Imram bin Mohamed
Singapore
“If you have such an attitude, from the perspective of an opposition party, you feel that by creating this GRC, it is unfair to you, then I can understand your point. But Mr Low Thia Khiang said in the conclusion of his speech that this GRC system in Singapore is a very regrettable one.”
“Ramiah, shows that out of 174 non-graduate Tamil teachers, 93% were in favour of a degree programme and they were willing to upgrade themselves through this degree course.”
“Sir, I would like to seek clarification. If a Muslim is involved in an accident and lapses into a coma and is hooked on to a life-support equipment but subsequently he dies and he has opted in under the Human Organ Transplant Act as well as the living will, which procedure would be required?”
“I am still not very clear. The AMD covers all manners of death, including death by accident. So we could have a common situation where the victim has pledged his kidney and now you need a specialist to certify him brain dead. Do you require two or three specialists?”
“I would therefore like to further suggest that these workers be paid a bonus from the fund for attending and successfully completing the courses. Perhaps the Government could look at this as a more productive way of distributing future budget surpluses back to the people.”
“Those who have succumbed to drugs should be dealt with firmly, even if they are new addicts. We need to be firm to be kind. Statistics have shown that the possibility of a successful rehabilitation is greater the earlier they are treated and it becomes extremely difficult once they become hardcore addicts.”
The complete record
Every one of 69 lines we hold for Imram bin Mohamed, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 1 of 2.
“If you have such an attitude, from the perspective of an opposition party, you feel that by creating this GRC, it is unfair to you, then I can understand your point. But Mr Low Thia Khiang said in the conclusion of his speech that this GRC system in Singapore is a very regrettable one. It gives us the impression that the political system in Singapore is finished. There is no future. This is inconceivable. I feel that Mr Low should think over it carefully and think over what Prof. Woon had said. He had also mentioned ---”
“Finally, Sir, many people believe that the proposed Bill is really intended to diminish the opposition's chances in the election. This may not be the Government's intention for introducing the amendments, as the Prime Minister has confirmed earlier. However, whether intended or not, it is quite obvious that the smaller political parties and independent candidates will be disadvantaged by larger GRC size and the reduction in the single-member constituencies. What I am more concerned though is the impact on the election process itself. An election is not unlike a football match which is played on a level playing field with clear rules of play. The outcome of the match will be determined solely by the calibre of the players on the field as it ought to be. The flexibility in the size of GRCs creates a fluidity in the rules of the game which has the effect of tilting the playing field in favour of one side. This makes the match less than fair. Mr Choo Wee Khiang (Jalan Besar GRC)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, having heard the Opposition Members, I feel a great sense of regret. First of all, let me say that I am proud of what Prof. Woon said just now. Because in Singapore, we have a very neutral Nominated MP who speaks with great sense and reason. It is a great asset to our whole political system. So I hope that the people of Singapore will listen very carefully to what Prof. Woon said over TV tonight and perhaps read the report in the newspapers tomorrow so that they will understand the long-term effect of this Constitutional amendment to Singapore. Having heard Mr Ling and the other Opposition Members, it gives the impression that the opposition parties just want to remain as Opposition Members forever and they want to support PAP as the ruling party all the time.”
“The ruling Party may be committed to having adequate minority representation in Parliament and may field multiple-minority candidates in some GRCs. But there is no guarantee that these minority candidates will be returned in an election. The GRCs may be won by opposition parties who only fielded the minimum number. The Prime Minister may be confident of winning all the GRCs with his full slate of minority candidates in the forthcoming election, but laws should be passed with a longer term view in mind. Sir, GRCs restrict the right of the people to elect precisely who they want. Having larger GRCs accentuates this restriction. Candidates too tend to become faceless in a big group and the electorate is denied making an informed choice of their candidates. They may end up casting their vote based on a couple of prominent candidates in the team and in the process allow the non-deserving ones to have a free ride through. The converse may also happen where an eminently suitable candidate gets dragged down by his less deserving colleagues and depriving the country of a good leader. Both these scenarios are totally undesirable as in a vulnerable economy like Singapore, it is always important to have the right calibre people in political office. This includes members of the opposition if they were to provide an effective check on the Government. Sir, there is no real requirement to enlarge the GRC size from its present level. The formation of CDCs to build social cohesion or the integration of constituencies to build a critical mass for town councils to be effective need not necessarily be conflated with the election process. These plans could still be instituted while still maintaining the GRC size at the present level. Town councils could merge together if it so necessitates.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to address the amendments relating to the Group Representation Constituencies. The concept of GRCs was first introduced in 1988. One of the objectives is to guarantee minority ethnic representation in Parliament. Although the GRC concept is in conflict with Singapore's established parliamentary democratic system where the people exercise their fundamental right to choose their political representative freely on an individual candidate basis, its promise of ensuring communal peace has been accepted as a strong enough justification to tamper with the basic system. The number of candidates in a GRC was then set at three, which must include at least one member from a minority community. This was increased to three or four candidates per GRC in 1991 with minority representation remaining at one Member. The increase to four Members per GRC was still in line with the objective of ensuring minority representation. A GRC's normal composition of three Members who are of Chinese origin and one from the minority community is representative of the ratio between Chinese and others in Singapore. In this regard, four in a GRC, with the ratio composition just mentioned, would constitute the ideal number to represent an electoral division. The Bill now proposes to amend the maximum number in a GRC to six. This is a retrogressive step as far as minority representation in Parliament is concerned. As the minimum number of minority candidates in a GRC is still maintained at one, it could result in an under-representation of minorities in Parliament. To prevent this from happening, more than one minority candidate needs to be fielded in some GRCs. However, there is no compulsion for any political party to do this.”
“Sir, I do not mean bidding in the Open Category. We could gauge the demand of the various categories and then allocate the first portion according to the demand of each category, rather than on the vehicle population.”
“Sir, the Minister clarified just now that there are two portions to the allocation. The first portion is based on the population of the cars. Should the allocation not be based on the demand rather than the vehicle population?”
“The problem is now implementation and I fully respect the concerns of Members that good implementation is very important and I assure Members that we will not take this lightly and that in our education programme and in the development of administrative procedures, we will try to anticipate all problems, gain some experiences as we go along, make a review after a year, make adjustments if necessary, come back to this House if necessary, so that what we have is something which is a facility some of us can resort to with a certain peace of mind if we feel that it is good for us and for our family. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Third time and passed. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed. - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Adjourned accordingly at Eleven Minutes to Six o'clock pm to a date to be fixed. WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS SUPERSCALE GOVERNMENT OFFICERS 1. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Prime Minister how many government officers are on Superscale Grade E and above as at 31 December 1995 and how many of these officers are overseas scholars.”
“So we have, for example, a case of someone involved in a traffic accident and therefore coming under the ambit of HOTA, assuming he has not opted out, and let us say he has also made an AMD. If he is already brain dead, then he is defined as dead under HOTA and the issue of AMD does not then arise. In other words, in the case of someone being covered by both, then HOTA comes first because he is by definition already dead, and therefore the AMD does not arise. Mr Imram also asked whether it is necessary to have this two-tier system, that the more tiers you have the more you condemn a person to death. I think that is turning things the wrong way round. We must not forget that a person who has made an AMD has made a serious decision that he does not want the dying process to be prolonged when he is terminally ill. So we should respect that wish. If a lower committee of doctors cannot decide, we are submitting it to a higher committee in order to be doubly sure that we are acceding to his wish, and that we are not at all condemning him. Sir, I believe I have answered the main issues raised by Members. As I said earlier, we have taken a long time to discuss all aspects of the Bill, turn it around, look at it front side, back side.”
“Mr Imram raised what he felt to be an inconsistency between the number of two doctors required to certify brain death under the Human Organs Transplant Act (HOTA) and the three doctors necessary to certify terminal illness. In the case of HOTA, brain death is defined as death. It is only for HOTA. It is not for all the other statutes. As I mentioned earlier in this House, at some point in time, we will have to resolve what is the position of brain death in our law. In fact, brain death is the most conclusive definition of death, much more than the heart stopping. To certify brain death, the issue arises when you keep the heart pumping artificially, but in fact the brain is dead. Then you got to certify that the patient is in fact brain dead before you can then switch off the heart/lung machine to stop the heart from pumping. The procedures are quite complicated. It involves checking the cornea, pouring cold water into the ear canal, a series of seven tests which are very technical in nature. These are not subjective. These are objective criteria to determine brain death, internationally accepted, which is why there is no need to have more than two doctors to do it. In the case of AMD, we are not certifying death. We are certifying terminal illness and that inherently is a more subjective view, which is why three doctors are required. It may well be that the patient is already brain dead and has made an AMD, and the three doctors decide that he is already brain dead. Therefore, he is already terminally ill and therefore they can switch off the heart/lung machine. But for most cases of terminal illness, it is not so straightforward and therefore three doctors are required. Mr Imram also asked what happens if someone comes under both HOTA and has made an AMD.”
“The Medical Ethics Committee, which first looked at this matter, discussed it fully this was discussed by the Health Ministry also and we decided that, like the making of a will by a human being, the contents of the will, if it is to be divulged, should be divulged by the patient himself and not by those who are custodians of that will. Because we do not know whether he wants others to know. And in the case of doctors who are treating him, it may affect their decisions. But if the patient himself decides to inform his wife, his relatives, his friends, his doctors, it is perfectly in order, because that is the patient's own judgment. But the law should protect him in the event that he wishes to have confidentiality. In the case of spouses and immediate family members, indeed, we are going to recommend that in all cases, the AMD be made in consultation with family members. But however you consult, in the end, it is your own decision. The family doctor ought to be one of the witnesses, but we cannot be sure that the family doctor is the best doctor in every case. Because depending on the person, he may or may not have a family doctor. He may have a family doctor in name, but he may not be the family doctor he goes to all the time. Sometimes he goes to see his company doctors, sometimes he goes to a polyclinic. Sometimes for different conditions, he sees different specialists in hospitals. So it is very difficult for us to put in the Bill a special place for the family doctor. But in all cases where a GP is recommended, it is the family doctor who should be there, because he would know the patient and his family the most. And that point would be taken into account when we implement this Bill and conduct our education programme.”
“Because it may be a few minutes or a few hours of consciousness in between critical periods when a patient has changed his mind, and only one person may be there. That one person should be good enough. This matter was discussed at the Select Committee and we decided, "Look, that is right. If the patient has indicated any change of mind, accept it." I think that is fairer to him. Dr Michael Lim suggested that the panel of specialists, in the event that this matter could not be decided by the lower committee, if it goes up to the panel of three specialists, should not just make a decision on the basis of case sheets and case notes but go down to the bedside to look at the patient themselves. I will take up his point. I think here what we seek is not a rigid administrative procedure but good medical practice. In other words, if doctors in the committee cannot decide, there must be good reasons why they cannot decide. If the panel feels that they have got to go down to assess the situation for themselves, then they should go down. But I do not think that we should prescribe it in law. As to whether doctors who unthinkingly and without malice divulging information being hauled to the Medical Council or to court for infringement, I think here we will apply common sense. The purpose here is not to make life difficult for doctors but to help them help the patients they are looking after. Mr John De Payva asked why is there a need for confidentiality. I think it is important to have some safeguards on confidentiality because the fact of an AMD itself may change the way doctors treat their patients. There is that possibility.”
“And we will have a programme to educate all our doctors, health care practitioners and members of the public to know what it is about, so that they can make a choice. Dr Soin asked whether most people understand the concept of informed consent. They may not. And if they do not, they should not do the AMD. But if they understand what informed consent is and they decide to have it, I do not think it is for us to deny them this facility, which is why I am not in favor of further postponing this legislation. But we are not pushing it and I respect the comments made by many Members here that we should not rush into the implementation without due regard for the details. And as Dr Soin said, the devil may well be in the details, and I think she is right there. I am particularly appreciative of the views expressed by Dr Michael Lim and Dr Kanwaljit Soin who are themselves medical practitioners, advising me to watch the implementation and not to make it burdensome. In implementing it, we should not create new problems for ourselves which defeats the original purpose of the legislation. So we will try to create something which is the least burdensome to doctors and health care practitioners, something which can be widely understood by all, but something which in the end relies on common sense and human wisdom. Mr Cheo Chai Chen supported the legislation. But he mentioned that we should not reduce the number of witnesses from two to one in respect of the revocation of the AMD. I think Mr Cheo misunderstood what was intended. We are not reducing the number of witnesses required before we pull the plug. We are saying that if a patient decides to revoke his AMD, there need only be one witness.”
“Take, for example, a patient in the final stage of cancer suddenly having a heart attack. The doctors have to decide. Do you try to resuscitate the patient? All right, you resuscitate. The heart pumps again and the patient lives on for a few more days, maybe for a few more weeks. Is this what the patient would have wanted? Is this what family members want? Is this what doctors would have prescribed? Or a patient has an infection, dying from pneumonia. And today, with medical technology, with antibiotics, you can treat the pneumonia and keep the patient living for a few more days. As medical technology advances, there are all kinds of new methods that you can introduce to stretch out the dying process. Is it natural? Today, between doctors and family members, usually they can come to a decision, to a consensus. But as our population becomes more educated, I think they will become more litigious. And once a few doctors are sued in court for not doing enough, very quickly all doctors will keep on treating till the family members say no. And are we sure that family members can agree among themselves? Brothers, sisters, in-laws involved in a decision, very often it is very complicated. The result is tremendous stress for everyone. So if the person himself says, "Look, let me give my input so that you don't have to worry.", I think that is a great help. But, of course, if you as a patient decide, "No, I will leave it to my wife. I will leave it to my son. I will leave it to my doctor.", so be it. There is no intention whatsoever to conduct a campaign to promote the AMD. That is not the intention. The intention is to have it available for those who feel that they want it.”
“I thank Mr Loh Meng See for his kind words concerning the process with which we brought this Bill into its Third reading. We have deliberately taken our time, spent almost two years now on it from the beginning, making sure that all sectors of our society were consulted. Many views were tossed up, considered and incorporated, where possible. Dr Soin asked whether we could not make the definitions clearer. If the definitions could be made clearer, there would not have been the need for this Bill. Does the Bill create grey areas where there were none? It does not, because the grey areas exist as a condition of life. Every day it is being faced by doctors in hospitals. Every day family members, doctors and specialists have to make decisions. Very often, imperfect decisions. Very often, without consensus. Very often, resulting in recriminations years after the patient had passed away. What we are trying to do here is to allow those who feel strongly about their own wishes to state them in advance so that doctors and family members will know when the time comes. And this, in fact, removes the heavy burden from those who would otherwise have to make the decision anyway in this grey area. It is not something which can be solved by words. Dr Soin said that definitions are tautological. They are not tautological. They are subjective. They are subjective precisely because this is an area in which we cannot escape from human beings having to apply their minds and their hearts and exercising human judgment and human wisdom. There is no way by which the words can be so cunningly redrafted that all of us can then say, "All right, let the words decide for us." That is not possible. And yet we know that decisions have to be made.”
“Some statements in the Minutes of Evidence of the Select Committee Report appeared to suggest that having the second panel of doctors would increase safeguards for patients against possible error of judgment by doctors. The Minister for Health had also expressed a similar view during the Second Reading of the Bill. He has said of the two-tier certification process, "Where there is any doubt, this procedure will ensure that we err on the side of life." But does having another level of judgment really increase safeguards? Does it err on the side of life? I think not. It actually does the opposite. This is because the second panel of three specialists is only convened when there is no unanimity among the first group. When the first three doctors disagree, this decision would allow the patient to live except that it could be reversed by a higher committee of three other doctors. Thus, the more levels you have, the greater the possibility of the patient being condemned. I wish to ask the Minister whether it would be better to have just one panel of three specialists which includes the patient's doctor if he qualifies to make the judgment. If the doctors agree unanimously, the AMD will be carried out. If any one of the doctors disagrees, the patient continues to receive life-sustaining treatment. This will ensure the quality of judgment that we seek to provide and yet err on the side of life. BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank Members who have just spoken for their comments, for their thoughtful suggestions, for their concerns and for some moving, inspiring words about the nature of life and the problem of crossing this twilight zone between life and death.”
“But I would like to specifically refer to his third scenario in which he portrayed an accident victim, a young man of 20 years old, being rushed into the hospital following a traffic accident. He had sustained serious head injuries and stayed in the Intensive Care Unit. His condition deteriorated and he became brain dead. This is a situation in which the AMD Act and HOTA clearly overlap. For such a patient, three doctors in one case, or two in the other, would need to certify him brain dead before the life support equipment, or his organs, could be removed under the respective Acts. It is inconceivable in such a case for the AMD Act and HOTA to have different standards for certifying a common condition. Moreover, if the patient is covered under both the AMD Act and HOTA, the hospital will be left in a quandary as to which Act takes precedence and, consequently, which procedure to follow. It is also anomalous that the patient is given lesser protection under HOTA where, unlike the AMD Act, the removal of organs follows the pronouncement by the doctor and therefore ought to have a protection level no less stringent than that of the AMD Act. Sir, I have no qualms with the AMD Bill in principle. But the passing of the Bill today will create the anomalous situation which I have just described. This is not desirable. The Minister for Health had previously said that there was no urgency in legislating this Bill. I would, therefore, ask the Minister to defer the passage of this Bill until the differences with HOTA have been resolved. Sir, before I conclude, I would like to seek clarification from the Minister for the rationale for having a two-tier system of six doctors to certify terminal cases.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to highlight an anomaly between the AMD Bill and the Human Organs Transplant Act (HOTA). To ensure proper protection of the patient, the AMD Bill stipulates that three doctors are required to certify a patient to be terminally ill before his extraordinary life-sustaining treatment can be stopped. HOTA, on the other hand, requires only two doctors to certify a patient to have suffered irreversible cessation of all functions of the brain before his organs can be removed. This difference in certification level between the two Acts is incongruous in certain circumstances where the Acts overlap. One may say that the AMD Bill deals with terminally ill patients who are still alive, whilst HOTA deals with those who are brain dead. So there is no comparison. This is generally true. However, a terminally ill patient is not necessarily always still alive. The patient could be brain dead. If I may quote Dr Tan Kee Guan, a Medical Director at Ang Mo Kio Community Hospital, who, in his written representation to the Select Committee on the AMD Bill, said, and I quote: "Terminal illness -- a rather straight forward explanation for those with advanced cancer and brain dead." Terminal illness can also be the result of a serious accident where the patient suffers severe brain injuries. Members may remember when Dr Tan Cheng Bock vividly presented three scenarios of typical AMD cases at the Second Reading of the AMD Bill last December. Incidentally, two of his three scenarios also depicted the terminally ill patients as being brain dead which support Dr Tan Kee Guan's description of terminal illness.”
“Ramiah, shows that out of 174 non-graduate Tamil teachers, 93% were in favour of a degree programme and they were willing to upgrade themselves through this degree course. On behalf of the Tamil community, I would like to say that if Tamil is taught at university or degree level to Indian trainee students undergoing training in other subjects in the English stream, more and more young people may be attracted to teach Tamil language.”
“So far, how many CL teachers have been sent overseas for further studies under the training schemes? How many foreign experts have been invited to Singapore to train our local CL teachers? How many in-service courses have been conducted, and what are the results? Mr Sinnakaruppan( In Tamil): Sir, at present, Tamil language is being taught in 150 primary and 75 secondary schools. It is also taught in six Tamil Centres and 13 junior colleges. Learning Tamil is the only way to ensure that our Tamil-speaking children continue to nurture the Indian tradition and practices. The teaching of Tamil language in our schools should focus on two areas. Firstly, to ensure that it would enable our young to use and converse effectively in Tamil language after they have left school. Secondly, it should be of the same standard as the other two second languages, namely, Mandarin and Malay. Many parents have also expressed concern that the standard of Tamil taught in school is high and as such the children have to spend a lot of time learning Tamil at the expense of other subjects. Moreover, they say that there is an over-emphasis on the teaching of grammar. This should be avoided and I do hope that the Ministry will take note of this concern. Presently, there are more than 300 Tamil teachers in our schools. Many of them are getting old and would retire in the course of time. To continue the teaching of Tamil language in our schools, we need more young Tamil teachers. The Ministry should take fresh steps soon to attract Tamil-speaking Indian teachers. For example, at present there is only a Diploma Course for Tamil teachers at the NIE. I request the Minister to have this course extended to a Degree course. A sample survey conducted by an NIE lecturer, Mr K.”
“Not to mention, in future, if they go into business and when they have to negotiate contracts or to make business deals, can they fully understand the terms and conditions written in the contracts and agreements? My next question is on the supplementary reading materials. Good supplementary materials will enhance the effectiveness and interest in learning. I would like to know how many such publications have been produced by the Ministry of Education so far. How many of them have been adopted by the schools and have we achieved the desired effects? I feel that such supplementary materials should not be stereotyped and be confined to certain forms. We must learn how to motivate the students and make learning more interesting for them. For example, we can use wuxia xiaoshuo (gungfu novels) to arouse the interest of the younger generation in reading Chinese books. We can even use comics to introduce the Chinese classics and philosophical thinking. Mr Chai Tzechong ( ) of Taiwan has effectively introduced the thinking of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Zen, as well as the well-known classics such as The Three Kingdoms, to the general readers, particularly catering to the young people. This is something which deserves the consideration and emulation of the Ministry of Education. My third question is related to the rapid advancement of science and technology. Can our secondary schools use multi-media computer software to teach the students so that they can also learn the various Chinese software for future use? Teaching methods should be upgraded in tandem with the advance in technology in order to enhance the interest of students in the learning of the Chinese language. My final question is on the training of teachers.”
“My point, all along, has been that the yardstick of measuring CL standard is whether the student has the ability to read the Chinese newspapers and write simple Chinese letters after 10 years of study. The Report of the Committee on the Review of the Teaching and Learning of the Chinese Language, headed by Mr Ong Teng Cheong, made a number of recommendations on curricula, teaching materials, word-list, supplementary reading materials, and training and morale of Chinese teachers, etc. I would like to ask the Ministry of Education four questions just to find out the latest development and situation. I am not trying to make life difficult for the Minister for Education. First, on the curricula and teaching materials. The Ministry of Education, in formulating the syllabus of CL, particularly for primary schools, has introduced what sort of renewal and changes. What is the outcome? I need to emphasize one important point, ie, in learning Chinese language, the emphasis should be on vocabulary and phrases rather than on the word-list. For example, all students have learnt one, two, three, four, etc. in Chinese, but when they read the Chinese newspapers on politics, economics and current affairs, phrases like yi guo liang zhi " " (one country two systems), liang an san di " " (two coastal areas and three territories), liang mian san jian shao ban " " (two years of tax exemptions and three years of 50% tax reductions) and wu jiang si mei " " (five stresses, four points of beauty) and liu tong yi ping " " (six connections and one levelling), but do they understand the connotation of the numbers in these phrases?”
“The function of mother tongue in these aspects should now be further affirmed. Second is its economic function. With the economic reform and opening up of China, the Chinese language has become more and more important. Even if we look at the language from the utilitarian viewpoint, we will find that it is fast becoming a very important business language. But have our investors, managers, executives and professionals who work in China taken the advantage of being effectively bilingual? I have come to a conclusion, that is, be it from the cultural or economic point of view, the trend is set where the oriental civilization has re-established itself. We no longer need to spend time and effort, like in the past, using all means ( ) to motivate and to induce Chinese parents to accept the need to let their children learn the Chinese language. The present need not be an extension of the past. The second issue is the standard of the Chinese language. In order to play the dual role of cultural and economic functions, the key is that we must attain a certain standard of proficiency in the Chinese Language. Assessment of the standard cannot be based only on the percentage of students obtaining "As" in the PSLE or "O" level examinations. I have been emphasising again and again that the passing rate is only one of the performance indicators. We should not put the cart before the horse. We should not indulge in self-deception, and neglect the other criteria of evaluation. We should be more objective in our assessment of the standard of various subjects, including science and mathematics, and languages. As far as the Chinese language is concerned, one yardstick is whether or not the student is able to master and apply the language.”
“With the development in telecommunications, the facsimile, and IDD telephone calls, the use of telex where only English is used is fast becoming obsolete. So the mother tongue can now be used as effectively as English in telecommunications. We are encouraging our young people to go overseas, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. They should learn to use more of the mother tongue. We should encourage them to strengthen their mastery of the mother tongue. I hope the Ministry can consider my proposal. 4.45 pm Dr Ow Chin Hock( In Mandarin): Everyone is thanking the Minister for Education and I would also like to thank him. But we must not forget to thank the Minister for Finance too, because he has done a great job in managing our public finance. We must also thank the Government for its sound fiscal policy which has led to our economic growth and prosperity, enabling us to generate budgetary surplus which can be used to raise the salaries of our civil servants and teachers, and to prevent us from getting into a budgetary deficit. Sir, let me first deal with the question of teaching and learning of the Chinese language. Firstly, the motivation for learning the Chinese language. Because of the situation and the trends in Singapore and outside, the question of whether there is a need to learn Chinese no longer exists in the Chinese community. The Chinese language has two roles to play. First is its cultural role, ie, to propagate the few thousand years of Chinese culture, thoughts and values. Language is part and parcel of the culture. Now that our nation has developed to the present succcessful stage, we should pay more attention to our personal inculcation of moral values, cultural grace, social behaviour and family cohesiveness.”
“So, in less than 10 years' time, the use of mother tongue will be on par with the English language. Therefore, we should now cultivate greater use of the mother tongue which will make its contribution to our economic development. According to an editorial in the Lianhe Zaobao of 24th June 1995, it said that the economic take-off in China and Indonesia has given us a lot of opportunities to participate in their economic development. Our entrepreneurs, executives and administrators and a lot of young executives go there to develop their business. But they always find that the language that they have learned for some 10 years, with reasonably good results, is inadequate when it comes to actual application. I observe that many people cannot understand the contents of the contracts they have signed in the mother tongue or they cannot converse fluently in their mother tongue. It shows that language or the mother tongue cannot be learned just from watching TV and movies alone. More efforts should be put in to master the language. I feel that the Ministry of Education should further review the bilingual policy, especially to strengthen the teaching of the mother tongue so that you can read, learn and use more of it, and thereby contribute to our economic growth. I would like to suggest that our students in secondary schools and junior colleges be allowed to use their mother tongue as a medium of instruction for history, literature, economics, civics and other subjects, so that they are more exposed to the use of the mother tongue to strengthen their mastery in the language. I think what we should emphasise is the quality of mother tongue and not just for examination only.”
“Sir, these children are in a very unfortunate situation and need all the encouragement from the public. We should not treat handicapped children differently from other kids. They should not be made to feel alienated, for they need to assimilate with society for their future well-being. Excluding them from Edusave grants which are being given to all other children will only raise in them a feeling of being different from others and would adversely affect their sense of dignity. I would therefore strongly urge the Government to consider granting Edusave grants to handicapped children, which should be the same for all children. Mr Peh Chin Hua( In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, first of all, I would like to thank the Minister for Education for announcing the salary revision and promotion prospects for teachers. I thank him for the strong support. I think all the teachers of Singapore will thank him for that. Now, let me deal with the importance of using the mother tongue. In Singapore, we all know the importance of bilingualism. Students learn English as the first language, and try to master the mother tongue at the same time. But with the economic boom in the Asia-Pacific region, I think we should further strengthen our bilingual policy, especially paying more attention to the use of the mother tongue. With the economic take-off in the Asia-Pacific region and the Government encouraging Singaporeans to go regional in China, Malaysia, India and Indonesia, I think we have a lot of investments going there as part of our regionalisation. Therefore, the degree of use of our mother tongue is different from the past when we were only talking about preservation of our traditional values and cultures. Now it has assumed a new dimension of economic value.”
“Sir, the Edusave Endowment Scheme was launched with the aim of maximising and equalising educational opportunities for all Singaporeans. It is precisely on this basis that I feel Edusave should be extended to our handicapped children. This issue was brought up by the three previous speakers. This issue had also been debated in this House before but was rejected by the Government. The Government's reason for excluding the handicapped children from the scheme was, I believe, that the special schools, which handicapped children attend, were enjoying more grants and assistance per annum than other Government and Government-aided schools. Apparently, the grant for a special school is approximately twice that for a standard school. This is probably still the case today. However, whilst many non-handicapped children proceed beyond secondary education to university, polytechnic and ITE, very few handicapped children go to institutions of higher learning. Thus, the overall education expenditure outlay for handicapped children may not be far different from that of other children. The Government's argument that handicapped children are not entitled to Edusave grants, because their schooling is already costing the Government more is also not valid if we consider the special programme such as the Gifted Education Programme (GEP), the art and music elective programmes which are extended to non-handicapped children. The cost per student for the GEP, for instance, is more than twice that for standard education. And yet GEP students receive Edusave grants. Furthermore, I feel that even if the schooling for the handicapped costs more, we ought to be gracious enough to discount that and treat them on an equal footing.”
“Sir, can the Minister answer my question about the viability of setting up a database?”
“Sir, my topic is Database of Welfare Recipients. The Government provides social assistance in the form of Public Assistance Scheme, Small Families Incentive Scheme, Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme and several others for the destitute and needy. In addition, a number of VWOs are always providing financial assistance or assistance in kind to low income earners. As VWOs are not always aware of the assistance given by MCD or other VWOs to their recipients, overlap of cases will occur. I would like to suggest that MCD compile a database of all welfare and social assistance recipients, including the assistance they receive from VWOs. This, of course, would require VWOs to submit all their cases to MCD for compilation. This data should be made available to VWOs to help them check and assess an applicant's financial situation before deciding on the kind of assistance to extend to the applicant. Having access to such a database would prevent wastage of the manpower resources of VWOs to verify the applicant's data on their own. Furthermore, VWOs have limited finances which are derived mainly from donations. It is important that these finances are distributed to the poor according to their degree of need. Those genuinely in need should receive proper help. We can afford to be generous with this group of people. However, it is also equally important that the able-bodied are not being over assisted as to de-motivate them from trying to be self-reliant.”
“I am still not very clear. The AMD covers all manners of death, including death by accident. So we could have a common situation where the victim has pledged his kidney and now you need a specialist to certify him brain dead. Do you require two or three specialists?”
“If the person did not sign the living will, will the requirement then be different?”
“Sir, I would like to seek clarification. If a Muslim is involved in an accident and lapses into a coma and is hooked on to a life-support equipment but subsequently he dies and he has opted in under the Human Organ Transplant Act as well as the living will, which procedure would be required? Would three specialists be required to pronounce him brain dead and remove the equipment or just two medical practitioners are required? Mr Abdullah Tarmugi( In Malay): In such a situation, the doctor who is responsible for the patient and two experts will certify that the kidney may be used for transplant. The person has passed away as a result of an accident and did not die due to the withdrawal of life-support equipment, in this case he is certified as already dead.”
“I would therefore like to further suggest that these workers be paid a bonus from the fund for attending and successfully completing the courses. Perhaps the Government could look at this as a more productive way of distributing future budget surpluses back to the people. If this scheme manages to draw workers to seek training on their own, there would be less need for employers to organise training for their staff. Thus, we can expect less withdrawal from the SDF. Some portion of the SDF levy could then perhaps be transferred to the workers' fund. 2.15 pm”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, over these past few days, many Members of the House have raised their concerns about the need for provisions for training and retraining in the budget. The importance of our workforce to continually upgrade themselves in a fast-changing economy like Singapore is well recognised. Though companies do take advantage of the SDF scheme to send their staff for training, many of our workers, mainly in the low income group, still do not have access to developmental courses. As Mr Sinnakaruppan has just said, the main reason for the hesitation on the part of the employers is that they are facing a shortage of labour and can ill afford to release any of their workers for training during working hours. Another concern for them is whether these workers will stay on with the company after completing their training. To overcome the impasse, we should motivate these workers to take up training courses on their own. This would have to take place outside their working hours. As many low income earners are taking on overtime work or additional jobs, it may take some effort to persuade them to go for courses to upgrade their literacy or numeracy skill, computer or other forms of training. Therefore, similar to what Mr Sinnakaruppan and Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon have proposed, I would also like to suggest that the Government set up a separate fund for workers' training. Every worker below a certain income level could be credited with a sum of money each year. Workers may make use of this money to pay the fees for approved courses of their choice. Paying the fees alone may not be sufficient to persuade this group of workers to seek training.”
“We can consider this suggestion. The other point is about the reduction of the engine capacity of motorcycles from 150 cc to 100 cc. Again, this is a suggestion which he has talked about and, in the same spirit, I will ask the Traffic Police to consider it. Mr Cheo Chai Chen( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, many Singaporeans have married foreign wives but they have one common problem and, that is, before their wives become permanent residents of Singapore, they cannot stay permanently in Singapore with their husband and children. So if the wives come from far away, then very often they have to fly over a long distance and that would cost them a lot of money for the air tickets. Therefore, I would suggest that the Ministry of Home Affairs consider granting a longer period of stay for foreign spouses. I think at least one to two years at a stretch for them to stay in Singapore, and on expiration of the period, be allowed to apply for renewal.”
“We must implement firm measures as we still have a long way to go as compared to the accident rates of other countries. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, I thank the NMP for his suggestions. Indeed, we are going all out to bring down the accident rates both for cars and motorcycles. His comments, in fact, show that he is mindful that there is a need for us to continue looking at new measures. Mr Imram has suggested some new measures that the Ministry can consider. I think these are good suggestions. For example, his point that courtesy and graciousness on the road should be part of a test. Let me first say that courtesy and graciousness on the road do contribute to road safety. It is for this reason that the Traffic Police has been mounting nation-wide campaigns yearly to promote courteous driving. I would ask the Traffic Police to study Mr Imram's suggestion on incorporating courtesy into driving tests. However, I should add that changing the testing requirements alone would not be adequate. To ensure that courteous driving and graciousness are entrenched in the behaviour of all road users, the promotion of road courtesy must go beyond the testing stage. There have to be sufficient incentives to encourage such behaviour and adequate disincentives to deter them. The other point that Mr Imram mentioned is the need to restrict probationary motorcyclists from carrying pillions. Probationary motorcyclists form about 5% of the total number of motorcyclists on our roads. However, of the 117 motorcyclists and pillions who died on the road last year, a disproportionate 24% were probationary motorcyclists and their pillions. This shows the vulnerability of probationary riders and the pillions. Mr Imram has suggested disallowing them from carrying pillions.”
“I will just stick to the points then. I would like to suggest a few points to enhance road safety. One is due to the low state of graciousness in road safety. I would like to suggest that courtesy be included in the syllabus during the test for new drivers. There should be an allocation on the driving test score sheet for such consideration. Demerit points should be awarded for any sign of discourteousness on the road during the test. Furthermore, new drivers could be given a video show on road courtesy and proper road usage after the test. The second point is on motorcycle accidents. Since many of the road accidents involve motorcyclists as well as their pillions, I would like to suggest that new riders are not permitted to carry pillions during the probationary period of one year. Having a pillion at the back increases riding difficulty and also reduces braking performance. So it is logical to let them have some experience before they carry a pillion on the road. The third point is about children being carried as pillions. We have strict measures for children travelling in cars but we seem to be a bit lacking for children travelling on motorcycles. I feel that they deserve no less protection. One other point on motorcyclists is that, currently, when they first get their class 2B licence, they are allowed to ride up to 200 cc motor bikes. I would like to suggest that the limitation be reduced to 100 cc or less. This is because there are motorcycles of 125 cc and above which are sufficiently powerful to cause serious accidents, if not handled properly. In conclusion, I would like to say that, as we embark on a world class transport system, road safety must also improve in tandem.”
“Yes. I am confident the public will be fully supportive of the Government's action.”
“Those who have succumbed to drugs should be dealt with firmly, even if they are new addicts. We need to be firm to be kind. Statistics have shown that the possibility of a successful rehabilitation is greater the earlier they are treated and it becomes extremely difficult once they become hardcore addicts. Therefore, there should be strong disincentives for them from repeating the offence. Whilst maintaining a tough stance against drug abusers, we need to have compassion for those who show a genuine desire to rehabilitate. They should be given the full opportunity to return to society and lead a useful and normal life. 4.45 pm The Singapore Government ought to be commended for taking a committed and hard-headed approach to resolve the drug problem and some positive results are beginning to show. Nevertheless, more still needs to be done and I would urge the Government to maintain its relentless effort to keep the scourge of drug abuse at bay.”
“Sir, many countries, both the developed and the less developed, are facing acute problems with the abuse of drugs. Drug problem is a menace to society as it leads to crime and violence. Families are torn apart and children neglected. Many intravenous users are also HIV carriers. Drug addiction is a national disease which consumes a great deal of public resources. It causes loss of manpower of the victims during the most productive years. The public has to bear a heavy financial burden in trying to reform the drug abusers. The drug situation in Singapore is contained, mainly as a result of intensive efforts by Government and non-Government agencies to deal with the problem. Tough measures against drug traffickers and pushers help to reduce supply. Rehabilitation centres and half-way houses provide addicts with a chance to reform and to reintegrate with society. However, because of the high relapse rate of drug addicts who have undergone rehabilitation, the only sure way of curtailing the spread of the drug disease is through preventive measures. In this respect, Government organisations like CNB and Prisons work closely with non-Government organisations like VWOs and community self-help groups to reach out to vulnerable youths and to spread the anti-drug message. Sir, for the anti-drug campaign to be effective, there must be a total societal rejection of drug abuse. Our young must be made aware of the danger of drug addiction. There must be no glamour associated with drug taking. Parents should be mindful of maintaining a harmonious family environment, especially with children in their late teens so that they will not resort to drug taking or other forms of delinquency to escape from stresses in their homes. Drug abuse in any form cannot be condoned.”
“This is because if the Government intends to make Singapore Power more profitable, citizens should benefit from the exercise since, after all, the revenue will be derived from them. If, on the other hand, the Government would still prefer Singapore Power's privatisation to be delayed a few years to command a more attractive listing price from major shareholders, the Government should offer share options to Singaporeans now, to be exercised when Singapore Power is finally listed. The offer price should be based on present value with an appropriate discount. The Government will then not be seen to profit from its citizens.”
“A utility board should set pricing controls until competition is available. The Government also announced that Singapore Power tariffs are low compared to the region. A closer look shows only Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines are higher. However, if we compare the ratio of average tariff charged to cost per unit, as illustrated in the chart which I have distributed to Members with your permission, we find that Singapore is third highest in the region, next to Malaysia and Korea. This means that Singapore's tariffs are relatively high. With average tariff at 12.37 and cost per unit at 8.04, the tariff to cost ratio for Singapore is 1.538. If Singapore Power is supposedly operating at an efficient level, then how is it not generating sufficient return when price exceeds cost by more than half? If the tariff is increased by 12-14% as proposed, the tariff to cost ratio would rise to 1.72-1.75, bringing Singapore to the second highest position in the region. In conclusion, as Singapore Power is providing an essential service to the community and as it enjoys a monopolistic position, the Government may want to review the whole approach to privatisation for Singapore Power. The Government should set up an independent committee to study this, including the option of running Singapore Power as a cooperative. The committee can also come up with a recommendation on fair pricing in the light of the created monopoly. If at the end of it, the Government feels that Singapore Power still needs to be privatised, the main reason being to enable Singaporeans to have a direct stake in the economy, as stated by the Minister for Trade and Industry, then the Government should not delay the privatisation.”
“Some of the more obvious purposes would be (1) to allow public to share in the economy and have a direct stake in it; (2) to increase the shareholder base; (3) to enhance Singapore's stock market size; (4) to increase efficiency and competitiveness; (5) to raise capital; and (6) to facilitate expansion into the region. I would like to talk on increasing efficiency. One of the ways of increasing efficiency is to increase competition for Singapore Power. However, the limited size of the Singapore market and the heavy capital investments necessary for power plants and distribution networks provide an entry barrier for any potential competitor. Hence, Singapore Power is expected to maintain a monopoly for many more years to come. As a public company, Singapore Power's conventional objective would be to maximise returns for the shareholders. The Government, by announcing that an increase in tariffs is necessary to make it attractive to potential shareholders, has set a precedent that it is acceptable to simply increase tariffs to please the shareholders. As it has a monopoly, consumers have no choice but to comply. Of course, the argument goes that the public are also shareholders who will benefit from profits made by Singapore Power. But the main beneficiaries will be the bigger shareholders, including foreign investors. There has to be a control mechanism for Singapore Power charges. I believe this has been in place in the privatisation programmes elsewhere as in the UK. Pricing has to be based on a formula based on cost of production and not profitability. To use return on equity as a measure to guarantee a profit level for a public company is difficult to be accepted by the public. To guarantee a return would, in the long run, mean passing on inefficiency to consumers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the 1996 Budget is undoubtedly an excellent one from many perspectives and I have no hesitation in supporting the motion. Today, I would like to touch upon the issue of Singapore Power's privatisation which was mentioned during the Budget Speech by the Minister for Finance about two weeks ago. The announcement by the Government to postpone the privatisation of Singapore Power came as a surprise to Singaporeans. But the bigger surprise to the public was the reasoning given. The public had up to now the utmost faith in the Government's plan for privatisation. They believe that Government's plans are always well-thought through. Unfortunately, this time, the announcement to delay Singapore Power's privatisation leaves the public askance. The Government gave low profitability as the reason for postponing privatisation. Was profitability not known when the decision to privatise was made? Government has said that profitability became apparently low when accounting methods of Singapore Power were changed to comply with commercially common methods. One would expect that Singapore Power's accounts would have been adjusted when the decision to privatise was taken. To announce at this late stage that changing the accounting methods resulted in low profitability can only suggest one of two things. There is more that has not been disclosed, or the Government has not been thorough in its research before taking the decision to privatise. Some even wonder if the postponement has anything to do with the recent corruption case involving a former top official of PUB. The public would need more details to be persuaded that the reason for the postponement is valid. Regrettably, some confidence has been lost. Next, I would like to question the purpose of privatisation.”
“Sir, if the grace period is over now, how come we can observe that there are still quite a number of lorries on the road without these under-run bumpers?”
“LTA proposed that fares for MRT be charged to cover operations and historical cost, but not replacement cost of trains. This would make certain projects viable while keeping fares at an affordable level. I have no qualms with this principle. However, as the Minister said yesterday, we should look at this whole project as a legacy for our next generation. As such, we should not leave them with a high financial burden to carry if we can help it. Just like in a family, responsible parents should provide for their children's future, including giving them a head start in adult life if the parents could afford it. To provide them with a hefty bill instead, as in the case of the proposed financing scheme, would be remiss of our parental obligations. I would therefore like to suggest that the Government put aside a small percentage of its budget surplus each year into a sinking fund to pay towards the replacement of major assets. After all, an improved transport system would contribute towards economic growth to improve productivity, and indirectly contribute towards the Government's till. Finally, to curb road demand, there ought to be a change in mindset towards public transport, especially of those in the higher income bracket. These people must regard public transport as an acceptable means of communication and that there is no shame to travel by bus. LTA should spearhead a drive to achieve this change of mindset. We should not rely on fiscal measures alone to force them to switch from driving their cars to using public transport.”
“Cycling is physically healthy provided the roads are safe, of course. It is an efficient form of support facility to the rail system. It will relieve the need to provide parking spaces for cars at MRT stations. In order to encourage the public to use bicycles, LTA should not merely provide bicycle parking facilities at MRT stations and bus interchanges, but must also provide safe cycle tracks. (6) The hon. Nominated Member Walter Woon raised a point in the House yesterday regarding the rising cost of COE due to a cap in supply. I would like to dwell on it a bit more. The Minister for Communications has said that car ownership will increase progressively from the current 1:10 car to population ratio to 1:7 in the year 2010. If an average family unit comprises four people, ie, one couple and two kids, this would translate to one car to just under two families, or over 50% of households would own cars in the year 2010. This means that car ownership would reach the average Singaporean and not be the exclusive domain of only those in the very high income bracket. In fact, as I understand it, the 1:7 ownership ratio was made possible from just the capacity increase of our road network, as outlined in the White Paper. Improved public transport system plus road pricing measures are bound to cut down car usage, especially during the peak periods. If we succeed in cutting down the average mileage of 18,600 kilometres per year currently clocked by our motorists to 10,000 kilometres per year as in Japan, even more households can be allowed to own cars. Perhaps the Minister could confirm whether this is indeed the correct scenario. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not entirely comfortable with the financial framework as proposed.”
“(1) LTA should look into the feasibility of extending the operating hours of public transport, to allow for people who are working on late shift to return home after work. An extended operation, say, to 1.00 am, would allow greater flexibility for companies in rostering staff for the second and third shifts. (2) Taxis contribute to road congestion as much as private cars, if not more, because of empty cruising. Taxis should not become an alternative to owning cars and freely used by commuters. Its use should be curbed. The standard of the other public transport should be raised to a level where taxi use would be kept to an absolute minimum. However, this alone will not curb demand unless taxi fares are adjusted to reflect its true cost. Taxi fares should be raised gradually, as and when the integrated rail and bus system has been put in place. The rise in taxi fares is inevitable if the objective of the White Paper is not to be defeated. (3) Taxis should be discouraged from cruising empty. One way this can be done is to structure the road tax into two components, a fixed component and a variable component which is based on mileage clocked. At the same time, the call and booking surcharge should be reduced so as not to discourage people from dialling a cab. (4) For Singapore, being a high density city state, it is important that air and noise pollution be kept to a minimum for the sake of our long-term health. Wherever feasible, preference should be given to electric propulsion vehicles over those powered by internal combustion engine. Stricter air and noise control measures should also be applied to motorcycles. (5) The use of bicycles should be promoted extensively. The bicycle has many advantages. It is pollution free and cheap.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I speak in support of the motion. The Land Transport Authority deserves to be lauded for producing the White Paper which outlines its vision for a world class transport system. It is well-written and well-illustrated. Government policies and principles are explained in detail. I find the arguments given generally sound. The release of the report is also timely. Singaporeans have, for some time now, been frustrated by the rising cost of car ownership and also not knowing what to expect for their future. The White Paper would enable the public to better appreciate the transport problems faced by Singapore and the challenges ahead. It maps out quite comprehensively the near and long-term strategies for the public as well as private transport. Singaporeans would as a result be able to assess the individual transportation needs and make informed decisions. I have discussed the report with a number of people, including friends and junior colleagues who normally commute by public transport. They mostly agree with the concept of the White Paper. However, whilst they support LTA's efforts to upgrade our transport system to world-class standard, they are apprehensive about the cost implications. They fear escalating costs which have to be borne by the users. It is thus imperative that fares are kept affordable for the system to be widely accepted by the public. Affordability factor, however, is relative. Some may not mind paying more if they feel that they are getting good value for money. I am therefore glad to note in the White Paper that LTA will provide a wide spectrum of transport choices with differentiation in service standards and cost to suit each individual's preference and pocket. I would now like to add a few comments of my own.”
“Sir, has any money actually been disbursed to private estates for the purpose of upgrading their common areas?”
“Having said all that, I however feel that the Family Violence Bill need not necessarily be adopted as a separate code. It could form part of a wider Family Charter which should also incorporate the Women's Charter and perhaps the Maintenance of Parents Bill. The Family Charter is then a one-stop legal tool that spells out the rights of each and every member in the family. It also ties in with the available judiciary channel, that is, the Family Court. Mr Speaker, Sir, Dr Soin deserves to be commended for her excellent effort in coming up with the Bill. Not only did it provide the impetus but the Bill will, though not perfect in its detailed provisions, provide a good base and contain the necessary ingredients to make it into a good piece of legislation. I support the adoption of the Bill and for it to be sent to a Select Committee for refinement and incorporation into the Family Charter.”