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 Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.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 5 of 5.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Motion moved by the hon. Member for Changkat to thank the President for his Address to Parliament. The President has clearly stated the goal for which all Singaporeans should work together to overcome the economic problems faced by us since 1985. We have had positive growth for the last 20 years. However, 1985 has been a trying time for all of us and in the end we ended with a negative growth of 1.7%. The Government has taken many steps to overcome the recession. Last year, many cost-cutting measures were announced. The formation of the Economic Committee headed by the Member for Teck Ghee is a move in the right direction. That the Economic Committee comprises key personnel from the private sector is a clear example of the Government's willingness to give greater participation to the people. The Committee has made many recommendations and I am pleased to note that the Government has accepted, in principle, the policy recommendations set out in the Report. The Government has put it very clearly that this recession must be solved by all of us in Singapore. This means that the Government is willing to work together and hopefully get the support of all Singaporeans. We know that the Government is concerned for the future of our country, Singapore. It is therefore right, Mr Speaker, Sir, that we should get our people to be more involved in the important decisions of this country. We have to accept the fact that we are facing difficult times now and we must be willing to face hardship and tighten our belts for the next year or two, perhaps longer. It is necessary for us to be competitive and attract new investments from overseas.”
“Sir, can the Minister of State inform the House what steps does the Ministry of Health intend to take for the self-employed who are without Medisave Accounts?”
“Sir, in view of the construction of a mosque in Jalan Sempadan, can the Minister inform the House whether MUIS has any plans for the Al-Taqwa Mosque in Jalan Bilal, Bedok?”
“So we should allow these people to pursue part-time studies either at the National University of Singapore, the NTI or other recognized tertiary institutions. Mr Speaker, Sir, it is through education that our people can move up the economic and social ladder. If the opportunities are given to all Singaporeans, we hope to see more citizens especially those in the lower income group break out of this poverty cycle so that they will be in a better situation to face the challenges of the fast changing technological world. In conclusion, Sir, let me stress again that we must pay particular attention to the social and moral aspects of bringing up a new generation of Singaporeans. While we will try to bring out the greatest potential in our children so that they perform well in their studies, we must also ensure that they will grow up as good and useful citizens. 4.13 p.m.”
“In schools, we tell the children that gambling is wrong. But, Sir, you will agree with me that when they leave school and they go to the HDB void decks on Saturdays and Sundays in the afternoons, sometimes they could see gambling in the open. So we must ensure that our children are being shown the correct social behaviour and inculcated with the correct values to help them develop as rounded Singaporeans of the future. Once again, I would like to stress that parents must play a very active role. They must not "wash their hands" of their responsibilities in the education of their children. Another area that I wish to point out is that the Ministry of Education should give opportunities for our children to pursue their studies even after completing their secondary education. An example is that of our Secondary 4 Normal pupils. Last year, about 14,000 of them sat for the GCE Normal examinations. One-third of them are now in Secondary 5 Normal. Out of the other two-thirds, only 2,000 are doing vocational training. Most of them have to look for jobs. If they look for a job without the necessary vocational skills, definitely they would not get a high pay. Perhaps the VITB should offer more places for these children from this year onwards so that after they finish their secondary education, they can go on to do technical or vocational skills training and thereafter go into the employment market and get better pay. Our young must also be encouraged to pursue part-time studies to upgrade themselves. Many people have to go to work after their secondary education for one reason or another. It is only fair that we give them the encouragement and opportunities because they are motivated and they want to improve themselves academically.”
“Is he clean, neat, punctual, and well-mannered?' Sir, if the answer to each of the above questions is positive, we can say that we have been successful in educating our young. Our children in schools are given equal opportunities to get a good education. However, I would like to suggest to the Ministry of Education to pay more attention to making our pupils more aware of each other in our schools. An understanding and awareness of each other's language, culture and religion will cermainly bind them closer and make them feel more as Singaporeans. I should think from 1987 onwards when all schools would be doing English as the first language and the mother tongue as the second language, we should be able to see pupils of all races in all schools in Singapore. Through their daily interaction with one another, we can forge them together and build a united country. We can also make use of the mass media to create this awareness of the various cultures in Singapore. An example is the quarterly magazine, The Singapore Heritage, which I have a copy here, Sir. It is from the Information Division of the Ministry of Communications and Information. It is a good example of how we can make people aware of the various aspects of all the cultures that could be found in Singapore. Another important point is that parents and society must play an active part in the education of a child because the child is at home most of the time. He spends about five hours in school a day. But I am sad to say that sometimes what we have taught the child in school on the right values were undone when he is away from school. Here, the society must play a complementary role in imparting the correct social values to our young. An example of this is gambling.”
“I am also glad to note that the new Minister for Education in the first Schools' Council meeting this year gave us assurances that the system will be further improved. According to the Addendum on the Ministry of Education: 'Our education policy will be directed towards establishing a flexible education system which will bring out the best in every child and develop in each pupil sound moral values and a strong foundation in the basic skills necessary to earn a living in Singapore's modern economy.' Educating a child involves more than just giving him the basic knowledge to enable him to get a job later on. It is not a matter of passing examinations with flying colours. I think we must look into the non-tangible aspects of education, for example, moral education and nation building. And the school is the best place to imbibe in our children the concept of loyalty and patriotism to the country. Whether our education system has achieved its objective in giving good education to our children can be seen only if there are positive answers to the questions that our Prime Minister asked Dr Goh Keng Swee, the former Education Minister, in his letter to him in the 1978 Ministry of Education Report. Sir, let me quote from this Report: 'However, the litmus test of a good education is whether it nurtures citizens who can live, work, contend and cooperate in a civilised way. Is he loyal and patriotic? Is he, when the need arises, a good soldier, ready to defend his country, and so protect his wife and children, and his fellow citizens? Is he filial, respectful to elders, law-abiding, humane, and responsible? Does he take care of his wife and children, and his parents? Is he a good neighbour and a trustworthy friend? Is he tolerant of Singaporeans of different races and religions?”
“What we should do is we should try and upgrade their skills through education. We could make arrangements for these people to attend academic classes to improve their numeracy and literacy skills. A good example that we have is the BEST classes. I think, if we can make arrangements for some of these people to take time-off, if possible, from work and put them through vocational training, they might have the chance to go up in their vocations. We could make use of the various vocational institutes that we have throughout the island. With their improved skills, they can go higher in their vocations and be better paid. I use an analogy on why we should help them by upgrading their skills. It is better that we give a man a fishing line and teach him how to fish rather than give him a fish to eat for the day. With his skill on the fishing line, he will not go hungry if he is willing to work. Amidst the changing scene, how can we preserve our heritage and achieve a better quality of life for our people? This is the declared aim of the Government. To me, the answer lies entirely in the field of education. Many criticisms have been directed at the Ministry of Education. I think it is easier to criticize than to bring out suggestions to improve the process of educating our young. As for me, being involved in the education service for the past 18 years, I could say that it is a very difficult task to educate the young. At this juncture, I would like to put on record my admiration to the professionals and administrators in the Ministry of Education for the hard work put in all these years, despite the difficult task and criticisms thrown at them.”
“We have achieved our basic needs and we now put more emphasis on a better provision of service, such as health and education, and also to give greater attention to the satisfaction that could be derived from leisure and the environment. We have also made advances in the technological field and one of the rapid changes is in the field of communication. This has greatly enhanced our awareness of how other people live and has brought with it an uneasy concern about many people elsewhere who live below acceptable standard of living. We should consider ourselves fortunate to be what we are today. We must therefore work hard, intelligently, and prepare ourselves to protect and preserve our heritage. Sir, I share the views put forth by the Member for Changkat about the social changes that we may face in the future. Our society is changing as much as the economic and environmental aspects of our country. We move around more and spend less time in getting to know people. Our relationships with our friends and acquaintances are getting more superficial. We change jobs more often and technology makes our skills more quickly out of date. The family is less tightly knit and we have less contact time with our kin. And as you know, more mothers are going out to work. Mr Speaker, Sir, many of my colleagues here have brought up or suggested to the Government to pay particular attention to the 15-20% group of people in the lower income bracket. I share their views in suggesting to the Government to help them in monetary form, as some have suggested. I am pleased to note that the Government is giving special consideration to this, but what I would like to suggest is that we must not think of giving them help in the form of, say, monetary incentives only.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the motion moved by the Member for Ayer Rajah in thanking the President for his Address outlining the goals and objectives which he delivered on behalf of the Government at the opening of the Sixth Parliament. The President in his Address to the nation has clearly stated the goals and the objectives of the Government for the next five years and through the 1990s. He has clearly emphasized that it is the Government's first duty to safeguard what Singaporeans have achieved and, secondly, to improve upon what has been achieved by building a better society. While gearing our country to achieve higher goals to put us in the rank of the developed nations, we must pay particular attention to the 15-20% of our population who are in the lower income group. We must seek ways and means to help them keep up with the rapid changes in our country. The six objectives for the next five years, as spelt out, give us a clear sense of direction to move towards a higher level in order to put us in the league of developed nations. The tasks are heavy but challenging. But it has been in us, as Singaporeans, to face all the challenges together to build a better nation for our children - the future generation. We must involve the population, both the young and the old, to determine our future. Though each individual is given the opportunities to achieve his or her maximum potential, we must be able to cooperate and work together to achieve the best team spirit. Greater participation of all our people will certainly bring greater benefits to our nation. Mr Speaker, Sir, we have come a long way since the hard and uncertain times of the 1950s.”