Lee Bee Wah
Singapore
“Finding the leak is one problem. Getting to the source of the water and the right method of repair is the other. Very often, the leaks come back soon after the Town Council has repaired it. In some cases, it has also caused tension or quarrels among the neighbours, ie, those upstairs and downstairs.”
“Sir, I definitely agree that the rubbish is cleaned every day but certainly not the road pavements. In fact, I have pictures taken more than two weeks ago and until today, some of the rubbish is still there.”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive briefing. I would like to recommend the Minister of State to involve more industry players, such as the Institution of Engineers and the Singapore Institute of Architects, in the consultation and negotiation processes.”
“Sir, I have three supplementary questions. First, does this 'No Wrong Door' policy also extend to those residents in the private estates who need help for their environmental problems, such as mosquito breeding, no one cleans the road, drain or prunes the trees?”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether we can give priority to those families with many young children. I have a Malay family with four young children, aged between one and four years old, and they will be evicted by their landlord by the end of the month and she has been coming to see me about a rental flat.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State, for the service industry, correct me if I am wrong, once it is invoiced, we send an invoice out, we have to pay the GST regardless of whether we collect the payment or not. If this is true, would the Ministry consider "pay when paid"?”
The complete record
Every one of 33 lines we hold for Lee Bee Wah, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account.
“Overhead Bridges Sir, another issue I would want to raise is: how can we help our senior citizens to be more mobile? While we have been working on various projects to make our environment barrier-free, I would urge the Ministry to consider installing escalators at overhead bridges near to MRT stations. These overhead bridges are located near the stations so as to serve as an access point for people who want to use the trains. Without an escalator, many old people would find it a challenge to have to climb up the flight of stairs, then walk across and, again, climb down another few flight of stairs, such as the one at Khatib MRT. Besides serving the senior citizens, the escalators will also be a welcome benefit for pregnant women, school children or adults with heavy hand luggage and for the handicapped. What I am asking for are only the overhead bridges near MRT stations - please do not tell me that that is costly. If you want to divide the cost by the number of users, I am sure it is worth considering and please also do not tell me that that is expensive to maintain. Nowadays, the technology is very advanced and we have escalators designed for outdoor use. In view of the ageing population and more and more elderly who are working or shopping for groceries, the provision of escalators is a necessity. 3.30 pm”
“Sir, a number of tragic accidents have occurred at the MRT stations. 87% of these cases are of the commuters' fault in either going onto the tracks to retrieve fallen property, playing around beyond the safety yellow line and, of recently, a series of suicides. As a result, there have been many calls for the LTA to put up railings or a gate system that could perhaps be adapted from the way our underground MRT stations work. This would allow commuters to only step beyond the platform when the train has arrived and open their sliding doors. I understand that this option has been brought to the attention of the Minister for Transport previously and he had cited, "As safety provisions such as platforms, screen doors are costly to install and maintain, we will have to weigh the efficacy of installing more safety measures against the additional costs to public transport provision." I think the Ministry should consider how much is too much to protect a human life. One life lost is one too many. Work out the sums on the knock-on effect when an accident occurs. Services will have to be disrupted, free shuttle services will have to be deployed, officers will have to be assigned to redirect traffic, time spent in investigating the cause of the accident, other passengers being late for work or appointments, etc. There is a whole change of events that will follow, and this coupled with the emotional and financial loss to the next-of-kin of the victims. I urge the Ministry to revisit their policy. In Hong Kong, a $2 billion project was completed in 2005, which saw their stations being fitted with sliding doors which serve well to prevent commuters from falling onto the tracks either deliberately or otherwise.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] I would like to suggest that public transport concessions be granted to elderly workers. Currently, they are only entitled to concession fares during off-peak hours. In Singapore, there is a growing trend of elderly workers staying in the workforce beyond retirement age and the majority of these elderly workers are in low-paid jobs such as hawker centre cleaners and kitchen attendants. To substantiate my point, please refer to the National Family Survey carried out in 2005. It was reported that workers who are 60 years old have two times longer working hours as compared to those who are 39 years old or younger. In this regard, I would like to urge the SMRT and SBS Transit to consider giving elderly workers concession fares regardless of whether it is during off-peak or peak hours. On another point, the concession fares that the elderly enjoy are not applicable to Express Bus Services, NightRider, buses to the city, and direct buses to Chinatown and the National Stadium, etc. In view of the contributions they have made to the society, public transport service providers should consider giving them round-the-clock concession fares, and it should apply to all bus routes. Similarly, it should work just like the student concession rate that we are giving to primary and secondary school students. Taxis”
“Sir, I would like to hear from the Minister what is his view on my previous call of allowing CPF to be used by working adults to do part-time degree or Diploma courses.”
“Sir, a lot has been said and reported in the media about global warming, the El Nino effects and so forth. I would like to know how much knowledge has the Ministry acquired in studying the impact of global warming, the changing temperatures, the rise in sea levels and the impact on plants and ecology in Singapore. Are we well prepared for the impact of the climate change? We talk about tree-planting and going ABC Waters as though the climate has not changed. We set up homes close to our shorelines, assuming that all that works well ends well. I do not want to be a pessimist, but all I want is that our Ministry is staying well ahead in the management of our environment. Lastly, I would like to ask the Minister what is being done in the area of energy conservation. In Australia, we have read about how they are trying to phase out the use of environment-unfriendly incandescent bulbs to cut greenhouse gas emission. How widespread is the use of such light bulbs in Singapore? Still on energy, can the Minister tell the House how dependent are we on our neighbouring countries for the supply of natural gas to generate electricity? What other alternative fuels are being considered so that we do not become beholden to only one fuel type? And, certainly, we cannot afford to have another sand saga happening to our power supply.”
“Sir, I would like to raise the problem of heavy flooding during the recent monsoon season. As a result of the flood, traffic had to be diverted and it resulted in congestion. So everyone, from workers to school-going children, was affected. After the flood occurred, the Ministry went into action, but it was a case of too little, too late. Businesses suffered losses but, fortunately, no life was lost. Then we started to talk about the flood meters that have been put in place, waiting to warn residents and shopkeepers of the rising water level. But apparently, it did not work when the flood hit the nurseries at Thomson Road. We certainly need to be more proactive and not reactive. The flood left a lot of question marks. What was the economic loss? Is our current drainage system sufficient? Any research done to look for better alternatives for monitoring flood? Can we prevent the flood in a more efficient manner and reduce damage to a minimum? As I understand it, the PUB is already putting their flood alleviation projects on a fast track. My question is: why only now on fast track? Besides this, are there any other measures that the Ministry is taking to prevent similar flood from occurring? I can only stress that these works be done faster and research on improvement of flood meters and other necessary equipment be emphasised on. Water Tanks”
“Sir, though our economy has improved, it is those big companies, which have the resources to go overseas, which are enjoying the growth. The SMEs, on the other hand, are feeling the going becoming tougher and tougher because of higher rental costs which, in some cases, have gone up by as much as double; higher staff costs as the bigger companies are hiring and can afford to pay higher salaries and, soon, higher CPF. It is a scenario of twin economy. SMEs, by their set-up, are enterprises with limited resources, both in terms of finance, manpower and even contacts. Hence, SMEs find it very difficult to compete in the international marketplace and, at times, even on their own home soil where the bigger MNCs or GLCs muscle them off the field. In addition to that, very often, in order to have peace of mind and less justification to be made, the contract awarding Government agencies prefer to work with bigger foreign companies or GLCs instead of homegrown SMEs. At least, that is the impression that SMEs have. Hence, I would like to urge the Government, firstly, to promote and buy local services and products. Secondly, JTC and HDB should continue to provide affordable office and industrial space to mitigate sharp increases in rentals. Lastly, I would like to urge the Government to encourage GLCs to work together with the local SMEs when they venture abroad and to take SMEs as their extended departments. For example, developers could bring along Singapore architects, engineers and contractors when they go overseas. 12.45 pm”
“Madam, the growth of mega shopping malls and multi-purpose shopping centres has brought about a change in the shopping habits of Singaporeans. This makes it most often not just retail outlets but also entertainment from cinemas to game arcades as well as food and beverage outlets. They just become a draw for the younger generation who prefer to hang out at these complexes. Invariably, the parents of this younger generation are also sucked in as they go with their children to shop. Against this onslaught, what chance is there for our HDB shops? I hope the Ministry will be able to do something to help the HDB shop owners and breathe some freshness into their setting and operations. Some merchants associations have banded their members together to face the challenge. However, I feel that the Government should look into the design and layout of HDB shopping areas so as to help them withstand the test of time. HDB planners and architects involved in designing the town centres should look at the concepts successfully implemented overseas and see how they can be implemented here. Our HDB dwelling areas have undergone a remarkable transformation each time they undergo upgrading but the retail areas need some catching up to do.”
“Finding the leak is one problem. Getting to the source of the water and the right method of repair is the other. Very often, the leaks come back soon after the Town Council has repaired it. In some cases, it has also caused tension or quarrels among the neighbours, ie, those upstairs and downstairs. I am sure my other parliamentary colleagues too would have faced these problems. I hope the Minister can share with this House an overview of the situation in Singapore and whether the Ministry will consider rolling out a national programme to tackle the leaks so that it can be more cost effective to carry out such works on a larger scale. On this note also, it would be good to know if the HDB carries out any R&D to determine how it can improve on the situation, perhaps through the use of better water-proofing materials, better sealants for windows, detailings, etc, to minimise the occurrence of water seepages.”
“Sir, the very successful introduction of the Lift Upgrading Programme for HDB is a hallmark of the PAP in its management of public housing in the heartlands. The benefits to the residents more than compensated for the cost that the flat owners have to pay, taking into account all the subsidies from the HDB and the Town Councils. Because of these, I have to ask the Minister what can his Ministry do to put the LUP on an even faster track. Since the new LUP was launched in 2001, the residents in Nee Soon South are waiting for their turn. Without fail, at every house visit, they will ask me when are they getting their lifts upgraded. The current pattern for upgrading appears to be a sprinkling here and there and, somehow, the showers do not fall on Nee Soon South. I feel that there should at least be an indicative date given for these homeowners. This will enable them to make informed decisions about their future and not leave them in a limbo. Furthermore, with the rising activities in our construction industry, many residents also fear that this will have an impact on the construction cost. They are concerned that, should there be an undue delay in LUP, what if the cost escalates? Will HDB and the Town Council raise their subsidies so that my residents will not be penalised? As it is, the price of readymix concrete has gone up spirally recently. Water Seepage in HDB Flats Next, I would like to raise another problem that very often crops up too when I go on house visits. And this is about leaks in their HDB flats. This is apparently a common problem, especially for older flats. In some instances, water also seeps through the external walls and windows. I am currently carrying out a survey of all the HDB blocks in Nee Soon South to ascertain the extent of the problem.”
“Sir, may I take the cuts together, please?”
“" And they were telling me that for the politicians, if they did not know how to make use of the advantage and make sure that the pocket is fat, that is not a politician, in their definition or in their dictionary. But I assured them that, in Singapore, the politicians are here to make sure that we take care of our residents and take care of our citizens. So, if we do not have a good government, we do not have a prudent government, we can never think of spending on social services. The other point is that we increase GST only when it is needed. This made me think: are we going to be ruled by the Chinese proverb "chuan dao qiao tou zi ran zhi"? In Chinese, wo xu yao de shi hou, wo xu yao le, wo ming tian increase GST liang ba xian.My mother always tells me that when you want to pass motion, you have to find a toilet first. When I was studying in the UK, I met friends from Myanmar and Cambodia. They said, "Bee Wah, I really admire you. How I wish that my country has Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP." Conclusion Sir, let me conclude by once again congratulating the Second Finance Minister for presenting a Budget where the lines are clearly drawn and the policies clearly defined. The Minister has transformed what could have been just another annual Budget into a platform where we can pin our hopes for a brighter future. The Minister has perhaps realised the thoughts of the Spanish painter and sculptor, Pablo Picasso, when he said, "There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun." Mr Speaker, Sir, with this, I support the motion. 4.28 pm”
“For the big Government-linked corporation, working with a home-grown SME will have its advantages because there will be no cultural gap and they also have a better understanding of each other. This will help our local SMEs to have a wider reach and expand their horizons, as well as gear them to globalise their business. Car owners and road tax Finally, I note that the 8% rebate on road tax for owners of passenger cars and motorcycles is indeed the Jack-in-the-box in this year's Budget. The concern among those who benefit from this is that they may end up paying back 8 percentage points more than what they are going to receive if they read the Government's policy on road transport accurately. I can only voice their concern that this road tax rebate which is tabulated in the Finance Ministry's statement as Benefit for Individuals and Households will not leave them having to pay a lot more when the policy to charge motorists based on road usage is implemented. Sir, before I conclude, I would like to touch on some points that Ms Sylvia Lim mentioned just now. This is not to start a Ah Huay versus Ah Lian debate. I just want to comment that spending on social services for the greying population by Government cannot be taken for granted. Only prudent and good government like ours can do so. Recently, I went back to visit my mother during Chinese New Year and I met up with my friends and, of course, all of them congratulated me. They said, "Wow, Bee Wah, you're going to get rich very soon." I asked them, "Why do you say so?" They said, "Oh, you can get any licence that you want. Of course, you'll get rich very soon." I said, "Excuse me, this is Singapore.”
“We should encourage this group of students and provide them with opportunities to further their studies. Considering that the usage of CPF savings to buy shares has been permitted, I would like to suggest to the Government to consider seriously the usage of CPF savings by those who wish to upgrade themselves through part-time Diploma or degree courses. Using CPF savings to upgrade oneself is a more valuable investment than buying shares. This will enable Singaporeans to better prepare themselves in facing the challenges of a globalised world. This is also a good way to help PMETs. As an added measure, I would like to suggest to the Government to set up a not-for-profit institute of education to run these post-secondary courses so that many more people can get a leg up on the social ladder. (In English): Helping SMEs Sir, next, I will move on to the internationalisation of local businesses. The Government has eloquently spoken about the need for our local business, especially the SMEs to venture abroad. However, the global environment is often fraught with over-powering currents for the SMEs that may prevent them from staying afloat. As such, I feel that the Government should consider getting the bigger boys in the Government-linked companies to work together with the local SMEs when they venture abroad. When these big corporations get a project abroad, instead of sub-contracting to foreign companies or start their hiring spree, they should consider tying up with our SMEs back home. This way, they will be helping to give them a headstart and shorten their learning curve by taking them under their wings. Of course, the SME chosen must be able to deliver and be competitive at the same time.”
“I do not know whether the Government can get the insurance industry or any financial group or even the unions to work out a savings scheme like the endowment fund to give the lower income group an opportunity to save something for their old age. (In English): Mr Speaker, Sir, please allow me to continue my speech in Malay. (In Malay): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Mr Speaker, allow me to give my views on education. I commend and support the Government's move to give top-ups of up to $400 per year to the Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) for every Singaporean child aged 7-20 years old in 2008 and 2009. Older children and those from the low income families will get higher PSEA top-ups. This policy is very encouraging as it motivates learning and provide oppor- *Cols. 2041-2042. tunities for those from the low income families to upgrade their standard of living through achievement in education. In this spirit, I would urge the Government to be more generous with top-ups given to the lower-income families. The cost to further their higher studies is not cheap and the top-up will not be able to meet this cost. The Government should also consider expanding the list of approved institutes to include the many universities that are offering courses through schools or private institutions in Singapore. We should remember that not all students are capable of scoring good grades to ensure them a place in distinguished universities, like NTU, NUS and SMU. Students who are not able to get a place in these universities should be given an opportunity to further their studies through other avenues. Many of them may be late developers and would require a longer time to attain excellence in education.”
“One form of reward for these homemakers is to explore the possibility of their husbands contributing CPF for their spouses who are home managers. It is indeed heartening to listen to the men and working women talking about the Budget during the Lunar New Year gatherings and discussing how much they will benefit. However, I do also notice that the housewives could only sigh and remain silent. Let me quote the late British politician, Ms Eleanor Rathbone. She said, "There is, I suppose, no occupation in the world which has an influence on the efficiency and happiness of the members of nearly all other occupations so continuous and so permeating as that of the working housewife and mother." Sir, I now move on to talk about our elderly folks. I notice a trend of more and more elderly people looking for employment in their golden years, but those jobs available for them are mostly lowly paid ones, such as cleaners, machine operators and salesmen, etc. My question is whether this trend has any implications for us. Is it telling us that the lower income families are finding it difficult to make ends meet and, therefore, the old folks have to come out and work to supplement their household income? Or is it because their children are not providing them with adequate financial support? Or is it because the old people are finding it really boring to stay at home and, as such, they would rather go out to work and keep themselves mentally occupied, and be financially independent? I have heard of a trend in the US for older people to keep working beyond 65 years old. I understand it is a very difficult task to get the low-income group to think of savings for their retirement and old age. This is something which is important for all Singaporeans, irrespective of income group.”
“Sir, please allow me to deliver my speech in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] I rise in support of the Budget speech by the Second Finance Minister, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam. In crafting this year’s Budget, the Minister is like a renowned Chinese calligrapher. With a few brief strokes, he is able to say many things in not so many words, unfurling much wisdom without sacrificing content. This year's Budget has taken into consideration the needs of all strata of the society, from the lower income to the middle and upper income groups, the sacrifices of our national servicemen have *Cols. 2039-2040. not gone unnoticed, and not forgetting the retired civil servants who have in the past worked relentlessly and made exceptional contributions to the country. However, this year's Budget has not attempted to address the needs of a particular group. They are our home-makers - housewives or house-husbands. Yesterday, a few of our fellow MPs have raised this issue, and I think it is extremely important. Therefore, I will reiterate this message again. The stay-at-home spouse plays a crucial role in supporting the family. They have selflessly performed their roles and some of them are even involved in voluntary work in the various grassroots and charitable organisations. As such, they have made a great contribution to our nation. Their task is not an easy one as they have to support the family, look after the children, attend to the needs of the husband and in-laws and be responsible for the family’s well-being. In this regard, they should also reap the rewards along with the rest, and be given due recognition.”
“Sir, I definitely agree that the rubbish is cleaned every day but certainly not the road pavements. In fact, I have pictures taken more than two weeks ago and until today, some of the rubbish is still there. Sir, I would like to know whether the Ministry is going to tighten up the audit process, as we are paying the contractors for works not done, and this is a very common complaint in the private estates.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary whether there is any other action or any further plan that can be done to further improve the situation. Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan: Sir, currently, NParks carries out twice weekly coastal cleaning of the Reserve, whilst within the Reserve, it is cleaned daily. In addition, other schools, community groups and volunteers also assist in the coastal clean up of the Reserve, especially during weekends, public and school holidays. As I have noted earlier in my reply, NParks is currently also exploring other ways to minimise the amount of flotsam that is washed onto the Reserve. Notwithstanding this effort, I think it is important to reiterate again that we need to have the full cooperation of the community to keep public areas clean, so that we can enjoy these nature reserves, parks and other public areas. CLEANING CONTRACTORS IN PRIVATE HOUSING ESTATES (Job scope) 5. Ms Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what is the job scope of contractors responsible for the cleaning of roads, pavements and drains in private housing estates; (b) what is the frequency of such cleaning; and (c) who monitors this work.”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive briefing. I would like to recommend the Minister of State to involve more industry players, such as the Institution of Engineers and the Singapore Institute of Architects, in the consultation and negotiation processes.”
“Sir, I have three supplementary questions. First, does this 'No Wrong Door' policy also extend to those residents in the private estates who need help for their environmental problems, such as mosquito breeding, no one cleans the road, drain or prunes the trees? Question 2: what can the residents do if they call the Government agency and were told off very rudely by the person who picked up the call just because he had called the wrong number or department? And question 3: will the Ministry take into consideration the effectiveness of the civil servants when it comes to salary increments, that is, for those who are not service-oriented or those who introduced policies that incurred cost for no good reason will not have any pay increment, and vice versa?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State, for the service industry, correct me if I am wrong, once it is invoiced, we send an invoice out, we have to pay the GST regardless of whether we collect the payment or not. If this is true, would the Ministry consider "pay when paid"?”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether we can give priority to those families with many young children. I have a Malay family with four young children, aged between one and four years old, and they will be evicted by their landlord by the end of the month and she has been coming to see me about a rental flat.”
“In view of the recent suspension or cancellation by the Thai Government on the Civil Service Exchange Programme, which I would interpret that they do not require this programme anymore, should not the Ministry cancel all such programmes and channel the money to better use such as, for example, expediting the Lift Upgrading Programme in Nee Soon South? I believe our residents would better appreciate the efforts of the Government.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister how much does it cost us for this exchange programme with Thailand since its inception.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether the concreting work at all the construction sites is back to normal. Are sand-related businesses profiteering by deliberately disrupting supply, not honouring contracts, negotiating new prices, and what is the Ministry doing about it?”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister: has the Johor MB sent any clear signal to our Singapore companies that they are indeed welcome?”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister if he has read the remarks by Johor MB Abdul Ghani and a couple of other Malaysian politicians. If so, what advice does he have for Singapore companies thinking of investing in the South Johor Economic Region?”
“Sir, in view of the impending increase in CPF, does the Minister foresee that it will bring additional burden to the SMEs, in particular, now that the SMEs are also facing a steep increase in rental, labour cost, material cost, etc?”
“Sir, now that Singapore has awarded one of its biggest projects on Sentosa to a Malaysian company, can the Minister please inform the House whether he expects that Singapore companies will find themselves more welcome when they invest in Malaysia, especially the south Johore economic zone?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am very heartened to hear from the Minister that there will be extended usage of Medisave. One of my residents told me that he could not use Medisave for radiotherapy for his nose cancer. I would like to urge the Minister to consider this treatment for further extension of Medisave usage in future.”
“Sir, I have two supplementary questions. First, I understand that in Nee Soon South, there are six blocks which are not eligible for LUP. With these new technologies, will all the six blocks get LUP? The second question is that, recently, the construction cost has gone up between 20%-30%. Does the $30,000 still stay there or will it be increased?”
“The Minister just mentioned that those families with monthly income below $800 will not be affected by the rental rate alignment exercise. I look at the chart that was distributed yesterday. Over the last five years, those families with an income of $1,700 and below have not experienced any increment in their salaries. So, is $800 too low a cut-off?”