Leong Horn Kee
Singapore
“My question is that, although at the point of purchase when the blocks were built, this may not be structural deficiency, as the Parliamentary Secretary said, but it is now because the demand or desire is for lift access.”
“Lastly, by centralising at MOM, I wish to urge the kind Minister to provide more funds and resources for job search programmes. Most feedback from residents is that they are not getting sufficient help and satisfaction on job search services at the CDC level.”
“At the same time, our SAF soldiers are better educated and trained to handle more sophisticated fighting system. Thus, the combination of both modern weapon systems and better trained soldiers will provide a good platform for our SAF to build a strong and capable integrated fighting force.”
“All right, "may" allow two months of disruption. But in terms of cohort, after the students have left school, they are no more in the same cohort. They actually enter enlistment at different times of the year. So this issue of relating cohort to enlistment period may not be valid. Therefore, why not just have a clarity of rule?”
“Sir, on this issue of early disruption of two months, we should actually look at it not from the two months' point of view of early disruption, but from the 10 months of waiting time. The servicemen will have to mope around waiting for 10 months for his tertiary education.”
“If the safety and personal security in Johor is not improved, no matter how excellent or scenic a bridge we build, Singaporeans will be hesitant to visit Johor and spend time and money there.”
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“My question is that, although at the point of purchase when the blocks were built, this may not be structural deficiency, as the Parliamentary Secretary said, but it is now because the demand or desire is for lift access. Now that there is a structural issue, I still feel that the HDB should look into it as a form of payment funded by HDB for the structural cost. My second point is, if we do not do that, would the Parliamentary Secretary, or even the Minister, admit that over time, we may have a precinct where certain blocks are able to have LUP with lifts whereas certain blocks are without lifts on every floor, because they are not able to fund enough of it to get lift access. Therefore, there may be a discrepancy within a precinct? Would that be an acceptable position of the HDB to allow this situation to persist?”
“Sir, in cases of several HDB blocks built in the 1980s, where there is a need to slab over quite a big portion for lift access, the cost is therefore very high. These blocks are not able to be funded under the present LUP scheme. Would this not be deemed as a structural or design issue and therefore should be borne by the HDB as part of the cost of HDB in not catering for lift access in those blocks? Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, blocks of varying designs and configurations were built by HDB over the years to meet changing needs and preferences of residents at different points in time. For example, as Mr Leong Horn Kee has mentioned, some blocks built in the 1980s do not have common corridors running through the entire block. These are not design deficiencies. These were provided for because, at that time, there were residents who would prefer privacy. Residents who bought flats in such blocks would also have been aware of such structural issues as lift access. So we have to bear in mind the principle behind co-sharing. The principle behind co-sharing is that there must be an issue of shared ownership as well as shared responsibility. I think the residents recognise and probably know some of the limitations. So what we have always told them is that, yes, the cost may be high at this point in time but we will continue to look at new technologies and new possibilities to reduce the cost. But it is not fair for us to say that just because these are structural deficiencies, as Mr Leong put it, it is the responsibility of the HDB and therefore the HDB should bear the cost. While there may be structural deficiencies, there were other benefits which residents enjoyed at that time. They enjoyed privacy whilst other residents had access to lift landings on their own floors.”
“In Singapore, we also have our own notable examples of our President, Mr S R Nathan, and, of course, our Minister Mentor, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who are also in their 80s. They are doing a great job and soldiering on. Most commendable, Sir! As medical care and healthcare improve, people will live longer and remain mentally and physically active for longer years. I feel strongly that the Government should lead by example. It should stop labelling the older workers and curb the practice of early retirement of our senior civil servants, army officers, police officers, general staff and workers. Older workers should be encouraged to work as long as they can and willing to. They would agree to be paid less as they have passed their peak, but employment should continue. Older workers would not feel any sense of shame or stigma if they are paid less, provided they continue to be gainfully employed. They will retain their pride. Therefore, I strongly urge the Government, statutory boards, GLCs, and TLCs to take the lead to employ more older workers. The private sector would then follow the Government's example.”
“Sir, allow me to read out a note I received recently from a resident when I went on my rounds of house visits. I quote: "It has been many years since the economic downturn. Many people have difficulty looking for jobs. I hope the Government can stop using the term "older workers aged 40 and above". This has a great impact on us as many naive employers do not want to employ people who are 40 and above. Even if we managed to get a job, we are often abused with heavy workload and little pay, as low as half of what we used to earn. No matter how good we do our job, employers often think otherwise because we are older workers." Sir, I think this note encapsulates the very sad sentiments of older workers in their sense of loss and pain being unemployed, and being looked down upon as useless when they grow old. I think this resident is a little mistaken as "older worker" is generally defined by the Government as "50 years and above", not 40 years and above. However, this goes to show that people do feel that even 40 years old and above are deemed older workers by some employers. I hope that the Government will do more to encourage both the public and private sectors to employ more older workers. We know that workers above 50 years old are not necessarily less energetic, slower or less capable than the younger workers. Older workers have experience and wisdom. These traits are in fact very valuable. There are many fine examples of people around the world who are still productive when they reach the age of 50, 60, 70 and even 80. In the US, Warren Buffett, the world's richest man is still working at the age of 82. He has not mentioned about retirement.”
“Lastly, by centralising at MOM, I wish to urge the kind Minister to provide more funds and resources for job search programmes. Most feedback from residents is that they are not getting sufficient help and satisfaction on job search services at the CDC level. Looking for a job in itself is really a very stressful and heart-wrenching affair. Go and ask the older unemployed workers. We should not make it more difficult or emotionally draining. Therefore, job assistance agencies should be more helpful, sympathetic and professional. Can the Minister please consider how to better help the unemployed workers? Re-designing Work”
“Sir, in the past, employment and job search assistance was mainly provided by the former Ministry of Labour's Employment Service Bureau. This is a specialised central agency that assists all Singaporeans to find jobs. In recent years, with the formation of the Community Development Councils (CDCs), job search and employment assistance have devolved and decentralised to the CDCs. Whilst providing employment assistance at the CDCs is convenient and more direct for the residents, I feel that there are various shortcomings. One main reason is that CDCs are more oriented towards welfare and financial assistance as their main raison d'etre. But people going to CDCs for job assistance may not necessarily be asking for financial aid and welfare. They are basically responsible Singaporeans who just want to secure a job, not to get welfare. These are mostly the older Singaporeans whose sense of pride and dignity is high. However, at the CDCs, they could be treated with the same disdain as though they are going for welfare. They suffer the same stigma. This should not be the case. Hence, I would like to ask the Minister whether he would consider it worthwhile to centralise the job search and employment assistance functions back to his Ministry. MOM could still work with the CDCs, for example, to provide contacts and assistance points at the CDCs, but the function is the centralised responsibility of MOM. I think there are several advantages on centralisation. Firstly, central pulling of information and details on job availability can cater for wider options and better matching of job searches. Secondly, the services can be done professionally with no stigma that it is welfare, to borrow a current word in vogue, it is Workfare.”
“Sir, on this issue of early disruption of two months, we should actually look at it not from the two months' point of view of early disruption, but from the 10 months of waiting time. The servicemen will have to mope around waiting for 10 months for his tertiary education. In the scenario that the Minister has painted, where there may be a whole batch of NSmen who have to ask for two months' early disruption, why not consider that as well?”
“All right, "may" allow two months of disruption. But in terms of cohort, after the students have left school, they are no more in the same cohort. They actually enter enlistment at different times of the year. So this issue of relating cohort to enlistment period may not be valid. Therefore, why not just have a clarity of rule? As I said earlier, simply allow for two months' disruption, ie, whichever time of the year they are enlisted, and apply from there a two-month disruption, if it is possible, and let the NSmen plan their own careers and education.”
“And there are constant requests to allow students for NSF deferment if they could gain entry into very prestigious universities like Oxford, Cambridge or Harvard, which may not hold the places for them if they cannot get deferment, since the universities can only hold the places for one year. Therefore, if they can get NS deferment, they could save time and can enter such prestigious universities and have a good career after graduation. Sir, why such hide-and-seek game and guess work for the people? Why not be clear, direct and open about such rules? Another example is early disruption. I had a resident who appealed very earnestly for two months early disruption for his son to enter a local university. If approval is granted, his son could save 10 months of waiting time. However, MINDEF had disapproved his son's request on the ground of equitability to all other students in his son's cohort who could not gain entry into a local university at the same time as him. But why such a need to be equitable? In the end, why do we make some of our servicemen wait around for 10 months, if we can give them an early disruption of two months? Sir, I wish the Minister could clarify such matters.”
“Sir, I wish to ask the Minister to consider the following: First, to provide clarity of rules on early disruption from full-time NSF, on NSF deferment and deferment on NSF reservist training. Secondly, more specifically, to allow early disruption of up to three months from full-time NSF for servicemen to proceed for their tertiary education. As MPs, we constantly receive appeals from our residents to assist them in matters concerning NSF deferment and disruption. May I suggest that it will be a great help and very useful all round and to all parties concerned - MINDEF itself, the SAF, the combat units, the servicemen and their families as well as to the MPs - if MINDEF can spell out very clearly the rules concerning deferment and disruption. At the moment, we do not know very much about the rules ourselves. Sir, I have the impression that such matters are not clearly explained by MINDEF to the servicemen and their families. Otherwise, they would not have a need to refer to their MPs for help. Often, the rules are general and appear to be more like "hit-and-miss" to the servicemen. Therefore, I would like to suggest that MINDEF publish a handbook or at least some form of written explanation or guidelines for reference by servicemen and their families regarding the application for NSF deferment, early disruption and reservist deferment. Allow me to quote a few examples. For NSF deferment, generally, it is known previously that a young man can be approved for NSF deferment if he could gain entry into a recognised university before he reaches 17 years old. However, I understand that this rule has now been changed some while ago to a lower limit of 16 1/2 years old. This is probably not very well known.”
“At the same time, our SAF soldiers are better educated and trained to handle more sophisticated fighting system. Thus, the combination of both modern weapon systems and better trained soldiers will provide a good platform for our SAF to build a strong and capable integrated fighting force. Sir, I wish to ask the Minister the following questions: (1) What is the status of transformation of the 3G SAF? (2) What are the key deliverables of the 3G SAF? (3) How are we going to train the NS operationally ready men to fit into the 3G SAF? (4) How effective is the 3G SAF against terrorism and chemical warfare?”
“I wish to know whether there are checks and balances to ensure that our generals do not go out and buy weapons and defence systems as toys and playthings, and which may not be best suited for our use, or great value for money. I would like to know what has been done by MINDEF to ensure that the above control measures are in place. I understand that MINDEF is not under the normal annual budget allocations and controls of the Ministry of Finance. If this is so, what internal checks and balances are in place to ensure that proper spending procedures are adopted? I wish to let the Minister know that we do not just want to be dazzled by promises and visual impact of the new weaponry. We want to be sure that these new weapons costing billions of dollars would be effective. The Minister may wish to clarify. Dr Teo Ho Pin (Holland-Bukit Panjang): Sir, the changing landscape in security and dynamic technological advancement has made it necessary for many armed forces to rethink their doctrines and fighting strategies. New security threats, such as terrorism, or new fighting environment, such as heavily built-up cities, have posed new challenges to fighting forces. In Singapore, the Ministry of Defence is presently transforming our SAF into a third-generation (or 3G) fighting force. The purpose of this transformation is actually to enhance the fighting capability of our soldiers through harnessing advanced technology. In today's environment, we can exploit information, command and control technologies to integrate and enhance the fighting capabilities of the SAF. In terms of hardware, modern weapon systems can be procured and modified to suit the defence needs of our country.”
“Sir, under this cut, I wish to raise with the Minister for Defence the following queries: (1) to enquire with the Minister on the further progress made by MINDEF on the advancement made on the effectiveness and the sophistication of our defence forces under the 3G SAF; (2) to ask the Minister to give an update on the changes, impacts and improvements made in SAF following the implementation of the new two years NSF, as compared to the previous 2 1/2 years NSF; and (3) to request the Minister whether he can assure the House that the SAF has implemented measures of internal control and checks and balances to ensure that funds used by SAF for upgrading and purchase of new equipment and weapons are based on cost-effectiveness and value for money. I understand that MINDEF's defence budget is based on 6% of the GDP, correct me if I am wrong. As our current GDP is about $160 billion, therefore, the annual budget for defence is nearly about $10 billion. I do not agree with Mr Steve Chia that this amount of money spent is not worthwhile and should be cut. In fact, I think in principle I am in favour of spending sufficient funds to ensure that we are extremely combat effective in the defence force which serves as a strong deterrent against any potential intruders. It also helps to comfort our people and foreign investors to sleep well at night. As MINDEF is asking our young men to spend two years of their lives to do National Service, I would like to ask the Minister whether the time spent by the NSmen while in service is employed fully and meaningfully. For us to have an effective and modern 3G SAF, MINDEF is spending billions of dollars annually on the defence budget.”
“There have been many ministerial and business missions conducted by Singapore to various countries in the Middle East in the past few years. The MFA could work with MTI, IE Singapore and other Singapore business groups to promote investments and foster better foreign relations with certain countries in the Middle East. Therefore, I wish to hear from the Minister what are his Ministry's initiatives and foreign relations effort directed at the Middle East.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, the current focus of attention appears to be towards the awakening and growth of China and India, which is quite valid. However, I strongly believe that the Middle East is another economic block that we should devote some attention to develop better foreign relations as well as economic relations. There are several Middle Eastern countries that are aiming to modernise. Many are blessed with oil, providing continuing future growth. Notably, these more progressive countries or states are Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Bahrain as well as many others. I believe there are several Middle Eastern countries with oil wealth looking towards making substantial investments around the world. The recent bid of US$6.8 billion or S$11 billion by Dubai Ports World for the British based, Peninsular and Oriental (P&O) Shipping Company, for ports in the US is an example. As we know, Dubai, in fact, out-bidded Singapore's PSA for P&O. The Middle Eastern countries are keen to use their oil money to acquire businesses and assets in foreign countries. Today, we read in the Business Times about Dubai International Capital (DIC) planning to raise a total of US$15 billion to invest in international companies. I think it is ideal to encourage Middle Eastern countries to look East, actually, more precisely, Far East. Singapore could be an interesting investment locality for Middle Eastern countries. We have a large population of Muslims and, therefore, our lifestyle in Singapore can easily accommodate the needs of the Muslims from the Middle East, in terms of food, mosques for praying, housing and other needs. Moreover, Singapore can serve as their bridge to venture into other countries in the Southeast Asian region as well as towards China.”
“If the safety and personal security in Johor is not improved, no matter how excellent or scenic a bridge we build, Singaporeans will be hesitant to visit Johor and spend time and money there. We read constantly about the spate of robberies, high-speed highway chases, car thefts, snatch thefts and other threats against the lives and safety of Singaporeans visiting Johor and other parts of Malaysia. If security is not improved in Malaysia, especially in Johor, Singaporeans will still be very wary of visiting Malaysia, irrespective of the bridge that we build. As for Indonesia, our Minister Mentor, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, recently visited this country. Relations with Indonesia have improved over the years. It is a very large country with very important ties with us. More can be done by both countries to improve bilateral relations. Can the Minister tell us more about how our foreign relations with Indonesia as well as Malaysia can be improved?”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I wish to raise with the Minister for Foreign Affairs the state of our bilateral relations with our two nearest neighbours, ie, Malaysia and Indonesia. With Malaysia, we have several outstanding issues. There is the package of items under negotiation. Notably, lately, the issue of the bridge to replace the Causeway was raised in the newspapers by the Malaysian press again. It was variously called the "crooked bridge", then the "scenic bridge", and then, famously, now called the "cynic bridge" by Dr Mahathir, former Prime Minister of Malaysia. But more seriously, Sir, there is also the current on-going international arbitration being conducted on our ownership of the Horsburgh Lighthouse. I would like to ask the Minister to give us an update and assessment of the above outstanding issues with Malaysia. I would like to take this opportunity to state that whatever is the state of the physical bridge between Singapore and Malaysia, what is more important is the state of the mental bridge between the two countries. If there is no mental connect between the two countries, then however beautiful a physical bridge that we build will not be effective to link up the peoples from these two countries. This is a pity, as our two countries are so closely related by history, family ties and emotions, and there is so much that we can do and work together for the mutual benefit of our respective peoples. If the bridge is to facilitate the movement of people and to enable more Singaporeans to visit Johor and other parts of Malaysia, then one important aspect I wish to remind the Malaysian and Johor state government is the state of security in Johor.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether he is aware that even though there is quarterly reporting in the US, it has not led to any better corporate governance or better reporting disclosures in the US. In fact, there are many scandals in the US. Is he also aware that recently, a senior banker in Singapore actually said openly that quarterly reporting is not useful for our Singapore companies? Would he like to respond whether there is a need to review this policy?”
“Second, quarterly reports can be produced using existing accounting and reporting systems that companies already have in place for half-yearly and annual reporting. And, third, most companies already do monthly management accounts for their internal reporting purposes. The Government is mindful that the cost of quarterly reporting is relatively higher for smaller companies than the larger one. This is the reason for the market capitalisation threshold of $75 million, instead of the $20 million threshold initially recommended by the Council on Corporate Disclosure and Governance.”
“Sir, before I ask the Question, let me declare that I am a director of some listed companies. I am asking this Question on behalf of the interests of all affected companies. Question No. 8, Sir. The Second Minister for Finance (Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat) (for the Prime Minister and Minister for Finance): Mr Speaker, Sir, the demand for more frequent disclosure is driven by many factors. Globalisation means that market cycles are shorter, with companies now having to respond to fast-changing business conditions. Investors, understandably, would like to be continually assured that their capital is not exposed to increased risk. This is usually satisfied by the timely and continuous disclosure of material information by companies. Various corporate scandals in recent years have reinforced demands for higher standards of corporate governance and disclosure. Investors and stock analysts want adequate, accurate and timely information on the state of companies' finances and business. A balance has to be struck between this desire for updated information and the cost to the company of producing the information. Quarterly reporting is currently required not only in the United States, but also in the countries in our region like China, India, Malaysia and Thailand. In Singapore, to ensure that smaller companies are not unduly burdened, quarterly reporting is required only for listed companies whose market capitalisation exceeds $75 million. This covers 35% or 235 of the companies listed on the Singapore Exchange. Quarterly reporting need not be an excessive addition to what listed companies are already doing. First, quarterly financials, unlike annual reports, do not have to be audited.”
“I would like the Minister to consider having a central agency which can help to look into how this matter can be coordinated in the private estates. Mr Deputy Speaker, one last point. I did not hear the Minister mention about any targets. What are his targets in terms of his programme? Does he intend to reduce the number of dengue fever cases by half within a month? Or maybe he could have some kind of a low target within the whole year. So, at least, we will have a common target to look towards to and see how our measures can be effective.”
“On the parks, we now know that trees can have receptacles which encourage breeding of mosquitoes. For example, I think some particular types of palm tree, like the travellers palm, can provide a large catchment of water for breeding of mosquitoes. So the NParks can also look at issues like that when they plant trees. They should try to plant trees that do not encourage breeding of mosquitoes. These are measures which can help to reduce the problem. The second example is in the area of building control. I think the design of gutters in buildings and certain cornices and corners can also provide mosquito breeding areas. So, maybe we should now ask the Ministry of National Development to look at building control and building design to reduce less trappings for mosquito breeding. I would also like to ask the Minister whether there is a practice that if you report to the NEA about mosquito breeding and when their officers come to your house and find that there are mosquitoes in your house, you get fined in the process. When neighbours are found to be breeding mosquitoes, they are fined as well. So, that may discourage people from reporting about mosquito breeding cases, thereby causing a deterrence in the process. Finally, Sir, I would like to ask about private estates. In HDB estates, we have Town Councils being the central agency to wash up the area and do public cleaning and public maintenance, as well as fumigation. But in the private estates, we have, again, different areas of Ministerial responsibilities with regard to roads, drains, and park areas. Which department is in charge of this Aedes mosquitoes problem when it comes to private estates?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister a few questions. In fact, I had been raising this issue with his officers and the Minister himself in the past. I am very pleased that now there is a real war that we are mounting against this Aedes mosquito. It is not just an attack but a real war. I am quite surprised that the Minister said that actually the number of breeding cases has reduced, but the number of dengue cases has increased. Maybe the Minister can clarify whether it is due to the special environment in Singapore that we have new mutants of mosquitoes that are more powerful and more intelligent, or that Singaporeans are now weaker in their constitution and therefore succumb to this Aedes mosquito problem. My second point is on the idea of breaking the breeding cycle, which I think is very effective. I would like to encourage the Minister and the Government to do more of this nation-wide campaign. We can all do this together to mount periodic measures to eradicate this mosquito nuisance from time to time, so that the cycle can be broken. I would also like to ask the Minister whether he likes to encourage patients who are infected with the dengue fever to have their self-quarantine process so they do not transmit the dengue virus and infect other people. I think encouraging patients to do a self-quarantine process is a way to break the breeding cycle of the mosquito. My third point is on rules and regulations, Sir. I would like to ask the Minister whether his Ministry can actually be more stringent in asking other Ministries which are in charge of other areas to also make the effort to look at measures that can help to reduce this problem. Let me give a few examples.”
“I wish to propose that the Prime Minister consider including in his directive, new guidelines for Ministers, PAP MPs and their spouses, on rules when they agree to serve as patrons of charities and IPCs. These guidelines can include types of bodies to give consent to be patrons, expectations and involvement level as patrons, and immediate withdrawal of their patronage at any hint of misdemeanour by the organisation. This is another step towards achieving greater transparency. Conclusion Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to conclude by expressing that it is indeed regretful that this entire episode of the NKF has brought about so much agony, controversy and outcry. As the Minister has said, the NKF cause is a very worthy one. Many kidney patients deserve our help. The silver lining, if I may say, is that this incident demonstrates the more mature level of civil society that we have attained. Many people donate to charities, but they demand to know how the funds are channelled and used. This saga also enables the Government to do a review of the current practices and regulations, so that higher clarity and transparency can be achieved. We hope that the end-result is to restore public confidence and support not just for the NKF but for all other charities in Singapore. All these charities do need our help and our generous donations. So may I urge all Singaporeans, go forth and donate.”
“Now that this huge sum is sitting in NKF, I would like to know what safeguards are in place on the use of this fund. Is there a sound and prudent investment policy? Who decides on the fund management and usage? As it is said that the reserve could last over 30 years, then how is this fund being invested meanwhile? What checks and balances, and controls are there to ensure that the money is prudently and safely invested? Perhaps the Minister or NKF can enlighten the House and the public on this matter. Political patronage Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to touch on the matter of political patronage. Many charities, temples and IPCs like to seek out Ministers and MPs to be their patrons, so as to provide prestige and political patronage to their organisations. This is understandable. If a charity can get the President, Mr Nathan, or the Prime Minister to be its patron, it can gain enhanced recognition and stature immediately. It is definitely of great help to their fund raising exercises. Spouses of Ministers are also sought to give such patronage. In the case of NKF, the wife of SM Goh was the patron. Unfortunately, because of her presence at the two days of court hearings and the remarks she made to the press, it created much unfavourable reactions. In principle, I do support patronage given by Ministers, MPs and their spouses to worthwhile charities and IPCs. There are many worthwhile charities deserving support and patronage. However, I feel that patrons should generally stay above the fray and not involve themselves in executive matters. The Prime Minister has recently issued fresh guidelines to Ministers and PAP MPs on their dealings with the public, rules on accepting of gifts, and roles and obligations as company directors.”
“Of course, the public should be aware that there is the alternative of donating to the Kidney Dialysis Foundation (KDF), as mentioned by my colleague, Dr Wang Kai Yuen. The KDF is also doing an excellent job to help kidney patients. We read that an investigation is now being conducted by the IRAS. The IRAS is very competent in investigating tax matters. The Minister has said that the PWC are the current auditors of NKF. I wonder why the auditors did not uncover and surface some of these financially non-prudent practices of the management to the Board. And why did the Board not object to these practices if they were so informed? I am pleased to hear from the Minister that the new Board has appointed another set of auditors, KPMG, to do a thorough audit of NKF. I hope that the proposed audit will cover both operational and financial matters, and be very comprehensive. In addition, I would like to suggest that the audit, when completed, should be made public, as this is of high interest to the donors. It is required to be transparent to restore confidence. I wish to ask whether NKF currently has an internal audit team and an Audit Committee. If they do not have, maybe they should consider doing so since they are holders of such a huge amount of funds and do such large collections every year. Therefore, there are presently many unanswered questions on the past practices of the NKF. Notably, why has the Board of Directors not checked on Mr Durai? We need to know, and we need to see what are the undesirable practices that can be removed before public confidence can be restored to NKF. Safeguard on the $220 million reserves Sir, I read that the NKF has a huge reserve of $220 million. This is quite a remarkable achievement.”
“People are prepared to donate to help the poorer segment, under-privileged and medically unwell. However, most people would prefer that the "marketing tactics" of these charity groups to be within reasonable bounds of sensitivity and humility. There should not be "pressure selling", aggressive or pushy methods, and insensitive marketing to people who are either too young, very old or uneducated. More importantly, the charities seeking donations should explain clearly what are the objectives, the uses and the target sums to be raised. The manner and process of donation should be clear and transparent. For example, we, as MPs, have received many appeals by residents to cancel their telephone donations to NKF because they were not aware that each phone call to donate cost $1 or $5. I have a case of a poor resident whose children unwittingly made many calls, and ended up having to pay $2,000 donation to NKF, which they obviously can ill afford to pay. Although the donation was eventually cancelled by NKF, the entire episode caused much distress and acrimony within the family unnecessarily. On-going investigations into the affairs of NKF We hear from the Minister that a thorough investigation will be conducted to ensure that there are no serious wrong-doings in NKF. This is commendable and necessary as the public wants to know whether there are other skeletons in the NKF's cupboard. More importantly, the exercise is not so much a witch-hunt, but to clean up the organisation and restore confidence of the public in NKF. Many people have lost faith with NKF. Many thousands have withdrawn their donations. Thus, the cleaning up exercise is to tell the public that there is nothing else wrong with NKF. Please come forward to support and donate again to this charity.”
“I wish to suggest that there should be guidelines on how much the charities and IPCs should raise each year, and how much reserve they should generally target to achieve. The purpose is not so much to restrict their fund-raising per se. We should definitely not curtail the competent and professional fund-raisers who can raise more funds than others. But this is to allow fund-raising activities to be spread out so that all charities can have a reasonable share of public donations. Public donation is finite. There is a limit on how much we can raise from corporations and the public each year. We cannot tap from the same sources every time, because they get exhausted. What we should aim for is to achieve more orderly and balanced fund-raising activities by all charity groups. Charities, like public-listed companies, approach the public for funds. Hence, I would strongly advocate that charities should adopt closely the good governance practices of public-listed companies. They should have a majority of directors on the Board who are "independent directors". These are people who are not appointed by or friends of the executives and therefore are obliged or beholden to the management. These independent directors can help to check against excesses and wrong practices of the management. I feel that there should also be a proper Audit Committee and internal audit teams if their size justifies it. The revised guidelines should indeed be applicable and practised religiously by all charities and IPCs seeking to source donations from the public. Guidelines on fund-raising methods I would also like to urge the Government to consider issuing guidelines on the fund-raising methods by charity groups.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to join in this debate. Minister Khaw Boon Wan has given a very clear and comprehensive statement on the affairs of NKF and what he considers need be done going forward. The Minister said that about half a million Singaporeans donated to NKF last year. This means that many Singaporeans, including students and young children, have been donating to NKF. This includes poor and low-income families who were touched by the emotional appeals of NKF fund-raising exercises. Even though they could be having barely enough money for themselves, many still give a few dollars a month to NKF. This generous gesture of all Singaporeans to donate to help the kidney patients is indeed most heartening and praiseworthy. We should all salute them. The donors are what I would call "stakeholders" in NKF. When it became public that certain practices of the NKF were indeed excessive and not so prudent in the use of funds, it was therefore natural that the public, especially the donors or "stakeholders", were outraged and betrayed - to quote the word used by the Minister. Why is there a need to have a golden tap, first-class travel and a fleet of eight cars? I would say that even very large local companies and MNCs do not have such extravagant practices. Need for high transparency and good governance I agree, therefore, with the move to install a new CEO and a new Board in NKF. The purpose is to enable the new CEO and the Board to introduce a high level of transparency in NKF, so that donors are aware of how and where the funds are spent. I am pleased that the Minister has said that the framework of governance and code of conduct for the charities and IPCs will be reviewed further to allow for more transparency and good governance.”
“In the case of HDB, now it is also allowed for private residential property for two singles, but I think the limit is only for 3-room flats. Why does the Minister not allow 4-, 5-room and even Executive flats now to be liberalised for two singles to be able to buy them together and use their CPF to pay? Finally, for foreigners being allowed to buy flats rather than landed property, would cluster housing be included as those that allow foreigners to buy without seeking approval?”
“Sir, I want to thank the Minister for this set of new measures. I support these measures, because I think they lead to liberalisation and a more fluid functioning of the market. I believe it will have some positive impact on the sector. In particular, I would like to mention that the change of the bank financing allowance from 80% to 90% is beneficial for our young couples. Our young couples would now need to find less money. They need to raise only 5% of the required cash fund, instead of 10%, to be able to buy a property. I think that this is very commendable and I would like to support these changes. I have a few questions for the Minister. Firstly, the change to allow people buying HDB flats, with the cash portion to be reduced from 10% to 5%, the Minister said it will only be implemented on 1st January 2006 for HDB flats, whereas for private residential properties, it is to be implemented with immediate effect, why is there a difference in the time gap in their implementation? Secondly, a point which I asked in Parliament before, why did the Minister not also review the resale levy for HDB flats? In the past, the resale levy worked well because the market had been continuously on the rise. But the market has been going through ups and downs, and the resale levy does impact on a purchaser. When he buys a second property, he has to pay a resale levy for the first property, and there may well be a mismatch between his ability to pay and the timing of the purchase. So, why did the Minister not review - at the same time while reviewing this set of policies - the resale levy for HDB flats? Thirdly, the Minister mentioned about the liberalisation of purchases by two singles for private residential property.”
“But, ultimately, as I mentioned in my reply, there are two important variables. One, of course, is the weather, which we cannot control; secondly, is the behaviour of the householders. Ultimately, he or she would have to do his or her best to inspect the possibility of water being trapped. We cannot ask Singaporeans not to plant plants in their homes. But if they want to do that, they should be more responsible. So the public education campaign is very important, to ask Singaporeans to do their part, especially when there is a heavy rain and after which, there is a dry weather. These are conditions which are very suitable for the Aedes mosquitoes to breed and to increase their population.”
“I have two more supplementary questions. I have just asked two questions. One is on funding and the other is on teeth. The third question is whether we could have more prevention, like the Minister needs more money for fogging and oiling of the stagnant water, maybe more can be done in that area. And, finally, more money for education. As the Minister has said, education is a very important factor. Perhaps, he can do more on that aspect. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, the short answer is yes to all the queries. We have increased the budget this year. As I have mentioned in my reply, $5,000 to each CCC and $50,000 to each CDC. We will evaluate whether or not more money will be needed to do the programmes on the ground. On more teeth, yes, we are giving our officers a bit more resources and, in fact, we do come down hard on people who have been caught the first time. In the past, we gave them a warning. Now, we are relooking at whether we should penalise them. On more prevention programmes, I agree entirely with him. But the example he cited in the case of gutters, we found this to be the problem in some of the older landed properties and we do encourage the owners to either remove it or do periodic checks because gutters are one of those structures that attract mosquitoes, unless they design them properly. We have seen some design whereby there is a filter on top of the gutter that will catch debris and only allow water to flow through. So there are ways in which you can improve this, and this is something which we would like householders to consider. Public education is a campaign that we step up this year. You have seen some of the posters at the bus shelters and MRT stations. So the bottomline is that we are prepared to spend more and tackle this problem.”
“Sir, I am pleased to hear that the Minister is making a very concerted effort. I am afraid I still feel that more can be done. In my view, instead of a Mozzie Attack, it is currently more like a Mozzie Defence. So we should go into an attack. For example, contrast against the way we treat SARS, I do not know how much we spent on the whole SARS programme. But let me ask the Minister, in the case of this dengue programme, how much of the total budget has been devoted for the programme and can more be allocated for us to actually eradicate this particular nuisance? First, is the budget. Second, can more teeth be given to the inspectors and the Ministry because a lot of these problems are coming from, like what the Minister said, the fault of the residents? In my constituency, for example, I am hearing about more dengue fever cases than before. So I think it really needs an all-out attack to solve this problem. Could we give more teeth to things like the building control practices, whereby maybe gutters should not be allowed in certain cases, so that there is no room for mosquitoes to breed? We know that palm trees, for example, collect water and, therefore, are prone to dengue spreading. Also, ---”
“Sir, I have two questions for the Senior Minister of State. First, I am not a medical doctor but I would like to ask him: if a case is being detected as a possibility of prostate cancer, could it be further tested whether the case is benign or malignant? That being the case, if it is benign, we do not treat the person but, if it is malignant, then we will treat him. Why should we treat a person if he is tested benign? The other question I want to ask is: should not the Ministry of Health go into studies on the incidence of prostate cancer since it is the fifth most frequent cancer in Singapore?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thought that for this question, a male Member should be more interested than a female Member, especially for aged male Members. May I ask the Senior Minister of State whether it is not true that there is a higher incidence of prostate cancer in the older age group, ie, those in their 60s and 70s? Maybe the Minister can consider encouraging wider diagnosis and examination for the older age group and therefore allow them to use some funding, for example, from Medisave, for this kind of test.”
“Sir, the Minister in his answer said that one of the reasons for the drop in income of the lowest percentile group is due to the economic recession and the Iraqi war. I am surprised to hear that, because this would equally impact the other percentile groups of income earners as well. So if the effect is such that it is going the reverse direction - the lowest percentile group is going downwards and the other percentile groups are still going upwards - then the widening wage gap is even more pronounced and frightening, and more of a concern. So I would like to ask the Minister whether, arising from these factors, the Government should actually consider a more comprehensive review of the entire package of help that we give to our lower income group, not just for the Ministerial Committee to review on employability, but also on other issues like welfare programmes, medical aid programmes, even the rebates as well as the job assistance programmes that we are giving. Are we doing enough to help bring up their income level, rather than seeing them going down?”
“Sir, I would like to refer the Minister to the figure he mentioned about our GDP growth is likely to be 2.5% to 4.5%. He said earlier that MTI may give a closer forecast. Could the Minister affirm that figure? I would also like to ask him whether there are any other bright spots that he can foresee coming up this year. For example, would there be a recovery in the construction sector? Finally, would there be any follow-through impact as we expect to see coming soon from the construction of the two integrated resorts?”
“But why not have higher compensations for the injured employees? We should also take care of the injured employees. We should put in the law that employers who have bad practices and cause injuries should actually pay higher compensation for their injured employees.”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Minister for announcing and putting forth this framework. As my colleagues Mr Yeo and Dr Khor said, the key is how to filter it down to operation and action. I am pleased to hear that the Minister is earnestly keen to bring down accidents and improve safety standards. But I have four questions for the Minister. Firstly, I think the Government should actually take the lead in promoting safety standards. How to do this is to actually impose in the Government contracts as the requirements in the tender contracts, whereby specifications should be made very clear as to the minimum safety standards that are needed in accordance with the norms of those industries of the tenders. In this manner, the tenderers themselves are forced by such contracts to apply the required safety standards and therefore improve their own safety measures. Secondly, how can we recognise companies that adopt good practices and safety measures? Again, perhaps, in the tenders, both for Government as well as private sector, it should be encouraged that premiums can be given for companies that propose and practise good safety measures. For example, insurance premiums can be a factor that can help them to lower their cost. Thirdly, the Minister mentioned about halving the defects in about 10 years. I share Dr Khor's point on why just half in 10 years. Why not have a more aggressive target? Why not have a zero defect at the workplace? Because as we said, every fatality is still a death that we do not want. We should aim for a zero target in every workplace. It should be a zero defect or zero fatality as the target for all industries and the Government sector. Finally, on compensation. I share the view that we should have higher penalty for the employers.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister of State two questions. First, is on disruption of National Service. I am pleased to hear that his Ministry is now working on the disruption guidelines based on equity by school cohort for entry into the local universities. But how about disruption for entry into overseas universities? Because students go to different countries for studies, eg, Australia, the UK and US, there would be different timing for disruptions. So, could the Minister of State also consider the possibility of late disruption for such NS-liable students who are going overseas, especially for those who are holding non-key appointments? My second question is this. I think the Minister of State did not answer my question that I asked about the coordination between Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education on the NSF being shortened to two years and the entry into local universities, because now there is a gap between November when 'A' level ends, and July when the local universities start. If we shorten the gap to, maybe, the university term starting in April or March, you would save about three or four months of time for the students. 12.30 pm”
“So there is a gap of at least 6-8 months before they could enter the university if they do a full-time two-year National Service. I would also like to ask the Minister to be more liberal to allow NSmen early disruption of their NS for, say, up to three months, if they have to obtain entry into a local or overseas university. This would enable them to save up to nine months of waiting time for the next academic term. If they are allowed to have early disruption, they could return to complete their NS obligation during their vacations. I hope the Minister would consider these suggestions.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, both my son and I had done our full-time National Service. And we had done it proudly. Like any Singaporean parent, I found National Service to be a good exposure and experience for my son. He had the opportunity to live and work closely with his fellow NSmen and underwent physical endurance regimes which toughened his body and soul. However, it could not be denied that NSF is a sacrifice, though a necessary sacrifice, of some two years of a person's life for the country. Therefore, we are very pleased that the Defence Minister announced the cutting short of NSF period for corporals and above, from 2 1/2 years to two years. I wish to ask the Defence Minister: what has been the experience of the SAF with the shorter NSF period? Do the two years of full-time training period provide sufficient time for adequate training of SAF officers or specialists? In addition, has the implementation of the 3G SAF progressed well? What has the SAF done to deploy better weaponry so as to enable our soldiers to be more effective as a fighting force? What are the new initiatives that would enable SAF NSmen to be a more potent combat unit? Sir, on the shortening of the half year for the NSF period, our NSmen, who are seeking to enter tertiary education, would save at least half year of their life. Hence, I wish to ask the Minister whether his Ministry has been able to coordinate with the Ministry of Education such that the shorter half year of NS obligation could be converted into an earlier entry to the tertiary education. For example, now the "A" level students finish their examinations in November, but the universities, for example, NTU, only starts in July.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister, since he has been praising the SAF in its role in the tsunami disaster, how his Ministry intends to recognise or reward the good performance of the SAF and ancillary personnel who were involved in the operation called "Flying Eagle" in the tsunami disaster. It is not just in monetary terms. I was thinking more in terms of honours, such as badges or National Day Awards, as we have always said that they have done us proud.”
“Have there been joint exercises conducted and any form of coordination that has been planned for the future? It would be very comforting for the people if it is known that the SAF and the Home Team can respond to a wider spectrum of unexpected events and challenges. This requires adequate forward planning, coordination and training. In fact, the ability to respond effectively to both military and non-military events is complementary. The ability to respond to a non-military threat will enhance the SAF's operational readiness. Conversely, a well-trained military will be able to react to a civil disaster quickly. Could the Minister give us his views on the concept of the wider roles of the SAF to include preparedness for non-military purposes, both locally and in the international arena? Relief Efforts”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has done an excellent job in its emergency relief operation in Aceh. It responded quickly and conducted the rescue and relief work before other international rescue operators arrived at the tsunami-hit areas. The SAF performed three weeks of arduous rescue work in Aceh and other parts of the world. Like Mr Ravindran and Mr Hawazi, I feel that this House should record its appreciation to the SAF for having done Singapore proud in its rescue operation for a close neighbour. In recent years, it is a trend for military bodies to increasingly perform non-traditional military roles such as humanitarian relief, emergency rescue operations and peacekeeping. The military training of armed forces enables us to mount a rescue operation at very short notice and to maximum effect. These actions enable non-military help to reach the affected area before the traditional relief bodies arrive at the scene to strengthen and follow up on the relief operation such as medical recovery and reconstruction. In view of its success in relief and rescue operations in Banda Aceh, Meulaboh and elsewhere, I wish to ask the Minister for Defence whether it is useful to project and remodel the SAF so that its operations can be attuned and expanded to provide assistance to major non-military rescue efforts in Singapore as well as in the region during an emergency. This would enable the SAF to be a more capable and flexible military force that can undertake both peacetime as well as wartime roles. It will also spur on the readiness and alertness of the SAF. I also wish to ask the Minister about the level of coordination between the SAF, MINDEF and the Police (MHA), for example, on the threat of terrorism.”
“Sir, the Minister said that I mentioned about two countries - Taiwan and the PRC - but it is not intended. I looked through my written speech but I never said that. But if I had said that in some off-the-cuff remarks, then I take it back, and it is not intended to mention Taiwan as a country. We have to be sensitive about this issue. On the bilateral relations between Singapore and Malaysia, I am pleased to hear from the Minister that SM Goh and PM Badawi have made good progress. Perhaps he could tell us what is the next step. For example, do they have any forward plans when to meet again and the timeframe? Are we going to discuss again on a total package basis or on separate issue basis? I would also like to ask the Minister for an update on the Horsburgh Lighthouse issue. Is that part of the package for discussion? The last I heard was that the matter had gone for international arbitration. Will the Minister be prepared to give us some update on the Horsburgh Lighthouse matter? I would like to hear from him. If not, I will file a question for oral answer.”
“For example, we have on-going relations with Taiwan. I am curious to note that Taiwan President Chen Shuibian was reported to have said that he agreed to cooperate with the Taiwanese Opposition leader James Soong to work towards better cross-straits relations with China. Actually, both China and Taiwan have huge stakes in peace across the straits. It was reported that Taiwan invests about US$3 billion each year in mainland China. And China is now the biggest purchaser of Taiwanese goods. About 500,000 Taiwanese live in Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta. Given the recent events and developments with respect to China and Taiwan, I would like to hear from the Minister an update on our relations between ourselves and China and Taiwan. Peace Prospect in the Middle East”
“Sir, this issue of our relations with PRC and Taiwan is rather sensitive. It is important that the matter be understood properly. China is an important trading partner, not just for Singapore but to the rest of the world. Its economy is growing at a very fast pace. I understand that the greater China, including Hong Kong and Macau, is already Singapore's largest trading partner, overtaking the USA. Some analysts have projected that, by 2025, that means, 20 years' time, China will become the world's largest economy, surpassing the USA. Singapore has always maintained cordial relations with both PRC and Taiwan. However, last year, we encountered some relations problems with PRC when PM Lee Hsien Loong visited Taiwan on a private trip. Last month, in February, it was reported that China has said it wanted to move forward its relations with Singapore and welcome PM Lee Hsien Loong to visit China frequently. This call was made by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao after a meeting with our Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr George Yeo, when he visited China. It was also mentioned that China is interested to have a bilateral free trade agreement with Singapore under the framework of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement. These are encouraging developments. In fact, as said by Dr Ong Chit Chung, the Chinese Ambassador to Singapore, Mr Zhang Yun, was reported to have said that, recently, China's relations with Singapore has completely returned to normal. It said here, "Zhang Yun da shi: xin zhong guan xi wan quan hui fu zheng chang" - Singapore-China relations completely back to normal. While we wish to maintain cordial relations with PRC because of its economic potential, we also have to preserve our sovereign rights to deal with other countries and entities.”
“Sir, Indonesia is a close neighbour with a population of 238 million people. It represents a huge market which Singapore can do business with. Therefore, it is encouraging to read about the positive attitude of the current Indonesian President towards Singapore. This is a sharp contrast to his predecessors, one of whom called Singapore "the Little Red Dot". As for Thailand, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has performed well in his country's recent general elections. However, he is facing some difficulties in dealing with the Muslim fundamentalists in South Thailand. Thailand is another potential business partner with a huge population of 65 million people. Premier Thaksin is now one of the most senior leaders in ASEAN. Whether he would succeed in solving the problems in southern Thailand as well as our relations with our neighbours, like Malaysia and Indonesia, will have a bearing on the geopolitics and progress of ASEAN as an economic and political bloc. Mr Chairman, Sir, we know that politics by its nature is always in a state of flux. I would like to hear from the Foreign Affairs Minister what he sees as the near and medium term developments that will affect Singapore's relations and interests vis-a-vis our three closest neighbours, namely, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Singapore-Indonesia-Malaysia Relations”