J.F. Conceicao
Singapore
“Sir, first of all, I would like to express my agreement with the expression of sympathy, almost sorrow, expressed in this House for those people living in the older estates, especially in the one-room flats. I merely rise to seek some information.”
“Sir, I am very gratified that the Senior Minister of State will convey my sentiments to the Board. I think the matter is of great importance that more and more people are brought to the realisation, as I have said, of their past. And it is not just a question of a small number of people working on the Board.”
“I take the point, Sir. And I also take the point of his reference to the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board. This is the whole point. It is not to the tourists that we want to give an impression of what Singapore is. It is our people that we want to give the impression to, of what Singapore is and how they are related to Singapore.”
“(v) What is the actual extent of the Centre's contribution towards the solution of the drug problem in the Republic? (vi) Are there plans to shift the present Centre somewhere else in a better and more conducive environment for such rehabilitation work to be carried out?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead CBA 1101. I would just like to reflect a problem which has repeatedly been brought to my attention by my constituents. The drainage in the Tanjong Katong/Mountbatten Road as well as Poole Road, Parkstone Road, Goodman Road area is poor.”
“Sir, I suppose I shall have to do with the Minister's sympathy. With that I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting - (7) That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BGA 8401.”
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“While one has to concede this, it might be reasonable to question the extent to which Government action has been taken to stem the inflationary tide, even if such action would have only a marginal effect on the cost of living. Certainly the Government has taken a number of economic measures to counter inflation. However, where the consumer movement is concerned, I would have said that much more could have been done by Government to help it along. I would have said that there could have been more information given to consumers about those operations of the market which consumers can understand and which they can use to help them assess the fairness of prices. However, only two days ago, it was announced that daily price lists of certain essential food items would be published, and a special information unit had been set up to guide consumers, and so on. Of course, we welcome such measures, Sir. But why did they have to come just before a Budget debate, when, in the case of the introduction of one or two taxes, there is no unnecessary delay, and Finance does not wait for the Budget. Anyway, we hope that the Ministry of Finance will be able to pull out many more rabbits out of its hat, that will help the consumer. It might insist that prices be displayed on all goods in places like provision shops and other stores to help consumers make quick assessments. There should also be some indication of quality, like product description, or indication of measures of ingredients. This is a matter on which the Member for River Valley has touched on at great length, and I Would like to mention my support of his proposal.”
“It is possible, however, that one of the reasons why people arc spending more money is that they feel that if they do not spend their money now, things may be too costly for them to get later on. How Government may persuade them that this attitude may not be in the best interests of the country and of consumers themselves is a matter that must involve our attention. But, as I said, our very rapid rate of development in the past few years has caused problems. For example, (a) Traffic difficulties have resulted from more and more people being able to own cars. Road surfaces have become more easily damaged because of massive use; to facilitate road transportation, Government has this year set aside a total of $33.1 million for construction and improvement of roads and for allied special projects. (b) 100,000 people are waiting for Housing Board flats. The more we build, the more there are people who want to take advantage of Government's provision. Eighty per cent of those on the waiting list want to buy. This shows the success of our Housing and Development Board programme and the high degree of acceptability of Housing Board accommodation - here, also, despite complaints of the quality of the finish. (c) Even our well-run container port recently became clogged up. I am sure we would not prefer to see our wharves empty and idle. But this illustrates, Sir, that we cannot achieve rapid progress without a certain measure of social cost; although steps should be taken to reduce this dissonance. I have mentioned that a small part of the reason for the inflationary trend is apparently due to the fact that large numbers of people can still afford to indulge in their consumer preferences.”
“A businessman raises his price corresponding to the increase in his cost, but a person who is earning a fixed salary governed by increments and NWC awards, which pensioners will not enjoy, cannot make a commensurate adjustment to the cost of living where his earnings are concerned. I wonder, Mr Speaker, Sir, whether the Minister for Finance would be too scandalised if 1 suggest that the Government make a further magnanimous concession, in this regard, at some appropriate time? However, I repeat, Mr Speaker, Sir, the Budget indicates that we have not done badly. Indeed, like any good housekeeper, the Government is not spending more than it can pay for. We are even salting away respectable sums of money in case of a rainy day. Those who come after us should be grateful to us for very prudent house-keeping, where in many other countries governments are laying on a debt for those who come after to shoulder and meet. But our very success has resulted in some of our problems. As the Minister has rightly pointed out, some of our citizens have themselves contributed to the inflationary trend by injudicious spending habits. During the last Chinese New Year season, for example, we were treated to the astonishing spectacle of the price of a certain species of fish reaching astronomical proportions. And if you were to visit any of the departmental stores that are scattered all over Singapore, you will find them well-stocked and well-patronised, and patronised not by the rich but by those with moderate income. We must draw comfort from the fact that our people are generally well-housed, in good health, and still seem to have money to spend, as we have been luckily spared the same spectre of unemployment as has haunted other countries.”
“In the present Budget itself, additional estate duty exemptions and remissions as well as increase in relief for parents and grandparents have been contrived. The two other items of relief, which the Minister has referred to, are not too important for the generality of the public. But one must also remember that although property tax is a highly significant source of revenue, existing owner-occupiers of residential properties have been allowed to continue paying the old rates, despite upward revision of the annual values of their properties. I must urge that this status quo should be preserved. Furthermore, since April 1973, import duties on 149 items have been abolished resulting in a revenue loss of $21.4 million. The abolition of these import duties should have resulted in the lowering of the cost of certain items on the market. In some cases, there has been a reduction in the price of goods. In other cases, maybe the effect has not been adequately contrived, but I am sure the Member for Potong Pasir is on the ball. There we have, Mr Speaker, Sir, these concessions made because we have done relatively well. Perhaps there could be a few more concessions. For one example, increased income tax reliefs could have been granted. It seems ridiculous in these days of rising prices to give a personal relief of only $2,000 for the individual and, worse, $1,000 for his wife. Moreover, a relief of $1,000 for earned income seems inadequate when those people who are merely salaried are the ones who are hardest hit by inflation despite a 9 per cent allowance and an additional $25.”
“I would certainly urge the Member for Moulmein to persist in his representations, considering the present condition of the Minister's heart!”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first, may I say that I hope I can be as diligent in balancing my assessment of the Budget Statement as the Minister has himself indeed been diligent in presenting us once again with a harmoniously balanced budget. There is some temptation, Mr Speaker, Sir, nowadays to be a little overwrought in our present economic and social circumstances, when there is a fair amount of grumbling, especially about three conditions: (a) high prices, (b) the sad state of the bus system, and (c) non-improvement in many ways of the state of many things we see around us, e.g, road conditions, traffic conditions, quality of goods and services we get, and unabated pollution, especially through smoke from vehicles which in many countries is just an important cause of pollution as industrial activity, and so on. But, as I have said, we must try to maintain a cool outlook and make fair judgments. On the credit side, we must admit that during the past fiscal year, when newspaper headlines have screamed financial crisis after financial crisis throughout the world, our showing has been commendable indeed. We even anticipate a revenue increase in the coming fiscal year, inasmuch also as our revenue has been steadily increasing, in fact, even exceeding our original estimates in the past. Although the Government has been extremely cost-conscious and, indeed, revenue-conscious (as judged by three medals being awarded to our Inland Revenue officials, with the top medal going to the top official), Government is not completely without heart. Judge for yourself, Mr Speaker, by the performance of the Minister for Finance this afternoon when he said pensioners would get a raise.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, just for the record. When, in reference to language courses, the Parliamentary Secretary referred to the Department of Extra-curricular Studies, was he referring to the Department of Extra-mural Studies?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I just want to say a few words to balance any impression that may have been perhaps unwittingly conveyed by the hon. Member for Jalan Kayu. I agree with him entirely that Government should take a lead in setting the example of saving electricity, and that this should start with the various Ministries, Government offices, statutory boards, and so on. But where Parliament is concerned, I would like to correct the impression that perhaps this institution is not setting an example. If anybody were to come here on a non-sitting day, he will have to grope his way through dark passages and feel the presence of a musty odour affecting him wherever he goes, because all the lights and the air-conditioning are turned off. In this case, Mr Speaker, Sir, I think you are also at a disadvantage because the air-conditioning here is turned on for one hour only a day and you have to work in these musty conditions. I say this, Sir, just to correct any wrong impression that may have been conveyed to the public by reference to this Parliament.”
“One is that while there is, and rightly so, repeated mention of the need to ensure the viability of our export drive through quality assurance where our local products are concerned, there does not seem to be much concern over the possibility of shoddy goods being imported, now that our policy is to remove tariffs and quotas in the case of several import items. Let me make it clear, Mr Speaker, Sir, that I do not support protection of weak and inefficient local industries. The lesson of quality must be driven home in no uncertain way where local industries are concerned. But the same standards of safety, health requirements and quality which we insist on our local products must be imposed on imports. Otherwise, our local industries will face unfair competition from cheap but shoddy imports, and consumers will witness the dumping of inferior goods from abroad. I therefore hope that amongst SISIR's tasks one will be the surveillance for quality of imported goods, especially those affecting local industries. Another point is the useful role that S1SIR can play in helping to tackle the problems of environmental control. Many factories are faced with the problem of seeing that adequate measures are taken in this direction. I am told that some commercial consultants in this field may be no more than salesmen of equipment. Industries, in trying to comply with environmental regulations, may be landed with equipment not necessarily suitable for local conditions. SISIR has a range of multi-disciplinary facilities that may be usefully directed towards tackling environmental problems. I hope that every encouragement will be given to seeking SISIR's consultancy services in this area of environmental control.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to speak in support of the Bill. If one looks at the functions and powers of the Institute, as stated in clause 15, one easily notices that nearly all the functions listed are those which the present SISIR already fulfils. Indeed SISIR has garnered extremely useful experience in the course of its operations, some of which are well worth listing: (a) SISIR has already received and discharged several commissions to seek ways to overcome certain production problems in a number of local or locally-based concerns; (b) SISIR has been in the forefront of the PQR movement, a side-benefit of which is SISIR's modest contribution to better labour/management relations; (c) SISIR has set standards for scores of industrial items, not just for the sake of devising standards, but related practically to quality control. SISIR's certification has also covered more than 200 products; (d) SISIR's work has been so successful that UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation) has asked Singapore to host a seminar to show developing countries what can be done in the field of standardisation; (e) SISIR has run several courses on quality control. Now that our stage of industrialisation has reached a more sophisticated level, the services of SISIR will be more critical, and it is necessary for SISIR to be established as an independent authority. However, Mr Speaker, Sir, there are two specific criticisms which I would like to make in relation to this Bill.”
“Sir, under such circumstances, can the Minister inform the House whether steps would be taken to maintain or stabilise the present level of prices of property, or even perhaps reduce them, so that the prices will not escalate further and thereby expose prospective inheritors of estates to this problem of having to pay very high estate duty and facing the possibility of losing the sole family property?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, does the Minister realise that with the present escalation of prices of properties, the estate duty may well result in bankrupting a family concerned which owns one house, which might have been purchased around $20,000 or $40,000 but is now valued at about $200,000? The family may have to sell the house in order to pay estate duty and fritter away the rest of the money in rentals until they get a Housing Board flat.”
“That the sum to be allocated for Head 1406 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001. Head 1407 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, before I withdraw my amendment, I just want to make a small point of clarification. Perhaps the Minister was being satirical when he thought that in my asking for an increase in strength I meant just the number of posts. No, I meant the number of bodies, and from the tenor of his answer, I am sure he himself will see to it that this is achieved. I can assure him of my support even for any supplementary estimates that he may wish to put up in respect of the number of bodies, and not posts. Sir, with that, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“I cannot restrain from remarking that the first target of educational measures by the Central Narcotics Bureau should be directed to the relevant officials in the Finance Ministry, so that these housekeepers may understand the problem more ably and thereby sympathetically give the Central Narcotics Bureau the personnel to ably deal with drug trafficking.”
“But young people from well educated and affluent family background as well as those from the lower income groups have been involved. What is significant is that drop-outs are more exposed to the temptation to drug abuse. The circumstances are compounded by the fact that both parents and teachers do not have very clear ideas about drugs, the conditions of their abuse, causes of addiction, and so on. They know that the devil is around, but they cannot recognise him early enough. It would seem, therefore, that a concerted and organised educational programme has to be directed towards teachers and parents so that they will be better equipped to combat this problem in co-operation with the authorities and other relevant voluntary organisations. This again means that the Central Narcotics Bureau, which bears the brunt of the responsibilities for education in the anti-narcotics field, will have to have additional manpower of various categories. This position may be further confirmed by the fact that drug traffickers are well organised, resorting to a variety of sophisticated equipment and strategy in their operations. I understand that flexibility and adaptability are their particular hallmark, and we, therefore, need more manpower, better trained and well equipped to deal with them. The sum total of what I am trying to say, Mr Speaker, Sir, is that the strength of the Central Narcotics Bureau, increased as it has been in our present Estimates, does not go far enough.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1301 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1651*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs Teong Eng Siong, Sim Boon Woo and P. Govindaswamy.) Sir, the spectre of the evils of drug abuse is looming in a more and more ugly way in our midst. Although we have been commended for our anti-drug action, we have to do more. The scenario which forms the background to our drug problem in Singapore is briefly as follows: (a) Drug production on a large scale is taking place in South-east Asia in countries close to Singapore. (b) Singapore stands squarely on the supply route from producer to large-scale consumer. (c) Problems in certain surrounding countries may well have their spill over here. For example, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Australia are reportedly experiencing rapid increases in the incidence of drug-taking, including the so-called hard drugs. I would not be surprised if the Director of our Central Narcotics Bureau feels that it is a matter of time before our young people are hit by a similar epidemic, if more vigorous measures are not taken. We come to the situation in Singapore. It can be expected that the Misuse of Drugs Act with its severe penalties will cause those suspected of trafficking in or taking drugs to claim trial, when apprehended, rather than submit without resistance to such penalties as are provided in the new law. This will mean that a significant proportion of the Narcotics Officers and the Assistant Narcotics Officers will be tied up in court and in allied administrative procedures. The situation is not too clear as to what categories of people take drugs.”
“There should be greater use of licence suspension and even revocation of licence where danger to life has been evident. In the case of severe injuries or death resulting from a clearly culpable action, imprisonment is called for. Owners of vehicles should also, to a carefully considered extent, be held liable for the way their employees drive. In any case, owners should be taught to realise their responsibility for exercising discipline over their employees. If Government should take an extremely serious view of the sad state of our traffic conditions, it is not only because hundreds of lives are being lost every year, and thousands are being injured, and tens of thousands of accidents are occurring, but because fundamentally all this shows a scant human regard of one citizen for another. This is part of a social malaise, like drug-taking, crime and delinquency. The Minister for Home Affairs, and also in his capacity as the Minister for Health, will doubtless agree that if the body politic is showing signs of sickness and therapeutic measures are inadequate, then a major operation is called for. In this, it is the entire Government that should participate in the exercise, and not merely one or two Ministries.”
“The least said about that, the soonest mended, Sir,I am told that the number of bookings for traffic offences is phenomenal. Yet offences seem to continue to increase. Singapore is being swamped by a flood of vehicular traffic. To add to the dismay of our vehicle control authorities, we have today large number of vehicles, not bearing Singapore number plates, which are able to defy our regulations with impunity. Obviously, Sir, a comprehensive retooling of the way we enforce our traffic regulations is called for. 3.30 p.m. Sir, I have a few suggestions to make: (a) There should be more mobile enforcement officers; equipped with radio communication. (b) These officers should be trained to educate as well as book drivers. (c) Where education is concerned, it is the business of all Government and statutory bodies to act in this regard in a concerted way. Just as a matter of one example, when senior Government officers drive around, they could be on the look-out for infractions on the part of vehicles in their Ministries. In the case of the Police, all police patrols and not merely traffic police should take notice of traffic offences and help educate or book offenders. In the case of selective enforcement operations, it may be a good idea to give wide publicity to the nature of the offence that will come under special enforcement action. This is to give notice beforehand. Wide publicity and the mass media should be more extensively used to acquaint people with a particular regulation each time. This educational process should he a continuing one, and should not be carried out only for the duration of a campaign, whoever may have organised it. (d) The penalties for traffic offences should be reviewed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since the matter of traffic has been referred to, may I seek your permission to speak on it now, instead of waiting for the next amendment* standing in my name? * The amendment, standing in the names of Messrs J. F. Conceicao, P. Govindaswamy and Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi, reads as follows: (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1301 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1151.”
“I am not moving, Sir,I also do not wish to move amendments* (10) and (11), as the matters that I propose to speak on have already been adequately aired.”
“Sir, before I withdraw, I would like to make reference to the Minister's statement that we do not have enough bodies to produce our own programmes. I think that if we spend less money on acquiring programmes, such as buying these canned programmes that are ready-made, it might be better if we spend more money training our people to produce more useful programmes. But otherwise, I find his answer most satisfactory, and I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“It is when we recognise common spiritual and cultural forms, and when such forms become familiar to all, then only will our society become cohesive. It is because of this social cohesion that we may succeed in resisting the debilitating effects resulting from our exposure to industrialisation and modernisation. We are under some sort of onslaught of the trivial from the West. We are undergoing a sort of material siege, a striving after material things as we can see representing a marked phenomenon in our environment. This striving is divisive, because each thinks of himself, each tries to elbow the other out of the way. Any cultural policy should aim at the participation of the greatest number of people, deriving enjoyment out of cultural expression, even if it is sport, which is one aspect of culture. Culture is not elitist. If enjoyment of what is quality in our environment is confined only to a few, this is elitist culture. For this reason, I shall mention later when we talk on Broadcasting, how important it is for the mass media to help in stimulating and disseminating mass appreciation of culture.”
“Sir, I thank you for the opportunity you give me to say a few things about the Government's cultural policy. Culture may be related to the group aspirations of a people and the embodiment of their values, their hopes and their strivings; in other words, their way of life. Where our own cultural development is concerned, thought and extensive thought should be given to some integrated progress of our way of life. In other words, some sort of a general policy must be thought out about our total development. Emphasis has been laid on our material development - on hard work, determination to succeed, achievement-orientation; and all this is certainly a manifestation of our collective aspirations. But there is also another side to our life - the spiritual, the ethical and the specifically cultural. What quality is there, with regard to this aspect of development? What sort of encouragement are we giving to cultural development? What realistic sums of money are we voting for this? What administrative devices are we working out to encourage this cultural development? The Member for Sembawang has made some practical suggestions. I am merely speaking in terms of general responses, because this question of support for culture should be essentially Government's responsibility. We cannot leave the question of cultural development to some voluntary organisations to which we vote token sums. Government has to bear the main brunt of working out a policy and supporting such a policy. We have heard frequently of an emphasis on quality of life. In what does this quality consist? Does it mean a better car, a bigger swimming pool, or more fashionable clothes? I think much encouragement should be given to a debate on this topic. Development does not consist only of material development.”
“Mr Speaker, just a brief intervention, Sir, one stumbling block to better relations between countries is the difficulty posed by differences of ways of life, by differences in cultural attitudes and the poor understanding of the different forms of these cultural expressions. Perhaps one way to reduce this obstacle is for cultural relations to be encouraged between countries. This may take the form of informal discussions over exchange programmes or even cultural agreements or treaties. Can the Minister for Foreign Affairs enlighten the House about such cultural arrangements that we may have with other countries, formal or otherwise, and whether we intend to extend such co-operation in the near future?”
“Sir, in view of, the Minister's reply, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0301 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2013. Sir, I rise merely to seek information regarding this subhead in respect of "Research". What sort of research is being done with Grants amounting to $90,000, and whether this research is in relation to the Applied Research Corporation which the Minister referred to just now, or whether this is something else? Where Contract Work is concerned, how is it given, and for what purpose? For the other two items, Patent Search and Miscellaneous, I just want some information, Sir.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I will take advantage of the invitation extended by the Parliamentary Secretary to ask the question which he has advised me to ask. In view of that, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $1,424,070 for Head 0108 ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. Head 0201 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0108 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2001. Sir, I am sorry that this query regarding accidents involving Government vehicles seems to be cropping up from year to year. In 1970 the matter was raised by me during the Budget session and the Minister for Law and National Development agreed that drivers of Government vehicles should set a good example in courtesy and caution on the road. Last year the Member for Punggol also raised this question and expressed his concern in this regard. The fact that I am raising it again this year is, I think, an indication that nothing much seems to have been done `with regard to improving the standards of driving by drivers of Government vehicles, and to courtesy and caution on the road; although in the case of the Singapore Armed Forces vehicles, their drivers have shown some improvement. Perhaps the Parliamentary Secretary could enlighten us in this regard. I think we should emphasise as often as possible the importance of courtesy and caution on the road and I am prepared to raise this matter again next year, as the result so far seems to be unsatisfactory.”
“Sir, in view of the Parliamentary Secretary's answer, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. 2.45 p.m.”
“The functions of this department will be to investigate offences under the Companies Act and the Securities Industry Act, as well as to investigate offences of cheating, criminal breach of trust, falsification of accounts, forgery and other offences of a commercial nature. Although the Estimates have provided for a new department under the Attorney-General's Chambers, the objectives can equally be met by an expansion and restructuring of the existing Commercial Crimes Branch under the Commissioner of Police. The Police prefer to do this and the Attorney-General has no objections. A final decision on this question is expected to be made shortly.”
“Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0108 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1080. Sir, the establishment of a special Commercial Offences Investigation Department with specially qualified staff to investigate commercial crimes in Singapore is a long overdue measure. However, my original expectation, and perhaps those of others too, had been that this would mean giving the Commercial Crimes Department of the Police a real skilled and qualified fraud squad, and that it would also mean raising that unfortunate department from the status it has acquired in the Police itself, i.e, of being a sort of elephants' graveyard, to a more respectable condition. But now, for better or for worse, the Commercial Offences Investigation Department has been wedded to the Attorney-General's Chambers. Could we know what advantages there are in this measure? And how, will the obvious necessity of liaison with the Police and other organisations, like the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Registrar of Companies, and so on, be effected? Does it also mean, Sir, that the newly passed Securities Industry Bill will be partly the responsibility of this Unit in the Attorney-General's Chambers? The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Law and National Development (Mr Ho Cheng Choon): Mr Speaker, Sir, it was found that commercial offences in Singapore were becoming more varied and sophisticated. The facilities of the Commercial Crimes Branch of the Police as presently constituted were inadequate to cope with the problem. It was therefore decided to create a new department called the Commercial Offences Investigation Department, which will have a staff consisting not only of Police officers but also of lawyers and accountants.”
“I would imagine that one has to determine that the job he does will be commensurate with the full salary that he receives. After all, there is already a Director on this Board, and it is stated that he is the Chief Executive Officer, so we would like to ensure that there is no duplication of authority and, of course, of salary. Another point which I would like to refer to relates to clause 19 which, I think the Member for Moulmein has already referred to, concerns the carrying on of trade or business by the Industrial Training Board. Presumably it is something like what is being done in the Catering School, in which case there is, at the same time, business as well as training. I find it difficult to imagine that this can be applied in any other instance. But I would like some clarification from the Minister. With regard to clause 34 (1), Sir, it reads: `The Minister shall nominate in each year the Auditor-General or a company auditorto audit the accounts of the Board.' I would strongly urge that if the Auditor-General is not nominated, a company auditor should be nominated on the advice of the Auditor-General, who should also give the terms and conditions on the basis of which the audit should be carried out. Finally, I would like to ask a question in relation to a point which has already been brought up, which is that the Board will require persons who attend courses to be insured against personal injury and loss of life. Who is going to pay for this insurance, Mr Speaker, Sir? 3.20 p.m.”
“In the case of the Industrial Training Board, in as much as there has been talk of payroll tax being used to support apprenticeship and industrial training, I would support such a measure. Indeed, perhaps an additional eventual measure will have to be provided, as what the Minister has already referred to, namely, the passage of an apprenticeship training act which will make it compulsory for industries to provide training according to schedules, schemes and conditions laid down by the Industrial Training Board. Apparently, the Industrial Training Board will have to work out the manner in which those industries which already have general training may be able to contribute to industrial training. A careful judicious blend of a joint effort between the Government and industry will result both in the industries themselves benefiting, as well as our industrial growth receiving the good effects of such co-operation. There are one or two other matters in the Bill which I would like to refer to, Mr Speaker, Sir. One of them is the composition of the members of the Board. I wonder what sort of people will be appointed to the Board. I would like to recommend that there should be one adult educator on the Board. The Ministry of Education is well acquainted with the people within its own ranks. The other point which I am rather curious about is the hint in clause 5, which says that: `There shall be paid to the Chairman, Deputy Chairman and other members of the Board out of the funds of the Board such salaries, fees and allowances as the Minister may, from time to time, determine.' There seems to be a precedent already where this is concerned where a member of a Board is given a full salary.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I heartily commend the Government on the introduction of this Bill. I have no doubts that the effect of the establishment of a properly administered Industrial Training Board will be a vastly improved co-ordination of all industrial training which at present seems to be in a relatively fragmented state. It can also be expected that industrial training facilities will be improved and extended. It is significant that research and assistance in research will feature as a function of the Industrial Training Board. Thus, Sir, we can expect a more systematic and rational relationship between training and the industrial training needs that can result from a better understanding of training problems. We have been told that there will be a determination of common standards to be attained in different industrial skills and a common method of ascertaining whether these standards have indeed been attained. The problem that arises is how to encourage industries, especially the small ones to which the Minister has already made reference, to organise training for their own apprentices up to the standard set by the Industrial Training Board, or to see to the building of the skills of employees in small industries. Obviously, incentives will have to be provided. It is only realistic to conclude that many enterprises will have to be induced to take advantage of the apprenticeship training provisions, although the better the skills of the workers, the better the chances of an enterprise succeeding. Of course, the beneficiary will be the industry itself. This reminds me of the problem that we are having over quality control. It is no use pointing out that quality control makes for profitability. There has to be a demonstration effect. Incentives have to be offered.”
“Sir, can the Mobile Squad motor-cycles be equipped at least with radio communications, so that this would improve the control of traffic on the roads?”
“May I ask a rather hoary question as to when the full strength will be achieved?”
“In view of the sterling efforts that have been shown by the 32 men, would it not be better if we have the full complement of this Enforcement Squad as early as possible, and will the Ministry make all efforts to see that this complement is reached?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Minister of State not agree that, in respect of monitoring the conduct and behaviour of operators of public service vehicles, an expeditious increase in the present corps of ROV personnel would serve to act as a disciplinary measure against the behaviour of bus operators, especially along public roads? Dr Ang Kok Peng: Since the Member for Katong has mentioned the behaviour of public bus operators, which leaves much to be desired, let me say that we have been trying our best to solve this problem, and a certain amount of measure has been taken. Recently we have introduced a nation-wide campaign to encourage road courtesy, with greater emphasis on road safety.”
“Every opportunity should be taken to demonstrate the importance of continuing education to the worker in a changing environment. And provisions should be in a variety of forms through a variety of agencies, so that our workers, whatever their age or whatever their preoccupations, whatever the style of education to which they have been accustomed, or whatever style they may want, will find something about which they may want to continue their education and, in this way, find their city giving them not only a material sustenance but also a quality of cultural and spiritual living. Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to support the motion. 6.07 p.m.”
“He is teaching a continually learning person, who will hopefully continue to learn long after the classroom and childhood has been left behind. At the same time, as children are learning in school, adults too are exposed to a variety of educational challenges in our learning society. The very housing projects, the satellite towns that the Government puts up, forces learning oil our people. They have to adjust to the pace of urbanisation. We could make our city the Athens of Southeast Asia. En Athens, education was not something perpetrated in the schools. There was no fixed time, no rigid curricula. Education was not confined to a certain period of childhood in a person's life. The Athenian was educated by his environment, by his culture, by his way of life. Of course, all this was possible because of the existence of slavery. But we have machines. Let these machines be our slaves, not the other way about, as has happened elsewhere. What I plead for is that education in various institutions and in all periods of the person's development be an integrated life-time process. The education of the child and the adolescent in schools, industrial training procedures, adult education, or other educational institutions, these are not separable experiences but facets belonging to the whole of one's educational life. This integration has been faintly recognised in the Addendum on the Education Ministry, in which it is stated that "adult education will he more closely linked with the school system on the one hand, and with industrial training on the other". But adult education is not a continuation of school education merely for as long as our workers wish to improve themselves, as stated in the Addendum.”
“Inasmuch as a multi-disciplinary approach has been necessary in academic progress for the successful progress of the People's Association, perhaps a multi-ministerial approach may be necessary. The co-ordination is required of People's Association activities with resources from other Ministries like Defence, Education. Social Affairs, even Finance (perhaps especially Finance). The Education Ministry has, throughout the years of PAP Government, striven successfully to relate its objectives more and more harmoniously with the objectives of the rest of the Government sector. Our educational objectives therefore comply with overall national objectives. And now there is the emphasis on quality of teachers, of methods, of curriculum. The quality of the teacher depends on his personal ethic. But the standard of his professional ability depends on the quality of his methods. I think the main manageable emphasis should be on the quality of educational methods. A thorough grounding in good methodology should reinforce the teacher's understanding of the environment in which he teaches as well as the aims of the educational sector. Teachers in Singapore should find in their environment a stirring challenge. I think it was Plutarch who said that the City is the best teacher. Within the size of our city we can keep the relationship of one citizen to another within human proportions. Our administration is able to reach out to the grass-roots of our city's population. Our social structures give a tremendous educational potential to the city. The teacher should see his role against this potential. He is teaching children to develop and take full advantage of this potential. He is not merely teaching subjects.”
“I hope that greater use of the mass media, especially radio and television, will be directed towards continuing education, especially of the worker. There are many subjects that can lend themselves to interesting and educational presentation through radio and television, if only more programme organisers could have more time to use more imagination. It would be a good idea to have additional personnel trained in adult education to organise such programmes for workers' education. Subjects like labour economics, labour law, trade union organisation, the new developing role of the trade unionist, relations between the worker, employer and government as well as cultural features for the worker, may be presented. We have media experts and adult education experts in Singapore. Somehow these expertises have not harmonised in a single individual. Perhaps we could train an adult educator in media techniques or a media man in adult education principles so that we may have greater success in the use of the media for adult education. But the media alone has not an adequate educative capability. Experiments have shown that the mixed media approach would have the optimum educational results. This implies that there must not only be listening or viewing but also discussion in an inter-personal situation and even the use of correspondence. In this connection, the People's Association community centres could be used as venues for the organisation of listening or viewing and discussion groups. This would be one way of adding a new dimension to the function of community centres. In any case, the activities in community centres have to be diversified so as to attract participation from a broader spectrum of the population.”
“We should be happy to note the reference in the Ministry of Labour Addendum to encouragement being given to workers to constantly improve their knowledge and skills (incidentally, why not attitudes also?) in adult and workers' education courses. But this is not only to enable a worker to further increase his capacity in more productive labour, as has been stated in the Addendum (although we should stress the importance of this), hut also that he should use education to improve his cultural and spiritual condition. I hope that the Minister for Labour will support any move to persuade Government to grant paid leave to workers who may like to attend relevant full-time continuing education courses such as may indeed increase the worker's capacity for more productive labour. The Primary Production Department intends to set up factory farms and flatted farms. I hope that all required educational measures will be taken to enable farmers to adjust to this aspect of urbanisation. Further, it is perhaps important for farmers to be educated to the importance of co-operatives, and be given aid to set up such co-operatives as will prevent them from being exploited as they have been in the past. Where our health environment is concerned the "Keep Singapore Clean" campaigns have been models of co-ordinated public education activity. My reference to this, in discussions of our informal adult education procedures, has evoked on many occasions extreme interest and admiration among people overseas. I hope that such public education activity will continue to feature prominently in the life of our city. Perhaps a campaign of this kind could he conducted to improve traffic conditions in Singapore. The Ministry of Culture has jurisdiction over the mass media.”
“Inasmuch as we want to instil a sense of one person identifying with his neighbour in our community centres, in our housing estates, in our clubs, in our recreational grounds, we have still to instil this regard of a person for his fellowman also on the roads where thousands of people are moving daily, where Singaporeans come in contact with Singaporeans but frequently in a manner of aggressive competition in which feelings of community are almost completely forgotten. I suggest that we should congratulate the Minister for Science and Technology for his foresight in setting up the Science Centre, and I hope that this institution will relate its activities closely to the interests and needs especially of our young people, as well as represent itself as an outstanding institution of its kind in Southeast Asia. We may look forward, in the not too distant future, to seeing the effective implementation of a mass rapid transit scheme to relieve our domestic transportation problems. More immediately, however, our present bus service has to be further improved. The disciplining of a few hard-core recalcitrant bus drivers, who have shown scant regard for the comfort and convenience of bus users, must be complemented by improvement in present conditions of work of bus drivers which result from their having to race around trying to keep to unrealistic schedules. Bus owners should co-operate by improving the mechanical as well as accommodation quality of their buses. It is only by making a bus trip a relatively pleasant and comfortable experience that we can induce our citizens to use public transport more frequently. Their education is through enjoying a bus ride. Being rattled along to their destination, willy-nilly, is a deterrent educational experience.”
“As I have mentioned before on some other occasion, and I doubt whether the situation has improved since then, the principal training instrument used by the Commercial Crimes Department seems to be the Department of Extra-mural Studies. Another matter which I would like to bring up, and which is a responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs as well as that of the Ministry of Communications, is the problem of traffic in Singapore. I am surprised that no reference has been made to this matter in the Addendum on the Ministry of Home Affairs. Annually we have thousands of accidents and hundreds of deaths besides innumerable maimings and scarrings resulting from carelessness and aggression on the roads. It is about time that the traffic police took the matter firmly in their hands and proceeded in a systematic way to educate drivers for courtesy and caution on our streets. If we are to bring about a sense of excellence, a sense of quality in our people, we certainly should try to eradicate the rashness and defiance of the Jaw that often prevails among the users of the roads. Is there any difference in kind between the defiance of a criminal, a, gangster, a person who commits assault and other depredations on the one hand, and the defiance of the violent user of the road on the other? Is there any difference between the loss of income, loss of life, loss of man-hours suffered by those involved in accidents on the road on the one hand, and those involved in industrial accidents on the other?”
“Although education is not a direct business of the Foreign Ministry, encouragement of understanding of foreign relations would certainly be part of the Ministry's portfolio. In respect of our close neighbours, we must give whatever support we can to ASEAN and seek to extend real and active co-operation in as many fields as possible under the umbrella of ASEAN. We should note that it is not only the Minister for Foreign Affairs or those working in his Ministry who can contribute a greater understanding between ourselves and our neighbours. For example, the recent visit of our Defence Minister to Indonesia has, I am sure, cemented further the relationship between ourselves and that nation. Regional co-operation in respect of subjects under the jurisdiction of other Ministries is also a policy we should actively encourage. Where the Addendum relating to the Ministry of Home Affairs is concerned, there are two points which I would like to make. First, I think we should pay special attention to the need for training an efficient specialist staff in the Commercial Crimes section. Although Singapore is an international commercial centre in which transactions of some sophistication are being carried out, yet we have been shown to be in some respects woefully naive. With regard to the necessary co-operation that has to be maintained between the Police and the Law sector, this effective co-operation where commercial crimes are concerned can only be implemented if our Commercial Crimes officers are equipped with the necessary knowledge and expertise. I propose that we should, if necessary, send our officers abroad to relevant institutions to be further trained in investigative skills related to commercial crimes.”
“For one, more staff will have to be given to the Institute. For another, the principal of the Institute will have to be not merely a civil servant of excellence but also someone who has the capabilities to be the head of an educational institution. The status of principal, to make it commensurate with the ability of such a person, has to be at least equivalent to a University dean of' faculty. If the combination of civil service and educational experience is not available in any single person who can be spared currently for the job of head of this Institute, I propose that we set about training such a person so that the Institute may be run effectively as a training institution for civil servants. Such a person would, of course, have functions only in relation to the running of this Institute as a full-time job and not be assigned other civil service administrative jobs. Where the Ministry of Defence is concerned, now that we have ensured to an extent our defence capability, it is hoped that we may be able to set about providing our officers with continuing education to add polish to their demeanour as well as skill and competence, and also to their additional skill and competence where their professional soldiering is concerned. In Foreign Affairs, although this is not directly within the province of the Ministry, it is about time we thought of educating our people, the ordinary Singapore citizen, to a greater awareness of the larger world beyond Singapore so that they may be all the more able to understand foreign policy, especially the great changes that are taking place in the alignment of nations.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the motion of thanks to the President for his speech to Parliament, moved by the Member for Bukit Batok. The principal burden of the President's Speech and the elaborations contained in the various Addenda is the promotion of excellence and quality in our country, and that such excellence and quality can be achieved only through tough exercise of our will to succeed - in other words, through continuous diligent attention to our work. I am sure that the same "sheer determination, hard work and realistic planning" which enabled Singapore to make the grade before will also see it through in the coming years. May I add to what other Members have said, my own expression of views regarding government policy? Inasmuch as others have been affected by their own preoccupations, I need not deprecate my own, which is adult education. Where the Ministry of Finance is concerned, the objectives stated in the relevant Addendum can only be achieved by our civil service being geared to top productivity and efficiency. The Minister for Finance himself has, in a speech at the official opening of the Staff Training Institute, mentioned that the civil service' has to be attuned to new developments that are taking place in its environment. New ministries and statutory bodies have been set up and the Government has itself become involved in business and industrial enterprises. The Staff Training Institute has since its inception organised a large number and variety of training activities for various grades of civil servants. But for the Institute to perform its role at maximum efficiency- the role of enabling the civil service to become an instrument responsive to the changes that are taking place then some reorganisation of the Institute is called for.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I be given an opportunity to say a few words, because some of the shipbuilding and ship repairing concerns as well as the other small operators are sited in my constituency? I am sure the shipyard operators will consider this a very pleasant surprise. Many of the shipyard operators, including local entrepreneurs using local capital, have expended many tens of millions of dollars on the establishment of these shipyards and their development. In the construction of the small ships, sophisticated lines of development too have been observed. There has been displayed considerable ingenuity and hard work in the exploitation of the limited space available in the area to build such a progressive industry as the shipbuilding and ship repairing industry. I hope that this decision on the part of the Government in regard to the continuance of the industries in the Tanjong Rhu area will also imply a continuing and constructive relationship between the Government and the shipbuilding and ship repairing firms, so that further development will lead to the benefit of both the community as well as the entrepreneurs there. It is hoped the shipbuilders and ship repairers, and those having industries there, will observe the rules of keeping the atmosphere and the environment clean and pollution free. At the same time, I am glad, Sir, that the Government will look into the problems of such dislocating effects to the industries at Tanjong Rhu, which may be brought about by the building of the bridge. On the other hand, I hope that the expansion of shipbuilding and ship repairing activities will not adversely affect the development of recreational and other provisions in the area. BILLS INTRODUCED EMPLOYMENT (AMENDMENT) BILL First Reading 3.26 p.m.”