a tremendous impact on our economic development. I support this Bill. Sir, business in cyberspace is a whole new faceless and intangible world fraught with risks and uncertainties. This Bill defines the rights and obligations of transacting parties. But how does this Bill provide the protection of the different players in an electronic transaction? Then there is the question of tax which is silent in this Bill. Different countries have different views on the question of tax.”
“Sir, public communication networks such as Intenet are becoming vital business tools for organisations that wish to implement electronic transactions. A key factor which has prevented many organisations from engaging in this type of services is security. Unsecured data transmitted over an untrusted public network is vulnerable. Data is subject to interception, vandalism, mutation and unauthorized access to an organisation's network by unknown, unauthorised and sometimes hostile users. To enable companies to take advantage of business opportunities created by the Internet while avoiding the risks, there must be technology to provide secure transactions and there must be the legal framework to ensure that electronic transactions are safe and valid. The technology to provide secure electronic transactions is readily available now. In Singapore, Internet banking has already been piloted or implemented in several banks. The Government has led the push for Internet commerce by introducing several initiatives such as Singapore One, coupled with the availability of key technologies such as secure electronic transaction protocol, Internet commerce is poised to take off rapidly in Singapore in the next few years. An IDC Asia-Pacific Report recently indicated that in Singapore the number of users accessing the Net will grow from 62,529 at year-end 1996 to 1.3 million by year-end 2001. The percentage of users buying goods and services on the web will grow significantly from 8.1% in December 1996 to 34.3% by December 2001. The same report also forecasts the amount of electronic commerce in Singapore to grow dramatically from US$1.07 million at year-end 1996 to US$883 million by year-end 2001. Other countries are also moving on to electronic commerce fast.”