Lily Neo
Singapore
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I ask Minister for Health on MOH's capacity in coping with serious cases of COVID-19 in terms of adequacy in respirators and in our ICU beds. Am I correct to say that already half of NCID's ICUs are taken up? What will happen when it reaches its full capacity?”
“But even so, with the right measures of social and medical assistance in place to assist them with their daily living, they can still age gracefully in the comfort of their own homes.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Yes, I will keep it short. Minister earlier said that MSF will proactively reach out to families in HDB rental homes to assist them, to possibly buy their own HDB flats. Many of these families lamented that they cannot afford it. How does the Minister plan to do it?”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. May I ask the Minister whether there is a possibility of more widespread community spread of COVID-19? And will MOH be able to cope with this? And whether does our Government have more specific measures in place to cope with this scenario?”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Earlier in my speech, I asked whether there are assessments by HDB for applicants of Joint Singles Scheme (JSS) to ensure that they are free from mental illnesses and medical conditions before compelling them to stay together.”
“Many of them have lived in rental housing for more than six years and some more than 10 years. Thus, there are signs of entrenchment. What are the schemes in place and the success rate of such schemes, to assist them in looking for better options in their housing needs and to help them get out of their predicaments?”
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“I believe that, in the IT era, this channel will prove to be the preferred choice for many of our IT-savvy and busy young people to acquaint and befriend each other. The Government, Sir, should spearhead more social-support factors. I am of the opinion that encouraging marriages with financial enticements would not be a good idea. This is in contrast with the case of encouraging couples to have bigger families with financial incentives. Parents and young people should abandon the mindset that students should not court until they have graduated and are established in their careers because by then, it becomes increasingly difficult to meet and to start courting. Young people would be well-advised to be responsible adults who are accountable in relationship, responsible towards each other and sensible in pursuing studies simultaneously with a relationship without jeopardizing one for the other. To conclude, Sir, no Government can dictate people to get married or to have more children. Our Government, however, can facilitate the people to fulfill their family wishes and one of the best ways to do this is through helping them to harmonise work and family. While the Government can make it more conducive for people to get married and have bigger families, the eventual result rests on the expectations of parents, their ability to juggle and manage time better. Sir, the crux of the whole issue and the solution lies, ultimately, in the hands of all Singaporeans themselves. They must have the correct attitude towards what they want in life. They must believe that fulfilment in life depends on a balance between their work responsibilities and their family needs rather than a compromise on one for the other.”
“Expand avenues for courtship and marriage One in three Singapore adults in their early 30s is still single. And 16.5% of them remain single well into their 40s, compared to just one in 10 in 1990. According to the 2000 Census, 27% of men in their late 30s were unmarried, while 18.5% of women in this age group were single. Unlike single women, many of whom are graduates, two-fifths of the over 77,000 single men above 35 have secondary education or less. The Social Development Unit (SDU) was set up in 1984 by the People's Association to promote marriage among graduates. Since then, 21,400 SDU members have got married. The Social Development Service (SDS) was set up in 1985 to create opportunities for non-university graduates. Since then, 87,000 SDS members had married. SDU and SDS have done well and should be further supported to expand their roles to achieve higher targets. In today's context of busy schedules and less time to meet and to court, more avenues for people to interact are essential. One in five single British men and women is turning to dating agencies and personal advertisements to start relationship, confirming a trend researchers have found that modern lifestyle and job demands are killing traditional courtship. Facilitating and providing avenues for young people to come together in the schools, polytechnics, universities and community centres and so on will give them the opportunity to intermingle with peers within their cohorts. This opportunity may not be there once they start their working life. Credible websites run by Government agencies or reputable private organisations that ensure correct and certified data of individuals will be useful.”
“The current withdrawal limit of $2,000 per treatment cycle up to a maximum of three cycles per patient for a procedure costing near $10,000 per treatment cycle is far too low. Our adoption procedure should be made less onerous to enable couples to adopt children. There are many cases where, despite exhaustive treatment, couples may still not be able to conceive. For them, adoption is an option and they should be assisted. Encourage earlier childbearing Publicity and promotion of early childbearing age should be done extensively to educate the public on the medical disadvantages of pregnancy in older women. In Singapore, 16.8% of pregnancies involve older women. This figure far exceeds the developed world's average of 8%. Here, an average of 17 out of every 100 women who give birth is above the age of 35. Pregnancy in older women carries increased risks for mums and babes. These include miscarriages, pregnancy complications and complicated deliveries. There is also a higher risk for chromosomal abnormalities, the most common one being Down's syndrome. For women aged 25 and below, the chances are one in 800, but by the age of 40, the rate increases to one in 63. Enhanced pro-family practices Enhancing practices that will promote family unity and procreation is necessary. For instance, the option for mothers to have extended unpaid maternity leave, whilst available, is not widely accepted. This common practice in both the public and private sectors in the western countries and in Australia allows for working mothers to extend their maternity leave by up to six months. Mothers get to spend more time with their babies during the post-delivery period, a time which is crucial for mother-baby bonding and is certainly a pro-family ideal.”
“Enhance fertility, childbearing and family bonding There is a general tendency for the younger people in our workforce to put off courtship, marriage and childbearing to very much later in their lives. Often times, the reasons for this trend has to do with the ability to balance work commitments with other aspirations in life. There are unfortunate consequences when the pressure to succeed first at work leads to late marriage and childbearing. Hence, in our efforts to address the balance between work and family commitments, we have to look at alleviating some of the problems facing us concerning procreation. Sir, the following are some aspects worth our consideration. Help the subfertile The chances that a fertile couple would need more than a year to produce a child doubles from 8% when the man was 25 years old to 15% when he was over 35. If our men do not make an effort to date, to get married, to go back early to spend time with their wives and their children, how do we achieve our ideal families? The prevalence of infertility in Singapore is about 10% of married couples, of which the men constitute about 30% to 40% of the contributory factor. The female is responsible for about 40% to 50%. The remaining 10% to 30% may be idiopathic or caused by contributing factors in both partners. Therefore, let us address this sad issue at both genders from the outset. These 10% of married couples often have to endure tremendous physical, emotional and financial hardships. Sir, I feel that these couples should be helped as fertility medical treatment can be time-consuming and very expensive. The Medisave withdrawal limit for the most costly procedure, intro-vitro fertilisation (IVF), should be reviewed.”
“This will ease a lot of the pressures on students, parents and teachers. Many parents have expressed their concerns on streaming of children at Primary 4. They still perceive that EM1 students will have better peers and teachers, when, in fact, it may not be the case since the difference lies only in the mother tongue sessions that the students attend. Now that the requirements for mother tongue have been relaxed for university entry, parents should be reassured on the nature of streaming at Primary 4. It is unfortunate that, in any year, there is also some sort of banding of the students involved in Primary 4. However, banding students has been in practice for decades and is something parents have accepted. It would be worthwhile for the Ministry of Education and schools to put in more effort to better inform the parents on this issue to alleviate the stress associated with this. Having flexibility in varsity-entry criteria will ease the stress from many students and parents. Parents can then be at ease to allow their children to develop their own unique potential though it may not conform to the norm. Universities should not be too fixated on accepting students with a string of straight A's. Recently, a visiting molecular geneticist, Professor Tsui Lap Chee, said that he himself did not qualify for the university. He did brilliantly in biology, but merely passed his other subjects. Fortunately, the Department of Biology's head at the Chinese University of Hong Kong was so impressed with his biology grades that he persuaded the University to make an exception in his case. If the University had not bent the rules, he would not be where he is today - a world-renowned pioneer.”
“Many of them have less than the eight hours of sleep that is needed, especially for children. With the need to revise their schoolwork, do homework and projects, participate in ECAs, go for tuition, and so on, there is indeed a lot for the children to cope with in a day. On top of this, the parents have to rush to work, bring kids to the childcare centres or grandparents, etc, all within that same time-frame. Pre-school children or babies may have to be woken up, sometimes in the wee hours, to fit around their older siblings' schedules. Sir, we should aim for schooling hours to start at 8.30 in the morning. Most schools in the Western world start anytime from 8.30 to 9.00 in the morning. There has been too much emphasis on academic achievement and examination-based orientation in our school system. There is this concern that children are only "exam-smart" and, rather than a really well-rounded education, a lot of emphasis is given towards passing examinations and scoring A's. This will not hold well in the new economy. A well-rounded child may not be exam-smart, scoring straight A's and all, but may be able to think creatively and have a higher EQ. The Government has recognised that creativity is important and the old way of rote learning is out. But can we really grade critical and creative thinking? And, Sir, how do we transit into the new way? Are there existing policies that impede this transition? The criteria for the ranking of schools may have to be expanded to lessen the emphasis on academic achievements and grade scores. More weightage should be on other markers relevant to the present times; thus, ranking should take attainments in developing the potentials of students in information technology, sports and the arts into consideration.”
“Many from the lower-income group cannot afford this and often feel pressured for being unable to give their children the "best" through private tuition. Personal coaching is often impossible because they hold full-time jobs. Moreover, much of the syllabus is beyond them anyway; this would be even more so for the lesser-educated parents. It will be a good idea if our schools can provide the same sort of tutorial classes after normal school hours, not for giving the children extra work but for helping them cope with their "homework". Insofar as helping parents with school-going kids balance work and family commitments, we may perhaps try matching work hours with school hours. Sir, since we are tending towards single-session schools, we can have the children stay back in the school to do their "homework" or have "remedials" while their parents are still at work. Another way to help parents, especially working parents, is to organise the extra-curricular pursuits, like learning drama, piano, ballet and so on, collectively in the schools after classes. This will save parents having to ferry their children to and from different places for these hobbies. I can see such a system helping Singaporean parents save much time, effort and money. Let us make our schools more holistic and comprehensive in nature. Whilst on the issue of schooling hours, I submit that the starting times are far too early at the moment. This is especially so if a child is not in a neighbourhood school, because the average journey from home can easily take 45 minutes. It is a common sight to see many school children at bus interchanges all over the island at around 6.20 in the morning. These children and their parents have to get up very early indeed.”
“Parents should be supportive and encourage their children in their education, and they should not push their children to beyond limits of the children's capabilities. This will cause unnecessary "stress" to themselves and their children. Mr Speaker, Sir, not all our children can go to university but the support should be to maximise each child's potential, whatever it may be. Success may not necessarily come from highest education alone. Note that our homegrown and remarkably successful businessman, Mr Sim Wong Hoo, graduated from the polytechnic and not the university. We do have to try to convince Singaporeans that success does not come from highest education alone. The Government must also show the example by not selecting and promoting people in the civil service with highest academic qualifications alone but also with other and different criteria. In 1998, 2,358 new cases of children aged below 18 were registered at Government psychiatric clinics. In almost 95% of the cases, the children were not mad; they were just stressed out. Half of these cases were children from primary schools, 35% from secondary schools and 15% were pre-schoolers. Stress at school was mentioned as one of the reasons for becoming depressed. My view is for teachers not to overload pupils unnecessarily with homework and tests. Syllabus needs to be revamped to make it less demanding so that the teacher can complete it and the students can understand what has been taught. For the above-average students, there is always the option for them to be given more challenging "add-ons". Is our school system so inadequate, Sir, that many parents turn to private tuition for their children?”
“It is disturbing to know that quite a number of couples did not have anybody to fall back on to mind their children when childcare centres and kindergartens were closed during the recent hand, foot and mouth disease epidemic. Address the Stress of Education The study by Dr Stella Quah of the National University of Singapore, on the Singapore Family, revealed that the greatest worry for about 45% of them came from the problems associated with their children's education. Singaporean parents have also frequently mentioned children's education as the contributory factor in opting for smaller families. Sir, I doubt many will fault our education system in terms of first-rate facilities, in terms of fantastic academic results, and even in terms of free and fair opportunities for all our children. The Government and educators spare no effort in trying to let our young have the best. We should all be glad. But we moan and we are disgruntled and dissatisfied. And we tell the world and allow the world to tell us how stressed we are from the education of our children. I contend, Sir, that some of the problems may have to do with our mindset on "success" and "competition for success". The "comparing" nature is something that has been encouraged in all of us because we have been trained to strive to be better than others, and there is no clear level when enough is enough. We are a success-orientated nation. It is only natural for parents to want success and the best for their children. Having the drive for success and for betterment is not a bad thing at all. But when such urge becomes excessive and begins to look like a survival prerequisite, then it is not good.”
“Parenting and homemaker tasks should be shared between spouses. The joy of bringing up children should be shared and experienced by both parents. Women whose husbands do not help out with childrearing and domestic chores are more stressed out. Research into marital satisfaction among Singaporean women showed a direct correlation between stress levels in women and the amount of help they get at home. Sir, many Singapore men want to be better fathers and husbands, but face constraints due to pressure at work and the lack of time. Therefore, it is timely to look towards a family-orientated society, with priority given to family needs. I am glad that our Government has recognised the partnership of child-bearing and homemaking by granting paternity leave. More effort should be spent in this area, such as further incentives and campaign to change the stereotyped mindset of many men regarding parenting and household responsibility. The Government should take the lead in changing the mindset of fathers and encouraging them to be equal partners in raising families. Strengthening family ties, better bonding with extended families and neighbourliness are areas worth cultivating. Community-based organisations should organise more activities in grassroots programmes to promote these virtues. Our CCC, CCMC, CDC and Town Councils can be active partners too. As the trend is for Singapore families to get smaller, extended families will not be the norm soon. And since they are all working, many will become too busy for interaction with families and friends. Such a trend, Sir, is bad and must be addressed.”
“There are families who cannot afford to have full-time maids, but will benefit from several hours of help per week from part-time foreign domestic maids. Also ad-hoc child-minders, as and when circumstances arise, will be useful, for example, to mind children who are ill and cannot attend childcare centres and whose parents cannot take emergency leave and so on. Sir, the recent shutdown of childcare centres due to the hand, foot and mouth disease is a good example where this scheme would have served very well. This would be especially so for those parents who did not have relatives and friends who could mind their children for about 10 days. The inconvenience and economic loss would have been substantial as it involves about 140,000 children in 557 childcare centres and 440 kindergartens, if a majority of the parents cannot go to work. Enhance Family Ties and Obligations There is a need to inspire the young with a deeper sense of individual responsibility towards the family. Basic social etiquette and interpersonal skills should be taught and promoted. This will lead to our young being better equipped with skills in handling boy-girl relationship, marriage and parental responsibility, and so on. Such "values" transmission can be done through teachers in schools, through some sort of parent-school-community partnership, through religious and community groups, and through the media. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Community Development and Sports should look at these issues and be facilitative in this area. Traditionally, the father had been the sole breadwinner and the distant disciplinarian while mother was the nurturer and homemaker. In the present dual-income family, there should be a shift towards this perception of the roles of fathers and mothers.”
“Cooperation between the Government, VWOs and private organisations is necessary to establish and allocate childcare centres. The aim should be to have the centres conveniently located in relation to either the home or the workplace. This, in effect, calls for employers to consider providing childcare centres at the workplace. In this respect, Sir, I would like to suggest that our Government help private organisations in terms of grants towards this cause. Realising that land cost will be a major burden for most operators, it may be worth looking at ways to alleviate this to ensure these centres remain affordable. Childcare centres should be provided for private dwellers as well. There are many young families buying and moving into new condominiums in areas with no childcare centres nearby. The number of childcare centres that cater to children below 18 months of age should be increased, as there is a dire shortage of them. At the moment, there are only three such centres catering to a mere 44 babies, against 40,000 annual births. I understand that it is difficult to run such centres and that this could be due to difficulties in hiring suitable care-givers, including nurses, greater responsibility with children that are young, intensive labour force in terms of carer-to-children ratio, and susceptibility of young children to sickness. MCDS should look to solve some of these difficulties and facilitate private organisations to run such centres more willingly. For a start, the enlistment of retired elderly to care for children may work. The Government should allow the agencies to provide part-time maids to fill certain situations.”
“More such jobs should be made available to them. Employers must trust that work can also be done without staff at their seats within certain set hours. Part-time workers should be reimbursed on their CPF and medical benefits as for full-time workers. Also, many part-time workers do not get the same career advancement as for full-time workers. Contract workers, likewise, should have their lot enhanced. They should be provided adequate "safety net" benefits. Perhaps, the Government would look into these issues. Sir, as Singapore is a fast ageing society with a decreasing working to non-working ratio, the need for flexibility in work arrangement is destined to stay. The trend, in the not too distant future, will be for more people to require time off to look after their aged parents. Thus, pro-family policies at work should encompass the employee's responsibility towards their aged parents as well. Improve our childcare facilities Mr Speaker, Sir, Singapore is still short of childcare centres. MCDS is planning to increase the number of childcare centres by 25% to 58,000 within three years from the present 46,000 places. We should use this opportunity to better plan the childcare centres. And, besides numbers, better childcare centres should be provided for certified professionals and dedicated staff will give peace of mind to parents who now want professional care for their children. Enhancement of childcare facilities, such as more precinct-based childcare centres, developing "borrow-a-granny" and "share-a-maid" schemes, and so on, should be further facilitated. We should have the childcare centres evenly distributed throughout the island. In the newer HDB estates, where there are more young children, there is a need for such centres more urgently and in larger numbers.”
“I read in the Straits Times that the First Tennessee Bank in the United States which had taken the family-friendly route, saw a 7% increase in customer retention and a US$106 million increase in profits, two years after doing so. Employees who have work-family conflicts are three times more likely to think about quitting their jobs. In contrast, employees who have supportive workplace have greater job satisfaction and are more willing to put in extra effort to help the company succeed. Sir, the Government, being the largest employer in Singapore, should be championing a family-friendly civil service and must take the lead in this area. Facilitate women to participate in the workforce through flexible work arrangements like part-time work, flexi-time work, tele-work, and so on Flexibility in work arrangements must become more accepted by companies. The concept must be such that an employee may work non-normal hours so long as productivity is not compromised despite the unusual arrangements. I am glad that some of our Government Ministries have just started a pilot scheme of having extended public service hours that will result in staff having Saturdays off on a rotational basis. I hope this scheme will be extended to all public services in the near future. Thus, Mr Speaker, Sir, rotation between the staff to work certain time slots is possible and can enhance quality of life. With such flexi-time work, parents may then opt for certain "off-duty" time slots to coincide with their children's extra curricular activities, and so on. The opportunity for such interaction and contact with children is important; the prospect of more leisure time is an adjunct of a developed economy. Tele-working is well suited to women with young children.”
“In my meet-the-people sessions, I have, many a time, found it necessary to sympathise with some constituents who needed rental flats badly due to overcrowding. Often, they were sharing two-room or three-room flats with other members of their families. Worse still, some had their own babies coming on the way. Promote family-friendly work environment Sir, the United States has never tried shaping the birth rate or pushing any population policy, yet its fertility rate of 2.1 is the highest for the industrialised countries. Whilst immigration is an important contributory factor, a major difference is made by the US workforce that is more family-friendly now and is a source of support for working parents with children. The US has accommodated the need for two-earner families better than many European countries in various ways. Companies offer wide-ranging creative services from childcare to shoe repair, from paternity leave to a cafeteria that prepares take-home meals. The "Working Mother" magazine releases an annual ranking of the top 100 companies for working mums, and companies like to highlight that inclusion in this special list. Sir, a company's bottom-line need not be affected just because money is spent on family-friendly practices. After all, its money-making ability depends, to a large extent, on the well-being of its staff. The personal life of its employees can have a major impact on a company's performance. Employers who give their employees flexibility in balancing their work and personal lives will actually see an increase in profits.”
“Perhaps, for a start, we may look at the following: 1. There must be a change in the mindset of those employers who prefer employees with no family commitments in terms of hiring and job promotion, and so on. Some incentives and campaigns are certainly needed, indeed, in this area. 2. Incentives for big companies to set up their own childcare centres will ease many parents with the convenience of having their children at or near their workplace. This will benefit the working parents as they can conveniently deposit and pick up their children as well as visit them during tea breaks or at lunch time. 3. Our Government should consider providing free medical treatment for our pre-school children. The Singapore Government spends only about 1.1% of GDP on healthcare. This, Sir, is one of the lowest in a developed country where the usual average is about 5% to 7%. The healthcare burden on the people is high in Singapore. The public healthcare expenditure is 1.1% of GDP and the private healthcare expenditure is 2% of GDP or twice the amount spent by the Government. This contrasts significantly with that in England where the private share is only one sixth, in Australia where the private share is only half, and in Hong Kong and Malaysia where the ratio is roughly one to one. I feel it is, hence, reasonable to urge our Government to increase the spending on public healthcare for all Singaporean children. 4. Housing is an important consideration to most people. The incentive given to help a young couple own a flat is welcome indeed. More help should be given to those couples who prefer to rent flats instead, for a variety of reasons.”
“The governments there provide much less child-related allowances than the Nordic countries. These northern countries have some of the highest fertility rates in Europe and this despite the fact that the proportion of women in their labour force is also among the highest. Childcare services are widely available and are subsidised up to 85% in some cases. In addition, the labour markets in the northern European countries are a lot more flexible than in the rest of the region. Part-time jobs, flexible working hours and tele-working are not uncommon. Financial support, in the form of birth and child allowances, is provided and, in certain cases, up to the time the child reaches adulthood. It would appear that the higher TFR resulted from a more conducive environment for adults to have children without giving up or losing their jobs. Labour force incentives are more important than monetary incentives in their case. Mr Speaker, Sir, the announcement by Prime Minister Goh on baby bonuses, maternity leave for third child and setting up of a Ministerial Committee to study declining fertility is a good and welcome start. However, the incentives in monetary terms may make a bigger difference to those in the lower income families and not the better-off families who will look beyond the money incentives and look at childcare options, "stressful" education, career attainment and burden-free lifestyles. Additionally, administrative and workplace measures are the main concerns of many higher-income earners. Incentives on getting employers to provide practices that help workers harmonise work and family will be useful. Incentives that encourage companies to follow pro-family policies for their workers, especially for those with young families should be offered.”
“It is interesting to note that in Italy and Spain, where traditional gender expectations are similar to Singapore, the fertility rates were 1.2 and 1.4 respectively. In these southern countries of Europe, most childcare is still arranged privately (grandmothers take care of children while parents are at work and fathers do not look after children at all). There is this common expectation that parenting and household chores are the responsibility of the women. Sir, this is also the kind of stereotyped mindset that has been impinged on us for decades and is a major stumbling block, apart from other factors, for our present predicament. It is necessary for the socio-cultural attitude in Singapore to change with regard to gender acceptance. Men have to reconsider the role they must assume in the Singaporean households. Are they contributing to lighten the load of motherhood? Are fathers still clinging on to the cultures that foster the image of being not manly to do "women's work"? Are they having the "hands-off attitude" with regard to child-rearing and household chores? Sir, these old mindsets must go so that our womenfolk would become more willing to have more children knowing that they can have the support of their husbands. Set up comprehensive formulation and implementation of policies including positive actions In some of the northern European countries, government handouts and support have helped ease the burden of raising children. Denmark has a "total fertility rate" of 1.7, which is relatively higher compared to, say, Italy with a TFR of 1.2. Sir, the level of childcare facilities and parental benefits seems to make a significant difference. Most countries on the southern rim of Europe, such as Italy and Spain, have some of the lowest TFR on the continent.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That this House, recognising the need to maintain a balance between the demands of work and family responsibility, urges the Government to promote (a) family-friendly and pro-family work practices and facilities and (b) policies and programmes that support and strengthen the family. Sir, the issue of maintaining a balance between work and family is especially important and relevant to us at this very juncture of our nation's development. Harmonizing family and work is the key to happier families, to promote stable homes and thereby a stronger nation. The need to balance between work and family has become an issue that concerns everybody and involves equally both the fathers and the mothers of our families. It is no more just the concern of fathers alone who used to be the main providers of families. Singaporean women do contribute substantially to our economy considering that the share of females in the labour force was 42% last year. Now more than ever, Sir, women are required to be in partnership with men to bring our economy to new heights. This partnership should embrace a wider field of various areas like parenting, household chores, economic contributions, and so on. Maintaining a balance between work and family is also a crucial factor in our efforts to increase the "total fertility rate" (TFR) which currently stands, Sir, at a dismal 1.5 for Singapore. At present, many people lament on the lack of time for bigger family due to the need for both parents to work. Therefore, harmonizing work and family will certainly help address our declining birth rates. There are, of course, other contributory factors, such as the expectations of parents and their ability to better juggle and manage their time.”
“I am of the view that without the necessary clarification as to the commencement date, the same is capable of being interpreted as follows: (a) the date of application to the Board; (b) the date of the Board's order; (c) the date of cessation as a public accountant; or (d) the date of cessation as a director or an employee of the accounting corporation. Would it not be better to have new section 18(I)(7) read like new sections 18(I)(8) and 18(I)(9) to clarify the commencement date for new section 18(I)(7)? Sir, I also notice that the said clause does not state the consequence of a non-transfer of the voting shares. Will it not be more complete if another clause can be added to this part on "Additional grounds for winding up Accounting Corporation"? New section 18(K) - Management of accounting corporation Sir, I am of the view that this clause, in particular, the one-month period to source for another public accountant to fill the vacancy of directorship may be difficult for an accounting corporation with only two directors cum shareholders to comply with in the event of the directorship being vacated. May I ask the Minister whether the accounting corporation can be permitted to apply to the Board for an extension of time to comply with this clause before the expiry of the one-month period? May I also suggest that an accounting corporation be granted the right of appeal against the Board's decision to the Ministry in this regard. Sir, I support the Bill.”
“Sir, I stand to support the Accountants (Amendment) Bill. However, I would like to seek clarifications on several parts of this Bill. New section 18A - Approval for accounting corporation Sir, new section 18A(3)(b), c(i) and c(ii) incorporates the phrase "as may be prescribed". I am of the view that the aforesaid phrase creates an area of ambiguity as to: (i) who may make the prescription; and (ii) the mechanism prior to making such a prescription. Should there not be an additional clause added at the end of this part to clarify the aforesaid ambiguity, for example, a clause titled "Rules on Accounting Corporations"? This clause can be worded in the same manner as section 81H and of the Legal Profession Act (Cap 161 of the 1997 Revised Edition), namely: (i) the Minister may, after consulting the Board, make rules for the purposes of this Part; (ii) without prejudice to the generality of sub-section (1), any rules made thereunder may provide for prescribing anything which may be prescribed under this Part. Sir, may I ask the Minister whether there is a typographical error in new section 18A(3)(b) namely, "$50,000". Is it correct to have a comma at the end of "$50,000"? New section 18(I) - Shares of accounting corporation Sir, new section 18(I)(7) does not state the commencement date of the grace period, whereas new section 18(I)(9) sets out the commencement date. In this regard, I am of the opinion that new section 18(I)(7) creates an uncertainty as to the commencement date of the grace period.”
“May I ask the Minister what was the reason for the long delay in confirming the diagnosis of the recent hand, foot and mouth disease occurrence, whether there is now an improved channel for speedier laboratory confirmation of the hand, foot and mouth virus, and whether this virology testing is available to all doctors for earlier and correct diagnosis?”
“May I ask the Minister whether, for the control of the disease spread, child care centre operators are being facilitated by his Ministry on correct maintenance of the child care centres and on the proper screening of the students in the centres? May I also ask whether there is a new protocol for vigilance and pro-active closing of an infected centre to curb the disease spread and also avoid a nation-wide closure of the child care centres in the future?”
“May I ask the Minister whether there is a need to review the quantum of coverage for MediShield in keeping with the rising medical costs? Is the existing coverage adequate for those who have to fall back on MediShield? Has there been a study done on this?”
“As the life expectancy of Singaporeans has increased to about 80, why are we still sticking on to 75 years?”
“May I ask the Minister if it is correct to say that we are pegging the age of coverage of MediShield with the life expectancy of Singaporeans. As Singaporeans' life expectancy has increased, should not this age of coverage be increased in tandem?”
“May I suggest another important incentive, ie, to encourage young married couples to start having children earlier in order to address the present trend of later marriages and postponement of having children?”
“May I ask the Minister whether it is unfair to these couples who have responded to the call for having more children after the Prime Minister's announcement and yet be deprived of the "baby bonus" because of nature and not through the fault of their own?”
“Will the Minister clarify whether the "baby bonus" would be given to those who conceived after the announcement but deliver before 1st April 2001 due to unforeseen premature births?”
“We do not have the luxury of the land here, but the banks of our rivers and canals can be further maximised for this purpose. Sir, I would like to end by referring to what Prime Minister Goh said when he addressed grassroots organisations at the Triennial Conference in 1994, and I quote: "Our challenge is how to sustain our prosperity and continually improve the non-material, moral and spiritual aspects of our lives. Beyond prosperity, we can build a gracious society, a good society, a society of distinction."”
“It has also gone to the nurseries and kindergartens. Sir, this movement should be further supported to expand its programmes to target more people in our population and to be more active and innovative throughout the whole year. The National Courtesy Campaign has also made good progress over the past 22 years and should therefore expand further to reap better results on wider audience. More mass media use by them can bring about a culture of kindness and consideration amongst Singaporeans. (6) Promotion of culture and the arts. A vibrant society is not only reflected in its economy. It is also reflected in its culture and the arts. The appreciation and the love of literature and the arts are aspects of gracious living. We should heed the Chinese saying, lao ye jie he, which means "strike a proper balance between work and play". There are many areas for improvement to further develop our arts scene here. I am glad that the arts will receive a $50 million extra funding as part of Government's plans to turn Singapore into a world-class city with a vibrant cultural scene. The key to the success of Government's five-year investment in the arts is that the audience base must grow in tandem with the funding. Sir, it will be no good if we could afford stage production after stage production with no audience support. Hence, more effort must be spent in this area. The flagship-companies scheme must also include training and developing talent, churning out productions that are creative and commensurate with the audience level and opening their doors beyond the exclusive clique of the artistes and taking on the responsibility of bringing the arts to a wider audience. In many major cities of the world, parks are areas for relaxation and are ideal locations for sculptures.”
“I believe that the People's Association's involvement in this promotion will have beneficial results especially in coordinating with our grassroots organisations and in co-sponsoring the different activities organised by our community centres. (4) Graciousness as second nature in our young. Sir, our young will be the future of Singapore. Effort should be stepped up especially for this group when they are at the susceptible years. Starting from as early as pre-school, just in very simple story-telling with an activity to reinforce their learning will be useful. Children pick up things very quickly. Learning to be gracious is not quite like learning a textbook subject. The goal is to make graciousness second nature. More innovative ways of imbuing this attitude in our students have to be delivered in our school system. Currently, schools have life skills and community service programmes that they can broadly interpret and apply. The success of these programmes of course hinges on the leadership of the principals and the teachers concerned. The teacher who teaches it must model graciousness himself or herself. The teacher must believe in it. The emotional quotient (EQ) of its people is invaluable if Singapore is going to continue in its success in the new millennium. What emphasis the Government places on life skills and personal development in the school curriculum (of course balanced with the academic) will ultimately determine the success of Singapore becoming a gracious society. (5) Expansion of national campaigns. The Singapore Kindness Movement, which focuses on small acts of kindness, was launched in January 1997, in response to PM Goh's call to develop a more gracious society. It has made inroads into schools with some imaginative programmes.”
“The common corridor design of the older HDB apartments, which facilitates interaction among neighbours, has given way to new designs that allow greater privacy but lessen interaction among neigbhours. HDB must provide better designs but, at the same time, has neigbourliness as priority. Our policies, such as foreign spouses who have been repatriated because they have AIDS, resulting in a breakdown of families and hardships is not the right kind of message the Government wants to convey to the people. Sir, these are just two examples. All our ministries, when setting out policies, should be consciously promoting and be instrumental in our efforts to become a gracious society. I hope our civil service will take the cue from PM Goh and work towards a more gracious society. (3) All Singaporeans must make a concerted effort. No government can mandate people to be considerate and responsible. However, Ministers, MPs and grassroots leaders in society can promote these attributes and set the example. Sir, we can, together with our grassroots leaders, convey our national challenge to sustain a prosperous and gracious Singapore to our residents and imbue them with a sense of national purpose. Being neighbourly is a start to building a gracious society and we can make Singapore a nicer place to live in by our actions. The crux of the matter lies in making people see that socially responsible and considerate behaviours are beneficial to all. I would like to suggest that all of us promote the 5Cs of gracious living to our residents in our respective wards. These 5Cs are the attributes of being cordial, courteous, caring, considerate and cultured constituents.”
“When they have their own children, it is a similar, self-perpetuating situation. We need to arrest this perpetuating trend now and reverse it by not just targeting the young but their parents also. The promotion of the basic elements of a gracious society - the responsible and considerate behaviours must be stepped up. While most people agree that we may not become a socially developed nation overnight, the earlier we strive for this, the better. Best and speedier results can only be obtained if we have the will and the concerted effort involving the Government, civil service providers and, more importantly, the people themselves. The main crux of the matter here is to be successful in convincing our Singaporeans that socially responsible and considerate behaviours are beneficial to all and that we want to achieve the status of a socially developed country to match our economic success. Singaporeans do not need regulations and deterrent punishments if they are convinced that socially responsible ways can make life better for one and all. How do we go about achieving the gracious society we desire? Sir, I would like to offer the following suggestions: (1) Government must lead the way. The Government must continue and further demonstrate to be a caring Government. Sir, this Government must show the way for the people to follow. More resources must be put into the focus on facilities as well as programmes to develop Singapore socially. (2) Policy makers must conscientiously promote graciousness. Social and civil services policy makers should now focus more on community bonding. Our Government has done an excellent job in providing good quality housing to the people.”
“Back in the 1950s, researchers stumbled on a curious fact about the citizens of Roseto, Pennsylvania. Their age-adjusted heart attack rate was less than half that found in the neighbouring communities. The usual explanations were studied, and ruled out. There was nothing special about their diet, exercise, smoking habits, or genetic predisposition. But there was something different about the little town. The immigrants who had founded it in the 19th century had come from the same Italian village, and they had created a tight-knit community in its likeness. There were strong churches, a mutual aid society, and scout troops. Rosetans were unusually willing to draw on one another for financial and emotional support. They were rich in what today is called social capital or connections among individuals - social networks, and the norms of reciprocity and trust that arise from them that appeared to be the clue to their healthy hearts. Over the next decades, socially mobile young people rejected their parents' way of life. Newcomers moved in. By the 1980s, Roseto's new generation had a heart attack rate a little above that of their neighbours. As the Roseto story suggests, people whose lives are rich in social capital can cope better with traumas. Being gracious is an attitude. Sir, our attitude towards others is shaped by the people we are around with and by the circumstances and situations we encounter. A lot of our attitudes were formed when we were young. Parental influence is a very big factor. If parents do not model graciousness in their daily living and interactions with their children and others, how can we expect their children to do so? The children then carry these attitudes into adult life.”
“But as a people, especially when abroad, many Singaporeans fail to endear themselves to others by their lack of tact and by their too freely uttered comments on the inefficiencies and inadequacies of others. Social graces and living graciously form part of the value system of a society. It is about how we live and the quality of our lifestyle. It is about individuals and the community and extended communities in which they live. Social graces are human acts that contribute to community and social bonding and thereby help build a more stable nation. Social graces are part of gracious society and life enrichment. Sir, in slightly more than one generation, Singaporeans moved from the village "kampong" of low-rise buildings to the city of high-rise buildings. We are now entering the 21st century and beginning our move into cyberspace. In a "kampong" society, people knew their neighbours, their children played with their neighbours' children and, in general, there was a great deal of interaction at all levels. There was a sort of social support system and much sharing of joy and sorrow. By contrast, Sir, the modern city of Singapore appears to be a myriad of different people, looking distinctive and detached. Neighbours hardly know each other when, in fact, they need to be on even friendlier terms because they live in ever increasing proximity as years go by and they cannot help but bump into each other every day. Sir, life would be that much more pleasant if smiles and greetings were being exchanged at the start of each day. And, at the end of a hectic day at work, it would be better to return home to a friendly neighbourhood and an environment without animosity. Sir, Singaporeans must be persuaded that social bonding and neigbourliness are beneficial to all.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, having responsibility and consideration for others are the building blocks for a gracious society. I would like my colleagues here to step up the promotion of these two vital ingredients that will help us become the gracious society we envisage. In his 1996 New Year's Day Message, Prime Minister Goh suggested that Singapore should aim to become a gracious society and called on Singaporeans to complement Singapore's economic achievements with social, cultural and spiritual development. Again, at the debate on the President's Address in 1997, he said that his focus was on the need for Singapore to develop "heartware" and not just economic competitiveness. Sir, Singapore has achieved the economic success that we can be proud of, but have we achieved the same milestone in social success? The answer, I am afraid to say, is an obvious "no"! In the past few weeks alone, we were bombarded with articles in the Straits Times on "killer litter", maid abuse, maids falling to death while cleaning windows, road bullies, violent patrons in cinemas, bond breakers and so on. These are examples of more extreme irresponsible and inconsiderate acts. There are many less severe daily occurrences ranging from urinating in lifts, littering and leaving rubbish on the common corridors of HDB flats, to not giving up seats to elderly people or pregnant women in buses or MRT trains. Sir, as a nation, we have attained remarkable achievements and we have received accolades from many countries including our neighbours. We have a world-class airport and seaport, a graft-free society, a diligent workforce and a high per-capita income.”
“Sir, on the question of affordability, may I inform the Minister of State that, in fact, there are already affordability criteria, such as maximum quantum and maximum repayment period. The criteria are already in place. What is the worry on that?”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister of State whether he would consider raising the loan ceiling for first-time buyers from 80% to 90%, similar to the existing schemes available for joint selection multi-tier family and confirmed Government officers?”
“Sir, the Minister earlier did not answer my question on the effect of social cohesion and social stability should the gini coefficient gets worse. May I also ask the Minister whether more incentives could be given to employers to ameliorate their bias on hiring older workers, for example, giving more tax rebates to such employers? BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Mr Speaker, Sir, I did spend some time talking about why it is important to provide a sufficient social safety net at the bottom to maintain community solidarity and social cohesion in a society. As to whether we should subsidise employers to take on older workers, again we have got to ask ourselves whether this is the best way of achieving our objective. It may create distortion and game playing and may be quite difficult to police because some of the older employees should be employed in their own rights. But since there is such a scheme available, they too will apply for subsidies. While we should agree on our objective that we should help those who are at the bottom, we should be very careful about the way in which we achieve that objective because it can create side effects and lead to other problems.”
“Now, with better communication, transportation, Internet and e-commerce, more and more of them are entering the global market and this has a depressing effect on the wages which unskilled labour in Singapore can command. Of course, in the services sector, they tend to be protected. But even in the services sector, with the globalisation trends, more and more segments in the services sector are being opened up to global competitive pressure and it is in our own interest to open up the services sector to international competition because it lowers the cost of doing business in Singapore and helps make the tradable sector more competitive. Will the worsening of the gini coefficient continue forever? I think in the end, it will find its own equilibrium. When a new frontier is opened, there are the robber barons, there are those who have struck gold, and there are those who are left penurious, so the coefficient tends to widen. But after a while, stability will resume. Those who are at the bottom will catch up, those who are at the top will find that temporary scarcity is met by growing supply, and so the trend may reverse itself years down the road. But when that will take place, we do not know because the economic changes taking the world today are truly revolutionary.”
“May I ask the Minister whether the widening of income gap in Singapore is definitely getting worse and whether this will jeopardize social cohesion, social stability and other related issues here? BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: The most common index used by countries to measure inequality of income is the gini coefficient and the higher it is, the greater the inequality. For many years, before the economic crisis, our gini coefficient has improved and then flattened out. During the crisis year of 1998, it went up. So we asked ourselves whether this was just the result of the economic crisis which hit those at the bottom disproportionately or whether it represented a trend break. We have been studying the gini coefficient in advanced countries in the US, the OECD and so on, and we have noted that in these countries, the gini coefficient has tended to worsen. So we ask ourselves: what is the likely tendency in the future? I think we have worsened because of globalisation. The top in our social ladder would command international wages, particularly in growth sectors where talents are scarce. Many of our hotshot dot.com types now command fabulous salaries or incomes because of the recent boom. Of course, the bubble has punctured the boom somewhat but, still, relative to many other sectors, they have done very well. Then there are those who are unskilled and, increasingly, they are competing with the unskilled in China, Vietnam, Indonesia and India. With the end of the Cold War, these countries are opening up and hundreds of millions of people are entering the workplace. In the past, when they lived in remote villages, they could not compete in the global market.”
“May I ask the Minister whether there will be newer incentives, apart from those mentioned earlier, to facilitate low-paid and low-skilled workers to go for further training so that they can earn more wages? BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: These are on-going programmes. We have allocated funds for them. As and when new needs come up, we will look at how these new needs can be met, and if we have to allocate more funds for such undertakings, we will do so.”
“May I ask the Minister whether he will agree that in view of the declining total fertility rates in Singapore, we should review our stand and whether he could reconsider changing some of the incentives?”
“May I ask the Minister whether our incentives are too restrictive if they are related to income tax because 70% of Singaporeans do not pay income tax?”
“May I ask the Minister whether he would agree that childcare leave and third child maternity leave are good incentives for women to balance between work and family and to remain in the workforce?”
“May I ask the Minister whether his Ministry has new incentives, especially in areas that help women harmonise work and family, to help them stay in the workforce? Dr Lee Boon Yang: Mr Speaker, Sir, the biggest incentive to an employer to go out and recruit economically inactive housewives is in fact to fill up his vacancy positions. He gets the workers that he needs. If he does not make that effort, he is going to be shorthanded. He is not going to be able to tap the opportunities that are available. Sir, that will be the biggest incentive to an employer. But of course, we understand that some employers have difficulties in re-engineering their jobs, for instance, and making part-time arrangement for their employees. We offer through the Productivity and Standards Board a programme called the Core Skills Training. If an employer is prepared to recruit a housewife for a particular job, we are prepared to help the employer provide the kind of training that is needed for a housewife to re-enter the workforce. This training will include confidence building, work effectiveness, computer basics, communication and quality work principles. We will support the employer with a grant of about $350 per employee on the scheme which includes a training allowance of $100 to be paid to the trainee to defray out-of-pocket expenses during the period that the new employee is undergoing training. This is just one of the incentives that we have to help economically inactive women re-enter the workforce. We have also offered a job skill training programme for employers who recruit housewives. This will cover up to 80% of the course fee for the specific job skill training that is required to help a housewife acquire the skills that will be needed by the employer in this case.”
“May I ask the Minister whether he would give further assistance through part-time employment schemes and whether his Ministry would facilitate further the opportunity for women to work from home or tele-commute?”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister whether everyone is required, under the law, to report an illegal immigrant if he or she should encounter one? Second, if a medical doctor encounters an illegal immigrant patient, is he bound under the same ruling?”
“And there will be people at the boundaries just below or just above the cut off and they just missed it, and you not only are unjust to the person who has just crossed the line but you also encourage people to put themselves just below the line, so that they will benefit from the subsidy. It is a problem which the welfare countries have in an acute form. In America and in Britain, they call it the poverty trap. But I think we will have to study this carefully, apropos our overall policies on helping the very low income Singaporeans.”