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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“But I remember quite clearly, if he had read the Report and I hope he did read the Report, that the Committee actually mentioned that the factors are two-fold: both internal and external, and not just purely external. So please do not mislead the people. Of course, the facts are clear that our present situation has been caused by a critical convergence of many factors, both internal problems as well as external problems. The Member for Potong Pasir also mentioned that while we are having a recession now, our neighbouring countries are having a slight growth. But he forgot to mention that during the years of 1983 and 1984, Singapore was actually experiencing high growth, substantial high growth, while our neighbouring countries and some major Western economies were experiencing much lower growth. That indeed was the work of the Government. The Member for Potong Pasir mentioned that the Government interfered too much in the free market economy. I would like to point out that Government's involvement in the private sector or in business stems from the early days when there was a need for Government to play a part in stimulating higher employment, by going into business areas which the private sector found they were not in the position or prepared to take up. I would also like to mention the fact that it is because of a good and caring Government that today we have substantial reserves. Reserves of over $22 billion, this is about 60% of our Gross Domestic Product and about 3 to 6 months of our total yearly imports. This is a record which I think very few countries can achieve. On top of that, the Government has been very frugal in its expenditure. It has incurred very low foreign debts. Foreign debts today total less than $1 billion.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the motion proposed by the honourable Member for Changkat. After listening to the long speech by the Member for Potong Pasir, I would like to raise a point - which is, he did not mention at all whether he is in support of the motion or not. I take it to mean from his silence that he is in full support of the Government policies, in full support of the Economic Report, except for the few small points that he has raised. The study made by the Economic Committee is comprehensive and wide-ranging. This is the first time ever that the Government and the private sector have worked together in such a large scale to find ways to solve our economic problem. Twelve members were involved in the Economic Committee, but thousands of people were involved in other sub-committees. The extensive coverage and the cogent recommendations are a reflection of the efforts put in to search for the best solutions. This is a testimony, indeed, that the Government and the people are readily working together for our country's prosperity, contrary to what the Member for Potong Pasir wants our people to believe. He made a point that the whole Report is only for the business sector. He did not realize that it is only the business sector that can create jobs. The whole Report is about the creation of jobs for the people. Of course, temporarily, because of the economic downturn, our people have to bear some sacrifices. The Member for Potong Pasir mentioned that the Report tried to put the blame for the current economic downturn squarely on external factors.”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister whether he would consider certain arrangements which would help to alleviate the concern he has about the need to safeguard that there are enough savings for old age? For example, the amount that can be used for education can be limited to a certain percentage; or if the parent has used his CPF fund for the child's education, then later on when the child starts work he will be required to pay back that portion of the CPF from his own CPF contributions.”
“Even if the wife cannot earn as much as the husband, if she earns half as much as her husband, that is a 50% increase in family income. Our Labour participation rate for women is still low. There is a chart in the Annual Economic Survey which shows that for women in the 35-39 age group, only about 35% of them work, one-third; that means two-thirds are at home. They are probably looking after their families, but if we could find some way for them to work, even half the time, it would make a tremendous difference to their families and to our economy. So we would certainly look into it.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, just a point of clarification. I believe the Minister of State has not answered two of my points, the first of which is whether the TDB should consider setting up a Small Companies Unit; and the second is, how can we promote international purchasing offices to be set up in Singapore. BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, I apologize to the Member for Thomson. I overlook these two points. Indeed, TDB will consider setting up a Small Companies Unit. I will refer this suggestion to them for their consideration. On international purchasing offices, here, I think, our best strategy to encourage industries is the assurance that this is a stable country, and confidence that this is an efficient government. We have that, so we are able to attract not only international purchasing offices here, but also many other industries, many other firms, to this region. I will give EDB the suggestion on international purchasing offices. I think we have certain natural advantages geographically which the companies can take advantage of, and I am sure they will follow up. On women in the labour force, the Member for Changkat asked whether we have any plans. We have been working on this for some time now. It is not only a matter of child-care centres, but also of attitudes and institutional arrangements to be worked out, so that women can participate in part-time work, half-day work, interrupt for a few years to have children, and come back to work. We have discussed this extensively. It is something which we should work on. Our labour participation rate for women is still low, and the best way for a family to raise its standard of living and increase its income is for the wife to work, if the wife is not working.”
“The second point about export subsidies is that not only are they contrary to the GATT code, but they also attract very specific and very inconvenient attention from our trading partners. At a time when many countries, particularly the United States, are preoccupied with trade deficits, any attempt by a trading partner to give some special concessions to his company so that he can sell more is treated with grave suspicion, and examined with legalistic minuteness. It is not only a matter of looking and being embarrassed, but also of counter-measures being taken. The Americans have a system of countervailing duties. For those Members who do not understand, I should explain. It means that if they find a Singapore company is getting an export subsidy of, say, 10%, then to compensate for that, they will impose a tax on the exports of 10% in the United States when you sell to them. So, if we subsidize, they will tax. In other words, take money from the Singapore Government and give it to the American Government. Those are called countervailing duties. And there are many pressure groups within countries with trade deficits, industries which are affected, which watch very carefully their market conditions. If particular unfair benefits are given to companies, they prod their legislators to take action against these companies and to impose countervailing duties. Once imposed, they are very hard to remove. So we have to be very careful when we talk about export promotion. I think we have to work hard at it, but it is difficult and may be counter-productive to subsidize it. 12.00 pm”
“Encouraging local companies to export is a serious problem. The Member for Radin Mas mentioned this yesterday. It is very difficult to export overseas, because we have to break into the markets, and unless you are familiar with the markets, unless you have contacts there, you cannot break in. The Government helps quite a lot. The Economic Development Board has overseas offices in 13 cities and two more honorary representatives elsewhere. The Trade Development Board has 12 overseas offices and five honorary representatives. Their job is not only to answer questions when asked, but actively to go out and solicit business, to discover new opponunities, and to feed this information back to our companies in Singapore, so that we can take advantage of it. The Trade Development Board does have an Information Resource Centre. It is a library which shall be upgraded, so that if anybody wants information he can find a directory of businesses, know what the rules are, know which government departments to go to for licences and permits. It will be done. As for the suggestion on export promotion, the Minister has replied, and explained the sensitivity of it. I would add two points on export promotion. One, nearly every company in Singapore lives on exports, either directly or indirectly. Even if you make chips which you sell to Texas Instruments, Texas Instruments does not sell them in Singapore. It sells them in America or in Europe. Every company goes for exports. Everybody has to export. To say that you are giving export incentives is not to make a sectoral concession but actually to give it across-the-board.”
“If a company decides to bring in foreign staff, I presume they have compelling reasons to do so, and that the expatriates are able to provide something which our people have not yet been able to provide. The solution is for us to upgrade ourselves, not for us to keep out expatriates. The Member for Kaki Bukit made some suggestions on improving private sector economic planning, and on the progress of the Economic Committee which I am chairing. I thank him for his suggestions, which we will certainly consider in the work of the Committee. It is indeed the purpose of the Economic Committee to involve the private sector in this process of looking ahead, of forecasting where the niches are, what the possibilities are, what developments offer considerable growth over the next 10, even 20 years. It is a difficult job. It is one which will require vast experience, a wide diversity of background, and a considerable power of judgment, even clairvoyance. So we really need people who know their business, who can loo ahead and can tell us what they think w should do. Indeed, we will keep the Committee small, and have many sub-committees so that as many people as possible can be involved and can express their views. The process of consultation continues. We do not need an Economic Committee just to start the consultation process. It is a process which has been in existence and shall continue after the main report has been completed. And if the Committee is a successful one, then I am sure the links which have been established in its work will be maintained and will serve to modify the plan, and to generate further ideas in years to come. The Member for Thomson spoke about trade promotion and using private sector ideas. That is what we are doing.”
“Perhaps this library can be upgraded to serve this function and the library could be computerized to provide an efficient service. BG Lee Hsien Loong: Sir, I will respond to the points from the Member for Toa Payoh first. He asked why foreign trading firms were allowed to set up in Singapore and squeeze out some Singapore companies. We in Singapore operate a free market economy. Foreign firms are free to set up here, to do business here, to enter into arrangements with Singapore businessmen here and, when these arrangements no longer suit their needs, to terminate these arrangements according to legally and commercially acceptable terms. It is not the policy of the Government to give protection to a particular domestic sector, however long established it may have been, because the Government does not believe that it is in the long-term interests of the economy to do so. Singapore is so small that it is not feasible for us to produce things ourselves in order to generate employment, in order to generate markets within the country, in order to be self-sufficient in a way which a large country like the US or Japan can be, If a local firm is to compete, it must have something to offer which a foreign firm does not have to offer. It has to upgrade itself. It has to provide specialized skills. It must do something which an expatriate cannot do. From the point of view of the company, I am sure they would much prefer to operate with Singaporean staff than with expatriate staff, because it is very expensive to bring an expatriate to Singapore. The overheads, the allowances, the family and so on, are not expenses to be entered into lightly. Certainly it will not be done for emotional reasons.”
“Perhaps the Ministry could consider extending the Double Deduction Allowance Scheme to cover some of these expenses, Next, Sir, I would like to move on to how we can help to encourage More multinational companies to set up their international purchasing offices in Singapore. As we know, the Pacific region is going to be one of the fastest growing markets in the future. It is the region where we will see very fast growth in the 80s and the 90s. Many multi-national companies will be looking towards this region for the supply of cheap parts, components and products. There are several low-cost producers in this region which could manufacture products, components and parts much cheaper than the Western economies. Therefore, there will be many multinational companies which will be looking towards this region to explore how they can source from all these low-cost producers in the region. Therefore, the Ministry or the TDB could consider establishing schemes that can encourage such multinational companies to establish their purchasing offices in Singapore. Finally, Sir, the last point I would like to raise is on whether we should establish an Information Resource Centre in Singapore to help such foreign as well as local traders. Our traders would need information on the suppliers in the region, the buyers who can buy their products, and information on contacts they can establish in all these foreign markets. Therefore, if the Ministry or the TDB would consider setting up an Information Resource Centre, I suggest within the TDB, to help our local and foreign traders, it will be of great assistance to them. I gather that there is a library in the TDB.”
“At the moment, we have a Small Industries Unit in the EDB which primarily takes care of small industries in terms of manufacturing and local operations. The proposed Small Companies Unit in the TDB would be a useful follow,up from there to help our local companies to look for export opportunities and export markets. Next, Sir, I would like to move on to a suggestion on how we can help some of our new technology companies in establishing themselves in Singapore. The Government is promoting new technology companies with new products and services to be established in Singapore. These companies will face difficulties in opening up potential markets because invariably their products are new to the region. In fact they are new to buyers and users both locally in this region. Therefore, they will have to spend greater efforts and resources to open new markets and opportunities. I would like to suggest that the Ministry or the TDB could consider helping such new technology companies. For example, at present we permit double deduction allowances for trade promotions and trade fairs overseas. Perhaps the Ministry could consider expanding this Allowance to include new companies which are looking for new markets to help them defray their promotional expenses in the first few years of operation. For example, they could spend money and effort in organizing seminars to introduce their products. They could spend money and effort in attending trade conferences, trade fairs and exhibitions, both locally and overseas.”
“Sir, like my colleague, the Member for Kaki Bukit, I have also worked at the Ministry of Trade and Industry. There are several areas of interest to me. This morning I shall confine the points which I would like to raise to trade matters. Since presently in this House we have a Member who is also the Chairman of the Trade Development Board, I hope we have a sympathetic ear. First of all, Sir, as stated by the Minister for Finance in his Budget Statement, he said that in the 1980s the engine of economic development should be the private sector and not the Government. Therefore, in the same direction I would suggest that there should be more private sector involvement in the trade promotion activities of the Trade Development Board. It is the private sector members who would know best where are the new market opportunities, where are the market niches which will be opening up in the world, They will be the persons who know what needs and requirements they have to establish themselves in these new markets. Therefore, it is only appropriate that in future there should be more private sector involvement in the trade promotion activities. Next, Sir, I would like to speak a little on our small local traders and small local companies. This is one group of com- panies that needs assistance and help from our Trade Development Board. They will find difficulty in gaining access to foreign markets. They will find difficulties in establishing contacts in some of the major growth markets in the region, such as Japan, Australia and China. Therefore, if the Trade Development Board would consider setting up a Small Companies Unit specially to look into ways and means on how we could help such small companies, it would be of great assistance to them.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Minister of State whether exercises have been conducted regularly to test the operational readiness of the units, how often are they conducted and, if they have been conducted, how effective they have been? BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, as I explained, we do two kinds of exercises. One is sudden activation exercises for units which are on standby. That means, they must load up, go out, do an exercise, conduct an operation and demonstrate their fitness. The second kind of exercise which we do is a mobilization exercise, where we press the button, call people back from their civilian careers, and they have to come back to camp and get equipped and get ready to fight, within about a day. We do both, regularly, and we are quite satisfied with the results.”
“Minister may also consider whether the Trustees Act should be reviewed to allow trust funds and other similar institutions which have to abide by the Trustees Act to invest in a wider range of investments. 11.30 am As far as I can ascertain, the schedule for permitted investments has not been amended for some years now. The basic objective is to allow more flexibility and opportunities for fund managers to innovate and to think out new investment instruments. If the Minister will consider these proposals, it will lead to a higher rate of return for funds held by statutory boards and trust funds. More importantly, it will lead to a larger pool of funds for investment in Singapore, thereby leading to higher sophistication and expertise in fund management in our banking and finance sector.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to raise a few comments on the development of fund management expertise in our banking sector. Our banking and finance industry is fairly established now. In the Minister for Finance's Budget Statement, he mentioned that the next stage of development of Singapore as a financial centre will be in the promotion of fee-based financial services. This means that we will have to attain a higher level of sophistication in our fund management expertise. To foster the advancement of fund management expertise in Singapore, it is necessary to have a sufficiently large critical size of participants. At present, one sizable group of corporate treasurers is restrained from full participation in fund management market. These are the corporate treasurers of the statutory boards and the managers of trust funds. Their fund management expertise is constrained because they have to invest in accordance with the Trustees Act. The Act allows them to invest only in certain investments with low risk exposure. I have two suggestions to make, Sir. The first is that the Minister for Finance could consider, approving on a case-by-case basis, allowing statutory boards with wellestablished treasury departments to invest a certain proportion of their funds in a wider range of investments. Perhaps the Hon. Minister could look into the case of the UK where, from what I could ascertain, there are two schedules in the UK Trustee Investment Act. These two schedules permit companies which have to abide by the Act to invest in two categories of investments involving different scales of risks. My second suggestion, Sir, is that along the same vein, the Hon.”
“Sir, I am speaking on a slightly different topic.”
“The last point, Sir, is on feedback. "Feedback" seems to be a very popular word nowadays. It is important that the reservists, the national servicemen and their parents have an opportunity to provide feedback to the Ministry of Defence. I know that we have this scheme called the ACCORD which is to enable the public to understand national service training and reservist training better. But what we need is more feedback at the ground level - feedback from the soldiers themselves and feedback from the NCOs. Would the Minister consider whether we could open more channels of communication for parents, for national servicemen and for reservists to give feedback, suggestions and even complaints about their trainings?”
“May I suggest whether the Ministry will consider granting, during the yearly in-camp training, one full day a week to allow the whole reserve unit to go off and attend to their personal matters, or go back to their offices to, at least, keep track of things in their offices. This, I believe, will help reduce the number of requests for deferment or for leaves during in-camp reservist trainings. The next point I would like to ask the Ministry to consider is an issue which has been given some publicity last year, and that is on the upgrading of reservists. As a reservist gets older, he gains advancement in his private career and he continues to attain a high station in his life. I feel that he should also be given opportunities to upgrade himself during his reservist training, so that he can have a chance to contribute more and at the same time, earns a higher position within the ranks. May I ask the Minister for an update on what has been done so far on the programme to upgrade private soldiers to NCOs, and from NCOs to officers. May I just add here, Mr Speaker, Sir, that I myself have gone through full-time national service and I am now a reservist. An hon. Member: Vested interest.”
“Thank you. Sir, our reservists, to my mind, have contributed substantially to the defence of our country and to our national security. They have to spend, first of all, 2 1/2 years of full-time national service and then they have to go on yearly in-camp trainings. I think our reservists should be treated as valued citizens. But somehow, Mr Speaker, Sir, I have the impression that our reservists are treated at a disadvantage compared to other citizens. May I quote an example? Normally, a citizen will be able to get a five-year international passport. But the reservists could only get a yearly renewal of their international passports. This, I believe, Sir, is inequitable. Why should they be treated at a disadvantage? One reason could be that there is a fear in the Ministry of Defence that our reservists would abscond. But may I ask the Ministry whether they consider the mere issue of an international passport on a yearly basis would be a sufficient deterrent or hindrance to a reservist should he want to abscond? In any case, he had spent 2,3 years on full-time national service and is prepared to defend the country. Why should he not be treated as equal to other citizens? Why should he not be given the same rights as other citizens? There may be other similar cases or instances where reservists are put at a disadvantage. May I ask the Ministry to reconsider such measures and to treat our reservists in a fair and equal manner? Next, I would like to move on to some suggestions which I feel would be beneficial and helpful in reservist training. The first is that almost every year, reservists have to go for in-camp trainings for a continuous period of two to five weeks.”
“Sir, i am speaking on the reservists. I am not sure whether it is on the same subject.”
“They have to be motivated by their own strong desire to succeed. Mr Speaker, Sir, may I come to one last point which is also related to the young, and this is on education. Not on streaming. I would like to make a point on higher education. Mr Speaker, Sir, I tend to feel that our University is too examination-oriented. There is this atmosphere in the University where the issue of paramount importance is to sit for examinations. I believe the University is a place where the students are supposed to assimilate new ideas, to open their minds to new thoughts. Somehow I get a feeling that all the students think about is to go to the library and study there. We saw a recent report about students queueing up to get a place in the library. Some Hon. Members from the University may know that there is such a thing as "red-spot books". The moment a lecturer mentions a title and the author in the classroom; after the lecture, you will see a stampede of students rushing for this "red-spot" book. Why they put a red spot on it is because they limit a student to borrow the book for only two hours. I believe we should inject more fun into our University, by bringing in perhaps people who could contribute to new ideas, like foreign students, or bringing in industries to see how the teaching curricula can relate to our future industrial growth to make our University more vibrant.”
“Such a club or association will enable them to share experience, give mutual encouragement and to provide an avenue for useful contacts. The Government can also give formal recognition to them by inviting members of the club to attend major policy discussions, especially in areas which they are involved. These new entrepreneurs have to keep lean and trim. They have to keep their overheads down. Therefore, should the Government heed the call in the last few days to review the payroll tax or the SDF levy, it would be a boost to them. In the Addendum to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, it is stated that the Ministry "will continue to offer tax and other incentives to encourage industries to move into new technologies." I hope that the Ministry, in drawing up the new incentives, will also have these new entrepreneurs in mind. In addition, the Government can help in other ways to foster the growth of such entrepreneurial spirit in Singapore. It can be done in the schools, in our polytechnics, and in our institutions of higher learning. I particularly enjoyed attending the open houses organized by the Ngee Ann Polytechnic where very often exhibits put up by students are quite novel and interesting. Perhaps there should also be emphasis on such exhibitions in the schools, and especially at the junior colleges. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to emphasize that, like the early pioneers, the entrepreneurs have to work hard. Although they can be given some form of encouragement by the Government, like a young sapling, to grow strong they must grow on their own will. Ultimately, the success will depend very heavily on the entrepreneurs themselves. They must have the guts to strike out on their own. They must have the fighting spirit.”
“They are those who have branched out into new areas and new technological sectors, such as computers, software engineering, electronics and semi-conductors. Let me cite two examples of what I consider as the new breed of entrepreneurs, The first is a company which makes micro-computers set up by three graduates and a first-year student from the Ngee Ann Polytechnic. They developed a micro-computer which is quite innovative and competitively priced. They have received some publicity last year in a local exhibition. They are making inroads into the computer market in Singapore and now they are trying to sell overseas. The second example is an industrial precision engineering company. This company was formed a few years ago by five colleagues who had been working together in one of our EDB training schools. They saw a market for industrial precision engineering components. They got together to supply big MNCs in Singapore which need such components. They have gone through a cycle of business growth and reversal. Now they are back on their feet again, making inroads into sales in Singapore and the region. Sir, these are the new breed of entrepreneurs who I believe deserve greater attention. But they face several difficulties. They have to keep -track of fast changing technologies and have to keep abreast with the latest advances in new concepts and ideas. They also have other difficulties. Singapore is a small market. They have to look offshore for greater business which in most cases are quite competitive. As they are quite new and unknown, it is difficult for them to sell their products. Therefore, the question is: what can Government do to help encourage and promote these entrepreneurs? I propose that the new entrepreneurs be encouraged to form a club or an association.”
“We often hear how our grandparents, parents, or forefathers, left for distant shores with only the shirts on their backs but armed with a pioneering spirit, drive and determination, how they struggled to eke out a living in such foreign lands. Those with foresight and enterprise amassed fortunes and built vast business empires. Others succeeded in their own way and they sunk roots in Singapore. These are our early pioneers. They are the ones who provided the locomotive which drove the engine of our past economic growth. Today, a new generation has grown up. They are schooled in the latest techniques and concepts. They are now poised to contribute not only professionally but also entrepreneurially to the growth of Singapore. These are our young men who in the past 10-15 years have joined the multi-national companies, learned new skills and have reached the top or senior positions in various companies in Singapore. In looking for greater challenges, an increasing number will be swelling the ranks of our entrepreneurs who are striking out on their own to make a mark for themselves. I believe these entrepreneurs deserve closer attention. Firstly, they reflect the dynamism and the impact of the younger generation on our economy. With their professional, managerial and technical skills, they will bring a new breadth and depth of experience into our local industries. They are young, vibrant and creative. They can match our nation's drive towards the vision that we all strive for. Secondly, the new entrepreneurs deserve our attention because they will be taking a lead in pioneering the move towards newer and higher technologies.”
“There is a need to get them involved in discussions and to speak their minds, just as the Leader of the House has asked us to speak our minds. I believe the new leaders themselves will think of mechanisms and channels to reach out to them. May I offer a few simple suggestions? Yesterday, the First Deputy Prime Minister mentioned that in future he would conduct discussions. May I suggest that the young should also be asked to participate in such discussions. We could have forums and dialogues with the young, such as those that have been held with community leaders in the past. The new leaders could also go to the University and talk to the students there. They could conduct talks at the community centres. Another way is through television. We have seen in the past four days the power of television. The new Members, after making their maiden speeches, eagerly awaited the evenings to see their star performances on television. I believe television will become a very important means of communication. It will be useful if the new leaders could in future organize TV talks to explain policies to the people, especially to the young. Related to the issue of the young, I would like to raise another matter which I think should deserve a little more attention. This is on the matter of entrepreneurship in Singapore. I believe there is the growth of a new entrepreneurship in Singapore. Various people have lamented in the past about the lack of entrepreneur- ship in Singapore. I have always been a little surprised by such statements. I believe that we do have an enterprising or pioneering spirit in us. Our forefathers were Asian immigrants who enjoyed a reputation of hardy pioneers and entrepreneurs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the motion moved by the Member for Ayer Rajah in expressing our thanks to the President for his Address at the opening of this Parliament. Sir, you might be relieved to know that I will not bring into my speech imageries of modes of transportation which have been brought into this House in the last four days. We have been brought on bus rides, mountain climbing, football in our business suits, ride a bicycle in tandem, or attending to children who are crying. I would like to raise a few issues with regard to the young. Mr Speaker, Sir, in the President's Address, listed as the first objective of the Government is to "reach an accord on the character of the society people desire, and involve the young in working towards its achievement." I agree that it is important to get the young involved. Today, about 35% of our people are below 19 years old. 40% of them are in the age group between 20-39 years old. I believe people in this age group of 20-39 will play an important role in building the new society that we wish to create. By the year 1999 they will be in the prime of their lives - in their mid-30s to their early 5Os. It is mainly on the shoulders of this group of people that the responsibility of achieving the new goals will fall. Do we know enough about this group of people? What are their aspirations? How do they spend their time? What are their motivations? What kind of society do they themselves want? I think there is a definite need to understand this group of people better. They must first believe in the goals that our new leaders have set out for them. Therefore, I think there is a need to draw them out. There is a need to reach out to them.”