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 Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.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.”
The complete record
Every one of 567 lines we hold for J.F. Conceicao, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 12.
“Thank you, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $1,429,870 for Head l00l ordered to stand part of the Estimates 6.00 p.m. Head 1002 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1001 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1203. Mr Speaker, Sir, there is an increase in the establishment of the Probation and Aftercare Officers from 17 to 21. I would like to ask the Minister how many of these officers will be assigned to the Adult Probation Section which is housed in the subordinate court opposite the Central Police Station. If more officers are assigned to that section, I am afraid there will not be any place for them, because it is so crowded that there is no possibility of adding one more desk and one more chair for another person. Perhaps the Minister might care to look for better accommodation for his officers, because they cannot function properly without the privacy that is due to those whom they are looking after, and under the conditions that I find prevailing in the little cubicles in the subordinate courts. It will be a gross exaggeration if I term it a "black hole", but the conditions there are grim. Perhaps the Minister will look into this particular matter.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Minister. I am sure that in due course further details will be available. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can the Minister give us some description of what this Adult Education T.V. Production and Training Centre Project is about?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 3207. Sir, I merely wish to know if the Minister can let us have such details as to make it clearer for us to understand what this "Adult Education T.V. Production and Training Centre Project" is about for which we are allocating the sum of $10.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, perhaps the Minister and I just differ on what should be the frequency with which we should resort to quotations from newspapers further afield. However, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Conceicao --- (6) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1481.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1351. There are two points which I would like to bring up against this subhead. One relates to the programme "What Others Say". Basically, I think the concept behind "What Others Say" is sound. What I am complaining about is that we have to listen to news that has already appeared in the English and the Chinese press a few days after they have been current, with the result that this news becomes stale. Perhaps some added interest could be injected into the programme. The views from newspapers in Manila, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Indonesia and maybe even further afield could be reflected in the programme. In this way, we could have a broader perspective really of what others say. The next point I would like to talk about is what sort of training might be given to our producers in order to improve the quality of local productions. Perhaps there could be some schemes whereby our people could be sent abroad. Or we could even bring in experts in order to devise and implement schemes of training.”
“Point of order, Sir, I cannot hear the Minister. The Chairman: Some Backbenchers are having a private conversation among themselves, and I think that is interfering with the Minister's speech. Will you carry on, Mr Jek?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I interrupt briefly? I would like to make one point clear - when I suggested that there could be more explanation, I do not mean that that would be the sole way of overcoming the lack of understanding between one culture and another. I only meant that to be one of the possible ways of making this approach.”
“But even if they are easy to implement we will get a new population of bilingual people. But what about the parents who are not receiving the effects of a bilingual education? Perhaps the Minister could think of ways and means to carry this idea across.”
“Let there be an interesting attempt to teach the finer and the deeper aspects of this culture. I remember once seeing on television what appeared to be an interesting and detailed account of the basic characteristics of Indian dance. But the programme was in Tamil. I would have liked to appreciate the programme myself. But I could not because the medium of explanation was Tamil. That particular programme should have been in Chinese or English as well. There does not appear to be enough of education of one sector of the people to the cultural forms of other sectors through our mass media. That is with respect to culture in the art, music, or dance aspect of the term. With regard to culture in the sense of outlook and ways of thinking and behaving, it may be a good idea for newspapers to select items that seem to reflect characteristically the attitudes of people who read newspapers in a certain medium and reproduce these characteristic, idiosyncratic notions in a paper using another medium. For example, the English newspapers could scrutinise those characteristic reflections in the Chinese papers and reproduce these reflections in the English newspapers and vice versa. And this goes for the Malay and Tamil press too. Indeed our T.V. and radio could do this sort of thing with or without comment. In other words, to say in one language what characteristic things others are saying in other languages. It has been said that perhaps with the production of at least a bilingual population, we would have overcome such problems of cross-cultural understanding. Already our schemes to educate children bilingually are difficult to implement.”
“Now, having made the point, I must say that our people are basically tolerant. I think there is a basic subscription to the importance of respect for one another's ways of living and behaviour. And certainly the Government must take credit for a policy that has resulted in this sort of respect and tolerance. Where the Ministry of Culture is concerned, its attitude in respect of a multi-cultural development up till now has been apparently to contrive the maximum exposure of the cultural aspects of one group for the benefit of other groups. Mr Speaker, Sir, I think exposure alone is not enough. For example, it is not enough to put on a programme like "Tapestry" - and I am quoting this only as an example - incorporating the dances and music of the various cultural streams for the delectation of all. This is what I mean by exposure. 3.30 p.m. When we attend a school concert or a cultural presentation organised by some community or even a communal organisation, there is this exposure. And certainly all this exposure is good. But as I have said, it is not enough. What the next step should be, I think, is to provide a deeper experience of one another's cultural ways. One approach is to provide opportunities whereby one may acquire a more analytical awareness of the characteristics of the other person's culture. Where culture in the sense of dance, song, art, music is concerned, we could have programmes, which teach an understanding of these things, both in a language which is a fairly common medium like English and in a medium different from that which is a characteristic of the culture to be presented. In other words, if you put on a Chinese presentation, let us find out all about the finer aspects of this presentation in English, Malay or Tamil. Let there be explanations.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to refer to a socio-cultural condition which, I am sure, the Minister will agree prevails in Singapore. May I refer to the problem arising out of this condition as the problem of two cultures? This is no hackneyed phrase, I hope, because this problem of two cultures has nothing to do with the celebrated problem once elaborated by C. P. Snow. It is our own problem and relates to a non-convergence in certain important attitudes and characteristic modes of thinking between those educated in the English medium and those educated in the Chinese medium. Recently there was a certain amount of animated, perhaps even agitated, discussion in English newspapers on the necessity for film classification. While this was going on in the English papers, the Chinese newspapers did not seem to evince the slightest interest. Any comparison between the respective themes in the "Letters to the Editor" in the Chinese press and the English press will indicate that the preoccupations of those people who read the English papers differ, and perhaps radically, from the preoccupations of those who read the Chinese newspapers. The Minister has himself remarked on this phenomenon. I think one has to see this difference initially and in its correct perspective, in view also of the various remarks made by the Member for Sembawang who has spoken of the propagation of healthy cultural traditions and a national culture. I speak in the same way as the Member for Sembawang, but perhaps what I think of as propagation of healthy cultural traditions and national culture may be different from what the Member for Sembawang thinks in terms of a healthy cultural tradition. I think this point is worth making and it is worth while getting us to realise it.”
“Then may I suggest that we get somebody who understands the local community before he goes out on a public relations campaign? Since I have the opportunity now, Sir, may I also suggest that we make thorough use of the community centres to put across this idea, and, if necessary, even to use colloquial dialects, like Hokkien and Cantonese, besides the official languages?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am rather interested to hear that the Ministry of Education is going to engage an expert. Is he a foreign expert, Sir?”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his reply and 1 beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1251. I would like to take this opportunity to make a very brief and passing reference to the Educational Television Service. I had occasion recently to watch an E.T.V, programme. This was designed to illustrate one of Charles Dickens' stories. I was rather surprised to see on the programme the depiction of a Yorkshire countryside with plenty of snow and a Victorian carriage passing through the scene. One swallow does not make a summer, Sir. But I do think that we should not take it for granted that our children understand references to an entirely foreign environment, and that it would be better for us to take care that we do not just include these references without first explaining what they are.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Another solution to this problem -I may be touching on rather delicate ground here - is for our policy makers to think seriously of the possibility of providing opportunities for teachers and others to prepare part-time for University qualifications. At the last seminar on modernisation which was organised by the Singapore Teachers' Union, this question was brought up again and again. I think that serious attention should be given to this problem, as I have said, by our policy makers. If I may voice my opinion as an adult educator, I would say that in Singapore we are imaginative enough to be able to seek ways and means of making such a provision without incurring too much financial expense.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if I may be allowed to speak briefly on this question of ethics. I am very well acquainted with a very reverend gentleman at the Teachers' Training College. My experience has been that when I call on him to speak on certain matters sometimes connected with education, I have to fight shy of the topic of ethics because he is obsessed with this particular subject. In view of that, I feel that the ethical development of our budding teachers is in good hands. The question of ethics is also a question of the continuing development of the teacher which is one of the responsibilities of professional organisations. 1 would like to refer, if I may, to the question which the Minister has asked just now, whether a teacher would prefer a B.A, degree plus a Diploma in Education or only a B.Ed, degree. Personally I would have no hesitation whatsoever in saying that certainly a teacher would prefer a B.A. degree plus a Diploma in Education. That is what I have too. I left the teaching profession temporarily in order to equip myself with an additional higher qualification. But will the Ministry consider giving the same opportunities to serving officers that I had when I had the opportunity to go to the University to get a degree? Perhaps some serious thought could be given to this matter, because I think there are two benefits in bursaries and scholarships being given to serving teachers. One of them is that the teachers certainly improve themselves. The other is the presence of so-called mature students in the University. Certainly no one can disagree with the fact that the presence of people who come from the work situation into the University adds a new and more mature dimension to the situation in the University.”
“Yes, the T.T.C, is taking over the functions of the School of Education. I am speaking in relation to the upgrading of the qualifications of non-graduates mentioned by the Member for Moulmein. Perhaps the Minister could enlighten us on how this could be done. In other words, what opportunities are offered at the T.T.C, to non-graduates to better their qualifications?”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1221*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs. Ho Kah Leong and Tay Boon Too) Mr Speaker, Sir, we have just heard the Minister say that his Ministry is having second thoughts about the implementation of the Institute of Education Act. From one viewpoint, I think the Minister must he commended for always being willing to take a second look at a problem and, if necessary resort to quite radically different approaches to its solution. But I would like to be enlightened on one or two points with regard to the possible change of mind vis-a-vis the establishment of the Institute of Education. The Minister has mentioned in a previous sitting that one of the purposes of the Institute of Education is to improve our standards of teaching and to remove limitations in the present administration of the Teachers' Training College. I am certain that these points are still in his mind, otherwise he would not have thought of other means, but I hope that, as soon as it is feasible, he will enlighten us on the steps that he is taking to ensure an improvement of the standards of teaching and to remove the limitations inherent in the present administration of the College. The Minister has mentioned - I think I interpreted him quite correctly - that the Ministry will be taking over the functions of the School of Education. Is that right, Sir?”
“We will come to that later on. These are just incidental references to the kind of offences that one sees bus drivers committing. Before I come to the end of this address. May I mention another offence, and that is inconsiderate driving - bus drivers moving out of their stops as soon as they stick their hands out, or give signals and move without paying any attention to traffic coming from behind. I hope that the Ministry of Communications will start an education campaign so that bus drivers may be able to improve their standard of driving and pay attention to these matters. My colleague, the Member for Mount-batten, has referred to the reform of the transport service and I hope that that will result in a reform of bus drivers too.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to take this opportunity briefly to express my dismay over the poor standard of driving and attention to road courtesy of bus drivers. It is quite an ordinary event to watch bus drivers speeding along their routes, and timid drivers like myself feel somewhat despondent when they see the juggernauts that bus drivers drive exceeding the speed limit. Another aspect besides speeding is the way the bus drivers frequently do not attend to parking their buses by the bays when they come to bus stops. There have been many occasions when I have seen buses parked at a distance of one lane away from the kerb to allow passengers to alight. An hon. Member: Have a campaign for this! [Interruption]”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0705 be reduced by $10 in respect of item (2) of subhead 2011. This subhead deals with commission to stamp vendors. I merely wish to seek information on the rate of commission paid, and what encouragement is being given to get more vendors to come into the scheme. If there are more such vendors, perhaps it will enable people to get their stamps just round the corner, so to speak, if they wish to get them in a hurry.”
“Sir, may I thank the Minister, and I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0705 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2003. Mr Speaker, Sir, this $100 vote for "Awards for Staff Suggestions" is an extremely interesting item, one which I do not seem to have come across elsewhere in the Ordinary Estimates. Can the Minister tell the House how this scheme is administered, how and what are the suggestions made, and from whom do they come? And if the suggestions are considered valuable, can the Minister tell us to what extent they are implemented? Does he not think that it will be a good idea to encourage this scheme further, or am I right in saying that the reduction of the vote from $200 last year to $100 this year is the result of a lack of these suggestions? Mr Yong Nyuk Lin: Sir, in reply to the Member for Katong, the procedure governing the awards for staff suggestions in the Postal Services Department is as follows. An officer will describe his suggestion for improvement on a form which is sent to the Branch Head for evaluation. This is then further assessed by the Controller of Posts, and finally passed on to the Postmaster-General who then makes the decision. Last year a total of $55 was spent on awards ranging from $5 to $15 in value. They were paid for six suggestions which dealt mainly with improvements to Postal and Savings Bank documents and forms. The cut in provision from $200 to $100 is due to the very sharp eyes of the Treasury officials who saw that since only $55 was paid out last year, therefore, the provision for 1971-72 could be brought down to $100, instead of keeping it at $200.”
“As a result of a previous misunderstanding of the purpose of this vote, I am not moving. The sum of $2,354,320 for Head 0601 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0701 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0601 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2013. Again, I am seeking information regarding the scheme which requires cases of industrial diseases to be reported. Apparently, payment is being made for such reports. However, the-vote is only $10. Presumably we do not know the number of reports which will come in. Can I be enlightened a little further on this matter?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, going back to the occasion of the visit to the Ministry of Labour which the Minister of State has touched on earlier, I think I can say that those who went there were impressed indeed by the service provided, apart from the film that I referred to. May I ask if this excellent service is being adequately distributed among industry, and, if not, could it be spread out a little bit more than it is at present? 7.15 p.m.”
“This provision that I am talking about comes under O.C.A.R., and not Personal Emoluments.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0601 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2009. Sir, we have talked about Training. Within-Industry, but perhaps the Minister for Labour or his Minister of State can enlighten us on what this vote of $1,500 is for.”
“Sir, may I thank the Minister, and beg leave to withdraw? Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, to follow up, may I ask the Minister whether his Ministry is responsible for all claims for accidents that occur in the various departments of the Government? If that is so, then perhaps the Ministry of Labour should take steps to ensure that there are maximum safety conditions of work in the various Government departments so as to minimise the possibility of accidents. In this way we might not have to pay so much compensation later on.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0601 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2004. I merely want to seek information regarding these claims under the Workmen's Compensation Ordinance. Am I right in presuming that this provision is for claims against the Ministry of Labour? If so, can the Minister let us know how many claims were made during the last financial year, what was the extent of these claims, and how serious were the injuries caused? Further, can the Minister inform me whether the proportion of responsibility for the fault either resting with the workers or with the management is the same as that outlined by his Minister of State?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not think that little room in the Ministry of Labour is the same as Parliament House!”
“Sir, I was one of those Members who were present at the film show. If I may be permitted to make this remark, Sir, the film that I saw on safety was a very hoary one indeed! In the film, the workers were wearing baggy pants of the post-war era, and I do not know whether this film will have any impact on our more modern workers.”
“It seems that the Minister has acknowledged that it would also be the responsibility of the Factory Inspectorate to help in the education of workers, because he has mentioned that circulars, especially that newsletter called "Safety Inspectorates", are sent out. He mentions that this constituted a form of education. This is the third time in the last few days that it has been mentioned in this House that you can educate people by sending out circulars. Will it not be possible for the Inspector of Factories to think of some more substantial devices to help in the education of workers in this respect?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in this House yesterday, it was mentioned that in the case of industrial accidents a large measure of the fault was due to the workers themselves. May I take this opportunity of asking the Minister whether his Factory Inspectorate can bear this out with some data, that indeed a large measure of the responsibility for industrial accidents rests with the workers rather than with the employers?”
“I wish to thank the Minister and I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr N. Govindasamy - (4) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0601 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1039.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head (601 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1015. Sir, there is just one point that I would like to make in relation to the Higher Executive Officer (Employment Exchange Manager). Why is it that it sometimes takes as long as three or four years for people who have registered at the Employment Exchange to be notified of possible employment? Apart from that, I do not see any other reason why the gentleman's salary should be reduced from $15,000 to $11,000 a year.”
“I thank the Minister for his explanation, and I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I bee, to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0501 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1095. Sir, I merely wish to seek some clarification. From the Memorandum on the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure we find that the reduction in the Special Make-up Allowance of 5239,070 has resulted from experience of past expenditure trends. I would like to know the reason for the large reduction of nearly a quarter of a million dollars; from a provision of $260,400 to $21,330 for the ensuing year. Moreover, what has been the basis of these estimates in the past?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, 1 was about to ask the same question, and, in addition, perhaps what the rationale is to put the Scientific Branch and the Management Branch together under the same subhead.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, can the Minister say whether intelligence and aptitude tests are administered to recruits who are being inducted into the army?”
“[Laughter] Sir, this is no laughing matter. The families of these two individuals were put to quite considerable inconvenience. One of these two persons was in fact called up for national service on a part-time basis, and after a few training sessions he found them too difficult to follow. He did not understand what was going on, so he just absconded. I would like an assurance from the Minister that the medical examination of recruits will be more stringent so that there will be no similar repetition.”