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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“Sir, the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme has been introduced many years ago. The formation of the Neighbourhood Watch Group, or NWG, has helped to deter crime, especially house-breaking in HDB housing estates. They have also worked closely with the Neighbourhood Police Post to ensure peace and security in the neighbourhood. During the launching of the NWG, a lot of publicity and projects have been initiated. However, during the last one or two years, since the whole Neighbourhood Watch Scheme is more or less in place, very little publicity and activities are being highlighted. I would like to know from the Minister whether the Ministry has continued to monitor the effectiveness of the scheme and whether it has any new programme to keep up the momentum of the Neighbourhood Watch Group. I would suggest that there should be updating and major improvement made. Since there are many new HDB estates being completed, the Police should re-activate the drive for the recruitment and the formation of new Neighbourhood Watch Groups as well as maintaining a high morale of the existing groups, so that they can continue to be an effective crime prevention component.”
“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, my colleague, Dr Arthur Beng, has spoken lengthily of the fact that Singapore is one of the safest cities in the world. Therefore, the low crime rate achieved again in 1992 is definitely not going to make any headline. The notion of personal safety has never been so sharply focused to me until my recent visit to Los Angeles. During my half-hour journey from the airport to the hotel, I hardly see anybody walking in the street. It was really eerie. I was told later by an American friend that it would take a very brave man, or a very stupid one, to walk in the street of Los Angeles after 7.00 pm. But we should be happy to be able to enjoy personal safety and well-being in our own city all the time. We should maintain our alertness and vigilance against the would-be criminals. Therefore, I would like the Minister to assure us that our Police Force would receive the best possible support in both facilities and manpower. It should be equipped with the latest state-of-the-art crime detection equipment. 2.15 pm On recruitment of talent, I would ask the Ministry to take a cue from the SAF in offering competitive incentives such as abundance of scholarships and good promotion prospects to induce our top talent into the Force. Sir, can I go on to the next cut?”
“The proposed tax cut on corporate tax and personal income tax and all other tax incentives to encourage overseas ventures are of great help to our entrepreneurs. However, it is apparent that there is no way for us to compete purely on cost. To give an example, last month the hon. Member, Mr Ho and myself, visited Vientiane. The Laotian Government assigned two doctors to accompany us during our visit. We asked them how much they are paid, and we were informed that their monthly pay is US$30, and maybe US$40-$45 with overtime. A 500 cc HondaCub costs about US$1,500. We can see that even taking living cost into consideration, the wage gap is quite astonishing. In order to compete, it must be on value-added areas, whether in goods or services. We must be able to compete in organisation and managerial skill. We must also be able to reinforce our network overseas where information and support can be readily obtained so that we can have the edge over competing entrepreneurs from other countries. It is an urgent agenda as other NIEs, like Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong, have already had a great headstart, not to mention that their entrepreneurs are not as sheltered as ours. But this is a matter for our survival and in order for Singapore to maintain our target to be a developed country, we must make this undertaking a success. I am confident that with the Government's support and the experience we have gained through our two decades of economic progress, we should be able to carve ourselves a niche in the economic progress in the Asia-Pacific region. Sir, I support the motion.”
“But all these efforts will come to nought if we do not have a population with a spirit of entrepreneurship and adventure and the courage to look beyond our shore. So far, we have a very efficient business community with well-trained managers and technocrats who have been responsible for the rapid economic growth in Singapore for the last two decades. The business climate in Singapore and other countries in our region is different in both outlook and operating procedures. In Singapore we rely on data facilities, feasibilities, projections, etc. Overseas projects like those in China, Vietnam and even Indonesia, we rely very much on the vision and judgment and personal skills of the individual entrepreneur. In areas where regulations and procedures are much more fluid, the risks of doing business are much higher. But, of course, higher gains can be expected. We therefore have to nurture the young generation of entrepreneurs, professional or even technicians, to this new orientation. They may have to start from scratch to learn new skills and techniques to face up to these new challenges. On the other hand, the Government should give maximum support, not so much in terms of monetary guarantee, but rather logistics and facilities to this group of adventurers. It is most important for our Government to set up embassies and send trade representatives to the designated countries to give the necessary support to our overseas workers and families, and assist them to settle down in their new environment, help in their children's education and rendering assistance in case of any emergencies. The Government should also speed up R&D programmes to train the necessary manpower for such ventures.”
“As the subject of GST has been extensively debated and it would be debated later in this House, and the CPF Top-up Scheme has been so eloquently put forward by our Prime Minister, I would like to go on to my comments on overseas venture. Although venturing overseas is nothing new to both Singaporean entrepreneurs and professionals, the need to speed up our effort has never been so sharply focused. Our domestic economic growth approaches its maximum potential as our economy matures. Like all other NIEs, the need to expand outward is inevitable. Up to now, our overseas ventures in the private sector have been mainly through individual effort, although organisations like EDB and TDB have constantly been making contribution in promoting trade relationship with other countries in our region. They cannot be said to be well-coordinated with the private sector. Our Government has always been far-sighted enough to spearhead business ventures and had laid foundations for development investment abroad, notably the promotion of the Growth Triangle, which took off some five years ago. At the present moment, we are becoming the largest investor in Johor in terms of the number of projects. Many projects in Batam and Bintan have been completed or in the process of being commenced. Of course, the effort taken by our Senior Minister in building up ties with China through the years and the appointment of Dr Goh Keng Swee as Economic Adviser to China, paving the way for our entrepreneurs to invest heavily in China, should be much appreciated. Recently, we have stepped up our trade promotion to Vietnam and have even looked towards Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the motion moved by the Minister. This year's Budget Statement is to be and, in fact, has been welcomed by everyone. But first I would like to touch on a point made by the hon. Member for Hougang yesterday. He said that the reduction in corporate tax by 3% is not fair, as it would benefit larger corporations or the MNCs more, and the smaller companies or the SMEs would lose out. Mr Low is a businessman and I am sure a very smart one. Surely he knows that in business the larger the investment the higher the profit is to be expected. But at the same time, it carries a much greater risk. He cannot believe that a neighbourhood shop expects to make the same profit as a supermarket or a large departmental store. I wonder if, instead of tax reduction, the Government decides to increase the tax by 3%, would Mr Low come out to fight for the MNCs because they would have to pay more tax? Perhaps nowadays it is fashionable for the Opposition to engage in the politics of envy by pitting one section of the population against another, and doing the same for the business community. Sir, this undesirable and dangerous practice, as our Prime Minister has just put it so forcefully, must be stopped because it can threaten the future stability and prosperity of our nation. Just look at the example of some of the countries in our region which engage in this type of politicking. Their economy is in total ruin and their nation divided. Sir, the three main features of this year's Budget Statement must be: (1) the introduction of GST, (2) the call for building up of an external economy and (3) the topping up of the CPF scheme.”
“After all, in the past, when we were first developing the necessity to redistribute land and to build infrastructure it was very great but that necessity has diminished quite a bit now. The price of public good was very often private injustice and it was a great hardship on people to have their land acquired. The other point I would like to make, although strictly not concerned with this Bill, is that the Act is connected to the Local Government Integration Act. Under the Local Government Integration Act where land is acquired for road widening, the Government can acquire the land. The cost of widening the road can be charged, ironically, to the people whose land has been acquired. May I suggest that there is very little comfort to the people to raise the quantum of compensation on the one hand and, on the other hand, to charge them the cost of widening the road, which they did not ask for in the first place. So may I ask the Minister to look into the possibility of amending the Local Government Integration Act as well? Do we really need the money that badly? That is really the question. After all, not every person who has land is rich and the Government correctly recognises that ownership of property is one of the keys to building loyalty to Singapore. I think we should not lightly deprive people of their property which they have worked very hard to obtain.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill. First, I wish to declare that I am a practising architect. In order to achieve the national objective of providing public housing for the majority of Singaporeans and put in place the effective infrastructure to enable us to achieve rapid economic growth, great extent of land has to be acquired for this purpose. Because of the rapid progress we make, the compensation paid to the land owners of those acquired lands may sometimes not be in congruence with the prevailing market rate. Now that the housing objective has been achieved and most of the infrastructure in place and, more importantly, land value fluctuates at a much faster rate, it is therefore timely for the introduction of this amendment to enable the Government to pay adequate and fair compensation to those affected by land acquisition. However, because of the rapid rate in the increase in land prices, I would like to request the Minister, barring any administrative difficulties, to consider revising the date in which the market value is based upon to a much closer interval. From 1986 to 1992, it is a very long period of time. Land costs must have increased manifold. Therefore, it will be fairer if this interval be cut short to, say, two to three years so that a fairer assessment of the market value can be reflected. I support the Bill. Assoc. Prof. Walter Woon: Mr Speaker, Sir, I support this Bill too, and may I fully support Mr Chen's statement that, in future, the period of time be reduced. May I also express the hope that the Minister will consider eventually going towards paying market value for the land.”
“Although the increase in fines and jail sentences appears to be a quantum leap, I have not the slightest doubt that it is commensurate with the offences committed. This must be so if the intention and spirit of the amendment is to protect adequately the interests of innocent parties who may become victims through the negligence of the category of drivers I had earlier mentioned. However, Sir, I am less comfortable with the amendment to impose caning of up to six strokes when the offender has caused death or serious injury. Since this amendment Bill was first introduced in Parliament on 16th November 1992, certain quarters have expressed reservations as they feel that this sentence is disproportionate to the offences committed whilst acknowledging that it is meant for an offender who has had two previous convictions. In this regard, Sir, I would appreciate the Hon. Minister's clarification as to what steps can be taken to alleviate this anxiety. Finally, Sir, on the amendment to forfeit a motor vehicle used in the commission of an offence, could the Minister assure the House that there are sufficient safeguards in place so as to minimise the likelihood of an unnecessary confiscation of a vehicle belonging to a non-offender?”
“It implies that the owner of the vehicle who allows the offender to use it, even having prior knowledge of the offender's disqualification, can have his or her vehicle forfeited. Mr Speaker, Sir, a person may consent to lend a car to another person under all sorts of circumstances. Maybe at that moment he was preoccupied with something or someone or attending to some urgent matter, or even just at that moment a slip of the mind. And even though he has prior knowledge, if that person has his vehicle forfeited by just lending the car, I think this would be unfair and a little bit too harsh. I therefore suggest that the forfeiture of the vehicle should only be confined to the vehicle belonging to the offender, unless it can be proven beyond doubt that he lends his car to the offender out of explicit knowledge of his or her disqualification and not just out of certain absent-mindedness. I support the Bill. Mr Zulkifli bin Mohammed (Jalan Besar GRC)( In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Bill which will go a long way towards making our roads safer and thereby help to minimise unnecessary loss of precious lives. No one can dispute that our roads today are getting more congested which therefore means that the probability of serious road accidents and road deaths occurring is high. Whilst some may lament that the proposed measures in the Bill should have been initiated earlier, it is better to be late than never as we must always look on the positive side of things. Sir, after going through the proposed amendments, I fully endorse the stiff fines and enhanced jail sentences to be meted out to motorists who are repeatedly convicted of reckless driving, drunken driving and those who drive whilst under suspension.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill . In Singapore, we are enjoying perhaps one of the best traffic accident records compared to any major city in the world. That we are able to continuously maintain this good record can be attributed to us having a very efficient traffic policy and an excellent well-built and well-maintained road system. Above all, we have a set of very stringent traffic regulations policed by our highly efficient Traffic Police Department. But there are irresponsible people who will always try to insinuate that the Government is trying to make more money out of traffic fines and even imply that our Traffic Police officers are given quota to fine motorists every month. These people are doing great injustice to our hardworking police officers and, more importantly, undermining the Government's effort in keeping down accident rate and protecting our innocent road users. Those offenders of traffic laws who had their licences suspended have no business in driving a vehicle as a vehicle is a very powerful weapon and can cause serious accident with tragic consequence. These people are potential killers on the road and the Government has the responsibility to do everything possible to prevent these law breakers in committing offence by driving their vehicles under suspension. The heavier fines and punishment will no doubt set a strong deterrent to the would-be offenders and give added protection to other law-abiding road users. I fully support the Bill as all measures to minimize traffic accidents should be taken because life lost in accident is most tragic and unnecessary. However, in supporting the Bill, I would like the Minister to clarify one provision, that is, under clause 2 (section 43 (3B)(b)).”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, anyway, with the cases piling up, it will require 230 court days, or 466 judge days, and with 52 cases awaiting, it would require 1,400 judge days. With these figures in mind, it would be fair to conclude that there will inevitably be delay for cases to be heard and there will be cases where the accused have to wait for years before their cases are being heard and later found to be innocent. Therefore, I feel that we cannot carry on with this state of affairs. In fact, the Chief Justice was saying that for the cases pending, with the limited judicial resources which they are having now, they just cannot meet with the commitment. Therefore, the situation is not going to improve and it can be safely assumed that it would get worse. The figure for the accused who will be found innocent will increase, instead of decrease, as the years go by, if we do not do anything about it. This is my area of concern.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am speaking as a layman. But I am very concerned about the Chief Justice's statement that there are lots of cases where the accused has been proved innocent but has to spend a great number of years in prison. I think this is totally unacceptable. Mr Ling has asked for the figures. I have here the figures given by the Chief Justice in his speech. We have, at the moment, 17 cases which have been fixed for hearing.”
“Sir, despite the assurance from the Senior Minister of State that our neighbourhood schools and colleges are in fact of very high standard, there is a perception among the majority of parents that if they cannot get their children into SAP and independent schools, their children will be doomed to a life of mediocrity. Therefore, I would request the Ministry to focus on the achievements of these schools and give them a higher profile, so that this perception can be arrested.”
“Having got a very satisfactory answer to my questions, I wish to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, since the electronic monitoring system is so effective, would the Minister consider using that on other lesser criminals so as to relieve our already over-crowded prisons?”
“For example, we are considering a proposal to allow suitable half-way houses to take in day-release inmates as residents. We will work with CNB and Prisons to consider this suggestion. If feasible, those who are released on day-release can be allowed to stay in certain halfway houses subject to the normal conditions, which are: he must be employed, subject to surprise urine tests and there must be curfew hours. But we will work this out after evaluating the experience of the existing half-way houses.”
“It was an isolated incident and the drug was not meant for local consumption. But amphetamine, which is a stimulant drug, is already covered by our laws as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The CNB is monitoring the situation and if there is an abuse of this drug, we will introduce harsher penalties to prevent widespread abuse. As far as the electronic monitoring system (EMS) is concerned, which was introduced in 1991, it has been extended to drug addicts discharged from the day-release camps. Actually, before we introduced it, Prison officers themselves wore the electronic bracelets so that we have hands-on experience. I am glad to say that the EMS system appears to be effective because when we compare two cohorts, cohort under the EMS and the cohort not under the EMS, the relapse rate for those wearing the electronic bracelets was very much less. From interviews with families of drug addicts, we know that they were receptive to electronic monitoring. They have reported improvements in the behaviour and relationship with the ex-drug addict, because it is helpful to the drug addicts' rehabilitation. He is able to return to the family, he is able to go back to work and provide income for the family. Yet electronic monitoring enables us to keep track of him, and when he defaults we can take measures. Later on, as we have more experience with the EMS, we will extend it to include those on police supervision as well as female drug addicts. As for half-way houses, we now have seven half-way houses. I think they provide a very useful adjunct or complement to the CNB's and Prisons' efforts to rehabilitate. We will consider whether we can extend the use of the half-way houses.”
“Some 5,085 drug offences were detected compared to 5,500 in the previous year, which was a decrease of about 7%. There was also a drop in the number of newcomers or new addicts to the drug scene. There were 860 newcomers compared to almost 1,000 the previous year. This was a decrease of more than 12%. Furthermore, there were fewer drug traffickers who were arrested last year, 241 compared to 374 the previous year, a decrease of about 42%. On the international drug scene, I would say that Singapore is being used increasingly as a transit centre. There was some publicity on this in the newspapers recently. A transit centre in the sense that the drugs which are coming in at the airport are destined for other countries. For instance, heroin trafficking is conducted through networks involving Nigerians now who act as couriers for drug syndicates. To counter this, Customs and CNB officials are deployed at the airport to frisk and check suspected passengers arriving from drug-producing countries. The most effective way to deal with these international syndicates really is through very close liaison, exchange of intelligence, coordination and cooperation between the CNB and other international agencies in other countries. So CNB is enhancing its intelligence network so as to help identify the leaders of drug syndicates and distributors. With these measures, we think the drug abuse problem can continue to be under control. 1.00 pm He asked about "ice" which is amphetamine. Although the abuse of this drug appears to be quite widespread in countries like Japan, Hawaii, Philippines and Taiwan, fortunately, we do not have much of it in Singapore. In fact, there are very few reports of this. The CNB detected a case recently where a small quantity of the drug was seized.”
“I am also equally concerned about the new drug called "ice" being brought into Singapore, as I understand that "ice" is equally, if not more, deadly than heroin, and I believe it is more difficult to detect. I would like to know what steps the Ministry has to ensure that "ice" does not take root in Singapore. The second point is in rehabilitation. Although the Ministry has spared no effort in reviewing and improving its programme for drug addicts, the relapse rate, I believe, is still very high. I would like therefore to know whether the Ministry has enough facilities and manpower to cope with the rehabilitation of drug addicts. The electronic monitoring system has been introduced recently. I would like to know how effective is the system and whether it has caused any side-effects to the users' families and employers. Finally, I would like the Minister's assessment on the contribution of half-way houses, and whether enough half-way houses have been provided for the drug addict population and what more can half-way houses themselves do to complement the Government's efforts in rehabilitating drug addicts. Prof. Jayakumar: Mr Speaker, Sir, in response to Mr Kenneth Chen's comments on the drug situation, I am glad to tell him that the drug situation last year was in fact quite satisfactory. We have to view things in context. What is the global situation, and how does Singapore's situation compare to it? As regards the global situation, in fact, the UN agency, the International Narcotics Control Board, reported that there was a world-wide increase in the production, smuggling and consumption of drugs last year. But viewed against that, in Singapore, we managed to contain the drug problem. For example, last year, we had a drop in the number of drug offences detected.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head Q be reduced by $10 in respect of Code QG 1500 of the Main Estimates. Sir, drug addiction is the most deadly social disease that can be inflicted upon a society. It destroys a person's mind and body, breaking up families and its cause for increase involves syndicated crimes as well as crimes committed by desperate drug addicts, not to mention the spread of the deadly disease AIDS. In Singapore, we are fortunate that this horrendous problem has been under control due to the relentless effort by our Central Narcotics Bureau and also our stringent laws dealing with drug traffickers. Nevertheless, I wish to express my concern on two aspects of drug control. The first is in prevention. Once a person is addicted to drugs, recovery process is both difficult and at times futile. Therefore, every effort should be concentrated on reducing, if not eliminating, the supply of drugs into our state. In this respect, I welcome the law of seizure of the assets of drug traffickers which was recently introduced into Parliament. When it becomes law, it will reinforce our already tough law against major drug traffickers. But we must also constantly be vigilant against small-time traffickers who can slip drugs into Singapore by various means. For example, at the moment, those who cross into Singapore by train have ample opportunities to dispose of the drug they bring in along the way to Keppel Station where the Customs is situated. I would therefore like to know what is the CNB's assessment on the new trend in the drug situation and what plans the Bureau has in monitoring and taking action against drug traffickers.”
“Although the various Ministries keep close contact with the private sector, and MTI and the various economic machineries such as the EDB, TDB, CIDB, etc, constantly provide support and assistance to the various business sectors, the Economic Committee can provide additional impetus to the Government in monitoring the economic impulse of the nation, as well as help in formulating economic policy to respond to the ever changing situation. Although we are now more prepared and resilient in handling any economic setback, we must formulate an overall strategy to overcome this declining economic trend, instead of looking into problems in isolation and suggesting piecemeal solutions like cutting taxes and lowering charges, etc. We must prevent another 1985 recession from happening and not wait for it to happen and find ways to cure it.”
“It was to the whole nation's credit that we got out of the recession almost as swiftly as we encountered it. The Government took the initiative of taking speedy and decisive action. The disciplined workforce responded in unity and the whole population rallied behind the Government positively, and we were able to avert a major economic setback for Singapore. Apart from that, one of the main reasons for this speedy recovery is the result of the setting up of an Economic Committee led by our then and now Minister for Trade and Industry, BG Lee Hsien Loong. This Committee comprised top talents from the public sector, the private sector and also from the multi-national companies. It was a powerful and effective committee. Because of the talent and experience of each member of the Committee as well as the close association with the various sectors of our business community, their inputs have helped the Government to formulate policy and taken effective actions to achieve the desired result. Therefore, this Economic Committee can be a powerful and effective committee to monitor the total economic progress of our nation, especially at this crucial period. I would suggest that perhaps the Government can consider reactivating this Committee and charge them with a new agenda. The new terms of reference can be, firstly, to monitor closely the economic impulse of our nation and, secondly, to recommend any short to medium-term actions to be taken from time to time to keep our economic objectives on course.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the balanced and measured Budget Statement by the Minister for Finance. Against the backdrop of world economic gloom, it is comforting to note that despite the steady slowdown of economic growth in almost all sectors, we are able to achieve a growth rate that most developed countries would envy. But our economic performance in the next year or so will prove to be most critical. The US is struggling to get out of a possible prolonged recession. The normally strong economic standing of the Japanese is showing sign of decline, and the situation in Europe, at best, can be described as uncertain. For a country like ours that depends heavily on external trade, it is indeed worrying. However, an over-pessimistic outlook will only result in over-reacting in both investments and spending. This should be avoided at all costs as we will run the risk of talking ourselves into a recession. The outlook of the immediate future does not look encouraging because the only high growth rate of over 19% registered last year is the construction sector, and this may not be a true reflection of the mood in the property development market. The present rapid construction activities is really the result of development projects committed 2-3 years ago, when the property market enjoyed a certain buoyancy. The true indication of the property market perhaps can only be reflected accurately by the number of projects committed at the present moment and by the actual sales and occupancy rate of the completed developments. In fact, I believe this has already been experiencing a slowdown. In the light of the uncertainty we are faced with, we may want to learn a lesson from our 1985 recession.”
“Finally, Mr Speaker, Sir, it is my belief that we are in the threshold of making history, in creating a nation existing only in the mind of an idealist and in the dreams of so many unfortunate suffering people all over the world, a nation where the individual has the opportunity to develop his or her potential to the fullest, that he be free in spirit and in form. I hope that we will have the strength and courage to strive for greater progress in unity but, at the same time, possess the humility to realise our limitations. May we be blessed with the wisdom to enjoy happiness through contentment. It may not be possible to achieve utopia but we certainly can move very close to it. Sir, I support the motion. ADJOURNMENT OF DEBATE With the consent of Mr Speaker and the general assent of Members present, Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That the debate be now adjourned. -- [Mr Wong Kan Seng].”
“The value of money differs tremendously between these two groups of people. I shall give you an example. A few months back, the Zoological Gardens increased the entrance fee to $7. While this increase has rightfully been assessed as fair to most visitors, both local and foreign, it can be out of reach for certain poorer groups of Singaporeans. At this charge, it would amount to something like $23 for a family of five. To a household which has a take-home pay of, say, $500 to $600, it constitutes a very high percentage of their earning. Ironically, those who can afford such an increase would not be adversely affected as they would be having so many other options for recreation. But to the lower income group of family, going to the zoo, visiting the bird park or Sentosa are the very limited recreational facilities that they can look forward to. While I do not advocate that the charges be tailored to suit this small group of people, there should be alternatives worked out for them. Special concessions for families, special rates given to tours organised by community groups, or even designate certain days when admission fees can be waived. These are some of the creative measures that can be taken. Mr Speaker, Sir, this may sound trivial in the light of what we are discussing. But attention to such details shows special sensitiveness to every hierarchy of our citizen. It is important to have a caring and dynamic Government. In realising our final goal for the Next Lap, everyone in Singapore, no matter what background he comes from, should have a meaningful part to play in our nation building. We must expect complete unity and patriotism from everyone. But it can only be achieved by making sure that everyone would be given the opportunity to claim that just reward.”
“It is therefore my hope that the Government will take pains to explain the objectives of the goals in The Next Lap to the citizens and be able to mobilise them and motivate them to respond in unity, because we must not let the momentum that took us so much effort and hard work to gather be disrupted. If it does, it would take us a long time to get back to our path of success. Mr Speaker, Sir, while embarking on the next lap of development, having our objectives and goals clearly spelt out, and the blueprint in place for implementation, we must not forget that there will always be problems associated with rapid growth and constant changes. It is well accepted that even in the most developed countries, there will always be 15% to 20% of the population who for various reasons cannot keep up with the main stream of progress. And in implementing our national agenda, there will always be a certain percentage of people that will be adversely affected. To ignore this would be irresponsible on the part of the Government. I am happy to note that in the President's Address as well as in the Addenda, every Ministry has provision and plans to cover this particular area of attention. It is also most comforting to be assured by our Prime Minister that every effort would be made to level up our society and lessen the anxiety of this affected group of people. Still, I would urge that in our anxiety to achieve greater success, we must be sensitive to the needs of those less fortunate. While I would certainly not advocate any slowing down of the pace of our progress, nevertheless, we should have the capacity and compassion to pay particular attention to their needs. There will always be a certain disparity between the average Singaporeans and those who have to struggle to make ends meet.”
“Having a sufficient breed of capable and talented people to serve the Government is being made that much more difficult and forging a consensus and achieving expediency in implementing policies and national projects will be a much more tedious exercise. I must reiterate that I am certainly not saying that it is all negative to have opposing views from individuals or that they be restricted in their expression of divergent ideas and opinions. In fact, one of the major hallmarks of democracy is the provision of freedom of expression and individual liberty. But it should always be balanced against national interest. Individual freedom and liberty has always been a contentious issue, but it should never be defined in absolute term. The degree of freedom enjoyed by each individual should vary from situation to situation and, therefore, from country to country. It is important when we discuss about freedom and liberty, there must be a certain reference point. It should never be used as a slogan to score points. May I demonstrate by a very, very simple example. In two identical dwellings, one ocupied by two persons and the next by a family of eight. It is obvious that the two individuals can enjoy much greater personal freedom and liberty in their home. It is clear that if the eight individuals demand the same degree of freedom and liberty, conflict and discord would result. It does not mean that the eight have no individual freedom or liberty. But it does mean that they will have to exercise more constraint. In Singapore, national interest must be above the consideration of sole personal freedom and liberty.”
“Further progress cannot be as dramatic as before. Every step forward would take that much more effort and energy to achieve. There is an old Chinese saying, (Chuang ye nan, shou ye geng nan). When translated, it reads: "It is difficult to establish a business, but it is much more difficult to keep it prospering." Because higher expectation and complacency will provide the distractions that can lead to deterioration of our tradition-al virtues of achieving progress through hard work and personal sacrifice. It is quite obvious recently that forging a consensus has become much more difficult as individuals become more preoccupied with their own personal progress. By itself, it is not detrimental because ultimately, the final objective of any government is to provide the individuals with maximum opportunity to attain the greatest satisfaction in life, both economically and spiritually. Nevertheless, it is of utmost importance that at this crucial stage of our development, we must not lose sight of our limitations. Every time we make reference to comparison with the United States, Europe, Australia, we often forget that Singapore is only a small island with a limited population of 2.8 million or so, completely without any natural resources. Just imagine if we are going into a prolonged recession like what is being experienced by some of these developed countries. While they will find great difficulties in recovering and bouncing back, we may never be able to do even that. Therefore, nation before self and unity is strength must be the hallmark of our nation building. Just pause and think of this scenario if our popualtion is being fragmented into two opposing political and ideological factions. Numerically, we will reduce the already small population to 1.4 million or so.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to speak in support of the motion by the hon. Member for Hong Kah GRC. The President's Address in many ways is remarkable in both substance and spirit. Against the backdrop of world economic gloom, when most countries have to contend with civil unrest, poverty, massive unemployment, ever increasing crime rate and many other seemingly unsurmountable problems, we have here an agenda in front of us that is devoid of any negative issues. All our aims and objectives for the next few years are for the improvement on already outstanding achievements. In housing, education and health care, extensive and comprehensive plans for the future have been prepared. And I am confident that they will be successfully implemented. Even at this present moment when we are somewhat apprehensive about the impending economic downturn caused by the global economic stagnation, we have cause to be optimistic that our national agenda as set out in The Next Lap could be reached. However, we are at a very important cross-road. It is very crucial now to re-examine some of the basic success ingredients that brought us to this happy state of affairs. Apart from the proven virtues such as hard work, far-sighted planning and good leadership by the Government, perhaps the most important ingredient of all that has not been often highlighted is the way in which the whole population rallied behind the Government in implementing every plan and policy in the past 30 years. The old dictum of "unity is strength" cannot be demonstrated more vividly. But the scenario of what comes next, I think, would be different. The basic objective of survival has been overcome and the four main essentials in life, that is, clothing, food, accommodation and transportation, have been taken care of.”