Lee Boon Yang
Singapore
“6 The other guidelines are that there must be a post office sited within 5 km of every private residential estate and within 1 km of any commercial or industrial estate. MAID LEVY CONCESSION (Applications by the disabled) 32.”
“Madam, can I quickly respond to the point on assistive technology? Certainly this is an area of interest. We cannot say that we have the capability at this juncture but we will certainly look into what is possible and work with our ICT sector.”
“Nevertheless, if the spouse of the homemaker is working, he will be eligible for WIS if he satisfies the criteria. Husbands of homemakers are further eligible for tax relief.”
“Sir, I do not think it is quite correct to say that we always expect our own artists to perform for free or do public service. There are, of course, occasions where we do seek Singapore artists and arts companies to contribute to the national causes. For instance, when we went international for Singapore Season in China.”
“Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for National Development (a) what checks does the Ministry or the National Environment Agency have in place to prevent mistaken payments to hawkers who cease operations due to upgrading works at hawker centers; (b) how did the mistaken payment of $18,000 to Mdm Lee Ah Muey come about; and (c) what will the…”
“While it was also true that initially the reaction or the response of the licensing authority was that foreigners should not participate in such an event at the Speakers' Corner - because there is already an existing prohibition against any foreigners taking part in any activities at the Speakers' Corner - subsequent assessment resulted i…”
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“Mr Chairman, Sir, the Integrated Land Use System (ILUS) is a computerized database on land and building information. The system will have both graphic information such as maps and architectural and engineering drawings as well as text and numeric data. Sir, the $4.3 million which is allocated for the next financial year will be used to acquire computer hardware to develop the following systems: (a) a computerized indexing and retrieval system to facilitate the retrieval of historical information which is currently stored on microfilms and microfiche; (b) an electronic information system to expedite the flow of inquiries of building professionals, developers and property owners on the status of development and building applications that are being processed. Sir, the integrated land use system is a complex project involving the use of advanced software technology and conversion of large volumes of manual records. As such, the implementation of the project will stretch over a period of about seven years. The project itself will have to be undertaken in phases. The first on-line system which is a partial information service system to cater to public inquiries is expected to be completed by 1988. Sir, the project will benefit people who need information on land and buildings. They will be able to enjoy speedier responses to their inquiries regarding the legal status of land and buildings and the status of various applications under consideration. Government agencies such as the Planning Department and the Development and Building Control Branch will be able to retrieve data expeditiously. These departments will therefore be able to process development and building applications in a shorter time.”
“Sir, the Singapore International Garden Festival was conceived as a means of utilizing the Marina South land for the next 10 or 15 years. My Ministry is now reviewing the plans and objectives of the Singapore International Garden Festival and a decision on its implementation will be announced soon.”
“Sir, I have pointed out in my answer that part of the $9.3 million which is budgetted for the next financial year will be spent on building works, ie, renovation works. This is $2.9 million, and only $4(r) million out of the $9.3 million will be spent on mechanical and electrical works. If the Member for Punggol would like to have a detailed breakdown of the estimated expenses for the rest of the entire project, I will be very happy to provide him.”
“Sir, in about two weeks' time, the National Development Building will be celebrating its 17th anniversary. The building was completed in April 1970. After 17 years of dedicated service, I think renovation and refurbishment is due. The amount of $9.3 million that has been allocated for the next financial year is in anticipation of the progress payment on building, mechanical and electrical renovation works. The work itself is expected to start in the middle of this year and the estimated expenditure on building work is $2.9 million. On mechanical work, it is $4 1/2 million. The rest of the $9.3 million that has been budgetted will be used for internal partition system, furniture and also other costs such as insurance expenses. The project itself is going to be carried out in stages. It will take several years to complete the renovation of the whole building. As to whether it is necessary or not, I would say that it is long overdue because I have been told that a lot of the mechanical equipment, such as the air-conditioning equipment, are very old and have deteriorated significantly.”
“Mr Speaker, I am answering on behalf of my Minister. Sir, the new road is actually the northward extension of the Central Expressway. Construction of this stretch of expressway commenced in July 1986 and is scheduled to be completed towards the end of 1987. Completion may be delayed because there is a clearance of the industries in the area which is taking longer than is expected. 11.42 am [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair]”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the question of authority or functions of Town Council is actually being discussed and reviewed. We will consider them. It may be possible in the future to work out a scheme whereby Town Councils will actually run these car parks, not just manage it as they are doing at the present moment. Town Councils may be able to collect the revenues from the parking fees, but I would like to remind the Member for Jalan Kayu that before doing so the Town Council must first consider the actual cost of these car parks because the Town Councils themselves at the moment are not owners of these car parks. YIO CHU KANG/ANG MO KIO LINK ROAD (Completion date) 10. Mr Heng Chiang Meng asked the Minister for National Development when the new road connecting Yio Chu Road (near Boh Sua Tian Road) to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 (near the Central Expressway) will be ready.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we have this problem of free parking in industrial parks. The experience of many private housing estates situated adjacent to public housing estates or HDB estates is that people are prepared to walk a certain distance to take advantage of the free parking. Therefore, we envisage that problems which arise from providing free parking in the industrial parks will certainly arise in the industrial parks that the Member for Jalan Kayu has mentioned. From the location mentioned, I see that it is not far away from the residential blocks. It may take a 10-15 minutes' walk, but I believe there are people who are prepared to take that walk. And if we allow it, it will lead to more problems.”
“I may not know the precise location but I know that they are within the general confines of Ang Mo Kio New Town.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I shall ask the HDB to consider this. MORAL EDUCATION (Textbooks in mother tongue for Secondary 1 and 2) 3. Mr Yeo Choo Kok asked the Minister for Education whether series textbooks in the mother tongue on moral education will be developed for Secondary 1 and 2 as there is right now a gap between Primary 6 and Secondary 3 in the subject.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as I have said earlier on, the Police are always reviewing the schedule of implementation for the NPPs and will take into consideration any new factor which the Member for Jalan Kayu is able to bring up. ANG MO KIO POLYCLINIC (Upgrading of facilities) 8. Dr S. Vasoo asked the Acting Minister for Health whether his Ministry has any plans to upgrade the facilities of Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic. The Acting Minister for Health (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic, commissioned five years ago, was built as a modern polyclinic. It is the Ministry's policy to regularly upgrade its facilities to meet the needs of the general public. As part of the upgrading of Ang Mo Kio Polyclinic, a computerized patient management system is being planned and will be installed by 1988 at the clinic. New equipment will also be acquired as and when necessary to meet the needs of the patients.”
“And it is also from Police experience that during the early days of a new town's development, it is vital to enhance the sense of security among the new residents. The other factor which has to be considered is whether constituencies without intensive public housing estates should take precedence in the schedule of implementation. Generally, the Police felt that these constituencies without the high density public housing development should be accorded lower priority. This is because private residential estates, unlike the high-rise public housing estates, can be adequately covered by bicycle and divisional police car patrols. Lastly but not least, the Police have also to consider the availability of trained manpower in order to staff the neighbourhood police posts. Each neighbourhood police post requires a minimum of about 20 trained officers. And these are not just officers who are trained in the normal police work but officers who have received extra training by way of better inter-personal relationships to be able to deal with the public who come to the NPPs. Given the manpower constraint within the Police Force, we can only manage to establish about 14-15 neighbourhood police posts per year and the implementation will therefore have to be phased out accordingly.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the neighbourhood police post scheme was designed to achieve a target of 91 posts throughout all the constituencies in Singapore. I believe, as of now, more than 50 have been implemented. The Member wants to know how many constituencies have more than one neighbourhood police post. As at present, there are two constituencies which have more than one neighbourhood police post. But the final plan envisages 12 constituencies to have more than one neighbourhood police post. Presently, the two constituencies which have more than one neighbourhoold police post are Thomson and Serangoon Garden Constituencies. Sir, the Member's next question is whether the schedule for implementation of neighbourhood police posts has been changed. The original schedule which was drawn up in 1983 has over the years been reviewed to meet with the changes in development which have taken place in between. For instance, the emphasis on the development of certain new towns which were not formulated prior to 1983. The Member wants to know the basis for this order of implementation. In formulating the neighbourhood police post scheme, the Police had to take into consideration several factors. This includes the rate and the locality of public housing developments. Priority has to be given to constituencies which have established major public housing estates. For constituencies which have new town development, the construction of NPPs will be incorporated into the new town as it is being built. This is because the early establishment of NPPs in a new town will help to foster a closer relationship between the Police and the residents.”
“Sir, the two neighbourhood police posts in Jalan Kayu Constituency are scheduled for 1989. However, the Police will try to have them ready by 1988.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, out of the 19 foreigners who were involved in murder cases in 1986, 9 of them were on work permits. NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE POST IN JALAN KAYU 7. Mr Heng Chiang Meng asked the Minister for Home Affairs when a neighbourhood police post or posts will be provided in Jalan Kayu Constituency.”
“None of them has been asked as of now to leave now. They are still there, farming. They know that the prospect of pig farming in Singapore is limited and that in the future they will have to be phased out.”
“Some of the pig farmers in Punggol have installed pollution treatment equipment. But these are necessary so long as they want to continue to farm, and those that have installed such expensive treatment equipment are still there at the present moment.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the question of pig farming has been debated in this House in 1984/1985. The decision to phase out pig farming in Punggol was taken in 1984.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have to repeat my answer. Not all the land were acquired from existing farmers. Some of the land were. As for those land which were already occupied by farmers, these were the farmers who were practising pollutive farming, for instance, pig farming, and therefore the Government had to acquire these farmlands and put it to other uses which would not cause problems of pollution.”
“Sir, the lands that were acquired in Punggol were all lands which were used for pig farming before. There were also other lands which, as I have mentioned, were already vacant; they were not being used and these were acquired by the Government.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, some of the land which are presently being tendered out for use on short-term leases are indeed lands that were previously used for farming. But these were farms which had caused pollution, for example, pig farms, and they could not be allowed to continue because of the pollution problem. As such, the farmers had to give up farming on these land and the land were reverted to the State. Since there is no immediate use for these land in terms of other developments, my Ministry has decided that we should, in the interim, allow those who are interested to use these lands for non-pollutive farming.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the land are being tendered out on short-term leases, three year-leases. I would agree with the Member for Punggol that if we could, we should extend the lease to make it more attractive. However, the pace of development in Singapore is such that it is very difficult at this point of time to envisage longer leases. In fact, out of the land that has been vacated by the small pig farmers, 9 hectares have already been set aside for early development by HDB and only 3 hectares have been taken up by farmers. It would be very difficult at this point of time to give a commitment that there will be longer leases for such land as development of this land is expected to take place shortly. At the present point of time we can only envisage a three-year lease.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in my answer I touched on lands that were affected by the phasing out of small pig farmers in Punggol. The total land that is available in Punggol is much more than what is given in my answer. Our exercise on the use of these vacant land takes in land that were vacated prior to the phasing out of pig farming, and also land that were used for non-pig farming activities. We have included these land in various exercises for tenders on short-term leases to non-pollutive farmers. As a whole, we have tendered out about 25 hectares of other land which are available for non-pollutive pig farming. Various types of farming are being encouraged for these land and they include vegetable and food crop cultivation, orchid and ornamental flower cultivation, aquarium fish breeding, dog breeding and dog training, and turf production.”
“But in the same letter he did not forward a name. And what the Registrar of Societies requires in order to complete the application procedure is to have a name, Sir. On his third point relating to his letter of the 6th October, again it was very clearly stated in the letter that he wished to arrogate for the society that he is proposing to register the powers to voice its opposition to any proposed scheme or measure. And that, in itself, is suggestive of political activity, political agitation. And precisely, because of such statements of intention, the Government must require the proposed Anson People's Assembly to come clean and state its intention. Is it the desire of the Anson People's Assembly to operate as a political party? If that is so, then declare yourself to be a political party and it will be registered accordingly. But if it is the desire of the Assembly to operate just as a society to look after the welfare and the social recreational needs of the residents of Anson, then incorporate the prohibition clauses on political activities and it will, again, be registered expeditiously without any further delays. Mr Jeyaretnam rose ---”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as I have answered already, the Registrar of Societies is not dragging his feet in delaying the registration of the proposed society. It is the duty of the Registrar of Societies to ensure that societies are registered with proper constitutions and rules and regulations which will allow for proper management and control of these societies. If the Member for Anson refuses to comply with such proper rules and regulations, then obviously his society cannot be registered. The Member for Anson referred to his letter of the 6th March. He failed to inform the House that in the letter he merely agreed to the principle that since his proposed society was limiting its membership to residents of Anson he therefore accepts the requirement that its secretary should be a resident of Anson.”
“He has said very clearly in his letter of the 6th October that his association will be involved in activities (and here I quote) "which may be considered political. It may wish to voice its opposition to any proposed scheme or measure."”
“The Member for Anson can distribute the letter if he chooses to.”
“Sir, the Member for Anson's letter of the 6th October is quite clear.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this is quite contrary to section 11, subsection 1(a), of the Societies Act which requires a society to obtain the Registrar's prior approval, in writing, before it changes its place of business. In other words, every society must have a place of business. How could you have a society with no abode, a homeless society? Where does the society propose to conduct its business? A mail box? Hold its meeting in a mail box in the post office?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Anson takes objection to the two-month interval between his letter to the Registrar of Societies and the reply. He should know that the Registrar of Societies deals with thousands of societies in Singapore and it is the Registrar's duty to deal with every query expeditiously. Queries bearing sufficient information will certainly be dealt with in a much shorter time. But the Member for Anson has persistently refused to submit the required information. Therefore, it is just not possible to reply to him as expeditiously as in replying to the others. With regard to this delay, he said that the Registrar took two months to reply to him. Does he not know that it took him a much longer time to reply to a simple query from the Registrar of Societies? Sir, the Member for Anson was informed on 29th January 1986 that he must nominate a resident as a secretary of the proposed Assembly or society, since the membership of the association is limited to Anson residents. He was reminded to do so in a letter dated 22nd May 1986. How long did it take the Member for Anson to submit just this one name for a secretary of the proposed association? Sir, it took him eight months, from 29th January 1986 to 6th October 1986, before he was able to inform the Registrar of Societies that he has found an Anson resident who is prepared now to be the secretary of his proposed association. These eight months' delay cannot be attributed to the Registrar of Societies. The Member for Anson has only himself to blame if he cannot supply essential information on time. Sir, on his other question about premises of his proposed society, he says that there is no premises.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government does not run mini-turf clubs. Sir, the Government realizes that it is not possible or practical to totally eradicate all forms of gambling. Certain opportunities must be made available to those who want to indulge in an occasional flutter. To compare buying of a lottery ticket or going to the turf club with casino gambling is to make comparison at two different levels which is not entirely appropriate. Casinos promote a different form of gambling, a more impulsive form of gambling and it has a totally different consequence. AUTOMATIC ORGAN DONATION LAW (Feedback) 15. Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for Health whether his Ministry has obtained sufficient feedback on the proposed automatic organ donation law; if so, what sort of public support has been obtained; and, if not, whether he intends to get public opinion support before introducing the law.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have also read the article. The answer itself is evident from what Mr Stanley Ho has said, that a casino does not necessarily lead to a great enhancement or improvement of the tourist trade. When they travel on a limited budget, they have already made their plans for the travel, and it is not necessary for us to look towards a casino as a means of boosting our tourism.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it would be very difficult, and in practical terms not feasible, to enforce such a casino operation, ie, restricting it to only a certain category of people. It would create more unhappiness among the rest of the people who are not allowed to patronize such an establishment.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I shall answer on behalf of my Minister. Sir, it is doubtful that the setting up of a casino will bring visitors in such a large number as to make a significant impact on our tourist trade. Even if there were desirable commercial benefits from such a project, these may not offset the long-term adverse social consequences.”
“By his frequent raising of this subject, he is serving notice to the fugitive that he should make himself scarce. CASINO (Setting up of) 14. Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether he will seriously consider allowing the setting up of a casino in one of the top leading hotels or tourist spots in order to promote tourism in view of the present decline in tourist arrivals in Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not aware of what has been done in other cases in terms of surveillance of the letters and correspondence. I do not know what the Member for Anson is suggesting. If he has any facts in regard to such surveillance, he should bring these to the House. The Police will do whatever is necessary to trace the whereabout of Phey Yew Kok. I do not think it is necessary or relevant at this point of time to inform the House of all the Police procedures in this case. Sir, the Member for Anson has a penchant for raising this case regularly.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, is the Member for Anson suggesting that we conduct a Police investigation on the members of the family? There has been no information as to whether he has been in contact with the family or not. Does he now propose that the Police launch a surveillance and a persecution of the family?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as I have said, the Police have no knowledge of the whereabouts of this man. The Police does not know if he has been in contact with his family.”
“Yes, the family of the man is still in Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Anson mentioned that he was informed at the last Parliament that Phey Yew Kok was still in a neighbouring country. I would like to point out to him that the House was actually informed that, as far as the Police investigation was concerned, he was traced to have left Singapore on 31st December 1979, proceeding to Kuala Lumpur, and from there on he was understood to have left for Thailand. And from there on the trail disappeared. The Police does not have any information at the present moment on the whereabouts of Phey Yew Kok. But if the Member for Anson has any information which he thinks might be relevant to the case, he is welcome to assist the Police by supplying this information so that a detailed investigation and apprehension of Phey Yew Kok can be carried out.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the speed at which the Police Force has been able to trace other fugitives from justice in Singapore is, to a large extent, dependent on the good and reliable information that the Police Force has obtained in those cases. There had been cases where Interpol had provided timely information which resulted in the apprehending of these fugitives. In the case of Phey Yew Kok, unfortunately, such information has not been forthcoming.”
“Sir, in the next few minutes left to me, I think I would just take up the point made by the Member for Jalan Kayu on traffic. Sir, the Member for Jalan Kayu asked for more details on the recent improvement in the rates of road accident. Compared to 1984 there was a signficant drop in the number of accidents and casualties on our roads. Fatal accidents dropped by 22.3%, and those with injuries by 19.3%. Sir, the most significant drop was accidents casualties involving pedestrians and motorcyclists. The number of pedestrians killed in road accidents decreased from 114 in 1984 to 75 in 1985, a decrease of about 34%. The number of motorcyclists killed also showed a decrease of about 28%. Sir, the Traffic Police anticipate that the accident rate will further decrease following the introduction of a series of measures recently. These include the banning of learner-drivers on public roads, compulsory circuit driving, training and testing for learner-drivers and riders, and the introduction of the breathalyser for suspected drunken motorists. In addition the Traffic Police will tackle the problem from two other angles, namely, by further improving and intensifying their efforts in enforcement and education. The Member for Alexandra pointed out that heavy vehicles are often involved in fatal accidents and that because of the nature of these vehicles they cause serious injuries. 5.15 pm”
“A full investigation is always undertaken whenever there is an allegation of wrongdoing against the Police. Let me assure Members of this House, whether this allegation comes from the Member for Anson or from any member of the public, the Police takes its duty seriously and do not exercise powers beyond what is allowed by the law.”
“I look forward to receiving your details.”
“Would you be prepared to let us have the details?”
“Besides just saying that he made a report in Joo Chiat Police Station, if the Member could give us the details, such as who was involved, will we conduct a proper investigation and we will be able to answer his allegations. If he is not able to bring up details other than hearsay or whisper, then there is no point in carrying on with this discussion.”
“Did you then take up this case, write to the Officer-in-Charge of the Joo Chiat Police Station to obtain details and to ask for his assistance to investigate?”
“The Member for Anson said that he was not allowed to contact anybody in his family. If the Member for Anson is so certain of his details, should he not perhaps provide us in this House with the details, with the facts of the case so that a proper investigation can be carried out, rather than making accusations and repeating hearsays in this chamber.”
“Let me assure Members of the House that the Police will not normally act against ordinary citizens playing mahjong or other games in their homes with their friends and relatives, unless there is evidence to show that their premises are, in fact, being used as a common gaming house. On the other hand, if the Police received complaints about noise pollution and nuisance generated by such gambling activities, then the Police will have to respond and they will have to act to stop such nuisance. In general, the Police will deal with such cases by advising the people concerned to have more consideration for their neighbours, not to make too much noise, not to disturb their neighbours. It is not the intention of the Police to arrest old ladies or housewives who play a game of mahjong or other games in the privacy of their home for amusement. If they do not cause a nuisance to others, police will not intervene. Sir, I too have heard such complaints from my constituents. They tell me that there is a rumour going around that Police will be arresting all and sundry who indulge in games of mahjong. I would like to dispel this notion of indiscriminate action, and to point out that there are many operators of illegal gambling premises, gambling dens, mini-turf clubs, who wanting to continue with their illegal operations are very keen to discredit the Police. So there is no need to be alarmed by such rumours so long as one is law-abiding and participate in wholesome activities. Sir, I would like now to come to the point raised by the Member for Anson about this so-called innocent worker returning home past midnight, and was suddenly arrested and brought to a police station for not having an identity card.”
“Point taken. The Member for Clementi did not indicate that he indulged in such activities. However, both the Member for Clementi and the Member for Leng Kee made the point that there is much concern among the public, particularly among the older generation who frequently and innocently indulge in games of mahjong in their homes. They are worried whether the harsh penalties that have recently been enacted will be brought down on their heads. Sir, the Betting (Amendment) Act and the Common Gaming Houses (Amendment) Act and the Road Vehicles (Special Powers)(Amendment) Act which came into operation on 25th February 1986, cover a wide variety of gambling offences. However, the thrust of the police action has been against operators of mini-turf clubs and betting information centres. These mini-turf clubs are operating in Housing Board estates. They have given rise to numerous complaints from residents concerning the tranquility and the security in their neighbourhood. It is a result of these complaints that the Police had to take action. In 1985 the police conducted a total of 7,125 raids on these mini-turf clubs. However, the raids were ineffective in stopping these illegal activities. It is only by enhancing the penalties which these illegal operators have to face that we hope to be able to control this menace from spreading and further despoiling the peaceful environment within our housing estates. In respect of other types of gambling, the Police enforcement action is directed mainly against the syndicated and organized gambling, such as those who conduct illegal bookmaking in their premises, illegal 4-D operations, chap ji kee and gambling dens or common gaming houses.”
“Through them, the Police were able to forge the initial bond of trust and respect. Through their informal contact with the Police, the youths will also have a better understanding of crime prevention and law enforcement. And hopefully learn to appreciate the Police and the work that they are doing. Sir, the Member for Clementi who professed to indulge now and again the age-old game of mahjong ---”