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 15 of 19.
“Sir, Dr Ong's overview was comprehensive. I would like to focus on one question on how the war in Iraq and the war against terrorism are affecting the geopolitics of East Asia, given that in the post-Iraq war era, the United States has emerged as the sole global superpower. I would like to make two observations. First, the US has become more unilateralist and strategically more intrusive. On a foreign policy level, this means demands on allies and pressures on perceived foes. It is multi-lateral when it suits its purposes and unilateral when it wants to get its way. American determination to pursue the war against Iraq without UN authorisation suggests that where its security interests are perceived as being threatened, it will go its own way whatever friends and allies might say. And it turns out that there is no WMD in Iraq for a few years before March 2003 when the US launched its invasion. Sir, it seems to me, as an observer, that the world can be a more uncertain place if we have a superpower with superior military might but not as superior intelligence. Some of us will remember that in 1999, a mistaken air strike against the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade occurred when a US plane attacked the wrong target because the bombing instructions were based on an outdated map. The US is our friend and we welcome its presence in this region but it should bear in mind that it can provoke resentment from lesser powers if it continues to behave unilaterally on the international stage and fumble its way around without due regard for the sentiments of its friends and allies. Sir, second observation. Despite uneasiness of a more interventionist America in the region, states in this region will have to engage America in the long-term war against international terrorism.”
“I also want to make a second point, which is their other recommendations. I thought it is useful to point out that among the recommendations in the Remaking Singapore Committee is one that says, please harmonise the medical benefits of female and male civil servants and also the 5-day work week. These are also part of the Remaking Singapore Committee's report, and it seems a bit ironic that after a committee sat on it for more than one year and put up a nice report, we gave it to another committee called the Working Committee for Procreation to look at the recommendations which had already been put up by another committee. Sir, I hope that this is not the way that we will be looking at recommendations put up by Singaporeans in a holistic report, and would ask for a progress report on the implementation of the Remaking Singapore Committee's recommendations. I also hope that the fate of all the other recommendations will not be similar to the ones on the 5-day work week and female civil servants' benefits in being passed over to another committee, although it is more hopeful than a straight no.”
“Sir, in the year 2002, the Prime Minister set up the Remaking Singapore Committee to remake Singapore in the social, cultural and political dimensions to ensure that Singaporeans will lead full and fulfilling lives in a Singapore that they are proud to call home. Last year, in June, the Remaking Singapore Committee had submitted its final report to the Prime Minister and, in coming out with the recommendations, it has consulted more than 10,000 Singaporeans over more than one year for their ideas. Many Singaporeans have expended much time and effort to put up the report. So, it means much to Singaporeans whether their effort is in vain or worth their while at the end of the day. Sir, I just want to make two points. First, there was a parallel committee, the Economic Review Committee, which also looked at the ways to remake Singapore in the economic realm, and the Government has moved very quickly on the Economic Review Committee. In fact, it was debated in Parliament, it was given a very high signature in the sense that DPM also pushed through the recommendations. But if we look at the Remaking Singapore Committee in terms of the social, cultural and political dimensions, the pace seems to be slower and the urgency does not seem to be there. That is the perception. But, to be fair, I am happy to note that the Government has implemented some measures, such as relaxing rules for busking to allow artistes to perform without donating all their proceeds to charity, and also modifying the school ranking system to go beyond just academic performance and, yesterday, the decision to harmonise citizenship privileges. These are some moves, and it is a plus for the Remaking Singapore Committee's report although, when we made these changes, we do not refer to the report.”
“Given our patriarchal system, there are no prizes for guessing that if the husband and wife were asked, "OK, between the two of you, one of you has to choose who is going to take child sick leave." No doubt, it will be the woman who says, "I'll be the one." And the wife cannot say to the husband, "Look, you are entitled to your own share of child sick leave. So, it's your turn now." If we want to encourage women to have more children, such policies should be changed. And we should see the husband and wife as playing an equal role, as separate individuals with equal responsibilities to the family. Family Leave”
“Sir, presently, civil servants are entitled to five days of child sick leave per child. Originally, this was extended to only women, and I spoke on this before to ask that it be extended to men as well. I understand that, recently, this was extended to male civil servants as well, and I would commend the civil service for this step forward. In making the change, it signals that both men and women have an equal responsibility in caring for their children. But there seems to be this bungee jumping, home brewery syndrome, because there is an old mindset that still prevails. Because under the current policy, if both husband and wife work for the civil service, they will have to split the child sick leave among themselves. They are not each entitled to the five days of child sick leave for each child. This policy should be changed for two reasons. First, as a matter of principle, equal pay for equal work would also apply for the men. This benefit is like medical leave or other benefits that come with the employment contract and it comes with the employee. It is not industry practice that it is out of place to say if both husband and wife work for the civil service, then they have to split the benefits among themselves. We are also moving towards more portable benefits, ie, the benefits that an employee gets are carried like a backpack on the employee. The benefits go with the employee and are not tied to who that employee is married to. Second, is the practical aspects of it. It places a disproportionate burden on the woman and does not encourage the man to share the responsibility of caring for their sick child. We have to be realistic.”
“But, on a more fundamental level, this is the third reason, the unequal treatment contradicts the basic principle of equal pay for equal work. It also contravenes the Women's Charter, which states that the husband and wife have equal rights and duties to the family. Fourth, being a signatory to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Government is also obliged to remove any policy or practice that discriminates against women. Fifth, Singapore has also recently ratified the International Labour Organisation Convention 100 on Equal Pay for Equal Work, which seeks to promote and ensure the application of the principle of equal pay for men and women for work of equal value. Sir, this is an international convention we have signed and having ratified it, it is all the more necessary and all the more timely and relevant to review and withdraw such a policy which will draw adverse international attention to an otherwise impressive record of progress made by our women in an otherwise outstanding meritocratic system.”
“Sir, I know the DPM said yesterday that the issue would be discussed at the Working Committee for Procreation, but I thought it would be timely to list down the reasons why we should change the MSO scheme for civil servants. As we know, under the MSO scheme, a male civil servant is entitled to a subsidy of 60% for his dependants for outpatient treatment but a female civil servant is not accorded the same outpatient benefits for her dependants, unless she is divorced, widowed, legally separated and has custody of her children. We have raised it in the House several times, many years and, last year, the Government said this difference was effectively removed in 2001 when the Government decided to transfer any unused balance in the annual cap of $350 to the officer's Medisave account at the end of each year. The Government said then that the difference is effectively removed because both male and female officers can then use their Medisave for themselves and for their dependants. But an objective review of the matter would show that the difference still exists and that it is not effectively removed, although it is narrowed. Sir, I would like to list five reasons why the change is now timely and, hopefully the answer will be more positive by August. First, it does make a material difference to female civil servants, especially given the rising trend of medical care at the outpatient level and the fact that currently Medisave cannot be used for the majority of outpatient expenses. Second, of course, given the call to be family-friendly, the Government should send a strong signal of support for both men and women in shouldering their family responsibilities.”
“My point is that it is not so much the individual tools that matter or what is in the toolkit that matters, but the climate, the nature of society as a whole. Clearly, we have to fix our climate to make it more gender-equal and more family-friendly, if we want to see more women getting married and having more babies. Dr Amy Khor ended her speech by saying, please listen to women. I would like to add: please listen to women as equals.”
“She said she does not want to get married because she has not found a man that she wanted to marry, and rather than have a miserable marriage, she would like to be the best mother that she could be. In Singapore, in my dialogues with various singles, they also say they want to have children. Is it possible for them to adopt? I am not sure what the Government's position is on this. But, I think, if they can be good mothers and if they can provide a good childhood for these children, we should consider making it easier for single women to adopt children and not put them through so many hoops and make them feel a bit weird for becoming mothers to adopted children. At the same time, I would urge the Government to also not overdo the campaign to send the message that everybody should get married and have more children. If we keep harping on this, the message to singles is that: "You are a failure, no matter what other achievements you might have accomplished in your personal or professional life, and that you are a misfit." If we make Singapore so unwelcoming to singles that they feel out of place, and the workplace so stressful that they burn out, the mobile professionals will just take off to cities in the world which allow them to live as they want to, and then we will have another problem on our hands - that of a brain drain. Sir, in conclusion, the way we are approaching the procreation problem today is rather like a gardener looking into his toolkit. There is this spade of financial incentives that worked well in this country, there is this changkul of childcare facilities that worked well in this other country, and so on, and then we use them to plant an apple tree in this hot and humid climate.”
“Finally, singles, a growing group. One reason often cited for staying single is the lack of time for relationships and for socialising as their hours get longer and their working hours get more irregular. Now, with the proposed maternity leave and flexible hours, the different arrangements for parents, the situation is likely to get worse for singles. Singles will have to cover for their married counterparts when their married counterparts go for maternity or paternity leave, child sick leave and so on. And with their married siblings focused on feeding their own growing brood, singles will also often have to take over the responsibilities of caring for their elderly parents or disabled siblings. The work stress on singles will be higher. Hours at work will get longer. Chances to socialise and meet a partner will become even slimmer. Other than the 5-day week, which would also help singles lead a more balanced life, I would urge the Government to give more generous tax rebates to singles who care for their elderly parents and disabled siblings. This group should also be allowed to claim the foreign maid levy tax relief. This would send the signal that the Government values the role they play in supporting the family. Even as we help families to procreate, we must bear in mind the implications on the life of singles. Many do not choose to be single; many do not choose not to have children. In fact, if you talk to many single women, they would like to have children. In fact, just last night, I had a single woman who came to my meet-the-people session. She has adopted a child from an orphanage in China, and she has brought up the child as if it were her own.”
“But such options are not readily open to men. The civil service should set the lead by giving up to two weeks' paternity leave. Most men want to be more involved and saw barriers associated with the workplace, such as expectations of long and irregular working hours, inflexibility, constant traveling, as being the most critical factor in preventing them to be the kind of father they want to be. They are also reluctant to take family-related benefits for fear of being seen to be lacking in commitment to work. Sir, there is an unhealthy belief in Singapore that you have to work unduly long hours to show commitment to the company. This sort of thinking must be debunked, especially in this information age. This idea that "longer hours mean better work attitude" is perpetuated by our stance against a five-day work week. As has been pointed out by some MPs before me, whenever we appeal for this, we were always told that it would send a wrong signal to investors that we are not the hard-driving and hardworking society that we are. I hope sincerely that the Government will reconsider its thinking on this. As many have pointed out before me, it does not mean that offices have to close on weekends or at 5.00 pm, or it does not mean that we will become less productive or less competitive as a nation. The Americans log fewer hours per week than Singaporeans, yet they lead the globe in productivity and competitiveness. All EU countries have legislated the five-day work week and some of them, eg, Finland, the Netherlands, beat Singapore in the global ranking for world competitiveness. Asia's two largest economies have already moved to a 40-hour week, with Japan changing in 1988 and China in 1997. South Korea also moved to a 5-day week in 2001. And they are doing all right.”
“They see such requests as a lack of professionalism and commitment to the company. Sir, changing the work culture as well as the work practices and expectations of corporate managers are critical. The clearest way we can send the signal is by making it a statutory right for parents of children aged under six to apply to work flexibly. Their employers will then have a duty to consider these requests seriously. Such a right already available in some advanced countries does not provide an automatic right to work flexibly, as there will always be circumstances when the employers are unable to accommodate the employee's desired work pattern. But it gives the right to the employee to apply for flexible arrangement and encourages the employer to find a solution that suits them both. My second point is that we must also recognise the changing role of men. Although men are not as actively involved in day-to-day family life as women are, there has been a substantial shift in expectations about this involvement, especially among the younger generation. Many young fathers especially tell me they wish to have more time with their children. Increasingly, I see more fathers accompanying their children to art competition and to family carnivals over the weekends and they will tell me, "Oh, my wife is busy because she is at work." But they have a good time, spending time with their children and taking the children out. I know of one marketing manager who quit his job for a year to spend time with his freelance writer wife and two young children. His wife described that one year as the happiest time for the family. But they would have preferred an arrangement where he could have worked part-time or taken a longer paternity leave so that they could manage their finances better.”
“The present generation of young men and women do not see their future, in terms of the male breadwinner model of the family. If women are provided with opportunities nearly equivalent to men in education and employment, but these opportunities are felt to be severely curtailed by getting married and having children, then chances are that women will either not get married or restrict the number of children that they have. The better way forward, I believe, is to provide families with better opportunities and choices both at home and at work, and let them structure their own personal relations at home. For some women, professional status and separate earning streams are very important. These families need ways to simplify or outsource many aspects of their home jobs. Others will want to spend more of their time on the family and will need to have part-time careers to facilitate the roles they want to play at home. Many families will want one thing at one time and something else at another time of their life. As the Government, we should not be dictating to families how they should structure their relations at home - who is the head of the household and so on. We should review and do away with all employment practices and policies that are biased against women or that uphold the male breadwinner model. It is neither helpful nor necessary. Other than the state, the workplace has also failed to adapt to this changing reality. Workplaces mainly have the structure they had when all employees were full-time males. They are intolerant of part-time employees, who often function without benefits and without reasonable career paths. They are also suspicious of parents who take leave to care for their family or who ask for more flexible hours.”
“Research based on the longitudinal data from the US national survey of families and households, 1987 to 1988, and 1992 to 1994, supports the idea that gender role attitudes of men and women have an important impact on family formation and dissolution. The research found that egalitarian men are accepting of working wives and sharing household tasks and egalitarian women are more likely to want children and to be more content in their relationship if they received more support from the men. It is useful to note that perhaps no country has moved further away than Sweden from the male-breadwinner model of the family towards a more gender equal one and that it has adopted family-friendly policies to a greater extent than any other country. And it is also among the most successful in checking its falling fertility rate. In Singapore, we are a bit schizophrenic. On the one hand, the traditionalists among us cling to the idealised patriarchal family model. They want our women to return home and to produce more babies and that should be the priority and their main role. And the men should be the head of the household, and the household and the country will be at peace. The corporatists among us want women to work hard, be professional and productive at the workplace because we are short of skilled labour. We have invested in our women's education and training and we expect them to perform, to be professionals, to work shifts and to work weekends. The company's profits and the country's GDP must come first. Sir, we cannot help but be conflicted in our own policy making and it shows. This incoherence can be detrimental to our childbearing and marriage rates.”
“There is a big respectable body of research in the developed countries that suggests that falling fertility is related to the ways in which the society as a whole is organised and that family arrangements have a bearing on the issue. In his paper published in the Journal of Population Research in the year 2000, a demographer, Prof. Peter McDonald, described two broad approaches to family responsibilities - the "male breadwinner" model and the "gender equity" model - that play a significant part in a country's fertility rate. He found that, in general, developed countries characterised by the male breadwinner model, such as Italy, Spain, East Asian countries, like Singapore, will have a lower fertility rate than those characterised by the gender equity model, such as found in the Nordic countries. The male breadwinner model has policies that support the male-dominant family structures, such as those that place greater emphasis on the role of women in caring for dependants and that make the employment of women difficult. Social security and social insurance are also premised on the notion that the husband would be supporting the wife and the children. On the other hand, the gender equity model is based upon the principles of equal respect for men and women, equality of resources and capabilities, and places greater emphasis on providing services, such as childcare, services for the aged and flexible working hours that allow the women to continue working after childbirth. Sir, it recognises that many women prefer to work after childbirth, not only for the money, but also to maintain skills, social contacts, personal satisfaction and to ensure longer-term security.”
“Sir, I would like to focus on the emphasis placed in this year's Budget on solving the problem of the falling birth rate. I am sure that many married women will cheer at the raft of measures being considered from longer maternity leave, better childcare, more affordable childcare to more generous baby bonuses. I would like to make three points. My first point is that such measures by themselves may not be enough to check the falling fertility rate if we do not make a decisive shift from our patriarchal system to a more gender-equal one. Indeed, the OECD experience does show that such policies have a clear positive impact on fertility only if combined with changes towards more gender-equal parenting practices, as has also been pointed out by Dr Maliki. Sir, we often hear our policy makers say, sometimes with a deep sigh of regret, that the reason for our falling fertility rate is because our women are getting better educated and they are getting more active in their workforce, as if that is something that is not to be applauded. But it is instructive to note that, in many countries in the developed world which see even higher female participation rate in the workforce and even more higher educated women, the fertility rates vary, ranging from around replacement rate to those that are seriously below this level. Clearly, these two factors on their own - the higher education of women and their labour force participation - are not able to explain the level of diversity in fertility rates. Other societal factors are also likely to be contributing to the varying outcomes.”
“Sir, the Minister mentioned that the workers in Pulau Ubin have been vaccinated. Can I ask the Minister whether there is any evidence so far that flu vaccines or anti-virus drugs are effective against H5N1 virus? My second question is: are we working towards developing a vaccine that will be effective against this virus? My third question involves pigs. There is a concern that this virus mutates quite quickly and can spread to humans through pigs. Is the Ministry concerned about this?”
“Sir, of the workers who have filed complaints, how many of them are foreign workers and how many of them are Singaporeans? Does the Ministry see a trend of employers not being able to pay the foreign workers, especially the foreign domestic maids?”
“Sir, can I ask the Minister whether our openness to discussions is based on the understanding of dealing with each issue on its individual merits or are we going back to the package approach, and is water then back on the table for discussion?”
“Sir, can I ask the DPM whether he would consider relooking the need for a top up given the fact that it has been proven to be a major exercise just to get people to top up, especially the groups who are illiterate, low educated and low skilled? The grassroots leaders have been going around and we found that it has been a major exercise. Perhaps we should re-examine this.”
“Sir, although the criterion may be $30,000 a year and, as we know, it could fluctuate year to year, and it can go down below $30,000 after that person has got his credit card. Sometimes we see residents coming to us with five credit cards and they are unemployed or they had a huge pay cut and they have huge problems paying the loans. Can I ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether something should be done to clamp down on credit card issuers from being so liberal in giving out cards and, at the same time, to exercise flexibility to those who are caught in this trap and need help to restructure their loans rather than to rush to bankrupt them?”
“Sir, the outstanding balance of a credit card attracts a yearly interest rate of 24% and can go up to 36% with the addition of late fees and finance charges. Can the Deputy Prime Minister explain how these charges can be justified?”
“Sir, I agree wholeheartedly with the Minister that we should not flinch from committing our troops, especially when it is in line with our national interests. But I want to ask the Minister whether he thinks the cause is justified in this case because, as we know, the weapons of mass destruction have not been found and the occupation of the US forces has provoked resistance and violence in some quarters by Iraqi groups. RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Sir, I would just like to correct myself. What we are having now is a Question raised in Parliament on the issue, and not a debate. Sir, whether the war in Iraq was authorised on the basis of a continuity of authority from 1990 to 2003 will no doubt be a matter of debate, probably continuing debate. I think the issue at hand now is what to do with the present situation in Iraq, and Singapore is not alone in feeling that countries should contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq. There are 35 other countries which are deploying forces to Iraq to help in the reconstruction and these include countries in the Asia-Pacific region such as Thailand which has 400 troops and the Philippines which has 177 men there. They also include some countries from the OIC - Albania, Azeberjian and Kazakhstan and also those which were not originally in the coalition for the disarmament of Iraq, such as New Zealand. And, as can be seen from Resolution 1511, which was unanimously approved by the UN Security Council, this resolution calls for countries to contribute forces to help in the reconstruction and stabilisation of Iraq.”
“Sir, the commandos are an elite force, and it is a badge of honour to be tough and mean. I wonder whether the problem goes beyond the systems and into the culture of the commando unit, where perhaps an unwritten code has evolved that even overrules the written ones. Perhaps the Minister would want to see whether there is a deeper problem beneath the surface. RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Sir, I expect my commandos to be tough and mean, but I expect them also to be professional and to carry out their duties properly. The two are not inconsistent, and that is why I have posted in a new Chief Commando Officer to draw a line under this incident and for the commandos to rebuild themselves.”
“Sir, can I ask the Senior Minister of State whether there is a study done on the bicycle accidents that have taken place and who tends to be at fault so that we can tackle the weak points? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, it is a mixture of reasons. One reason is that motorists have not been keeping a good and proper lookout. There are other reasons, for example, the cyclists cycle across the pedestrian crossing, as has happened before. It is the fault of the cyclists. I think it is a matter of education and of being aware of each other's presence. If we take this collective approach, then the well-being of all road-users can be safeguarded.”
“Sir, the Minister of State has mentioned the number of fatalities, saying that it has not changed much. But I would ask the Minister to look at another figure, which I would think is more telling, and that is the number of cyclists involved in traffic accidents. From 1998, it was 266 but it rose to 363 last year. It is a drastic rise and whether one dies or not, it is a matter of luck. But the question is how to reduce the number of cyclists involved in accidents. We should be looking at the number of cyclists involved in traffic accidents.”
“I would invite the Minister of State to Tampines where we can see many housewives bringing their children to school on bicycles. I would ask the Minister of State to seriously consider doing a survey, going down to the ground, to schools, wet markets and MRT tracks, and see how commuters have been using the roads, and on how to make the roads safer for the cyclists who are trying to save money by not taking buses because transport costs are going up. So they are taking up cycling. There is also a bigger group of people who are keen to cycle. I would urge the Minister of State to take this seriously and to please help the cyclists to negotiate on the road without risks to their lives.”
“Sir, I feel that the Minister of State might have painted a too simplistic picture and also in giving a trade-off that we need not have to make, that is, a trade-off between cyclists ruling the road and not even having space for pedestrians to walk. I think we can meet the demands of the different groups without sacrificing the principle that we have to use our land wisely. I think the seriousness of the problem might not have sunk down to the Minister of State.”
“Sir, that Singapore is land scarce is a given. The question is: how do we help, in terms of physical infrastructure, roads and space, to reduce the number of cyclists dying on the roads? Just in the first half of this year, 11 cyclists died, compared to five in the same period last year. This is a high number that we should not tolerate. If it means building a few more lanes to schools or markets, why do we not invest in them?”
“Sir, it seems to me one good indication of how money-wise Singaporeans are is how they invest using their CPF money. Can I ask the Minister whether he can give us a sense, from studying how the returns have been from the investments made from CPF, whether Singaporeans are, by and large, prudent or in need of more hand-holding and whether we can use the data to target certain groups which might be more vulnerable, in terms of investing unwisely?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, almost all the mainstream media in Malaysia have led the coverage by claiming that Malaysia had won in its application for provisional measures to ITLOS pending arbitration. But the Minister has told us that, in fact, all these assurances were made even before ITLOS. Can the Minister help us to square this differing interpretation?”
“Sir, given the long waiting list for rental flats, is there a case for increasing the number of rental flats, especially given the fact that there is an increasing number of downgraders as a result of economic hardship? Since the Budget debate, I have also asked for a review of the income ceiling of $800. And HDB had then informed me that it was already reviewing it. And, today, the Minister said that they just reviewed it. Can I have an assurance that HDB will announce the outcome of the review soon? Because many Singaporeans who are caught by this $800 income ceiling criterion desperately need a HDB rental flat.”
“To achieve this, WDA, now that it is an amalgamation of many agencies offering the different programmes, must be able to communicate clearly to workers what types of available programmes match their learning abilities and aptitudes so that we can equip them with the right skills that will make them employable in the future. While retraining must cut across all levels of the workforce, I hope that the Agency would pay strong focus on these people who are mid-career professionals and executives as they are likely to be the one group which would be the hardest to retrain and rematch with jobs. Sir, this statutory board, in my opinion, is probably the most important one that we are setting up in recent times. I was very encouraged to hear the Acting Minister conclude yesterday in his statement that his mission is to get the jobs back for Singaporeans. And I am sure that all Members of the House would also want him to succeed in this mission fast. Therefore, I would like to urge the House to give this Bill its unqualified support. 4.55 pm”
“Today, the unemployed harbour no false illusion that a job is round the corner and many are prepared to work for lower wages. I think the challenge that faces us today is not just to get people to change their mindset about the type of wages they can look forward to in future. I think it has to do also with getting people to understand that in times of big changes, as we are now going through, the biggest change that will have to take place is to be with oneself. In practical terms, how do you convince an accountant, or an engineer, or a bank officer in his 40s, who has lost his job, that he has to reinvent himself, and what new skills can you ask him to pick up? And, Sir, I think this would be one of the challenges facing the new statutory board, the setting up of which must receive the full support of the House. Retraining our workers and equipping ourselves with new skills is not a panacea for all our ills. But it will go a long way in ensuring that our people become employable when the economy turns around. Retraining our workforce, upgrading their skills, these are not new things to us. We already have a slew of programmes - work skills training programme, People-for-Jobs Traineeship, WISE and BEST - and multiple agencies ( EDB, SPRING) and the labour movement handling all these programmes. But as I understand it, even if the number of people going for retraining has increased over the years, demand for retraining still falls below available training places. One of the principal tasks of this new agency will be to ensure that the demand for places is kept up; in other words, people want to continue to upgrade themselves. And I would say that we would need some coordination of our efforts.”
“In other words, more than half do not get re-employed even after six months. Sir, some of these people are friends of mine. And I can feel their sense of loss. They too have invested heavily in their earlier education, in terms of time and money. And, today, they have been told that they are no longer required. And the reason given to them is a very loose term that we nowadays call "economic restructuring". It is a very high-sounding word - "restructuring". But to many people nowadays, restructuring is a dirty word, that means bad news. It is like when your banker calls on you and tells you that it is time to restructure your loan, you know that you are in trouble. To such people, labelling their predicament as an exercise in pre-emptive layoff, as we now call it, and describing the prospects of being re-employed as dim, even if the economy turns around, because of what is now termed as a possible jobless recovery, is like rubbing salt into wound. However you describe it and no matter what reasons you give, no matter how you tell people what drastic changes the whole world is undergoing, a loss of job to someone means a loss of income and the ability to feed himself and his family. It is a loss of your own dignity when you lose your job. I remember that when the Asian financial crisis first hit us some years ago, we had our first retrenchment exercises in many years. In the early stages, there were actually people who did not mind getting retrenched because they had a golden handshake and many even went on a holiday first because they knew that they could get another job when they came back. But as reality set in, that the economy would not recover that fast, people then began to fear that they would lose their jobs.”
“Sir, I hope that, while it is populist and perhaps sounds very good to say that we only want to create jobs for Singaporeans, we must also be careful about sending the right signal. Because foreigners who come here, they do help Singapore to grow, and eventually, some of them may strike roots and become Singaporeans - like myself. On that note, I support the Bill. Mr Tan Soo Khoon: Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to focus on another group of workers. According to MOM's Labour Market Report for the first quarter, job retrenchment is fast extending beyond the older and less educated to include better educated, mid-career workers. This is reflected by statistics that show that professionals, managers, executives and technicians form 43%, the largest group of locals retrenched. Sir, two other significant pieces of information in this Report bear out further the changing profile of retrenched workers. One third of those retrenched were either degree or diploma holders. And 60% of those who lost their jobs were people in their 30s and 40s. I am concerned about this. Degree and diploma holders are people the State has invested most heavily in over many years through our education system. Those who are unemployed in their 30s and 40s are people in the prime of their lives. Many with heavy financial commitments have difficulty in seeing through when they lose their jobs. What is even more alarming is the difficulty with which these people can find new jobs. In general, re-employment prospects for all those who lose their jobs have deteriorated in the past few months. Around half of those retrenched remain unemployed after six months. Degree holders are the worst off. The re-employment rate for those in the 40s is 41% and those in their 50s is only 33%.”
“Sir, on the one hand, we cannot expect Singaporeans, who are used to a certain comfort, to go and work in a sweatshop. But, on the other hand, I think we need to try and help these workers by helping SMEs to upgrade the working conditions to see how they can fit the environment around Singaporeans. It is like you have been for a long time trying to smash a round peg into a square hole and getting really frustrated at this round peg. Why is it not fitting? But I think we should also look at the square hole and see whether we can make it more round and if we can find a mid-way to meet the two. At the same time, we must moderate the expectations of workers, of course. But I think SMEs especially need help to redesign the jobs and upgrade the working conditions so that Singaporeans can take on those jobs. Sir, the labour movement is now working with 50 employers to redesign jobs and is working hard behind the scenes. I urge the WDA to promote the need for more job redesigning among more employers so that we can have more jobs created for Singaporeans. Sir, much has been said about creating jobs for Singaporeans. I just want to add one last point about this issue. I hope that in the process of emphasising the need to create more jobs for Singaporeans - and I support this fully - we would not send a wrong signal to foreigners that they are not welcomed in Singapore. Because if we keep on saying that, yes, we are only creating jobs for Singaporeans, if I were a bright kid in Malaysia, China, India or Australia, I would think twice about coming to Singapore to study. Because after graduating, will I find a job or will the priority or preference be given to Singaporeans? It would affect my decision whether to come to Singapore.”
“Somehow, talking to older workers, they do not see this scheme as helping them. And so they continue to complain. Perhaps this is because of ignorance, or it could also reflect the limitations of this scheme. I would urge the WDA to embark on the kind of exercise that the Education Ministry did to change the public's perception of the Institute of Technical Education (ITEs), that is, to invite MPs and grassroots leaders and the media to visit companies which support the PJTP scheme and see for themselves how useful it has been in helping older workers. Otherwise, the scepticism will remain. At the same time, the Agency should work with the relevant agencies, including the labour movement, to push the effort to redesign jobs for older workers and to create better working conditions for them. We talk about upgrading the skills of workers but it must go in tandem with upgrading the conditions at work. I know one beehoon factory in Defu Lane which hires about 50 workers, and most of the workers are above 45 and lower-educated. They are still short of workers. In this factory, all the workers are lined up in a row. They blow-dry, cut and pack the beehoon. I know the employer, and so the unemployed residents that come to see me and beg for a job, I will just refer them to this employer of the beehoon factory. When they come to me, they always tell me, "I will do the job. Any job you give me I will do. I am that desperate." But at the beehoon factory, none stayed beyond a few days. The reason: the factory has no air-condition. It cannot be air-conditioned, the employer tells me, because the beehoon cannot be damp before sealing. He said that factories in the region are also without air-condition for the purpose of packing the beehoon.”
“But these days, such jobs are no longer available. It requires a heavy investment upfront to get a hawker stall and just to run a little shop at home to sell food requires getting different licences from the relevant agencies. They need training and help to negotiate the more complex self-employment landscape today. While we are integrating the different bodies into a new agency, there is also a need to integrate our economic and social agendas and not see this as a MCDS problem or a CDC problem. It is also a MOM problem. We want women to work and upgrade their skills, and yet raise their families as the primary caregivers. We do not want them to rely too much on foreign maids, yet we want women to have more children. At the same time, we lecture women when we see that they do not want to take shift work or work overtime. I would urge the new Agency to take responsibility for developing a strategic plan for women's employment and training, taking into account the women's role as primary carers at home and also their qualities. The proper infrastructure and facilities should be put in place so that they can take part in the labour market and all the opportunities that will be created. The new Agency should also be the lead agency in the drive towards more flexible working arrangements and conditions. Now, on older workers. We continue to hear, until today, complaints from older workers that they could not find a job because of their age. I think many of my fellow MPs have raised this and the Government often cites the People-for-Jobs Traineeship Programme as an example of what has been done to help these workers above 40. I know the statistics. The programme has helped almost 12,000 older workers find jobs. But this is actually a small drop in the ocean.”
“To make it harder for them, there is also the prevailing notion that women are secondary earners and, therefore, perceived to be more dispensable in the labour market. At the same time, more and more, we see women needing to join the labour force to help maintain the household, especially when their husbands are losing their jobs. And, more and more, we see women with low-skilled jobs being haunted by job uncertainty. Just last night, it came to my attention that two sisters, in their 40s and 50s, lost their jobs over one weekend. That was a big blow to their family. Sir, we need to make it easier for women to take up the job opportunities and to stay employable. It is especially important for women to work as long as possible as they have a longer life expectancy and may not have enough savings for their old age. But these women may face work and training barriers that have nothing to do with their attitudes. A big barrier for women, especially the low-skilled women, is the lack of good quality yet affordable childcare arrangements. The long-term solution to this problem is to supply more affordable childcare facilities. But in the short-term, we can help reduce this barrier by providing a childcare subsidy to women who take on training courses and need to find childcare arrangements for their children. The subsidy should end when the training course ends. This childcare subsidy should be incorporated into the training package for low-skilled women, and perhaps also for women in general. Such a scheme would help support skill development and the labour force participation of women. Sir, women are a resilient lot. In the past, when faced with hard times, women would on their own go out and hawk food. They would set up shop to cater food from home.”
“Sir, I would like to focus on two vulnerable groups which need particular help to cope with the ongoing economic restructuring. The two groups are women and older workers, especially those with lower skills. I would like to urge the WDA to factor in their concerns in their planning and programmes. Let me explain why. First, the women. Women, especially those above 40, tend to be hit harder by economic restructuring because of their relatively lower level of skills. They also tend to be more concentrated in sectors sensitive to international demand conditions, such as the retail and travel-related sectors, and in production jobs which are migrating to cheaper locations. Women are also over-represented in clerical and administration jobs and they are often the first targets of downsizing measures. Another trend: employers are more and more looking for workers who are willing to do shift work in the evening, late night or weekends. Women find it hard to take on these shifts and these demanding jobs because of their family responsibilities. They have to go home and take care of their children or their ageing parents. It is especially hard for divorced women and widows who have to support their children, and also single women who have to support their ageing parents. For the same reason - their family commitments - these women find it hard to enrol for skills upgrading courses. They have not gone for training not because they do not want to or because they do not see the need for it, but because they need to go home after work to care for their family. As a result, these women are left either without a job, or with a low-wage and low-skilled job with little prospects of improvement.”
“The Minister of State mentioned that there are counselling services provided to students. But I understand from some teachers that counselling services have been cut back because of the cut in the Ministry's budget. Can I seek an assurance from the Minister of State that counselling services will not be the first to go or the first to be trimmed because of the cut in the Ministry's budget?”
“Sir, there has also been an increasing number of residents coming forward to ask about downgrading. They want to downgrade to a smaller flat but when they go to the banks for loans, they find that they cannot get a bank loan. So they ask whether HDB can consider giving HDB loans, even though it is for a resale flat, on a case-by-case basis.”
“Sir, in view of the restructuring in the economy, we see an increasing number of residents asking, because the situation is so uncertain, for deferment of collection of keys. Does the Minister see this as an indication that they feel that flats are beginning to be priced beyond their reach because of the uncertain situation?”
“Of these, 39% were successfully placed in gainful employment. Offenders are prepared for gainful employment while they are still in prison and DRCs. SCORE provides them with vocational training in various skills such as food preparation, metal work and electronics. Employers also participate in training sponsorship and offering jobs. In 2001, the Prisons Department embarked on a public education campaign to counter prejudices in employing ex-offenders. Earlier this year, SCORE and a local company produced a movie `Twilight Kitchen' which traces the struggle of an ex-offender trying to gain acceptance at his work place. The movie will be screened to grassroots organisations to create greater awareness on the role that the community can play in reintegrating ex-offenders.”
“First, we need to shift towards a more flexible and competitive cost structure. This means reforming our wage structure to be more responsive to changes in business conditions, and re-tuning our CPF system to reduce statutory burden on employers. We must also lower direct taxes, and price our land and other infrastructure services competitively. Second, we need to shift towards higher value-added, knowledge-based activities. This means moving up the manufacturing value chain, growing exportable services, and upgrading our domestic services sector. Of the 12,000 to 15,000 new jobs that EDB will bring in this year, more than 85% will require skilled workers. We must therefore upgrade the capabilities of our work force, and re-skill our workers. Next, I will turn to assistance and training for unemployed Singaporeans. Under its Place and Train programme, the Manpower Ministry works with industry partners to first place job seekers with a prospective employer, before sending them for training. This is better than the train-then-place approach as it minimises wastage in training. MOM will work with EDB and employers to match job seekers with new jobs created, and provide the necessary training to equip them with the right skills and knowledge. Payroll-support for training will be provided through the Skills Redevelopment Fund (SRF). Finally, on employment and rehabilitation of ex-criminals, we do not track the proportion of unemployed who are ex-prisoners or released from Drug Rehabilitation Centres (DRCs). Every year, there are about 11,000 offenders released from prisons and DRCs. In the first six months of this year, more than 900 ex-offenders have approached the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE) to seek assistance in securing jobs.”
“Sir, while it is true that cost of living has been quite stable, Singaporeans feel that certain components of it need to be monitored more closely, such as transport. I wonder whether the Minister would consider setting up a committee just to look at how we can bring transport costs down. BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Sir, I believe we already have mechanisms to monitor the changes in transport costs to ensure that they are reasonable, justified and affordable. UNEMPLOYED SINGAPOREANS 4. Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for Trade and Industry with the hope of foreign investments flowing to Singapore's manufacturing and services sector and creating between 12,000 and 15,000 new jobs (a) how and in what form will the economic restructuring be; (b) how will jobless Singaporeans be trained and assisted for gainful employment opportunities in these newly created jobs; (c) what will be the likely duration for the Singaporean unemployed to be ready for such gainful employment opportunities in these newly created jobs; (d) of the unemployed, how many constitute those released from prisons and drug rehabilitation centres; (e) how are these unemployed ex-criminals and drug offenders being assisted to gain employment without being prejudiced by employers. The Minister of State for Trade and Industry (Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat) (for the Minister for Trade and Industry): Mr Speaker, Sir, Mdm Ho Geok Choo has asked a somewhat comprehensive Question which covers three Ministries - mine, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Manpower. I have been given the privilege to give the initial response to her. On economic restructuring, with rising competition and technological changes, we need to restructure our economy in two main ways.”
“Sir, with the wage reforms that are on-going, the basic pay of our workers will be cut. Is MTI monitoring how this might affect those with huge commitments in housing, children's education and car loans? BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Various Government agencies are looking at how some of these adjustments can be made less painful. The Government will always make sure that every citizen has a shelter over his head, there is adequate basic health care and the education of the young is properly looked after. But beyond that, adjustments will be necessary and some of them will be painful.”
“We are psychologically prepared to deal with any outbreak. This Bill is one step towards making sure that we are prepared for any eventualities. Hence, I give my full support to it.”
“00 in the morning to help us take the temperatures of the hawkers and to spread the message to the people who are patronising the market and the hawkers of the need to contain SARS. I could see his unwavering commitment to safeguarding the well-being of our residents. Sir, we would not have been able to build the confidence on the ground so effectively without the selfless and untiring work of such grassroots volunteers. At this point, I would also like to salute the members of the Ministerial Combat Unit, whom we have heard from, who have worked so hard to contain SARS from spreading within the hospitals. I think they have done a good job, and we wish them well. Their work is also not without risk. Sir, we need the help of every citizen to combat SARS. It is not only the job of the Government. There is another positive aspect to the SARS outbreak, and it is this. The threat of terrorism has not vanished. One reason why bombs have not gone off in Singapore is because we have made ourselves a very hard target. So they had gone off and bombed Bali instead. But we have been quite worried about biological weapons falling into the hands of terrorists. Indeed, this is one reason why we supported the war against Iraq. I think, after terrorists see how Singapore has reacted so swiftly to counter SARS and in such a united manner, they will think twice about using biological weapons to attack Singapore. It is just not worth their while. We have shown the world that, together, we can overcome any crisis that comes our way. Even if a lunatic decides to use biological weapons in Singapore, Singaporeans are well prepared for it, thanks to their experience with SARS. We have put in place a series of measures and a whole slew of laws to deal with it.”