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.”
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“Sir, the Minister of State said earlier that the Ministry of Education encourages and advises parents with regard to the first or second language of their choice. It advises and encourages them to send their children to the right type of school. Can he tell us or elaborate on how the Ministry goes about advising parents in this regard? I have not really noticed such a thing going on.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can the Minister of State elaborate on his statement about the encouragement and advice that the Ministry of Education gives to parents?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to share the views of the Member for Kallang and support the Bill that is on its way to a Select Committee.”
“This will, of course, unduly fray the pockets of some parents and prohibit those who cannot afford giving their children private tui tion. The pace of the rat race has now been increased and the flag-off advanced by this restructuring proposal.”
“Sir, I am not an education expert as previous hon. Members who spoke. But may I humbly seek your approval to make a few comments on the restructuring of the education system. I am sure that the Hon. Minister is well aware that streaming children in schools according to estimated ability is damaging to the educational interests of children categorised as less able, and irrelevant to the interest of those categorised as more able. In effect, the practice of streaming tends to reinforce other discriminatory aspects of the educational system to the disadvantage of many children from manual workers' homes. The restructuring of the education system will also pose problems. As I see it, there will be problems for the teachers and principals who will have added responsibilities and added burdens in making assessments to stream children after the completion of Primary III. Will these teachers and principals be able to make correct assessments? They will need to be trained to ensure that proper assessments are made. Then again these teachers and principals will be conscience-pricked if wrong assessments are made. This, I believe, is a grave responsibility to shoulder teachers and principals with. Then there are problems that parents would be faced with. Even if parents are told over and over again the dire consequences of pushing their children too hard, the restructuring will catalyse an even greater pushing, much to the detriment of the children. Parents believe they know their children's capabilities too well and too often demand too much from them. This could damage not only children who are less able but also those who are more able. Private tuition will also be introduced into homes to children as early as when they first start schooling.”
“Sir, can we be assured of the Trade Department's assistance when we battle this matter out with the retailers?”
“Sir, the Minister says that since Government is introducing this legislation, it will ensure that this legislation when passed will empower management corporations with tools to succeed. On the tone of his reply then, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, when will this Bill be presented to Parliament?”
“What is most depressing is that although Government has made it mandatory to have management corporations formed, Government is not bothered to ensure that management corporations function effectively. To function effectively, a major necessity will be to ensure the easy collection of maintenance fees. Members serving on the council of management corporations usually do so on a gratis basis. Most of them are wage earners and have very little time at their disposal to enable them, if given the power, to go round soliciting fees from subsidiary proprietors. I must again stress that since Government introduced this legislation for the formation of management corporations, powers should be given to the Building and Common Properties Maintenance and Management Unit to take action against subsidiary proprietors who fail to make the required maintenance payments. Penalties such as fines should be introduced to enable the management corporations to speedily recover maintenance fees due to them so that properly maintained properties will ensure a cleaner and greener Singapore.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head S be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead CCA 1109*. (*The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting) Sir, under the Land Titles (Strata) Act, Part IV, (Management of the Building and the Management Corporation) it is mandatory for the proprietor or subsidiary proprietors to establish a management corporation upon registration of the strata title plan. Among the duties and responsibilities of the management corporation is the maintenance of all common properties. This is usually done by a council elected from among the subsidiary proprietors of the management corporation. Of course, the money required to maintain the property is paid by each subsidiary proprietor of the management corporation. This is in the form of maintenance fees collected monthly, half-yearly or yearly as the management corporation decides. The amount is also decided by the corporation. The Government, I am sure, is well aware that there is always difficulty in obtaining payments from individuals and so many laws have been enacted to ensure such payments. This difficulty is also faced by management corporations. However, unlike Government, management corporations have no power to ensure payments of maintenance fees. There is, of course, a possibility of management corporations resorting to legal action. But, as is well known, this is time-consuming, protracted and costly. Simple folk live in strata land, and it is hardly worth the additional cost and time to recover maintenance fees which generally is no more than $25 to $50 per mensem. 6.30 p.m.”
“The long process of having to consult the medical practitioner or practitioners to obtain details will mean extra cost, delays and additional exposure of affected workers, if any, to greater risk of contracting silicosis. The 1974 Regulations have indeed taken a dangerous retrogressive step. I wonder why such a callous step was taken.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Sand Granite Quarries Regulations, 1971, were revoked and in their place the Sand and Granite Quarries Regulations, 1974, were introduced. Clauses 13 and 18 of the 1971 Regulations - very important clauses, mind you - were deleted when the 1974 Regulations were introduced. Clause 13 requires the licensee of a quarry to ensure that every employee and worker on his premises shall undergo a full chest X-ray examination before he is employed, and that no person found to be suffering from any pulmonary disease is allowed to work on his premises. 5.15 p.m. It is well known that the incidence of silicosis or pulmonary fibrosis caused by the inhalation of dust containing free silica, a dreaded occupational disease, has been on the increase in Singapore over the last few years. By 1973, out of 461 notified cases, 185 were confirmed. This constitutes more than 10% of the mining and quarrying industry workers in Singapore. Clause 13 of the 1971 Regulations took cognisance of the dire need to ensure that the condition of any individual affected by the pulmonary disease should not be worsened. Clause 18 of the 1971 Regulations required that a record of X-ray examinations be kept by the licensee in an approved register. Although the 1974 Regulations require a yearly X-ray examination of all employees in a granite quarry, and a biennial X-ray exami nation in the case of a sand quarry, no records of these examinations are required to be kept. By deleting clause 18 of the 1971 Regulations, the competent authority cannot check immediately whether all employees have been X-rayed in accordance with legislative requirements.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it is common knowledge that crime is on the increase in Singapore. The world has its share of lost souls who rebelled against established patterns, social order and morality. Many of them resort to militancy and violent forms of revenge against society. In a situation like this our mass media, especially television and radio, must he more discriminating in their choice of public entertainment. Films appealing to the baser instincts should he limited to the minimum; i.e. those television programmes depicting crime and violence which delve deeply into the techniques used by hard-boiled criminals to commit house-breaking, safe-busting, robbery, murder, rape and so on. Our youths can easily be misguided. They can pick up a trick or two to try their hand at these anti-social activities. In fact, this is what the under-world is doing all the time. While not being too puritanical by banning all these undesirable films, some of which are enjoying an unprecedented popularity in other parts of the world, some restraint must be shown in its choice and frequency. The mother and sweetheart image of our women is also being destroyed by depressing films and advertisements on television. The accent should be on better educational films to widen the mental horizons of our people, whilst also providing entertainment. The choice of good, clean entertainment is very wide indeed.”
“Sir, I have submitted a question for oral answer, and so I am not speaking on this amendment.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister of State did say that a few workers had not responded to the measures introduced by the SBS. I would like to know what action has been taken against them. The other point is whether the Hon. Minister has considered the question of solving the problem of fatigue of bus drivers during those long drives, as mentioned by the Member for Boon Teck.”
“Let the fact that it is a requirement under legislation suffice. However, I would like to know whether the Ministry of Labour is monitoring the work of such safety committees to ensure that they exist not only in name. As far as I am aware, no safety committee registers have been looked into. Is this state of affairs going to continue any longer? It will be close to two years soon since the enactment of the Factories Act, 1973.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, Part VII of the Factories Act, 1973 (No. 6 of 1973), section 64, empowers the Minister to make it mandatory for an occupier of a factory to employ a competent person to act as a safety officer in a factory. It is essential for some factories to have safety officers because numerous health and safety hazards have to be spotted and controlled. In addition, this move could most certainly limit the number of accidents in industry. I am wondering why the Hon. Minister has not utilised the proviso in this section since this legislation came into force in 1973? Why has the Hon. Minister not considered it necessary to make this recruitment of safety officers mandatory in some accident-prone industries? In addition, this section enables the Minister to stipulate the qualification and training requirements of safety officers. There are many safety officers who, through no fault of their own, arc not qualified and trained enough to be of effective use in the promotion and assurance of safety and health in industry. This necessitates the stipulation of their qualification and training before they are recruited by industry as safety officers. Why has the Hon. Minister, to-date, not stipulated such qualifications and / or training requirements? Section 65 of the same Act requires safety committees to be set up in factories employing 50 or more persons. These committees are to be represented by employees and management. The functions of such committees are also clearly spelt out in this section. Records in relation to the work of such safety committees, like factory inspections, for example, are required to be kept in a register. I will not go into any details with regard to the importance of safety committees and their work.”
“Sir, from that very reassuring reply by the Hon. Minister of State for Labour, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AHA 1109. Asbestosis, a form of fibrosis of the lung, is normally due to the inhalation of asbestos fibres and, consequently, any process which gives rise to large amounts of asbestos dust may constitute a health hazard. Much asbestos is being used in industry, especially in the ship-building, building construction and pipe-making sectors. With the increase of these indus- tries in Singapore, much more will be used. The reason why asbestos is used stems from its relative cheapness and its properties, such as resistance to abrasion and heat, its fibrous nature and large surface area. Its high tensile strength and flexibility, on account of the extremely small ultimate diameter of the fibres, gives it properties not yet achieved by any man-made fibres at comparable cost. That asbestos is used in industry because of these reasons and that large amounts of asbestos dust may constitute a health hazard are reasons enough for the Industrial Health Unit to be ever-vigilant when inspecting plants using asbestos. Sir, I am anxious to know whether the incidence of asbestosis, a compensable disease under the Workmen's Compensation Act, is on the increase in Singapore due to its ever-increasing use in Singapore. I am also anxious to know what measures are being taken by the Industrial Health Unit to ensure limiting the possibility of workers contracting asbestosis in industry.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, will this new Division, comprising an amalgamation of three old Sections, ensure that employers do not seek to take industrial relations out of the field of human relations? This tendency is detrimental to worker-management cooperation.”
“Sir, that was the most satisfactory answer by the Hon. Minister. I thank him very much for his consideration, and I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Children can then be provided with cheaper and ice-cold drinks. If properly organised, the drinks would cost no more than 5 cents a glass or even cheaper. The money saved, the satisfaction derived by the children, and the assurance that MacRitchie is not littered, would be enough arguments for the Chief Water Engineer to allow soft drinks into the reservoir grounds during organised cross-country races.”
“Most conditions stress on anti-littering and anti-pollution measures that need to be taken. However, regulation (10), "No soft drinks are allowed in reservoir grounds", puzzles me. It is usual for children, after having run a cross-country race of 2.1 miles for girls and 3.1 miles for boys, to want to quench their thirst with some ice-cold water or soft drinks. To run between two and three miles is pretty tiring especially in our hot climate, and it is more than usual for children to need more than one bottle of iced soft drink or more than one glass of ice-cold water at the end of the race. But as soft drinks are not allowed in the reservoir grounds, there is no alternative but for the children to purchase these drinks from the restaurant at the fairly exorbitant price of 35 cents a bottle which, mind you, is not iced because the great number of children participating makes it very difficult for the caterer to ice hundreds of drinks. So the children will have to make-do with warm bottled drinks which is most unsatisfying. 3.00 p.m. In addition, many of the children do without drinks at all because they cannot afford them at such prices. Many children have to dig into their savings for thirst quenchers during cross-country races at MacRitchie. Some children, because they are more capable, are chosen to represent their schools in cross-country runs, so they turn up more than once to MacRitchie and incur still greater costs. I fail to understand why if these cross-country races are organised by schools, and school principals and teachers are responsible people, the PUB cannot make some arrangements so as to enable schools to organise their own thirst quenching facilities in the car park in the reservoir ground.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head J be reduced by $10 in respect of item (a) of subhead AAA 8101. Sir, the development of parks in the Public Utilities Board premises at MacRitchie Reservoir is indeed an advantage for the people. It is essential that we develop parks because more than 40% of our people live in high-rise flats and need an environment for relaxation, lots of trees, greenery and serenity. In addition, in MacRitchie a restaurant enables those who can afford to refresh themselves. I presume the rental is high and so the cost for refreshment is also high. It is the policy of the park authorities to ensure that the park is not littered and stringent measures have been taken to ensure that this is adhered to. Soft drinks are not allowed in the park for fear of littering, and rightly so. It would also result in the restaurant being put out of business. During the first quarter of each year, many school children frequent the MacRitchie Reservoir, not because they want to enjoy the serenity of the park and its surroundings but because, as part of their school activities, they need to participate in cross-country races. These children go there as groups organised by their schools. Of course, the usual formalities have to be carried out when applications are made by the schools to the Ministry of Education for the use of MacRitchie Reservoir as a cross-country track. These applications are normally approved by the Water Department, Public Utilities Board, and conditions are set down governing the use of the reservoir premises. These conditions are issued by the Chief Water Engineer. The conditions to be observed are on standard cyclostyled sheets and there are ten conditions in all.”
“We are too dependent on imported skills in many industrial areas. Employers are not playing a significant enough role in the industrial training process. They must be required not only to promote but also to assist in the promotion of industrial training. In addition, it is necessary for us to keep our goods competitive by keeping costs from rising. This can be done effectively by economies in manning and the elimination of waste. This is a positive way and is a sure road to higher real wages and high standards of living. Unfortunately, this is not practised religiously by employers. There is also a tendency for employers to seek to take industrial relations out of the field of human relations. This tendency is detrimental to worker-management cooperation. There is no future in this direction and this tendency should be strongly deprecated. 6.45 p.m.”
“Sir, I would also like to make mention that the Budget statement was tempered with compassion in its consideration for those above 55 and above 60 years of age. The tax concession offered to working people over 55 and over 60 years old is indeed a gesture of humane regard for their long years of contribution to our Republic. In addition to their being able to spend more money staying healthy and getting to work, they will have a sense of importance because of their recognition by Government. They will also be able to spend a few extra dollars, which they always do, without too much constraint for their children and their grandchildren, especially on occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and festivals. As people get older they need to be reassured from time to time that they are wanted by society, a society that they have spent many years working for. The method introduced by Government to reassure these people is indeed praiseworthy. Sir, the importance of tripartite cooperation among the Government, employers and workers cannot be overemphasised. And I am in absolute agreement with the Hon. Minister. This is a major requirement for Singapore's continued progress and prosperity in times like this or at any other time. In the midst of rapid technological change, our nation and our people have accepted the challenges and the hardships of change. The Government harnessed the change, painful though it might have been, for the benefit of the community as a whole and for gaining economic strength. However, we need to speed up the pace of industrial training to ensure that those affected by industrial change are given the opportunity to be trained to take advantage of the jobs that new growth industries are providing.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the same breath, in expressing his reluctance to increase taxation "lest it should raise the prices of essential goods and services, especially food and clothing, public transport and housing", the Hon. Minister for Finance argued that "additional revenue will have to come from increased taxes on tobacco, liquor and cars". Transportation is vital for essential commodities like vegetables, fish, meat and so on, to be taken to markets for sale to consumers. Vans, cars, motorcycles with side-carriages, the majority of which are petrol driven, are utilised to transport these essential commodities to markets. The increase in the road tax of vehicles would mean increasing costs in transportation of essential commodities to markets. My fear is that this will cause increases in the prices of essential commodities and the consumer will have to pay more for these essentials. If the rationale behind increasing road tax for motor vehicles is to limit the number of cars on the roads because of traffic congestion and air pollution, then taxation at source would be more realistic. In addition, stringent measures could also be introduced to ensure that only road worthy vehicles are allowed on roads as poorly maintained vehicles cause not only traffic congestion, because of constant stalling and breakdowns, but also air pollution because of wornout machine parts that lead to excessive smoke being emitted. However, if the rationale is to increase the Government revenue to offset expenditure, surely another method of taxation which will not cause price increases of essential commodities could be introduced.”
“The increasing crime rate has a tendency to be tied up with drug abuse. The ever-increasing cost of drugs and the advancement from a lesser to a more potent drug, which costs more, necessitates an ever-increasing supply of funds, legitimate or otherwise. Tile quickest way, unless you are caught, to obtain these funds is to steal. If there is a threat of discovery, petty theft could end in murder. To curb crimes of this nature would mean the developing of a better and more skilfully manned Central Narcotics Bureau. Surveillance work will need to be undertaken to keep an ever watchful eye on suspect drug traffickers with the objective of ultimately arresting and prosecuting them. More confidence will need to be built up with drug abusers caught so as to persuade them to divulge the sources of their drug supplies. This would of course mean attaching CNB officers to fewer culprits to enable the officers to create a better rapport with these abusers in order to obtain the essential information. 3.37 p.m.”
“In Sweden, recent legislation provides for management-labour cooperation in safety and health and for trade unions to become involved in the assessment of safety and health risks to which their members are exposed. In countries as different as Germany and Russia, substantial developments are also taking place. We need to have an in-depth study of our system in order to improve and evolve a new and better system. The need for it is clearly indicated in our accident statistics. In formulating this new and better system, the philosophy must be to ensure that no worker shall suffer impairment or dimunition in health, functional capacity, or life expectancy as a result of his work and working conditions. Especially important must be the development of long-term programmes to establish guidelines for the early detection of health impairment as a result of work hazards. Mr Speaker, Sir, that crime merits punishment and that it is the duty of Government to ensure a safe country for our people apart from the country being conducive for investors, tourists and so on, to visit, is expected. But in Singapore today employment is not such a problem, if one is not unduly fastidious, and even then crime rates are on the increase. This is more than alarming and needs to be urgently checked. However, if we are interested in the long term interests of our people, we cannot only concentrate in building our Police Force to combat crime with the threat of detection and punishment. Government needs to have a comprehensive policy which will enable it to determine the reasons behind these growing crime rates. Once the `whys' have been removed, less of our citizens will turn to crime. This is a positive step towards crime prevention and must be implemented at the earliest possible juncture.”
“The report of the Study Group on accident prevention in ship-building and ship-repairing will also alleviate some of the problems in Industrial Health and Safety. The intended inclusion of Industrial dermatitis and noise-induced deafness to the Second Schedule of the Workmen's Compensation Act as compensable diseases is another step forward and so are the proposed increases in quantum of compensation payable. In addition, intended amendments to the Factories Act to further include more stringent safety measures are commendable. However, as safety is everybody's concern, more stress should be laid on the necessity for further strengthening the tripartite cooperation in this field. In addition, there should be serious consideration by all these three parties, especially by Government, to look deeply into our system of Accident Prevention in order to derive, possibly, a solution that would in actual fact reduce the accident incidence rate and the dangerous occurrences rate. Let us take, for instance, the developments in this field at present taking place in the United States and the United Kingdom which, superficially at least, seem to be pursuing opposite paths. In the United States, under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) the emphasis is on enforcement- thousands of esoteric standards that bewilder and confuse employers. In fact, only 5% of the Federal job safety and health standards account for 80% of tile OSHA citations for violations. Further, more than 40% of all serious violations are due to non-compliance with just 15 job safety and health rules, basic commonsense rules dealing with the obvious. In the United Kingdom, however, there is a move towards less legislation and regulation and greater self-regulation by both management and labour.”
“However, the Education system, as it is, neglects to inform the young that the way they utilise their purchasing power could influence the means and speed by which their standard of living improved. It is in the real interest of democracy to create knowledgeable and proficient consumers who are able to influence and improve production, boycott shoddy goods, and help establish the correct balance between supply and demand for goods and services, including cultural and social ones. In our present Education system, we have mere apologies for Consumer Education in the form of "Education for Living" taught in primary schools and "Home Economics" taught to girls in Secondary Schools. Consumer Education is needed without regard to sex both boys and girls are future consumers. We need to be taught in school to ensure an appreciation of how the needs of the community are met, an understanding of the levying and allocation of taxes, and a clearer concept of the national budget. Consumer education if carried out properly in schools will help students evolve their own value systems, develop sound decision-making procedures based on their values, evaluate alternatives in the market place and get the best buys for money, understand their rights and responsibilities as consumers in our society, and fulfil their roles in directing a free enterprise system. Mr Speaker, Sir, undoubtedly the ever-rising toll of accidents in factories, some ending in the maiming and even death of productive workers, more than merits the determination of the Labour Ministry to raise standards of industrial health and safety especially in the more vulnerable areas of building construction, shipbuilding and ship-repairing.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in rising to associate myself with my most esteemed colleagues, the hon. Members from the Back-bench and the hon. Member for Kim Keat, in expressing appreciation to the President for his most distinct Address to Parliament on the 21st instant, may I spend some moments elaborating on some of Singapore's problems. Answers will have to be obtained and soon to fulfil the long term interests of the people. We seem to have started 1975, and a little later the year of the Rabbit, pretty well indeed. Provided there is a continuing resilient population and work force, and a continuous drive for productivity, quality and reliability from all quarters, we should see more improvement in the months to come, barring any unfortunate global crisis. But, Mr Speaker, Sir, what are we doing about the deficiencies in our Education system which needs immediate attention to fulfil long term goals? I hope that the Education Act will correct the situation. The object of education, as I see it, is to develop future citizens capable of earning money and fulfilling their jobs in an atmosphere of opportunity, dignity and justice. In the main, Education is to get students to understand why they must be clever enough to do specific jobs, and to give them factual knowledge to enable them to do these jobs. In fact, our formal education plays a significant role in preparing the young for their future roles in the economic processes by inculcating in the young qualities of punctuality, orderliness, regularity, the ability to obey orders and to carry out defined tasks in a set time. Citizens qualified to maintain a good profitable industry assist the economy of their country. They are then rewarded with high purchasing powers and high standards of living.”
“The Minister also quoted lots of percentage figures. In my case I quoted actual figures which I have obtained. In actual fact, the Minister has no proof that legalised abortion has not led to an increase in promiscuity. I he has these facts and figures, I would be most grateful if he could present them to the House.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I might be simplistic in my thinking but I do not see any reason why debates arc necessary among experts to finally come to a conclusion whether a foetus is a living thing or not. To my mind, something living requires sustenance and grows. The foetus requires sustenance from its mother and it grows, because by the ninth month it is born a bonny baby. In addition to that, if it is taken out whether before or after 24 weeks it cannot grow unless it is within its mother. Is the Minister suggesting that if it is taken out after 24 weeks it can grow into a baby outside the mother's womb?”
“Sir, a few points of clarification and a few very small statements.”
“I believe that we are trying to get away by using the easy method -legalised abortion. That is how it works. It is surprising that with such intelligence we cannot come up with something that will not harm not only the mother but the living foetus. I notice that this Abortion Bill will not involve the Government in any extra financial expenditure. This is true. No extra financial expenditure is needed, hut I can assure the Government that it will be involved in extra "moral and spiritual expenditure".”
“- as a result of legalising abortion. From figures I have before me, in 1970 there were 91 unmarried Women who had legalised abortions; 1971 - 145; 1972 - 190; 1973 - 316; and January to June 1974 - 304 abortions. These are unmarried women, mind you. Among divorced, separated and widowed women, there was an increase from 21 in 1970 to 26 in 1971, 35 in 1972 and 47 in 1973, and 42 between January and June 1974. This tells me that promiscuity has increased because of legalised abortion. In addition to that, the Hon. Minister says that repeat abortions have decreased. Repeat abortions, according to the figures, show: 1971 - 111; 1972 -269; 1973 - 356; January to June 1974 --379. Here again, there has been an increase of repeat abortions. I cannot follow the Hon. Minister's arguments and neither, I am sure, can the other Members in the House. Not a single death, he says, has occurred because of legalised abortions. How about the dying foetus? A foetus that is alive with a soul, a foetus that is living in the mother -~ it is now dead because of abortion, legalised abortion, legalised murder. I fail to follow his arguments really and I exhort hon. Members not to support the Abortion Bill that is being presented to the House today. Our population needs to be reduced, I agree; but Education, hon. Minister, is what is required to get the people to realise that we need to decrease our population because we do not have sufficient food, because we do not have sufficient land space, and because we do not have what we need to have to support such a large population. A decrease in sexual activity is what we have to look for. Has the Minister done anything to get facts and figures to enable Singaporeans through education to reduce their sexual activity?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the passing of the Abortion Act five years ago was traumatic for Singapore, and now the liberalising of the Act will be much worse for us. I am just wondering whether the Hon. Minister's conscience is not pricked. It is really strange that he comes up with arguments saying that promiscuity has not increased in Singapore - Mr Chua Sian Chin: As a result of abortion.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, that was a most satisfactory answer. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $299,181,900 for Head PA ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $45,075,300 for Head PA ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. 7.45 p.m.”
“At the present moment, amenities available to children during school holidays need to be extended and improved. All school playing fields should be made available to groups of children and young people during the school holidays; various restrictions are now placed upon the use of some school playing fields. No doubt there should be adequate supervision. There are also available a number of swimming pools in Singapore, and a policy that the Ministry could adopt would be to enable organised groups of school children on holidays to utilise them. A meagre number of facilities for holiday camping are available. The Ministry should look into the possibility of establishing its own holiday camps, properly organised and supervised. There is clearly a need to improve tremendously both the scale and quality of school holiday amenities. Such amenities are obviously helpful to many parents and children and have particular value in an urbanised area like Singapore where there is very little open space. This need is further accentuated by the presence of high-rise housing and heavy traffic on the roads. In addition properly organised amenities have also an educational value. Will the Hon. Minister consider a definite policy to radically increase the present meagre school holiday amenities and charge responsible persons to organise these amenities for the benefit of school children, especially those from the poorer families?”
“Yes, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head PA in respect of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100. Sir, the educational progress of many children is significantly affected by a variety of social handicaps. Can the Hon. Minister inform me of any effective attempts to solve this problem? I do believe there is a grave need for school social care. This will enable a child to derive maximum benefit from education, by identifying and trying to help solve the social problems affecting him and his family. Of course, the role of the teacher in this process is of prime importance, though many teachers at the moment are insufficiently informed of the workings of the social services. It is imperative, therefore, that teacher-training should also include the study of the social factors affecting children's educational progress, and some study of the social services. Another possibility is to employ social workers to be attached to schools. Will the Hon. Minister consider implementing any one of these proposals, and elaborate his thinking in regard to this rather real problem? Another problem, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, is the present increasing rate of crime which includes drug-taking, drug-pushing, and other offences among our youth. Let me quote some figures from the Police Department's Annual Reports on youths convicted by Juvenile courts. 1968 - 444 convictions; 1969 - 439 convictions; 1970 - 332 convictions; 1971 - 390 convictions; 1972 - 633 convictions. This reflects to some extent our present education policies. There are some areas in our education policies that could change to the advantage of alleviating this problem. I would like to deal with one area; the area of school holiday amenities.”
“Sir, at the rate this debate is going on, I would not have a chance.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, could I, with your permission, speak now as I have moved an amendment* under Head PA, in respect of the Main Estimates? * The amendment reads as follows: (5) That the total sum to be allocated for Head PA in respect of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100. The Chairman: I would suggest that the Member might as well wait until the debate under the present amendment is over.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, that was a most encouraging reply by the Minister. Most certainly I will put forward suggestions from CASE. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $2,780,400 for Head OD ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $263,000 for Head OD ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head OG-- The following amendment stood in the names of Messrs. N. Govindasamy and P. Govindaswamy - (1) That the sum to be allocated for Head OG be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1105.”
“I would like to state that this is a matter of utmost urgency and request that it be given high priority. Would the Minister be charging his Ministry to seriously study the suggestion of enacting legislation for both consumers and traders' interests at the earliest possible juncture? Would the Hon. Minister permit CASE to work closely with his Ministry to determine the feasibility of this consumer legislation?”
“There will also be the necessity to include the name and address of the packer on the label, to prohibit false and misleading labelling, advertising and pricing, and misleading packaging shapes. The Act should also require quantity markings for packages, the compulsory use of standard quality units and that advertisers furnish the proof in respect of the claims made. All goods should also be clearly marked reflecting the volume, weight or the dimensions of length and width, wherever these considerations apply. Consumers will also be anxious to see, indicated, the date of use in respect of commodities of limited life. The Consumers' Association of Singapore (CASE) does not regard legislation as necessarily an appropriate method of ensuring that consumers get a fair deal. CASE does not also advocate legislation in cases where it feels it can achieve the desired end by agreement between the interests concerned. CASE does not also press for legislation unless the problems raised are sufficiently serious to warrant such action. Unless a considerable number of consumers are affected by the conditions CASE considers need correcting, legislation is not, in the view of CASE, appropriate. But there is still a wide field where it is necessary to lay down rules in legislative form not only to the benefit of the consumers but also for the protection of the honest trader. This proposed legislation is an obvious example and it will benefit not only purchasers but also reputable traders, who are in the majority and who are adversely affected by some of the activities of certain dubious entrepreneurs. The Hon. Minister did say that he would be looking into this matter very carefully on the 15th instant in this House.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head OD be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1107. Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to say "Thank you very much" to the Hon. Minister, his Anti-Inflationary Committee and the Department of Trade, for their contribution to consumers in Singapore. I want also to pay a special tribute to the Hon. Minister for taking such pains in his attempts to alleviate consumer discomfort, and I would like hon. Members to note that I do this not on the basis that he has not said nice things about me in the House on the 15th instant nor in the hope of prompting him to say nice things about me in the House today. Sir, I also rise in support of suggestions to enact a Consumer Protection Act by Members during the debate on the Budget Statement. The Member for River Valley spoke on this at length, and I would also like to speak on the subject to complement his intelligent proposals. The Member for River Valley called it the Consumer Protection Act. I would like, however, to call this piece of legislation, which should be introduced as soon as possible, the Consumer Information Act. I call it the Consumer Information Act because this Act will ensure that consumers are truthfully informed in regard to products purchased and because a Protection Act could insinuate that consumers need to be protected against all traders when, in actual fact, only some of them are guilty of trade malpractices. 4.00 p.m. This Act, for example, will require the labelling of all packaged goods truthfully. It will require a statement of weight of contents or volume. It most certainly will curb deceptive packaging and labelling.”
“The exercise to consolidate salaries in 1969 was intended to improve the terms and conditions of service of officers who were then in service, and of others who would be joining the service subsequently. It was not intended to increase the pension of those pensioners who had already retired from the service before 1969. Officers who retired before 1969 on non-consolidated salaries are already being assisted in that they are paid a cost of living allowance and a Singapore allowance if their pensions are (a) below $257 per month, and they have no dependants, or (b) below $331 per month, and have dependants to support. On the other hand, officers who retired on consolidated salaries are not paid this cost of living allowance and Singapore allowance, so that if the pension for officers who retired before 1969 on non-consolidated salaries were to be recomputed as though they had their salaries consolidated, and if they were to give up accordingly the cost of living allowance and Singapore allowance, then about 73 per cent of such pensioners would be receiving less pension. I do not know whether the Member for Telok Blangah intended to have this particular effect.”
“A taxpayer supporting, say, a wife, two children and two parents, would therefore be liable to pay tax only if his annual income exceeds $7,000. Generally, therefore, the lower income groups do not pay income tax, and any upward revision of personal relief would benefit only those who can afford to make some contribution to Government revenue. The international view of Singapore income taxation is that we are rather generous in our personal reliefs and we would do well to broaden the base of such taxation. In fact, if our taxation were examined further, it may be that next year we shall have to reduce the rate of personal relief rather than increase it. Psychologically, it would bring home to the new taxpayers that Government grants, subsidies and concessions, which are being so liberally advocated by Members, can come only out of the generosity of taxpayers among whom perhaps many of the advocates can be numbered. The Member for Telok Blangah asked a question regarding the extension of pension benefits to officers who retired before the consolidation of salaries. He would like the present method of computing pension based on the consolidated salary to be also given to those officers who retired before the setting up of the Salaries Commission. I have had representations from pensioners as well as the Member for Telok Blangah and I have considered them, and I will always consider representations which are made from time to time. But this is really a very hardy and perennial question, and I cannot really hold out any hope that Government will extend the present method of computing pension based on consolidated salary to those officers who retired before 1-1-69 when pension was computed on the basis of basic salary without taking into account the variable allowances.”
“The Member for Paya Lebar also referred to my explanation, during the debate on the financial policy of the Government, that in considering the question of giving personal relief I had decided that, other than the tax relief increase for dependent parents and grandparents, there should be no concession in the way of personal relief. He thought this decision was inappropriate in the light of present developments and that, as the rate had been the same for the last 20 years, it was out of date. In this respect, of course, I have to consider not only whether the rate which has obtained over the last 20 years gives the same or more revenue, but also whether, in fact, there is now very much more expenditure which will have to be covered by fresh revenue. So it does mean that if reliefs were given resulting in less revenue, then I would have to consider applying a tax in some other way which would make good the loss in revenue and which would be sufficient to cover the very much greater additional expenditure, since the rate of personal relief was decided 20 years ago. Now, I think a word on the income tax system may not be inappropriate here. This system is progressive in its effect, the higher income earner paying a higher rate of tax. So from the point of view of imposing taxation, if any method has to be used, this would be as appropriate, if not more appropriate, a method as any other. The existing reliefs already ensure that only taxpayers who are in the middle and higher income brackets are liable to pay the tax. As an example, in 1972 only 126,000 persons, or 17 per cent out of a total of 725,000 who were gainfully employed, paid any income tax.”