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.”
The complete record
Every one of 876 lines we hold for Leong Horn Kee, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 15 of 18.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, land transportation is a very critical part of the physical infrastructure of a city. We all depend on road transportation for everyday activities, whether they are social, recreational or business. Hence, we need to maintain an efficient road transportation system in Singapore. System that really works. The Report by the Select Committee has articulated the main issues very well. I must commend the Chairman and the Members for a well thought-out and well-prepared Report. Unlike the comments made by some other Members, I do appreciate the good Report put up by the Committee. In general, I agree with the main thrusts of the Report. In particular, I am in agreement with the need to impose both ownership as well as usage restraint measures. In addition, usage restraint measures must also be supplemented or compensated by the provision of better, more affordable and more convenient public transportation; ie, further improvement in our bus services and MRT lines. This is a very crucial point indeed. However, Sir, on the proposed quota system, I would like to reserve my judgment, purely because the final details of the implementation of this quota system have not been clear yet. Like other Members, I would like to voice a concern that the quota system should not be biased towards the better off or the rich. The Report is silent about this point. But from what I heard from the Chairman's speech, Dr Hong Hai, he seems to suggest that there should only be one class of quota. That means there is no allocation of quotas between different capacities of cars. This is a point that I do not feel very comfortable about.”
“Second, although they can be re-nominated for a further term at the end of their two-year term, however their total term of office should not exceed the 5-year term of the existing Parliament. Third, I agree to the First Deputy Prime Minister's view that their role is to be that of the Backbench MPs and should not be appointed to any government office. Another point, although the allowance for ordinary MPs is not a very big sum, however in order to differentiate the NMPs from the elected MPs because of big differences between their duties and responsibilities, the NMPs should not be getting the same treatment. As regards the criterion for the selection of an NMP, I feel that a Nominated MP should not be a representative of any kind of organisation or society, be it commercial, religious, or racial of any clan or guild organisation. I hope my views will be taken into consideration by the Select Committee. I support this Bill. 2.38 pm”
“In the past, the governing party Backbenchers have played the role of the Opposition and taken up the task of supervising over the policies and work of the Government. In the past few years, there has been a new trend. Many voters would like the PAP to continue to govern the country but at the same time they also wish to hear more non-PAP members speaking or voicing their views in the House. As the Opposition parties have not been able to enter Parliament through the one-man-one-vote process, there has been the system of Non-Constituency MP for such voice to be heard in Parliament . This has inadvertently strengthened the voice of the Opposition parties in the Parliament. If we can also have Nominated MPs adding neutral and non-PAP voices in the House, it will enhance parliamentary democracy a step further while providing more channels for expressing the voices and aspirations of the people in the House. Therefore, in principle, I support this motion. However, I feel that Nominated MPs are different in nature from ordinary elected MPs. Their duties and rights in the House and their treatment should therefore be different from those of the ordinary MPs. In nature, Nominated MPs are not given the mandate by the people. They need not be responsible to the voters. For this reason, they should not have the right to vote on any Bill in the House. Otherwise, it would be running counter to the spirit of parliamentary democracy. If it is intended to let the Nominated MPs air neutral views in the debate of the House, there should be some limitations on their functions. Firstly, they should not represent any political party. In the past five years, they should not have belonged to any political party or taken part in any politics of any political party.”
“Then it will be shown that these people have the majority support of the Members in the House and they therefore indirectly represent the people because we, the elected Members here, are the people's representatives. Sir, I believe the above few changes will give a higher degree of objectivity to the selection process which that is what the people want to see. The Nominated MPs will have some standing in the eyes of the people as they are voted in by a majority of the Members in this House. On the point about people whom we would like to bring into the House here, I support the First Deputy Prime Minister's idea that we should bring in more woman Members. I think we would like to see more of the fairer sex in this House to articulate views pertaining to their interests. I would also like to suggest that we should not just simply look at professionals as people whom we would like to bring into this House. In fact, there are many professionals in this House who could speak on the views of professionals. What we should do is try to look for more grassroots leaders who could speak for various grassroots organisations. As there is a need for us to further study the scheme and to further refine it, I support the intention to commit the Bill to a Select Committee. Sir, I wish to conclude by saying that given the advantages of the proposed Bill, and if it is modified along the principles that I have suggested, I am prepared to support the Bill. Dr Low Seow Chay (Chua Chu Kang)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill to amend our Constitution. Ever since independence, the Opposition parties have been able to win only one or two seats in the Parliament.”
“In my discussions and sounding out of the grassroots members on this scheme, the general feedback I got is that they are not too adverse to the idea of Nominated MPs. They generally feel that if we can attract some worthwhile independent persons to come into Parliament and assist in watching over Government policies, this is a plus factor. However, one common thread that strings through their reactions at the grassroots level is that it is very crucial that the selection process must be seen to be neutral and objective. They are concerned whether the Special Select Committee comprising only eight persons can be objective. Unlike elected MPs whose credibility is based upon being elected by their constituents, the Nominated MPs do not have such ground support. The credibility of the Nominated MPs therefore rests fundamentally on the selection process. And this process should be accepted by the people. In this regard, I wish to propose some changes to the Special Select Committee. I know the nitty-gritty details can be discussed further in the Select Committee but let me just put forth a few comments. First, I feel that the Special Select Committee should comprise all elected Members instead of just only eight Members. Secondly, I think at the point when the voting for the Nominated Members comes, the political Whip should be lifted so that all Members in this House can vote freely on their conscience and not along party lines. These people who are being nominated are actually non-partisan members in the first place. Thirdly, only candidates who can obtain the votes of more than 50% of the Members present in the House should be accepted as Nominated MPs.”
“Sir, I feel that the proposed Nominated MP scheme can be supported if the following three main principles can be abided by. First, there should be a limited number of Nominated MPs. The number of Nominated MPs should be kept very small. The present proposal is to have six Members. I strongly feel that the number should not be increased further in future. The reason is that the basic structure of Parliament that it should consist predominantly of elected MPs should always prevail. The elected MPs rightfully represent the people and they could speak for the people in Parliament. Hence, the substantial number in Parliament should always be elected MPs. Second, as the First Deputy Prime Minister has said, Nominated MPs should be non-partisan. I think this is a very fundamental tenet that all Nominated MPs should be non-partisan. If selected, these MPs should sever all their party links, if any. The rationale for this requirement is very obvious. If a person is affiliated to any political party, he should rightfully seek to enter Parliament through the election process by offering himself to be a candidate for election in a general election. In fact, I would venture to suggest that any person who had stood as a candidate in any previous elections should not be eligible for selection as a Nominated MP. These persons have failed to get elected by the populace; it is difficult to justify their selection by the Select Committee as it would then truly be a back door way for them to enter Parliament. Should they wish to be MPs representing a political party, they should continue to fight in elections and hopefully win a seat in this Parliament as elected MPs. Third, Sir, there should be an objective and neutral process for the selection of Nominated MPs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this Bill before us is a very important one indeed. The House has heard earlier the rationale for its introduction by the Hon. First Deputy Prime Minister. Two other Members have spoken earlier and expressed their views. I would also like to similarly put forth my views. This Bill marks a significant change in the structure of Parliament. Previously, Members can only enter Parliament by being elected. Now, Members can also be recruited into our ranks purely by being nominated. On the surface, it appears to be an easier way to enter Parliament. Some might even say that it is the "back-door" way to enter Parliament. However, I would not wish to denigrate these Nominated MPs just because they enter Parliament by a different process. I would say that they are as legitimate an MP as anyone else as they are MPs selected by a lawful constitutional process. There are many people, MPs included, who have much reservation about the concept of Nominated MPs. However, I feel that there are certain advantages on the idea to make it worth serious consideration. I agree that there are persons whom all of us know outside Parliament who are not affiliated to any political party but who could articulate useful and constructive views or even criticisms of Government policies here in Parliament. These people could be brought into Parliament to add a new angle or a new dimension to the debates we have here. This new breed of MPs do not in any way affect the standing or the status of the elected MPs we have here in the House. Provided that the Nominated MPs can "add value" or enhance the image of the House, I feel that we can, as elected MPs, adopt a positive approach towards them.”
“Sir, would the Minister not agree that in Singapore there are, in fact, several very old private residential estates, much older than the HDB estates, which require a fair amount of sprucing up and upgrading. Therefore, should the Government not also consider spending money to upgrade such areas as well since it has a plan to upgrade HDB estates?”
“In recent years, SBC has produced programmes of relatively high standard such as "One Plus One", "Live From Studio One" and serials like "Strange Encounters" and "Fortune Hunter", which have received very overwhelming support from the viewers. As such, through the viewing of more of such programmes, we would be able to compete with the dialect serials and erase the influence of dialects on our viewers. However, in order to maintain the standard of our programmes, it would depend not only on the hard work of the producers and crew from SBC, but also the support from the government. As such, in the consideration of the great influence the media has on the public, I hope that our government would give more encouragement and support through the allocation of more funds in future. This, I believe, would enable SBC to improve its technical know-how and facilities as well as help to raise the standard of performance of its artistes and their remuneration. It will enable us to be more competitive internationally and also help prevent our artistes from being "bought over" by these rival stations.”
“Here, I would like to ask the Minister to inform the SBC to be extra careful in the use of language in these serials because they mould the language ability of our people in both Chinese and English. If they are not careful in the use of the language and even propagate some of the very undesirable habits such as saying the "lahs" and "man" in our serials, that would lead towards our people having a lower standard of language-speaking than before. It is very important that the SBC pay special attention on how it should improve its languages and therefore help to mould local values which we want to impart to our people. Mr Peh Chin Hua( In Mandarin): Mr Chairman, Sir, in the recent budget, com- munications and information was allotted $698.27 million, of which 99.5% was being allotted to SMRTC, CAAS and SBC for development. However, it was disheartening to note that SBC has been allotted only 3.89% of the overall amount which is 35.6% less than 1988. I am surprised as to this meagre allocation of funds to SBC. We cannot deny that television could have as great an impact to the public in transmitting moral and cultural values, as the education system in our school. We may think that SBC, being the only station, has the monopoly of viewers in Singapore. In actual fact, it is facing stiff competition from overseas stations. Our viewers are exposed to cigarette advertisements and dialect serials offered by them which run contrary to what we have been advocating: our "No Smoking" and "Speak Mandarin" campaigns. However, the import and duty taxes for cigarettes and tobacco have been increased and this acts as a deterence to smoking. But, at the same time, we should not overlook the threat imposed by the dialect serials to our "Speak Mandarin" campaign.”
“Sir, we are all very aware that television is a very powerful form of communication. It is a powerful medium which can mould the values and attitudes of the viewers. One very good example is the recent US Presidential election where the television was used to great effect in swaying opinion and winning votes. Sir, in this context, I would like to raise with the Minister a few suggestions which I thought can be considered by the Ministry in the use of television for the purpose of swaying local public opinion. First, I would like to ask the Minister whether he could consider introducing more educational programmes on TV in areas such as computer knowledge, health care and family matters. I notice that when I travel to countries like PRC and Taiwan they do have very good evening programmes, especially on computer training, where basic computer knowledge is imparted to viewers. I find this to be a very effective way whereby the population at large can be given very good basic knowledge on some very important subjects such as computer training. The other area, Sir, is in the production of local serials. I would like to commend SBC for the excellent effort they have put in during the last few years in coming out with better and better local serials. One serial which I think has been done before, but was stopped some years ago, is the production of children films, whereby the children act out some interesting activities. I believe this has two main effects. One, as the Member for Eunos GRC, Mr Chew Heng Ching has said, it is good at imparting core values in our population. Second, the promotion of local awareness of the language because now they are using the local serials for both English and Mandarin programmes.”
“Given the significant contribution of local companies, I feel that it is time for the Government to seriously consider forming a separate organization or statutory board to be responsible for promoting local companies. Perhaps the Small Enterprises Bureau of the EDB can now be upgraded to become a full-fledged independent body to be the focal point to promote local industries. This body can then be able to concentrate on exploring all avenues to assist local companies and consider how these companies can have access to capital, such as how Sesdaq can be made more efficient by improving its operations and by encouraging more local companies to be listed in the Sesdaq. In essence, Sir, what I am asking is for the Minister to consider ways on how we can better and be more focused in our approach to assist the local small and medium enterprises, ie, the SMEs.”
“I feel there are several areas which the Government can do in terms of helping local companies to improve and modernize their operations. The first is in terms of managing their operational efficiency. Here, statutory boards such as the NPB and EDB can help to organize courses that can be of use to such local companies. Secondly, they also lack in terms of marketing of their products. Local companies require market awareness and sales promotion capability, especially in venturing into export markets. In this regard, the TDB should intensify its efforts to improve the export capabilities of our local companies. Thirdly, it is in the area of building up capability in product design and development. Here, statutory boards such as SISIR could help in assisting local companies in product development. In addition to management skills, local companies, especially the small ones, also face a very serious problem of lack of access to capital. While local companies can perhaps occasionally obtain risk capital such as venture capital financing, they do not have easy access to cheap long-term financing. Recently, the introduction of the Sesdaq stock market has helped to some extent a few small successful local companies to gain recognition and access to the public market for capital. At present, there are only about 14 local companies listed in Sesdaq. I feel that for a broader base of operation, it will be more desirable to have a larger number of companies listed, perhaps to double it to about 30, if possible. Sir, in that sense I feel that the Government should assist local companies. I would like the Minister to consider the following suggestion.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, traditionally the Government's economic plan is based on the promotion of foreign investments. Over the last 25 years, the Government has largely been promoting foreign investments which have helped our rapid progress and modernization. At the same time, local businesses have also prospered. Local companies have thrived in various sectors such as trade, services and manufacturing. Whilethere are only about 5,000 foreign companies in Singapore,there are, in fact, over 70,000 local companies. Although many of these local companies are of relatively small size, a few of these local companies have indeed grown to be quite large operations. Examples are the Keppel Group, Yeo Hiap Seng, F&N and others. It shows that local companies have not only been able to succeed but also are able to keep abreast of technological changes and compete in the international markets. Local companies contribute significantly to our economy. They account for 30% of our exports and they play a major role in supporting our MNCs here in the production of parts, components and supporting services. Therefore, I feel that it is impor- tant to continue to foster the growth of local companies. It would not be wise for us to depend totally on foreign investors or only on overseas entrepreneurs. We must have our own local domestic entrepreneurs who are equally capable, equally keen to take risks and equally prepared to venture into new business areas. Sir, local companies face a variety of problems. Most commonly, they lack domestic market of some size. They lack in having limited technological capability. They normally have a lower level of innovations and equipment to help them to be more productive. Because of their small size, they are also lacking in terms of economy of scale.”
“Therefore they felt that by some means whatsoever, whether it is a full-time education or a prt-time process, if they could obtain degree, they can get ahead in life. They will become, as we always say, a more worthwhile citizen and have a better place in Singapore. This would also enable them to exploit their own potential to the fullest. Therefore, I would like to call on the Minister to please consider all the above proposals seriously.”
“Sir, I shall be brief to make sure that the Minister has the chance to reply. I would like to join in this call for the provision of more university places in Singapore for our students. During the debate on the Presidential Address, I did make a speech on the need for more university places for Singapore students. There were a few points I made in that particular debate. I would like to repeat them. The first is the urgent need for a third university because there is a big demand for university places. I also tabled during the meeting a table showing that Singapore is, in fact, behind some countries in the provision of university places on a per capita basis. In fact, we are quite far behind countries like Japan and South Korea. In Singapore, there are about 1,622 places per hundred thousand population, whereas in Japan and South Korea, the number is beyond 2,000 places for the same per capita base. I also asked the Minister at that time whether he could consider two other proposals which are meant for adult education. There are many Singaporeans who missed the chance to go to university and are very keen to have an opportunity to get university degrees. I proposed two ideas: one is the open university; the second is the idea of providing external degree programmes within our present universities, whereby working adults can do their own part-time courses and earn degrees in the process. This matter is quite important. In fact, I notice that the Straits Times recently also came out with a full-page write-up on the need for university education among the Singapore adults. They asked: Is there life without a university degree? Many Singaporeans felt that it is important for them to earn degrees to get ahead in life.”
“Not chicken farm, please. The last area, Sir, is also about lifts in HDB blocks. I feel that we have reached a level where our quality of life, is such that, even in HDB flats, we should consider having lifts that can stop at every floor. At the moment, we have lifts that stop in every alternate floor. This creates a lot of problems for residents. The old will find it hard to move up and down the stairs. The disabled also find it difficult for them to move around. They are confined to their flats because they cannot move out of the house and go down the lifts. Similarly, the old people find that taking the lift is a problem. If the lift serves every floor, you can at least improve the quality of life of our residents. I would like to ask the Minister to consider this on two counts. For all new HDB flats in the future, the HDB should consider building lifts that can serve every floor. Then in the replacement of old HDB lifts, whether the HDB could restructure the lifts, such that the new lifts will now serve every floor.”
“As it is now, many of them are open just like the wet markets, ie, open only in the morning which is not convenient for the young working families who have to do their marketing in the evenings. Next is the point on improvement in the HDB estates. I would like to ask the Minister to consider some ideas I have here. First, whether he would look into providing rock gardens or such improvement, to the void decks in our HDB flats. Very often, the void deck is entirely void, there is nothing in it. Could we at least, as the Minister has said, improve the quality of life of our HDB residents by providing something to beautify the place, eg,a rock garden or provide a small corner which is comfortable for the residents to get together. The second point is whether the HDB can find certain plots of land around the HDB blocks where they can be given to residents to set up a garden. The residents can form a gardening club to plant some flowers, fruits, vegetables, whatever they feel like doing, under the Residents Committee's management. An hon. Member: Chicken farm.”
“Sir, I also wish to raise with the Minister certain points concerning HDB estates and HDB facilities. First, like Encik Ibrahim Othman, I would like to raise the point about wet markets. I would like to ask the Minister whether the Government will reconsider building new wet markets again. In large new HDB estates where there are no wet markets, this is a problem for many residents. An example is in Thomson constituency, there is a large new estate called Bishan East where there are over 100 blocks of flats, now almost fully occupied, with about 8,000 households and there is no wet market in this town. For such an estate, there is a big demand by residents for a wet market. In principle, I would like to say that I suport the Government's move to introduce dry markets. But the actual implementation is much to be desired. There are many dry markets which function like a mini wet market. They are equally congested, equally wet and equally disorganized. Many of the stalls are just like what you see in the wet market, ie, small stalls selling meat, fish and vegetables. They are like wet markets. So what is the improvement to the standard of living in Singapore if we allow the dry market to function like a wet market? Could the Minister, first of all, try to reconsider whether we should rethink this concept of not having wet markets, and if it is possible, to build wet markets in new large HDB estates? If it is not possible, at least to implement some rules and regulations on how dry markets should be operated. They should be more efficiently organized and be opened for the whole day.”
“Sir, now I would like to turn to just one final subject, ie, tax deduction for CPF contribution. I do sympathize with the Finance Minister on his desire to prevent the use of CPF contribution as a form of tax shelter. Hence, he has decided that CPF contribution is only tax deductible up to 40% of the annual ordinary wages. I would like to ask the Minister whether he would consider allowing certain categories of professions to be exempted from this rule. There are certain industries which depend on bonuses and commissions to remain trim and competitive. They are usually trades like the stockbrokers, dealers and salesmen. They are offered minimum base annual salaries but enjoyed substantial bonuses and commissions during good performing years. Their businesses are quite cyclical. Therefore, during difficult years, they have to stay trim and competitive by only offering very low base salaries. Hence, I would like to ask the Minister whether he could review the need to impose this 40% rule for such category of workers where high bonuses and commissions is a norm for them. Sir, may I conclude by expressing my support for the Government's financial policy for the year 1989/90.”
“But indeed we are also proud of them because they had tried their best in their work. Sir, I am not advocating a move towards a more relaxed atmosphere, and that significant achievements be scorned. What I feel is that we should have an environment where, while achievements and excellence are properly recognized, there also should be some higher level of tolerance for failures. We know well that in the Western countries, like the US, businessmen who have operated failed ventures do not carry any stigma with them. After their failures, they just simply pick up the pieces and start all over again. In Singapore, there are already some symptoms or manifestations of an over-pressurized environment here. Two trends are of some concern. The first is that more and more people, both young and old, are turning to religion and seeking solace in the spiritual domain. The second is that some young professionals are getting increasingly tempted to emigrate to other countries where they perceive, whether rightly or wrongly, that they can lead a less demanding life or perhaps even a more rewarding life in those countries. These trends are issues worth deserving our detailed analysis and close monitoring from now on. Perhaps the challenge in the future for the Government is not so much to build more imposing edifices such as the Raffles City and the like, or to chalk up more spectacular growth. The challenge should be for the Government to devote more time and resources to non-physical projects. Attention has to be devoted to the finer things in life, more gracious living, art and culture, sports and care for the less privileged and the aged. The final objective is to devote more effort to develop a more tolerant society and a more vibrant environment for all of us to live in.”
“Sir, while there is much cause for us to be smug, I would like to sound a note of concern on two aspects: (1) The decreasing number of capital projects we have in Singapore; and, (2) In our flush of high achievements, there is an increasing lack of tolerance and scorn for failures, creating an over-achievement oriented and pressurised environment. I note from the Budget Statement that the Government's total development expenditure as a percentage of the GDP has dropped from about 12.6% in FY87 to 10.8% in 1988, and down to 8.2% for FY89. Many of the major public sector projects such as the MRT, roads, expressways and public housing have been completed. Unless the public and the private sectors can dream up other useful large scale projects, then Singapore may have to be faced with the prospect of only moderate expansion in future. Our people may have to be aware and accept, and be contented, that the previous spectacular growth of past years would not be easy to come by from now on. Because we are caught up in this phenomenal growth in the last 2 1/2 decades, our success can be taken too much for granted. Very strong competitive pressures are being built up in all aspects of our life, for example in the schools, in the workplace and even among siblings at home. Perhaps we should try to find ways not to emphasize too heavily on achievements but to find ways of how we can make our people more tolerant to failure. Last week, we read in the newspapers about the very bright boys and girls who scored 10 straight A's in the "0" level examinations. We are extremely proud of these young boys and girls. But in the process of publicising these outstanding achievements, we should not forget that there are thousands who simply scored B's, C's and D's.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, 1988 has indeed been a good year for us. Singapore chalked up a strong 11% growth. The Finance Minister was in a generous mood. He gave tax incentives to the industrialists, the family man and woman, the handicapped and the property owners. We have done well, and practically everyone gets some reward from the Minister. The only group that was generally penalized by the Minister was the smokers. I would call this year's budget a "rewarding budget", particularly for the family man. There is good reason for us to be proud. Singapore is probably one of the few countries in the world which managed a "double surpluses" status, that is, with a balance of payment trade surplus and a government budget surplus. On the balance of payments, Singapore attained an overall trade surplus of $3.3 billion, with surpluses being achieved in both the Current Account and the Capital Account. On the Government budget, we recorded an overall $4.3 billion total revenue surplus in 1988. What is more remarkable is that this surplus is attained after paying for a very hefty $5.2 billion worth of Development Expenditure. Looking at these achievements, Sir, there is much reason for us to be sanguine. In terms of economic performance, I would say that Singapore has scored a double distinction or double honours. In comparison, we are all very well aware of the perilous situation in the US. They are faced with the contrary situation of a problem of a double deficits. They are confronting the problem of a balance of trade deficit as well as a government budget deficit.”
“Sir, I have two questions for the Minister. I support the policy in principle, that it is good to have a better mix of races in the housing estates. I would like to ask the Minister whether he has any view or opinion as to how this new policy or rule will affect the market price mechanism in the transfer of flats. Because now there is an additional restriction in the transfer of flats from the householder to the potential buyer, will this not have a very great dampening effect on the price of a flat that person can get if there is no such restriction? The second question is whether there is any control over a person who wants to sell his flat to a relative or a friend under some special arrangement rather than under the market mechanism.”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister whether he will agree that allowing the CPF depositors to use their money for annual medical check-ups, is, in fact, a form of preventive medicine, as it may help to alleviate their need for hospitalization in the future? The end result is that there will be lesser hospitalization cost being incurred than if you do not allow them to use their CPF for their annual medical check-ups.”
“Sir, does the Minister have the percentage figure of the additional cost to Government versus the total cost of benefits that are given to the civil service as a whole in a year? If the percentage is very small, would the Minister not consider in favour of the pensioners who have served the Government diligently for their whole life?”
“In addition, the Ministry should seriously consider the setting up of an open university or an external degree programme under the NUS or the NTI. These facilities will promote the ideal that our Singapore people can become more knowledgeable, and there shall be more free flow of ideas. As it is said, the neglect of education will be the ruin of a nation. Conversely, a sound education will be the bastion of a society. Sir, I support the motion proposed by the Member for Siglap.”
“This arrangement can be very cost-effective because it means that the existing facilities and teaching staff need only be expanded very slightly to cater for the enlarged external degree programme. Moreover, the university's physical facilities, the equipment can also be better utilized because during the vacation period the external students can come in to use those facilities. Having such a scheme in Singapore will alleviate the demand for university places by ambitious young people, who desire to go for higher education but cannot get to enter our local universities, and may have to go to foreign institutions. The Government has expounded on a vision for Singapore that we shall become an economically progressive and culturally developed nation. The importance of education in the overall context of national development and instilling the core values of the National Ideology is well recognized. As the people progress, demand for higher education increases. There is a general desire for improvement of skills and knowledge. Therefore, our educational system should not be too rigid. There must be some allowance for flexibility and free play. While we do not want to create a nation of bookish paper-chasers, ways must be found to enlarge the opportunities for Singaporeans to improve themselves. I believe that the provision of more tertiary education places and the establishment of a new university as soon as possible are important. Just like the concept of the independent schools, we should also allow for perhaps some privately-run colleges or university provided these are of course well run and have the required level of educational standards.”
“There are many examples of institutions in developed countries which provide university-level education for mature adults. Notable examples are the Open University of UK and the Everyman's University of Israel. The Open University of UK has a current enrolment of 50,000 students. The experience of this University is interesting. It shows that many do not enrol for a full degree courses but are only interested in acquiring knowledge in specific subjects. There are several Singaporeans who are keen in getting higher education but are unable to enter the local university. Several have gone overseas to study. Many others, after working for a few years, enrol themselves with correspondence schools or evening classes which prepare themselves for degree courses in foreign institutes. The Member for Ayer Rajah has yesterday circulated a table showing that there are over 10,000 Singaporeans studying abroad. This obviously is an indication that there is a huge demand for higher education by our local Singaporeans which cannot be met by the local tertiary institutions. Many Singaporeans have also obtained external degrees in languages, economics and arts through the very popular external degree programme of the London University. For the population base that we have in Singapore there may not be a sufficient demand for us to establish an independent open university. Hence, I would like to propose that the Government consider creating some avenues or channels whereby Singaporean adults who are keen can obtain external degrees through self-study or part-time courses with local institutions, such as the NUS or NTI or the new university to be proposed.”
“We are also behind Japan, South Korea and Taiwan although we are a little ahead of Hong Kong and of course much ahead of Malaysia and Indonesia. The figures are given in the table that has been circulated. It is granted that there may be difficulty in making cross-country comparison because of differences in the definition of tertiary education in the various countries. The above statistics are nevertheless interesting. It shows that for Singapore, while we are catching up with countries like Japan, UK and Switzerland, we are still behind in the provision of tertiary level student places compared to the North American countries, USA and Canada, to European countries like West Germany and France, and even some Asian countries like South Korea and Taiwan. The above data show that we can do more to provide tertiary level training for Singaporeans. I would like to urge the Government therefore to set up the proposed new third university urgently. There is the often-repeated phrase - the provision of more tertiary places means that more Singaporeans can be developed to their fullest potential. There is another means whereby we can expand the tertiary level training opportunities for our adult population. This is the creation of an open university. Our present educational system caters mainly for straightforward entry into the university through pre-university 'A' level qualifications. For the people who have failed to qualify, given the stringent entry requirements or for those who have for a variety of reasons, personal or family, missed the chance to enter the university, the present system is quite rigid. It is very difficult for these adult Singaporeans to get a formal tertiary education once they missed the chance.”
“The Chairman of the GPC for Education, Dr Tan Cheng Bock, yesterday has given his views on various educational issues relating to primary, secondary and pre-university education. As a member of the GPC for Education, I would like to touch on one other aspect of education, and that is, tertiary level education. I am pleased to read in the President's Address: 'More students are now doing well in schools and qualifying for university. The Government shall expand university intakes, upgrade NTI into a full university, and study the feasibility of building a new tertiary institution to complement NUS and NTI.' Sir, these statements made by the Government are very encouraging indeed. The decision to provide more university places is correct. At present, there is a big demand for students to enter the universities. I have attempted to gather some comparative statistics on student population at the tertiary level in various countries. Sir, with your permission, may I ask the Clerk to circulate a table for the Members' attention. [Copies of table circulated to Members]. This table that I am circulating shows some statistical collection done by UNESCO on the number of students at the tertiary level (they call it "the third level") per 100,000 inhabitants in a few countries in North America, Europe and Asia. For Singapore, the number is about 1,600 students per 100,000 inhabitants. If you compare that number with some other countries, we are way below North America, like USA and Canada which have over 5,000 students per 100,000 inhabitants. We are also behind some countries like UK and Switzerland and also far behind other Western countries like West Germany and France which have about 2,600 students at the third level education.”
“To be effective, the Government should gather the views from all segments of the people and distill all the ideas collected into a few key, simple and straightforward principles so that everyone can relate to and accept. Widespread explanation and acceptance is critical. Otherwise there may be a small group who though they may agree to the general need for a National Ideology, may not necessarily agree to one or two specific principles in the National Ideology. They will feel segregated and alienated. If not carefully handled, this whole programme of the National Ideology can become a very divisive instrument instead of being a bond of our diverse cultures and people. After we have decided on the National Ideology, there is a need to disseminate the concepts. Here the Government must take a leading role to inspire the widespread adoption of these ideas, through Ministerial speeches, promotional campaigns, and mass media dissemina- tion. In my view, an effective manner to enable the principles of the National Ideology to be instilled is through education. School textbooks and reading materials should be selected or written which serve to communicate the core values embodied in the National Ideology. If education should be the means to teach core values, then I feel there is a pool of people on whom we should pay special attention. These are the principals and teachers. Better recognition of their status in society should be made. They should be given proper training and exposure on the significance of the National Ideology. With better understanding, our teachers will then be able to communicate the National Ideology to the students. Now I would like to turn to education.”
“Many Members in this House and individuals and groups outside this House have suggested several good ideas for the National Ideology. I feel that the National Ideology should embody certain key principles for different levels of our life. For example, at the individual level, we can adopt the principle which is to strive for excellence by all. At the family level, a key concept would be, I am sure, filial piety. At the Government level, we can adopt good and non-corrupt administration as a principle. At the society level, an important principle will be social tolerance. At the national level, I would take observance and protection of the laws of the land. Sir, the above principles are just some suggestions. The Committee on National Ideology headed by the Minister for Trade and Industry will have to carefully select and present the chosen principles. These ideals once chosen cannot be easily changed. We cannot say that after a few years, a few of the principles did not work out quite well and we have to do a complete about-turn. The people will be confused. Here I would like to say that as against the view of the Member for Ayer Rajah, there is very little room for error. It is possible for us to tell our people that, first, you stop at two children; and later on, to tell them to stop at three or more if you can afford it. But it is difficult for us to tell our people to first adopt certain principles and later on say, "No, please erase your mind from all those concepts. Come again, let us try all over again with some new concepts." Therefore, it is important that the right principles are selected for the National Ideology. The National Ideology is important as it will guide us in our conduct of personal, family, business and international relations.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am pleased to join in expressing our thanks to the President for his Address to this House. Sir, it strikes me that the key point in the President's Address and the very basis of the Government's plans for the next few years lies in the first sentence of the Address which says, "The Government's goal is to create a better life for all Singaporeans." This simple sentence states the mission and the raison d'etre of the Government. This is the primary duty of any Government to improve the well-being of the people. The Government is being elected and judged by the people on how much it has improved their lives. I was very surprised yesterday when the Non-Constituency Member, Dr Lee Siew-Choh, in his speech lamented that the PAP Government has not done much for the people. Sir, the fundamental desire of the people is very simple. It is well expressed in a popular Chinese saying An ju le ye, jiu shi an ding de sheng huo, yi kuai de lao dong " " which means in English that the common people's basic desire is to have stable living conditions so that they and their future generations can continue to work and live peacefully. It is therefore indisputable that the present Government has done an excellent job in improving the lives of our people over the last three decades. Otherwise it would not have been possible for our people to elect this Government back into office for seven consecutive terms. Sir, I would like to focus my speech on two main subjects - first, National Ideology and then Education. On the National Ideology, to further ensure stability and set the correct directions for our nation, the Government has proposed that we develop a National Ideology.”
“They are ultimately answerable to the people for whatever action they take. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, although I agree in principle with the concept of the elected President, I feel that there are many details to be worked out and that it should be subject to a Committee, at least a Select Committee, that can take views from a broad spectrum of people and therefore come out with a final form which is most ideal for Singapore.”
“However, as proposed, I am not sure what role this Committee will play in assisting the President, because in fact the President has the full discretionary powers to accept or reject the recommendations of this Committee. Moreover, the Committee of three to five members will consist mainly of what I would call "the President's men". Only one member will be appointed by the Government. Perhaps, one form of check on this Committee's work is to provide for public hearings of the deliberations of this Committee or at least to make public the views and recommendations of this Committee. In case the President chooses not to accept the Committee's recommendation, he has to come out with good reasons for doing so. I believe another role we can give to this Committee is to make it a Committee with some expert advice as well as a mediating role in case of any conflict between the Government and the President. Here it may be useful to recommend that the Committee should comprise people who are experts opinion in terms of economic or financial matters. Sir, in the final analysis, I think the principle of the introduction of some form of check and balance between the President and the Executive Prime Minister is sound. The integrity and efficient operation of such checks rest entirely on the integrity of the President himself as well as the Prime Minister, and their ability to put the interests of the nation above the interests of their own political or personal gains. Both the President and the Government are elected by the people. For the system to work, the people must choose carefully and wisely. The final form of check actually on both the President and the Prime Minister is that their actions and decisions are subject to close scrutiny of the public.”
“An irresponsible government can easily abuse such extensive powers. We have not seen this happening so far because we are fortunate to have a capable and responsible PAP Government for the last 23 years. But there is no safeguard what a future government, PAP or otherwise, can do or will do. Therefore, I support the concept of having an elected President who serves to check on the use of our financial assets and integrity of the Civil Service. There are a few concerns which have been expressed in this House. I shall not go into them. But I would like to point out one area which I have particular concern. There is a potential area of conflict in the matter of annual fiscal and financial policies of the Government. Each year the Government may introduce new tax and fiscal measures to stimulate certain sectors of the economy. These sectors may require certain incentives to grow. The Government may introduce measures which could then lead to incurring a deficit financing in the annual budget. For the Government to pay for this deficit financing, it has to raise external loans or domestic loans, and this is subject to the approval of the President. Therefore, the President has the blocking power to the Government's annual fiscal or financial policies. These policies formulation and implementation are matters obviously under the charge of the Cabinet and the Government. So should a conflict arise, how do we resolve it? I have another query on the Presidential Committee for the Protection of Reserves. I see this as a useful idea to have a Committee to advise the President.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, this White Paper on the Constitutional Amendments to provide for an elected President to safeguard the financial assets and the integrity of the public service is a piece of important legislation that is going to be introduced by the Government. Earlier two major legislations that have been passed in this House are the GRC or Team MP concept and the Town Councils Bill. All these three new concepts are bold and imaginative moves by the Government. These are measures that have been conceptualized after many years of thinking. The manner in which these new proposed legislations are introduced tells us very much about the style of the new generation leaders. First, I see them as being prepared to explore new ideas and new concepts for the interest of the country. Secondly, while they are bold in trying out new ideas, they do so with much caution and deliberation. Much time is spent in thinking through the implications and repercussions before the proposed legislations are made public. Thirdly, the second generation leaders take a truly participative and consultative approach. Views are collected from a wide spectrum of the public before they are put in the final form. The proposed concept on the elected President is an important safeguard as I see it. I agree that so far the present system of the full executive power resting with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet has worked well for us. So the question is, why make the proposed change? My view is that some form of check and balance on the Executive is useful. In fact, our present system, which is copied from the British Westminster system, confers much power on the Government as they hold both the Executive power as well as the Legislative power.”
“Sir, the sad part of the whole affair is that the US could be thinking that they are doing us a great favour by helping to ferment discontent and assist an Opposition group to get into Parliament. I think Singaproeans should tell the US officials in no uncertain terms that we are able to take care of ourselves and that they should "hands off" our internal affairs. Sir, I think we still consider the US as our friends and we should remain friends with them. But some people are surprised as to why we have been making such strong criticisms and making such a furore over the whole US affair. I feel that there are three very good reasons for us to make a strong point: (1) to warn that even a friendly country could do things to undermine our security; (2) to warn that we should guard against locals who collude with our foreign powers who ultimately do things actually to serve their own interests; and (3) to warn other foreign powers, who may harbour the same ulterior motives, that they too should "hands off" from Singapore and not interfere with our domestic politics here. Sir, I support the motion.”
“The people are well-treated, well-managed, and there is no unfair treatment or suppression of any minority groups. Opposition groups can operate freely and can join in elections in a free contest of ideas. Different people may have different assessments of why the US would want to interfere in our politics. I think to take it in the right perspective and to be realistic, y assessment is that the US does not really want to create an Opposition to overthrow the present Government for we do have very good ties with the US government and we have very good relations with them. What I feel the US was trying to do was to surreptitiously help a few likely persons to get into Parliament. This way, they hope that they can influence and control a few Opposition members who will act and talk to their bidding. These "puppets" will therefore help them to temper or to soften the pressure of tough measures taken in this House that may have adverse impact on them. For example, recently we have taken strong actions against some foreign publications which were mostly Americans. We have also voiced our strong reaction to the US decision to withdraw the GSP for Singapore. Whatever are the objectives of the US officials, one thing is indeed very clear - that they are out to serve their own interests. For the US to achieve these aims, they would have to find locals who are prepared to collude with them. There is a Chinese saying: (Tai gong diao yu, yuan zhe shang gou) " ", which describes people who willingly play into the hands of somebody else. The point that our people should be vigilant about is that during an election we have to guard against people who may not truly speak the voices of the people but made to speak as mouthpieces or stooges of foreign powers.”
“They felt that, although Singapore is a very small country compared to the size and might of the US, it is right for us to protect our sovereignty. They were very proud indeed that although Singapore is a small Asian country, we are fortunate to have a tough, resolute and fearless Government. I was quite touched by this support expressed by the common people of another country. [Mr Chiam See Tong interjected.] Well, "it's useful to hear the feedback from some common people in another country." I was quite touched by this support expressed by the common people of another country which also has strong and friendly ties with the US. Similarly, I feel that we Singaporeans should not keep mum. We should speak up and strongly express our indignation at the behaviour of the US officials. Perhaps our Singapore taxi drivers should also speak up to their American clients who ride in their taxis what they feel about the whole affair. Sir, to judge the propriety of the US action, we should look at the internal circumstances of the country involved. The US sees itself as the 'guiding light' or 'beacon of democracy' around the world. They have sought to assist certain groups in countries which are fighting for democracy and freedom. For such cases, where the local parties in power are known to be corrupt, tyrannical or despotic, the US interference in their domestic affairs would gain sympathy and support around the world, including Singapore, I believe. However, in the case of Singapore, there is really no reason for the US trying to interfere with our domestic politics. Our Government is supportive of the US so far. It is fairly elected by an open and democratic process.”
“--- a political point out of the plight of other people, that is, the detainees themselves. Does he know that the detainees have been freed after the investigation, until they started to come out with a new press release again to refute what they had said earlier? When the news first broke out that the First Secretary of the US Embassy, Mr "Hank" Hendrickson had been meddling in the Singapore political scene, most Singaporeans actually reacted with disbelief. Most people have looked upon the US as a friendly country. We have very good relations with the US and have been most supportive of them in the international forum. Singapore leaders had been warmly received with red carpet treatment while they visited the US, and the same warm hospitality was also accorded to the US officials and leaders when they visited Singapore. Therefore, precisely because we feel that the US is our friend, most Singaporeans felt very hurt by this transgression of the US in our domestic affairs. As loyal Singaporeans, I feel that we should come forth and strongly voice our displeasure and discontent on the improper behaviour of these high-ranking US officials. Let me relate an incident to show how the people of another country reacted to this interference of the US officials in our domestic politics. I was in Taipei, Taiwan, about two weeks ago with other Singaporeans. When the taxi drivers of two taxis that we rode in found that we were Singaporeans, their immediate and spontaneous response was to express their strong views against the US action. They criticized the US for interfering with Singapore's domestic politics, and they praised the Singapore Government for doing the right thing in expelling the errant US official.”
“I think it is even more despicable, Sir, for a Member to try to score ---”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I strongly support the motion moved by the Members for Braddell Heights and Radin Mas. Earlier, the Member for Potong Pasir made a sweeping accusation of my colleague, the Member for Telok Blangah, by saying that he is an unfeeling person. Does he know that the Member for Telok Blangah is actually a doctor and, therefore, he has a lot of feelings for people and care for people?”
“Sir, I am very pleased to hear from the Minister that he would consider extending the scheme on use of CPF for education. But so far what I heard from him is that he is going to consider using CPF for the education of the children. Can I ask him whether he will also consider using CPF for self-education? A person may miss a chance to go to University. After working for a few years, when he has some savings and there is some more money in the CPF, he may feel that it is time for him in his early 30s to go for a tertiary education. And the savings in the CPF, ie, his own savings, would help him towards paying for his expenses, especially when he has to go overseas for his university education because probably he would not be able to enter into a local university. So I would like the Minister to include in his review whether he should consider allowing the use of CPF for self-education as well.”
“Sir, will the Ministry make a press release so that all the residents in Bishan West Estate will know about this change?”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“A clarification, Sir. My suggestion on the quality award is for individuals and companies who have been making significant contributions to promote quality awareness in Singapore, and not for the products which are more a matter of design and R&D. BG Lee Hsien Loong: We will consider this. It is a good idea to have an award. But then Singaporeans are not such that you need an award for every praiseworthy objective which we wish to promote.”
“They have introduced a module on quality and quality improvement in the COSEC programme. They have conducted lectures and training programmes on quality and how to measure it. We have held management seminars on quality, culminating in the national congress on quality last October. And we have held two national QCC conventions plus an international exposition of QCCs in December last year. So there are quite a number of activities. It is an interest which extends also to the services sector. In fact, as the Member for Thomson is likely to be aware, we have been consulting the private sector on how to raise quality awareness amongst Singapore firms. Amongst the members from the private sector are some from the Singapore Quality Reliability Association. So the links have been established. Secondly, quality awareness in the services sector is also a matter of concern. We have been meeting with many service sector industry associations to discuss the problem and obtain their views, which we will incorporate into our plans. Finally, national quality awards. As I said on Friday in answer to a question from the Member for Boon Lay, we have introduced a national good design award to encourage companies to produce well designed products and quality would be one of the relevant factors in awarding the good design award. If need be, we can consider establishing a quality award as well by a different name.”
“So it is important for us to continue to promote quality awareness and thereby improve the image of local Singapore products. The next point I would like to emphasize is that so far we have been putting a lot of attention on the promotion of quality in the manufacturing sector. I feel that we should also start to extend the promotion to the services sector. The services sector includes banking, retail, construction and the hotel trade. The Finance Minister in this year's Budget Statement also gave a lot of incentives to the services sector. The Member for Whampoa has just said that there is a need for more attention to be paid to data collection on the services sector. There are three points I would like to ask the Minister. First, whether his Ministry actually does have an interest to continue to promote quality awareness in Singapore, either as a self-contained programme, or as part of a bigger plan in terms of productivity and training promotion. Second, would the Minister also consider extending the quality awareness drive to the services sector which is going to be a very important sector for our future growth? The last question is that in recognition of organizations and individuals which have made significant contributions to quality promotions and activities in Singapore, will the Government consider giving away National Quality Awards to such individuals and organizations as has been done in the other cases of Productivity Awards and Good Manufacturing Practices Awards? BG Lee Hsien Loong: Sir, in answer to the questions, first, we do have an interest in quality awareness. We have quite a number of activities although they are not of the highest possible profile. For example, SISIR and NPB have jointly been promoting total quality control.”