Kenneth Chen Koon Lap
Singapore
“All right, Sir. I would like to ask the Minister of State, in view of the fact that the employer has no control over the runaway maid - and when the maid runs away they suffer both inconvenience and financial loss - can the Ministry consider, in genuine cases, whether they can lower the amount of the forfeiture?”
“Recently, there seems to be a let up on the effort made to press home the importance of the save water message to the public. As the demand and supply of water is interlinked, and while we can ensure more water supply in the future, it is equally important to limit the demand as much as we can now.”
“Therefore, I would like the Minister to inform us what new initiatives have been introduced, apart from increasing the stringent checks on the checkpoint at the Causeway, constant patrolling of our shores, and the tough laws against illegal immigrants as well as those who harbour them.”
“I have often come across cases in my meet-the-people sessions where even after the victim has received court judgement, he still requires the services of a lawyer to take follow-up action to ensure that the court order is being enforced when the other party defaults, and the victim is at a loss as to whom to turn to and how to proceed in…”
“Sir, I cannot help feeling that there still exists this perception of a great divide between the private and public sectors. This is not healthy, nor is it desirable. I would like to continue seeing all Singaporeans, be they in the public or private sector, working together for the good of the nation.”
“May I ask the Minister, now that the number of applications for HDB flats has lessened and the waiting time is less, can HDB give a more accurate completion time?”
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“So I listened to real estate developers very carefully, but also know where they are coming from, and from MTI's perspective, our responsibility is not just to them but also to home buyers and to Singaporeans generally.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, so far we have been highlighting the IT and manufacturing downturn. The building construction has been going through a downturn since the last Asian crisis. The very recent recession is more or less a final knockout blow. Would the Minister consider accelerating some of the infrastructural projects and perhaps some of the Government's building programmes, so that at least they can provide a little bit of smelling salt to revive this poor chap who has been knocked out? BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Mr Speaker, Sir, the real estate developers have been in communication with MTI. I have met a number of them personally to hear their concerns and their views of the real estate market in Singapore. It is a very important part of the domestic economy. It is one market which we have some control over and therefore one which we should watch carefully the development of. We are accelerating infrastructural projects. I mentioned Jurong Island, polytechnics and universities, sewerage works, drainage, roads, tunnels, and so on. If we over-accelerate, we may end up doing things which are unnecessary and wasting money. Worse, we may do things in a rush we should not have done. So this acceleration package which I talked about earlier is the best that we can do at this stage, given the amount of time that we have. In the coming months, if there are other possibilities of bringing forward infrastructural projects, we will certainly consider doing those things. As to the property market, it will find its own balance. It is not as if transactions have stopped. But at the right prices, transactions continue. And from time to time, you hear of projects which are reasonably priced which clear reasonably well.”
“May I ask the Minister of State: can he really believe that all maids who run away are being mistreated? Are there no other reasons for the maids to run away? If the employer treats the maid well, is he saying that all the maids will not run away?”
“I would like to ask the Minister of State how realistic is it for an ordinary Singapore citizen to be given one month to look for a runaway maid in Singapore. It is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“All right, Sir. I would like to ask the Minister of State, in view of the fact that the employer has no control over the runaway maid - and when the maid runs away they suffer both inconvenience and financial loss - can the Ministry consider, in genuine cases, whether they can lower the amount of the forfeiture?”
“Sir, no employer would willingly want his or her maid to run away, although there are many instances quoted by the Minister of State ---”
“Sir, since speeding is the main cause of accidents, would the Minister of State consider lowering the speed limit for those motorcyclists who have just obtained their licences, not unlike those heavy vehicles, ie, impose a lower speed limit, say, for the first five years after they have got their licences? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, it is one thing to maintain different speed limits for different categories of users of the road, eg, heavy lorry vehicles, cars, buses or, indeed, even for different stretches of roads. But to maintain different speed limits for different categories of the same type of transportation, for example, motorcycles, will make it very hard for Traffic Police to monitor and enforce the rules. But, certainly, in terms of road behaviour, those who are on probation will know that under DIPS, for the first year, if they accumulate 12 points, their licence will be suspended. So there is, in fact, already a reminder to them all the time that in their first year of riding whilst on probation, they should ride more carefully because it is 12 points. After that, it is 24 points over two years. So there is already some differentiation in treatment.”
“Recently, there seems to be a let up on the effort made to press home the importance of the save water message to the public. As the demand and supply of water is interlinked, and while we can ensure more water supply in the future, it is equally important to limit the demand as much as we can now. I would suggest that the Ministry not to relent on reminding the general public the importance of limiting wastage of water. Otherwise, the pressure of ever increasing the demand can never be reduced.”
“Sir, at the present moment, we are relying quite heavily on water supply from Malaysia, as the Singapore land mass is small and catchment of rainwater is limited to a few existing reservoirs. As our population grows and our industries expand, our demand for water will keep on increasing. Sir, I understand the Ministry of the Environment has embarked on a few initiatives to increase our water supply, namely, the integration of the Sewerage Department and Drainage Department with the Water Department, deep tunnel sewerage systems, water recycling, industrial water, Newater and the desalination of sea water. With today's technology, reclaiming waste water has become a very viable alternative source of water supply. The setting up of our Newater plant has proved that waste water can be recyled to produce clean water to the quality even higher than that of the present PUB standard. With the completion of deep tunnel sewerage system, the quantity of waste water collection can be increased tremendously and therefore our recycled water can be increased correspondingly. Only today it was reported that the cost of desalination is about one-third of what it was 10 years ago, and it is still falling. With the setting up of our first desalination plant to desalinate sea water into usable water, it is hoped that our reliance on foreign water source would be greatly reduced, as we face constant threat of supply being cut off by our neighbour. I would like to ask the Minister to update us on the current as well as the medium term of water supply situation when all our initiatives for increasing our water supply are realised. Sir, despite all these additional sources of water supply, I think we should not ignore the importance of limiting water wastage.”
“Sir, like my GPC Chairman, I am quite surprised to come across this study by the Global Leaders for Tomorrow Environmental Task Force on the 2001 Environmental Sustainability Index which rated Singapore as one of the 10 worst performers in the world. In fact, it ranked Singapore 9 out of 10 worst, below countries like Bangladesh, Nigeria and Vietnam. Although in the detailed report, Singapore was ranked half way through the bottom half of the 122 countries assessed, it is still well below countries like Sri Lanka, Russia, Fiji and Ghana. As environmental quality is one of the major factors that our investors consider before they commit their investments in Singapore, such an international study may harm our effort in attracting international investors. The study did answer why Singapore scored so low and insisted that the index indicated in the report was accurate. Of course, the correctness of the indexing methodology used by the task force is debatable. Nevertheless, an international report like this can do Singapore's image, as an environmental friendly nation, a great discredit. Although many other studies, like my GPC Chairman said, have ranked Singapore very high, we still need to clarify such a well published study. Therefore, I would like to ask the Minister whether they have made any detailed study on the report to find out the actual cause for them to rate Singapore so low and to come out with an explanation so as to put our views across to counter this seemingly incorrect assessment. It is thus important that this is done through international media so as to affirm our commitment to upkeep our high environmental standards.”
“Sir, in February 2001, the CNB had successfully mounted an operation which resulted in the arrest of eight drug traffickers and 113 drug abusers and seized heroin, cannabis and Ecstasy tablets. Altogether, they have carried out three such operations. I am sure this is the major factor leading to the drop in drug abuse cases reported last year. Although drug abuse cases cannot be a zero sum game, no decrease in such cases can be considered sufficient. As long as there are crimes involving drug trafficking, there will be a drug problem. In many nightspots, drug abuse still prevails. These places are mainly patronised by mostly young people and, if not checked, can create a very serious social problem. Another disturbing development is the increase in cases involving catamine or Ice. As this is a very potent type of drug, I would like the Minister to inform us the reason why this particular type of drug offenders is on the increase, and also give us an update on the profile situation of drug addicts in Singapore. Is the situation under control? And, in the case of drug rehabilitation, can we achieve a better recovery rate? Recently, there was also news that many Singaporeans were arrested overseas for drug trafficking. The reason given was that foreign syndicates recruit Singaporeans for drug trafficking because Singapore is deemed to be very stringent in the law against drug trafficking, and its citizens are subject to less stringent search when they travel abroad. Is the CNB monitoring the situation, or has any follow-up action been taken to trace their connections in Singapore? Has any syndicate, engaging in recruiting these traffickers, ever been apprehended?”
“Therefore, I would like the Minister to inform us what new initiatives have been introduced, apart from increasing the stringent checks on the checkpoint at the Causeway, constant patrolling of our shores, and the tough laws against illegal immigrants as well as those who harbour them.”
“Sir, as Prof. Chin mentioned, last year 16,000 illegal immigrants were caught. Although the figure cannot be deemed to be very alarming, it remains to be a very worrying problem for a small country like ours. With some of our neighbours having serious economic and political problems, the situation can only get worse. Apart from security problems, illegal immigrants have also become a peace and safety problem for our citizens. Whether this fear is real or perceived, somehow it has always been in the back of our mind that they pose a threat to us in terms of our personal safety, as well as to our properties. It is also clear that apart from the problem of tracking them, if they happen to engage in criminal activities, it is also known that the crimes they commit are more violent and serious in nature. Yesterday, we heard a lively exchange between my colleague, Mr Shanmugam, and the Minister of State on the subject of mandatory jailing of harbourers of illegal immigrants. While I agree that stringent laws to punish offenders who knowingly and persistently harbour illegal immigrants are necessary, I would like to know whether the Home Team has put in their best efforts to ensure that every means is being explored to prevent these illegal immigrants from entering Singapore. I fully appreciate that Singapore, being an island-state, has many possible entry points to be guarded, and it would be an extremely difficult task to ensure that these entry points are made impermeable. And I must commend the Home Team for a job well done so far. Nevertheless, we have to make sure that this problem is brought under control and not let it escalate.”
“I have often come across cases in my meet-the-people sessions where even after the victim has received court judgement, he still requires the services of a lawyer to take follow-up action to ensure that the court order is being enforced when the other party defaults, and the victim is at a loss as to whom to turn to and how to proceed in order to have the court order enforced.”
“Sir, the legal aid provided for those who cannot afford legal fees is an essential service for the lower income group of Singapore citizens. However, there are many cases where Singaporeans need legal advice and yet fail to qualify for the means test, as set out by the Legal Aid and Advice Act. Although the maximum sum of annual income of $7,000, excluding deductible items such as personal and CPF deductions, works out to be the maximum a person earns that can qualify for legal aid to be slightly over $1,000 per month, this is often found to be too low. Because after having to pay HDB instalments or rental and providing for monthly expenses and children's support, he or she would have hardly any money left for legal fees, especially now that the legal fees in the private sector have increased considerably. Sir, I would like to request the Minister to consider raising the capping of the income limit. Perhaps the Minister should also consider, even after raising the income limit, exercising flexibility on a case-by-case basis, accept deserving cases as the fee one has to pay for engaging private lawyers will still be way beyond some who earn above such limit. I think Prof. Chin has just outlined the high cost of engaging lawyers in legal cases. I would also like to request the Minister to consider strengthening the Legal Aid Bureau, as it may need more manpower to assist those who need help, even after the case has been settled in court.”
“Sir, I cannot help feeling that there still exists this perception of a great divide between the private and public sectors. This is not healthy, nor is it desirable. I would like to continue seeing all Singaporeans, be they in the public or private sector, working together for the good of the nation. All Singaporeans should have a sense of belonging and the opportunity to excel in whatever field and whichever sector they feel most comfortable in. Sir, I support the motion.”
“Let us say that they suddenly decide to corner all retail business in the HDB heartland and put a supermarket in all our neighbourhood centres. Surely our HDB shops would never be able to survive against them because of their size, human as well as financial resources, and eventually, all will be driven out of business. I am sure NTUC has no intention whatsoever of doing that even if it means that it can expand its business and turn out a better bottomline. Therefore, it can be reasonably assumed that any GLC, with its financial resources and, more importantly, its networking, which wants to compete in any local businesses in Singapore, it would have no difficulty in overwhelming the local competitors. The question is: is it desirable to jeopardise the long-term objective of having a strong public and private sector co-existing with each other as the twin engine that would drive the Singapore economy? Therefore, it would be good if the GLCs could concentrate in areas where the enhanced resources and expertise would maximise their potential and performance in ways that a local private business would find difficult in matching, for instance, in the international arena or in certain niche areas. Venturing into new fields and R&D projects can open new business opportunities for Singapore and, together with the input of the local entrepreneurs, both can flourish side by side. It would be a sad day if our younger generation do not see any future in the private sector and their only option after their graduation is to enter the civil service, the GLCs or the multinationals. I am sure this is not what is best for Singapore and not what the Government's policy is aiming for.”
“However, while recognising the GLC's role in nation building, one should not totally ignore the contribution of the local entrepreneurs. I am happy that, consistent with the policy of nurturing local entrepreneurs, the Government has come up with many assistance schemes and incentives to help the local businesses to grow. But the Government has to be mindful that these entrepreneurs need space and scope and, if necessary, assistance from the Government to succeed. These businesses which are in direct competition with the GLCs may find it very difficult to survive as the GLCs, with the strength and financial resources, not to mention the very widespread networking, can put them out of business easily. I am not suggesting that the GLCs should be limited in the scope of their involvement or be prevented from freely going into any type of businesses they choose. But there should be a certain balance to consider whether they need to spread the business venture so widely and freely and enter into areas where traditionally our medium and small businesses are trying to survive. The Government has always stressed that, as long as the playing field is level, everyone should be free to compete. But, in reality, in any competition between GLCs and private businesses, very often, the feeling of the private sector is that, although the field may be level, they are playing with nine or 10 players against 11. There would always be a great imbalance in the competition. To illustrate my point, NTUC Fairprice is doing a tremendous job in operating a business as a workers' cooperative, bringing in benefits to all Singaporean workers, as well as ensuring stability of essential commodities.”
“However, that does little to change the perception of the GLCs being so dominant in the local business scene. It may be because of the only presence of the GLCs among all businesses in Singapore that leads to this conclusion. The fact that GLCs are involved in almost all types of business, be it manufacturing, retail, property, construction, consultancy services, transportation, communication, finance, etc, leads to the perception that they are in competition with all local private businesses. Sir, one cannot question the policy of building world-class operations that can compete in the regional arena for the survival of Singapore, a nation without much resources and land mass. This policy is arguably correct as one of the most expedient ways of building such corporations is by the setting up of GLCs because of their ability to amass huge financial as well as human resources. The success achieved by corporations, like the SIA, PSA, ST, Telecom, NOL, DBS, and many others, that have made their mark in the global arena, is proof of the farsighted policy of our Government. Very few, if any private businesses, can have the ability or the economic capacity to achieve what some of these companies have. Singapore Technologies have continuously ventured into projects which require large economic resources and long-term investment, the latest being in the field of life sciences. JTC's setting up of wafer fabrication industries and spearheading the petrochemical industry in Jurong Island are among some of the shining examples. For Singapore to survive and remain competitive, we need these organisations to venture into new businesses, and R&D projects can be the pioneer for others to follow.”
“Sir, after the Finance Minister's Budget speech, the Prime Minister expressed to a few of us in the House that he was surprised at the somewhat muted response by the Members present although the Budget, by all means, is an exceptionally good one, more so against the backdrop of political and economic uncertainties in this region. Could it be that we have gotten so used to expecting positive budgets year after year that we take it for granted that a good budget would be delivered at each session. In this year's generous budget, all Singaporeans, whether the well-off or the not so well-off, benefited. What is more significant is the much greater apportionment of the budget being given to education, social welfare, training and assistance to start-up companies and local businesses. Why the subdued response? Does it mean that the population has grown soft with years of good progress and prosperity? How does it affect our competitiveness in the future during this time of global uncertainty and growing regional turmoil? Can we afford to be complacent? We are fortunate that we have enjoyed stability and sustained strong economic growth at a time when some of our neighbours are still fighting desperately for survival. We should take this opportunity to consolidate and strengthen ourselves in order to remain competitive and innovative and stay as one of the major economic players in the global arena. Sir, in the last Parliament sitting, BG George Yeo indicated that the impression that the GLCs dominated over Singapore businesses was erroneous. The GLCs are responsible for only 12.9% of our GDP growth and the MNCs actually are responsible for the major percentage, nearly 40%.”
“May I ask the Minister, now that the number of applications for HDB flats has lessened and the waiting time is less, can HDB give a more accurate completion time? There are a lot of applicants who are told of a certain time they can take over the flat, but now, for example, they are very often told that in one year or 11/2 years the flat will be ready, and they get panicky because they are not ready financially or physically. Can HDB give a more accurate target date for the completion of the flats?”
“Sir, can I ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary which sector is the largest energy consumer, whether it is the residential, commercial or industrial sector? Secondly, he has mentioned a lot of measures to be introduced. Can he tell us whether these measures are recommendations or with some enforcement rules attached to them? Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: To his first question, which property sector consumes the most energy, whether it is residential, commercial or industrial, the answer is, of course, industrial, because they are heavy users of energy, like our petrochemical companies. But these are bottomline focused MNCs, so they know what they are doing. And I am sure that they would have factored the cost of energy into their production, because they need to compete on a world-wide basis. But we found that most of the energy is channelled through air-conditioning as well as refrigeration. So the commercial and residential sectors have more scope to improve their energy efficiency. On the recommendations, whether they are achievable or attainable, yes, of course they are. These are long-term objectives. Although our energy efficiency is quite good, we can always improve further. We have put together various recommendations. The agencies are looking into these recommendations and rolling out their implementation plans.”
“These are just two examples which can be used by unscrupulous foreign sources to generate funds for the political party and candidate they intend to assert influence, and I am sure there are many more if we do not comprehensively tighten all the loopholes. I would like the Minister to consider ways to tighten the Bill by introducing a clause where the onus is on the political party or candidate to prove that any funds received by any means should be bona fide and not as a cover for such funds to be generated for political use from outside sources. It is also necessary to monitor other channels where the funds can be made that have not been covered by the Bill. The Registrar of Political Donations should be given more power to investigate funds which he is not totally satisfied that they are being donated in accordance with the Political Donations Bill. I support the Bill.”
“They should not be supporting any political party or candidates and definitely have no reason to receive donations from foreign sources for these purposes. Therefore, to call for the re-definition of political association to mean two-thirds of an organisation's annual funding and activities being spent on supporting the election of political candidates is meaningless. Associations or societies are either political or non-political. It cannot be two-thirds political and one-third non-political. It is absurd to see how an association or society which is committed to a cause can be so wishy-washy and be so indecisive as to which role they are to play. Besides, if the term is being re-defined, what is to stop political parties from establishing civil societies or associations as a fund to channel foreign funds for their political use? It is precisely this and I feel that there are still many ways in which one can circumvent the Bill. Offhand, I can think of two. Firstly, what if a political candidate writes a book, never mind the substance of the contents, and an outside agency buys up 1,000 copies at an inflated price to generate the necessary funds intended to be given to the party or the candidate? Secondly, a political candidate can be invited to give a lecture in another country and be given a huge honorarium which is not commensurate with the substance of the lecture, but purely as a means to justify the donation. This is definitely not acceptable. If the candidate is a respectable statesman or someone who is being held in high esteem by the international community, then the honorarium can be justified. But if some unknown political aspirant is given a huge sum of honorarium for such a lecture, then obviously something is very wrong.”
“What is the use of having a legislation with no safeguard for its implementation, if the legislation is so easily circumvented, and if one can find so many ways to get around the rules and regulations governing the Act? Surely the introduction of the Bill becomes meaningless. In fact, on Thursday, 18th May, the Straits Times reported that in the US, a member of the Federal Election Commission lamented that, "The Federal Election law is in serious gravity of losing all effectiveness." The aim of the law enacted 25 years ago has eroded over time because despite the tight rules and regulations in place, the US Election is being influenced by people who found ways to exploit the loopholes to achieve their personal objectives. Therefore, far from being too stringent in the provision of all safeguards in the Bill, such as those laid out in clauses 8, 12, 13 and 14 which maintain that the candidates or political parties be transparent in receiving any donation from permissible sources and state their conditions in which political parties can accept political donations, in actuality, it would not be sufficient to cover all the loopholes which can be exploited by those intending to exert influence on our political parties or candidates and for those in the same party or candidates who want to act as proxy for some outside agency. Today, in the Forum page, a group of readers is concerned that the definition of political association in the Act would affect adversely the group of civil societies in Singapore. I am puzzled because civil societies are supposed to be non-partisan and they are supposed to be concerned citizens who speak up for Singaporeans on matters relating to Government policy governing Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill. This Bill is nothing new, as most countries prohibit external political donations. Although it is not in our political culture to allow external influence to undermine our political system, it is timely to legislate this in case some political parties are tempted to become puppets of outside agency. Singapore is a very small country, strategically located both geographically and politically in this region, and therefore we always play a significant role in the global political arena, and may be courted by other countries for their own political agenda. We must therefore ensure that our independent stand on international affairs should never be compromised and come under any influence by other nations, big or small. Because of our openness, we must ensure that Government must not be subjected to any outside political pressure to influence the way we govern ourselves. We must maintain our national integrity at all costs. Donation of any kind from foreign sources invariably means influence of our politicians involved as those who pay out of funds must have their own ulterior motive and agenda. Therefore, it is necessary that we introduce the Bill to ensure that our political parties and candidates taking part in any of our parliamentary or presidential elections uphold their independence and not be subjected to any outside interference. I am glad that the Opposition Members, Mr Chiam See Tong and Mr Low Thia Khiang, have come out in support of the Bill, as was reported in the press. However, when they raised objection to some of the provisions to safeguard the administration of the Bill, they betrayed their sincerity in their support for the Bill.”
“Should the decision then not be left to the company to decide whether that person should be entitled to have this share option in that case?”
“Can the Minister explain the rationale of imposing this time restriction on someone who qualifies for the stock option? The time and contribution are two different things. A person may work 50 hours a week but his contribution is not as much as one who spends 10 hours. For the same reason, why is it not extended to non-executive directors because their contribution may sometimes be more critical than an employee who spends full time in the company?”
“Can I ask the Minister whether this checking process can be made through Internet, ie, the Ministry provides the database with all the work permit passes so that the landlords can check through the Internet?”
“With this mindset still prevailing, can the Minister tell us how can we ensure that the education of our students be more open and creative, learn how to think instead of how to memorise in order to remain relevant in this fast changing world?”
“Sir, the Ministry of Education has initiated a change in the direction of the school curriculum towards a more open and creative path. The change proves to be most timely in view of the demand on more creative line in the IT age. The emphasis on creativity would enable us to prepare our younger generation to face the new challenge of the demand posted by the rapid development in the Internet and IT. The policy is already in place for a few years. I would like to know from the Minister the progress made so far and whether there is a need to implement more changes in view of the fast pace of changes. I would also like to know how the schools as well as the students and the teachers are responding to the change. I have received feedback both from teachers and parents that although the policy is in place, the implementation is hampered by the fact that the rigid system of recognising the achievement of the students based purely on the academic performance still remains. The entrance to schools, junior colleges, the polytechnics or even the universities is still based strictly on the grades achieved. One point short of what is required, he is out. For many, their career is over. No consideration is given to ECA performance. It is not important how committed the student has been or how good leadership he has shown. Therefore, some of the parents have told their children not to be too active in taking part in many ECAs, but to concentrate more on their study as taking part in more ECAs may affect their academic results. 4.45 pm The ranking of schools also led to some principals to demand that their students obtain the highest academic results at all costs in order to make the school look good.”
“I therefore call for a number of measures to be considered. (1) Retirement to be raised further; (2) Define the age when one can be considered senior citizens, for example, increase the age limit to be considered for MRT, bus fares, or any other such concessions; (3) All senior citizens' clubs' or associations' qualifying age should be increased; (4) Redefine the classification of age for senior citizens in senior sporting events. The Chairman: Mr Iswaran is not here. Mr Ong Ah Heng.”
“Sir, years ago, when Mr Howe Yoon Chong presented the White Paper on the problems that we could face in our ageing population, many were sceptical, but it became obvious now that our demographic profile is changing faster than expected. With the ageing problem plus the less than satisfied population growth, an ageing population has become a very serious problem. The raising of CPF withdrawal age, the emphasis on training of our older workers, the promotion of healthcare and the various schemes by the Government to encourage senior citizens to be more active, all help to emphasise the need to deal with the rapid increase in our ageing population. But one of the most important steps to take to address this problem is to change the mindset of our population towards old age. Some 30 to 40 years ago, when we mentioned a person who is 50 years and above, an image of an old man came to mind. However, through these years, because of better diet and medical advancements, life expectancy has increased for male, maybe, up to 76 and female, 78. Therefore, this will straightaway mean that those in the 50s should now be considered as middle aged and only those who are above 65, or so, can be defined as senior citizens. I think it is important for the Ministry to make greater efforts in promoting the change in the mindset of our population so that we have a whole new concept of ageing. This will not only change the profile of the demographic pyramid, it also helps to physically and mentally change the number of the so-called senior citizens we have now. And if we are able to change the definition of senior citizen from what is now being pursued as around 50-65 to, say, about 65 to even 70, it would then reflect more truly our age classification at this present moment.”
“Very often, you see four or five tradesmen working on the construction site of a house in Australia and it takes 6 to 8 months to finish, compared to the 20 to 30 labourers running around on the same project in Singapore, and taking 11/2 to two years to complete. There are many more areas which the Ministry can tap on the experience of the professionals and the experienced personnel in the industry. Their inputs are required to see that all the recommendations in the Construction 21 be implemented effectively and, more importantly, to examine more in-depth areas where the report needs refinement or be supplemented. I sincerely hope that this will be the beginning of a new era in our construction industry.”
“It is not uncommon that having successfully secured the contract, the partner of the construction firm would appear only for the first meeting and subsequently leave the job to the employed project managers, who may or may not be professionally qualified. Because of the fact that they are employed personnel, they do not have any personal commitment to the company and, therefore, it is not unusual to see project manager posts change three or four times during the duration of the project. Under such a situation, even if all other productivity factors are in place, it is impossible to see how the project can be completed in time and achieve the high standards it requires. Before we can consider all the other numerous problems associated with the industry, we must first ensure that our contracting firms must have qualified professionals as partners, especially those who are in charge of the project. Therefore, it may be necessary for the Ministry to consider registering builders in the same manner in which professional architects and engineers are being registered. Secondly, there is an urgent need to ensure a constant supply of skilled labour. Many Members have already spoken of such requirements. It is a serious problem, especially as we are so short of manpower. The requirement for foreign workers to go through a few weeks, or even one or two months of skills training cannot resolve the problem. We must train our own local workers as tradesman. In Australia, every construction worker is a certificate holder. They go to a trade school for two or three years to acquire the necessary skills. They do not consider themselves labourers, but rather as tradesmen who are highly skilled and productive. They may even earn more than the professionals.”
“Sir, in the debate on the Budget Statement, I have spoken briefly on the report presented by the Construction 21 Committee. I congratulate the Committee for doing such a thorough job in evaluating all the problems arising out of our construction industry. The 39 recommendations have been supported by the Minister and have been given a timeframe to be implemented. But I have certain reservations and remain cautiously optimistic. In my 30-over years of practice in the construction industry, I have been constantly frustrated at the low productivity, efficiency and the standard of workmanship achieved. In Singapore, our building cost is one of the highest in the world and the time taken one of the longest and, worse still, the standard of the finished product leaves much to be desired. Through the years, much effort and time have been spent in trying to address these numerous problems that plagued the construction industry but with very little success. Therefore, it is most timely that the Construction 21 report is being released. It is comprehensive, thorough, but all such reports are as good as how all its recommendations can be implemented effectively. Otherwise, they would end up just as well-prepared academic studies. 2.45 pm The 39 recommendations are well-researched and relevant. But there are still many areas which I feel should need more attention and scrutiny. I shall mention two more important ones. The first is our contracting system, in respect of the professionalism of our contractors. While there are a number of fairly competent and professional contractors in Singapore, many could not measure up to the professionalism it requires. Most construction companies are still headed by non-qualified professionals.”
“They both had dropped in the number of arrested and improvement in the relapse rate of drug addicts over the corresponding figure in 1994. It has been two years since, and besides abuses involving traditional drugs such as heroin and cannabis, we also learn with concern from the media that abuses of new forms of drugs such as Ice and Ecstasy have been on the rise in the region. It has also been reported that these new drugs no longer have to be supplied from traditional sources like the Golden Triangle but can be manufactured in laboratories here. Sir, we must ensure that we continue to maintain our tough stance against drug and drug traffickers and to ensure that our young people are adequately informed of the danger of drugs and not experiment with them. I would therefore like to ask the Minister to provide the House with an update on the local drug situation since 1998 and to let us know what his Ministry has done or will do to ensure that the drug menace remains under control, particularly in relation to the newer drugs that have come on to the market.”
“Sir, last year, a few high profile drug busts were reported. Only yesterday it was reported that another drug ring has been crippled. This was indeed good news for Singaporeans. We should congratulate our drug enforcement officers' tremendous effort. However, we have not been informed of how this has affected the statistics of drug offenders. Can the Ministry release some figures of drug abuse in year 1999? Was there any improvement or did any such busts cause the drug abuser numbers to be decreased? I would also like to request for an update of the rehabilitation effort. What is the percentage of drug abusers who have been successfully converted? At the present moment, the law is harsh on drug consumers. It is rightly so because when one starts to consume drugs, it is likely that he would become a drug addict and we must spare no effort to ensure that this would not happen. However, I would like the Ministry to consider, instead of harsh punishments such as jail or DRC detention for long periods of time, whether there are more effective ways to deal with first time offenders so that they would not be stigmatised and put themselves in a position where they will have no opportunity to go back to normal life because of a moment of weakness. I think it is important to try our best to help them to get away from this vicious cycle of drug abuse as the more they are isolated and outcast the more difficult it is to rehabilitate them. Assoc. Prof. Chin Tet Yung: Sir, I echo Mr Kenneth Chen's request for more details on the drug situation and also join with him in congratulating our CNB for the successes in fighting the drug problem. In 1998, we were informed of the improving drug situation.”
“Besides an improvement in training, we must also improve the reward system so that acts of exemplary conduct be well rewarded and recognised. Perhaps the Minister can highlight to the House how we can continue to keep our Home Team in tip-top shape.”
“8% of the respondents rated the general security of Singapore to be good or excellent. The public's perception of safety in Singapore perhaps stems from the fact that Singapore has seen a decline in crime rate over the past 10 years. In 1999, the Police had less than 3,500 cases recorded per month, compared to an average of some 4,000 cases per month in 1998. It is heartening to see that almost all major categories of crimes have declined. As a result, people feel safe walking through a stretch of deserted road from the bus-stop to their homes. Sir, the image of a safe and secure Singapore has done our economy much good. Many investors see Singapore as a place where they can do business smoothly, efficiently and safely. Thus, it is no surprise that many multi-national companies see Singapore as an ideal business hub. We should not however take the situation for granted. If the standard of our law enforcing agencies should go into decline, there is no turning back the clock. After years of being perceived as a law and order country, today, Japan is plagued by a series of scandals in the police force and public perception of the level of security has dropped. A good public perception of the Police is a hard-earned one. To ensure that we maintain this high standard, we must continue the high standard of training and reward our officers well. In the area of training, we must also improve the training of officers handling the public as only some 64% of the Straits Times survey rated the service of the Police to be good or very good. It could be that poor public relations is the cause of this perception. It may be that good crime busters may not be the best public relations persons, but we have to try.”
“Sir, the applicants to all these various forms of passes are continuously puzzled by the rejection. They inevitably have stories to tell - their neighbours or their co-workers were successful on similar facts, and so on. I should like to suggest that SIR be more precise in their letters. The best, of course, is to give a reason or reasons for their decision. That would give invaluable guidance to the applicant and he or she would be informed as to how he or she can improve their chances of getting the appropriate pass. If the policy is somehow veiled in secrecy, the official letters should state how long the applicant should wait before his or her case gets reviewed again. The MP could perhaps be separately informed about the problem in the case. But I naturally hope that this would be more the exception than the rule. Sir, many Singaporeans who are applying on behalf of their spouses or family members frequently come frustrated and angry at the seemingly mysterious rejection of their applications. And they get even more frustrated and angry when the MP could not lift the veil of mystery. I believe it is time that SIR must be clearer in their communication of their decisions to those who are applying and their sponsors. Very often these decisions affect the happiness or otherwise of the families concerned. At least they should be entitled to know why their applications are turned down. I hope the Minister can elaborate on this matter. Mr Chng Hee Kok: Sir, the Singapore Police Force Public Perception Survey last year and a similar survey done by the Straits Times should make us proud of the Home Team. The conclusions are similar: in the Straits Times survey, some 99% of the Singaporeans found this country a safe place to live in; and the Police survey, 95.”
“Worse still, in case something happens to them, their offspring cannot stay in Singapore to be looked after by their immediate families but have to be repatriated to the country where they are its citizen, they will have no connection whatsoever by now and their spouses may have remarried or moved to other places and cannot be located. Assoc. Prof. Chin Tet Yung: Sir, this House has heard in the past few days of debate many calls for civil servants to be proactive, accountable and transparent. I echo the need for civil servants to have all these attributes and would like to focus on the Singapore Immigration and Registration Department today. 4.15 pm SIR plays a key role in regulating the number of people entering and staying in Singapore. It also has a role to play in determining who should or should not be citizens or permanent residents. It shares a responsibility with the Ministry of Manpower in relation to maids, foreign workers and the like, who are on work passes. Sir, I am sure that many Members of this House are asked to help applicants to the SIR. Whether it be an application for long-term social pass, dependant's pass, or the extension of such passes, or the application for permanent residence or citizenship, we are continually at a loss as to why a case is rejected or a decision postponed. Usually there is a brief message saying that the application has been unsuccessful. Within a day of receiving the letter, the unsuccessful applicant is back in the meet-the-people session asking the MP to write another letter. Huge amount of paper work is generated by this process, let alone the man-hours spent in having to answer what must be a mountain of letters every week from Members.”
“Sir, the immigration law in Singapore is very stringent. It has to be because of the size of our country. However, due to the problem that we encounter with the slowing down of our population growth and the importance of attracting foreign talents, we have accepted more immigrants in recent years to fulfil our objective. Otherwise the rigidity of the immigration rule is still intact. One such rule governs the return of single parents and their offsprings. The rules state that the children of single parents, father or mother, who return to Singapore cannot be automatically granted PR unless his or her single parents can prove that they are gainfully employed. However, many Singaporean women especially, who married foreigners and who failed in their marriage and having gained the custody of their children, find it difficult to obtain PRs for them because they may not be able to secure a job due to educational level or many other reasons that are out of their control. The dilemma faced by these single parents is that their ties have been severed by their former spouses and they have no alternative place to settle but back to Singapore where at least they have the support of their immediate families. Perhaps the Ministry should be more compassionate in the ruling towards these cases as, first, the number of these cases must be quite insignificant. Secondly, at least the child has cultural and social ties with the immediate families. Thirdly, it seems to be quite hard that as Singapore citizens their offspring cannot be considered favourably to be PR.”
“I have never said that they are more civic-minded. Read my speech before you say anything.”
“I have had on many occasions written letters to the Ministry on the unsatisfactory state of cleanliness during my daily walk. Beer bottles are littered at odd hours of the day; leaves clog drains; debris float on the river; oil stains on the river and on the roads; tour buses running their air conditioners while they wait for their passengers to rejoin them and spewing, in the meantime, lots of pollutants into the air. Can the Ministry pay the same attention to this area as they do for Orchard Road and the Airport before many of the tourists visiting here start telling their friends that Singapore is not really that clean after all?”
“This is particularly so when we realise that the cleanliness is achieved through sheer diligence in sweeping the streets and, as Mr Low says, heavy fines and the Corrective Work Order for recalcitrant offenders of our anti-littering laws. Special efforts seem to have been put into keeping Orchard Road, our prime tourist belt, and Changi Airport, spotlessly clean. Somehow, I think cleanliness does beget cleanliness and, as I said earlier, if the place is clean, the person who throws litter will feel a little bit conscious if he were to be the first to make the place dirty. But a person who wants to litter will feel less compunction if the street is already very dirty. Ultimately, we must change the attitude of the people. But today, I am not here to talk about what kind of civic campaigns we must introduce or what new fines we must institute. I just have a small request of the Ministry. I walk between this area - Parliament Place, the Padang, Empress Place - to my office in Battery Road every day. Along the way, I pass a construction site: naturally it will be a bit dirty and dust flies all over. And I pass the historically quaint Cavenagh Bridge where I have the pleasure of seeing fishermen fish from the Singapore River. This River is a long way from the black, smelly, immensely filthy river of my childhood 30-40 years ago. All credit goes to the Ministry again for the miracle they have wrought. People actually travel on this river now on pleasure cruises! Sir, I appreciate that keeping up such cleanliness is a difficult task. I just wish to alert the Ministry to the fact that more attention should perhaps be given to the river and the Civic District through which it runs.”
“I wonder how the Ministry selects which area to clean up. Does the Ministry only select areas in the PAP wards? Assoc. Prof. Toh See Kiat (Aljunied): Sir, I would like to say to Mr Low Thia Khiang that I am not aware that my housing estates are being cleaned by CWO workers too. So it is not just Hougang that is being excluded. I do not think the CWO serves the purpose of cleaning up housing estates. Sir, essentially, Mr Low is right in that it is not fines and it is not CWOs that would ultimately solve the root of the problem. The root of the problem is community consciousness, as he has pointed out, and a civic consciouness among people such that there is this shame or perhaps humiliation if you are seen to throw something on to the floor when it is clean. Unfortunately, we have a problem here in that, culturally, Singaporeans, and Asians, in general, do not find it a comfortable thing to do to confront somebody in public and tell them, "Hey, you dropped something. Can you please pick it up?" We have seen also, where handphones are concerned, that the reaction could be something very violent. So I think it is a long way more and a big cultural change that we may have to institute. I say this because I do believe that this problem affects two other areas. I want to talk particularly about the Singapore River and the Civic District. Seven million tourists visit us every year. Some of these are journalists and government officials, and they leave Singapore with the impression that it is clean and green and then they spread the word and send more people our way. We have indeed done very well and our Ministry of the Environment deserves high praise for the work they have done.”
“Some measures have been taken by some town councils to modify the letterboxes to prevent this by building a trough under the letterboxes to collect these discarded fliers. But in most housing estates, this still remains a source of environmental pollution. Perhaps, a form of fine or levy can be put on these businesses who indiscriminately send out fliers in our public estates to defray the extra cleaning cost incurred by the town council. Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, Mr Kenneth Chen seems to imply that people who live in condominiums are more civic minded. I am not too sure whether his assessment is correct, and whether it is fair to the people who live in HDB estates. Sir, using punishment by inflicting economic losses through fines and publicly shaming offenders seem to be the cornerstone of the Government in solving social problems. Heavy fines and CWOs to punish litterbugs is one such example. However, these do not seem to be effective in solving the problem of littering in Singapore. I share the same view as Mr Kenneth Chen on the problem that we are facing in HDB estates. According to the Straits Times' report, such offenders are on the rise. And the Ministry is again considering harsher anti-littering penalties. Sir, I wonder whether the Ministry of the Environment will consider other measures, besides imposing a penalty, to minimise the problem. I think one area it should consider is how to encourage the neighbours and the community to put pressure on the littering behaviour. It could also consider how to empower individuals to deal with litterbugs. The Ministry of the Environment has made offenders to perform CWOs by cleaning up some areas. So far, I have not known of any offenders being made to clean up areas in Hougang Estate.”
“Sir, despite concerted efforts to eradicate the problem of littering in Singapore, one of the major complaints the town council has received from the residents is the untidiness and lack of cleanliness in the estate. Although the legislation provides for severe fines for people who litter indiscriminately, enforcement remains a big problem. Keeping the estate clean and tidy depends very much on the civic consciousness of the residents, and not on the frequency of the cleaning. Theoretically, if nobody litters, the environment will remain clean even without cleaning. A good example is in the comparison between the public housing estates and the private condominiums. The standard of cleanliness in condominiums has always been higher and it is not because they are cleaned more frequently. It is more in the mindset of the residents that they regard the area even outside their units as their own. Therefore, they are more conscious in keeping the estate clean and tidy. Apart from the necessary expenses caused by cleaning up the public housing estates, it also affects the environment we live in. And Singapore being an urban city, we must cultivate civic consciousness in everyone of us whether we live in private or public estates. I hope the Ministry can put more efforts in promoting public consciousness, keeping our environment clean and stepping up enforcement in catching those who litter indiscriminately. One area which needs to be looked into is how to deal with those businesses who send out fliers to the residents in HDB estates. These businesses, while saving on their advertising cost, have indirectly generated a tremendous amount of litter as 99% of the residents would discard these fliers immediately after taking them out from the letterboxes.”
“What is the application of the water produced so far? Is there a possibility that the recycled water can meet the water needs of Singapore? If so, what plans do we have in making people to accept recycled water as an alternative when we should be self-sufficient in our own water supply?”