Lee Yiok Seng
Singapore
“Sir, the Department of Industrial Health has introduced guidelines on noise control and hearing conservation to assist factories in establishing preventive programmes.”
“Sir, Mr Zulkifli would like to know about the progress of the safety management system and safety audit. The Factories (Shipping and Ship-repairing) Regulations require any shipyard that employs 200 or more workers to appoint an independent external auditor to audit its safety management system.”
“To better control chemical hazards, new provisions under the Factories Act will require factory occupiers to obtain from their suppliers the material safety data sheets (MSDS) of chemicals and take appropriate precautions based on information in the MSDS.”
“We will make every effort to help the shipyards and their contractors to better understand their responsibilities in complying with regulations on safety in their workplace. Sir, stringent enforcement action will also be taken at construction worksites.”
“Sir, our aim is to have zero accident. Therefore, we are making every effort to improve this situation. As I have mentioned, next month we are having a workshop to get all shipyard managements, unions, and contractors to review the safety measures and to consider which are the areas we can improve.”
“Sir, we have regular checkings. As to the number of people who are actually doing the checking, it depends on the officers and the programme. We have a very thorough programme to go round and check every one of them. I assure the House that we are very conscious of the safety of the workers.”
The complete record
Every one of 97 lines we hold for Lee Yiok Seng, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 2.
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, just now the Minister in answer to my first question said that buses would become old in no time if used in rural areas. But I would say that in the rural areas the roads are also quite wide and metalled, not as bad as the Minister has imagined. The position is this. The rural people will have to walk along bad unmetalled tracks in order to reach the main road to board a bus. So, buses still run on good roads. If you can go there, you will notice this. I hope in the rural areas one can see new buses to provide the rural folks with better services.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister two simple questions. The first one is: yesterday some Members in this House alleged that the rural people are regarded as second class citizens. I do not agree to this view. However, we can all agree on the point, that the buses used in serving the rural areas are all outdated and useless. I hope the Minister will be able to provide better buses to serve these areas and perhaps also provide good drivers to man such buses. The second point is about some comments by MPs here that the SBS has improved a lot in its service. Maybe the Minister is very pleased about this remark. But I would like to say something which he may not be pleased to hear. In spite of the SBS service, if you ask whether there are pirate taxis running on the roads, I should say yes. So I hope the Minister will look into this.”
“Sir, there has been a lot of controversy over this question of whether a tarmer is bona fide or not bona fide. My view is that the mistake lies with the Primary Production Department. The PPD issues a farming certificate to every farmer. Later, when resettlement is carried out, the PPD will say to those affected farmers, "You are a bona fide farmer" or "You are not a bona fide farmer". I would like the Minister to consider whether there could be some restriction on the issue of such a farming certificate. If they are not bona fide farmers, then the Department should not issue them with farming certificates. Then when they produce these certificates on resettlement we should follow the procedure laid down by the PPD and pay them compensation accordingly. Only in this way can we solve the problem. Otherwise, one department under the Ministry of National Development will issue a licence to a person to carry on his farming activities only to be denied, on resettlement, by another department under the same Ministry when a demand for compensation is lodged, that he is not a bona fide farmer. To the farmers, this appears to be a deliberate attempt by the Government to extract money from them by manipulating the situation. Therefore, this problem should merit serious attention.”
“Since the Minister has been very sympathetic in his answer, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“They are farmers, fishermen, workers and widows. The youngsters who come from such families should join the full-time national service because such experience will be useful to them in future. However, they cannot recognize the usefulness of full-time national service. I do not understand what is the reason for this. Perhaps something has gone wrong in the Ministry of Defence, or perhaps the parents are prejudiced. I would ask the Minister whether he is aware that more and more parents are applying for a transfer of their children to do part-time national service. Is there any measure to stop such a tendency or will these parents be allowed to apply for a transfer of their children to do part-time national service?”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head K be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 1002*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy.) Sir, since the implementation of national service we are happy to see the good results it has achieved. Through national service we have been able to improve our security and enhance defence capability and social stability. We can talk of the many advantages of national service in relation to our defence. There are hardly any shortcomings. In recalling the day when national service was first implemented, many of us were worried because most parents at that time did not quite understand the significance of national service. Because of their traditional belief, the parents tried to prevent their children from joining the combat units of the national service. During that period the Ministry of Defence was beset with difficulties and the Minister himself had to crack his head to solve such problems, and his hair turned gray because of it. However, after some time parents gradually came round to accept the principles and need for a full-time national service for our young people. Some parents would not like to see their children being drafted into full-time national service. However, there has been a change now. Many parents would offer all sorts of excuses to get their children transferred to part-time national service when they are put into full-time national service. If their application is not approved they will be dissatisfied and disappointed. I think we must do something to stamp out such tendency, because this will affect the young people in the national service. Most of these parents are from the lower strata and are not well educated.”
“After taking away the time for the trips to and fro, only about two hours would be left. What kind of help can the people get out of such patrolling? The criminals can also calculate their time. They can commit crimes, before the patrolmen turn up or after they have left. So if the Police cannot quickly think out a better method to deal with the crimes in HDB estates but only talk about crime and security problems in the housing estates, it is more propaganda and is not going to help the people. 4.00 p.m. To me this is a very important question because I am not willing to see more than half of our population who are staying in Housing Board estates facing this security hazard. So I would like to suggest to the Minister, firstly, to set up in the Police Force a section of special personnel to deal with the prevention of crimes in Housing Board estates by taking charge of matters such as planning effective action to ensure a presence of security. Secondly, to set up Police sub-depots in HDB estates. I do not mean ordinary police stations but sub-depots. I mean that the Police could rent a one-room unit from the HDB and station some policemen there to provide a 24-hour service. I believe this can be very effective and economical. It would be cheaper than to get patrol cars to go around. In this way the residents will be able to see the policemen every day and, when necessary, they can report to the policeman on duty of any crime. Moreover, it will give the Police an opportunity to cooperate with and actually serve the people.”
“I cannot understand why, in spite of the increase and frequency of such crimes, the Police are still not able up to now to take any effective measures to check such crimes. I feel that the main reason why the Police Department is not able to deal with these crimes effectively is that they have neglected the seriousness of such crimes because they think that robbery, house-breaking, and theft are all minor crimes which do not deserve their attention. So they do not plan out an effective way to deal with such crimes. Another reason is that the police do not well understand the conditions in the HDB estates and therefore they cannot fully play their role. They are not able to carry out their duties effectively, thus leading to higher incidents of crime everyday, even in the day time. I think the criminals know the conditions in the HDB areas better than the Police. They also know very well the beat duties of the policemen, and so they pick a suitable time and place in order to get off easily. In the circumstances, the police could only resort to such measures as increasing the number of patrol cars and more frequent beats, or put more policemen on beat patrol in the housing estates. This is also what the Minister suggested in his replies. Using only this method, I think, is a bit too mundane. It is a sort of routine. It will not enable the Police to know what goes on inside the buildings. Moreover, it will give the criminals a good opportunity to pick out suitable times and places to commit crime. For instance, during the recent exercise of community security service, the hours were from 7 pm, to 11 p.m, when the participants had to report to the police station at these times. So if one were to report at a police station, it would take some time.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I still want to stress the point that we should pay attention to the rising crime rate in Housing Board estates. Just now the Minister in his answer mentioned several points to the effect that the crime rate in the HDB estates has decreased. But I have found out that it is because certain crimes committed in these areas were not reported to the Police. That accounts for the decrease. Perhaps it is due to the people's disappointment with the service they get from the Police that they do not want to report any crimes. Crimes in HDB estates are usually robbery, house-breaking, and molest. There are people who regard such crimes as minor and so the police need not bother paying attention to them. I do not agree with such people. We should realise that more than half of our population live in HDB flats. They are constantly troubled with crimes such as I have mentioned, and this puts them in a dilemma. Sir, I think the Police should give top priority to combating such crimes. There are so many such incidents that the HDB flat dwellers themselves are unable to prevent them that they need the help of the police. Usually these crimes are committed in a certain pattern. If a flat is empty, the criminal would break open the door and steal the property. Robbery or molest is usually committed in the lift or in some secluded corner at a convenient time. These criminals usually find that HDB estates are convenient places for them to commit their crimes. Perhaps it is because of many people milling about that it is difficult to detect them. Once they are missed in the crowd, they could easily make their escape. The Police should be aware of this and should be able to think out a good method to deal with such crimes.”
“Sir, I wish to raise the issue of non-citizens who are affected by the resettlement clearance scheme. In the resettlement clearance sites, we often come across families where both husband and wife are non-citizens but hold blue Singapore identity cards, and their children, born in Singapore, hold Singapore pink identity cards but they are underaged. According to the current policy of the Housing and Development Board, they are not eligible for rehousing under the resettlement priority scheme. Although they have been living in these clearance sites for many years, they are not considered for rehousing and have to find their own alternative accommodation, which is very difficult. As there is no way out, they stay on day after day in the clearance sites. They do not know what to do, and because of this the clearance projects have to be delayed. Therefore, I would like to ask the Minister whether he is prepared to reconsider the HDB policy and to allow these people to purchase HDB flats under the resettlement priority scheme.”
“In the light of this, I would like to ask the Minister whether he has any plans to increase the staff of the People's Association to meet the need for greater activity in the community centres. Secondly, I would also like to ask whether any study is being made on the massive resignations of the staff.”
“Yes. Sir, I am glad to note that in this year's Estimates the provision for the People's Association has been increased considerably, it is my hope that the increased provision will further develop the activities of the People's Association for the benefit of the people in general. I would like to point out that the annual staff turnover in the People's Association has been very high. Resignations are gradually mounting, and they come to more than 10% of the total staff. This is detrimental to the development of activities in the community centres. The staff of the People's Association are properly trained and the great number of resignations causes serious staff shortages in certain cases. One of the reasons for such resignations may be due to pressure of work. Some members of the staff have to work from morning until very late at night, about 11.00 p.m, or 12.00 midnight. They are physically fatigued at the end of the day's work, and this may result in a loss of interest in their work. Due to the shortage of staff certain activities in the community centres are losing ground. There is also a lack of planning of activities. As a result, the community centres have not been able to play the role expected of them. Furthermore, Sir, the staff are fully occupied in their work, particularly those attached to the headquarters of the People's Association. They have so much to do that they do not have any time for the management committees of the various community centres. Therefore, there is lack of understanding between the headquarters' staff and the members of the management committees. In this regard I feel that there is plenty of room for improvement; otherwise the community centres will not be able to lend full effect to its functions.”
“The farmers realise the need for such resettlements. The Primary Production Department should advise the farmers to carry out other alternative farming activities. So long as the Government can give them encouragement and help, they will he able to succeed in embarking on other farming activities to make a living. This will both maximise the use of land and benefit the farmers. Sir, I support the Motion by the Member for Kim Keat. 4.26 p.m.”
“This is perhaps because of their low level of education or because of their more conservative attitude. They therefore find it difficult to accept the concept of family planning. This requires our immediate attention. As a matter of fact they are the ones who are in greater need of family planning, because if they can keep their families small, it will alleviate their burden. But because of their educational background and environment they have not been able to pay heed to such problems. The Health Ministry should therefore pay more attention to this class of people. They should provide more and better facilities to publicise such campaigns. Adequate educational campaigns and good public relations facilities should also he provided, otherwise we will not be able to establish a stable society where everyone will have an equal opportunity to live, learn, train, contribute their best and earn their living. In the Addendum on the Ministry of National Development, we note that the Primary Production Department is doing well. In the past we have often experienced shortages of imported primary supplies and high prices. But we have been self-sufficient in the production of pork, poultry and eggs, and this has a stabilising effect on food prices. Thus, it can he seen that our farmers have a great role to play in bringing down our cost of living. This is especially so when the world is experiencing food shortages. The Primary Production Department should make greater effort to promote and widen the range of farming activities rather than concentrate on the production of a few agricultural items, resulting in a surplus of supplies. In order to develop and protect water supplies, certain pig-rearing farms would have to be resited. This is unavoidable.”
“With such cooperation and unity, we will be able to surmount all difficulties. In the Addendum on the Health Ministry, the President stated categorically that we must fulfil the objective of a two-child-family, otherwise the standard of social service and the quality of our environment will deteriorate, because of the pressure of population and congestion. This is a sharp reminder to the people in Singapore that the concept of family planning must be accepted and that there must be a curb on population growth. The campaign on family planning not only has a direct bearing on the well-being and interest of the present and the next generations but it is also a major social and national task. We should pay tribute to the Health Ministry for the good job they have done in bringing down the birth rate to 19.8 per thousand. However, we should not be complacent with such mean achievement. We should continue to make greater efforts to achieve our ultimate objective. Our success in curbing our population growth depends upon both the people and the Government. Of the people, everyone should be aware of the importance of family planning and that they should accept the social need for control of population. Every family, whether affluent or destitute, should adhere to such principles. They should strive for the objective of a two-child-family. Of the Government it should always review the services and increase the facilities provided for the people in order to ensure effectively that every family has an equal share in enjoying such facilities. From the results of the family planning campaign, we find that people from the lower income group and in rural areas do not respond well to such a campaign.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in the midst of world-wide inflation, unemployment and uncertainty, and at a time when many countries are faced with all kinds of difficulties and pressures, it is gratifying to note that the President was able to deliver a speech in the Second Session of the Third Parliament outlining the various political, social and economic policies. In the Addendum on the various ministries we can see the various measures to provide solutions to the problems faced by the people. The President's speech is a shot in the arm for the people, both within and outside Singapore. They are imbued with greater confidence in Singapore when they face the future and our people will be more steadfast in their pursuits and contribution to nation building. The immediate task is to implement all the measures patiently and carefully. This is a very important and difficult task, especially when we have to adjust to the lower economic growth rate. In order to fulfil these policies and objectives, the first requisite is to have a government which is fair, pragmatic and dares to face up to reality and which can rally talents around it. I believe the People's Action Party is the one party which can form such a government. Secondly, the civil servants in the various ministries should be hard working, honest and dedicated to their duties. I agree with the Member for Jalan Kayu that the civil servants should enhance the quality of their service. They should shun bureaucracy and serve the people. Thirdly, our people should be aware of their civic duties. They should not be complacent nor should they be despondent. They should be self-disciplined, hardworking, thrifty and enterprising, and should place national interests above personal and sectional interests at all times.”
“Yes. Mr Chua Sian Chin: As I have said just now, the payment of the allowances was primarily for transport. I do not know about any allowance for a bowl of mee, soft drinks and so on. In fact, I have answered the Member's question when I said that as far as transport is concerned, the bus fare for the Vigilante Corps is half the rate. In other words, the increase was only from 10 cents to 20 cents. That is about all.”
“But the Minister did not give any consideration at all. That is why I have to point it out again.”
“Sir, just now the Minister said that the Vigilante Corps does not have a good case to fight for an increase in allowance. My colleague, the Member for Bukit Ho Swee, has asked him for guidance as to what he means by a good case. Just now I have put in my case to the Minister for an increase in the basic training allowance. The reasons are that bus fares have been increased from 20 cents to 40 cents, and soft drinks from 20 cents to 30 cents. Furthermore, a bowl of mee which previously cost 30 cents now costs 50 cents or 80 cents. So the total expenditure per night's training is about $1.20 to $1.50. Previously he required only about 70 cents to 90 cents.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $766,590 for Head LA ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. Head LD -- The following amendment stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy - (1) That the sum to be allocated for Head LD be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1107.”
“This piggery can then be subdivided into smaller units which will be suitable for the small pig farmers. Such pig farming units can be rented out to the pig farmers or sold to them on an instalment basis. This will enable the pig farmers to benefit from the project, and at the same time help them to develop their pig rearing in a far better environment. Sir, if this can be done 1 am sure the farmers will deeply appreciate it.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head LA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1004*. (*The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs Cheong Yuen Chee and Ong Teng Cheong.) Recently the Ministry of National Development announced that 45 acres of land at Bah Soon Pah Road would be used for commercial pig farming, and that the land would be subdivided into eight lots of about five acres each for development by public application. This is a new project for pig farming in Singapore as we are encouraging the development of pig farming into a commercial enterprise. I have gone through the terms and conditions attached to the application form. It is clearly stated that the applicant should put up the building and all facilities including multi-storey piggeries on the 5-acre land and maintain a production of 1,000 porkers per acre per annum. Therefore, this project must involve at least a capital of $« million or even more. As such a big capital is required. I am sure that even if pig farmers in Singapore have the desire and the practical experience of participating in this project, they have very little chance of doing so because they are individual smallholders without big capital. I am very disappointed over the fact that the Minister does not take into consideration the present condition of pig farmers in Singapore, whereby provision could be made to give them a chance to participate in this project. Therefore, I sincerely urge the Minister to consider if the Government can set aside a portion of this land for the small pig farmers? Moreover, I propose that Government be responsible for the building of multi-storey piggeries and all the other necessary facilities, including pig pens.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would also like to add my views on this subject. First of all, let mc say that I agree very much with what has been said by the Member for Kim Seng, and that is, that care for the aged and the sick, as is being given now, is not enough. In my view, it is not enough because I found that certain aged people who need certain care are not given proper care or accommodation as in the home for the aged. In this respect I feel the Government should remedy the situation. We all agree that the cost of living is now increasing. Everybody is hoping that members of a family will be able to get a job and earn some money to supplement the family expenditure. But unfortunately if there is one aged member in the family who needs particular care, and if the Government cannot look after such people, then can it be taken as a loss of income to the family concerned? From what I have seen of the various homes for the aged, the facilities there are very poor and their conditions are not hygienic. Whatever views I may have of these homes, T hope the Government would not overlook them. On the question of food for the aged, I feel that they do not have proper food. From what I have seen at the homes for the aged, the food provided cost no more than Si per day for each person. At a time when prices of food are so high, T feel that the amount of food provided is really too little. So in line with what the other Members have said, I would like to ask the Minister for Social Affairs to give us a definite answer as to whether at this moment he is considering any steps to remedy what needs to be remedied to improve their situation.”
“In this respect, I suggest that we incorporate this measure in the Employment Act so that every able-bodied person, particularly our youths, would have to take up some kind of job, otherwise they would be dealt with by the law. If we can do this, then we will be able to go one step forward towards the solution of employment problems and be closer to full employment. Then every citizen or youth will have a job and he will not have to waste his time.”
“In this respect, we should also encourage savings. We should understand that these youths have been softened by circumstances. They did not work hard in school, so they were dropped out, and they feel that they have no chance to be one-up on others and they fight shy of taking up jobs which they consider lower than what they should take on. On the one hand, they do not want to study all over again to educate themselves. On the other hand, they are not willing to take up jobs which they consider are not suitable, not matching their positions, or below their dignity to accept. Thus in the end they roam the streets. They do not believe in the philosophy that taking on any kind of job is honourable, provided one has asserted one's ability and is earning an honest living out of it. Perhaps this is the sort of philosophy of these people which should be understood first before tackling this problem. Sir, about delinquents or those who are about to become delinquents, the Government should try its best to take immediate measures to save them from becoming delinquents or from degrading themselves further. Otherwise it will lead to a situation which will be beyond remedy. I wonder whether the Ministry of Labour has any plans to help such people. In the past, I seldom heard from the Ministry of anything relating to delinquency. If the Minister had neglected this problem in the past, I would like to take this opportunity to remind him and to urge him to take immediate steps to solve this problem so that the hard-won assets and fruits that we have got through the hard work of our people will not be lost. In my view, to prevent these people from becoming soft, I feel that the Ministry of Labour should adopt harsher measures to get these people into our production lines.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government has all along stressed the point that we have reached a situation of full employment. In recent years, we even have to accept foreign labour into our labour force in order to keep up our production in the various trades and commercial lines. This is a fact. At the moment, many factories or organisations engaged in production find that they lack manpower. From my own observation, I notice that the Ministry of Labour is also trying its best to remedy this shortage of labour. However, I have discovered another fact, and that is there are still many unemployed people, who are mainly youngsters, roaming about the streets, doing nothing. By mentioning this, I do not mean to blame the Government for not having done anything to help them, or to provide them with any employment. My purpose is to find out why there are so many youths still unemployed when there are so many jobs available to them, and that they would rather roam the streets like loafers doing nothing, and complaining to everybody that they are unemployed. Some of them even seek help from Members of Parliament to get jobs for them. When I talk about this, I must avail myself of this opportunity to thank the senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Labour for having given a lot of help to MPs in this respect. He has been trying his best to get jobs for these job-seekers, but, however, they have not responded well to the job opportunities given by him. Here is a fact which is normal to state, and I believe the Minister will pay attention to it: because we do not have natural resources, therefore, our citizens should be our natural resources. If they are wasting away their time and eat away their assets, I feel that they are a loss to our country.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would also like to ask a question. We have traditional and friendly relations with Great Britain. My question is now that the minority Labour Government in Britain has been formed, what would be the good and bad points resulting from such a government in Britain, in relation to our country? I hope the Minister for Foreign Affairs, with his vast experience and able manner in which he discharges his duties, will be able to answer my question. 5.30 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am happy to note that important changes have been made by this Bill which, among other things, repeals the existing legislation. I would like to speak on the question of timber grading in Singapore. In the past, as the Minister has mentioned, timber grading was based on the criteria set down in Malaysia. Sources of timber for Singapore are diversified. We cannot solely depend on Malaysia for our timber supply. In fact, over the past few months we have imported timber from Indonesia and other sources. Sir, some sawmillers have made representations to me that timber and logs from Malaysia and Indonesia have different criteria for grading. As a result, if our local timber graders are to grade the timber from Indonesia according to the criteria laid down in Malaysia, there will be difficulties. In fact, difficulties have been faced, and I hope the Minister will take note of this.”
“I am pointing out all these matters with the main aim of supporting the appeals of the rural MPs, that is, for more funds next year for the rural areas. The Government must consider this appeal very seriously and in all earnestness. In that way, we will not let down the rural people. Instead we will be able to give them a better life.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the various rural MPs who have spoken on this amendment have requested for more funds for the rural areas. This is a matter of urgency. According to our past experience, the sums of money allotted for the construction of roads in the rural areas were not adequate. In fact, I feel that if we had really understood the actual conditions in rural areas, we would conclude that there had been a wastage of funds. First of all, because the vote was insufficient, metalling of the road had to be done in stages. And if the work was phased out over a matter of one or two months it would not be too bad; but the phasing was done over two to three years. So, if a road was metalled in three phases over a long period of time, then a lot of money would have been wasted. When the first part of the road was metalled, people were quite happy about it, but the second and other parts of the road were difficult to pass. When the second part of the road was metalled, the first part began to show signs of damage and in need of repair. When it came to metalling the third part of the road, the first part of the road would have gone into a state of disrepair. This is a very difficult situation. Unless the situation is remedied, a lot of money would be wasted. We should allocate more funds to metal the full stretch of the road all at the same time. We must think of the interests of the rural people. You can speak to the rural people, and they will tell you that although the Government has spent a lot of money to develop the roads in the rural areas, the actual situation is such that throughout the whole year or throughout their whole life, they will not be able to set foot on a completely metalled road, and at the very best, the road has been partly metalled.”
“Otherwise, in the cases I have referred to, the flat owners would have to get their own contractors to lay the mosaic flooring or other interior decorations. In some cases, cement floors have to be chipped in order that the new flooring material could be laid out. If everybody uses the lifts to carry heavy loads of cement and other building materials for reflooring, the lifts could be damaged. This is a waste of labour and material. Therefore, I hope, in future, the Housing Board will allow interior decoration and flooring to be done just before the completion of a block of flats, as in the case of private housing. Arrangements can be made for the Housing Board contractors to lay the new flooring material and carry out the interior decoration required, at the expense of the purchasers.”
“We are put in a very difficult position when our constituents, who have lived there for so long, approach us. But there are some newly constructed unauthorised houses too. I think it is not right to allow such a situation to drag on. We should find ways and means to help them. I would like to suggest to the Minister concerned whether it is possible for him, in conjunction with the Citizens' Consultative Committee of the constituencies, to find out the number of unauthorised houses in the rural constituencies and their condition. I hope the Minister concerned would consider this matter sympathetically. My second suggestion is with regard to flats. Nowadays, many people hope to purchase flats. Many of them apply to purchase three- or four-room flats. This shows the success of the Government's home ownership scheme. Sir, I have come across a case where a block of four-room flats had been allocated to the purchasers, but more than 90 per cent of them did not move into their flats within the first three months or more. They wanted to lay mosaic on the floor and carry out some interior decorations. Sir, the question I would like to raise is this. In future, just before the completion of a block of flats, will the Government consider allotting the flats to the purchasers in advance? Inquiries could then be sent out to them to find out whether they want to have any interior decorations made. Or can permission be granted for the purchasers to carry out decorations during the final stages of the building construction? I think this is a reasonable request and a practical suggestion, particularly at a time when we are experiencing a shortage of building materials and labour. This will save a lot of unnecessary additional expenditure.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to raise one or two points on this subject. I sympathise with what the Member for Paya Lebar has said just now, namely, the plight of unauthorised house dwellers. There are many illegal structures in the rural areas. The reason is that the rural people were not able to get the approval of the Planning Department when they built their houses. Therefore, their houses are now regarded as unauthorised. It would seem that the authorities concerned have not been looking into their problems. The tenants of these unauthorised houses were able to build their houses because at first there was no interference from the Government. Then after a long lapse of time, these houses have fallen into a state of disrepair, and it is only natural that they should want to carry out repairs. 3.00 p.m. Therefore, when they make applications for repairs to their unauthorised houses, the authorities concerned wanted to know whether or not building permission was granted in the first place. Otherwise their applications for repairs would not be approved. If it is possible, they would like to rebuild their houses, but they could not do so if they had no money. Therefore, after a lapse of one or two years, more and more parts of the house would dilapidate and perhaps a portion of the building might collapse. So when they do something about it, the authorities would turn round and say, "Your building is illegal and unauthorised. You must pull it down." Hence, many Members from the rural constituencies have raised this matter again and again. The occupiers have said that they have lived there for more than 10 years and that they only need to do minor repairs. It is not a newly constructed unauthorised house.”
“To cater for traffic growth, there will be another 3,000 lines to be installed and they should be operational by the third quarter of this year. I hope I have given adequate answers to all the points raised by the 10 Members in the opposite Bench.”
“Over the last six years, the development rate has been much too great for the personnel concerned, and there is a limit to human endeavour to meet with such a terrific rate of increase. As stated, the difficulty in meeting this growth was due to the equipment manufacturer not meeting the Singapore Telephone Board orders placed before 1971. A new order has since been placed with another supplier, and a new exchange equipment is now being installed and will be operational in August this year, in other words, five months from now. This will double the capacity of the existing exchange in Jurong, and congestion should then be eliminated. I think the Member for Jurong also mentioned the case of a telephone operator having forgotten to put through a call. I would say, please let us have the name, the time and date when this happened, so that whichever operator was then in charge could be pulled up. I would appreciate it if the Member could supply me the particulars. We will deal with the case only if we have the full facts. As regards Jurong proper, it is true, as he has said, that there are 400 factories in Jurong. The peak period is between 10 and 12 o'clock when everybody wants to talk to everybody; I do not know why. There was acute congestion in the Jurong Exchange during the third quarter of last year, but I understand that this has been eased. The Singapore Telephone Board has replaced the old 2,000-line equipment with new equipment to increase the traffic handling capacity of this exchange. In December 1972, 1,000 lines were added, and in February 1973 another 1,000 lines were added. Additional juncture circuits between Jurong and other exchange areas were also installed to ease the congestion.”
“At this rate of development, it is very difficult to catch up with the provision of services of a high standard. There is generally a breakdown. Of course, we do not wish for this to happen, but we are doing our best. May I say that in this respect we were let down by a firm of manufacturers for telephone equipment. I will name it. It is the L.M. Ericsson of Sweden. As a result of a contract to provide equipment, we entered into a joint venture to manufacture telephone equipment in Singapore, to be known as the Telephone Industries of Singapore Pte. Ltd. At the end of 1971, just when it was supposed to start manufacturing, this company L.M. Ericsson, decided not to go on with the project. That upset our plans and also the delivery of equipment all the way from Sweden. This problem went on for quite some time, and you may have read in the newspapers very recently that we have signed a contract with a well-known firm of manufacturers in Japan, known as Fujitsu, for the supply of 100,000 telephones. So if we do have some unsatisfactory service in certain exchanges, it is partly due to this unfortunate decision on the part of L.M. Ericsson not to proceed with the joint venture, which resulted in withholding the delivery of equipment, etc, by them. So we were in a bit of a jam, but that has been put right now. Past contracts for delivery are now in the pipeline and we have also changed our contractors. In due course it should be possible to improve our telephone services. The Member for Jurong mentioned the fact that our overseas telephone services are also very bad. Our overseas telephone services have been increasing at the average rate of 30 per cent per annum.”
“The pollution that you see is a lesser evil. Smoky exhaust, which is visible pollution, is really the lesser evil. We have attempted to tackle only the lesser evil. I do not say that we have been completely successful, but I think there is less of smoky exhaust in Singapore today. As regards the greater evil of pollution by petrol driven cars - we do not manufacture those cars, but they are manufactured in the United States of America - I think President Nixon has asked that by 1975 cars with a minimum amount of pollution will only be allowed on the roads. That is something that will stretch not only our finances but also our imagination. I hope that if we have succeeded in reducing visible pollution, we would have already gone some way towards our fight for a cleaner atmosphere. As regards clean buses, it is expected of them. But as one Member himself has already indicated, perhaps we should try to persuade the Chairman of the PUB to allow more water to be used for cleaning of buses. So you can see the difficulties we have to face. I hope I have covered most of the grouses in respect of the bus services, and may I then move on to the Singapore Telephone Board and the Overseas Telecoms Service, which is being handled by a separate authority, at present known as the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore. May I first deal with the Singapore Telephone Board. The Members for Sembawang, Jurong and Bukit Panjang have complained about the difficulty of getting through a telephone call. First of all, it is the rapid development of our own telephone services. Normal developments in other countries would be perhaps 5 per cent per annum. Ours is easily 15, 20 or even 30 per cent per annum.”
“And what is the total bus fleet in Singapore today? 2,000. One-half of the fleet is new, over the last two or three years. And if we work on the basis that each bus costs $40,000, we can arrive at what is the capital sum that has been invested on these 1,000 buses. It is $40 million. We do not just produce $40 million from thin air. It has got to come from somewhere. So we should not push it too hard. The companies themselves know that an old bus, or a bus that is broken down, means less revenue for them. They will of their own accord replace old buses as fast as they can, even without intervention on our part. 6.00 p.m. Coming to the lack of so-called courtesy on the part of drivers and conductors. Here, I think the Member for Boon Teck can tell us how hard he has worked. The first courtesy campaign was organised between the bus companies and bus workers. I had the privilege of being present at the opening ceremony. This was done for the first time. There never was an occasion before where employers and workers combined their efforts together. Unfortunately, of course, the companies did say that it cost a bit too much, for the results. So they are a bit shy about repeating it. I mean, let us be fair. People are not going to spend money only to find that the results are not worth the money spent. So it does not mean that nothing is being done. We want to see more new buses rather than all the ramshackle buses serving the rural areas. As regards cleanliness and smoky exhausts, as brought up by the Member for Potong Pasir, I must say that this has been done. On air pollution, may I just say that air pollution is a very big subject. There is such a thing as pollution which you do not see but which constitutes a greater danger. For example, pollution from petrol engines.”
“The bus companies have agreed to consider the matter, and I think they would themselves be quite happy to bring this about. But here again we should give them time to work things out before putting it really into effect. On the question of accident rates, there are so many factors. If the roads are congested, then the chances of accidents occurring are greater. As regards recklessness, it is not a question of bus drivers only but drivers of all types of motor vehicles. We do have an Enforcement Section which attends to complaints of this nature, and bus commuters themselves can help to stop the dangerous practice of buses pulling off before passengers have boarded or alighted by giving the particulars of the incident when reporting to the Registrar of Vehicles. It is not enough to say: `I saw this bus do this and that'. Please let us have more details, such as the number of the bus concerned, and the time and date, so that we will be able to follow up on those reports. Where a complaint is proved to be genuine, then the bus driver or conductor will be pulled up. But to make general statements will not be of much help. The ROV Inspection Centre also conducts field inspections, and they will follow up cases when we have more evidence. As regards the question of over-aged buses, ever since we reorganised the bus services in April 1971, less than two years ago, the three bus companies have replaced about 290 buses of their own. As for the bus fleet itself, this has been increased from 1,339 in April 1970, three years ago, to 2,103 buses as at the end of last January 1973, i.e, an increase of 764 buses. Now if we add up these two figures, 290 plus 764, there has been an increase of 1,054 new buses on the roads within the last few years.”
“As regards time schedules for buses and commuters having to wait a very long time before they can get on to a bus, there are many factors. Congestion of the roads can bring this about. I am sure everyone in Singapore knows that traffic today has increased considerably, and with congestion time schedules of buses are naturally upset. Sometimes we see three, four, five or even six buses all "bunching up". Of course, it would be simple to say that bus drivers somehow or other make it a habit to come together, as if coming for a meeting! It is not true. When there is congestion, all time schedules are upset and so at a certain point of time all the buses are there. So I do not think we should say that bus drivers are unco-operative, and that they do not seem to care for passengers. Sometimes people seem to pay too much attention to letters in the press. But we do know that some of those letters are not genuine. This can happen. We do not deny that such a state of affairs can exist. Anyway, congestion is a problem. We hope we can tackle this in a number of ways. One way will be a long-term solution, which is the possibility of a mass rapid transit system. That is a subject under study, as mentioned by the hon. Member for Kim Keat. But it will take time for a decision to be taken. It is for the long-term. Even if we make a decision today, it will perhaps be five, eight or 10 years before we can see the mass rapid transit system operating in Singapore. However, we are asking the bus companies to introduce express bus services for commuters from large housing estates to their work areas. This is not something new. It has been done in the past by the STC in city areas.”
“We think there is still a long way to go and much has to be done. But there are priorities and I do plead for some patience. Let me say that over the last year, two of the three bus companies were owing Government taxes, one as much as $1 million, and the other $1/2 million. And it is only after talking to them and pleading with them, that their accounts had been brought up to-date. So I must say that we are keeping a very close watch, and I think the hon. Member for Boon Teck knows the position best. He has been able to get all 10,000 bus workers to join his union, SILO, and it was only in December 1972 that all bus workers came under one union for the first time and they were able to get a fair deal from the three bus companies. Here again, first things must come first. The 10,000 bus workers should feel that they are getting a good deal as a result of the bus services reorganisation. They never had a chance in the past. You must have a group of happy, satisfied workers, before you can have a good public bus system. So I must allow for these things to move step by step. I think, this year, we should be able to see more new buses on the roads, and all the broken-down buses, known as low ya chia, will not be found on our streets. Let me now come to the various criticisms levelled against them. The Members who spoke of their dissatisfaction with the bus services are the Members for Sembawang, Toa Payoh, Kim Keat, and Potong Pasir. I think the Member for Kim Seng very gallantly supported the need to be a bit fair, and I am very grateful to him for that. But we have got to take other things into consideration. The hon. Member for Jalan Kayu is very unhappy that old buses are made to serve the countryside.”
“It is only just one year since they have been given this opportunity, before we begin to criticise. They must be given time to earn the revenue with which they can buy more new buses. I think the suggestion by the hon. Member for Kim Keat that perhaps the profits from these three bus companies should be used for building more bus shelters is a good one. But I would prefer that their profits, if any, should be ploughed back for the purchase of more new buses because the question of erection of bus shelters rightfully falls on the Government. In fact, it is the Public Works Department that handles this. I agree that not enough bus shelters are being provided at the present moment. But here again let us give them some time to allow money to be properly spent, because there is still a period of adjustment. The present bus shelter sites are not necessarily the best. They may have to be moved. So we do not want to tear down $30,000 worth of bus shelters today and then move them elsewhere in a few months' time. I think it is a question of time really before we can bring about a state of affairs of which we can be proud. But I do ask for time to be fair to the companies. Let me assure hon. Members that whilst they may appear to show some profits - I must confess that up to today, my Ministry has not received audited accounts of these three bus companies - I have asked for monthly figures, and on the face of those figures, I believe they are making a profit. I suppose only the Income Tax Department can tell us the truth. And I have no recourse to those documents. However, Sir, criticisms have been levelled and 1 think it is only fair that I should endeavour to give an explanation as best I can. Let me say again that we are not smug or satisfied with what we have achieved.”
“Another difficulty, which perhaps we may lose sight of, is the fact that after having reorganised the bus services in April 1971, which is just less than two years ago, one great casualty occurred in that the Singapore Traction Company collapsed. It is all very well, now that everything is over, for you to forget how tragic this event actually was. It was, now that it is all over, a very large company with $14 million paid-up capital, employing nearly 3,000 workers. The reorganisation brought about the collapse of this company and 400 of its buses had to be taken over by the other three companies. A great number of these 400 buses are derelicts. Today, very often we see them in a state of breakdown on our roads. But what is most important was the fact that nearly 3,000 workers were not unemployed. They were given employment by the other three bus companies without any single cent from the Government. These were private companies which rose to the occasion. So, to be fair to these three companies, let us not keep saying that they have not played their part. I am glad that the hon. Member for Kim Keat took the opportunity to quote what I said last year from a newspaper article. The reason I quoted that article was just that here was a newspaper which probed into the matter and came to a certain conclusion. It is true that the three bus companies managed to make a profit, whereas the STC which had a monopoly of the bus services for umpteen years showed losses of over $5 million. To be fair, therefore, I would say the three bus companies took over this bankrupt bus company of 400 buses and nearly 3,000 workers into their midst; and they are running it to the best of their ability. We must give them time to re-adjust to the new conditions.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Jurong just now mentioned something about overseas trunk call services. I feel that generally such a difficulty exists. Usually when people try to make trunk calls overseas, they find that they cannot get through in a short time in order to communicate with the persons abroad. Even when there is a booking for the trunk call, they cannot get their calls through at the scheduled time. I feel that this is a waste of time, particularly of businessmen, because if they have to wait one or two hours just to get through a short message, then this is really a waste of time and it is very uneconomical. I would like to suggest to the Minister to look into this matter in order to rectify the situation. The Minister for Communications (Mr Yong Nyuk Lin): Mr Speaker, Sir, considering the number of Members who have commented on the bus services in Singapore, may I begin by saying that my Ministry is not complacent about the state of affairs of our bus services, although we feel that ever since the reorganisation which took place two years ago, we can say that there has been quite an improvement over previous years. There are many factors pertaining to the public bus services which have got to be looked into before we pass any comments or criticise without knowing the actual background and history. 5.45 p.m. Only two years ago, before introducing the reorganisation of the bus services, we had to contend with getting about 8,000 to 10,000 pirate taxis off the roads and to get the bus companies to meet the vacuum once they were off the roads.”
“Sir, as we all know, whenever a new satellite town is built certain people must be affected and they have to be resettled. However, there is a difference in the psychological effect between the removal of rural people and the urban dwellers. When urban dwellers move out, they move only to a better environment or to better houses. But when the rural folks are resettled, they are moved to a new environment of which they have no knowledge. They will be worried about the facilities available, for example, schools, playgrounds and other problems like transport for their children to go to new schools. All these difficulties increase their psychological tension and pressure, and will cause more social problems, thereby increasing discontent against the Government. Sir, in the Woodlands area, which is in my constituency, there will be many resettlement cases in the future. We should note that even at the present juncture resettling the rural people causes them difficulty. I therefore hope the authorities concerned will in consultation with the rural people set up a Resettlement Committee in order to co-ordinate and assist in the resettlement of the rural folks affected. 5.15 p.m.”
“From the projects carried out in the past, I see that we lack a comprehensive and unified scheme of development. I hope the Ministry of National Development will formulate a comprehensive plan for the development of the rural areas so that water, electricity and roads may be supplied throughout our country. This will prevent any suspicion or discontent among the people. Sir, in the speech mention was also made about the efforts of the Ministry of National Development to solve our housing problem. Now, the Ministry is paying attention to the provision of more recreational facilities in the residential areas. I feel that it is necessary to provide adequate social amenities in the Woodlands satellite town. There should be better facilities for recreation for the residents there, including sports. When all this is done, it can be said to be another achievement of our Government in trying to provide better services to the rural people. It will thus narrow the gap in the living standard between the rural people and that of the urban dwellers. Sir, I have personally witnessed the progress of the projects out there, and I found that the first batch of flats in the housing estate is expected to be completed early next year for allocation. However, the development of housing estates in Woodlands seems to have no connection with the Ministry of Education, because there seems to be no sign of any provision for a school. So we can well imagine the situation in the years to come when people move into this new satellite town only to find that their children will not be able to enrol in any of the existing schools. I hope the Ministry of Education will pay attention `to these problems arising from the building of this new satellite town.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the motion moved by the Member for Bukit Batok, thanking the President for his speech made in the House on the 12th of this month. In his speech the President indicates that in this new age and environment our people should carry out new tasks and try their best to keep in step with all round development and progress. I believe our people can redouble their efforts and strive for individual and national progress and security. In the speech of the President, mention was made about spreading the affluence of the city to the rural areas. We all welcome this policy. We hope this objective can be achieved early. The rural people are always diligent. They have struggled very hard to eke out a living from the land. Their contribution to our country has in no way burn small. However, the services they obtain from the Government are comparatively few. Now that we have developed and progressed, we should be able to improve the livelihood of our rural folks. Sir, since independence the Government has been carrying out large scale construction work, even in the rural areas. Every year millions of dollars are allotted for development of the rural areas, such as the provision of electricity, water, roads and other social facilities, in order to improve the living conditions of the rural people. However, in spite of our efforts in the rural areas, many problems and difficulties have still to be solved. There are many places without any electricity and water supplies. To the rural folks, their immediate need is roads, water and electricity. For a country like ours, which claims to be a developed country, we should not allow this situation to exist.”