Ivan Baptist
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, Sir, what prevented the Ministry of the Environment from hastening the flood alleviation work in Potong Pasir? Owing to the delay, Sir, much hardship has been caused to my constituents, especially in the Jalan Potong Pasir and Meyappa Chettiar Road areas.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a supplementary question. What is the Hon. Minister's reaction to a report in the Straits Times on Friday, 9th June, concerning the Singapore Tobacco Company's parent company in Britain, the British American Tobacco, and I quote: "STC's parent company in Britain, the British American Tobacco (BAT), the world's largest tob…”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the amendment to section 75, by clause 16 (c), still poses problems for consumers, both local and overseas. If a licensee has for sale in addition to duty-free goods those that are duty-paid, consumers could still be hoodwinked.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, does the Hon. Senior Minister of State realise that at the present moment there are many occupational health and safety hazards at the Nelson Road Mails and Parcels Centre? I had occasion to visit it sometime ago and I have since made recommendations to alleviate these hazards, but nothing seems to have been done.”
“But on this particular measure, I strongly oppose this increase of the fees at the A & E Departments. Nobody would like to be referred to a hospital, and it is not a pleasant place to visit either. The Minister for Health (Dr Toh Chin Chye): I see the Member there so often!”
“Sir, I do agree that a new Postal Complex is being built. But he has said that this new Postal Complex is being built in place of the old one, and at the present moment the old one is posing a lot of hazards. So I want to know what he is doing about the old one.”
The complete record
Every one of 399 lines we hold for Ivan Baptist, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 8.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am talking about pre-employment examination. That is not provided for. Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker, Sir, we are going into details. But if the Member can give me the kind of information that he wants. I will supply him later. It is a bit too much for me to try to remember in detail every regulation that has been enacted in my Ministry. REFUSE INCINERATOR AT TOH TUCK ROAD 9. Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Law and the Environment when the incinerator at Toh Tuck Road will be completed and at what cost; whether pollution of the atmosphere by the incinerator which will give rise to concern is being looked into; what benefits this incinerator will bring; and, with its completion, whether refuse dumping at the Tampines dumping ground will cease altogether to ensure the return of marine life to Serangoon River, The Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office (Haji Ya'acob Bin Mohamed) (for the Minister for Law and the Environment)(In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, the incinerator at Toh Tuck Road is expected to be completed by early 1979 and costs about $85 million. A loan of US$25 million has been obtained from the World Bank to meet part of the cost. Construction .is in progress. Three main contracts for the civil works and the mechanical and electrical equipment have been awarded. Adequate safeguards against noise and air pollution will be provided. The incinerator plant will have electrostatic dust filters capable of removing about 99% of air pollutants and a 150 metre high chimney. These anti-pollution measures estimated to cost about $6 million will ensure that the smoke from the plant will comply fully with the Clean Air Act. To conserve energy, the waste heat from the plant will be used to generate 11 MW of electricity.”
“Sir, does the Minister realise that the Factories Act does not provide for pre-employment medical examination? Regulation 13 says that no person suffering from a pulmonary disease is to be recruited, and silicosis is a pulmonary disease. Could the Minister show how it would be ensured, in the absence of this Regulation, that no person suffering from a pulmonary disease is recruited into the sand and granite quarries industry?”
“Sir, does the Minister realise that dust pollution is a grave problem especially in sand and granite quarries? To workers and residents in the neighbourhood, effective control of dust pollution is essential. The absence of Regulations 11 and 12 would most certainly cause this problem and, irrespective of them being in the Factories Act, additional precaution should be taken for sand and granite quarries.”
“The new Singapore General Hospital. Sir,”
“Sir, would the Minister be kind enough to inform this House what the Government expenditure would amount to in installing each bed and maintaining it for a year?”
“Sir, are there no standby generators to cater to this sort of problem?”
“Sir, does not the Minister want to re-emphasise this business of wasting water rather than saving water? Because to save water, people may have one bath a week, and that is not practical if there is plentiful rain.”
“Sir, what I feel is this. Does not the Minister think that wasting water is something that he should emphasise because in actual fact there is -”
“Sir, does the Minister agree that emphasis should always be on not to waste water? During a dry period saving water is essential, but during a period of plentiful rain, saving water males little sense.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I share some of the sentiments of the Member for Jalan Kayu. Here I would like to state that while the architects' interests are being sufficiently provided for in this Bill, the consumer is still not adequately protected. I must hasten to add that there is some protection now afforded to consumers, but very little indeed. There must be a move by Government to ensure that in the services area there is consumer protection. The Government had seen it fit to introduce in the products area protection for consumers in the form of the Consumers Protection Act. It is my hope that the Government looks more closely into the services area to ensure adequate protection for consumers.”
“Sir, does the Hon. Minister realise that when the father's name is not included in the birth certificate of the child there is a possibility of contracting consanguineous marriages due to lack of information? How does the Minister plan to solve this very grave problem as at the present moment exists?”
“I must emphasise that complaints on high pressure sales techniques by door-to-door sales persons are becoming a trying consumer-hazard in Singapore, with apparently no control. Many a time the victim is the unprotected member of the family left at home to do household chores or too old to go to work. A "cooling-off" period is essential to make the sale effective. This will enable the consumer to discuss the proposed purchase with the rest of the family, especially the one who will bear the burden of the payment. This legislative requirement can easily be in the form of regulations to the Consumer Protection Act. Sir, I would be most grateful if the Hon. Minister could make some comments on my suggestions.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I did propound the need for a Small Claims Court during the debate on the Budget statement. This needs to be elaborated on at the present juncture. Time and time again, complaints by dissatisfied consumers against retailers find difficulty in obtaining redress because of the small nature of the claims. Either consumers feel that it is not worth it to go to all the trouble to litigate or find litigation too costly. However, justified complaints like these, if accumulated, could mean consumers losing large sums of money and guilty retailers getting away with trade malpractices and ill-gotten gains, much to the detriment of their honest counterparts. The formation of a Small Claims Court could act as a deterrent to undesirable trade malpractices. Court fees would not be too costly and judgment in favour of a party would include recovery of fees. The most that can he claimed could be in the region of sums less than $500. Grievances may be stated in plain words and no legal jargon need be known. Judges would not normally insist on formal procedures or strict rules of evidence. Both parties tell their side of the story and decisions can usually be rendered immediately from the Bench or within a few days after trial. Whether a lawyer need be retained or not in a Small Claims Court can be discussed thoroughly by all parties concerned, once the idea of establishing a Small Claims Court is accepted in principle. Other matters too like possible complications arising when a case is transferred to a civil court, need to be discussed. Mr Speaker, Sir, I did also discourse at length on possible legislation for door-to-door sales during the debate on the Budget statement, but I do not propose to repeat what I have said. However.”
“This is administration, Mr Speaker, Sir.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I believe babies and children are flowers of our land. With Government policy to limit population growth, their worth to us is all the more enhanced. Even then, Sir, the Ministry blemishes them by disallowing their registration in the names of their fathers when they are born out of wedlock despite the willingness of their parents to have them so registered. Punishing innocent children this way is not becoming of a wise and forth right government. Imagine the unfortunate babies growing into adolescents with the scar of illegitimacy clearly printed on their birth certificates which need to be produced at various important periods of their lives; for example, registration at schools, registration at marriage, and so on. When will the Ministry be humane enough to amend this regulation?”
“I am most obliged. Sir, if the Minister could at this juncture elucidate on the brief comments made by the Minister for Finance a few days ago.”
“I then spoke on the problem of taxis in Singapore which was elaborated on by many Members. The Minister for Finance did reply to me by assuring me that the Government plans to do something about this problem. However, he did not have the time to elaborate, and it would appear that the Minister today will not have the time to eleborate too.”
“I see. Since there is hardly any time, I do not propose to belabour the point I made at the Budget debate or be repetitive like a broken record. There is no time for that.”
“Sir, do I understand that I will need to say just two words and sit down?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is again a question of safety at the airport. I have had occasion to be present at the airport and I noticed that a certain aricraft was being serviced during an electrical storm. When questioning the workers with regard to this, I was given to understand that a supervisor urged them to do maintenance work and servicing it. Of course, this electrical storm does not occur frequently, but if it exists at the airport it is very dangerous. I was wondering if the Minister could take steps to ensure that when such electrical storms do occur workers should not be asked to go out to service the airplanes. Or perhaps more hangars could be built so that these airplanes could be brought into the hangars where proper servicing could be conducted.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I just want to make a point on the refuelling of buses. I have had a number of experiences with buses refuelling at a place off Changi Road. The drivers seem to want to get over with the refuelling as quickly as possible, as I suppose, they have to keep to the time schedule. Therefore, and this is a point which the Member for Anson has brought up, there is a tendency for them to leave the engine on while their vehicles are being refuelled. This is a highly dangerous practice. I hope the Minister will bring this matter to the attention of the SBS so that such a practice can be stopped. This is dangerous for the drivers, the conductors and the passengers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it has been excellently answered. Thank you.”
“He did say that he would give consideration. It was all cloudy. He has made it very difficult for me to try and understand him. I am just wondering whether he could just come to the point and state whether or not he is willing to go against Government's policy in administrating it.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, am Ito understand that the Minister of State is willing to go against Government's policy to consider preference.”
“Yes. Sir. As I was saying earlier, the Government policy is that a two-child family will be considered more favourably than one that has more. I am just wondering, all things being equal, whether the Hon. Minister will give preference to "Dad, mum and two children" or "Dad, mum and eight children" when applications for transfer are made?”
“Sir, I stand corrected. A very intelligent and Hon. Minister most certainly must be right. I must be suffering from, what is termed by the Ministry of Labour, noise-induced deafness.”
“Sir, I was elated to hear the Minister mention yesterday that priority will be given to a transfer from a one-room flat to a three-room flat, so that there will be better environment, more space, and so on and so forth. I do believe that the constituents of many of the Members in this House are also amply pleased. We have a Government policy that gives priority to a two-child family, i.e, father, mother and two children. Mr Lim Kim San rose -”
“Most certainly. MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1976 TO 31ST MARCH, 1977 Order read for resumed consideration in Committee of Supply [3rd Allotted Day]. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] 3.00 p.m. Head O (cont.) -- Resumption of Debate on Question (17th March, 1976). "That the sum to be allocated for Head 0 be reduced by $10 in respect of item lal of subhead AAA 3020."-(Mr N. Govindasamy). Question again proposed.”
“Sir, I do not believe that a Highway Code test will actually give them the practical experience on the road. A Highway Code test is merely a written examination as well as pushing little toy cars and motor-cycles around.”
“Sir, I am not talking about PDL motor car drivers. I am talking about PDL scooterists and motor cyclists. Where they are concerned, they can ride the scooter without a tutor sitting by their side to guide them where proper driving is concerned, which is impossible because he would be sitting on the road) I am talking about motorcyclists and scooterists and I am wondering whether the Minister is aware of the fact that they do not even go for road tests. They are quite satisfied with displaying the L-plate, the red letter "L" on a white background. In addition, they are the ones mainly responsible for most accidents on the roads.”
“Sir, I am just wondering if the Hon. Minister of State is aware that PDL holders are, in actual fact, endangering the lives of other road users. In addition, is the Minister aware that many PDL holders continue to hold PDLs and nothing else year after year? They are unable to pass the road test, and they are still being issued with PDLs. This system is making the traffic situation almost impossible. What action is he proposing to take on PDL holders who continue to renew their PDLs year after year?”
“I am just wondering whether or not the Hon. Minister of State would take steps to ensure that this error will not occur in the projection for the next five years. From the figures he has given, things are getting from bad to worse.”
“Yes, I am asking a supplementary question, Sir. The Minister of State must have been aware that there has been bad planning on the part of the TAS. According to his figures. actual growth was 20% per year and the TAS projected only 1 5%, that is, about 25% off the mark.”
“Sir, I do believe it must have been bad planning on the part of the TAS because -Mr Speaker: Mr Baptist, are you asking a supplementary question?”
“Sir, I can imagine what the Member for Jurong is suffering, because I have a similar experience in my constituency of Potong Pasir .--, imagine an aged man being asked to leave the land he has worked on for years and years. During the time that an assessment of his activities was made, he was unfortunately hospitalised and was unable to work on his land. Sc) the assessment by the PPD was "Nil". Immediately after he recovered of course he could not just hang around and wait for his land to be taken over by the HDB for development - he had to work. That was pant of his life. Without work, he would have died. So, he tilled the land and his vegetables started growing. But before his vegetables could be harvested, he was told that he had to move out and that he would not be paid a single cent for all the vegetables he had grown. I have made an appeal to the Resettlement Department. and they turned it down saying that "the Primary Production Department does not consider him a bona fide farmer." Once again, I appeal for a stay of execution so that he be allowed to harvest his vegetables and sell them in the market. No compensation, never mind that, so long as he could get something worthwhile from the sweat of his brows, his darkened and shrinking body. 7.00 p.m. I hope that the Hon. Minister will consider this appeal of mine and allow the farmer at least to let his vegetables grow large enough for sale in the market, or pay him compensation for the vegetables that he has grown.”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, I do not believe I can sum up in one short sentence the efficiency of the Employment Service in Singapore. Over this period of time I believe there was a mushrooming of scores of employment agencies taking advantage of all our unemployed people in Singapore due to the "efficiency" of the Employment Service.”
“The Minutes of these safety committees and recommendations should be looked into by the Ministry of Labour from time to time to ensure that employers as well as workers are making progress where occupational health and safety is concerned. Total loss control, safety-sampling and hazard spotting exercises too ought to be carried out as part and parcel of the responsibility of joint safety committees. 3.15 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary has mentioned that the workers are mainly responsible for accidents due to their negligence, carelessness, etc. May I correct him and say that from the Ministry of Labour's statistics it is due to a lack of knowledge. It was precisely for this reason that regulations were introduced with effect from 1st December, 1975, for safety committees to be set up to ensure that employers take cognisance of the fact that a lack of knowledge exists and that members of the safety committees should be educated to enable them to know more about safety. In addition, there should be provision for the adequate education of the workers at the factory floor level. I would also add that the employers too lack knowledge on occupational health and safety. I feel that this is of paramount importance for Government to stress. I do not know what plans are afoot, but I believe that the 77 personnel in the Factory Inspectorate will not be sufficient to go around enforcing legislation. Time and time again I have made the point that we will need an army of inspectors for the more than 5,000 factories in Singapore. Therefore, self-regulatory measures should be introduced in addition to the creation of enthusiasm, and education, which is covered by the Factories Act and enforcement. These self-regulatory measures will ensure that these accidents are not controlled, as the Senior Parliamentary Secretary has said just now, but limited and reduced. Extra stress should be made to ensure that joint safety committees work effectively.”
“Sir, while appreciating the Government's policy on the issuance of work permits for certain classes of jobs, there is this problem that quite a number of non-citizens face. It is their problem of getting simple jobs that do not require skill, like sales assistants and so on, because the policy is not to issue work permits for such workers. Unfortunately for these people, they have strong family ties in Singapore and if they were to go back to their country of origin they would have no one to depend on. This poses a lot of difficulty for them and whether young or not, they will have to lead rather lonely lives.' They have their family ties in Singapore through no fault of theirs. In addition, this will pose some sort of resentment in Singapore citizens who are close to them. I am appealing to the Minister to consider these cases on humanitarian grounds, and I hope we can receive a positive reply on that.”
“Sir, I think it is most unfair for me not to take this opportunity to congratulate the Ministry of Health for its heart, led by the biggest heart of all. the Hon. Minister for Health, especially after the Member for Kim Seng's delivery. I heard tell that through the Hon. Minister's intervention the breast-feeding mothers' group was able to set up their third milk bank at the Kandang Kerbau Hospital to save sick and dying babies at the hospital who, without mother's milk, would have otherwise died.”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, what is more worrying is not so much the accident frequency rate. It is the accident severity rate. I believe the size of the vehicle is such that accident severity rates are pretty high indeed. So I feel more emphasis should be put on inculcating safe driving habits among Army truck drivers. I hope the Minister will consider this seriously because if this is not done then it can be quite terrifying for people to drive along Upper Changi Road. Tampines Road and other roads that are heavily used by Army vehicles.”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, I would like to touch on a similar subject of safe driving by Mindef drivers. I am interested to know what programmes are afoot to improve the driving standards of these Mindef drivers.”
“Unfortunately, door-to-door selling or direct selling, as it is often called, has attracted the attention of some unscrupulous high-pressure sales persons who, using unethical methods and, after a high degree of practiced skill, will try to sell goods which the consumer neither needs nor wants or which the consumer can ill-afford. Legislative safeguards are therefore needed to ensure that consumers, who cannot afford the time, money or otherwise for themselves to be skilled through practice and learning to combat such high pressure sales techniques, are properly looked after, If goods are bought on credit, for instance, this piece of legislation could provide for a "cooling-off" period to enable the consumer to think about his purchase and, if so decided, change his mind and cancel the sale. 7.15 p.m.”
“Redress in the form of a claim in court can be both unpleasant and unrewarding. This is all the more aggravated when the claim is relatively small. As such, these retailers get away with their sins. It is necessary, therefore. Sir, to establish a Small Claims Court, a people's court where the aggrieved can sue someone without paying money for a lawyer. Much can be achieved for the consumer, whether tourist or local, to ensure his fair and honest treatment at the hands of the entrepreneur. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir. Government's anti-inflationary and anti-profiteering measures in 1975 were successful, NTUC, CASE and other organisations helped tremendously to ensure this success, However, although greater consumer awareness has been achieved, through consumer information and services, there is still exploitation of the consumers by sales persons. Very few of us do not depend to some degree on the reliability of callers to our door such as the breadman, the newspaperman, the grocer, the gardener, the meter reader and many more. Similarly, a great many people depend to varying degrees on door-to-door sellers of other goods. In fact, door-to-door sales persons have been a part of the commercial scene for some years. Over the years, many organisations and individual sales persons have provided reliable and valuable service to householders. These sellers have been of very great assistance to those who, because of physical handicap or age, have been unable to venture into the market place.”
“There has been some improvement in the buses; they break down less frequently, cause less traffic congestion and seem to have employed more congenial staff, but the Singapore Taxi Service. Tourists and Singaporeans have complained of overcharging and blatant cheating by some recalcitrant taxi-drivers who blemish the others. Commuters wanting to ride into the CBD pay for the daily area licence. $3 before but now $4, and the Hon. Minister knows how much more later on, which had been paid for earlier in the day over and over again by previous passengers. Then there is the question of overcharging. Extra charges are sometimes levied for going short distances due to, as is claimed by some taxi-drivers, a possible loss of a more lucrative fare. Extra charges for also longer distances to compensate the tedious and monotonous long drive. Extra charges too from the airport and the port to any destination, for more illogical reasons. Another grave problem is the traumatic wait on the streets frantically waving at every empty taxi, to no avail. The seemingly contented look of these taxi-drivers give the impression of an excellent day's takings in their coffers. Here, the semaphore-sending figure is usually a Singaporean who is considered a less lucrative fare, However, those `look-like-Singaporean' tourists, and our multi-racial society includes many, due to their `not-tourist-like' attire because of their lack of interest in photography, have many-a-time turned signallers. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, these unethical practices exist also in many of our shops. Being a shopper's paradise for tourists as well as Singaporeans, hundreds go on shopping sprees daily and a large majority are swindled. The honest trader finds it difficult to survive in this atmosphere.”
“Leisure provides a balance, eliminating the fatigue caused by work and increasing productivity. It provides a contrast, encouraging workers to seek in sport, tourism, hobbies and so on, some compensation for physical or psychological fatigue. It makes for a better balance between life and work. Leisure should not merely help to maintain a worker's health and thereby conduce to high productivity. It should, in addition, be a factor in social adaptation, compensating for the isolation of the worker in present-day industry, and even lead to the advancement of a worker's career. To a steadily increasing degree, leisure activities are being looked upon as a cultural duty and a symbol of social status. Loss in productivity is also a result of accidents at work. Greater stress on occupational health and safety will result in a safer working environment, Greater emphasis must be placed on accident prevention and not injury prevention. More scientific and systematic systems must be evolved to be able to predict accidental occurrences. A comprehensive early warning system developed can look at the total pattern of accidental happenings in each workplace, whether or not they cause injury or damage. From data obtained, an effective system of accident prevention can be worked out. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, our tourist industry has grown favourably, and for our own good it must grow further. This can only be ensured if we enhanced Singapore's image among tourists. The present state of affairs in unethical trade practices, if continued, will be a negating factor for our tourist trade. These unethical practices, needless to say, spill over and affect Singaporeans as well. Let me deal with public transport initially, not the SBS, Mr Deputy Speaker. Sir.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, despite difficult times in 1975 Singapore's real growth of 4.1% is a credit to the people and the Government. But much has to be engineered to maintain present growth rates in more difficult times ahead. Our strategies need to be more sophisticated, taking into consideration our better standard of living and quality of life when compared to the economic and social challenges we faced in 1959. 1965 and 1968. We need to attract new investments, expand present ones and increase productivity. Productivity is not only the responsibility of workers. It has to evolve from the board room with the enthusiasm that is expected of the shop floor. Improved work methods must be formulated and better machines designed to improve work output. Very closely linked with productivity is quality and tendencies to inspect quality must be obliterated. Quality must be built into our products and not inspected. A desirable work ethic must be inculcated to enable us to compete effectively in world markets. Middle management quality consciousness leaves much to be desired and unless this is enhanced, improvements in production cannot be anticipated. The other matter that needs to be dealt with urgently in order to increase productivity is the better utilisation of leisure. Leisure is that period of non-working time of an individual. This accrues after deducting working hours, time taken for travel to and from work, time spent at home preparing meals, eating, recuperating, time spent on family matters and so on. The apportionment will, of course, vary with sex and age. For shift workers, this is a special problem. Much has to be done to ensure that workers' leisure is usefully spent by creating opportunities for the useful utilisation of leisure hours.”
“Sir, on page 9, line 10, I would like the Minister to tell me what "punisable" actually means.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the shocking statistics the Minister has just quoted prove that this Bill needs to be passed. However, I am rather surprised, in fact, shocked, that "this Bill will not involve the Government in any extra financial expenditure." "Clause 4 makes statutory provision for the appointment of the Director of Central Narcotics Bureau and other officers of the Bureau." This will necessitate an increase in staff to ensure that this drug problem is solved. Certainly, with the present staff that the CNB has, it will be impossible for a solution to be arrived at. Again, "clause 11 extends the power of the Director of the Central Narcotics Bureau to send any person to an approved institution for treatment and rehabilitation." With this amendment, the Director will most certainly send as many people as deserved to be rehabilitated and treated to the approved institutions. This will cost money. It is therefore surprising that the Minister has not taken this extra financial expenditure into consideration to ensure that this problem is solved.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, clause 5 of the Bill puzzles me. The Minister just now did give reasons for the necessity for this clause, but I am sure there are many other reasons that he has not disclosed as yet. If he has no other reasons, I am wondering why clause 5 is being enacted and why were the funds collected for the benefit of the University of Singapore Students' Union retained by the University. I hope the Hon. Minister will enlighten this House.”