Janet Ang
Singapore
“It is important that the GPs step forward and engage themselves in the redesign of work processes and incentives that will help make Healthier SG implementation efficient, effective and most importantly, deliver on its intended purpose.”
“In conclusion, my hope is for our Singapore-style of meritocracy to be one which values the dignity of every person – no matter their abilities or achievements, upholds the spirit of community, that is, as Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong calls it, more about the we and us and less about the I and me; empowers attitudes of always learn…”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to ask Minister how is MSF enabling, empowering and compensating our social workers so that they can meaningfully journey with families and persons in their care? What is MSF doing to attract good people and leaders to this sector? Communities with purpose serve.”
“How does MOM and the Tripartite partners intend to manage the implementation of the Fair Practice in the Workplace legislation and achieve its intended purpose while at the same time ensuring that we maintain workplace harmony and not allow for a litigious culture to take root?”
“That said, what measures are in place to ensure that Government agencies do not spend on advertising on what can be perceived as self-promotion of the Government or to show it in a positive light? How does MCI measure the effectiveness of its spending? Partnering Industries for the Future”
“Two, in view of recent Presidential-level engagements between them, how hopeful can we be that open communications and dialogue will continue to progress constructively?”
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“In the US, the Netherlands, Greece, Germany, Japan, Australia and South Korea, the majority of their people see their countries struggling to handle the COVID-19 outbreak in ways that reveal political weakness. Only in Singapore, Hungary, Israel and Sweden does the majority feel the opposite, that the way their country has handled the COVID-19 virus outbreak highlights their country's political strengths. At the end of the day, it is the high trust and confidence that Singaporeans have in one another and in our leaders that have gotten us through the crisis of a generation. And having our reserves was a real blessing. For the rest of my speech, I will speak on the key impressions of the White Paper from the various trade associations and chambers (TAC) leaders I engaged with. Consistently, the business community has brought up the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) as the lifesaver for many companies, especially the SMEs. JSS was critical in keeping most businesses afloat during the pandemic and preserving jobs for workers by providing wage support for the companies to retain employees. To quote Mr Farid Khan, President of the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry: "The swift action taken by the Government in implementing this scheme has undoubtedly saved jobs and businesses." In parallel, businesses, especially SMEs, are grateful to the Government for the quick rollout of the temporary relief measures, including rental rebates, bridging loan programmes, deferment of loan repayments, access to credit and so on. All these measures, which were urgently needed, were passed into legislation in record time.”
“Mr Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to join this debate on Deputy Prime Minister's Motion. I declare that I am a council member of the Singapore Business Federation. Before proceeding with my speech, I will ask us to remember for a second all who have succumbed to COVID-19. May they rest in peace. My deepest condolences to their families. Sir, I would like to start with a moment of gratitude on behalf of the business community: firstly, for the leadership by the Government and this House throughout the 37 months from DORSCON Yellow in January 2020 to DORSCON Green in February 2023; secondly, to all of Singapore, especially our frontline workers, for doing what they do every day for the rest of us, especially through the darkest days during the pandemic; and thirdly, for everyone involved with this White Paper, which I believe will become a valuable resource of actionable insights for the nation. The business community is glad to see that we did not waste the crisis and that the Government chose to professionally and honestly reflect and learn from the events and the actions taken, including the U-turns that had to be made along the way. The findings are objective and balanced. The frank analysis on what we did well and what could have been done better provides valuable takeaways for us as a country to handle the next pandemic. Overall, Singapore has done well in protecting both lives and livelihoods. In an August 2022 Pew Research Center Survey involving 19 countries, including Singapore, it was found that many countries believed the pandemic has revealed weaknesses or strengths in their political systems.”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to ask Minister how is MSF enabling, empowering and compensating our social workers so that they can meaningfully journey with families and persons in their care? What is MSF doing to attract good people and leaders to this sector? Communities with purpose serve. Supporting the marginalised and vulnerable families in Singapore is a whole-of-society responsibility. Mr Benny Chua, a franchisee of a ValuDollar store at Jalan Kukoh, joined in the mission to help bring dignity and hope to John, one of the residents at Transit Point@Jalan Kukoh, a shelter for displaced individuals run by New Hope.”
“And, of course, we need to have the talent, both local and global, to continue to lead the industry. How does the Ministry plan to attract talented Singaporeans in this sector and ensure they are equipped with the right skills?”
“Mdm Chair, more than 80% of world trade is moved by sea. For Singapore, maritime is our lifeblood. We have some 200 shipping lines with links to more than 600 ports in over 120 countries worldwide. We are a global hub port and international maritime centre, and is consistently ranked top by international publications. During the COVID years, the maritime industry is one of the bright spots for Singapore's battled economy. With our strong foundation, Singapore can and should continue to play an important role in global trade. However, the world is changing quickly, spurred on by technology, the sustainability imperative and changing geopolitics. Singapore’s Maritime Industry needs to evolve in tandem if we are to remain relevant. I would like to put forward three points. First, we must remain an open economy that offers a safe and stable environment that sets us apart from the rest. Last year, the Government announced plans for Tuas Port. Can the Minister provide an update on the progress of the construction of the port? 7.45 pm Second, we must embrace innovation and, in fact, accelerate the pace to distance ourselves from competition. One such opportunity is the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex) Project which has the vision to provide greater visibility to supply chain logistics partners, such as haulers and shippers as well as bunkering players, and thereby improve asset utilisation, increase productivity and enhance operational efficiencies. TradeNet put Singapore on the world map in the 1980s. SGTraDex has the promise of doing the same in this millennium. Can the Minister share with us an update of the development of SGTraDex and any other innovative projects that will anchor Singapore as the leader in the industry?”
“How does MOM and the Tripartite partners intend to manage the implementation of the Fair Practice in the Workplace legislation and achieve its intended purpose while at the same time ensuring that we maintain workplace harmony and not allow for a litigious culture to take root? And, finally, what is the Government doing to strengthen the alignment between jobs, skills and pay for value? And how does the Public Service intend to model the way forward? Artificial Intelligence and Work”
“Mr Chairman, the SG United Jobs and Skills, SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit, Progressive Wage Model (PWM) and Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) all are key measures that have saved our businesses and our workers during the pandemic years. With COVID-19 behind us, our businesses are looking forward to grow again. Unfortunately, we are riding straight into a perfect storm with soaring food and energy prices, high interest rates and rising manpower costs and manpower availability. How is the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) supporting businesses to address the lack of manpower availability issue? PWM and foreign labour policies do impact manpower costs. How is MOM helping businesses to manage the costs increase? Singapore being open to global talent is not an option. Singapore needs a complementary foreign labour at all levels across most sectors. MOM has announced the Complementarity Assessment Framework (COMPASS) at last year’s Budget and this will be implemented this year. Can COMPASS differentiate companies by size and job skills, recognising that micro companies may need a lower Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC) and some specialist jobs may not have any Singaporeans trained to take up those roles? How is MOM supporting businesses to attract local Singaporeans into their industry or sector, especially for job roles at or higher than the S Pass and Employment Pass qualifying salary levels? How else is MOM doing to help businesses reduce reliance on foreign manpower? With a diverse workforce, it is imperative for good practices at the workplace.”
“That said, what measures are in place to ensure that Government agencies do not spend on advertising on what can be perceived as self-promotion of the Government or to show it in a positive light? How does MCI measure the effectiveness of its spending? Partnering Industries for the Future”
“Mr Chairman, digital transformation is a strategic imperative for all businesses in the new economy. Over the past several years, the Government has partnered industry to drive "SMEs Go Digital" with pre-approved solutions, business grants as well as consultancy support. Yet, only 19% of our companies in the National Business Survey have listed "Digital Transformation" as one of their top five priorities. How well have our SMEs adopted digitalisation and what else is MCI and IMDA doing in 2023 to further drive digital transformation, especially amongst our SMEs? E-payment with PayNow was a lifesaver for businesses during the pandemic. Can MCI update us on the progress of e-payment adoption as well as e-invoicing and e-signature? In the most recent Singapore Business Federation (SBF) survey, businesses have called out that the lack of talent and know-how are barriers for SMEs to digitalise and transform. Can the Minister update us on how the implementation of CTO-as-a-Service has supported the SMEs with regards to digital leadership and know-how? TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) and Career Conversion Programmes have focused on developing and reskilling local talent to meet the demands for information and communications technology (ICT) skills. How successful have we been developing the required skills to meet our needs? At the same time, how successful have we been in attracting strategic global tech talent with the ONE Pass programme? MCI is the Government's communications agency. I have heard positive feedback on the efforts made to make Budget 2023 simple to understand for the ordinary Singaporean and businesses.”
“Together, Forward Singapore is the only way to go.”
“Our companies highlight uncertainty as the key barrier when internationalising. The uncertainty of demand, unfamiliarity of business climate and the ability to find suitable partners are some of the issues. To support Singapore companies with their aspirations to internationalise, Enterprise Singapore (ESG) collaborated with SBF to set up Global-Connect@SBF. Let me share the story of Hot Spicy Mama, an SME offering tasty Singaporean flavoured ready-to-eat condiment products. In 2022, Global-Connect@SBF assisted Hot Spicy Mama to sell their products in Qatar and will be helping them to explore other markets in Middle East and South Asia. Beyond Singapore seems to be the way to go, but for those who are venturing overseas, Budget 2023 seems a little light on internationalisation. Will MTI consider SBF’s recommendation to extend the Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) grant to cover manpower costs for related overseas market promotion, business development, or market set-up activities? How will the Government provide geopolitical intelligence support for our businesses in their market risk assessment and in navigating the geopolitical challenges as well as facilitating their internationalisation efforts? Last year, MTI Minister Gan Kim Yong painted the vision of Singapore Economy 2030, refreshed Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs), signed digital economic agreements and green economy agreements to rally our tripartite partners to seize the many opportunities in our turbulent world and stay relevant in the global economy. I would like to ask Minister to give an update of the progress of Singapore Economy 2030 vision and the sectorial strategies as laid out in the ITMs? Strategy without execution is daydreaming. So, execute we must. There is no silver bullet.”
“I am encouraged to hear the story of Jumain Sataysfaction, a Singapore food manufacturer whose bosses had an “a-ha!” moment when they participated in the Meatless Meat Challenge organised by Singapore Polytechnic’s Food Innovation and Resource Centre (FIRC), Singapore Food Manufacturers' Association (SFMA) and Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG). They worked closely with the polytechnic students to finalise their concepts for creating a new product range with plant-based options. The Singapore Polytechnic (SP) students with their lecturers’ coaching translated the concepts into actual food products with relevant marketing and communication strategies. A new plant-based satay product was created and aptly named "SOVEG". SOVEG will soon be showcased at the upcoming Gulfood exhibition in Dubai. So, it is possible. The new Enterprise Innovation Scheme announced by Deputy Prime Minister will help reduce the financial barrier for SMEs to embark on innovation projects like SOVEG. But to bring an innovation from creation to the market will take investments. How will MTI facilitate and encourage our Singapore companies to get started in their innovation journey and take it from creation to production to market? Well, while it is a welcomed move to have the Government to step in to encourage innovation and share risks with SMEs on their innovation journey, there are many business leaders who are sceptical about the take-up rate and the short-term impact as innovation does take time to bear fruit and most SMEs are looking at "today" rather than "tomorrow". Innovation indeed is not easy. So beyond grants and financial assistance, how else is MTI going to help to develop a strong and vibrant innovation ecosystem? We hear too often that Singapore’s market is too small.”
“Mr Chairman, we would all agree that the Job Support Scheme, SGUnited Jobs and Skills, Enterprise Financing Scheme and other COVID-19 measures have helped our businesses tide over the difficult COVID-19 years. We have after close to three years emerged from COVID-19 but unfortunately, we have to now deal with escalating food and energy prices and high inflationary pressures. Our companies are struggling with high business costs and manpower challenges. While the extension of the Enterprise Financing Scheme (EFS) and Energy Efficiency Grants (EFG) will help businesses sustain, many may not be able to afford to invest to build their business for the future because of the high interest rates. Will MTI consider allowing SMEs to negotiate a temporary shortening of payment terms or payment advancement over a limited period? How can Government encourage our financial services ecosystem to support our SMEs to still invest in their businesses for the future? With Budget 2023, it is clear that the Government is moving away from “handouts” to a Budget that “invests to build for growth, sustainability and resilience”. The $4 billion top-up to the National Productivity Fund (NPF) will help to support the much-needed productivity enhancements and the reskilling of workers. It will however require companies to drive change like job redesign, digitalisation, automation, reskilling and so on, and change is hard work. It is likened to many of us trying to get fit and learning to use “new muscles” and new diets. It will take time but to do this, we must. It is the foundation to staying healthy and competitive. If driving productivity is hard work, transformation and innovation is even more hard work. It will take leadership at the very top to make it happen.”
“How does Singapore's good relations and strong trade with these two superpowers, keep us in the "green lane" with both of them and enable us to not have to take sides?”
“Two, in view of recent Presidential-level engagements between them, how hopeful can we be that open communications and dialogue will continue to progress constructively? Three, how can Singapore build on our strong political and diplomatic engagements with the US and China, as well as with multilateral institutions, to play an effective role as bridge-builder to tackle common challenges, for example, climate change and digital economy?”
“It is pertinent that Singapore does not falter, but firmly stick to principles and abide by global rules-based multilateral system, whether for international security or for international trade. Singapore may be small, but as Minister Vivian Balakrishnan often reiterated, and I quote, "We cannot be bought, nor can we be bullied." Our diplomacy approach is simple. We are friendly with everyone. Kudos to our Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) colleagues here and in the overseas Missions for establishing strong diplomatic relationships with many countries. Singapore is not simply a fair-weather friend. I read with pride The Straits Times article on how our Singapore men from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded to a request by Turkey and took part in the rescue operations in Southern Turkey, which was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 6 February. This is one of the many heartwarming examples of Singapore diplomacy at its best. Let me speak next to the US-China relations and implications on business. Both these superpowers are Singapore's key trading partners with China as Singapore's largest trading partner and the US as Singapore's top foreign investor. The US is also Singapore's third largest trading partner and Singapore is China's top foreign investor. In 2022, we are glad to see the high-level engagements that Singapore leaders had with the US and with China. I would like to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs to share his perspective on the following questions. One, with the US-China geopolitics heating up – to the extent of balloons being shot down, how do we ensure that Singapore, being a little red dot, is not caught in their "bullfight"?”
“Mr Chairman, thank you for the privilege to participate in this COS. I would like to declare that I am the Non-Resident Ambassador (NRA) of Singapore to the Holy See. One year ago, Russia launched a full-scale invasion on the small sovereign state of Ukraine. One year on, the war is still raging. Two years ago, the coup in Myanmar started, and today, the violence is reportedly getting worse. Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions between the US and China have intensified, and Taiwan, which is the red line for China, is constantly being "put to the test". And, alas, if there were any dreams for peace in the Korean Peninsula post Kim-Trump Summit – those, too, have fast faded into the distance. We have experienced supply chain disruptions since the COVID-19 pandemic and these are further exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war, especially for food and energy. Inflation is at a 14-year high, and across the globe, we see increasing protectionism. It is, indeed, troubling times that we live in. Singapore is a small and young nation in this increasingly divided world where we see sharpened rivalry and deepened mistrust between nations, and even between peoples in the same country. The "Terror on Capitol Hill" is but a vivid reminder of how mistrust, once sowed, can lead to consequences that one cannot imagine could happen. Singaporeans must not think, even for a moment, that these things can never happen to us. Hence, whether it is our National Service or our multicultural, multi-religious heritage or our shared values of building an inclusive and progressive society for all, Singaporeans must always have the courage to speak and act with integrity for our country. We are a small nation and may, at times, have to walk a tight rope.”
“And, of course, even guests who are here on S Pass, EP or work permits, should be encouraged to volunteer and to engage in service in the community. Our sense of neighbourliness seems to be a challenge as I listen to the nightmares of litter bugs, the "neighbour from hell" and the story of an elderly dying alone in her HDB flat without anyone discovering her for days. Budget 2023, alone, cannot address these challenges. It will have to take all of us – citizens, PRs, migrant residents, businesses, civil society, social services agencies and Government – collectively to be caring and purposeful in living out our social and civic responsibilities. On that note about being purposeful, I would like to share a quote by Mr Samir Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever Asia, during a panel discussion with Minister Edwin Tong at the Company of Good Summit in January 2023. I quote: "Brands with purpose grow, people with purpose thrive, companies with purpose last." And to that beautiful quote, I add my line to close: "Communities with purpose serve." I stand in support of Budget 2023. [Applause.]”
“Tech can do a lot of good for society and has contributed much and its impact will be even more pervasive. But we have also seen the harms that tech can bring about, whether it is online scams, online bullying, unethical artificial intelligence – and the list goes on. We have debated in this House on this very issue, and bills have been passed to safeguard our people and our businesses from potential ills. But by the time the laws have to be called into play, it is already too far downstream. I am encouraged and proud that Singapore was the first country who tabled at WEF, the Governance Framework for Ethical AI, a couple of years back. This is testimony of our values and our forward-thinking visionary approach. But we know that more needs to be done. Developing Singapore to be a smart nation – that we must continue to pursue. Our challenge is to remind ourselves ever so often that technology must be at the service of humanity and not humanity at the mercy of technology. Technology cannot replace the human contact and encounter, and must not forget the vulnerable. So while the Government and the army of volunteers help our Seniors Go Digital, and support their efforts to keep up with times, there will be many who just cannot go digital and these people must not be denied of essential services. Thirdly, we have a good number of foreigners who become PRs and citizens over time. How well are we integrating our new PRs and citizens into the social fabric of Singapore? Volunteering and engaging in purposeful and soul-ful activities can bring diverse people together, build bridges for each other to cross as they help and serve the vulnerable communities amongst us.”
“Singapore has been blessed in so many ways and if I have to name one, it would be the founding father of modern Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. There are probably many places which have similar geographic advantages like Singapore but it took a visionary, passionate and courageous leader like Mr Lee Kuan Yew, together with the Pioneer Generation of leaders, to make what many would see only as a large rock in treacherous waters, a mere fishing village and outpost for the British, into who we are today – a Singapore that is admired by many, a Singapore that you and I can be proud to call “Home”. Had Mr Lee Kuan Yew been still alive, he would turn 100 on 16 September 2023. I for one, look forward to paying tribute to his contributions to Singapore and celebrating the memories, legacy and wisdom of this great man. Notwithstanding the good place that we are in today, there are a couple of challenges that we face in Singapore. And I ask you to indulge me as I share my thoughts on three points. The first point, I have said it during the recent Motion on housing and I thought it important to raise this here again. In a UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index Report, it is reported that most households can no longer afford to buy property in the top financial centres of the world without a substantial inheritance. While we do want Singapore to be one of the top global financial hubs, how can we prevent and limit our risk of being in that same situation? How does MAS and MND collectively plan to help ensure that Singaporeans can still get to own our limited residential real estate even as we welcome wealthy family offices into Singapore, whose purchasing power will inevitably drive up property sale and rental prices? Secondly, I have been in tech all through my career.”
“The additional $150 million for the SME Co-Investment Fund and the enhancement to the Singapore Global Enterprises initiative in Budget 2023 could be helpful to our small to medium-sized companies to build Singapore brands that can last. What is the process of application and criteria for selection to be considered for such capital funding? To wrap up this section, let me share a quote from fellow SBF Council Member, Ms Kwee Wei-Lin, who is also President of Singapore Hotel Associations, and I quote: “Budget 2023 is a balanced and fair budget and we are glad to see the continued support from the Government in encouraging innovation and productivity, and the support for having a more inclusive workforce. However, the additional CPF contribution will further add to the escalating business costs”. One final feedback from the industry is that Budget 2023 is lacking on measures to support internationalisation. For my remaining time, I will share my reflections on Budget 2023 beyond the business lens. Many are comforted that Budget 2023 gives assurance and extra lift for the lower to middle income households and retirees to defray the GST rate increase. I can also see that it is a budget that support families, encourage marriage and childbirth. It is also about tackling the related issues of inequality and social mobility, and providing better care for our rapidly ageing population. These expenditures need to be funded responsibly and Singapore’s approach of keeping our overall system of taxes and benefits fair and progressive is the right thing to do. Our reserves have proven to be our greatest insurance. We have our generations of leaders to thank for their prudence and their stewardship in having shored up the reserves we have today.”
“There needs to be a re-think of the pathways to a career, one of the most important being the alignment of jobs to skills and pay for value. More than half of the businesses agree that transformation is very important. However, when it comes to R&D and innovation, more than half of the CEOs rated this as “unimportant or only somewhat important”. As for sustainability, 75% of our SMEs and 54% of our large companies are “not prepared at all or only somewhat prepared” for transitioning to low carbon. With the Singapore Exchange (SGX) implementing mandatory climate reporting for listed companies in selected sectors from 2023, SMEs will increasingly be held to similar expectations as they are critical value chain partners. SMEs that are slow to adopt sound sustainable practices will eventually lose out on business opportunities. There is an urgent need to support the acceleration of SME participation in the green economy. Perhaps the Government can consider a one-off top-up of the PSG specifically for the adoption of sustainability solutions and tools and do some risk-sharing to improve SMEs' access to sustainable financing. Budget 2023’s highlight for me is the new Enterprise Innovation Scheme. Forwarding thinking companies know that innovation is key to creating new value. With the enhanced tax deductions to 400% of qualifying expenditure on five categories including innovation carried out with the polytechnics and ITE, and even an upfront cash for companies that pay little or no taxes, it is clear that the Government is encouraging innovation and prepared to co-share risks. Singapore companies, especially SMEs, should and must definitely leverage this scheme. Next, SMEs need capital and talent, access and networks.”
“Two, perhaps the work environment and work conditions can be made more attractive to interest our local Singaporeans. For example, the jobs being enabled by productivity tools, a maximum number of work hours per day, flexible work arrangement, strong skills and career mentoring. If all done well, this could drive improved human capital productivity for the organisation and provide a more effective work-life health for our workers. Three, tripartite partners will have to find the right balance between capital and local and foreign labour for their sector, and perhaps some re-balancing of foreign quota may need to be worked out. In short, the paradigm has shifted and 64% of our businesses recognise that it is very important to drive transformation, build capabilities and upskill their workers to become more productive and more competitive. They are glad that there will be a S$4 billion top-up for the National Productivity Fund (NPF) to support their efforts. Next, allow me to share the story of Singapore Polytechnic undergraduate, Ms Reis Lim who is taking the Industry Now Curriculum in Perfumery, a diploma with up to half of the polytechnic workload over three years made up of work-based training with industry partners, including internships. Reis interned at Senses International, a Singapore-based fragrance manufacturer, acquiring deeper skills in fragrance evaluation. Her outstanding performance led to her being offered a position even before graduation as a fragrance evaluator trainee, a position that is mostly filled by expats. I am telling this story to encourage companies to tap on the polytechnic and ITE students as a valuable skilled pool of resources, right from even when they are still in the IHLs.”
“For example, SBF Foundation has set up a platform in partnership with social services agencies like New Hope, Daughters of Tomorrow, Singapore Association for Mental Health and SHINE Children and Youth Services to connect enlightened and compassionate companies with vulnerable jobseekers and journey with them from resume writing to onboarding to retention. To date, there are about 100 companies who are part of this network and we hope more will be inspired to come forward. This is the many helping hands approach in Singapore that will enhance employability and give vulnerable individuals dignity and hope through employment. Lifting the wages of our low wage workers via the Progressive Wage Model is one of the most important policies that this House and collectively as a society we have made. We must not let inequality widen. It is good to see that our income inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient, has been steadily declining. Kudos to the Tripartite partners for doing what we all know is the right thing to do. Of course, many opinions have been heard in this Chamber with regard to Singapore having too many foreign workers. And, yet we have our businesses screaming “workers not enough”. Our businesses probably are experiencing “cold turkey” with the new foreign labour policies. Yet, from the many dialogues and engagements with businesses, it just might be that we simply do not have enough Singaporeans to do the jobs that need to be done. I would like to put forward three recommendations for Government and businesses to consider. One, more perhaps need to be done to attract local Singaporeans into job roles at or higher than the S Pass and the EP qualifying salary levels. And if there are no takers, we need to understand why.”
“Meanwhile, cash flow too is a major challenge for SMEs, and it will be of much help if the Government can take the lead to pay all invoices within 14 days, albeit electronically of course. This could perhaps even be the impetus needed for the nation-wide e-invoicing initiative to take off. As for manpower challenges, 96% of our businesses identified the following as key areas of concern: one, rising manpower cost; two, attracting and/or retaining younger workers; three, new foreign manpower policies that raises cost; four, limited pool of local high-skilled labour; and five, stricter policies that restrict the supply of foreign workers. Finding sufficient and appropriate manpower to meet their business needs has been a key challenge for our businesses. The new Jobs-Skills Integrators programme should help optimise training and job placements for Singapore businesses and help workers identify the right fit for training and ensure better earnings prospects. The Government might want to consider the TACs and the IHLs in partnership with human capital experts to perform this role. Employment support is another key feature of Budget 2023. This will help make inclusive workforce closer to reality. Our older workers, vulnerable jobseekers like the physically disabled and the ex-offenders as well as current platform workers are resources who may be tapped and reskilled to work in sectors facing labour shortage. There is definitely a need to channel workers into jobs that are growing or into jobs that are being transformed. Community initiatives like Yellow Ribbon and SBF Foundation’s Employability Fund and so on, complement what the Government is doing and should be encouraged.”
“I am glad to see a Budget that appears to have taken an integral development approach that ensures that our people, our environment and our economy progress in tandem and in harmony. Whether Budget 2023 delivers on its design now depends on how well Team Singapore executes together. For my speech today, let me start with the business lens on Budget 2023, with data points based on the latest National Business Survey 2022/2023. Business sentiments in Singapore are more positive now with 52% of the businesses being satisfied with the current business climate in Singapore compared to 37% in the prior year. Despite expecting inflationary pressures to persist, 80% of our businesses remain confident in the resiliency of their operations in the next 12 months. Trade grew 17.7% to reach S$1.37 trillion, and, as shared by the Deputy Prime Minister on Budget Day, Singapore’s economy grew 3.6% with resident unemployment below pre-pandemic levels, at 2.8%. However, as we entered 2023, businesses which had expressed optimism about the reopening of the global economy are now conveying a more cautious outlook as new disruptions surface and geopolitical fault lines deepen: 32% of the businesses stated that they had been negatively impacted over the past six months, with an average decline in revenue of 25%; 66% of both large and small companies have called out: one, overall business cost as their top challenge; two, availability of manpower; and three, retention of manpower following close behind. They were certainly relieved to hear the Deputy Prime Minister extend the Energy Efficiency Grant (EFG) and the Enterprise Financing Scheme (EFS) to March 2024. These measures will help businesses cope with the unusually high business costs.”
“Mr Speaker, I am honoured to participate in this year's Budget debate. I would like to declare that I am a council member of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF). Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong delivered his Budget 2023 speech in this Chamber, one day after Singapore declared DORSCON Green. I had goosebumps just thinking about how blessed we have been to have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic and is in a reasonably good shape. I am grateful to everyone – from President Halimah and the Presidential Advisory Council to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Cabinet Ministers, from the Multi-Ministry Task Force to the hon Members of this House, from our healthcare workers to our public transport workers, from our Police officers and Civil Defence Force to our SAF and diplomatic corps, from our locals to the migrants at the front lines – for leading us through the darkest nights of the COVID-19 pandemic to emerge on 13 February with a bright DORSCON Green and a future full of hope. A big thank you from all of us in the business community to all of you. Mr Speaker, for me, Budget 2023 is a clear signal that the pandemic is behind us. The Government is clearly moving away from giving handouts to survive COVID-19 to a Budget that invests to build for growth, sustainability and resilience. At the same time, it is apparent that the Government is mindful of the current business climate driven by high cost pressures, with inflation at a 14-year high level, fuelled by the Russia-Ukraine war, the US-China geopolitical tensions and the hangover of supply chain disruptions caused by COVID-19. Budget 2023 has been hailed as a redistributive Budget. Those who have more contribute more but everyone contributes what they can and together, we leave no Singaporean behind.”
“As Harvard University economist Edward Glaeser once said, "All policies need to be judged by the impact on people." Speaking of people, I would like to share with this House the story of Mdm T told to me by Montford Care, Caritas. By the way, all names have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the persons. Mdm T is a single mother, aged 43, with two children from her second marriage. One child has a medical condition and the other child is highly active. They were victims of family violence resulting in Mdm T divorcing the second husband. Mdm T moved back to her mother's place and was dependent on her financially. She moved into a rental flat with her children in 2016. She was emplaced in HDB's Fresh Start Housing Scheme (FSHS) in March 2020 and was referred to the Fresh Start Support Programme (FSSP) in July 2020. To cut a long story short, Mdm T, with the help of the FSSP social worker, managed to get a full-time job, moved into her HDB flat under the FSSH, got help from generous donors to set up her home, learnt to be more confident in planning, managing her children and is taking on the responsibility of managing her own bills and not burdening her mother and still have some savings left over. HDB is not only providing affordable homes for Singaporeans, but HDB is taking care of the vulnerable and integrating the resources across the whole-of-Government, MSF and social service agencies to help Singaporeans like Mdm T and her children to have a fresh start in life. That is the Singapore Spirit, that is the Singapore system.”
“I hope that the owners will exercise restraint in the exuberance of profiting from this privilege of having a HDB flat to rent out. Are there any rules or caps on rental gains for this category of HDB owners? Is there any rent control to ensure that the rental prices of HDB rooms and HDB flats will provide affordable rental housing for our guest workers? Challenge number nine: notwithstanding that the debate today is around affordability of HDB flats, I would like for us to spend a minute to look at the overall Singapore real estate. In a UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index Report, it is reported that most households can no longer afford to buy property in the top financial centres of the world without a substantial inheritance. While we do want Singapore to be one of the top global financial hubs, how can we prevent and limit our risk of being in that same situation? How does MAS and MND collectively plan to help ensure that Singaporeans can still get to own our limited residential real estate even as we welcome wealthy family offices into Singapore whose purchasing power will inevitably drive up property sale and rental prices? Mr Speaker, MND, HDB, MOF, WOG, being the custodians and stewards of our land and resources have the unenviable job to prioritise for the greater good of all of Singapore. It is a very tough job and they have created a system that works and is admired. For all of us in this Chamber, I submit to you that we ought to debate difficult issues in truth and in love. We should strive to unite and not divide. We are all here to find solutions that support the integral human development of our society in this small little 724.2 square metres of land.”
“They want more personal space and we have seen more singles moving out of their parents' homes, even when it is a landed property, even when they have their own bedroom, to share a rental flat with friends. The work-from-home norm which is catching on among the younger generation in particular would require more space at home for work. My advice to them, from my experience working from home should be the flexibility that I can have and not the permanent shift from the employers' real estate costs to my personal real estate expense. For many of them, they do feel that Government grants are all very helpful, but insufficient BTO and resale prices continue to escalate and the downpayment of 20% is a non-starter unless they get help from their parents. Challenge number seven is the sandwich middle class. With private condominiums pricing going up, the sandwich middle class hopes that the HDB can raise the income ceiling for HDB's executive condominiums (ECs) and maisonettes so that they may be able to meet their upgrade aspirations at the lower quantum value. Challenge number eight: as HDB is intended to be owner-occupied but the rules allow for them to rent out the HDB flat and live in their private housing, it is good to see the HDB has given our fellow Singaporeans the lift up and the progress to be able to invest in property and, without breaking HDB rules, have the ability to enjoy passive income from renting out their HDB flats most likely to our foreign workforce like nurses, therapists, technician, so on and so forth; all who need affordable rentals place to live. We read in the news about escalating rentals even for HDB rooms and HDB flats. HDB is after all subsidised housing.”
“Now, more subsidies for those flats in popular locations, in my opinion will only lead to the BTO flats in these locations being more prize trophies. So, putting too much premium for BTO flats in these locations may put it out of reach for ordinary Singaporeans. I think the premium location housing is a good scheme that can be expanded to more popular locales to address this good problem. Challenge number four is the resale prices of HDB flats. The Government measures to cool the currently heated resale market have already been introduced and will take time to work through the market. Of course, the question is whether this is enough to deter speculative behaviour. And for buyers, do not kill me – I like the idea of the principle of Government sharing in the gains of the resale flats since there were grants involved. And of course, I like the idea of expanding the PLH rules to cover non-PLH locales and perhaps there can be some form of ABSD or stamp duty when you buy resale. Challenge number five is the current generation of retirees and soon-to-be-retired. There are some Singaporeans who have planned the move to sell their private property or to downsize from the current HDB flat and to retire in a smaller HDB apartment. Their retirement plans are of course impacted by the cooling measures. It is their own bad timing. However, might the HDB support their efforts to retire well joyfully in a HDB home. Challenge number 6 is now the younger generation. In preparing for my speech, I listen to some young people. There is a changing attitude and lifestyle among the younger generation.”
“Meanwhile, I hear from a young couple that the interim rentals HDB offered for young families to set up home while waiting for the HDB keys have been most helpful. They are very grateful for HDB supporting them in their journey and more can benefit from this. And of course, four in 10 applications reject when offered a flat, and perhaps that is why the supply demand forecasting is a little bit in the air. This issue has to be managed, so that HDB can better plan demand and supply and I ask applicants: be serious, $10 for one application, that is why four in 10 applications reject. Challenge number two: perception that BTO flat prices are unaffordable. From what I have seen, Singapore public housing is higher quality and more affordable than most other cities. Affordability, as my fellow Nominated Member colleague said just now, is all about buying within your budget. HDB has assured that there is a HDB flat out there for a different range of incomes and needs, and that the BTO flat is priced to affordability and is not priced to recover cost. This explains the big deficit that HDB chalks up every year for its Home Ownership Programme. So, how will HDB persuade home buyers that there is a BTO flat for them that is affordable and accessible, rather than for them to hear from coffeeshop talk that HDB flats are not affordable. Maybe an AI app may help the home buyer to match their needs and budgets to HDB BTO launches as well as resale flats and discover the opportunities that they have not thought of, and that might even save them cost. Affordability is all about managing your own expectations. Challenge number three is that HDB resale prices are driving up BTO prices.”
“HDB also seeks to achieve social objectives through its policies, such as to: promote progressivity by giving a higher grant amount to the lower income; promote family formation by providing bigger grant amounts for families than for singles; promote mutual care and support by encouraging families to live with or close to their parents or children. The lesson of Singapore for the world is not so much the intricacies of its housing market design. Rather, it is that Singapore pro-actively and successfully prioritized affordable home ownership for its citizens, and developed means to accomplish that objective based upon its unique conditions." Kudos to colleagues at MND, HDB, CPF and the whole-of-Government, for all that you do to house Singaporeans from cradle to retirement. You deserve our show of appreciation. What is waiting for the road ahead? The paradigm shifts all the time and the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown quite a few curveballs at us from many directions and public housing is not precluded. Over these past two days, many ideas have been thrown around and indulge me as I add a few to the already long list. Challenge number one is said many times, long wait time for BTO Flats with median wait time of 4.3 years, not counting the long queue to apply and book for a flat. HDB is already implementing a hybrid of Build-ahead a certain number of flats to compliment BTOs to shorten wait times. And as Minister Desmond shared yesterday, HDB is ramping up the construction of flats to catch up on lost time caused by COVID-19. Of course, the key question is, what would it take for HDB to further ramp up the numbers and reduce the median wait time by half, to address the backlog and demand from, especially, the first-time applicants. Share with us your 苦中 or pain.”
“Outcome number eight: as Singaporeans move into the retirement phase, they are supported by the HDB Lease Buyback Scheme (LBS) and the Silver Housing Bonus (SHB) scheme, which allows the seniors to monetise their HDB flat while still living in it, or to monetise their HDB flat in the resale market and move into a smaller unit, with a shorter lease. In their golden days, they continue to have a home to age in place and have cash to support their retirement needs. How would you answer the two questions I posed at the start? A resounding "yes" would be my response. What Singapore has achieved is truly a miracle and, definitely, not by accident. Our leaders and our pioneering generation dared to dream together of the possibility of a metropolis rising out of a mudflat swamp and they worked together to make it happen, one brick at a time. We are blessed that the successive generation of leaders in our Government continue to build on that dream and bring us to where we are today. There are many economists and governments studying the Singapore model and lessons learnt. I quote from the Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey, 2020 edition: "no major metropolitan area in the high-income world faces the housing affordability challenge of Singapore. Singapore's six million people live on a fully developed island nation so small, that they could fit into one-half of Tokyo Bay. As a result, Singapore lacks the supply vent of low-cost suburban or exurban land that moderates house prices across an urban area. This is Singapore's unequaled housing challenge... but Singapore has effectively managed its scarce land supply and established a market that produces middle-income housing affordability.”
“So, for the buyers with MSR of 25% or lower, they can service their HDB loans using their monthly CPF contributions, with little or no cash outlay. Outcome number four: in 2021, the median price-to-income ratio for HDB flats in Singapore was 4.5, which means that the median HDB flat price is about four and a half times the median annual household income in Singapore. This is remarkably lower than the median price-to-income ratios in cities, like Hong Kong at 30.8, Beijing at 26.8, Shanghai at 24.5, Seoul at 18.6 and Tokyo at 16.6. Outcome number five: in most parts of the world, affordable housing usually refers to low-income housing. But for us in Singapore, our affordable housing wins international accolades and awards for providing well-designed flats and high-quality living environments that is green, liveable and sustainable, and have the greatest effect on the people who use them each day. Outcome number six: a study on International Housing Affordability Survey 2020 recognised the Singapore Government for heavily investing in the upgrading and renewal of HDB neighbourhoods. This helps to forestall urban decay, they wrote, in older areas and allows homeowners of all income levels a quality living environment comparable to newer neighbourhoods. Outcome number seven: HDB housing is referred to locally as public housing. Yet, unlike other public housing programmes, HDB flats are owned under 99-year leases by purchasers who are able to sell their units after a Minimum Occupancy Period (MOP) of five years, or 10 years for the Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model, resale of HDB flats help to unlock the value of the HDB flats for many Singaporeans over the years, facilitating social mobility for HDB dwellers to upgrade to larger units, or to private housing even.”
“Mr Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this debate on the subject of affordability of public housing in Singapore. Do Singaporeans have access to affordable public housing? Has Singapore's public housing policies enabled Singapore Citizens, especially in the lower middle-income group, to own their own homes? Let us start with the facts. So, I must thank the hon Member Mr Leong Mun Wai for putting up the Motion because it then gave me the motivation to go find out the outcomes. So, what are Singapore's public housing outcomes? Outcome number one: 78.3% of Singapore resident households live in HDB flats, and today, HDB has supplied more than 1.09 million flats in Singapore, nine in 10 of which are owner-occupied, resulting in Singapore having one of the highest home ownership rates in the world. And even more heartwarming to know is that 85% of low-income households in Singapore own and live in their own HDB flats. Outcome number two: housing is usually the highest expenditure for any household. Mortgage service rate, or MSR, refers to the proportion of a borrower's gross monthly income that goes towards mortgage repayments for the HDB flat, and is a good benchmark for affordability. In the first half of 2022, almost 90% of all buyers who collected keys for their new HDB flats has a MSR of 25% or lower. By global comparison, Singapore's MSR of 25% or lower is below the international benchmark of 30% to 35%, which indicates that public housing in Singapore is more affordable than elsewhere. Outcome number three: moreover, given that for employees aged 55 years and below, employee and employer CPF contributions amount to 20% and 17% of employee income respectively, totaling 37% of income.”
“Third, how will MOE handle sexuality education in our schools, both public and private, and assure Singaporeans that Singapore's family and social norms, based on traditional Singaporean values, will be protected? Bullying and cancel culture must not take root in our educational institutions and our society. Fourth, we should not allow a culture where people of religion are ostracised, attacked for espousing their views or their disagreements with LGBTQ+ viewpoints and vice versa. Singapore has worked hard to create inter-religious harmony in our society. How will the Government protect and safeguard this precious strength and asset of our country? Let me close by reiterating my desire that after today's Bills are carried, the LGBTQ+ community amongst us will feel reaffirmed that they are safe being who they are, and, together, all of us, as Singaporeans, we will rise above differences in views and beliefs, and respect one another's dignity as human persons. We will work together to prevent cancel culture to take root in our educational institutions, our workplaces and our society. We will maintain our religious freedom to practise and teach what we believe to be right and wrong. We will uphold Singapore's societal norms where marriage is a union between a man and a woman and that married couples live as role models for their children and children's children. And we will not disregard the importance and essential need to have the holistic family as the bedrock of our society. And finally, we will continue to dialogue, to listen with compassion and kindness, to one another. Mr Speaker, notwithstanding my clarifications, with hope and trust, I stand in support of the amendment to the Constitution and the repeal of section 377A of the Penal Code.”
“For me, marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman, committing fidelity to each other, so long as they both shall live, and bringing forth children to form a family and fulfil the natural order of the transmission of life. In fact, this Parliament has declared 2022 as the Year of Singapore Families. Singapore families want to be confident that, in Singapore, we will be able to freely guide our children on what we believe to be right and wrong. Likewise, for us Catholics, the Catholic Church needs to be confident that their rights to preach and to teach in the parishes and Catholic schools, according to Catholic beliefs, will be protected. As we have heard in these past two days, the same is true for other religious communities and even for non-religious Singaporeans. I would, therefore, like to ask the Minister to clarify a few points to help address concerns and worries in the minds and hearts of Singaporeans, even as we move to support the repeal of section 377A. Firstly, with the amendment to the Constitution, are there still circumstances where the definition of marriage as that between a man and a woman can be subjected to challenge? What are those circumstances and how will the Government deal with such circumstances? Second, will the Christian and Catholic Churches be assured that they will continue to be free to preach against gay sexual acts? Cardinal William Goh has spoken of his concerns that we may be drawn into a situation as in the West, where we cannot even say that a same-sex relationship is wrong. For the Catholic Church, this would not be acceptable as the Church must have freedom to continue to teach in the Catholic schools and from the pulpit what we believe, and practise what we teach.”
“But when asked if same-sex marriage is wrong, the respondents were generally divided, with 37% agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement, and 33% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing. The remaining said that they were neutral. At the same time, 62% of the respondents felt that it was important to uphold and safeguard the definition of marriage as that between a man and a woman." There have been various polls done over time and, while they may not all be statistically significant, I believe they do sufficiently tell the story. First, that Singaporeans are sympathetic towards decriminalising gay sex; two, Singaporeans are divided on the acceptance of same-sex relations; and three, the majority of Singaporeans, both young and old, believe that it is important to uphold and safeguard the definition of marriage as that between a man and a woman. After much prayer, research and listening to many, including my own daughters, repealing section 377A is the right thing to do, and doing so will send a statement to the LGBTQ+ community that they are safe being who they are, even if their behaviour may not be accepted by the mainstream community in Singapore. Supporting the repeal is not the issue. As many in the House have said, the removal of anti-gay sex laws in some countries saw the issue of same-sex marriage falling under the spotlight and there are large segments in Singapore who care deeply about marriage as defined currently between a man and a woman, as well as family norms, such as how children are brought up and what is taught in school. Most people have come to accept that gay sex is a matter of private individual choice. Same-sex marriage, however, is effectively changing a social institution, contrary to what most Singaporeans believe and are ready to accept.”
“Pope Francis, in his encyclical, Amoris Laetitia – The Joy of Love, wrote, and I quote, "We would like before all else to reaffirm that every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration, while 'every sign of unjust discrimination' is to be carefully avoided, particularly any form of aggression and violence." The Catholic Church's position is clear – homosexual acts are sinful, but homosexual orientation is not. The Archbishop of Singapore, His Eminence, Cardinal William Goh, in a statement in August 2022 after the Prime Minister's National Day Rally speech on this matter of repealing section 377A, has come out to say that the Church is against the criminalisation of LGBTQ+ people and, so, supporting the repeal of section 377A is not the issue. Rather, the issue is with regard to the rights as a Catholic Church, to teach and practise our beliefs and regard the family and marriage as defined between a man and a woman, according to natural law. As we have all heard over these two days in Parliament, his concerns on this issue matter to more segments than just the Catholic Church. Several hon Members of Parliament have referred to the Youth Survey conducted in September by the news media, Today. Here is an excerpt from the news report: "The demographically representative survey, which polled 1,000 respondents aged between 18 and 35, was carried out between 5 and 16 September. Almost seven in 10, or 68%, of youths polled said that the repeal of section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sex between homosexuals, is positive for inclusivity in Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this debate. I am mindful that the subject concerns sensitive matters of religious beliefs, sexuality and identity. I stand to speak what I believe and beg the indulgence of everyone who may not necessarily hold the same view. We all have friends and family who may hold the liberal view or conservative view when it comes to matters concerning sexuality and morality. At the same time, we all have friends and family who are LGBTQ+ persons. The long public debate of the status of section 377A of the Penal Code has weighed heavily on all sides and has divided our society and even families. To see the cup half full, I would say that during this time, especially since 2018, parties holding differing views have learnt more about one another's perspectives and engaged in dialogues with the Government, and directly or indirectly with one another. The Government has listened and the proposed amendment to the Constitution, along with the repeal of section 377A of the Penal Code, will soon bring the debate to a legislative closure. I hope that after today's debate and after this House has decided, we will move forward together as one Singapore, upholding our pledge to be one united people, respecting one another's dignity as human persons and upholding the Singapore family built on marriage between a man and a woman, and the children they will birth and raise, to be the bedrock of our society. I declare I am a Catholic and have been brought up knowing that my Creator is a loving God and he loves everyone. The catechism of the Catholic Church teaches Catholics that the men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity, even as they are called to chastity.”
“As parents, educators, Government and professionals in the business of communication, we need to focus on moving upstream and pay attention to the need to assist people, especially young people, to develop sound and critical sensing, and to learn how to distinguish truth from falsehood, right from wrong, good from evil. As a country, it is on us that the soul of our nation and the values of our society are not put at risk, even as I appeal to the conscience of creators of content and online service providers everywhere to do no evil. Notwithstanding my clarifications, Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“Just as in the fight against scams, awareness and alertness in the community can go a long way to fight the proliferation of harmful malicious content. How does the Ministry intend to organise such neighbourhood policing against online harmful content? How can volunteers and civic-minded tech-savvy Singaporeans and residents support the Government in this effort? Third, it is critical that the Government is able to act quickly when there is non-compliance to the Act so that the harmful content does not spread and cause any social epidemic or even pandemic. Like COVID-19, we needed a circuit breaker to ensure that the common good of our society and the social health of our citizens and people are protected. Whether the content is harmful or otherwise, it may be said to depend on the values of the adult individuals. Who will decide what content is harmful and thus will be subject to the legislation? How does the Government intend to facilitate the voices of the society to be heard as far as determining what is harmful without compromising the need for swift action to take down the bad actors? How will the Government handle cases when the content originates from overseas and is not distributed by locally-licensed online communication service providers? How will MCI leverage technology in this war against online harmful content? Harmful malicious content spreads like virus and we need the Government and the whole of society to fight against this virus of harmful online content together. This Bill, which is being debated today, is downstream, when the content is already out there, and actions laid out in the Bill are needed to stop the spread and protect Singaporeans from being harmed.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I stand in support of the amendment to the Online Safety Bill. This Bill is very timely and I appreciate MCI taking proactive steps to put safeguards in place to protect Singaporeans from harmful content, especially those created and distributed with malicious intentions to disrespect, bully, cause division in society, degrade the dignity of persons and of humanity. In her speech yesterday, the Minister had given many examples of such harms and I trust that we do not need to be persuaded further that it is urgent and imperative for the amendment Bill to pass. After listening to hon Member Tin Pei Ling's horror stories involving an avatar in Web 3.0, I am more convinced than ever that we need to take courage to act urgently to protect ourselves, our children and our children's children. I support the approach which will be taken under the amended Act, but I do have a few questions for the Minister. What are the challenges envisaged by the Ministry with regard to enforcement of the law and how does the Ministry intend to address those challenges? Second, it is good that education of students in schools and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), as well as education of the general public, will be undertaken in conjunction with the legislation. Education will increase awareness in the vulnerable community and the general public of the prevalence of harmful contents that are lurking in the web and how they can participate in reporting sites or services that carry those contents and, in doing so, be part of the "neighbourhood police" to detect and help to catch bad actors on our Internet and social media platforms.”
“At the same time, however, carbon tax is an evolving issue globally and we need to be able to be agile and adaptable, in order to respond to global trends. It is, therefore, unwise to be over-prescriptive in our laws at this stage and it is also in my opinion unwise to have to share everything – all details and full disclosure. I think we have to draw a line between being transparent and getting everyone to be accountable versus showing everything, because that is going to not be practical in the first place; and secondly, there is companies' competitiveness at stake. I am encouraged to see that a sensible, practical transition framework is built into the amendment Bill for allowances to balance our competitiveness, even as we green our way forward with the two sets of targeted policies, regulations, fiscal incentives and taxes, as is the subject of our debate today. It is imperative that we do not throw the baby out with the bath water. Our competitiveness cannot be taken for granted as our economy and jobs are dependent on our attractiveness as a location for investments. Climate change is the crisis of the same scale as COVID-19, even as it is different. For me, I would liken climate change to be as if we are the frog in the water in a pot over a slow, simmering flame. It has been cooking for a long time and act together now we must, to jump out of that pot. I am confident that Singapore can emerge very well just as we did from COVID-19 and just as our pioneers did after separation from Malaysia, because our people, our businesses and our Government work hand-in-hand in our unique tripartite relationship to seize the first-mover advantage to transition to a green economy. Notwithstanding my clarifications, I support the Carbon Tax (Amendment) Bill.”
“The industry feels that this 5% of taxable emission is rather insufficient. A company with high abatement solution will achieve maximum 90% emission reduction limited by the existing technology. For such a company, only 5% of the remaining 10% can be offset using carbon credit. What are the reasons as to why the Government is not allowing for a higher than 5% of a company's taxable emissions to be paid for with qualified ICCs? The third point is an implementation plan to the rest of Singapore. To further cascade the change of behaviours to one of a low-carbon economy, especially with Singapore's updated climate ambitions, what is the Government's implementation plan for carbon tax for companies beyond the large emitters? Does the Government plan to incentivise individuals to reduce our individual carbon footprint? I have to confess that I am still living in 24 degree celsius air-conditioning. Let me start to wrap up. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, in a post-Budget 2022 panel discussion, said, "It is with a combination of these different tools – taxes, incentives and standards – that Singapore can achieve its net-zero ambitions. Moving early will, in fact, give Singapore a first-mover advantage to seize the opportunities that will arise from the new green economy." We would have all read in the news that during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's recent visit to Australia, Singapore signed a trailblazing Green Economy Agreement with Australia. I understand that several other jurisdictions are also exploring to do the same with us. This is indeed testimony of first-mover advantage. Carbon tax is the necessary price to pay in order to get serious decarbonisation actions and CO2 emission reduction underway.”
“I believe there is an opportunity for the Singapore Carbon Credit Registry to help to govern and ensure good quality carbon credit for the world, perhaps, by providing a list of accepted ICCs, providing a clear criteria and assessment for qualified projects. That said, I do have some questions which I hope MSE can clarify. What are the Government's plans to enhance the population's understanding of the opportunities and pitfalls of using carbon credits to meet the net-zero emissions target by 2050 and carbon tax obligations under the CPA, especially for carbon credits sourced from nature-based carbon projects that may have far-reaching implications for the climate, biodiversity and local communities? Earlier on, I had filed a Parliamentary Question about the efforts undertaken to ensure the credibility of carbon products to be traded through Singapore and to reduce Singapore's exposure to the risks of carbon trading. Can the Ministry share an update of how this is progressing? Of the more than 20 countries that Singapore has begun exploring carbon credit agreements with, what is the portfolio of carbon projects the Government is focusing on to diversify and safeguard our carbon credit security? What are the carbon offset criteria that companies can use to offset their carbon tax liabilities, and will the use of such carbon credits affect the amount of emissions that Singapore reports to the UNFCCC? Industry advocates for the Government to consider prescribing an appropriate limit for ICC, or FPCC, that can be used to offset carbon tax. From the Budget announcement, companies will have the option to use eligible ICCs in lieu of paying carbon tax for up to 5% of their taxable emissions from 2024 onwards.”
“With current technologies, there will still be remnants of carbon remaining and the tax amount can be significant. I am given to believe that current technology is at best 90% efficient, and power and natural gas are still required for burn abatement. Industry believes that this carbon should be "forgiven" or returned as allowances for the industry to invest into technology development to achieve zero carbon. Maybe the allowances might even be pooled together to accelerate the development of the future technologies at a macro level. The third issue concerns indirect carbon tax from electricity. Singapore power rate is amongst the highest across countries. The proposed carbon tax potentially increases power rates further, and industry has no control over it. Companies think that they should not be penalised from the lack of green energy in Singapore. Current plans have Singapore importing four gigawatts of low-carbon electricity only by 2035. Industry hopes that further allowance be factored into the transition framework while Singapore is building its green energy infrastructure, and carbon tax resulting from the lack of green energy, should not pass through to industry during this period. Another side-point is to protect local industrial competitiveness. Jurisdictions like the EU will be introducing carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAM) in 2023 to be operational by 2026. What does this mean for Singapore? Will we be advocating similar CBAMs with our trading partners and ASEAN? The next topic is the ICC framework. I believe that real emission reduction should be pursued before carbon credits can be used. The Government's effort to manage and control carbon credit to ensure quality of the carbon credit to be used to offset carbon tax is applaudable.”
“In my speech this afternoon, I would like to tackle three aspects related to the carbon tax: (a) the transition framework; (b) the ICC framework; and (c) the implementation plan for the rest of Singapore. First, the transition framework. As part of the Bill amendment, there will be a transition framework to support companies to move to low-carbon operations. Most of the companies in the affected industries, large emitters especially, are already working on decarbonisation and many have pledged to get to net zero by 2050 or thereabout. Many of these companies, being MNCs, probably have already applied a shadow carbon price or an internal carbon price for their own projects and, therefore, understand and support the need for a meaningful carbon tax in Singapore in order to motivate industry to reduce emission. Notwithstanding industry's understanding and support, I would like to table the following issues for the MSE's consideration. Let me first touch on emission allowances. Industry players believe that there is a need for a differentiated emission allowance, both in terms of amount and timing, taking into account the specific industry and organisation's decarbonisation plans to achieve low-carbon operations. There is a thinking that carbon tax pricing should be based on the principle that it is pegged close to the abatement cost, so as to motivate the industry to implement abatement without losing competitiveness. Next, the industry hopes that the transition framework will consider technology allowances, since countries and industries are all relying on future technologies such as carbon capture and utilisation and storage (CCUS), green hydrogen or nuclear just to name a few. These technologies are immature and are still in development.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to join in the debate on the amendment of the Carbon Tax Bill. According to the World Bank, "A carbon tax reflecting the social cost of carbon is viewed as an essential policy tool to limit carbon emissions". The increase in carbon prices in Singapore – from S$5 per tonne of CO2, to the proposed $25 per tonne of CO2 from 2024 to 2025; and then to $45 per tonne of CO2 from 2026 to 2027, with a further step up to a target range of S$50 to 80 per tonne of CO2 by 2030 – sends a strong signal for large emitters as well as all other companies in Singapore at large to mitigate their emissions, at least, to be line with Singapore's carbon reduction goals. All of Singapore needs to support Government to do the right thing, and the right thing to do is to price carbon meaningfully so as to motivate decarbonisation and reduction of CO2 emission. While the world seems to have come around at COP26 with collective strong intentions to mitigate climate change, the policies and actions taken across countries differ widely. This leads to the challenge of carbon leakage where companies shift their operations to jurisdictions where there are less stringent rules and taxes on carbon emissions. At this time, Singapore remains the only country in Southeast Asia with a carbon pricing regime in place and with our carbon price at levels being debated today, we will potentially face the risk of carbon leakage and Singapore's competitiveness will be impacted. This is especially so as the large emitters are key contributors to Singapore's GDP and Singapore's position as an important node in the global value chain of those industries and their ecosystems.”