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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“This involves changing not only our daily habits but the whole mindset of the nation. But unless we can make a start now, we may create serious problems for our future generations. Assoc. Prof. Low Seow Chay (Chua Chu Kang): Sir, half of the water consumed in Singapore is supplied by Malaysia and the other half is from our own reservoirs. The first water agreement with Malaysia will expire in 2011. To-date, there is still no sign of what will happen upon the expiry of the said agreement. Much has been reported about the development of the water catchment in Indonesia and the exploration of desalination technology. Lately, there was a report about selling of high-grade industrial water in Jurong. Sir, industrial water or recycled water could be an important source of water supply in meeting our water needs when we fail to secure other reasonable raw water supply deal with our neighbouring countries. In fact, almost all the used water enters into our sewer system, together with the rain water. Our sewer system discharges more than what PUB has supplied into the sea after treatment. If half of the water discharged is recycled, we shall be self-sufficient in our water needs. Based on today's technology, the low pressure membrane is able to produce water of good quality and at very reasonable cost. This is why high-quality industrial water is able to find its market under the private sector initiative in Jurong. From the people in the water business, I know that the Ministry has an ongoing project on the research and study of recycled water. May I ask the Minister on the progress of the said recycled water project? Does the quality of the recycled water meet that of the Bedok or Chua Chu Kang reservoirs' standard? What is the cost of producing the water?”
“Sir, a few years ago, recycling has been promoted actively. Government departments were using recycled papers and recycled bins were placed in the main thoroughfares for recycled items to be dropped in. The public was reminded that recycling should be practised whenever possible to preserve our earth's scarce resources and not to deplete our natural resources mindlessly. There seems to be not much follow-up action by the Ministry. It would be ironical that the nation that is completely without natural resources can afford to ignore the importance of conserving such scarce resources. Recently, on one of my visits to Canberra, Australia, I observed that the authorities have limited the size of the refuse bin of each household. The objective is to limit the amount of refuse generated, a compulsory way of compelling everyone to recycle and not to unnecessarily generate refuse by needlessly throwing away reusable articles. Perhaps the Ministry can consider ways to encourage residents to limit the amount of refuse. This can be done by making it one of the criteria to be included in giving rebates to blocks which are judged to be the cleanest in our HDB estates. I call on the Ministry to put through the message of recycling and come up with more creative ways to promote this cause. For example, the Ministry can call on the people to limit the usage of disposable plastic cups and polystyrene food boxes and plates, as they cannot be recycled or biodegradable and are harmful to our environment. If this cannot be practised at the commercial places, at least at home, for hygiene and time taken to clean usable utensils are not critical. Any programme we can come up with will, of course, take some time for everyone to get used to.”
“I hope the Minster would take into account the fact that recovery for individuals may not have been as quick or as fast as the general economy on the whole. Sir, with that comment, I support the motion.”
“As defined, it does not include a computer program, unless it is in the nature of a new computer operating system, or new language used in a computer program. Sir, I find this limitation to section 10(10) of the current Income Tax Act far too restrictive. It means, for example, that Bill Gates with his Windows 2000 or Linus Torvalds with his rival operating system, Linux, could profit from such a provision, but no one else in the software programming sector, not the ones who write programs to improve security for e-commerce transactions, not the ones who write programs for search engines to improve speed, not the ones who write new browsers, not the ones who write anti-virus programs. My question is: why not? For e-commerce to flourish, one should not only be thinking of companies such as Amazon.com, but about the many shareware writers, for example, who contribute to the vibrancy of the Internet, and provide the interest for many of us to see what programs these creative individuals can come up with. Anyone going to Downlot.com can only marvel at the true technopreneurs in action through a host of shareware packages available. I hope that there will be similar tax concessions made in the software programming industry and those who are about to embark on their first entrepreneurial project. Sir, the Budget this year seems to have attracted some good comments but also some disappointments, but then that is to be expected. Even on items such as the 5% rebate for individuals, some have commented that with the alphabet, the "u" comes before the "v", ie, the u-turn, in terms of cutting the rebate by 5%, comes before the full recovery of the economy. This can be hard on those who are just within the tax net, who might have had to borrow during the crisis years.”
“The dangers of disconnection, instead of interconnection, are very high, when it comes to those who are near retirement age or those who did not do well perhaps in the pursuit of their studies. There is talk of a digital divide, but I find the phrase rather clinical. It pertains more to the virtual world than the real. The danger is actually very real, in that those who do not have the drive or ability to engage in the digital world to participate in the knowledge-based economy may become the new poor. That is why I hope that more funds can be allocated to the Ministries dealing with the quality of life, so that they will take special pains to target this group of the potentially disconnected, and provide them with the means to at least understand better the demands of the Internet age as well as its benefits. Sir, moving more directly to the knowledge-based economy and to the tax changes to encourage innovation, creativity and enterprise, I would like to ask the Minister whether the changes to the tax system are sufficient to stimulate the e-commerce sector, amongst other things. One of the major changes which he mentioned, for example, relates to the income tax concession for royalty payments. The exemption from tax of 90% of gross royalties received, of course, is a very significant concession. It applies to authors and composers who get royalties from publishers, but now extended to royalties received from recording, film or drama companies in Singapore. As for inventors and innovators, the income derived from approved inventions, etc, would now be extended to non-manufacturing sectors and to foreigners. Being taxed at only 10% of gross royalties is indeed a most stimulating consideration. However, I have one problem relating to product innovation.”
“This includes Health, Community Development and Sports, Information and the Arts, Environment and Public Housing, not an insubstantial amount, but one feels may be legitimately increased, given the economic prosperity of the nation. But what is the reason in pursuing economic prosperity if not to improve the quality of life for one's people? Crude though this comparison might be, it coincides, I think, with the public perception that more can be done with respect to the goals relating to the quality of life as compared, say, with the economic well-being or the national security of the country. Many Members in this House have already spoken of the ways and means whereby we in Singapore can improve the quality of life of those who live here. But I wish to echo the calls of many Members that more funds should be allocated to the Ministries that are involved in quality of life development - Ministries such as Community Development and Sports, Information and the Arts, as well as Health and Environment. The general point that I would like to emphasise here is that we probably should expect more to be spent on improving the quality of life in Singapore and, in particular, to ensure that no segment of our society be left out of this so-called fast, speedy Internet world. In our preoccupation with the need to pursue a knowledge-based economy, whatever that is, with Internet speed, whatever that is, is, of course, desirable. Government initiatives for technopreneurship to flourish in Singapore is laudable. The demands of globalisation and the knowledge-based economy however do not just exact a change in mindset among our population or training, but indeed require also a change in perspective for both young and old. It is very fundamental that this happens.”
“The pursuit of all these goals is revealed in the way in which expenditure is allocated. The Budget signals a relative importance of these goals as reflected in the Budget outlays allocated to each Ministry. Currently, the expenditure summary has four sectors: security, social and community services, economic and infrastructural development and general services. Security includes Defence, Home Affairs and Civil Defence. It takes up 5.79% of GDP. Next, social and community services include Education, Health, Community Development and Sports, Information and the Arts, Environment and Public Housing. This takes up 6.93% of GDP. The economic and infrastructural development includes National Development, Communications and Information Technology, Trade and Industry, Manpower, Research and Development. This takes up 3.54% of GDP. General Services take up 1.26% of GDP. If one were to look at this table, one would say that social and community services rank the highest in terms of expenditure. But on closer examination, we find that Defence takes up the highest percentage of GDP, followed by Education, Public Housing, Communications and Information Technology, Trade and Industry and Home Affairs. All these Ministries have expenditure budgets ranging from 1.09% of GDP to 4.48% of GDP. The budgets for Community Development and Sports, Information and the Arts and Environment together constitute no more than 1.19% of GDP, and Health takes up only 0.73% of GDP. If we say that the quality of life is determined by living conditions, the environment and encouraging the arts, we find that the expenditure budget for this amounts to only around 3.34% of GDP.”
“Many who have heard the good news expected the Budget to contain more good news for the individuals as well as for corporations. In the Minister's own words, 1999 was a year of remarkable economic turnaround and the Asian crisis is largely behind us. More importantly, more than half of those retrenched in 1998 went back to the workforce. Asset prices rebounded strongly, stock markets saw strong rallies, consumer spending increased significantly, prospects are bright, the expected budget surplus is $3.2 billion in financial year 1999. It may not yet be the best of times, but is certainly far from the worst of times. Singaporeans can say that they have entered the new century with hope, at least with regard to our economic well-being. There is no question that the economic well-being or the prosperity of a country is an important goal for any country. But there are other goals that any first world country will aim for. One would be a high quality of life, in terms of good housing, pleasant neighbourhood and environment, vibrant cultural life, arts, music literature and other forms of entertainment, and a good variety of quality sporting activities. Then there is the goal of human security, by which I mean protection, not just against crime, but also against being abandoned or destitute in old age, against poverty, against ill-health and of course protection not just for the workers against accidents at work, but also for families of those disabled workers. We may add the goal of inter-generational protection, that is, ensuring our children must also have a good education, opportunities for advancement when they reach working age. Finally, there is the all-important goal of national security, which is the defence against external threats.”
“Members of this House take their job very seriously and file many cuts in order to probe and query how Ministers intend to use public funds. It is therefore not just about feedback to Ministers. Ms Chua will, I am sure, be gratified to know that everyone, including Ministers, is on e-mail and that we do send messages to Ministers. But she must also know that there must be public debate on such an important matter as the Budget, unless she and the public are satisfied with government behind closed doors. As for a full-blown debate, I think it depends on what that means. We have never been very inclined to full passionate exchanges, except occasionally. But it does not mean that there was no debate on the other occasions as a sedate debate is still a debate. Finally, let me come to the main point of Ms Chua's commentary whether 10 days are necessary. Let me put it this way. If Ms Chua was a Member down here with us in this Chamber, and if her cuts were the last in line, as mine are in one case, she would wish the debate was longer than 10 days when the guillotine comes down. I hope that Ms Chua would take the opportunity to state that she does value the importance of public debate in Parliament and an essential element of parliamentary democracy in Singapore. I hope her comments are not intended to belittle the efforts of Members of this House, the effort that we have put into this annual Budget debate. Now, Mr Speaker, may I return somewhat nervously to my speech on the Budget debate. Sir, I support the motion standing in the name of the Minister for Finance. As the new century dawns, we in Singapore are fortunate enough to find the economy turning around for the better. Indeed, as the Minister has pointed out, it is a V-shaped recovery, not an U-shaped one.”
“com companies are in danger of falling apart but the ability to sort out the genuine ones from the purely speculative ones is important for those who intend to venture into this business, both as entrepreneurs and investors. This new millennium will bring about some very exciting time for Singapore and I congratulate the Government and the people of Singapore for so successfully turning the economic crisis around. It says a lot for our Government's pragmatic policy and the will of our people to be united when a crisis confronts us. But I would wish that at times, the Government can be a bit more generous and understanding and ensure that whenever they extend a lifeline to those who needed it, they should go all the way to ensure a safe landing. Assoc. Prof. Chin Tet Yung (Sembawang): Sir, before I begin, may I have your permission to address the House on an article in today's Straits Times by Ms Chua Lee Hoong entitled, "Do we really need 10 days to debate Budget?" Sir, the short answer to Ms Chua is yes, and it is not enough. But let me first address some of Ms Chua's points which I am sure are well-intentioned, if somewhat mistaken at times. Ms Chua is an experienced reporter of Parliamentary proceedings, but she displays, in this instance, a misunderstanding of what Parliament is about. She must be aware that Parliament is the public face of democracy and that the executive is constitutionally accountable to Parliament. Such accountability, like justice, must not only be there but seen to be there. The Budget each year involves billions of dollars of public expenditure. This is the only occasion when Parliament has the opportunity to examine closely the programmes of each Ministry and how it proposes to use the funds allocated to it.”
“Our younger generation has not experienced very severe setbacks. Now they are being presented with a rosy picture on how one can become a success overnight and bombarded with the constant vast exposure of how much opportunities are open to everyone who dares to venture into the Internet business. They may be misled into unrealistic expectation that success comes easily to those who try. The reality is far from that, for every successful IT technopreneur, thousands fall by the roadside. While there is no doubt that the future lies in IT and Internet business, we must prepare our younger generation for the likelihood of failure so that if they encounter failure, their lives would not be shattered but they will have perseverance and courage to stand up and fight again. More importantly, the Government has the duty to give the necessary balanced information to remind these adventurous young entrepreneurs on the shortfall of such undertakings. I remember years ago when the Government encouraged Singaporeans to have a second wing by investing overseas, many responded. Some succeeded, but many failed and ended up blaming the Government's vigorous drive in encouraging them to go overseas. Perhaps at that time, we have painted too rosy a picture of opportunities lying beyond our shores and without, at the same time, pointing out the high-risk factor involved in such ventures. Therefore, many have found out about failure in a very painful way. There are already signs that the euphoria of the spectacular result achieved by some of the IT listed companies are fading and consequently, many investors will be hurt very badly. It does not mean that all IT dot.”
“I hope the Minister can find some ways to allocate more funds to ensure that the work of the Construction 21 Committee will not be another White Paper that will turn into an academic study, gathering dust in some storage space in the Ministry. Many MPs have also brought up the importance of keeping up with the IT, Internet age and that we have to allocate more resources to develop an IT industry which can make us into a global player in the information age. While I completely agree that IT and Internet development would have a greater impact on our lives than the industrial revolution and that we ignore it at our own peril, I want to sound a word of caution on our policy to nurture a new breed of entrepreneurs who dare to venture into the IT industry. Measures such as the opening up of the stock market for listing start-up IT companies, as well as the various measures and incentives given to encourage venture capital to support IT start-up technopreneurs are most welcome, but we must highlight, at the same time, that this IT business is a very volatile undertaking, one whose future is highly unpredictable and full of swift changes. I have come across a documentary on Silicon Valley in the United States. It is said to be a place where some of the richest people are found but, at the same time, it is also a place where many of the poorest congregate. The soup kitchens where down and out people in the United States get a free meal are well patronised in the Valley, and in the interview, many down and out aspirants stated that they have lost everything within months of their arrival in the Valley. I have highlighted this because in Singapore, we have enjoyed steady economic progress throughout the last 30-40 years.”
“Some years ago, when the quality of our finishing was so deplorable, the authority recommended that contractors who have obtained a project of a certain size must employ a certain number of skilled craftsmen, otherwise, they would have to pay a levy or fine for every shortfall in the number required. If I remember correctly, it was about $5,000 for each skilled craftsman. So the contractors went to source from Hong Kong the necessary skilled craftsmen. But when they came, after working for a few months, they practically refused to work and just laze around. When queried by the project manager, they calmly retorted, saying that the manager should not complain for even though they did not do any work by just sitting around, the contractors still saved a sum of $3,000 because their wages were only $2,000. This is the Hongkonger's street-smartness for you. No wonder we lost the SingTel deal! This little story illustrates the complexity and the intricacies of the industry and to implement successfully the recommendations by the Construction 21 Committee is no simple task. It will need constant review and monitoring and close supervision and, above all, manpower and financial resources. The responsibility to ensure the successful implementation of all these recommendations is under the charge of the Building and Construction Authority in the Ministry of National Development which I notice has been allocated a sum of $18.9 million for the fiscal year 2000. To execute this task of transforming our construction industry from the worst economic performer to a highly competitive global industry, this amount looks grossly inadequate, given the magnitude of the work involved and the importance of the building industry to our overall national economy.”
“While other industries make progress by leaps and bounds, the construction industry stays stagnant and is persistently plagued with numerous seemingly unsolvable problems. It is sad to see that, in Singapore, our building cost remains one of the highest compared to other developed countries, such as the US, Europe and Australia, and the time taken for completion of a project, one of the longest and, in terms of productivity, the lowest. These create a serious problem to our national economy as it is an industry that is considered a pillar to our domestic economy and contributes over 9% to our GDP in the year 1998. Therefore, I am greatly encouraged by the report submitted by the Construction 21 Steering Committee. The report is thorough and comprehensive. While I hope that this would lead to a new era in our construction industry, I remain cautiously optimistic. Through the years, many studies and proposed measures have been made to improve the industry but, sad to say, with very little success. Till today, the same problems faced by the industry throughout the years remain, and perhaps become more serious because of the rapid pace of development and the chronic manpower shortage. By going through the Construction 21 Report, I have no doubt the Committee has identified most of the problems arising from our construction industry and the 39 recommendations have just about covered all, if not most, of the problems that have been the cause of putting this industry in its present sorry state. But the most comprehensive recommendation on paper may not produce the desired result in practice. Let me tell you a story which has been told to me by some contractors.”
“Sir, yesterday, many MPs have already expressed their disappointment on the withdrawal of some of the rebates and concessions in this year's budget and the negative effect it has, especially on businesses which have been badly affected by the economic crisis. They need time and resources to recuperate despite the more than optimistic economic outlook. I therefore do not intend to elaborate except to reflect on how those who are affected must be feeling. It is like someone who is drowning and the lifeline is extended to him, but after he has been pulled out to the surface of the water, the lifeline is withdrawn and he has to struggle to swim ashore, that is provided he still has the strength to do so. The Government's reluctance to extend its assistance all the way to ensure the complete recovery runs contrary to the Government's pro-business stand and also not consistent with the Finance Minister's assertion that the manufacturing and service industries should remain the twin pillars of our growth engine. If confidence is the main thrust of business success, the latest cut in the rebates and concessions must have dealt a severe blow to the confidence that is so badly needed at this critical time of recovery. Sir, again, construction is the worst performer last year. While I am not overly concerned with the negative growth in the construction sector (they may be cyclical and with the economic recovery, I am sure robust growth will soon return) I am more concerned with the total lack of progress in the standard, quality and professionalism in our construction industry. Yesterday, many MPs have expressed that we must all operate business at Internet speed. Unfortunately, the progress of the construction industry is still moving at a snail's pace.”
“Sir, does the Minister really expect that just by educating the employers so that they could teach their maids how to clean high-rise windows, it would be effective? Secondly, the Minister said that the maid is not supposed to do such a dangerous job. But I think we all know that we cannot prevent employers from instructing their maids to do such a chore. Thirdly, the safety harness is not really that difficult to use. Apart from a safety harness, can the Minister suggest something concrete, apart from just advising the employers to ask their maids to be more careful? Is there any other way that can ensure the safety of the maids?”
“Under the new rules, if the grey area should be spotted and declared as non-compliance, the risk will be that they have to face additional costs, loss of use and also the possibility of withdrawal of the Fire Safety Certificate after the completion of fire safety works. Under the Bill, the Commissioner will go after the qualified person but, in actual fact, the cost and the loss of use of the premises are normally borne by the landlord. The latter may resist and delay the rectification work and cause the qualified person to commit the offence under subsection (9). Could the Minister explain how the Bill will deal with these situations, as I have explained, so that no party involved could obstruct the measures taken in order to comply with the specific notice issued by the Commissioner? In the case of demolition and removal order under section 30, it will be served to the landlord or the tenant if the building had already been issued with a temporary fire certificate. However, the order is actually served to the qualified person if the fire safety works are in progress. For the latter, in my view, the landlord and the tenant should also be served with a similar order because they are likely to be the party causing obstruction to the action in compliance with the demolition and removal order. In section 30B, it is mentioned that a premises could be issued with a closure order and the order could be lifted later. There is no mention about why a closure order is issued and on what grounds the order will be lifted. Could the Minister explain the rationale behind the closure order in section 30B? Sir, I support the Bill.”
“The amended section 6A(7) states that in the absence of the Chairman of an Inquiry Committee, the Commissioner will appoint an acting Chairman. Section 6B(3) states that all the members of the Inquiry Committee must be present in order to constitute a quorum of the Inquiry Committee. I would like to ask whether there is any conflict between these two clauses. The amendment focuses on the issue of investigation of complaint against the RI and whether he is guilty under the Act. However, the Act is silent on the complainant. Should the complainant also be subject to some form of punishment if he makes a frivolous complaint against a RI without any reasonable ground? This will prevent people from taking advantage of the Act to go against any RI. The new section 23(4) is the implementation of the self-declaration for fire safety work by a qualified person. The Commissioner will approve the submission plan immediately without checking. This is a positive measure to speed up application work and could save a lot of money for the landlord who is desperate for time to carry out construction or renovation work. This measure places trust on the qualified person and also puts a very heavy responsibility on him. This is because the qualified person designs the work based on the code of practice. This kind of code will not be exhaustive in the coverage of all aspects of the work involved. Sometimes, it is subject to interpretation when there should be a grey area. In the older system, the qualified person will wait for approval. Otherwise, it is amended in accordance with a list of approved conditions.”
“Both the business cost and the professional fee could only be lowered to an extent, where minimum standards of the safety specifications are still achievable, below which they will all breach the Fire Safety Act and will be punishable under the Act. The Act must therefore be crafted in a way with sufficient deterrent measures which are effective enough to deter any person from violating the Fire Safety Regulations. These amendments spell out the type of punishment and disciplinary action against the Registered Inspector, qualified person and the landlord. In the case of the Registered Inspector, the newly added punishment for written warning, short-term suspension and the imposed $5,000 penalty by the Commissioner of Civil Defence Force are commendable. The penalties imposed range from low to high to deal with the different degrees of severity in breaching the fire safety requirements. We do not need to wait for an error or violation to be so great that a person should be punishable under the Professional Engineers Act or the Architects Act with a fine of up to $50,000 and to be struck off from the register. With this new measure, the incorporation of a minor penalty, the Registered Inspector has to be careful, regardless of the size and nature of the work. By doing so, the RI has to be more thorough in his work and he will exercise care, even though it is a small job and with a small fee of only a few hundred dollars. I would like to ask the Minister, when a person is penalised under this particular minor punishment by the Commissioner of Civil Defence Force, is the person also subjected to the disciplinary action under the Professional Engineers Act and the Architects Act.”
“Finally, I would like to request the Minister to look into an area which is not covered in this Amendment Bill. Under the old system, the developer has to pay a sizeable plan fee for the plans to be processed. It is justified because much time and effort has to be made by the FSB to process all the plans submitted. However, now that the system has been streamlined and no vetting of plans is needed and no administration time is required, I hope that the Minister can consider adjusting the plan fee accordingly. Besides, under the new system, a fee has to be paid for an appeal for waiver is submitted anyway. Therefore, it is only appropriate that the plan fee required under the old system be reviewed. Sir, I support the Bill. Assoc. Prof. Low Seow Chay (Chua Chu Kang): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the motion. Before I proceed, I would like to declare my interest. I am one of the qualified persons mentioned in the Bill. Sir, fire safety is one of the important issues for buildings, especially for public buildings, because there is risk of life in the event of a fire. To ensure fire safety work to be properly designed, built and maintained, the Fire Safety professional, the qualified persons, the Registered Inspector and the landlord must do their part to comply with the Fire Safety Act and the related Code of Practice. It is not uncommon for people to violate fire safety regulations. Just during the last Christmas shopping season, the Singapore Civil Defence Force had found that some shopping centres did not comply with the fire safety requirement. Sir, in a free market economy like Singapore, businessmen try to save cost and professionals try to be competitive, and lower their professional fees.”
“If the Fire Safety Bureau or SCDF has found that a portion of the building which is built according to the submitted plans cannot be accepted due to the different interpretation of a certain clause in the Fire Code, the Commissioner can under section 30A order the affected part of the building to be demolished or removed. It may sometimes create an impossible situation as it is very difficult to do so in order to comply with the new SCDF requirement, especially if it is a high-rise building. To illustrate, let me give you an example. If the interpretation of the provision of minimum distance between two staircases differs, as it is subject to other considerations such as provision of external ventilation, provision of fire doors, etc, and if the final decision by the SCDF is that the distance falls short of the requirement, then it will be a very difficult situation for the owner as it may not only be extremely costly to do any rectification at that stage, but it sometimes may not be practical to do so. Although there is a provision for an aggrieved person to make an appeal to the Minister under section 30C, it may be too late to dispute who has the correct interpretation, and usually the FSB or the SCDF will win. Therefore, it would be most important that we ensure that the Fire Code is so clear and precise that it leaves no room for different interpretation. At this point, I must commend that the SCDF and the Institute of Architects have put in tremendous work in drafting the handbook which addresses most of these grey areas in the Fire Code. But there should be constant review of the Code to ensure that no ambiguity, especially those involving critical areas, is left unresolved.”
“In safeguarding that there is no abuse to the new procedure under the same section, new subsection 23(6) provides that - "The Commissioner may at any time revoke any approval granted in respect of any plans of fire safety works - (a) under subsection (2) (a), if he is satisfied that any information given in the application for approval or any document submitted to the Commissioner in respect of the application for approval is false in a material particular, and (b) under subsection (4), if he is satisfied that the written declaration submitted by the qualified person referred to in that subsection is false." While I think that this safeguard is necessary, and although the Fire Safety Bureau and the Singapore Institute of Architects have worked very hard in refining the grey area in the Fire Code, there will always be problems arising out of the different interpretation of the Code and not due to the qualified person (QP) intentionally producing false information or trying to violate the Code. Even though the FSB officers have been very cooperative in granting pre-consultation to the professionals, there may still be areas where interpretation of the Fire Code differs. And if this surfaces after the building is completed, it will have serious and irreversible consequences, as it is stated in the new section 30A wherein the Commissioner can order the demolition, removal, etc. of unauthorised fire safety work, if he deems that the building built has not conformed to regulations laid down by the Fire Code. These include cases where the plan has been certified by the QP and accepted by the SCDF during submission stage. So, when the building is completed, an application is made for the Fire Safety Certificate.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first, I declare myself as a practising architect. I support the Bill. In the past, it has always been a long and tedious process for the professionals to obtain building plan clearance from the Fire Safety Bureau. Usually it takes up to two to three months or maybe even longer. It was due to the differences in the interpretation of grey areas in the Fire Code, resulting in time spent vetting the plans in detail and the to-and-fro discussions between the professionals and the Fire Safety officers. With the introduction of the amendment of section 23, new subsection 23(4), "Where an application for approval of the plans of fire safety works under subsection (1) is accompanied by a written declaration by the qualified person who prepared the plans declaring that the plans have been prepared in accordance with the Fire Code adopted under section 55, and the provisions of this Act and any regulations made thereunder, the Commissioner may, without checking the plans, approve the plans on the basis of the written declaration by the qualified person.", this results in the time taken to approve the plans to be shortened to less than a week. This dramatic improvement is due to the doing away with the time-wasting and tedious process necessary in the old system of vetting and checking through every plan submitted. I must commend the tremendous effort put in by the Fire Safety Bureau and the Singapore Institute of Architects in working out all the details and safeguards that make this new submission procedure possible.”
“We have read about extreme bravery in battle. But it was usually not the physical strength that made the soldier fight above his limit, but his courage and total commitment to his country that gave him his strength. Therefore, while it is important for us to focus on people development and social cohesion and religious harmony, ensuring the sharing of wealth by everyone, most importantly, we have to instill loyalty and patriotism in every Singaporean. We must make everyone understand what is meant by the Chinese words guo jia ( ); xian you guo, hou you jia ( ). It means that our country must come first before our home. If our country falls, our home no longer exists. To ensure continuous existence of Singapore to have material possession, a good life alone cannot motivate our people to stay and defend our country when threatened. The fulfilment of the Singapore dream cannot ensure unquestionable loyalty to our nation, because this dream can turn into a nightmare when things go wrong, and it can from time to time, no matter how well we govern ourselves and how carefully we plan for the future, as Singapore is extremely vulnerable to external factors. Therefore, we must develop a national pride and love for our land. We must make everyone proud to be a Singaporean. It is this emotional attachment that could distinguish us as a nation of patriots from a nation of immigrants, who may feel tempted to move on if they find that the pasture on the other side of the fence is greener. Only then when we are faced with adversity, we will all stand up and fight and not pack up and go. Sir, I support the motion. ADJOURNMENT OF DEBATE Resolved, That the debate be now adjourned. - [Mr Wong Kan Seng].”
“If a similar situation of what occurred in East Timor, Bosnia or Kuwait somehow happens to us, will our people be able to pull together and fight to the end? The Government has through the years consciously promoted a sense of belonging and love of our nation. It has provided every Singaporean a stake in our country. It has helped everyone own a home and shares in Government-owned companies, and give everyone equal opportunities to make a success in life. All this, in the hope that every Singaporean takes root in our country. But Singapore's history is still very young. Will the people be as vulnerable as the "instant" trees we planted throughout the island to transform Singapore into a Garden City in such a short time? For although they have grown fast and beautiful, as those that take years to mature, the moment of truth comes when a thunder storm strikes. Many of these instant trees fall because much as they look big and lush, the roots are not deep and the branches are brittle. They have not passed the test of time as those which took years to grow. Have our Singaporeans, who have only experienced a few decades of nationhood, developed strong branches and deep roots to withstand any onslaught crisis, be it economic, political or religious, or worse of all, an invasion by an over-ambitious neighbour? This will still remain a very big question mark. Although it is comforting to note that we have a strong SAF which possesses the most advanced weapon and equipment, as well as a well-trained fighting force, ultimately it is not the weapon or even the well-trained soldiers alone that can win the war. Throughout history we have known many battles had been won by a lesser number of men and weapons, and through an indomitable will to fight.”
“But the sign of recovery is still at an early stage and from now on, everything is still fluid. Nobody can be sure of which direction it would turn, although there are positive signs that recovery is well on its way. Some unexpected turn of events can change the whole situation. All in all, even the most optimistic forecast can only be that the crisis is well over. But the light we see at the end of the tunnel is still very dim. Although Singapore has always been said to be the least affected by the crisis, and because of our good governance and planning, we will be able to take off faster than any of our neighbours. There remains some very difficult times ahead. The projection of GDP growth is not widespread. Many sectors, such as construction and many categories in manufacturing, are still experiencing negative growth. And with an uncertain regional as well as global outlook, we need to be cautiously optimistic. The business outlook, especially in the private sector, is not that rosy. Not at the moment anyway. But it is important for us to be more pragmatic and remain vigilant, and not place our expectation too high. The President's timely reminder of the importance of developing our people and strengthening our social bonds must be taken most seriously. Although we have experienced some economic and social hiccups in the past, especially during our early turbulent years, for the past 15 or 20 years, generally we have lived a peaceful and secure life. The few problems we have experienced are relatively minor and nowhere near crisis proportion. So are we prepared for a major crisis, as that had befallen some unfortunate countries in the world? As a nation, how would we react to this crisis situation?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, first, I wish to thank the President for his inspiring Address. It should give all Singaporeans a reaffirmed sense of comfort and confidence, after we have experienced one of our worst economic crises since independence. It is good to be assured that Singapore has emerged stronger and more united. But, although we have reasons to be optimistic about the economic outlook, I feel we should not be too euphoric and lulled into a false sense of security. We have to keep a more balanced perspective of the present economic situation. Let us not forget that less than a year ago, the economic outlook of our region was going through a dark tunnel with no light in sight. And now, hardly a year later, we are charged with anticipation and optimism. The share and property market has made more than a significant recovery. The positive sentiment has returned. The expectation is getting higher and higher - increase in CPF points, increase in wages, higher year-end bonus. In short, there is much jubilation and contentment in the air. But let us pause for a moment and make a more sombre assessment, and ask ourselves: Has the economic fundamental changed that much? Has the economic situation of our neighbouring countries truly recovered? Is the future as bright as we make up to be? Perhaps we have been too much influenced by the speed of the recovery and the mainly sentiment-driven projection. The reality remains that trouble is still brewing in the region. The situation in East Timor can be classified as unpredictable, at best. And the outlook of the Indonesian presidential election is still uncertain. The same can be said of the Malaysian election. The economic decline of the Philippines and the rest of ASEAN, including Korea and Japan, has only been arrested.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill. I think it is timely to introduce some control on the fixing of air-conditioners in HDB estates. It is indeed a frightening thought of an air-conditioning unit falling down from a 10-storey flat and hitting someone below. The accident is bound to be fatal. The requirement for the installation of an air-conditioning unit by trained workers is a move in the right direction. However, that alone will not be able to ensure that the unit is installed according to the required specifications, notwithstanding that a report has to be made after the installation. Some form of inspection has to be made in order that the installation requirement be followed. I think the HDB and town councils are in the best position to provide this safeguard. Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to request the Senior Parliamentary Secretary to consider looking into two other aspects, apart from ensuring the structural soundness of the installation of air-conditioners. First, noise pollution. Very often, air-conditioners, if not properly fixed or due to its age and lack of maintenance, will generate tremendous noise and vibration. This will invariably be a nuisance to the adjoining flats, especially to those without air-conditioners and have to sleep with their windows open. Secondly, drainage problem. A lot of air-conditioning units are not provided with proper drainage, ie, provision of a tray to drain off water, resulting in water splashing onto the flat below them, especially units which are not properly maintained. I hope that some form of control and regulatory measures are introduced to address these two very widespread problems. Sir, I support the Bill.”
“As registered architects and engineers assume full responsibility for all their undertakings, whether they are executed by them personally or with the help of their assistant architects or engineers, and whose employment does not require approval from their respective Boards even though they also perform field work on behalf of the professionals, why then is approval from the Land Surveyors Board be required for the employment of assistant surveyors? I hope the Minister of State can further comment on this point.”
“The mistake, quoted by the Minister of State, on the erroneous survey of the two rows of terrace houses will be pale in comparison to the mistake made on a high-rise multi-million dollar project. The amount of money involved would be enormous. It is argued that, in cases like this, there is recourse for the aggrieved party to turn to common law. However, apart from the legal dispute, there is also the question of professional liability and accountability for negligence. Therefore, it is important that all practising surveyors be governed by a regulatory board that oversees these practitioners, similar to that of the architects and engineers. Like any other such changes, there will be people who would be affected in the transition. I am glad that the Minister of State is moving an amendment to allow those who are caught, ie, those without sufficient qualification, to seek an opportunity to upgrade themselves so that they can be qualified for registration. The present surveying course in the university will only require four years to complete. Therefore, I believe that those experienced practitioners in the present surveying firms would have the necessary experience and skills to upgrade themselves and be able to pass the prescribed examination after attending the three-year part-time courses in the Singapore Polytechnic. I am also glad that the Singapore Polytechnic has provided this part-time Advanced Diploma course to cater to these surveyors. However, despite the Minister of State's explanation, I am still not convinced by the provision in clause 16A that assistant surveyors must be approved by the Board before they are being employed.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill. This amendment brings the practice of land surveyors in line with all the other professionals like the architects and engineers. In the past, architects and engineers used to have two different classes. They used to have Class 2 registered architects who consist primarily of those who have worked in the profession mainly as draughtsmen for many years. They have not gone through any formal training but have gained sufficient knowledge and experience to undertake simple architectural work. At that time, building projects were relatively small and simple. But as Singapore progresses and becomes a global city, building projects become larger, in terms of size as well as complexity. The demand and standard of architectural works have also become higher and higher. As a result, this class of architects has slowly been phased out and the registration for architects is now only confined to architects who are graduates from accredited universities with sufficient experience and have passed a professional practice examination. Therefore, it is timely for the land surveyors, whether they do title survey or non-title survey, to be subject to the same regulatory standard. As building projects become more and more complex, the skills and experience of surveyors doing non-cadastral surveys are just as demanding, if not more than cadastral surveys, because of the magnitude of the project size. For example, a mistake in the setting out of a building, whether in the siting or, more critically, in the dimension, will create serious legal and financial consequences.”
“This is significant as we want to have a genuine foreign talent to take root and flourish. A transient foreign talent cannot add much value to Singapore. I touch on this issue because, in order to give confidence to all Singaporeans, it is imperative that they should feel comfortable with the idea of foreign talent. In order to enable us all to achieve the goal of Singapore 21, we need talent and committed individuals, whether foreign or local. Given our limited human resources, we have no other alternative. Perhaps that is what made the United States a nation where most people around the world aspire to settle and chase the American dream. Perception is just as important as reality. If people perceive that the United States is a land of opportunity where dreams can be made to come true, then they would go there and make that as their final destination. We should set out to emulate and make Singapore a place where opportunity is abundant and those who dare to dream would be rewarded, a place where everyone, no matter how humble their background, can find their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and reach their goal in life. We will have our own Bill Gates, our own Michael Jordan and the success story of rags to riches. I must commend the Committee of Singapore 21 for coming out with such a comprehensive and far-reaching Report. As the objective of Singapore 21 is to harness the best ideas from every Singaporean, the Committee should continue to assist in gathering all the feedback from ongoing discussions, forums and seminars to ensure more ideas and contributions, to crystallise the agenda that will be the pathfinder to guide Singapore into the next millennium. Sir, I support the Minister's motion. 2.38 pm”
“Singapore 21 recognises that every Singaporean's contribution is important in the total scheme of bringing Singapore to the highest level that we can attain as a nation. The Singapore of the 21st century must be a country for everyone. It should offer the opportunity to everyone to fulfill their dreams at whatever level and in whatever situation they are fitted into. I support the idea of imbuing every Singaporean with a sense of belonging and that he is not being left out as a peripheral digit or that he is just a supporting cast in the drama of life. We must not marginalise the ordinary folks. Every citizen has something to contribute to our society and nation, whether at the highest office in the Government or just a humble hawker at the food centre. We need executives but, at the same time, we cannot ignore the contributions of clerical officers. We need engineers to keep things running smoothly, but we also need artists to feed the hearts and souls of our people. The satisfaction of achievement should be shared by all, CEOs and blue-collar ordinary workers alike. The concept of one working for the collective good of the entire nation is an empowering one and bears emphasising. Recently, there has been a lot of debate on foreign talent, but the issue here is not whether it is foreign or local. The operative word is "talent". In achieving the target of equal opportunity, no one should exploit this system, whether local or foreign. Real talent must always be recognised and utilised. Those who inflate the true worth under the guise of having talent, whether foreign or local, cannot be accepted. We should make Singapore a place where opportunities are given to those who set out to seek, work and to achieve.”
“It is, therefore, very important that while trying to emphasise the importance of turning out scholars and high academic achievers in our education policy, it should not be so rigidly structured that those individuals who, for whatever reason, whether the lack of opportunities to attend a good school or those who have been affected by family problems in their childhood and, as a result, were unable to attain good academic qualifications at a young age, are written off as non-achievers. By doing so, we shut them out as potentially important contributors to our nation's progress and the Singapore 21 vision. I believe, in Singapore, anyone who has the aspiration can have his ambition fulfilled. I personally had to overcome great odds to complete my secondary as well as my tertiary education, not so much academically, but I had to overcome extreme difficult circumstances beyond my control, such as bad timing and having missed out on the opportunity to go to a good and decent school or a top university. Yet, I was able to overcome all the odds and stayed focused to pursue my own dream. I can remember vividly once the whole class was asked what we aspired to be in the future. When I said that I wanted to be an architect, my form teacher sarcastically said that I was dreaming an impossible dream. In a way, I did succeed in fulfilling that dream. For that, I have to consider myself fortunate to have chosen Singapore as my home and that gives me the opportunity to be what I am today. At the present time, so much emphasis has been placed on education. I believe that very few of our younger generation will have to go through what I have gone through to obtain their academic qualification, and finding their place in the sun.”
“However, it would be a big mistake to ignore the fact that there are many successful individuals who have not been known to achieve academic excellence and yet have been able to excel in their chosen fields. History has proven that outstanding achievers are not necessarily top academic achievers. Notable examples are Einstein, Edison and Winston Churchill. Bill Gates was an average Harvard student who dropped out of school to start his own enterprise. More revealing is that in the Fortune 500, very few CEOs are actually scholars. In fact, quite a number of them were high school dropouts. In Singapore, we have numerous examples, such as technopreneur Sim Wong Hoo, banker Lien Ying Chow and entrepreneur Kwek Hong Png. They cannot be classified as top academic achievers but nevertheless, they have been extremely successful in what they were or are doing. This is because, to achieve success, knowledge alone is not sufficient. It is talent, creativity, perseverance and, above all, a burning desire and passion to succeed. These are elements that drive a person ever forward to fulfill his dreams. In fact, looking at our financial, industrial and business sectors, many individuals who make tremendous contributions in driving Singapore forward are not people with high academic qualifications from top universities all over the world, but many make up the lack of formal education by perseverance, creativity and a passion to succeed in whatever they do.”
“The world has never had so much to offer to an individual in terms of technological advancement that affects almost all aspects of our lives. Also, we are living in one of the most stable and most peaceful periods in our history. This is especially true in Singapore where we are moving into an era of great opportunities and excitement, the result of many painstaking formative years of nation building. I am a product of the 20th century and I consider myself extremely fortunate that my most formative and productive years coincide with the Singapore success story within the past three decades. It has been most exciting and fulfilling, but I am convinced that the success story is only at the beginning. We have arrived at the base camp. We still have the highest peak to reach. Singapore 21 provides the direction. We have to possess the courage, stamina and, above all, determination to reach our final destination. The policy of meritocracy has worked well for Singapore. The concept of drawing out the best to lead Singapore, whether in the Government or in the civil service, cannot and should not be faulted and should continue to be so. However, in the past, identifying the best has always been through assessment of their academic excellence. Generally speaking, I have no qualms about that. However, Singapore is a very small country. We must harness every one with potential to contribute and although, by and large, if one attains high academic excellence, in other words, if he or she becomes a scholar, it is logical to consider that he possesses a certain high level of intelligence and ability to excel in his various undertakings.”
“Sir, ten years ago, the Prime Minister set an agenda in "The Next Lap" for Singapore to work towards in nation building. Despite the economic crisis, we can consider that the lap has been completed in record time. On the 24th of last month, the Prime Minister launched Singapore 21 to set the vision of a shared perspective of what Singaporeans want, as a nation, to become in the next millennium. While in the last three decades, the engine that drove Singapore forward was provided by the Government, the Singapore 21 aims to have every Singaporean as a participating factor, so that they will be the co-motivators in deciding what direction our country should move towards. There will be many discussions and debates in the next few months on this very ambitious but nevertheless essential exercise. All this is necessary if we desire to continue our success in bringing ourselves forward to become one of the most advanced global cities in the world. We will aspire not only to attain a high standard of living, but also become a culturally and intellectually rich advanced country. In the global context, the timing cannot be more critical as well as more exciting. The world-wide changes we have seen and are currently experiencing are so phenomenal that one is hard put to predict what sort of a world we will be living in, say, 10 to 20 years' time. The acceleration of change, especially in the last decade, has been so rapid that the state of the world affairs has far surpassed what the futuristic author, Alvin Toffler, had envisioned in his then ground-breaking and revolutionary book, Future Shock. Singaporeans of this generation are very fortunate.”
“This is because of the safeguards built into the Act that every case will be reviewed by the Advisory Committee consisting of people from all walks of life, from senior members of the Bar, professionals, Justices of Peace, academics, etc, to ensure that the decision is made by a cross-section of prominent citizens after a thorough review. However, I would like to ask the Minister whether the review report can be disclosed upon request, if necessary, to ensure that the whole process is truly transparent, thus eliminating any doubt whatsoever in the manner of administering the Act, and whether the identity of the persons who are appointed to this Advisory Committee could be made public, so as to lay to rest any doubt that the Act can be abused. With this, I support the Bill.”
“Again, it is a well established fact that because of the depth of influence and the intimidating tactics these secret societies employ on the ordinary citizens are so effective, very often no witnesses are willing or dare to come forward to testify and therefore even if they are caught and every evidence points to their guilt, the culprit will often be set free. Perhaps one of the most illustrative examples of this is in the case of the famous American gangster, Al Capone. Everyone in America knew that he was the most notorious criminal controlling almost the whole underground during the prohibition period. Despite all the efforts by the most powerful law enforcement agencies in the US, including the FBI, CIA, Police, DA, at the end, they could only succeed in convicting him on a lesser charge under the IRA Act. Therefore, I have no doubt that in order to ensure a peaceful and safe environment in which our citizens' well-being is protected, the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act has to continue to be one of the very important law enforcement tools to be used against such criminals. I fully support the new section 46A in the Amendment Bill. It is only logical that the CNB officers should be given the same powers conferred upon a police officer, so that they can carry out their duties in dealing with drug offenders with greater efficiency and effectiveness. For those who argue that there may be abuse of such Act on the innocent, so far, it has not been proven that any person has been detained arbitrarily or wrongfully.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill. Singapore has always been recognised as one of the safest cities to live in. We have been enjoying a relatively low crime rate and free from any major organised crime activities. This fact has been acknowledged by almost any visitor who is living in or visited our country. It is because our Government takes the maintenance of public safety, peace and good order in Singapore seriously. We come down hard on criminals, although our policy in crime and punishment may have drawn some criticisms from the west. We have never apologised for our stand to punish criminals severely in order to protect victims. It is a well known fact that some major crimes such as drug trafficking, gambling, prostitution are secret society related. Although the menace of secret societies has been under control since the 60s and 70s, we must, however, be vigilant to ensure that they are kept under control at all times, as we face constant threat that their activities may surface not only from within but from the surrounding region. It is not unknown that from time to time, our police have detected importation of such secret society activities from as far as Hong Kong and Taiwan. It is important to have secret societies under control in order to keep major crime rates low. The Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act has to be extended because of its effectiveness in dealing with persons associated with secret societies, drug trafficking and other subversive activities. Some may argue and ask why our courts cannot deal with such criminals.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head M of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code MC 1500. Sir, year after year, I have spoken on this subject. But unfortunately, the dengue fever cases are always on the increase. Once again, I would be brief. I wonder whether we should accept this because I have been assured that the Ministry has done its best and this increase is a world phenomenon. I would like to make two points. One of the more effective ways to reduce the breeding activities is by fogging. Nowadays, the Ministry only does it when there is a complaint. Can I ask the Ministry whether it can have a fixed schedule to do it regularly? The second point I would like to make is that the increase in dengue cases reported in Singapore is mainly in the HDB estates nowadays and it seems that the trend is going upwards. I understand that the Town Council of Marine Parade is working very closely with the Environment Ministry and they have achieved some success. Does the Ministry have a plan to involve all the town councils in Singapore so that they can benefit from this close cooperation? I hope that, next year, I do not have to bring up this subject again.”
“Sir, indeed, a long-term solution would be to prevent heavy vehicles from being able to exceed specified speed limits in the first place. LTA and Traffic Police are currently studying the feasibility of putting speed limiting devices to heavy vehicles. The speed limiter will prevent the vehicle from going beyond a specified speed no matter how hard the driver steps on the accelerator and this will be introduced, if found feasible. On the other point, Sir, I thank Mr Kenneth Chen for his suggestion of requiring retailers to install electronic tags for their sale items. This is a good and useful suggestion. I will ask Police and the National Crime Prevention Council to study this proposal further with SRA. Mr Kenneth Chen Koon Lap: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $1,194,222,970 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $936,672,800 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head P -”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head Q of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code QC 1500. Sir, first of all, on juvenile delinquency, I want to bring up the issue of shoplifting. What is worrying is that it is not so much the increased number in shoplifting offences, but that when they are caught, they are quite defiant and do not seem to realise that this is a serious offence. In fact, what is worse is that when the parents were asked to go to the police station to take their son away, they became very defiant and scolded the police for troubling them for a mere few dollars of goods that had been stolen. This is not really good. It creates a great social problem and has to be checked in time. I would also suggest that the police encourages at least the major retail outlets to install a security system, such as bar-coding of goods, that will deter the would-be youth from committing shoplifting offence. On traffic offences, none of us have seen heavy vehicles travelling within the 50 km speed limit and heavy vehicles always cause fatal accidents. I would like to suggest that, instead of just the driver being suspended and given demerit points, the vehicle should also carry demerit points. They can be suspended for a period of time because the owner of the vehicle is affected by encouraging his driver to drive fast so that he can make more money. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: First, on traffic offences. Traffic Police has been working closely with the owners of heavy vehicles, I am told that these owners have been responsive to efforts to inculcate good driving behaviour in their drivers. Hence, it is not necessary at this stage to penalise the employers by suspending their vehicles because of the misconduct of their drivers.”
“Sir, the turmoil in neighbouring countries resulting from the economic crisis, especially the deteriorating situation in Indonesia, has given rise to Singaporeans worrying whether there would be a great influx of illegal immigrants coming to Singapore. These illegal immigrants not only disrupt our social stability, but also threaten the security of our country. From time to time, we learn from the newspapers that the Police have managed to detect and repatriate these illegal immigrants coming into our shores. But how many have successfully slipped through despite our tight security? As these illegal immigrants and their syndicates will come up with more and more ingenious methods to get into our country, perhaps it is time to deal with these syndicates caught in the act more severely. There is a Chinese saying that "without the head, the snake cannot move". So I think it is only right to disable the head of this syndicate so that these illegal immigrants would not have an avenue to come into Singapore. I would appreciate it if the Minister can give us an update of the situation. Firstly, where is the bulk of these illegal immigrants from? Secondly, which are the most vulnerable points of entry? Thirdly, which are the likely places where these illegal immigrants hide when they enter Singapore, and what plans have been formulated to ensure that our borders be closed to these intrusions?”
“I understand that the seminar was a great success and many grassroots organisations in the various constituencies have actually implemented some of these plans. I would therefore like the Minister to give us a brief account of the progress of the CFP and what is going to be its future direction. 1.15 pm One of the concerns from some of the grassroots leaders, ironically, is because of the success of this plan, they are worried that some of the responsibilities of the Police Force will be transferred to the CDC or the grassroots organisations. I hope the Minister would give an assurance that this is never the intention and will never be so. One other point is that although the CFP is well understood and received by the grassroots organisations, the public at large may not be so well informed. For the plan to work, we need every Singaporean to work together towards this objective. Therefore, I request that the Police should conduct more public talks and publicity so that the intention and objectives of the plan can reach out to every one. May I have the Minister's comments?”
“Sir, the fact that Singapore is considered one of the safest cities to live does not happen by chance. It is through the hard work and vision of the Home Team, especially our Police Force, who constantly upgrade themselves and implement new initiatives to fight crime and ensure that our citizens are well protected and our homes and properties secure. One of the major successes in the philosophy of our police work is community policing. The Ministry has scored a great success in the introduction of Neighbourhood Police Post and the Neighbourhood Watch programme. The introduction of the Community Focus Plan (CFP) has brought community policing to yet another dimension. The primary objective of the CFP initiative is to mobilise the community to play an active part in ensuring their own safety and security. The CFP has been initiated for slightly more than a year ago and already it has enjoyed some successes. One example is the problem Little India faced with the weekend congregation of foreign workers which had been resolved with the combined effort of the Tanglin Police Division, the Moulmein/Teck Kah Committee and the Moulmein/Teck Kah CCC. Last month, a seminar was organised by the Singapore Police Force and the People's Association on Community Focus Plan in which the Police and the various grassroots leaders examine the progress of the Community Focus Plan and see what is the next step to make the plan more effective. Many aspects of the plan have been discussed in detail. Some examples are the care and support programme for offenders' families, schemes extended to victims of serious and fatal traffic accidents, juvenile delinquency, drug prevention, civil defence, reintegrating of offenders and mediation of disputes, etc.”
“In the Sunday Times of 12th January 1999, Mr Matthias Yao was quoted to have said: "I applied for it and I was pushing for it. I am very happy that within a week of election results, the HDB has agreed to this." I would like to know from the Minister whether the sales of rental flats to tenants are also linked to election results. I request the HDB to sell the rental flats in Hougang Constituency to the tenants. The blocks that I request for consideration are as follows: (1) Blocks 8, 9, 10 and 25, Hougang Avenue 3; (2) Block 313, Hougang Avenue 5; and (3) Blocks 315 and 316, Hougang Avenue 7.”
“Sir, at present, applicants for HDB rental flats have to wait no less than two to three months for the flat, depending on the availability, as the number of rental flats is limited. However, during this time of economic difficulties, the number of applications must have increased significantly, as is indicated by the increased number of people who have approached me during my meet-the-people session. This means that the waiting list would be much longer. As those who require renting these flats are generally from the lower income family or individuals, the usual recommendation by the HDB is for them to rent a room from the private property or other HDB flat owners would not help as even such rentals are beyond their affordability. I would like to request the HDB to make available more rental flats at the present time to provide accommodation for those who need rental flats at this point of time. I am glad that the Minister has promised to be more flexible to those who encounter economic difficulties and have to sell their flats and look for rental flats and overcome their 30-month time bar. Finally, I would also like to ask whether it is possible for the Minister to consider to have some 3-room flats for rental as some of those who need to rent flats have a family of four to five persons. They could not possibly be packed into one or two room flats. Mr Low Thia Khiang: Sir, since June 1994, the HDB started selling rental flats to tenants. I would like to know how many such flats have been sold to-date and where are these flats located. I would also like to know what are the criteria for consideration under which these flats would be selected for sale to tenants.”
“Sir, during 1996 the waiting list for HDB flats had gone up to around 150,000. Since the start of the financial crisis, the number of applicants has declined rapidly. I understand that it is around 80,000 now. Because of the shorter waiting list and many have downgraded their flat type, some of the applicants have been advised to take possession of their flats earlier than scheduled. This presented a lot of problems for the applicants because when they made the application for the flat, they coincide the timing with the selling of their existing flat, especially those upgraders. And when they are asked to take possession of their flats earlier, some of them are unable to do so. They cannot sell their existing flat in time because of the time restriction and therefore cannot meet the financial obligation for their new flat. I hope that the HDB can look into this and make the necessary adjustments, so that the applicants can receive a more accurate hand-over date and enable them to make their change over to coincide with the HDB schedule. I would also like to ask the Minister what is the impact of such a decrease in number of units to be built on the HDB building programme. Would the scaling down affect the pricing of the flats, since the price of the flat takes into consideration the overall overhead and administration costs? And how did HDB forecast the number of flats to be built in such a time of uncertainty?”
“Sir, I have given the example of Hong Kong. If he wants another example, it is Russia.”