Ibrahim bin Othman
Singapore
“Sir, the Minister has explained in his speech just now about the setting up of sports schools. As such, I will not be speaking on the next amendment. The sum of $378,227,160 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $231,562,000 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.”
“Sir, I wish to seek clarification from the Minister. With regard to the annual Haj festival where we sacrifice sheep and cows in the mosques, which we do it annually, and I think mosque committees get special permission from the Ministry, would this practice be continued?”
“It may not be the ideal, but it is, I believe, a workable one given the constraints facing the Muslims here. Let us work together in providing justice to thousands of Muslim men and women who are in real need of our urgent attention and, to quote the Minister, if they queue up the length could be from the MCD Building down to Toa Payoh.”
“Sir, is it true that pilgrims have to pay between $600-$1,000 for theses visas outside Singapore? And do we consider the amount paid as a form of corruption? If it is so, can we take action against the travel agents who are involved in bringing pilgrims who got their visas from outside Singapore?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head J of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code JJ 3100. (In Malay): Sir, I would like to ask the Minister responsible for Muslim Affairs regarding the explanation on the announcement that he has made on the Marriage Development Unit.”
“Sir, because of time, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $295,941,750 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $184,188,000 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head E -”
The complete record
Every one of 210 lines we hold for Ibrahim bin Othman, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 5.
“Sir, could the Minister inform us how successful are the Marriage Guidance Courses? And would the Minister consider making it compulsory for all couples intending to marry to attend these Marriage Guidance Courses and also a course on Islamic Religious Knowledge?”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $143,484,180 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $81,515,200 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head R --”
“Sir, is the Minister of State aware of the difficulties of parents without connection with Catholic High Primary School to send their children there during the Primary 1 exercise and, if so, would the Ministry of Education consider modifying or changing the entry for children whose parents have no connection with the school but are living within walking distance to the school?”
“Sir, recently there have been allegations that toxic waste found at Pantai Remis, Perak, came from Singapore. This is a very serious allegation and I believe the Ministry of the Environment must have looked into this. Will the Minister let us know the outcome of the investigation and what is Singapore's stand on this incident? Sir, arising from this incident, it would be useful if the Minister were to enlighten us as to how waste generated during manufacturing processes in Singapore is disposed of. Sir, I believe, Singapore is also a transhipment centre. It is likely that waste dumped in some neighbouring countries pass through Singapore. What can the Ministry do to prevent or to detect such waste from being transhipped through Singapore?”
“Sir, I intend to speak on dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) which is still a problem in Singapore. Despite wide publicity through health education programmes, and constant reminders through the media, we still come across owners whose premises have become breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes. Recently, Sir, we read a report about the outbreak of DHF at Seletar Hills Estate. I wish to ask the Minister on the latest situation on dengue fever and whether the Ministry intends to take strong enforcement measures to curb this problem. Will the Minister also inform us, apart from strong enforcement measures, what other measures does the Ministry intend to take?”
“Sir, I wish to speak on the phasing out of poultry slaughtering in wet markets. More than 100 stallholders have been affected in these first two phases. Improvements have been made in the cleanliness of our wet markets as a result of this. Residents living around these wet markets are also happy because nuisances caused by smell and noise, especially in the early morning hours, have been eliminated. Consumers can only buy dressed poultry in those wet markets involved in this phasing out programme. I wish to ask the Minister whether his Ministry conducts checks to ensure that dressed poultry are freshly slaughtered. Perhaps the Ministry may have imposed compulsory date tagging for dressed poultry. Even then, how can we ensure that those dates are not erased by unscrupulous stallholders? We must protect the consumers and give them their money's worth when they buy dressed poultry. Next, I move on to Muslim consumers who want to buy halal chicken. How are they to know whether the dressed poultry have been slaughtered in accordance with halal rules at the slaughter houses? How can the Ministry ensure that slaughter houses with permitted licences slaughter the chicken the halal way? If there is a tag to say that it is halal, how then can we ensure its authenticity?”
“We should erase the consumers' worries of high cost in our move towards an Environment City. Next, I move on to public education on environment awareness. Apart from educating our young in schools, the Ministry must conduct a continuous public education programme for the masses through our grassroots organisations. We need to educate our people on the importance of a clean and green environment. Over the past few years, our grassroots organisations have been actively involved in the Clean and Green Week activity, normally held in November. I wish to ask the Minister whether his Ministry intends to get our grassroots organisations involved in the Green Plan and, if so, how is it going to be done? How can the Ministry assist these grassroots organisations organise activities to make residents realise the importance of taking care of our environment? 1.15 pm”
“Sir, I join my colleague, Dr John Chen, in congratulating the Ministry of the Environment for coming up with a Green Plan, a long-term vision to make Singapore a model city. Singapore, in the future, will be a nation with high standards of public health and a quality environment. We certainly look forward to the day when Singaporeans can live graciously with clean air, clean land, clean water and a quiet living environment. However, Sir, the task ahead is not an easy one. In the implementation of the Green Plan, all Government Ministries will be actively involved and their policies will ensure the protection and preservation of our environment. Singaporeans, generally, welcome this Green Plan and they want a quality living environment. However, many will ask about the cost of achieving this good living environment. Will this Green Plan lead to a higher cost of living for Singaporeans? For example, under this Green Plan, the Ministry will promote products with green labels to show that they are environment-friendly. People may complain that this green label products may become expensive and, ultimately, add to their daily expenses. Another example is the promotion of recycled paper in schools, Government Ministries and private companies. At present, the cost of recycled paper is higher than the usual one. Do we have the technology now to recycle paper at a cheaper cost? I suggest that the Ministry of the Environment, together with private institutions and enterprises, conduct research in this matter and come out with the production technology in producing cheaper recycled paper. Sir, in achieving our long-term goal of a Clean and Green City, I hope the Ministry of the Environment will take into account the cost factor.”
“I thank the Minister for his explanation and beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $136,086,970 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $68,528,000 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head P -”
“Sir, since time is running short, I just wish to ask the Minister what kind of support the Ministry can provide to our National Sports Association and constituency sports clubs in the area of: (a) administration, (b) technical expertise, (c) facilities, and (d) finance.”
“Sir, we are indeed fortunate to have a very efficient refuse collection system in Singapore. Everyday without fail, our environment workers will clear garbage and refuse from HDB bin centres and also from private individual homes. Recently, the Ministry of the Environment announced the increase of refuse removal fee for owners of landed properties. The rate will be increased from $5 to $10 from 1st April this year, and then to $15 from 1st April next year. I think the rate of increase is very high. I wish to ask the Minister the actual unit cost for the collection of refuse from all homes, both HDB flats and also private dwellings. Is the Ministry thinking of cost recovery? If the cost of refuse collection in HDB estates is lower than $5, will the Ministry of the Environment lower the rate too? Sir, we can have common refuse collection points in private housing estates so that owners could qualify for a lower fee. Will the Ministry allow the setting up of such common collection points in private estates? At such points, the Environment Ministry could also have separate bins for separate garbage items and, at the same time, promote waste recycling.”
“Sir, despite our success in keeping Singapore clean, we are still faced with dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF). There has been an increase in the number of DHF cases over the years, and last year a major outbreak occurred. We know that DHF is transmitted by infected Aedes mosquito vectors carrying the dengue virus. Since Aedes mosquitoes breed in water-bearing receptacles, like pots and pans, found within and around the house, I wish to ask the Minister whether the Ministry of the Environment would make regular compulsory checks on all houses in areas where there are cases of dengue fever, especially in the eastern part of the island. I would like to suggest to the Minister to make it compulsory for the fogging of their houses. I am made to understand that public resistance to allow thermal fogging is high. But the Ministry can continue to educate members of the public and inform them that they are now using better insecticide for the thermal fogging of their houses. Maybe we could also impose fines on uncooperative house tenants.”
“Sir, the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment was formed in December last year. It seeks to serve as a forum for the exchange of experience and information on pollution control and also discusses environmental matters of mutual interest. During the first meeting, many issues were discussed. Among others, issues discussed were motor vehicle emission, air quality monitoring, water quality in the Straits of Johor, unleaded petrol, diesel fuel quality, industrial emission and hazardous chemical management. I wish to ask the Minister the progress of this Joint Committee. As we are actively promoting the growth triangle between Johor, Singapore and Batam, I wish to ask whether the Ministry of the Environment has any intention to involve Batam in this Joint Committee. I think we should seriously consider this matter as whatever they do in Johor and Batam, we will also be affected.”
“Mr Chairman, one important pilot project launched during the Clean and Green Week is for the segregation and recovery of waste paper, plastics and batteries. The project ended in February 1991 and it seems to be very successful. It will have an effect on our long-term strategy on solid waste management. I wish to ask the Minister whether the Ministry of the Environment intends to encourage private condominiums and town councils to introduce waste recycling system for their own estates and what kind of assistance will the Ministry provide. Sir, Germany has passed the Environment Ministry's Regulation on the recycling of used packaging. The new legislation means that by January 1993, 50% of all packaging regardless of composition will have to be recycled. Later on, by July 1995, 80% of plastics, glass and paper and 90% of all other materials will have to be recycled. In Japan, MITI has issued guidelines on recycling of resources and reduction of waste. It sets targets for reducing the number of batteries and general waste and for recycling paper products, aluminium cans, and glass. I wish to ask the Minister whether the Ministry of the Environment has any intention to introduce legislation to cover issues such as refillable or recyclable packaging, returnable deposits for containers and the use of recycled materials. For a start, Sir, perhaps the Ministry could encourage the wide use of recycled paper, especially office stationeries, greeting cards, exercise books, and others. We can even get our Government Ministries and statutory boards to lead the way.”
“Sir, I congratulate the Ministry of the Environment on the success of the Clean and Green Week last year. Many public and private grassroots organisations and individuals participated in a variety of activities. I am made to understand that many people are aware of the Clean and Green Week which is primarily concerning the keeping of the environment clean. I think this is a good sign and we should keep up the momentum to drive the message to our people to maintain a clean and green environment. However, I hope the Ministry of the Environment could organise more activities outside the Clean and Green Week. There are many other occasions in a year where we can stress on the importance of our environment. I am told that there are organisations planning activities to commemorate Earth Day in April, and also World Environment Day in June. I wish to ask the Minister what kind of assistance is the Environment Ministry giving to these organisations organising the above activities.”
“" So I would like to recommend that the Government should change their policy to ensure that these children take English and Chinese both at second language level. Because learning English at second language level will lessen the pressure on them. It will also ensure that these students do not drop out because of the inability to adjust to the new system. And it will also ensure that it is easier for them to switch stream if they wish and are able to. It will also ensure that the parents will not have the thinking that the sincerity of the Ministry of Education is not genuine.”
“I feel that the only area of this improvement that needs attention is that we should not force the 15% to 20% less academically inclined children to learn English as first language. As Mr Chin Harn Tong has said, most of these pupils come from the lower-income groups. Their language ability has been constrained by the mother tongue background in their families and therefore they are not able to master English, but they are able to learn their mother tongue well. They are afraid of learning English and they prefer to learn their mother tongue. So if you use English as the first language, then they may give up the idea of schooling altogether. And this is inconsistent with the recommendation of the Review Committee, ie, to give 10 years of education to these children. We know that for some students the language proficiency may not be very good, even if they are academically inclined. And for those less academically inclined, then it would be worse. So if you make it compulsory for these students to learn English as the first language, it would not be in their interest because they would then drop out from schools and become problem children and problem youth in our society. I also feel that to allow these children to learn their mother tongue only at the oral proficiency level will make it impossible for them to master either English or their mother tongue. So this will not be in keeping with what the Minister for Education has said in emphasising the importance of mother tongue. He said: "We do not wish to be a pseudo-Western society. We should not allow the use of English to override the importance of keeping our link to our cultural heritage.”
“I hope in the process of having lateral transfers, the Ministry of Education will be flexible enough to allow pupils to repeat. Sir, it is also noted that under the present system, 85% of 3,700 pupils who complete eight years of primary education join the VITB. However, sad to say that only 55% of them are able to acquire at least an NTC 3. That means, more than half of the 3,700 pupils do not have any vocational qualifications at all even after more than eight or nine years of study. I hope with these proposed changes to the system, we can prevent such a large number of pupils leaving school prematurely. They would, hopefully, be allowed to proceed to the normal (technical) stream in secondary schools where they get another four years of education. I wish to add a note of caution to the Ministry of Education about this group of pupils. There would be some who will drop out along the way and the same problem of leaving school prematurely will prevail. I wish to suggest to the Ministry of Education to consider having a special vocational training like an apprenticeship scheme for pupils who do not wish to continue their studies in the normal (technical) stream. I think the Ministry of Education can work out this apprenticeship scheme with some big companies. 2.00 pm Sir, the emphasis on quality education is a very wise move. As our human resource is a valuable asset, we must ensure that every child gets a good education. Mr Peh Chin Hua( In Mandarin): Mr Chairman, I am happy to note that the Ministry of Education has accepted the recommendations by the Review Committee on improving primary and secondary schools. I support, in principle, the future changes to our education system. We should not allow primary education to determine the future of our children.”
“Sir, I strongly support the move by the Ministry of Education to improve the primary and secondary education system from 1992. This fine-tuning process is timely as we are geared towards challenges in the next century and we need to cut down educational wastage to the minimum. The main reasons for supporting this proposal are, firstly, it helps weaker pupils to study according to their own abilities. Secondly, it allows for late developers to move into the mainstream of the system. Thirdly, it prepares pupils to do higher academic studies and also technical training and, most importantly, it allows every child a chance to undergo at least 10 years of education. Sir, the new system allows for lateral transfers of pupils. I wish to ask how lateral transfers are to be carried out between streams in the primary and secondary schools. At what level of achievement would a pupil need to attain in order to move, say, from a normal (technical) stream to normal (academic), and then to express stream in the secondary school, or from the EL1 and mother tongue (oral) stream to EL1 and mother tongue (second language), and then to EL1 and mother tongue (L1) stream in the primary school? The Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) will be changed to a placement test. Pupils will be placed into the various streams in the secondary schools. I wish to ask whether pupils who do not do well in the modified PSLE be allowed to retake the examinations in the following year. If a pupil is streamed to the secondary normal (technical) course and his parents want the child to repeat, would the Ministry give him the choice to do so? And will the Ministry of Education allow an additional year of study at the orientation stage in the primary school level?”
“Sir, I have one question for the Minister. Under clause 7, will this affect the houses, especially the plank and zinc houses on private land, that were built long ago in areas which used to be old kampongs?”
“Sir, I have the following questions for the Minister: (i) Is there any increase in sickness arising from lead in petrol to justify having unleaded petrol? (ii) Will the car engine and its performance be affected with the switch to unleaded petrol? (iii) Would the Government consider giving incentives to owners of old vehicles that cannot use unleaded petrol to enable them to change to newer cars? (iv) With the increase in production cost of unleaded petrol, would the Government consider reducing further the tax so that we can encourage more motorists to switch to unleaded petrol?”
“Sir, could the Minister inform the House what actually happened to the 242 pilgrims who nearly missed the haj this year? Also, what kind of advice would the Minister give to would-be pilgrims in the future?”
“If we are to place the welfare of self before that of society, then it will lead to disintegration of our society. Therefore, besides setting out those common values, we should also preserve and promote good traditional values from the various ethnic groups. This will prevent the prevalence of individualist extremism in our society and the creation of a pseudo westernised nation. Sir, I support the motion.”
“This will place on additional burden on students learning their mother tongue. At the same time, it will create a phobia towards the learning of the Chinese language and a loss of confidence for students from the English-speaking environment, thereby leading to a gradual loss of interest for the subject. Therefore, in considering the implementation of the bilingual policy to provide pupils with a strong foundation for learning English and the mother tongue, emphasis should be put on the source of inadequacy in the teaching of the mother tongue. The language curriculum for CL2 should be reviewed. The existing 3,000 Chinese word list should be updated to suit the needs of our present society. However, this does not necessarily call for a reduction of the 3,000 word list, but rather the control of the Chinese vocabulary usage to instil confidence and interest of the students towards the Chinese language. If we do not nip the problem in the bud but instead try to alleviate it by reducing the present secondary CL2 word list of 3,000, then it will be a wrong diagnosis. It will only result in the inability of our students understanding our present simplified Chinese newspapers and magazines as well as local Chinese books. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Government has shown its intention to publish a White Paper on Shared Values, setting out those values which all the communities hold in common. Such a formal statement will help us gradually to evolve a Singaporean identity. According to Ibsenism's concept of individualism, if one is not good in swimming, then how could he help others when he himself is sinking? Although this concept is applicable in certain instances, a balance must be maintained between individualism and the welfare of others.”
“If the Consumption Tax Bill has to be implemented, then consumption tax should not be levied on those basic consumer products. In principle, I feel that consumption tax should not be broad-based and it should be imposed only on luxury and branded goods, as the most hard hit will be the lower and average income groups. Therefore, with due consideration for the added burden and feelings of the lower income group, implementation should be deferred for as long as our revenue position permits. Mr Deputy Speaker, I have spoken on our bilingual policy, particularly the problems of CL2, in the debate on the Presidential Address last year. I advocated that the Ministry of Education should widen the control of words to vocabulary instead, and emphasise those commonly used vocabulary through repeated learning and usage to enable students to improve on their reading and writing abilities. The importance of language has been emphasised by the Education Ministry and again it has been mentioned during this year's Presidential Address. I quote: 'Language acquisition is central to learning. We will review the language curriculum with a view to providing pupils with a strong foundation for learning English and the mother tongue. Young Singaporeans must learn their mother tongues if they are to acquire a strong foundation, and retain their Asian identities and values.' However, if we allow the present situation to continue, ie, what is being tested in the Chinese assessments and 'O' and 'A' level examinations differ from the curriculum and syllabus taught, it will result in our students being unable to cope with these examinations. By unofficially raising the standard in the examination questions it will have an adverse impact.”
“During the course of my constituency work, I have been approached by some poor residents who are in dire need of medical attention but could not afford it. There were, in particular, an old lady who required a cataract operation and another old man, suffering from a terminal disease, who needed to amputate his right leg. After investigations, the Ministry of Health agreed to offer them free health services. They are much gratified about the concern, care and understanding shown towards them. Besides, there are also instances of successful applications for public assistance to the Ministry of Community Development after thorough investigations have been carried out. As such, I am happy to note that the Government will always subsidise health services for those in need of treatment but cannot afford to pay for it. We will also help to increase the assets of the poor and lighten the burden of bringing up their children. The Government will help, preferably through community and charitable organisations, to look after the disadvantaged and handicapped among us. All these directions will lead us towards a more caring and compassionate society. Mr Deputy Speaker, the addendum of the Ministry of Finance has stated that legislation on a broad-based consumption tax will be introduced this year. Other than taxes on tobacco and liquor, most of our citizens in general have expressed their worry regarding the implementation of consumption tax. As such, I hope that our Government, in considering the implementation of the consumption tax, would pay careful attention to the unhappiness of the masses. This is to prevent its sincerity for consensus building and a consultative style being questioned.”
“I totally agree with MENDAKI in accepting the proposal to charge Malay students from better-off families tertiary education fees. I salute them for taking a bold stand to ensure that more monetary assistance could be given to the children of the less successful Malays. MENDAKI must now formulate the rules and regulations pertaining to this tertiary fee issue. Though the main criterion in paying fees is the total family income, I believe some consideration could also be given to families where there are more than one children studying in the local universities at the same time. It is an administrative procedure which MENDAKI can decide without going against the intention to make children of well-to-do families pay for their tertiary education. Finally, I thank the Government for giving MENDAKI an advance of $10 million. The extra revenue which could be generated from that sum could be used to fund the various upliftment programmes. On that note, Sir, I support the motion. Mr Peh Chin Hua (Jalan Besar GRC)( In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the Member for Tanglin, Mr Lew Syn Pau's motion of thanks to the President for his Address at the Opening of the Second Session of this Parliament. The speech by Dr Arthur Beng, Member for Fengshan, was memorable indeed, in particular, his views on Prime Minister Lee and First Deputy Prime Minister Goh. I am very touched by these sincere views of his. At the same time, I hope that his call for a "one-time amnesty" to unite separated families will be seriously considered by the relevant authorities. In his Address, our President has stressed that we should do more to help improve the living standards of poorer Singaporeans and look after the disadvantaged and handicapped among us.”
“A set of shared values coupled with the consensual style of government will certainly hasten the making of Singapore as "One people, one nation, one Singapore". Finally, let me move on to the progress of the Malays. The Government looks into this matter seriously as they also want Malays to succeed and stand tall among other communities in Singapore. The Malays appreciate the support of the Government for MENDAKI. With its formation, MENDAKI aims to uplift the educational, social and economic status of the Malays. This is a worthy self-help programme and is a challenge to all Singaporeans, especially Malays, to see that it succeeds. Sir, just now I was listening to Mr Chiam's speech. He said that the tertiary fee measure is a violation of the Constitution. If indeed there was a contravention of the Constitution, the other Malay MPs and I would have been the first to express our outrage. I do not see how the Constitution has been breached. Has Mr Chiam consulted any renowned constitutional law expert on this issue? And has he got an opinion to back up his pronouncement? The Malays must be grateful to the Government for their concern and support. The responsibility is now on the Malays, especially the well-educated and professionals, to come forward and serve MENDAKI to help the other Malays. We must take a united stand to improve the lot of the less privileged Malays. As the community is small in number and percentage, it is better for us to work together instead of trying to compete and outdo one another, trying to score points here and there. Malays must always look towards the saying "Bersatu kita teguh, bercerai roboh" which means united we stand, divided we fall.”
“I think this could be due to the inability to adapt to the change from a directive style of leadership which we experienced during the early years of our nationhood to a more participative style now. How then can we narrow this gap? We can do this by continuously educating our people on the importance of their involvement in this participative process. For a start, we could begin with civics or national education lessons in schools, preferably at the secondary level where the pupils are big enough to understand the developments around them. They could also be taught about the trials and tribulations in our nation's history, especially during the past 25 years. We must make them aware that our success now is due to the hard work and sacrifices of the older generation. Further to that, at the community level, more seminars, talks and discussions should be carried out to educate the adult population at large. The media, especially radio and television, could also play their part in disseminating information on the various national issues being discussed so that the population is made more aware and understand the issues and policies better. Sir, allow me now to move on to the topic on shared values for the purpose of a National Ideology. I strongly agree with the move to set out the common values of all communities here. It is better now, that is, during good economic growth that we set out to identify and later agree on the shared values of all communities to uphold so as to gradually evolve a Singaporean identity. A few values we could consider are multi-racialism, meritocracy, justice and equality, participative democracy based on parliamentary system, mutual respect and tolerance. People could give their views through the normal process of consensus building.”
“In this way, it could complement what other grassroots organisations are now doing, that is, gathering feedback for the Government. It is also important to note that all views and queries by the people must be answered by the various Government agencies. They must be able to convince the people of the usefulness of their policies. Other ways of gathering feedback are through Ministerial walkabouts, Select Committee hearings and MPs' block visits, to mention a few. The Government also takes pains in explaining important issues through Government White Papers, forums, talks and briefings. I certainly hope that this feedback mechanism would continue to function more effectively and involve a wider section of the population. I believe we must continue to bring out into the open issues that affect the people and the nation. Even though it is sensitive and contentious, we must not be afraid to face it squarely and through the consultative process look for possible solutions to overcome it. It may be a tedious and time- consuming process but ultimately, at the end of it all, Government leaders must make a decision for us. Sir, let me ask a question: how successful are we in promoting participatory democracy among our people? We cannot say we have achieved 100% success. Despite the various channels provided to enhance participation and the willingness of the Government to accommodate valid viewpoints, a section of our population is even cynical about the way feedback is gathered. This cynical group, of which many are well-educated, even questions the effectiveness of feedback in moderating Government policies. There seems to be a kind of gap in the political maturity among our population.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the motion moved by the Member for Tanglin in thanking the President for his Address on behalf of the Government. I strongly agree with the consultative style of government which will lead to the building of consensus between the Government and the people and on the crystallisation of a set of shared values through the National Ideology. Sir, the process of participatory democracy embodies the involvement of the people in the making and changing of policies. People's views are being actively sought on the various issues that confront us. Through this consultative process, our people understand better the reasons behind many policies that are needed for the country. Their horizon is expanded and they are more aware of the problems that could befall us. Involvement also allows an individual to gain a feeling of responsibility to the community and society and thus develops them into a more well-rounded and well-informed citizens. It is also interesting to note that greater political stability can be achieved through a more participative society. Sir, the Government has provided many avenues in which people from various backgrounds could participate in this consultative process. One vehicle is the Feedback Unit where views on policies are gathered, collated and then channelled to the various Government agencies. This Unit frequently conducts dialogue sessions with a cross-section of the population. I am very pleased to note that this Unit is serving a useful purpose. As such, it should be strengthened by expanding it, especially to the grassroots or constituency level so that it could perform its role more effectively.”
“I thank the Minister for his explanation and beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $149,450,670 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $79,469,100 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. 4.04 pm Head V -”
“And I hope the Government will see the dangers of the proposed new hawker policy and desist from causing more hardships to the people.”
“It can easily be seen, Sir, that the reason why hawkers fail and give up their pitches is not because they lack culinary skills. The blame, if blame has to be fixed, lies squarely, wholly, totally and completely on Government - on Government's urban renewal, on the poor planning and siting by Government planners, on Government officials who sit in their air-conditioned rooms and believe that they know best, on an uncaring Government which uproots large sections of our population, resettles them in far away places and so drives away the customers who usually patronise the hawkers for their meals everyday. Some of the hawkers have been briven to outlandish places and they are forced to give up. Many of them have been proved, all to the same area and these hawkers cannot survive under those circumstances. Instead of blaming the hawkers, Government should have a good look at itself and ask how it can really help to improve the lot of the hawkers. But we must not forget, Sir, the regular customers and consumers who patronise the hawkers. Eating out has become a way of life, and almost every consumer will be affected if the tender system is to be called for hawker centres. Since the hawker contractor will probably raise rentals, it is only to be expected that the hawkers will somehow try to pass the burden of higher rentals on to the customers. Ultimately, it is the common man-in-the-street consumer who will have to pay the higher charges. This has already happened in some shopping complexes which have hawker food centres. Such are the consequences of hawker centre privati- sation and of privatisation in general. Privatisation does not benefit the consumer at all. That is why many people all over the world have strongly opposed privatisation.”
“I have just learned that there are 600 hardship cases waiting to be hawkers. If the new policy is going to be implemented, and speakers before me have already spoken as if it is going to be implemented very soon, then these 600 hardship cases will lose an avenue previously open to them to earn a living for themselves and their families. I think this does not square up with the repeatedly mouthed policy of Government that it wants to help people so that they may help themselves. Now these hardship cases want to help themselves but the Government will not give them the chance to do so. I will skip some of the things which other people have already said. The existing hawkers of course will find it very difficult and I have known of many hawkers in Hill Street Centre, for example, who are finding it very difficult. The Government blames the hawkers who give up their stalls, saying that they have poor culinary skills. This might be true in some cases but, in general, most hawker foods are more or less of the same quality. You go to any hawker stall, you are provided with the same type of food more or less. The fact is that hawkers mainly give up their stalls and pitches if they are badly sited, and if customers find it very inconvenient to patronise them when there are no parking facilities. Not everyone, Sir, is lucky enough to have a hawker pitch in Newton Hawker Centre. As I have said, many hawkers in Hill Street Centre, (Level 3) have given up the ghost. Neither are those people who are in Level 2 doing well. Yet many of these hawkers have excellent culinary skills. They have been in business for 10, 20, even 30 years. But they have to give up and they cannot survive once they are driven away from their old original pitches and are resettled in some new areas.”
“These vendors and manufacturers utilize cheap means of production of foodstuff, without giving the slightest consideration to the consequences. Under these conditions, they produce food like barbecued meat, roast port, minced ngo hiang and coconut milk products, etc. and then sell them to the hawkers, retailers and even to the restaurants. Without proper control, these unhygienically prepared foodstuffs may contain excessive chemicals and preservatives. Thus, they may pose a threat to health. The result of consuming such food may be food poisoning and other diseases. If not for the efforts of the Ministry of the Environment, many members of the public would not have realised that these people actually exist and the harm that they could do to the society. Sir, in our society today there are many people who have their meals at the hawker centres and in the restaurants. For this reason, we must make sure that our food hygiene standard is maintained in order to protect the health of the people. We are very glad that the Government and the Ministry of the Environment have adopted appropriate measures in cracking down these illegal activities and charging the culprits in court. However, I feel that the punishment is not severe enough and I call for more severe measures and tougher punishment to totally eradicate the existence of these illegal food manufacturers in order to protect the health of the people. Sir, I hope the Minister can also tell the House how many cases of illegal wholesale food producers have been discovered and charged in court since 1989 and what preventive measures the Ministry of the Environment has adopted against these activities. Dr Lee Siew-Choh: Sir, privatisation is in fashion with the PAP nowadays.”
“Sir, since 1975 vacant hawker stalls in market and food centres have been reserved for street hawkers and hardship cases. By 1986 all street hawkers were cleared. Since then and until lately, only hardship cases have been considered. I understand that the Ministry has stopped accepting new hardship cases for hawker stalls. There are also about 600 approved hardship cases on the waiting list. They will be given three opportunities to select a stall by the end of this year. Sir, with the recent move to discontinue the hardship policy and the intention to tender vacant stalls to the general public, I hope the Ministry of the Environment could consider giving hardship cases a preferential margin of, say, 10% of rental of the highest successful tender bid. In other words, I am suggesting that the Ministry still compile a list of approved hardship cases. As and when there are vacant hawker stalls for tender, then these applicants under the hardship criteria can be asked to tender for them too. If their bid is 10% less than the highest bid, perhaps the Ministry can give them the tendered stall. This way, the Ministry can continue to help hardship persons earn a living by operating a hawker stall. Mr Teo Chong Tee( In Mandarin): Sir, although my GPC colleagues have made certain suggestions on food hygiene, I still wish to stress certain aspects of it here. In the last one or two years, the Ministry of the Environment has discovered many large scale illegal food manufacturers and vendors in the rural areas. They hide in these deserted, filthy areas which are infested with mosquitoes and insects and prepare food under unhygienic conditions without proper supply of electricity or fresh water.”
“Sir, I wish to commend the Ministry of the Environment for conducting the first food hygiene course. This course aims to upgrade the standard of food and personal hygiene among food handlers. As there are more than 72,000 food handlers now, it will take about three years for everyone to go through the course. I strongly agree with the requirement that all new food handlers and those whose licences have been suspended to undergo this course and pass the test before they can be registered as food handlers with the Ministry of the Environment. My questions for the Minister are: (1) whether the Ministry is going to monitor the food handlers who have passed the test to ensure that they put into practice what they have learnt from the course; (2) how will the monitoring be done? (3) are there plans to conduct further upgrading courses in the future to keep food handlers abreast of the latest food hygiene requirement.”
“Secondly, would the Ministry consider reviving the Keep Singapore Clean campaign and perhaps combine it with a Keep Singapore Green and Pollution-Free campaign?”
“Sir, striking a balance between economic growth and protecting the environment has always been a problem for developed countries. Lately, the need to protect the environment has been very encouraging. At the international level, the United Nations intend to organise an international conference on environmental protection soon to highlight the need to protect our environment. In Singapore, Sir, urbanisation and industrialisation were and are the fundamental causes of pollution. Various measures have been taken to minimise, if not eradicate, the problem of pollution. We have succeeded in protecting our environment and the Ministry of the Environment should be congratulated for the effort to keep our environment clean. Furthermore, our image as a Garden City has enhanced our reputation among the nations of the world. Sir, much has been said about air and water pollution. Still, I wish to focus our attention on the problem of littering, and I share the points made by the Chairman of the GPC for the Environment, Mr Goh Chee Wee. Littering has been a persistent habit for some. Nowadays, it is a common sight to find our housing estates littered with trash. Recent statistics released by the Ministry of the Environment indicate that for the months of January and February this year, there were more than 1,000 cases of littering. Many years ago, we had this Keep Singapore Clean campaign. It has been very successful in constantly reminding our population to keep our environment litter-free. Education in schools has also played a constructive role in teaching pupils to keep our environment clean. Sir, I wish to ask the Minister what steps the Ministry of the Environment is taking to continually educate the public to keep the environment clean.”
“Sir, I thank the Senior Minister of State for the explanation. But I only hope that he could err on the generous side and give us more grant. With that, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $306,981,040 for Head T ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $2,808,273,500 for Head T ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head L -”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of Code TJ 3400 of the Main Estimates. Sir, town councils were formed to manage public housing estates. The Government gives grants to town councils to enable them to carry out cyclical repair works. At the same time, town councils are required to set up and maintain their own sinking funds to carry out these works. Sir, in moving this amendment, I wish to point out to the Minister that the grant to town councils for cyclical repair works is not sufficient. Let me give Bedok Town Council as an example. The Bedok Town Council intends to do repair and redecoration works (R&R) for 30 blocks of flats in one of our divisions. The grant received for these 30 blocks is about $916,000. However, the present market rate for the R&R is slightly more than $2 million. We therefore have a shortfall of about $1.1 million. I understand that the estimated prices of the cyclical works computed by the Ministry of National Development are based on the 1986 rates. Due to the upswing in the building industry, prices for materials and labour have increased. The tight labour market and increase in foreign workers levy have also contributed to the problem. Sir, in view of this, I appeal to the Minister to re-calculate the grant and give town councils additional grant to make up for the shortfall in R&R payment.”
“Was the IE able to recruit enough teachers from its recent intake this year?”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $125,710,060 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $25,633,680 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.”
“In addition, there are part-time madrasahs run by mosques and local Muslim organizations. With regard to part-time madrasahs in the mosques, the syllabi have been standardised since 1984. The common syllabi were formulated by a Coordinating Committee set up by MUIS in 1982, whose membership comprised representative from mosques. As for training, Mr Chairman, I would like to state here that since last year MUIS had embarked on a training programme for religious teachers. For example, 7 religious teachers from Madrasah Aljunied, Madrasah Al-Maarif, Madrasah Alsagoff and Madrasah Wak Tanjong were sent to the Yayasan Islam Kelantan, Nilam Puri, etc, for short training courses. MUIS also conducted three short courses for 110 full-time and part-time religious teachers and administrators. In June last year MUIS organized a course on Upgrading of Teaching Methodology for 36 full-time and part-time religious teachers. Another course on Computer Workshop for Madrasahs, held on 9 December 1988, was attended by 30 full-time and part-time religious teachers and administrators. In March this year, a Seminar on Islamic Education was held and as a follow up to the Seminar, a workshop will be held to discuss the issue further and formulate guidelines and programmes to further improve Islamic Education here. MUIS is also considering a comprehensive training programme for religious teachers which includes courses on principles of education, teaching methodology, child psychology and so on. To assist the Religious Education Unit, MUIS, as mentioned earlier, is also planning to form a special Advisory Committee comprising eminent religious teachers and educationist. Among other things, this Committee will formulate guidelines on the Syllabi for Islamic religious education in Singapore.”
“Encik Yatiman Yusof (Tampines GRC)( In Malay): Sir, I would like to join the Member for Bedok GRC in welcoming the moves made by the Muslim Religious Council (MUIS) to implement some of the provisions of the Administration of Muslim Law Act. The question I would like to ask is considering that these measures will involve the training of religious teachers, what steps are being taken to improve the capabilities, skills and professional standards of the teaching staff of religious schools. (2) What steps are being taken to improve the curriculum of local religious schools? (3) Since only 10% of graduates of these religious schools would have the opportunity to go to university and then to return to serve in positions befitting their skills and qualifications, what steps are being taken to ensure that the resourcs of the rest of the religious school graduates will not be wasted in the labour market? I have been informed that proficiency in English is now emphasized even for undergraduates of the Al-Azhar University. This is a good move. And I would like to suggest that, even at local religious the school level, proficiency in English ought to be enhanced so that religious school graduates could together contribute to greater Islamic knowledge and higher morality among the general student population through a better command of English. The Minister for the Environment (Dr Ahmad Mattar)( In Malay): Mr Chairman, I am answering in my capacity as Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs. Mr Chairman, I would first deal with questions on the Islamic Education Unit formed recently by MUIS. At the moment there are 4 full-time madrasahs at primary and secondary levels and 1 full-time madrasah at primary level.”
“(In Malay): Mr Chairman, I beg to move. That the sum to be allocated for Head J be reduced by $10 in respect of JM 3100 of the Main Estimates. Under Sections 87 and 88 of the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA), the Muslim Religious Council (MUIS) is responsible for the administra- tion and management of Islamic religious education in Singapore. MUIS has carried out this task effectively. It has strengthened its Education Unit, and recently mooted the idea of setting up an Advisory Council on Islamic Religious Education to provide guidelines and set the direction for education in Singapore. I wish to congratulate MUIS for making these moves aimed at streamlining the religious education system in Madrasahs (Islamic schools), mosques and schools, etc. Mr Chairman, most parents send their children to religious classes on a part time basis, particularly those run by the mosques. This is because their children attend secular schools in the morning or the afternoon. Students of secular schools attend these part-time religious classes two or three times a week. They sometimes face problems when they have a lot of homework to do or study after school, especially when the examinations are near. I would like to ask the Minister responsible for Muslim Affairs three questions: (1) What are the steps MUIS could take to upgrade the part-time religious education for the benefit of students of our secular schools; (2) What can MUIS do to co-ordinate Islamic religious education in the mosques and madrasahs and other Islamic institutions? (3) What would be the role of Advisory Council on Islamic Religious Education when it is set up?”
“Sir, the Government launched its Sports for All policy in 1973. Since then, thousands of Singaporeans have participated in various mass events organized by the SSC. We have also participated in the various international and regional competitions such as the Olympics and SEA Games. Sir, recently the Advisory Council on Sports and Recreation published its Report and made some recommendations to the Government. Among the recommendations, I wish to cite two: (1) Giving special support to sports in which Singaporeans can excel. (2) Creating and sustain an environment that is conducive to the further growth of sports. Sir, national sports associations in Singapore are responsible for the successful running of the various sports programmes. They are manned by volunteers and sometimes face difficulties such as lack of funds and lack of proper training facilities. Many associations have to organize fund raising activities and much precious time is taken in organizing them at the expense of training for the athletes. I wish to ask the Minister what kind of support can the Government give to our national sports associations. Secondly, whether the Government could consider giving annual financial grants to the national sports associations to lessen their financial burden. Sir, let me end by saying that when we produce outstanding sports persons, they become role models and provide inspiration to the nation. They can instil strong feelings of patriotism in our community and thereby contribute to nation building.”
“Sir, I just wish to add some questions with regard to the Bukit Timah floods. I wish to ask the Minister whether work on the Bukit Timah Flood Alleviation Scheme is being carried out on schedule. And if it is, whether it can be speeded up so that we can overcome or minimize the problem of flooding in Bukit Timah.”
“There is a common impression among the public that the stallholders at Lim Tua Tow Market are given special treatment by the Hawker Department, because other markets are just as crowded as Lim Tua Tow Market during the festive season. Why didn't the stallholders in the other markets receive any summons? I would like to ask the Minister to explain this.”