Jessie Phua
Singapore
“When life hands us lemon, let us make some lemonade. As a final procedural point, in order to facilitate a smooth implementation, the National Volunteers and Philanthropy Centre should be encouraged to be the match-maker. These are indeed exceptionally uncertain and turbulent times.”
“Madam, point of clarification from the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. This is on NSA funding. We recognise that there are 64 NSAs and that there are limited funds, of course.”
“Winning at the world's stage is no small feat, and Singapore athletes who succeed at this level should also be given due recognition. The development of a world-class athlete extends beyond the training grounds. Putting in place a total support and care package helps give our athletes a better chance to win on the world stage.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary what happens to the remaining FSTs who are not actively representing Singapore. Is he satisfied with the current level of management of the FSTs? And is the FST scheme here to stay? Will he be looking at modifying it?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Parliamentary Secretary for his update on the insurance coverage for athletes. I have two supplementary questions. (1) Does the coverage extend beyond international events? Would it cover training and tournaments in Singapore?”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister, in view of the IS requirement for qualifications for major games, there are certain time-sensitive factors that we have to look into. Would his Ministry consider setting up an independent unit to help facilitate this application process? This unit can also double up as a resource counselling centre.”
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“Madam, point of clarification from the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. This is on NSA funding. We recognise that there are 64 NSAs and that there are limited funds, of course. Can I ask the Parliamentary Secretary for NSAs that have displayed the ability to roll out good policy and good governance, can the Ministry recognise this commitment on the NSA's part by granting them a multi-year funding support so as to address and allay their annual fears? Every time they have to wait to see if their programmes are going to be disrupted, if the fundings are going to be substantially affected.”
“I recognise that now is not the time to broach on the subject of increasing the quantum of the award, but what is worthy of immediate review is the form and shape the MAP award should be reconfigured to. For awards under the Olympic and Asian Games category, a more meaningful and pragmatic approach would be to reshape the form of the award into a two-parter. First, a respectable upfront payout and second, a money stipend for the rest of the athlete's life. Such restructuring would go a long way in ensuring that our national athletes are remembered long after the limelight fades. For our foreign sporting talents, it would silence all the critics of their unfounded allegations of mercenary charges as the stipends should only be payable to Singapore citizens living in Singapore. Whist on the subject of recognition, I applaud our northern neighbour, Malaysia, for their magnanimous gesture of extending free medical care to all their national athletes for the rest of their lives. What a heart-warming recognition for their national athletes' contribution to the country. Hopefully, the SSC can work out a similar scheme for our equally deserving national athletes. In conclusion, the 21st February gathering last year at the Padang for the YOG announcement was a watershed moment for sports in Singapore. The year 2008 had also been a most successful year for Singapore sports. The YOG may help Singapore capture all the media limelight during the inaugural games next August but, more importantly, the YOG should leave a lifetime imprint of the Olympic spirit on Singapore long after it leaves our shores. Let us do what we can to secure this legacy.”
“With a little creative planning, cost of sporting facilities need not be duplicated across the island, just because the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and the Ministry of Education caters to different markets. If we are committed to building a sustainable sporting culture for Singapore, let us make sure that we employ some more foresight in setting up our hardware - our sporting facilities. Moving on to software on people, the other crucial pillar to building strong and sustainable sporting culture in Singapore is our people in sports. In view of the limited time allocated, I shall only cover two areas: (i) the National Sports Association (NSAs); and (ii) our athletes. Madam, at this point, I wish to declare my interest as the President of the Singapore Bowling Federation. Members of the NSAs and the sporting fraternity at large were pleasantly surprised by the enlarged allocation given to sports this year under the MCYS umbrella, but we are not celebrating yet. We are all waiting with bated breath for the SSC to reveal our final budget allocation for the year this April for there is much fear and concern that the sizeable portion of this year's increased budget may be appropriated to hosting the YOG. Many NSAs expect fundings to be drastically scaled down. YOG and global economic downturn being the major cause. Similar to my call on better planning on sporting facilities, I urge the SSC to look at the big picture. Poor fund allocation to meet immediate needs may be detrimental for the long-term development of sports in Singapore. Moving from people who manage sports to our heroes at the front line - our national athletes. I brought up the subject of the Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme (MAP) scheme in my Budget speech last year.”
“It would have been far more cost and time effective had we put it down to rebuild a new swimming complex that can match up to present day's expectations and standards, rather than its present form - a relic of the 70s trying to look like the 90s with a roof that catches rain to boot. This is a sad case of penny-wise-pound-foolish. Whilst on the subject of facilities, it may be an opportune time for me to request that some attention be given to upgrading and enhancing our overall sporting facilities in Singapore. As a member of the Singapore National Olympic Council, I have the opportunity to visit a good number of sporting facilities in Singapore and I regret to tell you that we have quite a number of third-world sporting facilities in our first-world country. I know the perennial excuses - limited land, limited funds. A feasible solution to these concerns is to maximise the use of school facilities. A lot of the space and facilities in our schools are under utilised and under catered, whether during or after school hours. These schools are spread out across the island, thus very centrally located. Does it not make sense, then, to build up sporting facilities in a good number of our schools? Transform them into mini-sports clubs catering to not only the students, but the alumni and the neighbourhood. Alumni and parent groups can be encouraged to run these sports clubs. By this one stroke, we can ensure that good and efficiently fitted-out sporting facilities are set up strategically across the island. By doing so, we maximise usage of our limited land bank and the enhanced facilities will go a long way to boost not only general wellness of students, alumni and neighbourhood, but also promote social and community bonding.”
“The factors are exhaustingly long, but I think we can broadly categorise them under two pillars: (i) hardware which would cover sporting facilities; and (ii) software which would cover people. First, hardware on facilities - under the YOG bid, we were given the understanding that no new facilities are to be built. We appreciate the IOC's concern with overburdening host cities with huge construction costs. To the committee and Government department charged with the task of upgrading or enhancing our current competition venues in readiness for the YOG, I would like to remind them of the opportunity to look beyond YOG. The YOG has an event schedule of only 12 days in Singapore, but the enhancements can and should be carried out to a level that will benefit Singaporeans for the next 10 to 15 years. By the same token, I would also like to sound the alarm on overspending on unnecessary window-dressing for the YOG. The civil servant mentality of wanting to do things quick and cheap is not beneficial to us in this situation. It is unwise to spend too much money on superficial enhancement or installing make-shift facilities only for these to be dismantled and discarded after the games. It may seem cheap upfront, but the reality is that it is not money well-spent. All too often, we are too hung up by the cost-centre mentality that we lose sight of the big picture. I would like to share with you an example of such failed cost-centre mentality - the Toa Payoh Swimming Complex, our pride and joy when Singapore hosted the SEA Games. The last upgrade is a very good example of how we threw good money after bad.”
“Madam, I still recall vividly last 21st February when thousands of us gathered at the Padang, together with our Prime Minister, to await the IOC announcement for the host city for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG). Against the backdrop of our grand City Hall, I remember how incredulous that felt, for sports to be escalated to such a lofty standing in pragmatic, GDP-driven Singapore. Singapore, of course, created history that day by beating the other 10 contenders to the tape in the YOG race. The YOG is about 18 months away. There are so much to be done in so little time. Nevertheless, I am very confident this yacht under the capable stewardship of our Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Teo Ser Luck and Mr Ng Ser Miang, will showcase and present to the world a hosting of the inaugural YOG, worthy of not just the IOC branding, but of the gold standard that has become synonymous with Singapore. Before we get too caught up with the fanfare for the YOG, it is appropriate at this point to ask ourselves once again, what we hope to gain from the YOG. While the YOG is another opportunity for us to prove Singapore's organisational capabilities, it should not be our main focus, for we have done that enough times already. To anchor on the YOG to build Singapore up as a sporting destination is, of course, one of the more obvious and immediate benefit. But, all things considered, the most important legacy we should look forward to benefiting from YOG is most definitely, an enriched and sustainable sporting culture for Singapore. So, what can help contribute to growing an enriching and sustainable sports culture for Singapore?”
“When life hands us lemon, let us make some lemonade. As a final procedural point, in order to facilitate a smooth implementation, the National Volunteers and Philanthropy Centre should be encouraged to be the match-maker. These are indeed exceptionally uncertain and turbulent times. If there is one country that is going to come out of the current global economic crisis in better shape than any other in the world, I believe it would be this little red dot called Singapore. Because, like or forefathers, we will not cower in the face of adversities and, like our forefathers, we will weather through this storm as one people. Social Workers”
“Whilst we are given to understand that substantial sums are disbursed annually by the Totalisator Board towards these causes, can we now think out of the box and ask that a percentage of the taxes levied be channelled to support the VWOs during these turbulent times? Next, I would like touch on volunteerism. Some companies have already employed shorter work week to help stamp wage costs. Some 18,000 workers are already placed on shorter work week. These workers should be encouraged to volunteer at the VWO, be it social work at the Family Service Centres or homes for the handicapped, or even at theNational Sports Associations. We need not stop at workers with shorter work week. Let us cast the net a little wider. Retrenched workers should be encouraged to volunteer, especially the PMETs who face a tougher and longer period to return to the workforce. I am quietly optimistic that these citizens would rather serve and feel good than stay at home. We can also tap the pool of fresh graduates who are struggling to gain employment in an extremely weak job market. This can even spark off and nurture the culture of volunteerism in Singapore. There is no denying that, ultimately, this will help to strengthen our social fabric, so that we emerge a stronger and tighter-knit people as the economy recovers. Imagine, too with through the tremendous injection and infusion of professionalism, the VWOs stand to gain in these most difficult of times, to be assisted by professionals, hitherto out of their range of affordability, to be guided on how to manage and run their organisations with best practices and good governance as their foundational pillars. When we add on these professionals' network, the multiplier effect can be quite remarkable.”
“On the athletic front, National Sports Associations are similarly going to be double hit by possible reduced funding and even less or no sponsorships coming in to aid their developmental programmes. So, what can we do differently? I have some suggestions that I would like to share. It would be difficult for companies to continue to open their wallets to donate when the bottomline is what shareholders want accountability on. Ironically, in the midst of tightening their belts, there is no better time than now for companies to practise some corporate social responsibility (CSR). Companies, like NTUC FairPrice or Cold Storage, can take the lead in this CSR movement, in what I would term as "brand for charity". Would it not be wonderful if companies, like NTUC FairPrice adopt a charitable organisation for the year and raise money for them by allocating up to 5% of the sales of their house brands? Such goodwill, especially in these tough times, will not only generate positive public perception, it may even increase sales volume. They may end up doing well by wanting to do good. So, how else can we source for financial aid? From our other sacred cow - taxes. 3.45 pm Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. If we concede that the current economic turmoil merits the tapping of our first sacred cow - our precious reserves - then, along the same vein, let us explore how we can tap our other sacred cow - our taxes. In particular, we could look to the taxes levied on our gaming industry. The genesis of Singapore Pools and toto was for the support of sports and community welfare.”
“Sir, the face having your world turned inside out and upside down definitely has a brand new meaning for all of us during these extremely difficult times. Yes, undeniably, we have entered into a global economic recession of unprecedented scale and magnitude. For the past several months, we have been overwhelmed by waves of financial tsunami storm. No one is making a final list of the wreckage yet, as many believe that even more tidal waves ahead. People, companies and even countries are struggling. Yes, we are all struggling and trying to make sense of what is happening to keep afloat, basically to stay alive. It is despite this hovering backdrop that I wish to draw attention to our not-for-profit VWOs. Even in the best of times, financial assistance and help to the VWOs are hard to come by. Help being hardly adequate then, the present economic climate and sentiments will render it tougher for them to stay afloat to achieve their missions. Unfortunately, I do not have a magic formula that I can share to lighten the VWO's uphill task. However, I do not stand alone in believing that these turbulent times demanded we look at and do things a little differently. In an economic downturn of such scale, many industries face reduced demands, excess capacity, more downtime and job losses. Yet, there is one sector that is conversely affected - the non-profit VWOs. To begin with, job losses will see more people in need of social welfare. This leads to Family Service Centres and CDCs having to work overtime. Funds, meaning donations, sponsorships and endowments, are down and yet there is even more to do.”
“Winning at the world's stage is no small feat, and Singapore athletes who succeed at this level should also be given due recognition. The development of a world-class athlete extends beyond the training grounds. Putting in place a total support and care package helps give our athletes a better chance to win on the world stage. Winning the Olympic Gold for Singapore is not a pipe-dream. Let us put all the pieces together to help our athletes win for Singapore. Foreign Sports Talent Scheme 5.30 pm”
“As some of them are brought over at a very tender age, what protection is in place to ensure that they are given a decent education or vocational training for life after sports? It is not only the right thing to do; it is a moral thing to ensure. All too often, there is the ugly talk that these athletes are money-grabbing, that there is no sincere loyalty to Singapore. As our DPM, Mr Wong Kan Seng, rightly pointed out in this House, integration is a two-way traffic. Can you really blame them for being mercenary when we ourselves treat the whole exchange as strictly business only? Sports incentives – the Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme (or MAP) is the single most publicised sports incentive scheme we have in Singapore to reward outstanding athletes for success at the SEA Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics. Very little changes have been made to this scheme. And the individual winning for the first Olympic Gold for Singapore is still being offered $1 million, same as it was in 1996, some 12 years ago. The sporting landscape has changed. The bar has been raised, and our MAP award should also be reviewed and updated too. Reviewing the cash quantum is not the only aspect we should consider. For years, the Korean athletes are the envy of the athletes across the globe for a win at the Olympics or the Asian Games not only results in immediate monetary awards, they are also assured of housing assistance plus a lifelong pension. Even our immediate neighbour, Indonesia, has upped its incentive package to include housing and monetary components. In addition to this, it is timely to also consider the addition of world championships into this scheme.”
“Last month, this House was updated that of the 97 athletes brought in, 54 were granted citizenships, of which 37 are still in active training. That is a dropout rate of over 30%. It is certainly not a case of a few bad apples. There are some real issues to be addressed. Madam, along with my fellow citizens, I rate my Singapore citizenship as my most prized possession. It should not be given out lightly. I believe it is time we relooked at how effective our evaluation and assessment process of potential FST athletes. We hear that the FST Scheme is here to stay. That being the case, let us do a good job and make sure that the support infrastructure is right for these uprooted athletes to succeed. The professional and responsible thing to do is to ensure that quality training facilities and manpower are in place. But we hear of athletes going back to their native homes for training because facilities or coaches are lacking in Singapore, of NSAs' nightmares in maintaining a decent level of communication with these athletes, of the inability to effectively monitor their training progress. This is wrong on all counts on the part of the deliverables by the NSA: first, in fulfilling their professional obligations; and second, what happened to what was supposed to be the most important reason for bringing in these athletes that besides winning, the presence of these athletes training alongside with our Singaporean athletes is to inspire them and help build up our pool of local talents. Next, is our moral obligations. What have we done to ensure that a welfare unit is in place to help these athletes to adapt to life in Singapore?”
“This joint project by MCYS, SNOC, SSC aims to supplement or complement the existing high performance programme of SSC to help athletes with a potential win at the Olympics, which leads one to ask: is the money allocated out of the MCYS budget for High Performance being put to good use? To be fair, SSC has improved over the years, at least from my first encounter in the early 90's to what it is today. But, like everything else, the demographics have changed and so must SSC. It is time for us to reassess SSC and explore areas where improvements can be made. People – as with any organisation, the key to success is always its people. Whilst I am not privy to the full inside information, I can tell you that the attrition rate at SSC is very high. Why is this so? Is the pay compensation scale also not realistically pegged to current market rate? What about career advancement prospects? What about job satisfaction? My understanding is that this is a very major reason for concern. Many get disillusioned by over-sized portfolios, multi-layered decision-making process and little empowerment. Do they have enough of the right people? They say a picture paints a thousand words. Please let me try to paint this picture for you. On SSC's payroll, one sports psychologist. On SSC's list of National Sporting Associations (NSAs), a total of 60, of which High Performance funds 44. Say, conservatively, each NSA with 30 athletes; thus the ratio of 1 to 1,320. Need I say more? Let us get the house of SSC into order. Sporting foreign talents (SFT) – in recent months, we learn of FST athletes going AWOL, of NSAs having problems monitoring their training programmes, of them quitting their sports and returning to their native homes.”
“Madam, we hear in this House that luncheon meat has gone from $1 to $3, a tin of Milo now costs over $11, or Singaporeans struggling to cope with the effects of GST increases, spiralling cost of living and inflation. Against this backdrop, there seems to exist in Singapore a group of Singaporeans who suffer no such fate. Who are they? They are none other than our national athletes. How did I come to this conclusion? Well, the funding by the Singapore Sports Council to athletes suggests so. Take, for example, the training assistance grant spexTAG. In 1999, an A1 carded athlete can get financial aid up to $8,000 a year. Fast forward to 2008, this has been reduced to $7,200. Support for athletes winning gold at the SEA Games has been reduced from $6,000 to $4,200. The GLOW (Grant for Loss Of Wages) quantum remains unchanged from the year 2000 to the present time. What has changed is the qualifying criteria from a SEA Games Gold to an Asian Games or world-level medal for an A1 carding. Is it not amazing how, on the one hand, the bar has been raised for qualification but, on the other hand, the funding for training has remained constant or even been reduced? So what is my point? My point is this: the Singapore Sports Council (SSC), the key and crucial people who are tasked with driving our sporting initiatives, is either very detached from reality or, worse, know but choose not to do anything. Either way, it does not augur well. Can we really in good faith entrust the SSC with the development of our athletes? Obviously not. The launch of Project 0812 and its war chest of $7 million certainly attests to this.”
“A support system built up to ensure that athletes get to be students too, where athletic advisors are available to directly address the special needs of student athletes. Another area of concern for this student group is funding for scholarship. Other undergraduates can reduce their parents' financial burdens by taking on part-time jobs or giving tuitions but athletes have no such opportunity. Cost of sporting equipment and travel can be quite substantial too. Taking a five-year modular course against a three-year course also means more school fees involved. Offering financial aid not only gives these athletes some peace of mind, more importantly, it is a morale booster to know that your country is behind you. Assistance with university admission, choice of faculty, athletic counsellor and financial aids - all these are so crucial towards building that nurturing environment for our student athletes to shine in both arenas. The question is whether Singapore is prepared to go the extra mile to put in place a fully integrated system for this group of Singaporeans. If we do nothing to address this, we may lose these students to overseas colleges and run the risk of losing them to the international job market or not returning home at all. The ball is in our court. How inclusive do we strive to be?”
“Like the rest of the school system in Singapore, the final stop station for the through train is at the Junior College or diploma level. If this specially tailored assistance plan for the Sports School students is the best scheme we can put in place to help students whom, from the word "go", have been put on a different education track from the age of 13, I cannot help but feel things cannot be better for other athletes from the mainstream schools. Now, let us look at how adequate is our current support system at the local universities. What recognition mechanism is in place at NUS, NTU or SMU? To give our nationally carded athletes a little bit more consideration for admission, how flexible are we to help these athletes gain entry into the faculty of choice? Topping athletes' list of concerns is the school timetable and scheduling. Yes, some level of leeway is available now but we can definitely do better. Talk to any undergraduate athletes and they are only too willing to share with you the nightmares of applying for time-off for training and competitions, and how the process often leaves them so disheartened, disillusioned and tired out. For faculties like medicine or law, athletes suffer even more as their courses are not modular, which means that they cannot just simply take an extra semester to make up for what they have missed because of competition. They pay the higher price of having to skip a year if they miss a semester. Admittedly difficult, but lucky medical student and national bowler, Valerie Teo, is a fine example where the support and help of understanding professors can make the difference. Her example proves that it is very do-able if we have our hearts in the right place. Can we replicate what the US colleges have to offer?”
“Sir, it is important to give opportunities to all students and cater to their different needs. If you make the effort, we will help you to do even better and give you every opportunity to get ahead. Our Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, said this at the launch of the Lee Hsien Loong Award for special achievements two weeks ago. As a Singaporean and as a parent, I can tell you how heartwarming that message was - that we are sincerely working towards being an inclusive society. It is wonderful that efforts are being made to work towards helping to level up the academically less-inclined Singaporean students, hopefully, this being the first of many to follow. Whilst on the subject of students, I would like to take this opportunity to bring to the attention of this House the cry for help by another Singaporean student group: the student athletes for the tertiary education. Whilst there is in place some semblance of assistance in our education system to help athletes manage books, sports and studies at the tertiary level, these efforts are often sporadic, limiting and not embracing enough. Let us take a look at what is available in Singapore. For the Singapore Sports School students where a through train system is in place to assist student athletes, only a diploma option is available with either the Republic Polytechnic or the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). While students can offer any courses at the Republic Polytechnic, what is not readily available is a dedicated athletic counsellor to assist with the scheduling of classes for semester if training or competition is in the school term and only sports science courses are available with the AUT tie-up.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary what happens to the remaining FSTs who are not actively representing Singapore. Is he satisfied with the current level of management of the FSTs? And is the FST scheme here to stay? Will he be looking at modifying it?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Parliamentary Secretary for his update on the insurance coverage for athletes. I have two supplementary questions. (1) Does the coverage extend beyond international events? Would it cover training and tournaments in Singapore? and (2) Given the benefit of scale of economies, would the Singapore Sports Council consider being the main coordinator to negotiate for a comprehensive and attractive insurance package for all NSAs?”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister, in view of the IS requirement for qualifications for major games, there are certain time-sensitive factors that we have to look into. Would his Ministry consider setting up an independent unit to help facilitate this application process? This unit can also double up as a resource counselling centre.”
“I also want to raise a point on the central secretariat. Yesterday, Ms Denise Phua brought up the point of the high cost of governance by VWOs. Unfortunately, the same fate befalls NSAs too, especially the smaller NSAs. I think MCYS should work with the SSC towards setting up such a central secretariat to serve a pool of the smaller NSAs. The benefit is self-evident.”
“It is clear that there is a need for the Singapore Sports Council to set up a central counselling resource centre if it is sincere in its efforts to be athlete-centric. Besides helping foreign sporting talents to adjust and adapt to life in Singapore, they have a moral obligation to ensure that these new citizens are provided with adequate schooling.”
“Sir, there are three points I would like to raise. First, the Parliamentary Secretary assured this House that there is fairness between local and foreign talent athletes. Unfortunately, I have reasons to believe otherwise. From personal experience, when we apply for support for full-time training for our local athletes, we were reminded, time and again, that we should not be looking at welfare. Our local athletes were told to work towards balancing training and school or work. Against this backdrop, it would seem that support for full training for our foreign import athletes is a given. Second, central counselling resource centre. Sir, yesterday's newspaper reported that yet another of our foreign import athlete, table tennis player Zhang Xue Ling is leaving for Shanghai. This is the latest addition to the count of three basketball, six hockey, one football and one badminton foreign athletes who have since left their sports. The reasons for their departure may vary.”
“I urge the respective Ministries to revisit the FY 2005's initiative and give sports a fighting chance to continue to win even more for Singapore, but not just for more medals at international sporting meets but, more importantly, for a nation of fitter and healthier Singaporeans. Sports School”
“Ronald Susilo, Li Jia Wei and Remy Ong are the result of many, many years of grooming under the NSA's Sports Excellence Trust. They inspire the seven-, the 15- or even the 25-year- olds into the world of sports. Understandably, a good percentage of these aspiring athletes may never attain super-sporting star status, but their involvement and participation would have made enough significant impact for them to regard sports as a lifestyle. More people coming into sports means more coaches or training centres are needed. Along with this increase, we can also look forward to a sizeable corresponding growth in its related industries, like sports retail business, sports medicine and sports science service providers, advertising, just to name a few. These, in turn, help to build up a vibrant sports industry in which it then attracts sponsorship dollars to fund and aid sports development. It is naive to believe that our nation can reap the full benefits of sports through only the Sports for All pillar. Without marketing, in this case our sporting icons groomed under our Sports Excellence pillar, there will be limited success for the Sports for All pillar. And without appeal of sporting icons or market reach, in this case both sports participants as well as spectators, can we possibly bring in the money for the sports industry pillar to grow the sports? The point I want to drive home is that the three thrusts of sports - Sports Excellence, Sports for All and Sports Industry - their lifelines are intertwined. Only collectively driven can sports thrive.”
“This is a win-win for all - less Government funding requirement by NSA for sports facilities and for the developers, not only the benefit of higher plot ratio but, more importantly, to be recognised by the community as being socially responsible corporate citizens. National Sports Associations as Institutions of Public Character Advancement of National Sports Associations as Institutions of Public Character (IPC). The FY 2005 Budget, with its theme of creating opportunities, building community, brought much cheer to everyone in the sporting fraternity. It signals, in no uncertain terms, our Government's resolve to help and aid the development of sports in Singapore. It is with a heavy heart that some two years have gone that I have to draw this House's attention to the fact that the sports fraternity has yet to benefit fully from this initiative. Why, we asked? Could one of the biggest stumbling blocks in this progress be that only one of the three thrusts of sports is eligible for this charitable status billing? Only the "Sports for All" pillar, in other words, high participation, qualifies. The FY 2005's initiative definition of "sports" is "one that advances the health of individuals and promoting healthy lifestyle for all." Madam, I believe the Ministry's finance interpretation of that to mean only Sports for All is somewhat flawed. The spirit of this initiative is lost in its implementation. Just as Tiger Woods single-handedly change the image and appeal of golf worldwide. In Singapore, we too need our local sporting icons to excite and draw the young, and not so young Singaporeans, to pick up their table tennis paddle, badminton rackets, or even bowling ball.”
“Madam, land lease for National Sports Associations (NSAs). Presently, these are valued at current market rate making it financially sapping for the NSAs. The extension of these leases can even stretch to the region in excess of a million dollars. Jack Neo's "Money No Enough" is very real for sports promoters. It is ironical for the NSAs who are already facing the perennial problem of inadequate funding annually to then seek financial assistance from the MCYS. This transferring of money from the left pocket, in this case the MCYS, to the right pocket, the SLA, is such a waste of time and resources. Indeed, if an NSA is capable of raising, say, a million dollars on a sustainable basis, would it not make better sense for this money to be channelled into developing and growing the sports, instead of paying the SLA, not to mention that in the light of lesser funding requirement for this NSA, MCYS can then redirect some of its limited funds to the other NSAs which may not have the same marketing ability? I hope the Ministries involved can look into the possibility of reviewing this with a view of pegging land leases and their extensions at preferential rate for these national causes. Whilst on the subject of land leases for sports facilities, it may be worthwhile to look at how to build a nationwide network of sporting facilities without exerting more demands on Government fundings. Would the Government consider offering incentives to developers to build sports facilities, for example, badminton, basketball courts, etc, in shopping malls? Incentives could be by way of higher plot ratio, somewhat akin to URA allowing higher built-up to developers for housing VWOs.”
“I would like to seek the Ministry's clarification on what assistance plans are there in place to help students who wish to repeat the 'A' levels but have been called up for National Service, especially in the area of nationally carded athletes. We have the case of one of our sportsmen, an exceptionally outstanding athlete, a very strong medal contender at the Asian Games, who devoted a good part of last year to training and travelling overseas in preparation for the Asian Games. Unfortunately, he failed his 'A' levels and having been called up for National Service, he has no opportunity to repeat his 'A' levels. I am also given to understand that the private candidate option is also out as its syllabus has been changed. Sir, this would have a grave impact on sports, as parents would now be less hesitant to give their blessings to their child for training and competition commitment. Of equal importance is that we may have athletes who would at the beginning of the year work very hard to be selected and, having been selected, might slack in their training because, unfortunately, the major game meets are always at the second part or at end of the year.”
“It is not only inclusive to do so, it is good for our overall health as a nation. With that, Sir, I support the Budget. 3.41 pm”
“Our sport promotion initiatives for the schools - whether it is MOE driven, MCYS/SSC initiated, or NSAs operated - can definitely yield much better result and resounding health benefits if we can all work closely together to mend some of these loopholes. Sport bonds The sporting arena is the great equaliser in society, regardless of race, economic class, religious background, it unites and gels us as Singaporeans. The intrinsic benefit of sport is far-reaching, the life skills it imparts, like goal-setting, perseverance, teamwork: values which are so very important to instil in our young Singaporeans so that they grow up to be strong in both body and soul. In order to be better positioned to face the social, economical and political challenges ahead, we must work hard to build stronger and more agile generations of Singaporeans. The can-do spirit and the "never-say-die" heart must be in place to make that difference, and sport can help in this development. Sport in Singapore deserves more than just token advocates in the high rungs of society. Just as the sports officials work hard to grow their sport, I believe that, as parliamentarians, we have just as important a part to play to help sport in Singapore continue to grow. I believe in this Government when it says that no one gets left behind - that we are an inclusive society. Let us not forget to bring sport into our fold in our march forward. To strike gold at the Olympic stage is a very achievable goal, and it can be achieved sooner if we work hard at realising this dream as a team of four million hearts and souls beating as one. Mr Speaker, Sir, my call is a consistent one. I urge everyone - GLC, MNC, Government, school, Singaporean - to pay more attention to sport and its development.”
“The buzz for sport has certainly been raised at the schools much to the delight of all of us in the sporting fraternity. Can we do more? On my wishlist for the schools is that the average Jane or Joe, or Mei Ling or Ahmad, be able to participate in sports, just for the fun of it. The fun part of sport has unfortunately been much neglected - even the PE lessons are centred on getting the students to pass the NAPFA tests! Understandably, in a 40-week cycle of the school year and topped by limited resources and funding, it is perfectly logical for schools to recruit only the most talented athletes into the school teams to win for the school. In this digital age where recreation for the kids often hovers between a click on the mouse or venturing outdoors for more sporting adventure, it is so very important for all of us to constantly work hard to make that second option just an attractive and easy one to take up! Is it then possible for the MOE, together with MCYS and the Singapore Sports Council, to work hand in glove with the grassroots bodies, in this case, the NSAs, to help catch those who seep through the sieve? Help these kids kindle a sporting interest that may hopefully be lifelong. I am sure our Minister for Health looks forward to future generations of healthier and fitter Singaporeans who look at sport as a lifestyle. Also worth exploring is the possibility of engaging our national sporting icons to give back to the community - by running clinics for these very kids. It is not unreasonable to ask for, say, five hours a month from our Li Jia Wei, Ronald Susilo or Remy Ong. Talk about connectivity - successful athletes who have benefited from community support, returning to give back to the community.”
“Every Singapore athlete who has won for Singapore has put in more than his fair share of sweat and blood. Part time athletes training some days of the week, some months of the year - do they really have the right to claim their place on the rostrum at the Asian Games or even the Olympic stage? Please allow me to share with you an insight into the Asian bowling scene, something I am a little bit intimately connected to. In preparation for the Asian Games in 2006, the Korean national bowling team went into centralised training one year ahead of the Games. Living in an army camp environment, they trained six days a week, eight hours a day. In the year 2005, the Korean keglers won 80% of the medals of all the major championships in Asia and at the last Asian Games in Doha, they emerged top with 11 medals. This is just an example of the far changing sporting arena that our athletes have to compete in. Whilst the sporting fraternity at large has no reason to question the funding and support given to our foreign-import athletes, we do question why are Singapore-born athletes denied the same level of support and assistance in their quest for sporting excellence. This double standard policy must be addressed. Whilst our pool of sporting talents may be small, what we lack in numbers, we certainly can make up in quality. The belief system must be in place to extol full commitment and total dedication from our athletes. They must know that they are not second-class citizens within our shores and that in the eyes of their fellow Singaporeans, they rank equal to their foreign-import counterparts. Schools I have to compliment the Ministry of Education for the tremendous buy-in and promotion of sports in the school.”
“Whilst the registered charities already have this concern addressed by the set up of the Commissioner of Charities, this elite sport marketing management group could extend the same beneficial effects to sports. Additionally, a concerted "Singapore Sport Inc" marketing strategy will certainly have more pull and be able to bring in more sponsorship dollars than the micro-level marketing by the respective sport. And may I even go so far as to suggest that this marketing could take on different forms. Of course, whilst marketing mega marquee sporting events is very much up their avenues, they should also explore tie-ups, adoption, partnership programmes where household names, like OSIM and Eu Yan Sang, be encouraged to partner sports like table tennis, swimming or even bowling! NSAs will benefit immensely not only from the additional cash funding they can get from these partners, but, more importantly, because they are now identified as "partners", so to speak - the good corporate governance culture that these companies operate under will rub off and influence NSAs to be more professional. Investing in our people The Government's emphasis to continuously invest in its people must be applauded. I wish to take this opportunity to highlight two additional areas that deserve some attention. They are: full time athletes and sport in the schools. Full time athletes The current wave that sport is riding on is unprecedented - the sporting successes achieved by our athletes at the SEA Games, the Commonwealth Games as well as the Asian Games have grown by quantum leaps. Just as the wheels are picking up momentum, the important thing to do now is not just to keep the pace - more importantly, it is to increase the speed. In sport, there are no accidental champions.”
“There is no question that a good number of our Government-linked companies and multi-national companies also contribute to community causes. My point is this: are their contributions enough? Are they too little or spread too thinly to make that difference? Are they getting the same kind of recognition like HSBC and Mr Sim Wong Hoo? This year's Budget overtures made to grow the philanthropy segment is very encouraging, as it means that there is now a growing pie from which we can tap from. All these put together, the question before us then is this: how then can we harness this pool of funds for it to be redistributed to make that visible and meaningful difference to the community? As I fly the sport banner, I would of course hope that a reasonable percentage of this be channelled to sporting causes. Indeed, I must add that as Singapore develops, there will be more foundations set up too. Not forgetting that in the very near future, we will also have the IRs coming on-stream. It is perhaps not just opportune but crucial time for the MCYS and the Singapore Sports Council to consider the setting up of an elite sport marketing management group to tap on this. In the wake of the NKF and Youth Challenge, and the rugby and swimming sagas, it is totally understandable if private or corporate citizens are hesitant to donate. How can they be comforted that their hard-earned monies are truly utilised for worthy causes, not to fatten some pay cheques or install golden fixtures in some CEO's toilet? The fact that monies contributed will be closely monitored to ensure that good corporate governance and total professionalism are in place will certainly extend that much needed assurance to the donating public.”
“We need to inject more talent, managerial as well as on-field talent. We need to improve sport's standing in society for two main reasons: to get more people involved in sport and to build greater confidence in supporting sports. Only then can we realise our dream of developing a rich and meaningful sporting culture in Singapore. Much work needs to be done but for the present time, I have noted four key areas for us to consider working on as an inclusive society or Singapore Inc., if I may call it so. They are: funding; full-time athletes; schools; and bonding through sport. Funding The major perennial problem facing National Sporting Associations, or NSAs, is the lack of adequate funding. It is heartwarming to note that more and more companies are setting up Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, CSR Committees as they are called, in recognition of the need to be seen as being more socially responsible rather than just profitable. Of notable mention are companies like HSBC and Creative Technology. HSBC donated more than $1 million last year in support of charitable and other worthy causes. Most outstanding of their community support is the conservation of the Chek Jawa Beach on Pulau Ubin and the TreeTop Walk at MacRitchie Reservoir Park. Also up to $300,000 is available to the National Arts Council and the National Youth Achievement Council to help talented youngsters. Last December, founder of Creative Technology, Mr Sim Wong Hoo donated $20 million worth of shares in support of the arts, education and help for the aged. These acts of kindness more than just touched the heart of every Singaporean. They displayed to us that some of our more successful corporate citizens are very responsible, community-oriented corporate citizens.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to join my colleagues in complimenting the Second Finance Minister for a caring and forward looking Budget. Thanks to the leadership of this House and the resilience of our people, things in Singapore are looking rosy. The economy is looking up and the Prime Minister's move towards an inclusive society with first world status for all is motivating and enticing. But, as a sports administrator, I cannot help but feel a little dismayed that while the corporate tax cut along with the package of goodies proposed for this year's Budget was much anticipated and welcomed by all, sport has been left out of the Budget's radar. While it is understandable that more focus must be given to address the impact of the increase of the GST, it may be noteworthy to remember that the sporting fraternity is not sheltered from the effects of the GST increase either. We have the EDB, WDA, Spring Singapore, just to name a few to keep the economy buzzing. The Budget focus, rightly, was aimed to keep our development on track, without leaving anyone behind. Without leaving anyone behind? Where's sport in all this? Why am I asking more for sport? Sport, as we know, builds character, instills discipline and promotes teamwork. It complements what our education system does to help our next generation develop. As evidenced by our recent successes at the Asian Games and the ASEAN Cup, sports can bind a nation. Furthermore, as our Health Minister constantly reminds us, sport makes for a healthy lifestyle. With more people playing sport actively, staying fit, it will lead to less need for healthcare. But I realise that sport cannot just ask for money. There is tremendous room for sportsmen and their sporting association officials to improve.”