Jek Yeun Thong
Singapore
“Would the Minister now consider it wrong to allow CPF members to use their CPF money to buy shares in the stock exchange, people whom the Howe Yoon Chong Report not so long ago would like us to believe that they could not be trusted to look after their own savings and yet they are now allowed to participate in the stock exchange casino, s…”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, could I ask a supplementary question which either Minister can reply? Is the Minister surprised that the Voice of America, an organ created by the US government to counter Communist propaganda world wide, has been used to cast critical views on a non-Communist government such as the Singapore Government which is, in fact,…”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, the Minister has not touched on my point regarding the tuition fees of University students. I do not know whether he would like to take this opportunity to answer or he would want to leave it to others to answer it.”
“Also, there is no danger that the students having taken the loans would abscond or not come back since at the moment all the male students going overseas are providing bonds because of national service. And as for female students, if we are still having too many of them, we can easily arrange bonds for those who intend to take the loan.”
“Yes, of course. I think the trouble with the press is that they missed my point on Education. The style they happened to like is what the Chinese call - wan shi bu gong (playful and not taking things seriously). So they really do not know what to do with me - I mean the press, not the Government.”
“Sir, since the Government is encouraging the people to have more babies now, the likelihood of these 3-room flats being unsold will be greater. Is it not a good point for the Ministry of National Development to try to convert these 3-room flats into, say, 6-room flats so that more babies could be accommodated?”
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“Secondly, we aim to raise a general cultural level of our people by allowing easy access to sources of culture and education as well as through promotion of aesthetic creation and appreciation, particularly among our young. The evolution of a distinctive Singapore culture is a continuing and long process. How long it will take, nobody knows. It may take a life-time. Nevertheless, there has been some success in the cross-fertilisation of the four streams of culture in the last decade. This is made possible by the effective use of the radio, television, the printing word and the mass media. As a result, we know more about each other's culture. There is a common sense of destiny and identity among our people. Our policy, therefore, is to encourage a harmonious development of the various cultures of the Republic. But in the transitional period, it is necessary to raise the general cultural level of our people. And to do this we are actively promoting cultural activities and artistic pursuits among our people, particularly the young. Our young people are given free access to all forms of cultural activities, although there are a number of Acts to protect them from the demoralising effects of undesirable forms of subculture. The various cultural activities organised by my Ministry and its various departments are aimed at inculcating in the young a love and appreciation of good music, the fine arts and the aesthetic things in life. Art and music are literally brought to the masses free or at a nominal rate so that cultural development could take place on a national scale. As a result, there is definitely a growing appreciation of good music and the fine arts among our people.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Katong seems to have taken a very mercenary view on culture. His argument is that if you spend so much money on a certain thing you will get better things done. Therefore, it leads him to believe that if you cut the money for this item on culture, then you will get less returns in terms of cultural performance. Unfortunately, this is not so in the matter of culture. The same argument leads him to believe that if you place a person in the grade of `A'. `B' or `C', then you will get better performance out of him. I think this again is not true. Perhaps we should leave this matter to the PSC to decide. May I say that cultural matters cannot be measured by the yardstick of materialism. I think it is rather difficult to define cultural policy to the satisfaction of all sections of the people in our multi-racial society. What is regarded as good and refined culture by one sector may not be so by another. I do wish that cultural performance of a society can be quantified and a measurement found to indicate the number of units or output that culture can provide. Then it will be easy for everybody. It will be easy for us to apply for subsidies or more funds on the basis of the number of units produced, or we may impose certain cuts as penalties for under-production. But unfortunately, again cultural performance cannot be measured in the same way as we measure economic performance by the number of jobs created or comparing the GNP figures with other countries. I can only say that there are two important aspects of our cultural policy. Firstly, we aim to preserve and develop our cultural heritage derived from the main streams of the Malay, Chinese, Tamil and Western civilisations towards a national cultural identity.”
“(i) 15 officers in the Library Services resigned in 1974 and 1 in the first two months of 1975. In addition, 3 other officers were transferred to other Government service between the period 1974 and February 1975. 15 of the offices were between 21 and 29 years and 1 officer was above 30 years of age. All 16 aofficers had a University degree, as follows: - University degree No. B.Sc., University of Singapore 2 B.Sc. Hons., University of Singapore 2 B.A., University of Singapore 2 B.A., Nanyang University 1 B.A., University of Malaya 1 B.A., University of Queensland 1 B.A. Hons., University of Singapore 2 B.A. Hons., Nanyang University 2 B.A. Hons., University of Malaya 2 M.A. Hons., University of Singapore 1 ---- 16 ==== In addition, 5 of the Library Officers had a professinal British, American or Australian Library qualification. (ii) The number of approved posts and the number of posts vacant in the various grades of the Library Service on 1st March, 1975 were as follows: - Approved Posts Posts Vacant Director 1 Nil Deputy Director 1 Nil Librarians 6 1* Higher Library Officers 26 (20 in National Library, 7* (6 in National Library, 6 in other government 1 in other government libraries) library) Library Officers 68 (55 in National Library, 6 (5 in National Library, 13 in other government 1 in other government libraries) library) ------- ------ Total 102 14 (12 in National Library, ======= ====== 2 in other government libraries) * Filled by acting appointments GOVERNMENT VEHICLES [ACCIDENTS] 2. Mr J. F. Conceicao asked the Minister for Law and National Development if he will give details, by departments, of the payments made by way of compensation, etc., on account of accidents involving government vehicles during FY 73 and the first 11 months of FY 74.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, community centres are meant to serve the interests of the community as a whole and not religious or sectional interests. The People's Association, therefore, does not as a general policy grant permission to a civic organisation to stage any functions or activities of a purely religious nature inside community centre's grounds. ENGLISH TEACHERS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS (Particulars) 3. Mr P. Govindaswamy asked the Minister for Education, in respect of primary schools, (a) the number, as on 1st March, 1975, of (i) vacancies for qualified English teachers in the English schools; and (ii) relief teachers employed to fill those vacancies; (b) the number, as on 1st March, 1975, of (i) vacancies for trained English teachers in the Chinese, Malay and Tamil schools; (ii) relief and untrained teachers filling those vacancies; and (iii) schools which did not have relief teachers; and (c) the total number of English teachers who resigned between 1st January, 1973 and 28th February, 1975.”
“Sir, when a site is available, the Member will be informed of it. Mr P. Govindaswamy: Sir, when will we get another site? An hon. Member: As soon as possible. SUPREME COURT (Public address system) 3. Mr L. P. Rodrigo asked the Minister for Law and National Development if the Government will consider the installation of public address systems in the courtrooms of the Supreme Court to ensure that justice is not only seen but also heard.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the answer is yes, the Anson Community Centre will be affected by urban redevelopment. However, the plan has not yet been finalised and the Urban Redevelopment Authority is not able to tell when the community centre will be affected and where the alternative site will be. The Member for Anson will be informed when the site is known, and his views will be sought when the time comes.”
“Lastly, the Select Committee has recommended that appeal should lie to the President in respect of every decision made by the Minister in the exercise of discretionary powers, for example, whether to refuse or grant his approval under Part III of the Act or whether to grant or refuse further extensions of time under clause 36. It is hoped that this will allay any fears of the Minister acting arbitrarily when exercising his powers of discretion under the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am glad that the committal of this Bill to a Select Committee has provided an opportunity for interested parties to air their views. It has enabled the Select Committee to recommend some very important and useful amendments. The Bill as amended is in conformity with Government's declared policy. I would like to assure Members that the Government has no intention whatsoever of taking over the press nor does it want to upset the commercial operations of any newspaper. The sole purpose of this legislation is, and I emphasise, merely to safeguard our national interest and the well-being of our citizens by preventing our newspapers from being used as instruments for subversion. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Third time and passed. RECLAMATION AT TERUMBU RETAN LAUT 4.11 p.m.”
“As in all probability some newspapers that are required to go public will find it difficult, if not impossible, to comply with all the provisions of this Act before it comes into operation, it is thought necessary that transitional provisions be inserted. It is to provide for the possibility of newspaper companies finding it difficult to suitably amend their memorandum and articles of association in time and to the satisfaction of the Registrar of Newspapers, and to accommodate them in regard to other procedural requirements which they might have to comply in the issue of shares, these transitional provisions have been devised. Although ample notice has been given to the newspapers of Government's intention to require newspapers in Singapore to become public limited companies, it is to ensure that such requirements that may be imposed may not unduly interfere with the ordinary business of a newspaper, that these transitional provisions have been inserted. To this end, clause 36 of the Bill in particular provides that the chief editor of any newspaper required to comply with the requirements of Part III of this Act shall be granted a permit authorising the publication of a newspaper up to and including 30th June, 1975, on the undertaking by the chief editor of such newspaper in writing that he will convert his newspaper into a newspaper company. Even so, any newspaper that is unable to meet this deadline of 30th June, 1975, may apply for further period or periods of extension, subject to such conditions as the Minister may see fit to impose.”
“Even without such provision in the law, I would like to assure hon. Members that such valuation as may be given by the Minister would have to be based on expert advice from persons such as qualified accountants who would be required to go through recent accounts and annual reports of newspapers. The Minister would also have in mind various other considerations such as up-to-date valuations of immovable property, machinery, fixtures and fitting of a newspaper company when seeking to arrive at a fair and reasonable valuation of such shares. However, with this specific provision allowing shareholders of newspaper companies, or the companies themselves to seek such redress as they may require on valuation, there should be adequate safeguards against arbitrary values placed upon these unquoted shares of companies involved. The second recommendation of the Select Committee which I would like to touch upon is in regard to the greater voting rights conferred on management shareholders. Such superior voting rights can only be used in respect of any resolution touching upon the appointment or dismissal of any director or any member of the staff of a newspaper company. In regard to other matters, the holder of management shares will rank pan passu with the holder of ordinary shares of a company. This recommendation gives effect to Government's declared policy that it is not its intention to upset the commercial operations of newspaper companies nor to interfere in the routine management of newspapers. Another useful recommendation of the Select Committee is the transitional provisions contained in clause 36 of the Bill.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Third time." The Bill that is now before the House was sent to Select Committee and the report of the Select Committee has been circulated to all Members. There is, accordingly, no need for me to go through this Bill clause by clause as no doubt hon. Members would have read this report of the Select Committee. There are, however, certain important recommendations in the report of the Select Committee which I would like to bring to the attention of Members. In my view, one of the most important recommendations made by the Select Committee is in respect of the proposed management shares that will have to be issued by newspapers required to go public. These will have to be paid for at the prevailing market price of the ordinary shares of a newspaper company, that is, such price as would prevail at the date of the issue of the management shares. It follows, accordingly, that if a particular company's shares are quoted on the Stock Exchange, it is the market price ruling on that day that would be taken as the value to be attached to management shares so issued. Where, however, the company's shares are not so quoted, there would be no ready yardstick which can be applied. The recommendation of the Select Committee, therefore, is that such shares of unquoted companies would be issued at such fair and reasonable value as may be determined by the Minister. In order that the valuation of such shares may not be arbitrarily imposed, it has been suggested that that valuation be made subject to review by the courts. Accordingly, the Bill in accordance with the Select Committee's recommendation, now makes the Minister's valuation subject to appeal to the courts.”
“Mr Hwang Soo Jin asked the Minister for Social Affairs (a) what was the total number of (i) aged persons, and (ii) aged sick persons maintained by the various charitable homes for each of the five years from 1969 to 1973; (b) whether he has any plan to organise more adequate services for these categories of people; and (c) if he will encourage and assist in the setting up of a National Association for the aged and the aged sick so as to coordinate efforts in this direction.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it has been decided that a National Youth Co-ordinating Committee be established to co-ordinate youth activities in Singapore. The Committee will comprise representatives from the Ministries of Social Affairs, Education, Culture, Labour and the People's Association. The People's Association will chair the National Youth Co-ordinating Committee. COMMUNITY CHEST (Setting up of) 8. Mr Hwang Soo Jin asked the Minister for Social Affairs whether it has been decided to set up a "Community Chest" for charitable organisations. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Affairs (Mr Chan Chee Seng) (for the Minister for Social Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, there has been some publicity in recent months on the establishment of a Community Chest in our Republic. I am sure that the Member for Jalan Kayu is aware that the Singapore Council of Social Service is actively working on the establishment of a Community Chest with the aim of centralising fund-raising efforts to finance voluntary welfare activities in the Republic. My Ministry supports the concept of a Community Chest. The establishment of such a Community Chest will result in an efficient utilisation of public donations for those in need and, moreover, by preventing the duplication and profusion of fund-raising efforts by the various voluntary welfare organisations, the Community Chest would enable these voluntary welfare organisations to concentrate mainly on welfare work per se and to increase its efficiency and scope to meet the welfare needs of the community. CARE FOR THE AGED AND AGED SICK (Adequacy and co-ordination of services) 9.”
“Resolved, "That the Newspaper and Printing Presses Bill be committed to a Select Committee consisting of Mr Speaker as Chairman and seven Members to be nominated by the Committee of Selection." - [Mr Jek Yeun Thong]. MUTUAL BENEFIT ORGANISATIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.55 p.m.”
“However, many very important views have been expressed by Members, and I am sure that these views will be taken care of when the Bill is considered by the Select Committee. There are some minor points which I should touch on briefly. The Member for Delta has queried: since the management shares are so important that their voting rights are greater than those of the ordinary shares, what type of citizens will be allowed to own these management shares? We have not come to that stage yet; let us cross the bridge when we come to it. I am sure the Minister for Home Affairs will be able to advise me as to which type of citizens will be allowed to own those shares. We have, in fact, considered a Press Council for a very long time, but we found that it is not practicable under our present conditions. First of all, who is to be the Chairman? Who gives the order? Who lays down policies? These are all very complicated matters, and I think it would be better that the press be allowed to manage themselves. Therefore, we have introduced these management shares to ensure that only the right people are allowed to exercise the powers of management of newspapers. The Members for Bukit Merah and Henderson and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Labour have also offered very good advice to the newspaper directors as to how they should run the newspapers and what sort of articles should be put in to attract more readers, and so on. I hope the newspapers concerned will take note of their advice and make improvements to the contents of their newspapers. Apart from those comments, Sir, I have nothing more to add. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time.”
“Sir, first of all, I must thank Members for their enthusiastic support for this Bill. Many of them have been very articulate and, in fact, they have made longer speeches than I expected. I must take this opportunity to assure Members of the House and also members of the public that it is not the intention of the Government to go into the newspaper business. Our intention is to see that newspapers are properly managed and that they cannot be taken over by undesirable elements which may then direct their policies against the interests of our nation. That is the sole purpose of this Bill. The Member for Kim Seng and the Member for Kuo Chuan have to a certain extent mentioned the fear that the Bill might be delegating undue powers to the Minister or the Government for control of the press. Those fears exist in the minds of many people. I think it should be sufficient to allay the fears of these people when I say that it is not the intention of the Government to take over the newspapers but to see that a free press is allowed to be conducted in Singapore. It is certainly not our intention to curb the genuine expression of public opinion. In fact, it is to our interest that those opinions should be allowed to be expressed. Let the flowers bloom. In a situation like ours it is quite important that the man-in-the-street should be given the opportunity to express his opinion, whether it is about buses, the Ministry of Culture's TV programmes or other matters. He should be given the opportunity to express his opinion publicly and there is no other medium better than the press. We would like to see this sort of freedom existing in Singapore.”
“However, in order to ensure that there will be adequate opportunity for all interested parties to air their views and make such representation as they might deem necessary, the Government has decided to send this Bill to a Select Committee. As I mentioned earlier, it is not the intention of Government to interfere unduly in the affairs of the Press. The sole purpose is to safeguard our national interest and the well-being of our citizens. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. 3.00 p.m.”
“I do not propose to take the House through the entire Bill, clause by clause, as many of the provisions are re-enactments of the existing Act. I would like, however, to touch on some of the salient points of the Bill. Permits will still be required for the printing and publication of newspapers, but all newspaper companies will have to go public, unless there is some special difficulty, perhaps on account of size in going public. In such cases, the Minister will be empowered to grant special exemptions. All newspapers will have to be locally managed; the members of the Board of Management will have to be Singapore citizens. In a newspaper company, there will be two classes of shares, namely, management shares and ordinary shares. There is, no restriction to the ownership of ordinary shares; however, the issue and transfer of management shares must have the approval of the Minister, and such approval will only be given to citizens of Singapore, or to such corporations which have been granted approval by the Minister. This arrangement is necessary, since the total voting rights of the management shares is greater than that of the ordinary shares. All foreign investments injected into the newspaper must have the approval of the Minister; this is to ensure that the Government is not kept in the dark as regards the real ownership of capital of newspapers. In this way, we will be able to ensure that the management of the newspapers will always be in the hands of our citizens, and the policies also determined by our citizens. It will be appreciated that ample notice has been given to the newspapers of the Government's intention to make major Singapore newspapers to go public - in fact, that indication was given as early as January last year.”
“Although newspapers are commercial organisations, they have a special responsibility to the society they cater for. They have a duty to always bear in mind their social and political obligations because, as a medium of communication, their influence can be crucial. Singapore, therefore, cannot allow foreign control of any of its newspapers, that is to say, those overseas who may seek to manipulate or influence public opinion through this media. We cannot afford to have "black operations" mounted against us. The intention of the Bill before us is, therefore, to make a substantial change of the Printing Presses Act to ensure that newspapers are not used as instruments of subversion. Precaution must be taken to prevent the newspaper from being used to poison the minds of its readers by reporting news in a biased way or to reproduce propaganda material "lifted" or cut out from newspapers controlled by foreign countries. But, while it is necessary to ensure that control of our newspapers remain in the hands of our citizens, the Government also does not wish to upset the commercial operations of newspaper companies, or intervene in the market forces determining the value of their shares. We certainly do not want to get involved in the day-to-day running of newspapers. Management will be free to operate the newspapers as commercial enterprises, provided they ensure that there is no manipulation by foreign elements and that no attempt is made by them, or through their proxies, to glorify undesirable viewpoints and philosophies. Mr Speaker, Sir, it is against this backdrop that I have introduced the Newspaper and Printing Presses Bill. The Bill seeks to re-enact, with additions or amendments, certain provisions of the Printing Presses Act (Chapter 258).”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Printing Presses Act was originally enacted in 1920. Various amendments, as were found necessary have, since then, been made to the Act, the last one being in 1970. Experience has, however, shown that the provisions of the Act are still inadequate, particularly in relation to the sections concerning the publication of newspapers. Although a permit is still required for the printing or publication of a newspaper, recent events have shown that it is possible for foreign elements to gain control of our newspapers, and use them for their own ends against our national interest. There is, therefore, need to further amend and update this Act to meet present-day requirements. Under the provisions of the existing Act, as it stands today, foreign interests could obtain control of any newspaper printed and published in Singapore. This is obviously an unhealthy situation. In May, 1971, for example, the "Eastern Sun", an English language newspaper closed down voluntarily, following exposure by the Government of its having received subventions amounting to nearly HK$8 million from a Communist intelligence agency in Hong-kong. The "Singapore Herald", another English language newspaper, which was also financed with funds from foreign sources, conducted a campaign to mis- lead the people of Singapore especially the English-educated. The Government had, therefore, in 1971, to withdraw its publication permit. We would be failing in our duty and responsibility to the people of Singapore, if we do not protect our citizens from the manipulations of subversive or hostile elements, operating through our newspapers.”
“It is not a co-operative. It is part of the activities of the PAP branch.”
“Sir, the Members for Jurong and Sembawang are confused. We are debating here the item on the Registry of Co-operative Societies and not the co-operative movement. The co-operative movement should rightly be part of the work of the trade union movement, and not just some sort of work of the Registry. And these co-operatives should be controlled, of course. I must also clarify what the Members said about my club in Queenstown. It is just one way of offering a service to my constituents. As the Member of Parliament for that constituency, it is my duty to see that residents enjoy certain privileges, and if Members share this view, they should start their own clubs.”
“The Member for Katong has my assurance that this will be done.”
“Sir, I shall try to be as creative as possible. The $215,000 earmarked in this year's Budget is to renovate three galleries in the National Museum to put on public display the valuable art collection of the University of Singapore which, when housed in proper surroundings, will become easily accessible to and be better appreciated by both our own citizens and foreign visitors. I think this would be the pride of our culture, because it would give good expression to our young people. As to the coat which the Member for Katong was trying to hang on the peg, the art gallery was actually a scheme by the Singapore Arts Council which has generously provided a capital sum of $760,000 to turn part of the museum into an art gallery. After that the Government will be responsible for the running and maintenance of the gallery as part of the National Museum and, therefore, also as part of a Government department. However, in view of the high cost of building materials, the inflationary trends and also because of the delay in preparing the plans, the cost of establishing an art gallery in the National Museum has gone up to $1.1 million. However, the Singapore Arts Council has indicated that it will again cough out an additional sum of about $388,000. There has been some argument as to who is to be responsible for the additional sum. My thinking on this matter is that we should get the project going, and we can talk about the money later. What I am interested in is to get it done first. 4.15 p.m. An hon. Member: Hear, hear!”
“Of course, these sums will not be sufficient in view of the high cost of construction and materials, but we will try to do what we can in these circumstances. We are also going to expand the activities of the Youth Sub-Committees feel that it is time to encourage youths to come forward for community service, and there is nothing better to place them in the community centres so that they can at least have a taste of what community life is. The Member for Changi has mentioned about his Canoeing Club. It is true that his community centre in Changi Point is the only centre with a Canoeing Club because that is the community centre which is by the seaside. I think even this community centre is in danger of being taken over because of development schemes. Bu course we will try to find other for such activities. However, right now, we are encouraging our youths to diversify their activities, whether it be canoeing, archery, mountaineering other forms of activity. The People Association will be very happy to entertain applications for subsidy for kinds of activity.”
“I fully agree with the Member for Serangoon Gardens that we need to upgrade the facilities in our community centres. I think the Member is aware that most of our community centres were built in the 1960's to cater for certain types of activities. By now I think most of the community centres are either obsolete or badly in need of renovation or extension. Because of this, the members of the Board of People's Association have been doing their best in trying to get either funds or other facilities to provide better centres in the various places. There are lots of things we would like to do, but because of other priorities, I do not think we can implement all of them. At the present moment, the policy of the People's Association is that it will try to subsidise the building of community centres. In many cases, we have actually encouraged the local community to raise funds for the building of new community centres. We will also try to match these funds with a dollar-for-dollar subsidy up to a maximum of $60,000. But where a constituency has not got even a community centre, then the policy of the People's Association is that it will bear the entire cost of the construction of the community centre. 4.00 p.m. For additional centres in any constituency, other considerations have to be taken into account. For instance, for a standard-type community centre, the subsidy will be on a dollar-for-dollar basis, subject to a maximum of about $80,000. Where the existing community centre is insufficiently equipped with facilities to serve the residents, the4 the subsidy will be on a dollar-f or-dollar basis, subject to a maximum of $60~000. For the construction of rural community centres, the subsidy will be on a dollar-for-dollar basis, subject to a maximum of $40,000.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, when the Member for Sembawang raised the matter of funds, I had a feeling that he was trying to ask for another community centre in his constituency. I have to disappoint him again this year because the provision of $130,000 in last year's Budget was actually intended for five rural community centres. But four of these centres had to be abandoned or the plans shelved as a result of development schemes which affect the sites. Therefore, the provision for this year has been reduced. The sum of $40,000 to be provided this year is actually meant for only one community centre, which is now under construction. He will note that the major portions of the provision for the financial year 1974 is meant for upgrading of facilities in key community centres. This is receiving priority attention now. It is true that we need to have more activities in community centres especially vocational activities. But I think the Member has actually pin-pointed the problem, and that is, the lack of instructors. The People's Association is now paying a very modest fee to our instructors, and this is insufficient to attract people to come forward, especially for posting to the rural areas, because many of these instructors prefer to be posted very near to their homes. The cultural shows provided by the People's Association will be continued and will eventually go round to all the constituencies. Whether or not we have the money and the funds to carry on such activities is another matter. We will try to get enough funds, whether they are to be provided by the management committees or by the People's Association. We would rather that the provision of funds be a spontaneous support from the local community, so that it would form part of the activities.”
“Because your question is the same as last year! Mr Teong Eng Siong(In Mandarin): The Minister seems to say that we cannot do anything because after all the films are imported. However, since he has said that strict film censorship will be carried out and that certain scenes will be cut, I hope he will cut more of those undesirable scenes. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I do not think this is a question of just keeping up with the Joneses. We are keeping up with time. As my Parliamentary Secretary has already mentioned just now, most of our equipment has been in use for the last ten years. It is time for us to change, and it is better we change it because the new equipment can be used either for colour or black and white. That is one of the main factors which prompted us to go into colour TV. And it would be cheaper at this juncture to introduce colour because, in any case, most of the films and the tapes that we purchase and hire from overseas are already in colour. So why waste it and put it on black and white if we can show it in technicolour? Moreover, Members will be pleased to know that in future their photographs will also appear in colour on TV. It is only fair to give notice to Members now so that they should have colourful ties, shirts and other attire to make them appear more attractive on T.V.”
“Sir, I cannot give the Member the assurance that there will not be any increase in the licence fee either for black and white or colour TV sets because this is tied down to the cost of production. It is too early to anticipate that.”
“Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates for the financial year 1st April, 1974 to 31st March, 1975, and ask leave to sit again.”
“I am afraid there is nothing very much we can do about this because the performers are normally brought in under private arrangement and are usually promoted on a commercial basis. In many cases, there is some sort of a contract between the sponsors and the promoters. I believe that if they are allowed to enter Singapore, the sponsors have to satisfy the Controller of Immigration. If they abscond or neglect the welfare of their artistes, the Controller of Immigration would stop them from coming in. 8.00 p.m.”
“The only thing is that it takes time to go round all the 65 constituencies. I am quite sure one of these days it will come to the community centre at Anson and the Member for Anson will be asked to open it. So far we have already held about 19 of these Art for Everyone exhibitions in community centres in various constituencies. Besides the Art for Everyone exhibition, the Ministry of Culture also organises the National Day Art and Photographic Exhibition every year. In April last year, a young people's art gallery which can accommodate 200 pieces of art work was started at the National Museum. It is a permanent art gallery to exhibit the work of our young people ranging from those attending kindergarten classes to those in secondary schools and vocational institutes. School students who are good in art can submit their work for consideration of display at the gallery, and exhibits displayed are changed once in three months. Also, early this year the Ministry of Culture began a new series of concerts called "Concerts for the Young". It is aimed at featuring our young budding musicians and to provide them with an opportunity to perform in public. This is a monthly concert held at the National Library lecture hall, and admission is free. From this we can say that our young people are not neglected. Also, Radio and Television Singapore has done its part in the promotion of cultural programmes. Whenever possible, the RTS introduces such programmes, either of local artistes or artistes from overseas. Currently, the RTS produces a programme known as Art Appreciation which is being telecast. About foreign artistes who have been asked to come in and then forgotten, the sponsors of these artistes are responsible for their welfare in this country.”
“If we can have those programmes in the night-clubs for the very well-to-do, then why can we not have some for the not so well-to-do people, so that they can also enjoy and relax? We should be realistic. Since they need some relaxation, then although those songs would not raise the morale of young people in nation-building they can at least give them some form of relaxation. I do not know whether the title Hua yeh liang seow is proper or not, but the title has been at the tip of the tongue of many people who are familiar with this programme. The Member for Anson has said that we should build a Singaporean culture. It takes time to build a Singaporean culture. It cannot be created in just 15 years, because we have been independent for about only 15 years now. He has also said that we have allowed the Aneka Ragam show to die out. I do not think it is true because we have called it by another name. We do not call it Aneka Ragam, but we call it a cultural show. In 1972, the National Theatre Trust presented some cultural shows at Hong Lim Park, MacRitchie Reservoir and at the other usual places. In 1973, the People's Association started its series of cultural shows for the people. Up to now, about 15 such shows have been staged at community centres and at other public places. The open air art exhibition was started by the National Theatre Trust in 1968 but it was discontinued because of lack of support. But recently the Ministry of Culture has reintroduced this activity, and this time it is for the young artists. We found that it was very successful and because of this, we have decided to continue with this open air exhibition at regular intervals of, say, two to three months. As regards Art for Everyone, this series of exhibitions has been going on. It is not dead.”
“Book awards in Chinese were first inaugurated by the Council in 1972, but none of the 1972 entries was found to sufficiently qualify for the award. The Council hopes to inaugurate similar awards for Malay, Tamil and English language efforts once funds are available. I also understand that the Council, in conjunction with the Singapore Book Publishers Association, is in the process of establishing a Writers' Association. I think this is a good move and the Council should be congratulated for its good work. On the question of punctuality, I have no idea that my portfolio includes punctuality campaigns. However, I think it is really a waste of time and money to launch such a campaign. The People's Association had in 1968 launched such a campaign, but it fizzled out after a few months, without achieving any significant effect. It is quite simple to make a person punctual. Much depends on the circumstances he is asked to be punctual. If it concerns his work, he has got to he punctual because he knows that he will be penalised either by suffering a pay-cut or a reprimand from the boss. If it is a date with his girl friend, I am quite sure he is quite punctual. Otherwise he will lose his girl friend. In the case of dinner parties, this is not a very important matter because if he is not punctual, he will either miss his food or have less to eat. I do not think it is really necessary to bring this up. Sir, I must come now to the Member for Henderson because he has spoken at length on the variety show entitled Hua yeh liang seow on television. This programme has been a thorn in our flesh. If we can scrap it we would escape from quite a lot of criticisms by MPs who are trying to be puritanical. After all this variety show comes on only once a week.”
“As regards the brochure mentioned by the Member, I do not think it was printed by my Ministry. I think it has also something to do with the Tourist Promotion Board. So I need not elaborate on that. On the question of a symphony orchestra, this matter was also raised last year. The answer will still be the same because a symphony orchestra costs money. If we are to start a national symphony orchestra, then it should be of a sufficiently high standard to warrant it to be called a national symphony orchestra. To achieve this, it is necessary to have a number of musicians of the required standard and for this we will have to recruit quite a number of them from abroad and to pay them well. It will cost a lot of money to maintain such an orchestra. Several years ago, the National Theatre Trust started a symphony orchestra but it ran into financial difficulties and, therefore, had to be abandoned. In view of this experience, we are very, very careful now if we have to consider the prospect of starting another one. I think we still have to wait for our budding musicians to come forward, so that we can at least start a small chamber ensemble. As regards assistance to local writers, again I had already pointed out to the Member last year when he raised the same question, that our population of two million cannot support them. It is rather difficult for people to make a living purely by writing. However, if our local writers can produce any work of a sufficiently high standard, they should have no difficulty in getting their works published. The National Book Development Council on which my Ministry is represented tries its best to give encouragement and assistance to local writers.”
“I would rather wait until the Member for Kampung Kembangan moves his amendment.”
“What I want to mention here is only the technical `detail about colour television. As to the criticism -”
“I beg your pardon. I thought that was in connection with the criticism that colour television is a waste of money and that, in view of inflation, we should therefore scrap it. That is another matter. But the Member for Sembawang has asked when would it be introduced, and I think that this point should be -”
“There is the Film Acquisition Committee. I think they are doing their best to try to get good programmes but, as I have said just now, good programmes are difficult to get. He also wants us to subsidise local cultural organisations by waiving rent for use of theatres and other places. That is rather difficult, because once you do that, then everyone will start jumping on the band wagon, and it would then not be possible to maintain our theatres properly. As usual, the Member for Sembawang also asked about colour television. I wish to inform the House that TV Singapore will be radiating colour television”
“At present the average weekly output of RTS locally-produced films classified as educational or informative is 53.82 per cent. This, of course, includes newsreels, magazines and public affairs programmes. I must emphasise that the function of television is not just to educate the people. If all we want is educational programmes, then we can always scrap TV and run only the ETV. But we have other purposes too, and that is to inform and to entertain the public. The Member for Henderson has also mentioned that we need some relaxation after work. The people should have some relaxation, and so - Hua yeh liang seow. It is a bit "soft", I agree, but I do not think that would cause any harm. If our young people are so weak that to watch a variety show just once a week weakens them to such an extent, then T think it is really a hopeless situation and all efforts at nation building, discipline, and so on should be scrapped. The Member for Sembawang has raised many points. First, he has asked that, if possible, we should organise cultural festivals. Of course, if we have the money, we will do so. He also wants us to set up a committee to supervise the television programmes. We have actually such a committee supervising these programmes.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, much of what Members have raised had already been raised last year. In fact, I suspect that some of them have been lifted from last year's Hansard. It is filling new bottles with old wine -- Sin pin chiu chiu. It is only that the wine is a bit sour now. However, I should reply to some of the points raised by the Members. First, I must come to our old Friend, the Member for Sembawang. He has complained, first of all, about the programmes over the TV. I agree with him that to a certain extent some of our programmes are not up to our expectations. But I must mention that most of our programmes are imported from other countries. We cannot actually have whatever we want because in some cases we are fed with whatever films that come to us. Sometimes it is not possible to put in, what you call, the healthy educational programmes. I myself sometimes feel quite embarrassed whenever i watch those mystery films depicting crime, robbery, and so on. But apart from such programmes, what else can we get? We do not have a film industry, and we depend very much, especially Chinese films, on Hong Kong and Taiwan. These are the films which we get commercially from these two places. However, educational and informative programmes have all along formed the highest percentage of the overall output on television. Last year, 22.9 per cent of the average weekly output was educational and informative. This year, up to March, 1974, the average weekly output in this category has increased to 23.2 per cent. Of the imported programmes, excluding feature films, programmes of educational value comprised 12.64 per cent of the current weekly output. Therefore, TV Singapore is by far the largest user of documentaries in this region.”
“I am only saying that the Member for Kampung Kembangan has already given notice to raise that question. I am going to answer that question, and if the Member for Jalan Kayu wants an answer, can he wait until the Member for Kampung Kembangan has raised it?”
“On a point of order, Sir. The Member for Kampung Kembangan has already filed an amendment on Head JA subhead CA 1107, which I think includes matters of colour TV. Therefore, I think it is only fair that he be given a chance to raise matters arising out of that subhead, instead of being overtaken by the others.”
“Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates for the financial year 1st April, 1974 to 31st March, 1975, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1st April, 1973 to 31st March, 1974, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“I think that may be a solution to this shortage of camps. I agree that we need more camping sites for our young people in order to encourage them to get used to outdoor life. But the problem is how to get more camps. How are we going to get land in order to convert it into camps? As I have said, I think the solution may be to subdivide the camps now available.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Punggol complained that the holiday chalets are not sufficient. Yes, they are not sufficient. But in what periods of time are they not sufficient? In Pasir Ris we have 30 holiday flats. But they are all empty during school terms, and full during the school holidays. I think the problem here is not that we do not have enough. It is a question of how to allocate or how to make full use of these chalets. During the school terms, there are many holiday flats, bungalows and so on looking for occupants. During school holidays, however, we have applicants looking for holiday chalets. Perhaps one solution will be that our people should take their holidays in different periods and not take their holidays all at the same time. If they do that, then I do not think we need to have so many chalets. Otherwise no matter how we allocate them, we will still not be able to meet the demand for holiday chalets. If everyone goes on holiday at the same time, then it is really not possible to approve every application. The booking of a holiday camp takes a very long time. I presume that it will take some time to book a holiday camp because of the popularity and also because of the number of people who want to get into these camps. The problem here may not be just acquiring land to open up new camps, because in land-hungry Singapore it is not feasible to do that. One solution may be to partition the present holiday camps in such a way that more groups can use the camp at any one time. For instance, we can have the Tanah Merah Camp renovated to allow not just one group to use it at any one time but to partition it in such a way that several groups from different organisations can occupy this camp at the same time.”
“The function of this Development Committee is to look into the various aspects of activities of community centres and to put up recommendations for the improvement of facilities in these centres. With this sum of money, I think we can go a long way towards improving the facilities of the centres, provided we have the support of the local people in providing money for these improvements. I have always said that the activities of community centres must have the support of the local population. There is no point in spending a lot of money when the facilities are not used. The purpose of getting the people's participation is to ensure the full use of the facilities. The Member for Jurong has asked for the full amount of money to be spent on the Jurong community centre. I am afraid we cannot give him the full amount. It is the policy of the People's Association to give grants, dollar-for-dollar, for the construction of community centres. But there must be a limit. We cannot just go on giving dollar-for-dollar subsidy without a limit. They may ask for a $400,000 or $500,000 community centre. And I do not think they can expect the People's Association to meet with the demand. So a ceiling has got to be fixed, and that ceiling is about $80,000.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in planning the expansion of the community centres, especially in the provision of funds for the construction and improvement of community centres, we have always relied on local participation. The amount that is being voted for is for the construction of 11 community centres in various parts of Singapore. We are giving priority to constituencies without community centres. In the case of Tanglin constituency, it has no community centre and we are therefore going to build a standard-type community centre there. In fact, last year, we allotted a sum of money for the construction of a community centre in Tanglin constituency, but they did not use it. So this is a revote. We are going to build a centre in Jurong Town, one in Potong Pasir, one in Henderson constituency, and one in Toa Payoh constituency. Toa Payoh constituency has been divided into two, and the one which is still called Toa Payoh constituency has no community centre. So we have to provide a sum of money for this. We arc also providing some money for the reconstruction of the existing community centre in Anson constituency. Another community centre is to be built in Moulmein constituency, and one in Kampung Chai Chee. The community centre in Kampung Chai Chee is inadequate because it is sited on the ground floor of a block of Housing Board flats. We find that the space is too limited for the various activities of the community centre and provision has been earmarked for its development. As regards the construction of rural-type community centres, we have to build three, at Bukit Gombak, Paya Lebar and Punggol. These are the projects we have in mind. We have set up a Development Committee in the People's. Association, and the Member for Kim Keat is also a member of this committee.”
“The people in the film industry can make a valuable contribution to our society, since they are also human and they also have a conscience. Therefore, I think they will take heed of our aspirations. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”