Kwek Hian Chuan Henry
Singapore
“Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thank the Minister of State for this comprehensive response. I would like to check whether MND is open to providing more funding to AVS. Ten years ago, I made a speech on NParks, and I noted then that NParks' annual budget is less than half of that of an acute care hospital.”
“Chairman, I have three short clarifications. Given that condominium prices and wages have risen over time, can MND share a timeframe or timeline when the income ceiling review will be concluded? Is it in a matter of months, or is it when some threshold conditions are met?”
“Chairman, I thank MND for responding to our cuts and I seek leave to withdraw my amendments. [(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $8,640,058,800 for Head T ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.”
“Our Public Service Media companies are our national assets. I hope MDDI can share how it plans to secure our future. I notice I have 18 more seconds, so I want to add in a final point. I noted we are asking MDDI to do a lot of cybersecurity, national Public Service Media on IT services and AI development.”
“As the Bill empowers OSC to identify users and disclose that information to purported victims, what safeguards are there to prevent misuse of that disclosed data for reverse doxxing? In closing, Speaker, Sir, this Bill makes our online space safer, especially for our youths.”
“Mr Speaker, I support this Bill and the suite of changes it makes. Given its breadth, I will focus my remarks on three areas: one, tackling global scams and online crimes while protecting innovation; two, a calibrated approach to accountability for 14-to-17-year-olds; and three, improving proportionality by resolving the inflexibility of…”
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“With artificial intelligence (AI), knowledge is practically free. What is needed in this brave new world is wisdom to apply the relevant knowledge and information, and it is difficult to be wise unless a person is emotionally balanced. And mediation is a powerful way for one to centre one’s mind. We can and we must teach our youths this. Let me move now to the second group of youths, our successful youths from the middle class. They are not overly concerned about their careers due to their educational success and their resources. They possess social capital to navigate through adulthood but face a bigger financial burden in purchasing a home compared to a decade ago. Their good salaries and career progressions make them ineligible for a new Build-To-Order (BTO) and not all parents can assist them with the purchase of a resale flat or private condo. Fearing prices will only increase, they often buy houses before they are financially prepared. To address this issue, I hope that HDB can consider, over time, raising the income ceiling for BTOs and also locking the income criteria to within three years of successful booking of the flat. This means that if applicants have an unexpected career progression and a pay jump, it can be accommodated if it is not excessive. I have met more and more young, successful couples who are considering taking a backseat temporarily because of this potential cliff effect. They are worried that if they take on this promotion, they will have more pay and they will miss out on HDB and they might be pushed to buy condominiums which are more expensive. I understand that HDB's current priority must be to complete the existing backlog of flats, and relaxing the application criteria now would only lengthen the waiting time for all.”
“Second, we can also better support these youths with career mentoring and peer support outside of the traditional school environment. My volunteers at Kebun Baru plan to partner volunteers and social enterprises in two ways. One, we observed that youths spend a vast amount of their time online and have a limited social circle, which comprises mainly of friends from school. They hunger for friends in real life but, frankly, they do not know where to start in befriending more people. Kebun Baru would like to partner groups like Friendzone to spark friendships among youths in our neighborhood. Two, we have many capable residents who love to mentor the youths in career and life. We will partner The Astronaut Collective to guide our youths to help them match their passion with their careers. There are many such efforts where the people sector partner together to help our youths. I hope that the Government can also incentivise such projects and social enterprises, for there is much work that must be done. Thirdly, I hope that the Ministry of Education (MOE) can consider teaching our youths more life skills. This will disproportionately help youths from disadvantaged backgrounds, given the fact that they face more challenges and possess less social capital. An important area is financial literary. Our youths today need greater skill in navigating very different economic lives compared to generations before. A lot of their decisions, such as balancing needs vs wants, must be made through a lens of financial prudence. Financial literacy is an important thing to teach. Second is meditation, which is taught in a secular way in some school systems in the world. Why meditation? Here is the thing. We are living in an age where our youths are overloaded with information.”
“They also lack access to social capital when faced with life's obstacles. This is, as I said, not a very big group of Singaporeans, perhaps maybe 10% of all youths. Many of them are tested by COVID-19; they are hardworking, realistic and resilient. Let me paraphrase what I have heard from this group: “Singaporeans think that we are the strawberry generations. But we have been dropped to the floor and rolled over by life. We may not have grown up into durians but, hey, we are still standing. We are tougher than people think. We understand that the world is complex and disruption is the new norm. But we do not know much beyond what we read online. We wish that there were knowledgeable people in different walks of life and different industries who care about us, who can guide us in our career path. We do not seek shortcuts; we just want help to reach our fullest potential as soon as possible.” For this group of Singaporean youths, we can do more to support their aspirations in three ways. First, I hope the Housing and Development Board (HDB) can consider helping them with their cash flow by allowing them to pay only half the downpayment and increasing the loan quantum that they can enjoy. As they are still young, they are likely to be able to afford higher monthly instalments. For poor families living in rental flats, HDB has consistently leaned forward and exercised considerable and, I might say, admirable discretion to help them buy the homes through programmes, such as Fresh Start. So, I hope that, in the same vein, HDB can provide more support to this small group of Singaporean youths to finance their flats, so that they have the cash flow to pay for basic renovations and to settle down.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I stand in support of the Motion. I would like to speak today about the youths and our evolving social compact. Most youths I talk to understand and appreciate their importance to society. Nevertheless, Forward SG gives us the chance to listen to our youths, to understand their hopes and dreams so that we can revitalise our social contract. Since Forward Singapore began, I have spoken to a number of youths from 16 to 35 years old in groups and in person. They broadly understand and support our social compact, believing that Singapore can help them to reach their goals. However, as circumstances change, we may need to finetune our policies. I have identified two groups of Singaporean youths who may need more support from the society. The first group are youths from very modest backgrounds, a very small group, and the second group are youths from the middle class who have done very well, and this is a larger group for whom we can do more to preserve their ambition to succeed. Let me start by examining the challenges faced by the first group, the youths from very modest backgrounds. Many of them grew up in rental or 3-room flats, usually in the sandwich class. These youths face financial pressures from the moment they receive their first paycheck. They must often care for their parents, a responsibility that can be especially difficult if somebody falls ill. When it comes down to settling down, while housing is affordable, saving for a downpayment for them can be a challenge. These youths also feel overwhelmed when compared to their more accomplished peers. They may not have the same breadth of experience in education or co-curricular activities (CCA) because they spent most of their youth doing part-time work.”
“Chairman, Sir, I would like to ask MSF how we can accelerate the adoption of the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). More Singaporeans, especially seniors, need to do up their LPAs so that they can get their wishes better respected, should they lose mental capacity. Our society will have to pay a high price if there is no widespread adoption of LPAs. And as LPAs becomes more prevalent, there is also a chance of abuse by a small number of donees. The People's Action Party (PAP) senior group closely monitor these issues, given their importance. As such, can the Minister for MSF share on: one, the progress of our new LPA online portal and how much has it spurred adoption; two, the protocols and processes to ensure that abuses by donees can be proactively identified and minimised; and three, how can MSF partner other Government agencies and the media to increase awareness so as to encourage more Singaporeans to do up their LPAs? Support for Lower-income Families”
“Chairman, Sir, to empower our seniors to age-in-place, we must spur the creation of affordable Assisted Living services. This is especially so, as our people have differing needs and budgets. The PAP Senior Group is of the view that we require a whole-of-Government coordination. MOH will need to work with various Ministries and agencies to map out the needs of our people, determine the optimal network design of such Assisted Living services in both public and private estates, so as to minimise the service provision cost, fund the infrastructure building and co-fund the service provision, help our seniors free up their assets to pay for their share of these services and to work with the private and people sector to spur the creation of a spectrum of services that will meet differing needs and budgets. Can the Minister for Health share his thinking on how these matters, especially on how it will work with the whole-of-Government to come up with a concrete roadmap, to spur the Assisted Living service sector for all?”
“Chairman, Sir. Longevity science offers great potential for boosting the healthspan of Singaporeans, particularly seniors. The People's Action Party (PAP) senior group believes that this will be a gamechanger. Indeed, researchers have made remarkable strides in understanding the ageing process. Studies have shown that various preventive measures can extend our healthspan, which is the amount of time we spend in good health. It is now possible to stay healthier than one's age – or what scientists term as "chronological age" – would imply with the correct lifestyle and medical intervention. Furthermore, biomarker tests can now be used to measure a person's biological age more accurately, allowing us to better monitor our healthspan. Lifestyle changes like intermittent fasting and exercises are already known to be beneficial. There is also the possibility of clinical interventions, such as new supplements, existing drugs adapted for healthy longevity and novel drugs. To accomplish this, much work needs to be done to turn cutting-edge research into clinical and lifestyle interventions in Singapore. It will also take time to convince and train local healthcare practitioners to adopt longevity science. Can the MOH provide an update on our attempts to utilise centres, such as NUS' Centre of Healthy Longevity, to extend the lifespan of our seniors and future generations? Can the Minister give news about the upcoming longevity clinic at Alexander Hospital set to open this year? And could MOH tell us how we can equip our healthcare professionals with the knowledge for this growing field of healthcare? Promoting Healthier Living”
“Mdm Chairperson, I have a supplementary question for Senior Minister of State Sim Ann. She announced today that MSO will pilot having a dedicated team members to address egregious cases of neighbourhood noise. There are existing efforts such as those by the grassroots and Community Mediation Centre. How does this proposed pilot enhance the current framework for community mediation and for disputes, and how does it complement the existing efforts by grassroots, MCCY and MinLaw?”
“Can MND consider getting CAP to set up a framework for Government agencies to proactively identify these individuals, and have a system to intervene to resolve these anti-social behaviours? Can MND also share what other kind of neighbor disputes will MSO look into prioritising to resolve beyond noise? Strengthening Our Social Compact”
“Chairman, a key focus area identified in the refreshed Built Environment (BE) Industry Transformation Map (ITM) is integrated planning and design. This is necessary as the built sector adopts more pre-fabricated design technologies, design collaboration and digitisation. Beyond that, it will also shift the job types within the sector to be more knowledge intensive, which will allow us to attract more young Singaporeans. It will also strengthen the incentive to create efficiency through this supply chain, through stronger collaboration. For example, if future manufacturing contracts has in-built incentive to share the benefits of design improvements for key members along the entire supply chain, the integrated planning and design systems could quickly allow various parties to coordinate design revisions, as well as to objectively measure the time and cost savings due to each party. Can MND provide more details on its' efforts to drive collaboration at the planning and design stage. Solving Neighbour Dispute Neighbor disputes are on the rise. It is great to hear that Municipal Services Office (MSO)'s Community Advisory Panel (CAP) recommends tackling noises in the community as a first step. But is there more that MSO can do to handle neighbor disputes? Specifically, can MSO do more to resolve disputes that is central around a small group of individuals who exhibit strong anti-social behaviours? Some of these individuals use feedback channels of agencies to create difficult situations for others and civil servants. Some of these also harass neighbours and get away with it as they do not breach the legal threshold. And some of these people also suffer from mental health issues. They need help, but they are not legally obliged to seek it.”
“As such, can Minister for National Development share on the general approach in working with the whole-of-Government (WOG), especially with Ministry of Health (MOH), to reshape our existing housing estates to make ageing-in-place a reality? Can MND share on the progress on some of these, such as the Parry Avenue site as well as any plans to update the EASE to factor in the evolving needs of seniors? Home Improvement Programme (HIP)”
“There have been two CCAs pilots launched thus far. These CCAs form an important part of our evolving senior housing policy. First, CCA pioneer a different housing layout, and much can be learned from the lived experience versus the original stated preferences of the seniors. Two, because they also include the assisted living services that is packaged together, the CCAs help MND understand the willingness of seniors to pay for these services, as well as the gap in expectations, meaning the projected services versus actual needs. Third, the CCAs help the Government understand the retirement adequacy of seniors to pay for cost-of-living, medical expenses and assisted living (AL) services. As such, can MND share on the feedback on the CCAs, as well as MND's own assessment of this programme so far? Given that both launches were over-subscribed, are there plans for more CCAs to be built? Senior Housing and Ageing-in-place Chairman, as Singapore ages, capacity in our nursing homes and new senior-friendly apartments will be stretched. Some seniors also prefer new and innovative housing types and layouts, such as group homes, share apartments with friends and extended families. Some seniors also prefer different layouts, such as large common living areas with smaller individual rooms. They also look forward to retrofitting their existing homes through, maybe, improved Enhancement for Active Seniors (EASE) fittings. There is also an urgent need to create space within existing public and private housing estates to support in-situ assisted living (AL) services to support seniors to age-in-place. This is a core issue that concerns the People's Action Party (PAP) senior group.”
“Chairman, MND has a variety of policies – proximity housing grants, affordable neighborhood centres, affordable interest rates – that contribute to an affordable cost of living for Singaporeans. Nevertheless, we are experiencing a prolonged increase in cost of living over the last few years. Are there more that MND, in concert with other Ministries, can use to do mitigate rising prices? For example, HDB has modified the criterion for selecting coffee shop operators in recent years, where affordable pricing is also an important consideration. Can HDB share more about the success of this initiative, and whether more can be done for other HDB shops? Is there more that HDB can do to ensure that HDB interest rates remain affordable and that more Singaporeans, especially freelancers, platform workers as well as micro-SME owners, can benefit from HDB's low interest rates? And can HDB share whether there are any additional plans to manage cost of living? Affordability and Loan Delinquency”
“Chairman, Sir, the international situation is in flux. One, the war in Ukraine is undermining the international system that kept the peace and defended countries' independence. Two, strained US-China relations have made armed conflict more likely and split up technology, finance and supply chains. Three, the combination of geopolitical clashes, the formation of regional trading groups and the ageing of populations in developed countries have caused inflation and slowed down economic growth. Four, the climate emergency is worsening the differences between countries, leading to greater worldwide inequality. Fortunately, change brings opportunities for those who are bold and fast-moving. For example, advancing technology is enabling Singapore to do business with more people further away. Furthermore, Singapore is at the heart of ASEAN – a large, varied, rapidly growing and youthful region. 1.00 pm Can our Minister for Foreign Affairs explain how we can adjust our foreign policy to ensure that Singapore succeeds in this shifting world. How can our Foreign Service help us in this? Consular Services”
“Chairman, Sir, ASEAN has come a long way since its establishment in 1967. ASEAN has kept the peace among us and gave us collective heft internationally. To tap on the promise of ASEAN as a dynamic and diverse growth engine, we have developed a comprehensive agenda to expanded collaboration, tackle challenges and seize new opportunity within ourselves and with like-minded external partners. Amidst the geopolitical tensions, ASEAN has stood apart as a region committed to economic freedom, growth and free trade and one that upholds the international rule of law. Yet, ASEAN needs more than inspiring ideals and rousing principles to thrive. We must use our collective weight and potential, to encourage key external powers from all over the world to contribute constructively to our growth and stability. In short, ASEAN must be the destination for all and be the backyard of no one. Can our Minister for Foreign Affairs share how Singapore has worked to develop closer integration within ASEAN, and to help ASEAN engage with our external powers? Strengthening ASEAN's Credibility”
“Chairman, Sir, vigorous training is key to an effective military. Consider combined arms warfare, a modern warfighting concept used by the best militaries, including Singapore. It involves the combination of infantry, artillery, armour, air support and naval forces. It requires high coordination and communication between the branches. Units must be able to work in concert with others, adapting to changing battlefields. To acquire such sophisticated warfighting skills, our soldiers must train effectively to acquire individual or sub-unit skills. They must also participate in larger-scale trainings and exercises to build teamwork between units. At the same time, the application of technology can improve the realism and effectiveness of training. These technologies include individualised or combined simulators for our air, land and sea assets. This also includes war-gaming software and specialised training facilities embedded with sensors and playback capabilities. Can the Minister for Defence share how SAF is utilising the latest technology, combine with the right facilities and safety protocol, to prepare our soldiers for any contingencies? Multilateral Defence Cooperation”
“Chairman, for the last few years, we spoke about SAF's transformation into a next-generation defence force by 2040. To achieve this, SAF has been investing in technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), unmanned systems, robotics and data analytics. By 2040, SAF will acquire new capabilities and assets, where we will have, then will include Next Generation Infantry Battalions, new armoured tracked carriers and Howitzers for the Army, Multi-Role Combat Vessels, Invincible-class submarines, and unmanned vessels for the Navy, as well as F-15SG and F-35 fighter jets and Next Generation Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for the Air Force. Beyond enhancing assets, SAF is also transforming the way it is organised. Last year, SAF set up the fourth service – the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) – to provide enhanced intelligence, advanced connectivity and resilience cyber defence. SAF has also set up a new Army "Sense and Strike" headquarters to help the SAF perform better in battle with less manpower. However, SAF must also factor in rapidly changing warfare. For example, we should consider how the recent events such as the Russia-Ukraine War has changed warfare; we should also consider how to tap on the growing trends of adopting quick, low-cost adaptation of civilian technology, like Starlink systems and drones into warfare. In short, even as SAF has built a strong foundation, and has a good transformation plan, we must always make sure that we adapt our plans to evolving realities. Therefore, can Minister for Defence provide an update on how SAF is enhancing our capabilities to build our Next Generation SAF? SAF Transformation Plans”
“To conclude, Singapore has taken many steps in the past decade to prepare for ageing. We have increased healthcare capacity, fine-tuned financing frameworks and enhanced befriending services. Through Healthier SG, we can also help our seniors stay happy and healthier for longer. Even as we prioritise the roll-out of Healthier SG, we must also act swiftly to create the infrastructure and the care services and a whole ecosystem to allow our seniors to age-in-place with dignity. To do so, we must pilot and scale ideas, while also supporting, but not supplanting, caregivers. Finally, we must find a way to embed genuine care and concern in our system, even as we roll out more and more complex solutions. So, let us get to work!”
“It will also significantly lower the barrier for non-IT professionals, including our healthcare professionals to learn computing. With some training, they can quickly come up with good proof-of-concepts and pass them on to IT professionals to scale up. In short, AI will help turbocharge IT, which can be used to improve the lives of our seniors. My final point is, we should empower our seniors to tap into their own assets to pay for services related to ageing-in-place. HDB owners today already can do Lease Buybacks, but more solutions are needed, including for those in private estates. Recently, DBS and CPF started a collaboration where DBS would offer a loan using houses as a pledge at an affordable interest rate. Seniors do not have to pay back the loan until the house is sold many years down the road. This loan is used to then top up their CPF account, allowing them to earn higher interest rates and enjoy higher monthly payouts from CPF. I hope that MAS can perhaps consider mandating more banks to join this programme and also increase the loan quantum, which would benefit more residents from private housing estates. We should also think about changing our insurance regulations, permitting seniors to withdraw a portion of their life insurance for aged care. This reduces the amount due to their estate and it lowers returns, but this is a fair trade-off to allow our seniors to fund these services using their insurance. Also, we can consider introducing a default Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) for seniors who have lost mental capacity and do not have an LPA in place. This will allow the next-of-kin or the Government to use maybe just a portion of their wealth, depending on the net worth, to provide the necessary care.”
“For private estates, I feel that autonomous vehicles can provide that last-mile connection to MRT stations, bus stops, healthcare facilities, and AACs. This will help seniors who no longer drive or cannot afford private hire cars. These autonomous vehicles can contribute to congestion. Therefore, we should focus their use to seniors, the disabled, and parents travelling with infants. Kebun Baru's Teachers Estate, with many seniors, could perhaps host a pilot programme if the Government is interested. Third. I hope that the Government can adopt IT aggressively to take care of our seniors. We must get as many of our doctors, nurses, and therapists to adopt tele-consulting for suitable seniors. We should allow as many services as possible for seniors to be coordinated digitally and deploy AI-powered services to interact with and care for our seniors. Over the last few months, AI developments have skyrocketed. I am now far more optimistic about leveraging AI to support senior care. ChatGPT, for example, can understand, communicate, break down tasks and complete them. In the future, imagine, seniors could use AI-powered services over the phone or use home-speakers to ask the AI to coordinate appointments, seek general help and even get basic counselling. Although it seems impossible now, the technology already exists. Just last week, I tried an AI service that played the role of a psychologist. I am not saying that it replaced one, but it is just supplementing whatever care that our service providers are providing. AI will also radically reduce the cost and time to develop software. Today, AI can already write low-level code automatically if you can articulate clearly what needs to be done. Therefore, seasoned programmers can achieve much more with less.”
“Last year, during the Healthier SG debate, I shared with the House how Kebun Baru provides assisted living services through a piloting a communal centre at Block 115 in Kebun Baru. I feel that we must increase the number of AACs substantively and ensure they are thriving communities for seniors, offering loving care, connecting them to doctors, nurses, social workers and assisted living providers, while encouraging our seniors to stay positive and healthy. Additionally, we should consider providing overnight respite and palliative care for seniors living nearby. AACs can be largely staffed by part-time and full-time seniors and be homely rather than clinical. Residents can work with the community to make it feel more like a group home and conversions can therefore be done relatively cheaply. Furthermore, in both HDB and private estates, we need assisted living service centres staffed by a combination of foreign and local part-time workers. Not all seniors can afford a live-in domestic helper so we need such centres to provide affordable and basic services to a number of our seniors. Secondly, I hope the Government can review transportation options within HDB estates and private neighbourhoods so as to support seniors and healthcare professionals. HDB can consider allowing AACs and service providers to potentially use golf carts and other small service vehicles to transport frail travellers. This is already done in airports today. It is done in Sentosa Cove. Town Councils today have small service vehicles where we shuttle things around. It is conceivable that we can introduce a small number of these in the estate to support our seniors, as long as we start with proper trials and enforce speed limits.”
“Mr Speaker Sir, I stand in support of the Budget. Deputy Prime Minister Wong mentioned that as part of the Forward Singapore exercise, we would rethink about how we want to augment the range of care and support options within the communities. This will, of course, enable our seniors to age in place. And therefore, I would like to contribute to this discussion today. Many seniors wish to stay in their familiar surroundings, near family, friends, neighbours or even their beloved pets. As they age, however, their lives become more restricted and they require more assistance near or within their homes. More resources are needed to care for them. Caring for seniors is not an easy task for any society; yet, Singapore faces unique challenges as one of the fastest ageing societies in the world. There will be fewer young Singaporeans to support each senior, as many of our youth are needed for our economy and our society. We must not over depend on foreign manpower to care for our seniors because even our neighbouring countries are ageing fast. Furthermore, as a small city-state, our seniors cannot just move to rural areas with cheaper cost of living and there is not enough land for purpose-built retirement villages for everybody. Therefore, we must retrofit our existing towns and estates to meet their needs. To achieve this ageing-in-place vision, we need bold and creative ideas. I would like to share four of them today. First, we need to ramp up care and supporting services in the estates. In his Budget speech, Deputy Prime Minister Wong proposed reviewing the operating model of Active Ageing Centres (AACs).”
“This means we pursue stable, reasonable policies that evolve over time and not undertake abrupt, radical shifts to catch prevailing prodigal winds. This means we use targeted measures and avoid unnecessary systematic risks. This means we add, not deplete our reserves for the tougher journey ahead. When we opt for savvy slogans over practical policies that benefit Singapore, trust in our system of governance will vanish. If trust vanishes, so will the value of our land no matter how many miles of fibre optics or MRT lines are buried underneath. Mr Speaker, we are now at a particularly difficult part of the property cycle where the animal spirit of the market is colliding with the crushing forces of surging interest rates, economic slowdown and uncertain geopolitics. We are still trying to catch up on delayed BTO construction, so it is natural that some Singaporeans are anxious. But I hope that MND can focus on finetuning our policies to improve the accessibility and affordability of new BTOs in attractive locations while ensuring that we stay clear of sudden destabilising actions. Our housing policies are broadly effective, feasible and equitable. Let us build on them and make them better. With that, I stand in support of the Motion put forth by Minister Desmond Lee.”
“Right off the bat, many existing HDB owners will wise up and dump the existing flats in anticipation of the future sharp drop in resale value, and then apply for new BTOs. At a time when we are still dealing with delayed BTOs due to COVID-19, this flood of new demand will make delays much, much worse. A collapsing resale market will have significant effects on the retirement adequacy of seniors living in our flats who rely on their housing equity to finance it. It is simply unjust to engineer such a dramatic drop in prices. Seniors have no more time to save up. There is also a considerable impact to younger Singaporeans who recently bought condominiums. It will affect SMEs and micro SME owners whose many bank loans for their businesses are secured by their housing equity through personal guarantees. Finally, let us not forget that we are at the tail end of this property cycle. Interest rates in the US and Singapore are much higher compared to two years ago. In fact, we have just gone through the fastest ever increase in interest rate in history. Many developing countries are now seeing and experiencing a steep drop in housing prices at this juncture. We must strive to achieve a soft landing in our property prices or for a price increase to be less than our increase in income. We should stay clear of artificially creating a hard landing. Let me now conclude. Yesterday, in the Chamber, hon Member Cheng Hsing Yao made a wise point. The value of our land reflects decades of investment. I fully agree. I would also like to humbly add that the value of every square foot of Singapore is also anchored on our sound governance and stable policy.”
“I would like to suggest that MND consider another cooling measure, which is temporarily restricting PRs from buying resale flats until we can make up for the delayed BTO constructions. Although the number of flats purchased by PRs is relatively small, I understand, it serves as a sign to our citizens that our Government is using all reasonable measures to cool the market in this exceptional time, prioritising Singaporeans to acquire flats. I would also like to caution MND on adopting PSP's proposal to radically reduce the price of new BTOs by completely disregarding land price in pricing if the flats never sold. Frankly, many of my residents are worried. Let us walk through what will happen systematically. At first look, it seems attractive except that many Singaporeans change of flats and locations as the aspirations in life circumstances change. I mean, we know plenty of Singaporeans relocate to be closer to their jobs, parents or because of the change of marital status. When they move under PSP's proposal, because they must pay land costs and interests, they will be worse off than today because of the generous grant provided. There is also a question of who will buy the resale flats if the price differential between a new flat without the land cost and the resale flat with the land cost is so big. In fact, it is huge. The resale HDB market will be devastated first, followed by the private property market. Let us not forget that our housing equity forms the largest asset to most Singaporeans. We do not even need to wait for the first tranche or MOP to be completed under PSP's proposal to fuel the dire consequences.”
“But yet, those who have gotten flats in attractive locations gain significantly more housing equity after the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP). Sometimes, even two to three times. They are new BTOs in non-matured estates. This upside needs to be considered when we are talking about affordability, especially of new BTOs in mature estates. I am not saying that we should abandon efforts to make housing more affordable. Extra grants can certainly help first-time home owners, but reducing prices means that the Government must cut back in other areas. So, we must ask ourselves, what are we willing to sacrifice? Instead of only lowering BTO prices, can we look at the issue at a different vantage point? Can we lower our peoples' expenses by helping them acquire BTOs close to their family members living in mature estates? To achieve that, let me suggest four measures: one, HDB can extend the housing priority grant beyond of families living within four kilometres of family members to also include those within a 30-minute off-peak journey by public transport, given that we have extended our MRT network considerably; two, HDB can reserve 30% of new BTOs in mature estates for applicants who qualify for the extended proximity grants which I just mentioned, the enhanced proximity grants. Those who do not get the place in this group can still join the general ballot; three, HDB can build more 3G flats in mature states; and finally, HDB can reduce speculative demand on BTOs in mature estates or attractive locations by introducing some of the criteria from our new PLH scheme. let me delve into the affordability of our public housing in the resale market. I recognise that the Government has introduced a number of cooling measures specifically targeting the HDB resale market.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir. I stand in the support of the Motion raised by hon Member Minister Desmond Lee. I listen very closely to hon Member Mr Leong Mun Wai's Affordable Homes Scheme proposal. Many Members have expressed grave concerns about it, and I would like to start my speech by highlighting one. PSP would not charge land course at the point of sales, but when Singaporeans in sell their flats, they have to pay back the full costs of land plus interest. If somebody has not been actively putting aside the sum throughout the years, several hundred thousand dollars over, let us say 25 years, at a 2% to 4% interest rate is a huge liability on the home sellers and their children at the point, especially if we do not have any additional housing subsidies from the Government, which I have yet to hear PSP mention in the proposal. Yet we also know that many Singaporeans relocate because they have genuine needs. That means that if they sell at that point, the new BTOs under PSP's plan would be more expensive compared to today's BTO because of the many additional grants that HDB provides the home owners, especially those families with lower income. Mr Speaker, we have a very successful policy. Our public housing is affordable, accessible, inclusive and well-designed. As a GPC Member of Defense and Foreign Affairs, I often host visiting politicians and officials from all over the world. Our housing and urban planning policies are very well-regarded and many nations seek to replicate them. Of course, policies need to reflect changing aspirations, a core issue that many people have today is centred around the affordability of mature estates' new BTOs. I understand Singaporeans' concerns when they see the prices where they are.”
“I am aware that some heartland merchants would welcome a threshold of 60% to determine whether a place can undergo ROS. Some even tell me that 50% is the appropriate number. They tell me that based on their experience, the support from certain trades, mainly chain stores, clinics, that have either strong branding, independent of the heartland locations or do not require much common infrastructure to attract businesses, usually are a lot less interested in supporting upgrading. The MAs' concerns are valid. but I also understand why HDB would prefer the 75% threshold, as 75% is intuitively a fair number and is in line with HDB's very successful Housing Improvement Programme (HIP). That is why I suggested the three earlier suggestions on generating consensus, using 75% that the Minister proposed today. But I do hope that after a few years down the road, and after one or two rounds of ROS, HDB can then review whether the 75% threshold is the best option. Beyond these three suggestions on generating consensus, I would also like to suggest that HDB consider prioritising ROS projects that can be added on to existing upgrading efforts – be it ROHS efforts to revitalise a town or when there is a plan by the local Town Council to do extensive renovations at the town centres. There is a lot of fixed cost when it comes to renovating common areas, especially common commercial areas, and when we can combine fundings from various schemes, it will be quite possible to achieve much better outcomes. In conclusion, the amendments proposed today are excellent moves that would help spur heartland merchants, MAs and HDB to revitalise the vitality of heartland shops. And with that, I stand in support of the Bill.”
“As such, I think many MAs hope that HDB can explore how we can better work with MAs, to jointly reach out to the shop owners, so that MAs can have a chance to appear in person, or at least speak over the phone and make a compelling case for the support of ROS. The second point I would MND to consider is, can HDB consider excluding the no-response from the vote, if more than 70% of the shop owners have responded? In the long run, the upgrading of an area has huge implications to the vitality of the businesses and the livelihood of the people employed by the heartland merchants. And if a place fails to have a chance to do ROS, we know that it is quite difficult for ROS to be revisited for the foreseeable future, because there are so many other places that wants to do ROS. It is not like an en bloc, where you can have repeated attempts to do that. So, that is why it is essential for the majority, who are usually for the upgrading, for the upgrading to go through. And by not counting non-responses, we can put in the right incentives for all the owners to respond and we are not depriving the owners of their voice. The third suggestion I have is, it would be wonderful if HDB can work with MAs to come up with a low-cost preliminary design concept and detail out the works that would likely be done, so that the shop owners will know what they are paying for. From my understanding, the usual process is for the Government to hire an architect to come up with the plans after an upgrading is confirmed. But from the perspective of, let us say, somebody sitting on-the-fence, they would be more likely to be convinced if they have more information about what will be done. Let me move to a different point, which is what is the right percentage of support for ROS.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I would like to declare that I am an Advisor to the Federation of Merchants' Associations, an industrial association that helps the SMEs in our heartlands transform and thrive. I stand in support of the amendment Bill, as it provides very timely and needed support to our heartland enterprises. ROS is a wonderful program to ensure that our heartland shops remain relevant. In general, heartland merchants are very appreciative of the Government support and, frankly, how many governments in the world do we know proactively think about how to ensure that micro-enterprises, which many heartland enterprises are, thrive in both good times and bad? Just think about the massive help that the Government has provided during COVID-19 and the CDC vouchers that get Singaporeans to spend more time at the heartland shops. The enhancement to ROS is very much welcome, as it is aimed at overcoming the main obstacles to implementing ROS – which is garnering sufficient support from the merchants to implement the programme. I must stress that the existing efforts by HDB – both in terms of funding roadshows and the time put in by HDB to do outreach – is very useful and appreciated, and we certainly hope it can continue. I would like to make three suggestions centered around how to generate support for ROS. Firstly, we can strengthen the partnership between HDB and Merchants' Associations (MAs) to persuade the shop owners. HDB, not MAs, currently writes to the owners. But some owners are very hard to reach and are not interested to responding to letters if they do not know much about the programme, or what is at stake. It is also very hard to put down all the complicated details and address concerns using letters only.”
“We must also remember that for a small country, if our children and youths are fiercely divided along any issue, and then they grow up within the confines of those fault lines, the divide is not just ideological. It can get deeply personal. Remember, we are a small country. Frequently, the divide will have a human face attached to that divide. And in my discussions with many teachers and school leaders, I believe our Primary, Secondary schools and Junior College (JC) leaders have done a good job in keeping our schools neutral. They have taken a child-centric approach to providing quiet and effective support to our youths. Compared to other countries, they have been quite successful in preventing educators from injecting their personal agendas into the classrooms. But it has been a while since we have last debated on this issue. So, it is best if MOE can remind our school leaders and teachers on this. And Singaporeans will also appreciate if MOE can reiterate their firm stance on this matter. The situation in our tertiary institutes is more complex. At that age, our youths are at the discovery stage in their lives and our educators have a lot less influence over their students. Therefore, I hope we can consider legislations, moving forward, to prevent the "cancel culture" from taking root in Singapore. Let me now conclude, Mr Speaker. I stand in support of the proposed amendments because they are the result of a painstaking consensus building effort, thereby cementing our common ground into law, and also because they refresh our social compact on gender and marriage for the years ahead, thereby addressing the very reasonable concerns of more traditional Singaporeans, and because it helps us move Singapore forward.”
“However, they have now observed the painstaking consensus building effort needed to move Singapore along. And because our youths can empathise with differing viewpoints, our youths now have a deeper sense of understanding of how our more traditional Singaporeans feel. Therefore, I believe that most of our youths will support the amendments proposed today. To sum up, our youths do not see the repeal of section 377A, or their belief that all Singaporeans matter, as contradictory to their pro-family stance. Their views are reasonable and we should listen to them. Next, I would like to talk about how we can best support our youths on this issue, especially, on the one hand, our youths who are gay and worried that they will be ostracised and, on the other hand, our youths who are worried about being "cancelled" for voicing, in a respectful manner, their traditional family values. Indeed, we must take pains to ensure that our schools remain neutral on this issue and support both types of youths in an effective and low-key manner. I have observed that for a minority of youths, there is a certain fluidity in gender self-identification. A youth might identify himself as gay at a certain age but have a different take years later. And the reverse can also be true too. Therefore, our schools should neither celebrate nor ostracise our youths for being gay. Our schools should not let gender become the defining attribute of who a person is, because if this issue gets polarised, we will be robbing them of the opportunity to do an authentic self-evaluation, in their formative years, of who they truly are.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I stand in support of the amendments proposed today. Our society's view on section 377A has evolved over time. Part of it can be attributed to our youths today. Therefore, I believe I can best contribute to our debate by highlighting their views. Most of our youths want section 377A gone, because it suggests that some Singaporeans are less than others. The views of our youths are not solely attributed to the influx of "woke" culture from the West. There is a more fundamental reason. And that is, for the past few decades, we have been building a kinder Singapore. Our schools have taught our children and youths the value of justice, empathy and kindness. Naturally, our youths believe the dignity of every Singaporean matters. Therefore, we should not be surprised if our youths think that the provisions of section 377A are innately discriminatory, even if they are not enforced by the Government. So, should we be surprised that our youths can empathise with the lived experience of the gay community, some of whom have experienced real or perceived discrimination? No, we should not. At the same time, while our Singapore youths respect diversity, they also continue to uphold the sensibility of a traditional society. They are pro-family and most believe marriage is best defined as between a man and a woman. Therefore, with regards to family, their views are not that different from the generations of Singaporeans before them. Most of them have grown up with loving parents, grandparents and under the nurturing shade of our family centric policies. They, therefore, intuitively understand the importance of families, not just for themselves, but also for society. At the same time, many youths also wonder why it took society so long to repeal section 377A.”
“And lastly, we will power some of these local efforts with micro-jobs for our healthy seniors. With that, Mr Deputy Speaker I stand in full support of the White Paper.”
“The more time we spend debating on what is the precise level of funding, the more time we lose in pivoting towards preventive care. Because being roughly correct today, is better than being precisely correct after the ship has sailed. But I do hope that MOH can keep close tabs to ensure that all regional health systems spend enough on preventive care. And that over time, MOH can refine the funding model to factor in differing age distribution, social economic status across different healthcare clusters. And that MOH can also help clusters scale up particularly innovative efforts. Mr Deputy Speaker, to conclude, as a member of PAP Seniors Group, Healthier SG is a necessary reform, a bold reform of our healthcare system. It deserves our full support, even though there are many challenges ahead, even though it will take a decade for us to see real dividends. My volunteers and I are also deeply committed to making Healthier SG work for Kebun Baru. We feel this way because we understand the possibilities. In fact, we have started creating our Kebun Baru local action plan for healthy longevity, that we hope to partner with NHG on. We will grow as many exercise and wellness groups as we can and build bridges between them and NHG. We will create a single service directory on how to care for our seniors and we will share it with all our local partners including family doctors. We will join Ang Mo Kio GRC’s efforts to set up a dedicated helpline to serve the seniors. We will improve our existing local efforts on dementia, palliative care, assisted living and we will build up support groups for stroke and cancer. We will reach out to the Centre for Healthy Longevity, so that our residents can benefit from longevity interventions as soon as possible.”
“Last month, I was delighted to attend and join in a panel at Singapore's first longevity research conference where Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat launched NUHS' Centre for Healthy Longevity. Yes, I understand the science is still developing, but it will be wonderful if MOH can sketch out what our emerging plan is because healthy longevity can have a profound impact because Singapore can be the first country to systematically translate longevity research into practical intervention for all. Brilliant plans, bold plans require brilliant execution. I would now like to make a few brief points about the implementation of Healthier SG. Firstly, MOH must decisively break down the silos of information that exists today. I also concur with member Dr Tan Wu Meng that we must build a world- class healthcare IT system. Our family doctors must have access to quality medical history pulled from all different healthcare institutes. They need prompt and relevant information to create meaningful health plans that Singaporeans trust. Secondly, our Government needs to do more to encourage all Singaporeans to exercise more and eat less sugar and salt. While we have done much, much more can be done. It would be helpful to hear concrete plans from MOH. Thirdly, I hope that our healthcare leaders boldly invest resources and imagination in preventive health, even though our natural instincts are to spend the most to care for the sick. I certainly hope it is true for the National Healthcare Group, which serves Kebun Baru and which sees many seniors, perhaps even more than other regions. However, I can understand why MOH wants to use population size as the basis for funding our healthcare clusters.”
“And more importantly, I have seen first-hand how the various aspects of Healthier SG can come together – personal healthcare plans, social prescription, healthcare workers working hand-in-glove with our community partners and local volunteers. I have also seen our frail seniors, having received support and concern, take personal responsibility of their health. Healthier SG is, indeed, the decisive shift that our healthcare system needs. But preventive health is better than curative health or rehabilitation. I believe the future of preventive health can be found in the science of longevity medicine which Minister Ong Ye Kung mentioned at the end of his opening speech. Over the last few decades, researchers have made tremendous progress in understanding the science of ageing. There is now ample evidence on how affordable preventive interventions can slow down ageing and increase our health span, which is the proportion of our lives that we spend in good health. It is now clear that a person can be much healthier than what his age suggests, with the right lifestyle and clinical intervention. Lifestyle intervention can include things we already know very well, such as intermittent fasting or exercises. But what is more interesting are clinical interventions – potential new supplements, existing drugs repositioned for healthy longevity and new drugs over time. And it is more and more possible to measure one's biological age through a series of biomarker tests, so that we can see the progress or the regression of our health span more clearly so that we can take better responsibility for our own health.”
“One, Uncle Paul, who is in the 80s. He has a heart that is functioning less than a quarter of what it needs to be. He was frequently admitted to the hospital, taking medicine was a chore because he felt hopeless about life. But when he felt the love and support of our volunteers, he decided to fight on. With proper medications and regular reviews, his health has improved. Today, even though he continues to be frail, he is energetic and cheerful. Two, Uncle Ong. Uncle Ong is a single, retired construction worker in his late 70s. He has always been independent, never troubling others for help and he never joined our activities. He developed chronic conditions and did not take medicine regularly. He relied extensively on alternative medicine. One day, Uncle Ong injured his toes and it turned gangrene soon after. The gangrene spread upwards towards the shank and he had an amputation just below his knees. He was depressed and in great pain. Our volunteers prepared special meals for him which we brought to him daily. Initially, Uncle Ong was uncomfortable to be "served" and "cared" for by several volunteers. But, over time, he accepted the services supported. And now, he complies with his medication and goes for reviews. He has learnt to come to terms with his disability. He even participates at social events now. His chronic conditions are also under control. Now, given what we have seen, my volunteers and I are, of course, thrilled when we heard that under Healthier SG, MOH will set up many more eldercare centres that integrate community programmes with health. There are many more such seniors beyond our rental blocks – in our HDB estates, in our private estates.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, loneliness can wither away even the bravest souls – a spouse passes on, siblings disappear, children distancing themselves. These can be devastating to our seniors. Some never even had close family members or friends to begin with. For them, their final years can be harsh. Many of them decide that in the absence of love, health is meaningless. They decide to fade away. Yes, loneliness can kill, sometimes, in the most undignified way. But I have seen it with my own eyes that it need not be so. It need not be so. A few years ago, Dementia Singapore and my volunteers set up a self-funded eldercare centre from scratch within Block 115 in Ang Mo Kio. The centre combines health and social care for the most vulnerable seniors living in that block of rental flats, most of whom are frail and without familial support. We took over four units of HDB studio apartments and we did up the void deck. We got doctors and nurses from TTSH to review the health status of every senior under our care and to come up with a personal health plan. By health plan, it means more than just doing monitoring their vitals or ensuring medical compliance. It also includes social prescription, getting them to join in regular exercises and activities, getting them to eat healthy meals together and getting them to join in the kampung downstairs. These social prescriptions were delivered by a few staff and seniors were given micro-jobs. We also have the assistance of community partners and volunteers from all walks of life. The results were dramatic. Let me just talk about just two seniors, although we have seen impact in almost all the seniors under our care. Both have consented for me to share their stories, but I will still mention them using pseudonyms.”
“DIS should also help with defending non-military CII, because not all adversaries draw a line between military and civilian targets. Let me now conclude. The creation of our fourth service DIS opens many new possibilities for SAF. SAF is now in a better position to supplement our existing capabilities with that of the private sector and to keep our military and non-military CII safe. On that note, I would like to congratulate SAF for the creation of DIS and I wish success to the founding generation of DIS officers and staff. With that, I stand in support of both Bills.”
“This can help us preserve basic capabilities, even in the face of an overwhelming attack, which requires time to resolve in cyberspace. I also hope that DIS can be actively involved in securing our IT environment and processes as various SAF units conduct firmware updates of our software, weapons systems and communication systems. Through DIS, I also hope that SAF mandate and implement a Software Bill of Materials policy, and also help SAF assess the risk of the underlying software and hardware components being deployed. At the same time, we should also be cautious of the silo effect. According to some industry experts, the key challenges that the US government face is the silo effect in achieving a stronger cybersecurity defence. Some commentators felt that NSA, given the nature of its mandate, was viewed as unwilling to share the full expertise and know-how with the Department of Homeland Security, which is in charge of cyber defence. Singapore is too small a country to afford the luxury of turf wars, so I hope we bear that in mind as we have a fourth service. Four, we must safeguard of our capabilities very carefully. DIS needs an extremely vigorous process to audit our people and processes, and the security of our tools. We have the moral responsibility to ensure that the codes and tools do not get out, because of the potential unintended effect. Last of all, I hope that DIS will work hand in glove with our Cybersecurity Agency of Singapore (CSA) to protect Singapore. I hope DIS can actively contribute by to our Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) by probing our CIIs for vulnerabilities. Doing so will also help our CSA sharpen their skills on how to keep our CII safe.”
“Given that the bulk of cybersecurity expertise available to Singapore may be from the private sector, I hope that DIS can benchmark the salaries of cyber talent to the private sector, so that we can pull in the right mid-career professionals and retain good staff. So, perhaps the salary structure of DIS may have to deviate considerably from the rest of the military. I also hope DIS can find ways of deploying our people to do very useful industry exchanges, attachments, or even sabbaticals. The obvious places for our people to spend time with are, of course, IT security companies. But we should not limit ourselves to that. It is an open secret to the security industry that there are certain countries with thriving pools of IT freelancers and experts capable of writing zero-day exploits. These exploits are then sold to cybersecurity firms, or even within the Dark Net. Are we prepared to let our people go to those countries to immerse themselves in those complex environments? I certainly hope so. Because they will allow us to have a pulse of this rapidly evolving field. Two, I hope that DIS should actively participate in defence exchanges with trusted countries. Because national level threats and attacks can be of a different profile compared to isolated attacks on civilian and commercial IT systems. Even if the same tools are similar, the motivation, approach and the end goals are very different. Three, I hope that DIS must ramp up and integrate with and defend the other services from cyberthreats quickly. For example, DIS could consider helping SAF architect our network architecture, so that certain basic capabilities can stay analogue, or even offline.”
“He shared with me how, within a few years, the top companies headhunted away the bulk of the teaching staff of AI at Carnegie Mellon University, which is one of the largest and best IT institutions in the US. Indeed, if even the US is short of top-notch IT talents, it is not surprising that Singapore would be short too. Singapore also lacks sufficient programmers skilled in assembly language. Assembly language is used to write codes for software to interface with hardware. For decades, assembly language work is seen as basic, low-level technology. As such, only a handful of locations – India, China, Eastern Europe and Taiwan – have deep pools of such skillsets. But over time, the industry realised that assembly language helps a hacker manipulate systems at the architectural level. It is also the most appropriate for building malware like viruses and trojans. In fact, assembly language is the go-to choice if someone want to reverse engineer a piece of software that has already been compiled. Far from being low-level work, assembly language is now seen as a sophisticated mean to subtly hack the chip, device or the telecoms equipment. This is what hackers mean when they say, "hacking down to the metal". This is a skill shortage that is not easy for most countries, including Singapore, to bridge. In view of our unique vulnerabilities, I would like to make a few suggestions to SAF. One, set the right culture. The DSI needs to be as much like Google and NSA, even as it retains its existing military culture. A key part of getting the culture right is being bold and innovative in the recruitment, growth and retention of cybersecurity talent.”
“If our C4I network or military equipment is fully compromised, then a significant amount of SAF's capability could be shut down, even for a short time. But another kind of serious threats that Singapore must be ever ready for, is for global cyber attacks not aimed at Singapore but, nevertheless, spillover through our borders, given that Singapore is the telecommunications, digital, financial and business hub of the region. Singapore has fully gone digital. I am not just talking about digital banking or enterprise software. Our hardware infrastructure, like the rest of the modern countries, rely on industrial automation. We are embracing IoT with a multitude of sensors to manage our city-state. In fact, our value proposition to the world can be summed up by three words: trust, connectivity and knowledge. And all these three pillars can be undermined by cybersecurity threats. Beyond attacks on our economy, our society is also vulnerable. It is entirely possible that Singapore could come under constant attacks from nations with strong cyber capabilities that seek to destabilise our media, civic institutions, or even our political system. If the US Senate Intelligence Committee could conclude in 2019 that US democracy was hacked, what makes us think that a small country like Singapore would be spared of ill intentions? And while we have natural vulnerabilities, we must also be cognisant that we are a net importer of IT capabilities and talent, and this makes it harder for us to keep us safe. I would like to just highlight two areas of intense shortage of skills. There is an acute shortage of top-notch AI talent here, which is a concern as IT will increasingly power cybersecurity. Sometime ago, I had dinner with a top AI expert in Singapore.”
“All data were wiped out and replaced with photographs of burning American flag. A much larger wave of proliferation happened around half a decade ago. In August 2016, a group called The Shadow Brokers publicly claimed that they have hacked into the vault of NSA and stolen a large arsenal of NSA's zero-day exploits. And in April 2017, The Shadow Brokers then shared some of the most powerful codes to the public. The world, since then, saw more waves of large-scale and sophisticated cyber attacks using tools that were supposedly leaked. How does these change the world? Some of the most sophisticated code is now available to groups and nation states. And because the Internet respects no boundaries, the rest of the world is at risk. For example, Ukraine was the initial nexus of the NotPetya attack in 2014. The attack started through a software update from an Ukrainian tax filing software company. It quickly jumped onto Ukraine's ministry of health to Chernobyl's radiation monitors, and then to the rest of the world. Within months, analysts conservatively estimate that the cost of the attack to be more than US$10 billion. Some global insurers even chose not to pay off the damages as they claim that this damage, even for companies outside of Ukraine, was due to an act of war. This changing battlefield affects us, for we have unique vulnerabilities. The obvious scenario facing SAF is a formal cyber attack as part of hostile military actions. Consider this. Our next generation's SAF pushes C4I to a whole new level. We will fuse battlefield intelligence from all services, from near and far, from all parts of the battlefield, to determine the right course of action and get the right assets to respond. C4I is at the heart of this coordination.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I stand in support of both Bills being debated today. Over the last two decades, cyber warfare has been waged openly between the major powers, and increasingly undertaken by middle powers too. Iran and North Korea are frequently mentioned in the international media, but they are not the only ones. The bigger concern is that the increased frequency and sophistication of the attacks are happening. We are seeing more and more use of zero-day exploits being unleashed on IT systems globally. By zero-day exploits, it means vulnerabilities that not even the authors of the software are aware of, which means IT users can expect limited protection from. It is useful for us to know how the world get to where it is – a cyberspace dominated by the law of the jungle. And how did IT, which has revolutionised humanity, get weaponised? And did how this cutting-edge expertise get proliferated? Sadly, the story is similar to that of nuclear weapon proliferation. For many decades, the US, as the birthplace of IT, started as the dominant and sole superpower of cybersecurity. In 2006, the Stuxnet attack woke many countries up to the dangers of cyber attacks. After Stuxnet, countries realise that most civilian infrastructure can get compromised through hacks in industrial automation systems. Some countries and groups started building up sophisticated capabilities. As early as December 2009, there were reports of coordinated attacks against IT giants like Google, aimed at not just compromising individual systems, but also went after core IP, such as the source codes and proprietary designs. Another example, in August 2012, Saudi Aramco, the world's richest company, had 30,000 of its computers demolished by malware.”
“Lastly, I would like to ask MSF how the Government decides whether children are put up for adoption versus fostering. Will the new ACA lead to any changes when the Government makes such decisions? And will some children currently being fostered also have a chance to be adopted, and will the fostered parents be informed or consulted? In conclusion, the Bill contains many good provisions and I fully support it.”
“However, I do hope that MSF can provide the public clarity on the Government's considerations, as well as the steps that Government agencies will take, before the commencement of the Court process. Will our social workers inform the biological parents or guardians at the earliest possible time if the social workers deem them to be heading down a path where the state takes their children away from them? If so, how will the social workers inform these biological parents or guardians? I am fully aware that there are circumstances, such as serious abuse and neglect, where the state has to refer cases to the Courts immediately and at the first occurrence of such abuses. But there are also circumstances that are less clear. As fellow parliamentarians here, we all have our encounters with families that are embroiled in serious family disputes, violence, potential or actual abuses. There are also parents that we see who are struggling with children with uncontrollable behaviours. What I worry about is that if the public is unclear about how this provision will be implemented, then some parents in families that require deep intervention from our social workers may withdraw from cooperating with MSF, out of a misplaced fear that their children will be taken away from them without their consent. We must also consider the issue on the other side. There are also parents who are engaging in self-destructive behaviours or lifestyles. These parents may not be well-informed about the laws, such as ACA. By informing them of the consequences of their actions early on, it is possible that the fear of losing their children will inspire them to take a different path. As such, I hope MSF can provide some clarity on this matter, even though I acknowledge it is not an easy balance to strike.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the Adoption of Children Act Bill today. At first glance, the Bill affects a small number of Singaporeans. On average, 400 children are adopted each year and half of them are born in Singapore. However, for the new parents who choose to adopt, for the children who are adopted and for the biological parents of the children put up for adoption, the laws and processes of adoption have an immense impact to them. Therefore, I am heartened that MSF is proposing a set of comprehensive and timely amendments. I would like to commend three particular provisions in this Bill. First, regulate the key parties of the adoption sector, to ensure that they are well-run and to deter them for commodifying the adoption process; second, implement safeguards against the applicants convicted of serious crimes – children who are put up for adoption deserves to belong to supportive and healthy families; third, prioritising applicants with a strong nexus to Singapore. Notwithstanding my support for many parts of the Bill, I would like MSF to also clarify, particularly on the provision that allows for the judicial Courts to dispense with the consent of a relevant person, who is usually a biological parent, to a child being put up for adoption if certain thresholds are met. The intentions behind this provision are sound. After all, if parents or guardians are deemed by the Courts to be extremely ill-suited to discharge their duties, then, surely, there must be a legal process where society can protect the child, by giving the child the opportunity to live outside bad, or even dangerous, influences of his or her biological parents or guardians.”
“Chairman, I noted that MOH has stared on the Ageing Plan Refresh, which gives the Government an opportunity to review the whole-of-Government efforts to empower and support our seniors, which is much needed given how much change has happened with COVID-19. We at the PAP Senior Group are watching this review closely and with much anticipation. While MOH continues with the review, I hope MOH can consider the following. One, once Omicron subsides, decisively change the SMMs to encourage the revival of wellness activities conducted by the grassroots and by senior activity centres. This is a point that my colleague, Mr Yip Hon Weng, mentioned before. Two, put a renewed focus on preventive health campaigns against diabetes, cancer, stroke and mental health. Three, accelerate the efforts of Queenstown Health District and quickly scale up beyond Queenstown and hopefully, the whole of Singapore. Four, introduce fresh ideas to encourage more seniors to come forth for health screenings. And five, enhance the scope of healthcare screening to detect and resolve more types of preventable and degenerative diseases and conditions. Given that we have transited to living with COVID-19 and most of our seniors are vaccinated and more anti-COVID-19 treatments are available, can MOH also share and elaborate on the current thinking on how to best care for our seniors' health and well-being moving forward? Active Ageing”