Irene Ng Phek Hoong
Singapore
“Mdm Speaker, elder abuse may be more common than is recognised, particularly amongst seniors with dementia or other cognitive impairments. Does the Minister agree that the barriers to recognising and reporting elder abuse should be addressed? One of them is the lack of a clear definition of elder abuse.”
“I am heartened by the Minister's reply. In my duties as a Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) Member for Defence, I have interacted with many women officers, including commanders in combat units, and they hold their own in a male-dominated workforce.”
“Madam, my condolences again to the families and friends of those who lost their lives at the Sabah Earthquake. I thank the Minister for his reply and we support the Ministry's approach to outdoor adventure learning and its continuance.”
“Thank you, Madam. It is heartening to see how readily Singapore responded to the disaster in Nepal. I would like to ask the Second Minister: now that the disaster relief phase is coming to an end, how would Singapore contribute to the long-term reconstruction phase that follows?”
“This will help to sustain the practice and tradition and increase appreciation of their artistry within the community and beyond. We should also conserve the unique tools of traditional art forms, such as the last remaining dragon kiln in Singapore, and protect it as part of our heritage.”
“I would like to ask about the stress levels on the students. I welcome the Ministry of Education's (MOE) shift to go beyond grades. But, on the ground, Page: 123 the reality is that there is increasing pressure on the students to chase good grades, given the very competitive system and also the high expectations of parents.”
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Every one of 931 lines we hold for Irene Ng Phek Hoong, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 14 of 19.
“Sir, line supervisors are the most critical link in the safety chain because of their proximity to potentially dangerous situations. The line supervisors need to have a good understanding of regulations concerning safety. Since line supervisors are usually regular employees, provisions need to be made to ensure that they receive training on a regular basis. Worker training is next in importance. I would urge the Manpower Ministry to step up on its efforts to train those working on the worksite on the need for safety in a comprehensive manner. As we know, most of the construction workers are foreigners - from Bangladesh, India, China, Thailand and other countries. Hence, they are most at risk should there be an accident. I would ask the Manpower Ministry to investigate whether there is a link between language and cultural barriers and employee deaths. Is enough done to reach out and educate them on safety practices? Are there, for example, Thai-speaking or Bangladeshi-speaking trainers available with class materials and handouts in their language (in addition to English materials), to reach out to the thousands of construction workers in Singapore who have trouble understanding, reading and speaking English? Sir, in the end, the factor that induces the motivation that initiates the training is money. We must make sure that companies are persuaded that it is profitable to be safe. Relatively small expenditures upfront, as shown by the costs of training and safety equipment, can prevent large costs incurred after an accident. Lost time, loss of reputation, increased insurance costs, loss of competitiveness, and potential ligitation are strong reasons to invest in safety.”
“This would increase accountability and place top priority on the need for safety. Presently, big companies are required to have a safety officer but, more often than not, they are wearing other hats at the site, such as a foreman or line supervisor. Given the pressures, he is not full-time looking at the safety of the site. Rather, his priority is often getting the job completed on time and supervising his workers. Sir, in Europe and the US, the head of the organisation or a board member appointed as safety director is ultimately responsible for health and safety of the operations. There is a need to promote safety awareness and accountability as a fundamental value at the top levels. In essence, the development of a safety culture where safety is a habit rather than a chore. When upper management has made a commitment to be safe, they create a momentum which motivates middle managers, construction supervisors and, finally, workers to be safe. Without the motivation from the top, there is little chance that a successful safety programme will develop and almost no chance that a safety culture will develop. For this, financial support for the safety programmes is a must. Safety should be made the first item on the agenda at management meetings. This way, upper management will display its commitment to safety to lower level management. But even if there is strong commitment from the top management, it does not necessarily mean that it has been successfully implemented by the line managers on site. In many cases, it is personnel, who have a priority for production rather than safety, which occupy key positions on-site and decide how the project is run.”
“The question now becomes why would a worker wish to continue to work in an unsafe environment knowing that it could risk his life. Sir, like Dr Teo, I do not wish to speculate on the causes of the Nicoll Highway accident, but I have three questions for the Transport Minister that need to be clarified: (1) Was LTA aware that there were earlier danger signs that the worksite was unsafe, and if not, why not? Those in the industry said that workers had been giving their feedback earlier that the site was unsafe, including the newspaper reports of an LTA supervisor who later committed suicide. Was LTA aware of such feedback and, if so, did LTA act on them? (2) I feel that LTA should set the example of putting safety first before everything else. Yet, its knee-jerk reaction after the Nicoll Highway accident was to announce that the works would continue in other sites along the Circle Line. Why did it take four days after the Nicoll Highway cave-in before the BCA ordered work to stop at 16 of the 24 worksites on the 33-km line so that they could be checked for safety? (3) Does LTA make it a requirement for the contractors to employ advanced and sensitive equipment, which I understand is expensive, to monitor soil movement in such potentially dangerous areas? I think these questions need to be addressed and I hope that we will hear the answers. Sir, given the dangers of construction work, I would also like to ask the Ministry of Manpower what is being done to pressure upper management to play a key role in reducing construction accidents. To focus top management attention on safety, I would urge the Ministry to require all big companies to appoint a director with specific responsibility for safety within his firm.”
“Yes, I welcome the Land Transport Authority's introduction of a new performance scheme for future civil works contracts in which contractors with good safety performance will be paid up to $1 million. While this is a step in the right direction, as Dr Teo pointed out, it needs to be asked if this can be really effective, given the climate of low bids. If you drop $50 million to $70 million in your bid to get a contract, $1 million is a drop in the ocean. We have to fix the climate of encouraging unrealistically low bids in this cut-throat environment. Safety enforcement is an important component also, but the problem with Government enforcement is that it needs to be comprehensive in order to be effective. The sheer number of construction companies and worksites in Singapore that need to be overseen makes it very difficult. Hence, it is important to encourage companies to self-regulate and invest in training. There are often two reasons cited for worksite accidents: (1) Failing to identify an unsafe condition that existed before an activity was started or after an activity was started; and (2) Deciding to proceed with a work activity after the worker identifies an existing unsafe condition. These two reasons put the primary responsibility for safety on the worker because the worker is the person nearest and most likely to detect an unsafe situation. In the event that the worker has not been properly trained, many unsafe situations may go unnoticed. In that case, the line supervisor and, ultimately, the employer also share in the burden of responsibility. However, the worker still plays the key role in deciding what to do once an unsafe condition has been identified.”
“We should be concentrating on getting value for money which means taking quality and safety into account. In its actions and contracts, the Government agencies must send a strong signal that they place top priority on safety by spelling out its safety requirements clearly in its contracts. For example, the contracts should tighten the procedures by making clear the design intent of the temporary protection works and spell out the need for a professional engineer to not only endorse the design, but to also supervise the construction of these temporary protection works at the site. This is to ensure that they are built according to specifications. The safety officer on site is not trained to tell whether a design is safe or not. The client should also specify clearly a reasonable construction period. The experience of many in the construction industry is that projects have to be completed in a mad rush within very tight deadlines, and in the rush, corners are cut and accidents can happen. The Government should also amend the safety-related regulations for construction sites to extend them to the sub-contractors as well, and not only the principal contractor. Sir, the levels of health and safety management are often determined by the requirements of either the client and/or consultants and contractors. For construction companies in Europe and the USA, safety for the workers is a number one priority as far as senior management is concerned. Clients are very demanding with regard to health and safety and will only deal with companies which are not only seen as caring for their workforce, but have safety planning, safety management and performance and have the records to back it up. Our efforts in this direction seem to be inadequate.”
“Sir, there is a genuine concern that the cut-throat tender system has a role to play in this lack of focus on safety at construction sites. The competition in the construction industry is so acute that a string of construction companies have gone under. And for those which survive, many are tempted to offer unrealistically low bids to get a job to stay afloat. There have been instances when certain contractors were known to dive $50 million to $70 million lower than the others in their bids for a Government contract - and they got the jobs. Surely, the question would be: how could their bids be so far off from the others and were they realistic? The trouble does not stop there. Once such contractors with low bids get the job, the other contractors bidding for other similar projects will also dive low, as they use these past successful bids as a guide. It becomes an industry-wide frenzy to the bottom. No wonder so many companies go belly up. So acute is the competition that companies are making all manner of short-cuts to reduce costs, especially when the costs of construction-related materials have risen world-wide. Installing safety measures and equipment is expensive and takes time. Hence, when constructing temporary protection works, such as retaining walls and struts, they will be tempted to offer a cheaper design with cheaper materials with a lower safety factor, as they will help them save costs. Smaller sub-contractors are often identified as culprits as they are prone to cutting corners because of their tight margins and poor cash flow. Sir, we should review the industry practice of encouraging awards that go for the lowest quote, which runs the risk of attracting cowboys and increasing accidents.”
“Sir, the recent two accidents at Nicoll Highway and Ayer Rajah are stern wake-up calls to step up on safety at construction sites. The accidents claimed six lives. And I join my hon. colleague, Dr Teo Ho Pin, in offering my deepest condolences to their families. [Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Chew Heng Ching) in the Chair] 5.26 pm I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Home Affairs Minister for awarding a posthumous Medal of Valour to the late foreman Mr Heng Yeow Peow who put the lives of his workers above his own. I am sure the Heng family will have some comfort from this award. While we can never make up for their loss, this House can help make sure that the lives of other workers will not continue to be put at risk, and that everything that can be done will be done to ensure the safety of workers at construction sites. And we must tackle this comprehensively at all levels. Sir, the brutal fact is that despite all the professed progress that we have made so far, there are still more workers killed in the construction industry than in any other major industrial sector. In the past 12 years, construction accidents claimed the lives of 549 workers, accounting for more than 65% of all fatal industrial accidents in that period. The key question that needs to be addressed is: why do these fatalities continue to occur at such a high rate? I would like to highlight three areas that we should look into: (a) Whether our regulations and tender process do enough to promote safety. (b) The responsibilities of the construction companies and the steps that they should take to reduce the number of accidents. (c) The area that involves the workers themselves and whether they have a safety culture.”
“Sir, in the specific case of the Nicoll Highway tragedy, can the Parliamentary Secretary inform us how much is paid out to the families of the workers who have died?”
“The Parliamentary Secretary has said that the Ministry will continue to review the compensation paid for workers who die in Singapore. Can I ask the Parliamentary Secretary, given that in the US they pay up to $272,000, I think there is a case for us to relook at our figures to see whether we are paying adequate compensation and also given that many of those who have died at construction sites are foreign workers, they should expedite the process, especially since the families are in dire need of the cash.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Ministry whether the compensation that is given in Singapore is comparable to that given overseas.”
“By passing this amendment, the Constitution takes an important step towards enshrining one of our most precious ideals - equality - as one of our basic rights as a citizen. Today is indeed a very good day for all of us who believe in the Singapore Dream.”
“The US amended its laws in 1934 to provide the children of US female citizens born abroad before 24th May 1934 and their descendants with the same rights to citizenship at birth as children born of male citizens abroad. That makes us 70 years behind. But then again, if we take the historical perspective, the concept of citizenship for Singapore is a relatively new one as we are a young independent country. But that is all the more reason, as a young nation, that we should always look for ways to strengthen the core of what it means to be a Singaporean in this globalised world. This amendment also raises the question of the rights and responsibilities of being a Singapore citizen abroad compared to a citizen at home. The most fundamental rights of this external citizenship are those of diplomatic protection and of return to one's country of citizenship. Many states have added social welfare rights and political rights to this list. I believe that it is important for our citizens abroad to retain strong social ties with Singapore, especially since they will be able to vote from overseas. We should do more to engage overseas Singaporeans so that wherever they are, they share our national aspirations and can tune in to our national dialogue and make a positive contribution to our progress. Hence, I support fully the residency criterion for the Singapore parent by descent before the citizenship can be transferred by descent to another generation. In conclusion, Singapore citizenship comes with a bundle of rights and obligations. It also comes with a set of principles and ideals that defines what it means to be Singaporeans.”
“This sense of equality must be so ingrained in our national psyche that when we recite our national pledge, "to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality", it should resonate deeply, as it reflects our daily realities. Sir, very often, however, we are told that we live in a patriarchal society and I dread raising this again because I can imagine the sighs of this House. But I would just like to caution against using such cultural arguments to justify any unequal treatment of our citizens. In the long run, people will not accept that citizenship can be fully practised other than among equals. When we now say today, "We, the people of Singapore" in our national pledge, we do not think of ourselves as women or men, but as equal citizens and that is necessary for a full sense of belonging. Today marks an important step and milestone, a positive step forward for equality in Singapore. We know that the group of Singaporean women benefiting from this change is small, but the symbolic value is enormous for all of us as equal citizens of Singapore. Sir, for real advancement, however, these steps need to be placed on top of each other, with the sure-footedness of one acting on principle and out of conviction and not steps scattered haphazardly over the landscape as and when opportunity knocks or the winds change direction. And I must also point out that for a developed country which boasts of giving its people a first-world standard of living, we are quite behind in making this amendment. Britain changed its relevant laws in 1981 so that since 1st January 1983, women have been able to pass on their British citizenship to their children who were born outside the UK in the same way as men. So we are about 20 years behind.”
“Sir, for at least a decade, the women in this House, past and present, have advanced various arguments to amend the Constitution so that its provisions are gender neutral. I am glad that at long last, this is coming to pass. Sir, I do not want to sound churlish, but I think it is important to be clear on what is the principle that is guiding us in making this significant amendment today. Is it out of pragmatism because of changing circumstances, economic imperatives, declining birth rate, a trend of Singaporeans marrying foreigners, migration patterns, or is it something more fundamental that this past discrimination against women should be redressed as all citizens should be treated equally under the Constitution? I am not saying that the other factors should be discounted, but they should be contributing factors and not the deciding factors. Sir, we need debates like this to remind us that when Singapore was founded, the vision of our founding leaders was to create a fair, just and equal society and a better society for all. This is the original Singapore Dream. The idea that guided us through the early days of the Republic is the vision that has brought millions of immigrants, myself included, to a land where a better life is possible and to eventually want to become Singaporeans. Equality is a value that is fundamental to our national identity and hence to be defended and promoted vigorously. Sir, when we come across any policy or legislation that goes against this fundamental principle, our response must be to take the moral high ground and to raise a red flag - in our case, a red and white flag - and to rectify without undue delay.”
“Sir, I find it hard to be persuaded that we can insulate Singaporeans if we have a casino for foreigners only. Since it also involves creating jobs, Singaporeans would have to go to casinos to work in jobs like croupiers, blackjack dealers, showgirls and what-nots. Therefore, there will be social implications, no matter how hard we try to insulate it. Hence, I would urge the Minister to kindly consider this very carefully and take into account the various studies all around the world that show that casinos do lead to higher family breakdowns, bankruptcies, gambling addicts and other social ills.”
“Sir, would the Minister agree, while this is purely for tourists, that the intention is for tourists, that it would have an impact on Singaporeans, as there will be a class consciousness being created, as we are creating a playground for the rich, and one of the pleasures of living in Singapore is that the rich do not flaunt their wealth?”
“Sir, the Minister of State did not answer the third part of my question, which is when would the decision be finalised. Also, there have been reports that MTI is already consulting some major casino operators. Can I ask whether this is true?”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister when the recommendations will be out? May I also ask the Minister how minimal will be the price increase for commuters?”
“So, the eligible employees are able to request for a change to the hours they work, a change to the times when they are required to work, and to work from home. Sir, I think we should, on our side, also consider whether we need such a law to speed up the pace of companies offering flexible work arrangements. My last point is on the role of MOM because, increasingly, it seems to be MCDS taking the role in driving the effort.”
“So, she quit and just paid off her bond of $15,000, and is now a full-time mum. She would have stayed on in the company had it been more open to the idea of flexible hours. Companies will lose bright promising employees if they persist along this line. But I fear that they are not adjusting to the new realities fast enough. Sir, many parents, men and women, are anxious that asking for more flexible hours would mean job security being at stake, their salary and benefits may be affected, and also they may be passed over for promotion. So, unless the right to apply to work flexibly is enshrined in law, companies will continue to resist the request to provide flexible work arrangements. Some countries, such as the UK, have taken the bull by the horns and introduced a law to give parents the right to apply to work flexibly, and for their employers to have a duty to consider this request seriously. I think it just came into effect this year. It does not provide an automatic right to work flexibly, as there will always be circumstances when the employer is unable to accommodate the employee's desired work pattern. The right is designed to meet the needs of both parents and employers, especially small employers, and aims to facilitate discussion and encourage both the employee and the employer to consider flexible hours and to find a solution that suits them both.”
“Sir, we have been talking about the need for companies to introduce flexible working arrangements for years. There is a greater urgency now, given our thrust to have more babies to check our falling fertility rate. But the pace of change in terms of flexible work arrangements has been glacial, and the record has been dismal. Now, we have less than 5% of the companies offering flexible work arrangements, compared to 20% of most developed countries, eg, the US. If we just look at a specific segment like part-time employment rate for women specifically, we have even more alarming figures, eg, 8% of Singapore women work part-time, compared to 60% for women in the Netherlands, and 43% for women in Norway. And it is not a coincidence that the countries that have most part-time work are also more successful in increasing their fertility rates, which is also good for the labour market. Sir, those who have introduced part-time and flexible work arrangements have found that they have benefited, because it is cost-effective, reduces staff turnover, and improves morale. They do it because it makes business sense. But they are a precious minority in Singapore. Many working mothers who are professionals tell me that they have pleaded with the employers for more flexible hours after they have given birth, but their employers are not open to the idea. The women are made to feel guilty for suggesting this, as though they lack work commitment or professionalism. If I can relate a case of someone I know. She was a good performer at work, often worked long anti-social hours. But after she had a baby, she asked her employer for more flexible hours so that she could juggle her time better between her baby and her work, but she was told no, because of her scholarship bond.”
“I just want to clarify with the Minister on the wider question about what recourse do jobless Singaporeans have when they claim that employers discriminate against them on account of their age.”
“It cannot be that just because we set up an Equal Opportunities Commission, we will have a rigid labour force. Can I ask the Minister to look into its feasibility and see whether it can be used to improve the situation before rejecting it outright? Or else, I fear that we will see a group of angry, frustrated, depressed, older workers coming to see us every week and without having any real or concrete solution to their problems.”
“I think there should be a deeper study now on why they did not stay on in the first place. Is it because of the employers who did not want them anymore, or were there other reasons? I think we need to do a proper study so that we can track where the problem really is. With the economic upturn this year, we can expect more job vacancies. We need to identify specific job sectors and grow these jobs, so that they can absorb our ageing workforce. At the same time, it is imperative that more employers give older workers a chance, and not just pay lip-service to the credo of equal opportunity. 5.30 pm Madam, in the end, the success of the WAP and PJTP depends on the attitude of employers. Can I ask the Minister, if an older worker claims or has evidence that an employer does not want to hire him because of his age, what recourse does he have besides complaining to his MP, who will then sympathise with him and send him off to MOM or to CDCs for job matching? I would urge the Minister to consider taking a harder line towards employers who, with no good reason, have consistently been discriminating against older workers in their hiring practice. Going beyond just soft persuasion and the carrot of wage support, if things do not improve for older workers and we continue to see older workers having problems finding jobs, can I ask the Minister to consider seriously setting up an Equal Opportunities Commission, something I have suggested before but which was shot down because it was deemed to result in a rigid labour force? I was just looking at the chart that the Minister showed just now. The unemployment rate for the US and UK is relatively low, but they both have an Equal Opportunities Commission and they are both held up as examples of countries with a more flexible workforce.”
“Madam, older residents in my constituency still continue to see me in my meet-the-people sessions about their problem of finding a job. The older workers keep telling me that the employers are very direct in telling them, "Look, you are above 45, I am sorry, but we just cannot consider you for this job." And this includes higher educated Singaporeans. Understandably, when they were with me, they were often frustrated, some angry, but most were just depressed. Because they just do not see any hope in overcoming this poor prospect, just because they are above 45 which is something they cannot control or change. I would like to ask the Minister how would he respond to this frustration of older workers who believe that they are being discriminated against. We can tell them about the WDA which I know administers training programmes, grants, and other assistance matters, especially for older workers. But can I ask the Minister how effective has this WDA been in helping older workers specifically, not only in terms of how many people sign up or are being helped, but how effective has WDA been in getting jobs for older workers? As for the People-for-Jobs-Traineeship programme, I am glad that this has been set up to encourage employers to hire older workers with wage support from the Government. We know the statistics. Last year, 44% of the older workers stayed on with their employers even after the wage support from the Government had ended. And we heard from DPM Lee Hsien Loong last week that the proportion has now gone up to 57%. This is encouraging. But I want to know what happens to the other 43% of the older workers. Did they get thrown back to the jobless pool to sink or swim by themselves?”
“I would like to ask the Minister what is his position on this and what can be done to restructure the SEA Games. And I would also want to ask the Minister whether we are on track to reach our target of becoming the top 10 sporting nations in Asia by 2010.”
“Sir, we have various initiatives to promote Sports Excellence and it has shown some results. A major sporting achievement has been the performance of Ronald Susilo who put up a good fight at the semi-finals of the All-England Open last week. We are all very proud of him and we hope that he can also make it to the Olympics and continue to do us proud. Sir, we have also improved our performance in the last SEA Games where we won 113 medals, including 30 golds. But I note with concern that, over the years, the SEA Games has been introducing some obscure sports, like shuttlecock kicking andfin swimming and some odd things like that. The SEA Games need to change the way events are selected or we will not see the end of such esoteric sports introduced by the host to boost their own chances to get more medals at the Games. As my colleague, Mr Tan Soo Khoon said, they are now getting more and more like kampung games rather than SEA Games. Sir, there are now news that football and badminton may be excluded in next year's Games hosted by the Philippines. Imagine football and badminton- this is like your staples in major tournaments.And, perhaps, worse, the traditional Filipino martial arts, arnis, might be included by the host. Our regional athletes need the regular competition and the high level of competition provided by SEA Games to benchmark themselves and to improve so that they can make it to the international level. The SEA Games should not be a game amongst the ASEAN game officials themselves, but it should be a game produced for the athletes to better themselves,or it will not be taken seriously by the international sports community or by the public. Sir, the SEA Games should reform the way it is structured and should offer largely Olympic events.”
“Sir, there is a demand for affordable infant care which also offers quality service. Parents would not want to entrust their babies to low quality care. But good quality infant care which offers a low staff-child ratio is expensive and is beyond the means of most households here. It can cost more than $1,000 a month for each baby. In my constituency, I have done a survey among residents and found that there is a demand for infant care services. But the concern was mainly over cost. Last year, in this House, I had asked for a review of the subsidy for infant care so that we could offer good, yet affordable, infant care services to our residents. At that time, I was told that it was being reviewed. It has been a year. Could I ask the Minister why it takes so long to review the subsidy? We are keen to offer the service but it all hinges on the amount of the subsidy. So, we have to hold back, even though there is a need for such services now. Sir, parents in most European countries can easily find publicly-funded programmes offering good to excellent care. Presently, there are only 20 infant care centres in Singapore and they tend to be expensive. It is important to invest in the development of quality infant care services. I would also like to ask the Minister how can the Ministry ensure quality control among the infant care service providers and increase their professionalism.”
“They can no longer work to make a living and they should not be made to feel by their children as if they have to depend on charity or on the MP's good graces for the rest of their life. I would like to ask the Minister for an update of the maintenance claims made by parents at the Tribunal as a signal of how the trend is, and also for his sense of the situation, and also what can be done to check this emerging problem of children not taking responsibility of the maintenance of their parents, especially when they can afford to.”
“The children are not hard off, but their priorities are on their own young family. And, so the children would put forward the procreation message, "If you want us to have more children, you must help us to maintain our parents." I think this is a very worrying attitude and I would say that it is not wrong to put emphasis on their own young family, but I think it is sad when there is no sense of responsibility towards their own parents,and if they have no qualms about making their parents feel like a burden. Sir, I read a letter recently in the Straits Times on 10th March, headlined, "Mother of three basks in Mum's unconditional love." It said, "I do nothing for my parents. As a housewife I draw no salary and so I do not give them any money. In fact, many would say I have wasted my expensive university education. All I do is to take my children out to see them every Sunday." The writer gave thanks for their unconditional love. This is supposed to be a positive letter about the parent's unconditional love, but reading it I cannot help but feel a bit worried and sad because in our drive to encourage more women to have more babies and bigger families we will see a trend of more women quitting their jobs to stay at home to raise a family. So what would it mean for the maintenance of their parents, especially if the parents have only one or two daughters and may not have a son to help to upkeep them? Sir, I hope that in such situations, the husband of the housewife will also help to maintain the parents. The sense of being secured financially is very important to the well-being of the elderly.”
“The second trend I would like to point out is that it is increasingly difficult for VWOs caring for the elderly to raise funds for their programmes and services and to expand them despite the increasing need to do so. Such centres have to compete with all the other VWOs to raise funds and they are all fishing from the same small pond. The funding from MCDS and CDCsis insufficient to meet the growing needs. I would urge the Ministry to review the present funding arrangements and levels and to consider raising it. At the same time, I would also like to ask the Minister what he can do to help VWOs to improve their fund raising capabilities and to help them to identify new donor pools. My last question I would like to ask the Minister is: what is being done to raise the professionalism of the eldercare centres and to give recognition to our eldercare workers? Elderly I am concerned about reports of the elderly being abused by their children. Every year about 100 elderly people who are battered or neglected in their own homes surfaced in hospitals and welfare agencies and for half of them, their children are the culprits. This trend is worrying as it points to society in which the elderly are increasingly marginalised or seen as a burden rather than human beings to be valued and to be cared for with dignity. I am particularly worried for the elderly who has no regular pocket money from their working children. Not many will file claims with the Maintenance of Parents Tribunal as they do not want to bring shame to the family, but some children, itseems to me, are getting increasingly shameless themselves. They would come with their parents to see me in the meet-the-people session to ask the MP to help to maintain their parents for them.”
“Sir, I would like to point out two worrying trends. First, the trend of the elderly being left at home by their children, or the elderly living alone because their children have moved out to their own homes. Indeed, during my walkabouts I sometimes come across an old man or old woman living alone and left alone by their working children. They often look depressed and often are lonely, especially if they are not mobile. They feel that they are a burden to their families. When I asked them if they would like to go to an eldercare centre, which would offer them interesting activities during the day, provide rehabilitation services so that they can get better and where they have people to talk to and friends to make, they would say yes. Because in such centres they would also have nurses to look out for them and, as I said, they can make new friends. But when you ask their children, their children would be reluctant to spend their $500-600 a month to send their parents to such a day facility which would improve the quality of life for their parents. Sir, I know that the elderly, most of them, would be happier being in an eldercare centre than being alone at home because I have two such eldercare centres in Tampines Changkat and the elderly there tell me that they prefer to spend their morning and day at the centres and return home in the evenings than to be at home alone the whole day. I would like to ask the Minister how we can encourage more children to send their elderly father or mother to eldercare centres during the day. I would also like to ask the Minister how he intends to improve the outreach to the elderly living alone.”
“Sir, the recent explosion incident at the Armour Training Centre and the training deaths last year highlight the need for an effective audit system for training safety. Last year, as part of the review of training and safety systems, several measures have been proposed to enhance the SAF's audit system. They include introducing a safety hotline within each formation which is supposed to be over and above the existing feedback channels to allow servicemen a dedicated chance to give feedback and report safety breaches and bad practices. I just want to ask the Minister whether this has been used and whether it has been useful. I also want to ask the Minister about another measure that has been proposed, which is for benchmarking purposes, that the Army is considering engaging an independent external agency to validate the effectiveness of the safety and audit systems. I would like to ask the Minister whether there has been any decision on this and whether external agencies have been engaged. I also want to add a point to what my colleagues have said about human errors. It is true that human error is hard to predict and control. But we can try to minimise it. But on the other hand, in minimising it, in seeking to ensure safety, I hope that our SAF will not swing to the other end, be so safe that our training lacks the vigour and toughness that it needs to produce a strong SAF.”
“This system was developed by the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) with the cooperation of its partners. It is the first system designed with embedded intelligence for track management, identification and weapons assignment functions. Such developments keep us ahead of the pack. They also help us to compensate for our tight manpower by leveraging on technology. The DSTA has said that it plans to model the agency after the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the US. DARPA's work is high-risk and high payoff. But its success may result in dramatic advances for the US military. Given the importance of R&D, I would like to ask how much we intend to spend on R&D, and what are the strategic thrusts of DSTA.”
“Sir, it is not possible to have security and defence on the cheap and at the same time request for more and better protection against the more complex threats facing us today. Hence, I fully support the decision to increase defence spending this year. This is a necessary investment in the transformation of the SAF in response to new conditions in the security environment. Sir, we need to spend more on counter-terrorism measures and to continue with our systematic efforts to modernise and upgrade the conventional warfare capabilities of the SAF. The challenge is to identify what mix of existing and emerging systems and capabilities is required to deal with the threat environment while also exploiting our own technological secret edge. With the emphasis towards military transformation, I would like to urge the Ministry of Defence to spend more on R&D. This would strengthen its indigenous defence technological capability tailored to our own specific environment and needs as part of our deterrence policy. Currently, Singapore invests some 4% of the Defence budget to defence R&D. But to progress further in developing our own technological edge, we need to be bolder. In January this year, I was privileged to be in the delegation to France to witness the launch of the RSS Formidable. It is the first of six new frigates. They are highly capable warships equipped with advanced combat systems. I noticed that, while the hardware was built in France, the more sensitive software was developed in Singapore. For instance, the command and control of the various sensor and weapons systems onboard each frigate are achieved via an indigenously designed Combat Management System (CMS).”
“Sir, we have talked about pirate attacks in the region for decades and yet the problem persists. I would like to ask the Minister how are we cooperating with the regional countries to combat this worsening problem of piracy and what more can be done. Overseas Missions and Operations”
“Sir, the problem of pirate attack in our regional waters, especially the Malacca Straits, seems to be getting worse, not only in their numbers, but also in terms of their ferocity. The International Maritime Bureau has said that pirate attacks jumped to 445 last year, that is 20% higher than the previous year. Although most of the attacks took place in Indonesian waters, a few occurred in Singapore waters as well. And according to the shipping community, the pirates now come heavily armed, well trained and are well organised and they are attacking with a precision not seen before. This is a disturbing trend, especially with terrorism in the midst. With terrorism, piracy could escalate to a more violent form that would destroy shipping facilities and block shipping channels. Sir, a recent report in AWSJ reported that, in December last year, the Malaysian Marine Police intercepted a small boat off the coast of Sabah and detained eight suspected militants. Under interrogation last month, one of them confessed that he was involved in the planning of a suicide bomb attack in Indonesia. Sir, we must step up our vigilance and presence in the Straits of Malacca. Increasingly, maritime terrorism is becoming a real threat to our security. I would like to ask the Minister if the Police Coast Guard and the Republic of Singapore Navy have sufficient boats patrolling the regional waters and whether they are adequately equipped and are fast enough to pursue the pirates and capture them. Just consider the terrorist attacks on the tanker Limburg and warship USS Cole. Both suffered substantial damage with terrorists in speed boats packed with explosives. Often undetectable by radar, such boats could zip into Singapore waters and do serious damage.”
“I would like to ask the Minister for his assessment on the security outlook for the region and how we are gearing up to meet the expanding spectrum of national threats. Strategic and Security Challenges”
“Sir, I would like to make two observa- tions. First, global terrorism remains a very real threat. The train bombing in Madrid last week was a stark reminder of how violent and senseless terrorism is and how it can happen any time, anywhere and that no country and no one is truly safe. Emerging evidence points to the Islamic militant network, Al-Qaeda, as the group responsible. Indeed, the Spanish authorities are now analysing a video tape claiming that the train bombings were Al-Qaeda’s punishment for Spain’s support for the US-led war in Iraq. Sir, several countries have since stepped up their security after the Madrid attack. The British are deploying anti-terror marshals on trains across the country and throughout London's underground network. France deployed 500 soldiers to key transportation hub, while the US has also increased its rail security. I would like to ask the Minister whether Singapore is taking steps to also beef up its security, especially the public transport security, given that we have also supported the US in the war against Iraq. Sir, combating terrorism also effectively requires the fullest possible international cooperation, especially in intelligence. I would like to also ask the Minister how is our cooperation with our partners on this. My second observation is that the geo-political situation in this region is more uncertain and fluid, as pointed out by my GPC Chairman. Elections in several countries, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, would have implications on this region. The outcome of the US presidential election will also have implications on our policies and the different policies in this region. The historic impeachment of the South Korean President last week adds further uncertainty into the picture.”
“I am happy to note that our drama group, Wild Rice, was a hit when it performed the Singapore version of Animal Farm in New Zealand recently. The International Development Unit of the National Arts Council provides financial support, including International Grant and the International Collaboration Grant. Can I ask the Minister how many arts groups have received such support last year and how much was disbursed through these grants, and whether MITA will be spending more on these grants. I would also like to ask the Minister what more can MITA do to help our artistes to expand their external wing and make a name for themselves and for Singapore. Cultural Capital”
“Sir, last month, I attended a concert by the American vocalist Bobby McFerrin at the Esplanade. He is a 10-time Grammy Award winner known for his vocal innovations and for being a classical conductor. When he was here, he teamed up first with Jeremy Monteiro, our local jazz musician; secondly, with our local percussion band named the Tribal Tide; and the finale he teamed up with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Sir, I must confess that I have never heard of the Tribal Tide before that performance. But I was very impressed at our local level of outstanding funky fusion rhythm and by the fact that they could hold their own against the versatile voice of Bobby McFerrin. Jeremy Monteiro was also, as usual, a joy to listen to. I am a great fan of jazz, so it was very good to see him improvising with Bobby McFerrin. That night, I was very proud of our Singaporean musicians. The show brought home to me how far Singaporeans have come on the arts stage, and how they deserve to be given a greater profile in the local media especially. When I read the Straits Times review of the concert, there was only a passing mention of our local musicians, and it was almost totally all on Bobby McFerrin. I find that it does not do service to our local talents. Sir, such collaborations between global and local talents help to lift the profile of our local artistes and then to the outside world and also to Singaporeans. It also shows our edge in Singapore as the place where we can find the best fusion of the East and the West. We should also encourage more such collaborations between our local and global talents to make a name in the arts on the world stage. Similarly, when our artistes go overseas, they should receive our support, especially in the local media.”
“I hope that next time, when people think of Singapore, it will not be a sin city. I hope we will also not want to become the Las Vegas of Asia, with big casinos and showgirls and compulsive gamblers coming to our shores. Not only is it shallow, it shows up our lack of creativity. New Zealand, to my mind, is a great example of one way to sell itself. Its greatest tourism act is arguably Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. His works convey to the world that New Zealand, a country of three million, is a creative place and also has beautiful landscapes that can pass off as Middle Earth. Malaysia highlights its famous actress, Michelle Yeoh in its "Truly Asia" advertisements and Hong Kong has actor Jackie Chan as its official tourism ambassador. These creative individuals personified what is special about their countries. I would like to ask the Minister, in Singapore, what is our creative edge that we can show to the world as uniquely Singaporean and which we can be proud of as Singaporeans. I also want to ask the Minister: the Government has said no to casinos, why the change of mind now?”
“Sir, as I was saying yesterday, bar-top dancing, beach fun foam parties, reverse bungee jumping and foreign cabaret acts are not uniquely Singapore. Let us not pretend that they are. But I can see what STB is doing, targeting the youngish, hip cosmopolitan crowd and that is fine. But let us not forget families. I think one unique and natural niche for Singapore is to position itself as a fun family destination. It should ride on our clean wholesome image which we should be proud of. It need not be fuddy-duddy or boring. Club Med, for instance, positions itself as the family resort specialist and does a great job of catering to families with all-day activities for children of all ages. Yet, it is also a hip place drawing young couples and young singles. I know that Atlantis City is also seen as a family place although even it has a casino. But I wonder whether it would still be as successful without the casino. If yes, why not be a family place without the casino? Sir, I believe firmly that in our quest to attract tourists, we should not forget what kind of community we are and what kind of community we want to be which leads me to this last point. Over the last few years, Singapore has been loosening up to position itself as a hip, cool cosmopolitan society and a good tourist destination for the young. It is good that Singapore is getting to be more relaxed and more fun, but it will be a sad day if, to attract the tourist dollar and the rich jet-setters, we have no compunction of going the way of Patpong or some of the seedier joints in the region to sell the city, albeit as a top-end, top-draw destination, a version of these destinations. When we go to the airport, sometimes we see in different cities, they abbreviate "Singapore" to "Sin".”
“The Sunday market surrounds a hawker centre, so the visitors can also taste local food. And we often have very long queues for some of the popular stalls in our hawker centre, such as for Hokkien mee and carrot cakes. There is a lot of local colour. Why not the STB look at how to market such quality and interesting local events in HDB estates to tourists? It is certainly more uniquely Singaporean than Crazy Horse or reverse bungee jumping. Sir, another aspect of Singapore that we can highlight is our ---”
“Sir, the latest tourism tagline for Singapore is "Uniquely Singapore". One of the uniquely Singapore advertisement posters boasts of bar-top dancing, beachfront foam parties and thrills like reverse bungee jumping and exciting cabaret acts. As a Singaporean would say: "Wah, since when all these are Singaporean things, huh?" Sir, I am not sure what is unique about bar-top dancing or the exciting cabaret acts, much less what is so Singaporean about them, especially when I understand that one of the cabaret acts that the Singapore Tourism Board plans to bring in is the Crazy Horse, a somewhat erotic cabaret show in Paris. The Crazy Horse features topless and nude women jiggling around and engaging in somewhat suggestive dance moves, although I suppose from a certain angle, especially the male one, it can be quite artistic! According to the 3rd February issue of the Business Times, the STB believes that this could liven up the night life here and attract more tourists. If true, then Singapore must be really desperate for the tourist dollar and must have run out of ideas. The Crazy Horse is uniquely Parisian. I would be more proud of Singapore if it is able to boast its inherent strengths and unique attributes to visitors and, when tourists come, they would see this side of us and remember Singapore for that. Some of our HDB estates and activities are quite unique. For instance, in my constituency Tampines-Changkat, we have the monthly Sunday market which draws quite a crowd. It sells locally made handicrafts, interesting items and, at the last Sunday market, we featured the work of our local artists for sale at a more affordable price than you would get if they are exhibited at the private galleries.”
“The relationship between the political leaders of Malaysia and Singapore this time of the year has improved very much since last year when we last sat. While we welcome the warmer ties, we are also alive to the fact that things can change, especially if these good vibes are not nurtured at the different levels and grounded on principles of mutual respect and equality. But it is good to note that since ties have improved, more business deals have been struck between Singapore and Malaysia, and the clearer sign of this is that Temasek Holdings has been allowed to take a stake of slightly more than 5% in Malaysia's Telecom, its first purchase across the Causeway. And now came the good news about football. It will not be the Malaysia Cup but, at least, we will be playing against each other in good sporting spirit. It is better to be kicking a ball in the field and cheering away in good spirits than to engage in political football that can be destructive. Madam, we should use this window of opportunity to build better trust and understanding between Singaporeans and Malaysians at the different levels, not only at the political and Ministerial levels, but also at the backbencher level. Perhaps, we could exchange teams and have discussions amongst ourselves, at the civil society level and also at the people-to-people level. This is a good time for us to seize the moment, create better understanding and trust.”
“I would like to echo the views of my colleagues. I would like to urge our Government to do more to craft a creative public diplomacy that conveys more effectively to the world the assistance that we have been giving to many other countries in the various forms, from peacekeeping missions to technical assistance. Norway is a good example of a country that has a voice and the presence on the international stage through its concentration on a single message - Norway is the force for peace. This reputation gives Norway a greater visibility than its size warrants. Main activities in this field include Norway's large foreign aid budget and its conflict resolution efforts in the Middle East, Sri Lanka and Columbia. Norway also operates a rapid reaction force to assist in election monitoring and conflict prevention in about 20 countries annually. The Nobel Peace Prize, originating in Oslo, is a historical fact that also raises Norway's profile. In Singapore, we do not have a big budget so we have to be quite prudent. But we do a lot with what we have. We help a lot of countries, but we are not so good at packaging ourselves and conveying our message effectively on how we are - generous within our means. We need to present much broader dimensions of ourselves and more creative ideas in our diplomacy to win the hearts and minds of states in the world beyond being known for our economic achievement and for our military strength. I would like to ask the Minister what are the efforts taken to project its good work and image on the international stage. Technical Cooperation”
“The threat of terrorism also sharpens attention on a broad spectrum of transnational non-conventional security threats, such as arms trafficking, sea piracy, illegal movement of peoples across borders, and the threat of disruption to shipping and maritime trade - challenges that regional states are increasingly under pressure to address as part of a comprehensive war against terrorism. Given these, I would like to ask the Minister three questions. First, what can ASEAN do as a regional grouping to stamp out the breeding grounds for terrorism, especially given fresh suspicions that JI could have evolved into small independent operating units? Second, I would like to echo the questions of my colleagues on what is Singapore's position on the proposal to create an ASEAN Security Community by 2020 which was discussed recently in Vietnam. Third, whether the ARF could be a good venue to engage ASEAN's partners, especially the US, in giving weight to Southeast Asia in fighting terrorism. Dr Warren Lee (Sembawang): Sir, with the advent of bird flu and SARS, the response of countries in the region has been varied. How has this affected relations between ASEAN nations? Have efforts to market the region as a tourist destination been affected? Is the ASEAN mechanism for greater cooperation in the areas of security and intelligence sharing been really effective, given what we have been seeing and reading in the newspapers today? I would like to ask the Minister for his assessment of our relationship with the ASEAN neighbours and his reading of where ASEAN is heading as a regional organisation. I share the concerns of my parliamentary colleagues in this area.”
“Sir, some of the most important accords adopted by ASEAN concern political and security issues, such as the 1971 Declaration designating Southeast Asia as a zone of peace, freedom and neutrality; the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia; the Declaration of ASEAN Concord in 1976; and the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty of 1995. With the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN created a major consultation process and confidence-building mechanism for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. Sir, those mechanisms were created in an era when the potential threats to ASEAN came from outside the region, eg, imperialism, war and communism. But in the 21st century, ASEAN's greatest threats come from within, namely, terrorism. It takes the nebulous form of a shadowy network of fanatics who have hijacked a global religion that gives them an endless supply of recruits and allies in a war. The Bali bombings in October 2002 exposed Jemaah Islamiyah as a region-wide terrorist network. The subsequent arrest and trials of the perpetrators of the Bali bombings give an illusion of a threat contained. The recent news about Abu Bakar Bashir being released showed how much of an illusion it is. Sir, our own intelligence has told us that he was the JI's spiritual leader. His impending release has raised a question mark on whether JI will be suddenly energised. It would seem difficult for ASEAN to face the security challenges posed by groups like JI without a coherent regional security plan and without considering long-standing practices, such as non-intervention and non-interference.”
“In a sense, the direction that political Islam will take will have a bearing on how the radical elements can be contained, especially given the elections in Malaysia and Indonesia this year. Given the American tendency to focus more on the military option in dealing with international terrorism, Washington will need to be reminded that it is also a battle for the hearts and minds and we need to engage the US in this process to sensitise it to the regional problems. Americans' security rests not only on military power but also on international respect and an acknowledged leadership based on the superiority of its system and its ideas. If it is undermined by its own actions, that will be the terrorists' victory. I would like the Minister's reading of this situation. United States of America”