Lee Hsien Loong
Singapore
“Yes, of course, every time I sell the land, I put money into the Reserves, but I am not putting the money into the Reserves all today. I am putting it in a stream of payments, 30 years apart.”
“Speaker, Sir, I do not think it was a very difficult question to figure out, that when I spoke to MTI, I spoke to the Minister, because Mr Gan Kim Yong is the Minister for Trade and Industry.”
“" I think that would have been unjust because he has not been charged. If there is a case, the case has not been heard, he has not been found guilty or acquitted or whatever. I cannot prejudge a case based on an incomplete investigation – started recently, or a partial investigation, just entered into the formal phase.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first, Mr Leong is quibbling over words. In February, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin told me, "I offer to resign". I said, "Yes, sort out your constituency first". In other words, decision taken. The moment to execute it, I will decide. So, it is quite clear. Legally, he has not resigned.”
“Sorry, Mr Speaker, to respond to Ms Poa on why not no pay leave. It is my judgement to make. The Civil Service works in one way; their basis is if you have been convicted, then you are on zero pay and other consequences will follow.”
“I am very happy to note that Assoc Prof Jamus Lim appreciates the second key and is seeking a third. And I hope that it portends a change in your attitude towards the Elected President and his custodial powers. But I think the Brazil example is a very interesting one.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,557 lines we hold for Lee Hsien Loong, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 32 of 32.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That Parliament approves the financial policy of the Government for the financial year 1st April, 2002 to 31st March, 2003. A BUDGET FOR A DIFFERENT WORLD PART I INTRODUCTION The sweeping changes of the last five years have fundamentally re-shaped the world. In 1997, the Asian Financial Crisis overwhelmed our region, abruptly ending three decades of peace, stability and economic development in Southeast Asia. The economic, political and security consequences of the crisis have yet to work themselves out. In 2001, economic conditions world-wide grew even more difficult as the world's three largest economies - the United States (US), Japan and Germany - experienced sharp, synchronised downturns. Singapore was directly exposed to these external shocks. Then came the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US. Fortunately, the initial fears of major economic dislocation and loss of confidence have not materialised. However, we in Singa-pore have learnt how real and close to home the terrorist danger is, rooted in the region and threatening our security. Last year, our GDP shrank by 2%, the worst decline since independence. Many Singaporeans lost their jobs. Fortunately, our strong social cohesion helped us to weather the storm. We are entering a very different world. Conditions are uncertain and volatile, competition is intense, change is faster than ever. Our ability to adapt nimbly and quickly will give us a valuable edge. In our personal lives too, we must expect change and disruption. Lifetime learning and training will be the norm, while a life-long career in one job will become less and less common. We cannot prevent the changes from happening.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That Parliament doth agree with the Committee on the said resolutions." Question put, and agreed to. Resolutions accordingly agreed to. RECLAMATION AT PULAU AYER MERBAU/PULAU SERAYA (JURONG ISLAND)”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply have come to certain resolutions. Resolutions reported. Question, "That the sum of $977,642,470 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the Public Services shown in the Final Supplementary Main Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2001/2002", put and agreed to. Question, "That the sum of $184,191,300 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the Public Services shown in the Final Supplementary Development Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2001/2002", put and agreed to.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the motion. 4.02 pm”
“We liberalised it in 1997, just before the Asian financial crisis. There we should have foreseen things a little earlier, but we were in time, and just in time to get ourselves repositioned. So there is still a basis for Singapore to be a financial centre now, despite the difficulties of the countries around us. Had we not moved in 1997, I think we would be in deep difficulties today. GST, in 1994, which enabled us to reduce direct taxes over the years and kept us competitive, enabled us to reach here and to think of the next step of the restructuring of our tax system. And political self-renewal, done over many years, which has brought us this new Parliament, not just the latest batch of MPs but the successive batches of MPs - fresh voices, fresh ideas, representatives of the population in tune with the mood ready to bring Singapore ahead. What can we expect if we look ahead? Slower growth, less equal distribution of income, more structural unemployment. Mr Low Thia Khiang highlighted these words of the President and they are on the cards. Our policies cannot prevent these trends from happening because these are global trends which will carry us along. But our policies can mitigate these trends. If we do the right things, we can be competitive, we will attract investments, we will create jobs, we will enable people to earn their own living, far more than any Government hongbaos or generosity. That is why we have got to make the strategic choices now. The changes are uncomfortable and unsettling, yes, but if we make the changes now, if we accept the discomfort and the pain, if we find ways to minimise the difficulties and implement what we need to do, then we will give ourselves the best chance of succeeding as a nation in the uncertain times ahead.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if the cases are not properly handled and in Members' view an exception should be made or the rule should be changed, raise it with the Parliamentary Secretary, raise it with the Minister and it will be seen to. We all take meet-the-people session (MPS) cases, we have seen hundreds and thousands of them. Not all the MPS cases can succeed. If somebody has a traffic offence, he will come to you and say, "Please, can you waive the demerit points?" If we waive all the demerit points, we would be in a state of anarchy, "bo cheng hu". So not all the cases can succeed but, if you are a conscientious MP, you will know that some cases deserve special effort. And if there is a special case, it is your duty to take it up. If you cannot get joy from the Parliamentary Secretary, you raise with the Minister. If the Minister cannot solve it, then the MPs can raise with me or the PM. Everybody knows that PM is a very gentle man, and I try my best not to bristle. So I think the matter can be resolved. The civil servants have to listen with their hearts but, actually, it is the duty of the political leaders to listen with their hearts and also to think with their heads and then, when you set policies, set the right policies which will achieve the best results for Singapore. That is how the system is supposed to work. We have done well for many years because we have always looked beyond our immediate problems to anticipate problems and events which are over the horizon. I just give you a few stray examples. Water tariffs. We started revising them up in 1997. We did it over three or four years. Now they are at a level where it is viable for us to develop NEWater as an alternative additional source of water. That is critical. Financial services.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the motion. The theme of the debate on the President's Address has been the remaking of Singapore. Remaking in the sense of new policies, also in the sense of the process by which the new policies are developed, the involvement, the consultation, the debate, the to-and-fro, the binding together of views to develop a national consensus. There is a strong desire, I think, among a significant proportion of the well-educated public for meaningful participation in this process. And there are encouraging signs that in fact this process is developing. Letters in the Forum page now often attract well-argued rebuttals, and no longer require official replies. We have people who spend their time reading the Forum page, scanning for letters which need correction. In the old days, an error would be tracked straightaway. Nowadays, if we wait a couple of days, somebody else will come back with an opposite way, and quite often a very sensible and balanced correction, and we can allow the debate to play itself out. So, I think we are going in the right direction. The Government is convinced that this is the right way forward and is committed to involving Singaporeans in the process of consultation. One main exercise doing this is the Economic Review Committee. We are leaving no stone unturned in our review of economic policies, whether it is labour, whether it is manufacturing, whether it is services, whether it is taxes, in order to ensure that Singapore prospers in the years ahead. We are taking some time to do this.”