Lee Khoon Choy
Singapore
“For the Philippines, youth is only from 15 to 20 years. Thailand considers all those 25 years and below as youth. The People's Association has defined youth as those from 15 to 30 years for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the People's Association Youth Movement membership.”
“However, the People's Association employs nearly 500 staff to man the network of community centres and changes or transfers of centre staff are inevitable.”
“Sir, as I have explained, if there is demand for indoor games, the centres are always open to anyone who requests for it. I would like the Member for Whampoa to give me some details. If he has any information on the requirements in other centres, I will be quite willing to consider them.”
“One reason why Chinese pupils do not do as well in ML2 as Malay pupils is that they do not speak Malay as the home language. Even for those who do, the level of the home language is likely to be much more elementary than the standard of ML2 taught up to 'O' level. EUNOS INDUSTRIAL ESTATE/EUNOS CRESCENT (Bus services) 3.”
“This is a very important question because unless we have a revision of salary, we are not only finding it difficult to retain the staff, but we will also find it most difficult to recruit staff. The Prime Minister mentioned yesterday about attracting good people to the political leadership.”
“That does not prevent other organizations from taking the Member's case as a precedent and make the same request. Once we allow one, the other organizations which have donated or contributed to the building fund will also say, "What about me? Since I have done something, I also want my logo to be put up." It can be confusing.”
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“Sir, I do not decide the acreage for the centres. I would have thought that nowadays, with new architectural designs, one could plan upwards. But I would convey the desire of the Member for Whampoa to the relevant authorities.”
“For the Philippines, youth is only from 15 to 20 years. Thailand considers all those 25 years and below as youth. The People's Association has defined youth as those from 15 to 30 years for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the People's Association Youth Movement membership. However, the Constitution of PA Youth Movement also provides for members who exceed 30 years and who are still interested in staying with the Youth Movement to apply as Associate Members. As an Associate Member, he is eligible to all the benefits enjoyed by an Ordinary member but is not eligible to vote or stand for election. However, he can still make his contribution through the various sub-committees. This being the case, there is no need to extend the upper limit of the age requirement of the PA Youth Movement membership.”
“Whether it is the Singapore International Kite Festival, Chingay, Sepak Takraw Championship, Lantern Festival or Dragon Boat Race, the People's Association has made every effort to transform these traditionally mono-ethnic festivals into occasions of national festivities participated and enjoyed by all communities. This effort and the introduction of new activities in the community centres have enabled the People's Association to reach out to a very wide section of the people. As part of its long term planning, the People's Association is also aware of the new social needs arising from the transformation of Singapore into a highly urbanized and industrialized country and the aging of its population. The People's Association has introduced service-oriented programmes to meet these newly emerging needs which include the following:- (i) Scheme for Premature School Leavers where People's Association youth volunteers engage premature school activities in community centre activities. (ii) Aftercare (Counselling) Service for ex-drug addicts by People's Association youth volunteers who act as Volunteer Aftercare Officers. (iii) Day Care Service for children of working parents. (iv) Retirees Services' Scheme to help healthy retired persons find employment. (v) Senior Citizens' Club facilities at community centres for the aged to plan and involve in activities for themselves. (vi) Pre-retirement preparation courses and seminars. On the question of age limit, it is very hard to define the word "youth". A 60-year old man may seem still youthful and a 30-year old man may appear to be like 60 years in terms of spirit. However, to the United Nations, the term "youth" refers to those from 15 to 24 years. Indonesia and Malaysia both define youth as those from 15 to 30 years.”
“Sir, the Member for Chong Boon is talking about the requirements for the future. One of the most important long term objectives of the People's Association and its community centres is to organize social, cultural, sports, recreational, educational and other wholesome activities to meet both the existing and emerging needs and interests of the people. Hence, the community centres organize a very wide range of activities to cater to the varied needs and interests of the different income, language, cultural and racial groups. Changes within the country and the world have influenced the life-styles of Singaporeans. These changes are monitored closely by the People's Association and community leaders at the community centres in order to respond to any emerging needs of the residents and/or to improve or expand existing programmes. To remain relevant, the People's Association conducts surveys and reviews its range of programmes at the community centres, introduces new activities and discontinues those which have become obsolete, e.g. as more and more Singaporeans are better educated, they become more affluent in their needs and interests and the People's Association has organized a wide range of activities which appeal to them. These activities include computer appreciation courses, ballet, squash, tennis, scuba diving, classical musical instruments, health care centres, and video filming. The policy of making activities more appealing to a multi-racial and wider cross section is also reflected in the national projects organized by the People's Association in association with other organizations.”
“Sir, as I have explained, if there is demand for indoor games, the centres are always open to anyone who requests for it. I would like the Member for Whampoa to give me some details. If he has any information on the requirements in other centres, I will be quite willing to consider them. But at the moment our survey shows that there is no such demand for sports facilities. As for staff, we are still a little bit short of staff. But with the increase in pay now, I think we will be able to recruit more staff in the coming years.”
“However, the People's Association employs nearly 500 staff to man the network of community centres and changes or transfers of centre staff are inevitable. In general, transfers of staff are only effected when there are compelling reasons, for example, resignations, promotions, training and career development and requests by the staff themselves. Admittedly, some community centres can be harder hit by staff changes than the others, and I would like to assure the Member for Whampoa that the People's Association will continue to do its utmost to minimize disruptions caused by such transfers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to assure the Member for Whampoa, that with the building of costly and big community centres, the People's Association is even more acutely conscious of the need to maximize the use of the community centre's faciiities. The facilities of most of our community centres are being used from early in the morning till late at night. In the morning, kindergarten classes are conducted in 113 of the 154 community centres with an enrolment of over 10,000 students this year. Demands for use of sports and other facilities only come in late afternoon and peak in the evening hours. This pattern of utilization has been confirmed by surveys conducted from time to time. However, facilities of community centres are always made available to the public if there is a sufficient demand. For example, some community centres open their indoor sports facilities in the morning hours during weekends. When school examinations are approaching, some community centres with study rooms and other similar facilities are open for use by students in the morning as well. It is true that given its present manpower, the People's Association will not be able to open all its community centres from morning to late in the evening. However, the most important question is whether the demand is justified. The current utilization rates of community centre facilities do not justify the opening of all the facilities in all community centres in the morning. On the question of frequent transfers of community centre staff, I agree with the view expressed by the Member for Whampoa that centre staff should be given time to establish rapport with the community leaders and to acquire the necessary knowledge of the catchment areas where the community centres are located.”
“One reason why Chinese pupils do not do as well in ML2 as Malay pupils is that they do not speak Malay as the home language. Even for those who do, the level of the home language is likely to be much more elementary than the standard of ML2 taught up to 'O' level. EUNOS INDUSTRIAL ESTATE/EUNOS CRESCENT (Bus services) 3. Encik Wan Hussin Zoohri asked the Minister for Communications and Minister for Labour when the bus service within the Eunos Industrial Estate will operate and whether a decision has been made not to extend the bus service into the residential estate of Eunos Crescent.”
“I can only say that I hope that it will be very soon. CHOICE OF SECOND LANGUAGE 2. Dr Tan Cheng Bock asked the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education whether parents have any right in the choice of their children's second language. The Minister of State of Education (Dr Tay Eng Soon) (for the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education): Sir, pupils of Malay, Indian and mixed parentage are at present given a choice of Malay, Tamil or Chinese as their second language on enrolment. However, since the beginning of this year, all ethnic Chinese pupils are required to enrol for Chinese as their second language in Primary 1. An opportunity to switch to another second language is given at Primary 4 or at Secondary 1 only after the pupil has been given a fair chance to try CL2 and has shown that he cannot cope with the language. Apart from the fact that we want to encourage our pupils to learn something of their cultural origins through the second language, we know from our records that the passing rate for Chinese pupils is much better in CL2 than in other second languages. It is widely believed that ML2 (Malay as a second language) is an easy subject for non-Malays, but this is not the case. For example, in the 1979 'O' level examination, only 53% of the small number of Chinese pupils (705 to be precise) who took ML2 passed with Grade 6 or better, compared with 95% passes for Malay pupils. In 1980, the percentage passes in ML2 were 61% for Chinese pupils as against 99% passes for Malay pupils. These figures consistently indicate that ML2 is by no means an easy subject for Chinese pupils. In contrast, the percentage passes for Chinese pupils in the 'O' level CL2 examination in 1979 and 1980 were 80% and 84% respectively.”
“Since they have already raised the funds for the centre, we would like to know what is the total amount of the fund. I hope the Member will give me more details so that we can consider how to use the fund more equitably.”
“I have explained that we had two banners outside the building. If Members of Parliament do feel very strongly that on future occasions we must have four languages, we will take that into consideration. Perhaps even a logo without words should symbolize everything.”
“Sir, is the Member referring to the logo on the stage and that it was not done in the four languages?”
“There are a few, but they were put up during the olden days. Most of them are being demolished. We will not allow any new generation community centre to have that.”
“That does not prevent other organizations from taking the Member's case as a precedent and make the same request. Once we allow one, the other organizations which have donated or contributed to the building fund will also say, "What about me? Since I have done something, I also want my logo to be put up." It can be confusing. The best thing is for the Serangoon Gardens CCC to have a proper logo and put it outside their office.”
“The Member can put up a rather sizeable logo so long as it is not on the exterior wall. He can put it out- side the CCC office. Take, for instance, the National Theatre. It has been contributed by so many organizations. We have only "Panggong Negara". What happens if all the associations were to insist on putting even a small logo on the wall? It will be most confusing. That should not happen.”
“I can assure the Member for Serangoon Gardens that he can find a suitable place to put up the CCC logo. An hon. Member: A small one!”
“We do not insist on prior training. But we do recruit some staff from the schools who are interested in community work. And, for those whom we have recruited, we always find a chance to train them in the National Youth Leadership Training Centre at Buona Vista. They go through a certain leadership course. But this is not a pre-requisite.”
“This is a very important question because unless we have a revision of salary, we are not only finding it difficult to retain the staff, but we will also find it most difficult to recruit staff. The Prime Minister mentioned yesterday about attracting good people to the political leadership. I think good leadership is not only rare in the political arena but also in community development areas. Unless we have attractive salaries to attract them, we are not going to have really good staff coming to serve as Organizing Secretaries.”
“The Residents Committee's scope is limited to the respective zones of HDB flats it represents. No non-residents can be a member of the RC. They must come from that zone. They must live there. The scope of the RC's duty relates to living conditions, better lifts, security, good neighbourhood and organize picnics for residents in the zone. It is connected with the quality of life of the residents there. I must say that until today the three organizations have worked rather harmoniously. In some areas some conflict is inevitable. I think the fundamental factor is attitude. If each organization takes an antagonistic attitude, and there is a Chinese saying, Hao da xi gong ( ) which means everyone wants to feel bigger than the other, and want to claim credit, then we can expect a lot of conflict, rivalry, friction and other problems. If one takes an attitude of comradeship, like members of a family and work as one, knowing one's boundaries and cooperate with one another, then they can be very complementary and supplementary. In this case I would suggest the formation, as has been done in some constituencies, of a steering committee in which the CCC, MC and RC will have representatives. They can thrash out their differences and discuss common problems and iron out whatever difficulties they may face. If they take this attitude, I think there should be no area of conflict and all can work very harmoniously together. 3.15 p.m.”
“The first difference is the scope of the territory covered, then the nature of the composition and the extent of their powers. The territorial scope of the CCC covers the whole constituency. The CCC comprises prominent leaders from all over the constituency. There may be a small number of members who do not reside or work in the constituency. But they are useful not only in their contribution towards funds but also in other ways. The CCC also looks after the physical environment and, in the case of rural constituencies, the CCC looks after lighting, drains or roads. Of course, in HDB areas there may be a conflict of interest with the RCs. But basically the CCCs are permitted to raise money, to have a scholarship fund or a welfare fund. They play a leading role in responding to campaigns by various Ministries and the National Day celebrations, The Management Committee comprises ideally prominent leaders from the catchment area of that community centre. It will be ideal if all the members of MCs come from the catchment area, because they know the area better. Of course, by tradition and past association, there are some members in the CCC who are not residents in that catchment area. They are from other constituencies. The duty of the MC is primarily to run the community centre, to make the community centre a bee-hive or a second home for the residents in that catchment area; how to organize activities - social, educational, vocational, recreational, etc. - and how to draw the residents into the community centre, have an inter-action and promote good neighbourliness among the residents. Of course, they need to know the require- ments of that ares and find. the means to meet those requirements.”
“We have also allowed many CCCs to put their logo outside the room which they occupy. After all, a logo is meant to show where you are. If you want to put up a logo as big as the MC's, then it will really create confusion. In the words of the Member for Serangoon Gardens, we will confuse the public as to who owns the building: is it the CCC or MC? The RCs will also want to have a big logo. We appreciate very much the efforts made by the CCC leaders, particularly in the case of Serangoon Gardens where they were the main figures in raising funds. But there are also other organizations which have contributed towards the funds. So if all the organizations which had contributed towards the funds, want to put up their own logos, then the community centre will become a mad house. We will allow the CCC to have their own signboard outside their office. After all, it is the People's Association building and we must give prominence to the community centre. Normally we do not display the name of a committee outside a community centre building. The CCC is a committee. We have to stick to the rules. Even if the RC wants to have an office, it can put up a signboard outside their office. But we will not allow signboards outside a CC building showing "Residents Committee", "Citizens' Consultative Committee" or "Management Committee". The public will be very confused. As for the role and functions of the CCC, MC and RC, there are, in fact, similarities. All of them are supposed to serve the constituency, help solve the problems of the residents, and promote goodwill among the people. Those are the similarities. Thus, it is inevitable that there will be some overlapping. But let me come to the differences.”
“In the case of the 20th Anniversary souvenir, the purpose was to print it for the benefit of community leaders, Management Committee members and volunteers. According to our records, most of them are bilingual. They can read English and Chinese. Even among the leaders in the Management Committees, there are Malays and Indians who are conversant with English. The question is whether it is wise and prudent for the People's Association just to go through the ritual of printing its publications in four languages which is not economically viable. If we do that, it shows we are not flexible in the implementation of Government policy, We, therefore, printed it in only two languages. If the Member for Telok Blangah can assure us that he can get a market for a publication in any language, we will be too glad to do a translation of the publication for him. The Member for Serangoon Gardens raised two points, first, the role of CCCs, MCs and RCs and, secondly, the logo. I hope the two questions are not inter-related. To a certain extent this seems to reflect the feeling of some CCC members that they have been over-shone by the RCs who seem to be very active. If this is a reflection of the feeling of CCC members, then it may have some connection with the logo. In this case we understand that the CCC wanted to put a logo on the exterior wall of the community centre, a logo as big as that of the MC. Is it a sense of insecurity that prompted them to show that they still exist and want to be recognized? Psychologically, that may be the reason why they want to put up a logo. We have always welcomed the CCCs, MCs or even the RCs to hold meetings in all our community centres. In fact, most of them do hold meetings in the community centres.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Telok Blangah was very correct in appreciating the difficulties of the working conditions of the People's Association staff. I am very happy to hear that a Member of Parliament has publicly appreciated this fact and that he has described our Organizing Secretaries as being dedicated, unassuming and working at odd hours. Of course, we have made proposals to the Ministry of Finance to raise the salary of our staff since 1978, we only hope that the officials concerned with the public purse, particularly those dealing with the People's Association, are as appreciative as the Member for Telok Blangah. As regards the printing of Anniversary souvenirs and banners, naturally we appreciate and understand the significance of our logo, i.e. giving equal treatment to all the four language streams. The Member for Telok Blangah has always been a very observant person, but on that day it seems that he saw only one banner. There were actually two banners outside the National Theatre, one in English and Chinese and the other in Malay and Tamil. Because of constraints of space, it was rather difficult to put up too many banners on the stage. If we were to put four languages in one banner, the lettering would be so small that it would not be significant. If we were to put up two banners, then they would block the film projection and other backdrops. The stage backdrop, however, was in two languages. As for the printing of the Anniversary souvenir, it was the practice in the past to print it in all the four official languages in one big book. It comes to you like a bomb! However, we found that that practice was not practicable and also not economically viable.”
“The MP for Kim Seng has indicated in his letter of 7th February, 1980, that the Community has raised $400,000. I have therefore decided to increase the subsidy to the Kim Song Community Centre by $83,000 to $597,500 so that the building project can be completed as scheduled.' I hope the Member is happy.”
“The criterion adopted was the amount of money required to complete the building project. The Government subsidy for each community centre is determined by the total project cost and the funds that the Community could reasonably raise or be expected to raise. Where the short-falls have been substantial, the Government subsidy has been increased to meet the deficit, for example, Punggol, Brickworks and Ulu Pandan. Additionally, where there is a genuine or urgent need for more funds, these are provided. An example is the grant given for additional land purchased for Dr Ong Leong Boon's Community Centre in May last year. On the information then available to the Ministry of Finance from the People's Association, the original total project cost for the Kim Seng Community Centre was $884,000. Of this sum, the Community has at 1st November, 1979, raised $385,591. With the Government subsidy of $514,000 raised on the old rate, the total funds available exceeded the total project cost by $16.091. As far as could be ascertained then, the community centre could be built with the help of the Government subsidy. There was absolutely no intention to penalise those who had worked hard to raise the necessary funds. At the same time, it was not possible for Government to grant a sum in excess of the funds required merely because there had been a revision of rates. However, if there was a genuine need for additional money, this would be looked at sympathetically.' Now, some good news! 'Now we are told that the revised project cost is estimated at $1.006,000. Excluding the cost of upgrading the tennis court (You have to pay for your own tennis court) which could be borne by the Community, the figure is $997,500.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I will reply to the Member for Paya Lebar first. I appreciate his concern about the limitation of community leaders in raising funds, particularly in a constituency where fund-raising is not easy, and that they should spend some time, if not more time, in running the centre rather than raising funds. As to his suggestion that community leaders should deposit the building fund with a minimum of $200,000 in the name of the People's Association so that the interest earned could be spent on the centre's activities, I think that is not possible because whatever monies, including interest, put in building funds cannot be used for the centre's activities, because the building funds are exempted from tax. If they want funds for the centre's activities, they have to raise funds for that specific purpose. As for the Member for Kim Seng, I am afraid it is not possible for me to implement his six commandments. I think he has done quite well with regard to Commandment No. 4, because he has done this not only inside but also outside this House. I would like to add one or two more commandments. First, I think it is very important to be patient. Secondly, do not prejudge, do not jump the gun, or do not jump to conclusion. I would like to read to him a letter which I have just received from the Minister for Finance regarding his case. This is his reply: 'I refer to your letter (that is, my letter to the Minister] of 26th February, 1980, and your request for the subsidy to Kim Seng Community Centre to be raised to $700,000. [We are doing something for the Member.] I assure you that the assessment of the subsidy to Kim Seng Community Centre was not determined on the basis of the cut-off date of 23rd August, 1979, when Cabinet decided on new revised rates.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if I were a Backbencher I would not pre-empt the decision of the Ministry of Finance. In any case, the suggestion put forward by the Member will be considered. AIR POLLUTION IN INDUSTRIAL ESTATES (Measures to reduce) 4. Mr Yeo Choo Kok asked the Prime Minister whether the air pollution in industrial estates, such as the Jurong Town, and urban areas has reached the state of affecting the health of the residents of those areas and what steps have been or will be taken to reduce air pollution generally.”
“It cannot be hurried. The relevant Chinese proverb is yu su bu da ( ) meaning, if you are in a hurry, you will not reach your target. We may not see the fruits of our labour during our life time. We cannot see the results of education the same way as I see sky-scrapers and factories mushrooming. We need time to reach a sound decision and also to give a system sufficient time to bear fruits. I therefore support the amendment put forward by the Minister for Health to the original Motion. 3.43 p.m.”
“In my younger days, and I think in the younger days of most of my senior colleagues, despite bilingualism, I had the time to play marbles, fly kites, catch fighting fish and do a lot of thinking after school, and also play music. We did not have a crammed curricula. Nowadays children hardly have time to sing a tune or know how to sing a tune. The rat race for social recognition, rewards and status bogged the children down with homework and extra tuition, sometimes even burning the midnight oil. In some cases, music and ballet lessons are thrown in because of parental pressure, leaving the children insufficient time for sleep and rest This trend, I am afraid, will produce in our society a crop of young people, crammed with borrowed knowledge but unable to think for themselves, least of all, wise. When confronted with the practical problems of living such as human relations, affecting fellow neighbours or unexpected emotional upset, he would fumble. Textbooks do not provide him with answers to solve human problems. Some for lack of moral stamina committed suicide, others went into drug abuse or vandalism because they could not rise to the expectations of their parents. It is dangerous for parents to expect too much from their children. They want their children to become "dragons". As I have explained the multiple high qualities of a dragon, only a small minority may make it. One should learn to be content with lesser heights if the children cannot make it. If they force the pace, some may turn into dangerous "crocodiles", or poisonous "snakes" which are harmful to society or, worse still, social worms which are a liability to society. With these observations, I would like to congratulate the Study Team for their excellent work. But education is a long term affair.”
“It may be difficult for those who are over 35 years of age to start learning the Chinese language for I admit that Chinese is one of the most difficult languages in the world, particularly for adults. The experience may not be so bitter if one learns from a tender age. I am quite sure that given the opportunity to learn languages during the first three years of education our younger generation can be put on a sounder bilingual footing. I have no doubt that bilingualism will succeed especially when requirements are made for pupils to obtain a pass in the second language in order to gain admission to the Pre-U classes. I am afraid I may not agree with the Member for Punggol and the Minister for Health. I have also no doubt that our people will become bilingual if we spell out the prerequisites for entry into the civil service and, better still, a prerequisite in the climb to hierarchy in the civil service. Our utilitarian approach to things have already created a reward conscious population. Given the incentive, Singaporeans could make it. Another point I would like to raise on our education policy concerns the crammed curriculum of our schools. The childhood days of our younger generation are most unenviable. There has been a tendency to cram our children with facts and figures, and knowledge of all kinds, leaving them very little time to think or play. Cramming of borrowed language may not necessarily make a person wise. It reminds me of my trip to Peking when I saw how the Peking ducks were fed by a machine. I could not imagine how the ducks could enjoy eating when the food was rammed down their throats. Crammed knowledge may be indigestible.”
“I am surprised to find that the Education Ministry chose to use English as a medium of instruction in Science and Technology, and then was disappointed that it did not help to improve the standard of English of Chinese school students. I would have thought that the best way of learning English is to make the students read novels, poetry and litera- ture instead of Science, Mathematics or Technology. The teaching of Science and Technology is a matter of gathering facts and thinking scientifically and not linguistically. In many cases, the teachers who taught Science and Technology, I was told, were not competent in English and were teaching the subjects in Mandarin. It was not so much the failure of students to learn English, but the failure of methods and choice of teachers. I am therefore in favour of the recommendations in the Report to devote the first three years of primary education to the teaching of languages. The speaking of dialect at home, to my mind, is not a hindrance to the study of Mandarin. It may, on the other hand, help the study of Mandarin because after all, the same character is used to spell out dialects including Mandarin. It was a matter of different spelling of the same word. For instance, anyone who speaks Mandarin, Cantonese or Hainanese would find it easier to study Vietnamese because so many Vietnamese words have similar tones to either Mandarin, Cantonese or Hainanese. Mother-tongue comes with the child naturally from the mother through constant hearing from childhood. It is imparted without effort. I learnt the various dialects, in fact, without conscious effort but picked them up by the wayside in a given environment. Perhaps, language is something much easier learnt and absorbed at a tender age.”
“The school which I studied, Chung Ling High School ( ), was China-oriented in those days. I was a British Subject but nobody treated me as a British Subject. I was treated as a Chinese. We had our own source of revenue, syllabi, teachers, principals and management committees. Chung Ling, however, was different from other secondary schools throughout Malaya in those days in that it was bilingual in character giving emphasis on Chinese during the first three years and English on the 2nd three years, Bilingualism was successfully implemented in the early thirties when its advocators could be branded as colonial stooges. I had the advantage of having a large number of elder brothers educated in English. I was the black sheep who studied Chinese. We lived right in the middle of a Malay kampong. We spoke dialects at home. Thus I had the advantageous trilingual environment. I therefore find it difficult sometimes to understand why there has been so much fuss about learning two languages. I must point out, however, that when I entered Chung Ling from a village Chinese school in Butterworth, my knowledge of English was very poor and I flipped my English/Chinese and Chinese/English dictionaries so often that they were torn to pieces by the end of the term. It was a matter of hard work and the opportunity to practise at home. I spoke Mandarin in school, English and dialect at home. I do not think it is that difficult for Chinese school students to study English. It is a matter of providing the right environment and climate, such as what we are trying to do - immersion - the right teachers with dedication and most important of all, enough time for a system to prove its worth.”
“Sir, a Member has mentioned Wen Tian Xiang ( ). Talking about Wen Tian Xiang, people may say he was a failure because he was in jail for so long. He was beheaded but he wrote a poem on zheng qi ge ( ) and that was the real " " refusing to surrender. These are generally termed qi jie ( ). Then one should not sheng qi ( ) (I hope Mr Speaker will not be " ", for he has to endure so many words spoken and he cannot leave the Chair) or fa pi qi ( ), lou qi ( ) or have ao qi ( ) but be ke qi ( ) and he qi ( ) when dealing with people but when necessary ren qi ( ). When someone is down in spirit, ti ta da qi ( ). Then there is also yun qi ( ) (luck) which is considered necessary in all human endeavours particularly those who gamble. In fact, no one can live without " ", for when someone has his zui hou yi kou qi ( ), that is the end of him. How does one understand the meaning of so many complicated " " when there is virtually no adequate word in English for it. I do not intend to turn this into a translation session. What I wish to point out is that no one can honestly claim to understand the root or spirit of any culture without knowing the language. This leads me to the topic of bilingualism, and the problems of studying languages. I am one of those who do not believe that the speaking of mother tongue or dialect at home is a setback in the study of languages just because they are not spoken at home. I am speaking from my own experience and that of my children and my views may be subjective. I belong to the same generation as the Member for Anson except that I was educated in the Chinese stream in Penang. I was the product of an education system described by the Prime Minister as outside the control of Government.”
“There are also other " ": zheng qi ( ), zheng qi ( ), hao ran zhi qi ( ). An hon. Member: Wen Tian Xiang ( ).”
“It was the quality of these strong cultural mots that gave the Japanese the stamina and strength to overcome the humiliating defeat of the second world war, and gradually put the nation on its feet again, and now to become an economic giant. Without the cultural ballast and backing, the Japanese would not have recovered. Like the Member for Anson, I would like also to confess the feeling of uneasiness myself that the over-emphasis on the short term benefits of utilitarian values may gradually erode the cultural foundation which was laid by our forefathers. The cultural qualities that helped to build up Singapore from a fishing village to a cosmopolitan city state should not be left to decay. I am by no means a chauvinist. But I am one of those who do not believe that we can transmit Eastern cultural values through English translations. What is learnt through the filter of translation can be anything but superficial. Anything learnt can be only skin-deep. It never gets into the qi ( ). And Western vocabulary has yet to find the appropriate translation for the word " ". Some say it is spirit. The Japanese has a word for it - ki. The Koreans also have a word for it. But there is no proper Western translation. Western trained doctors do not believe in the existence of " ". But the word " " has significant bearings on the understanding of Chinese philosophy, including physical and moral training. For better health, strength stamina and longevity, one is advised to xiu xin yang qi ( ). Sir, it is difficult for me to translate. For moral training, children are told: zuo ren yao you yong qi ( ) (brave), yao you gu qi ( ) (I find it difficult to translate, it is the ki of the bones, it is neither stubborn nor tenacity).”
“Have his teachers and principals set him good examples? Imparting knowledge to pass examinations, and later to do a job, these are important. However, the litmus test of a good education is whether it nurtures citizens who can live, work, contend and cooperate in a civilised way. Is he loyal and patriotic? Is he, when the need arises, a good soldier, ready to defend his country, and so protect his wife and children, and his fellow citizens? Is he filial, respectful to elders, law-abiding, humane, and responsible? Does he take care of his wife and children and his parents? Is he a good neighbour and a trustworthy friend? Is he tolerant of Singaporeans of different races and religions? Is he clean, neat, punctual, and well-mannered?' We may be well-off in the utilitarian aspect of education, but humanitarian-wise, we can learn a lot from our ASEAN and Asian neighbours. In Central Java, for instance, from a tender age, a child is instilled with the Javanese traditional sense of moral values: the importance of self-discipline, the virtues of humility, tolerance, comradeship, bravery, sacrifice, honour and dignity. All these through wayang kulit. As the child sees the favourite shadows on a screen and listens to the stories of Ramayana or Mahabaratha, beautifully related by the dalang, the moral lessons are sunk home. His character is being moulded and he knows his place in society and the role he should play. Similarly, in Japan, whilst the parents encourage their children to study Western science and technology, they never forget to drive home to the young minds the importance of remaining Japanese in their lifestyle and retaining their cultural roots.”
“To expect all these qualities in one's offspring is dangerously idealistic. Yet, this is the ambition of most parents. When our emphasis is on power and money making, we are encouraging the emergence of the money dragon qian long ( ) or power dragon quan long ( ). The other qualities of a dragon are not given chances to develop. Too much emphasis on the utilitarian approach to education may create a distorted sense of value in our younger generation. It will breed the habit of equating everything with money. They will try to place everything in terms of international market value. For instance, when he has to choose a friend, he would ask: "What can I get out of him or her?" He befriends a person because of his position, status or wealth and not because he has an affection or respect for him as a person of charm or character. What is the price of loyalty? How much is loyalty worth? What is the price of honesty, integrity, diligence and even patriotism? He is loyal to Singapore just because she provides him with a job, shelter and comfort. The moment these utilitarian values are gone, he migrates. This is going to happen if we give too much emphasis on the utilitarian aspect of education and overlook the other equally important humanitarian aspect. We want our younger generation to be Singaporeans who are not only useful citizens but have strong moral character and who care for the welfare of his community and nation. In this respect, allow me to quote the questions thoughtfully posed by the Prime Minister in his reply to the Deputy Prime Minister on this Report referring to "what kind of man or woman does a child grow up to be after 10-12 years of schooling". 'Is he a worthy citizen, guided by decent moral precepts?”
“The emphasis was more on charts, data and computer findings relating to the earning power of the English educated as compared to the Chinese educated. It dealt with the criteria of the earning power of a child after leaving school; and the likelihood of him becoming literate in at least one language. It seems to me that the whole " " of our education policy is centred on catering for these two utilitarian needs, that is, to earn more or at least to be literate in one language. If the main " " of education is to achieve these two objectives, then the whole approach becomes too utilitarian inclined. All parents want their children to be as powerful as a dragon, wang zi cheng long ( ). If the criterion of success is earning power, then parents would want their children to become the money making dragons. There are many types of dragons in the Chinese mythology. According to the Shuo Wen ( ) dictionary AD 200, there are 369 species of scaly reptiles which can be classified as being in the dragon family. There is the heavenly dragon, the sea-dragon, the land dragon; crocodiles, snakes, lizards and even silk-worms belonging to the same family. There is a good reason why parents want their children to become dragons for a dragon has the combination of the best qualities of so many animals. It has the head of a camel, horns of a deer, eyes of a rabbit, ears of a cow, neck of a snake, belly of a frog, scales of a carp, claws of a hawk and palm of a tiger. In other words, it has the stamina and endurance of a camel, the sensitivity and wisdom of a deer, humility of a rabbit, diligence of a cow, flexibility and shrewdness of a snake, virility of a frog, poise of a carp, decisiveness of a hawk and bravery of a tiger.”
“We have come a long way to reach a situation whereby we can afford to review our education policy rationally and objectively in an atmosphere of calm and poise, quite detached from political and emotional implications and complications. This, I would say, is by no means a rare achievement by itself. We are, after all, a very young and small nation compared to the two giants of Asia - China and India - which have several thousand years of history and civilization behind them. Compared to them, in terms of size and history, we are but a pygmy. However, the decision makers of these two nations with ancient wisdom have yet to disentangle their education policies from political and emotional attachment. In the case of China, it was a conflict between "red and expertise" gong yu zhuan ( ). In other words, between "politics comes first" zheng zhi gua shuai ( ) and "economics comes first" jing ji gua shuai ( ). Presently, the latter seems to gain an upper hand over the former. In the case of India, the struggle is still between the central authorities which want to introduce Hindi as the national language nation-wide and the provincial authorities of Tamil Nadu's resistance against it because of the linguistic pride in Tamil. Wherever it may be, unless and until the problems of language and education are detached from politics and emotion, it would be difficult to settle them rationally and professionally. I will now comment on the Report itself. It appears to me that its approach to education has too utilitarian an outlook. When moving the Motion the Deputy Prime Minister spoke of chu fa dian ( ). In other words, to know the cause of things.”
“The lesson derived is that in matters of education, no one should take the views of parents for granted. The fact that today we are able to discuss this controversial subject in such a placid atmosphere reflects the maturity of our society. The Prime Minister describes this situation as "a watershed in our history". The Member for Anson prefers the word "saltus". Whatever it may be, we have reached an enviable position when the issue of language and education no longer generates political or emotional tension. Many multi-racial societies in developing countries are less fortunate as they are still plagued by language and educational issues. When language and educational issues are tied up with politics and emotion, it would be impossible to approach the problem rationally and professionally as we do today. Members have just heard the Member for Kampong Kembangan speaking quite professionally. A political solution was necessary in those days when language and education were so closely identified with the preservation of communal culture and the pride of civilization. The formula had to be a political one of providing equal treatment to all the four streams of education besides providing sufficient classrooms to accommodate the backlog of uneducated children who still roamed the streets. In those days, there were other more urgent priorities of political struggle against communist subversion and communalism, to occupy the time and energy of the then Government Bench. There was not enough time to look into the real problems of education just as we are doing today. The Deputy Prime Minister was then the Minister for Finance and was just putting his mind to bear on the development of Jurong which was a swamp.”
“Today's debate would have been unthinkable in those days. The dramatic episode which took place during that early period of self-government was an eye-opener to most of us who were then new to the game of politics and government. The Secondary 4 examination boycott reflected two important aspects of our society which hon. Members both in the Frontbench and Backbench who are new to the game should bear in mind. The first aspect is that an education issue is not necessarily and does not always remain a purely educational issue. When it suits the Communists and when the ground is sour, an educational issue can at any time be turned into a political issue. The Government's decision to change the Chinese secondary school system from 3.3 to 4.2 was to bring Chinese-educated school leavers on the same footing with the English-educated counterpart so that both could be treated equally in the employment market. It was well-intended. It was the result of a long deliberation by prominent educationists and with the support of most parents. But the timing was just before the struggle for merger. The Communists had engineered the examination boycott to down the Government which was planning for a merger. This could happen again if the heat is on and the ground is sour. The second aspect was that Singapore parents were prepared to fight for their children's education. When the boycott started, a group of parents came to see me and requested police protection against the hooligan tactics adopted by the demonstrators. They were determined to escort their children to the examination halls. They succeeded. The police had no need to use force at all when the wiser parents made up their minds.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I was tempted to remain silent after so many hon. Members have spoken. What could I add to the luxury of words and blooming of ideas? But this debate happens to invoke in me a bitter-sweet experience in my memory which I would like to share with hon. Members of this House, particularly the newcomers. For the last three days, we have been debating in an atmosphere of calm and tranquility unperturbed by voices inside or noises outside this House, on an explosive subject on education. This would not have been possible 18 years ago. As I sat listening to so many speeches on this issue, my mind goes back to the afternoon of 29th November, 1961 in this House when the then Sergeant-at-Arms was ordered to go along with a mace to rescue me from a crowd of angry student demonstrators who had prevented me from attending this august Assembly. They were demonstrating outside the old building of the Ministry of Education at Kay Siang Road in protest against the Government's decision to change the Chinese school system from 3.3 to 4.2. I was then the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and was on my way to attend a Parliament sitting. A group of some 60 militant communist-led students, who boycotted the Secondary 4 examinations, blocked my car, forced me out, threw rotten apples at me and chanted abusive slogans. They were some of the thousands of other students who had tried physically to prevent others from taking the examination. I had to return to the Ministry and telephoned to this Parliament that I could not attend the sitting. A Motion had to be approved in this House to protect my privilege to attend this Parliament Sitting. However, I arrived just in time to save the Sergeant-at-Arms the trouble of rescuing me.”
“Sir, we may not need the Member's services. Dr Ong Leong Boon: Mr Speaker, Sir, when I rose to speak, I was actually seeking the help of the People's Association with regard to the matters that I have raised. But after having heard the Senior Minister of State's reply, I found that the People's Association, in fact, requires our help. Sir, in view of the rather difficult circumstances under which the People's Association is working, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $23,819.960 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $8,672,200 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.”
“On the question of maintenance, we will look into the matter. Although he has moved to a bigger community centre we hope that with the conservation of energy campaign, they will not just go on using so much electricity that the People's Association has to foot more funds. But we are trying to find a formula whereby we can share the bill equally. The Management Committee and the People's Association will work out a formula for the sharing of PUB bills. I will look into the Member's question on PUB bills.”
“At no cost to his fund-raising committee. The Member for Whampoa raised two points. The first point is whether the community centre could open at 8.30 in the morning. We are considering starting day-care services. So, when we do want to use the community centre at 8.30 a.m., I hope the Member for Whampoa will cooperate. In the meantime, it is not our practice to hire non-staff members to run the community centre, but we will give it some consideration. Our problem is to get the staff. It is not that we do not have a budget for manpower. It is very difficult to get good organising secretaries with the necessary qualifications because of the salary structure. This is another point which we are having a tussle with the Finance Ministry. Unless we raise the qualifications or raise the pay, we are not going to get really good staff. An hon Member: Right.”
“We are fully aware of the position of Punggol. In fact, we have supported his proposal to have 1.3 acres, but it has been turned down by Treasury because of norms. If we give him 1.3 acres, other Members of Parliament will kick up a row: why is it that the Member for Punggol was given 1.3 acres and we are given only one acre? The principle is that one acre of land will be provided if the shape of the land is a square one. If it is irregularly shaped, then the Member may be given 1.3 acres depending on the situation. But in his case for the extra piece of land of 0.3 acres, we have consulted the Parks and Recreation Department and they may landscape it for residents who may make good use of it.”
“We have staff workshops to discuss ways and means to implement the recommendations, detailed action plans based on the needs and resources, and also the problem of getting volunteers. We have so far 14 familiarisation visits to the People's Association by 22 professional bodies and, to-date, 161 professionals and higher educated persons have registered under the scheme. These are some of the things which we have done as a result of the Conference. I do not want to take this opportunity to reiterate the role which the People's Association is supposed to play but we will do our best to do what we are told to do or expected to do. As regards land, this is one of the common problems faced by most Members of Parliament. On the suggestion that we should give two acres instead of one acre, I think we will have to have a big tussle with the Minister for Finance to get two acres.”
“The second reason for the delay is the alterations to the plans. We put up a plan. Then Members of Parliament together with their Management Committee will sit with the People's Association officials, and alterations are made. The plan will have to be altered by the architects and they will take months to re-draw the plan. In certain cases, further amendments are made. In the meantime, inflation has caught up. So who is to blame? But we will take into consideration the inflationary aspect. Another reason to consider is that the Management Committee should not be too ambitious. If they have the necessary funds, they should move on with phase one, instead of waiting for phase two. If they want to complete the two phases they will need about $1 million. If inflation comes while they are raising funds, they will not catch up. If they had started with phase one, they would have built part of it at least and they could start off the second phase when they get the money. As regards the role of the People's Association, this is a very controversial and thorny subject. As the People's Association was set up not just one or two years ago, it is difficult to say to what extent roles have been fulfilled. In April we held the Third Conference of the People's Association with the Management Committees. A total of 81 recommendations were made. Of these, 60% have been fully or partially implemented. Another 28% are being studied for future implementation and the remaining 12% are found unpracticable or unsuitable. We have actually implemented most of the recommendations. For instance, we have made a community survey covering 14 constituencies to ascertain the needs and expectations of the people and the data are being analysed.”
“Sir, three questions were raised. The first question was raised by the Member for Kim Seng on the delay in the completion of community centres. The second question was on the role of the People's Association which was raised by the Member for Kampong Kembangan, and the third question from the Member for Punggol was on land. The Member for Whampoa raised minor questions. For the information of the Member for Kim Seng, 29 community centres were supposed to have started at the end of 1978. But only nine projects started on schedule. This could be attributed to a delay by the Planning Department or the Housing and Development Board. But in our experience we find that fund-raising is one of the main causes of delay. There are several community centres which have not started fund-raising campaigns or have not reached the target expected. Unless they have available funds it is not advisable to allow them to start building a community centre and see it uncompleted. It is quite easy to put the blame on the Planning Department or the People's Association, but one of the two reasons why construction of community centres was delayed is that Members of Parliament or the Management Committees have taken too long to decide on the actual site. I am speaking of certain community centres where they took a long time to decide. We gave them a site but they were not satisfied. They took months to decide on another site. In the meantime, there was inflation. Nobody knows when the next round of inflation will come, although we are monitoring the inflationary trend. If necessary, we may make representation to the Finance Ministry on the Government grant for the building of community centres. But much of the delay was due to hesitation on deciding on the site.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for Kim Seng for the points raised. I think we already have in mind some of the problems we have to face. We are in the midst of really trying to go into the details of defining the duties of each and every organisation. Of course, there must be some overlapping. We have reached the stage where there is no reason why there should not be more than one grassroots organisation. This is a sign of real mass participation.”