Lim Biow Chuan
Singapore
“Sir, just two short supplementary questions. First, currently, the United Nations define seniors as 65 years whereas we have set ours at 67 years. So, would the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) consider reducing to 65 years for the age eligibility criterion for getting the concessionary rate for the MDW?”
“In light of this, the existing practice of the Ministry, which disallows the repeated renewal of shorter term COEs, should also be eliminated to preserve the maximum flexibility for EV drivers to extend the use of an environmentally friendly car.”
“Sir, in June last year, the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) was launched. Sir, let me express my gratefulness to LTA for the TEL line, as there are three TEL MRT stations within the Mountbatten constituency. The TEL line has facilitated travel for many residents in my constituency.”
“Sir, I receive many queries from Polytechnic and GCE "A" level students wanting to know about their enlistment dates, asking about their Physical Employment Standard (PES) status prior to enlistment for. Sir, I also receive queries about NSmen hoping to study overseas.”
“MFA has said on several occasions that Singapore supports the right of Palestinian people to a homeland of their own. Singapore delivered not one, or two, but a total of six to seven tranches of humanitarian aid for Gaza in January 2025.”
“Even in Parliament, Sir, our Clerks and other staff work such long hours because MPs debate long hours, spend time debating Bills until late in the evening and sometimes until late at night. Sir, I have on many occasions, received emails from Ministers late in the middle of the night.”
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“I accept that most of the time, the police are justified in their actions in charging an accused person. But I urge the Minister to remind the police or the prosecution that every conviction of an accused person carries huge repercussions for that person. He or she ends up with a criminal record and this would have an adverse repercussion on his or her future for the rest of their lives. The police should thus consider the purpose of Parliament each time a charge is framed. They should consider whether charging a person would achieve the purpose of legislation. I know this is not easy. But, when in doubt, the police can always seek the advice of the Deputy Public Prosecutors. Section 377A Finally, Sir, on the issue of section 377A, I wish to state my support for the Government's position of retaining section 377A of the Penal Code. I had originally not intended to speak on this topic. But in view of the Petition presented by Nominated MP Mr Siew Kum Hong, I feel that I should state that not all MPs agree with Mr Siew's arguments. I do not agree, Sir, that the role of the criminal law is only to punish those who have caused harm to others. If that is the case, as my fellow MPs had said yesterday, why do we have laws on attempted suicide? Why do we have laws prohibiting the sale of obscene materials? Why do we have laws against incest? Should we be bothered whether a father decides to sleep with his adult daughter in the privacy of their own home? Why do we bother to make it an offence for someone to have sex with animals? This is in section 377B. In fact, with this current amendment Bill, Sir, we have just introduced a new offence of necrophilia, which is this abhorrent act of engaging in sex with a corpse. Does this offence harm society?”
“Sir, I also urge the Government to consider removing the mandatory death penalty and to allow the courts to have the discretion not to impose capital punishment if there are exceptional mitigating factors whereby the death penalty should not be imposed. Currently, this discretion is held by the Attorney- General's Chambers where the Public Prosecutor decides whether to frame a charge which carries the death penalty. There is no reason, Sir, why someone of high standing or prominence like a High Court Judge cannot make the judgment call whether the death penalty should be imposed. Let a High Court Judge, as opposed to a jury, decide whether the mitigating factors are such that the accused person deserves a reprieve from the death penalty. Intent of amendments Sir, I also urge the Minister to state clearly the purpose for each amendment to the Penal Code. The courts have often referred to Parliamentary debates when trying to understand the purpose of a particular legislation. I urge the Minister to ensure that the prosecuting officers also understand the purpose of legislation. Anecdotal evidence from the criminal bar, ie, criminal lawyers, suggests that, sometimes, police prosecutors are too keen to seek a conviction simply to close a case. Sometimes, the police prosecutors levy so many multiple charges against an accused person which makes it difficult for any accused person to defend himself. In the process, there would be accused persons who would feel so pressurised by the many charges and simply throw in the towel for fear of incurring huge legal costs or for fear of having a heavier sentence imposed. Do we want to secure such a conviction because an accused person feels pressured to plead guilty?”
“I support the changes made and the introduction of sections 376A to 376G of the Penal Code. Amendments to the penalties Sir, I applaud the Government's move to give the courts greater flexibility and discretion in sentencing. Many times, the hands of judges are tied because of the minimum sentences imposed by legislation. There are also times when the courts may feel that a higher fine should be imposed in lieu of imprisonment but the Penal Code had imposed a cap on the offence. Sir, I am of the view that the judges are in a better position to determine at their discretion what would be appropriate sentences. This is better than having Parliament fixed a mandatory sentence thereby taking away such discretion. However, I would like to seek the Minister's affirmation that by amending the range of penalties prescribed, the intention of Parliament is not for the judges to automatically increase the punishment nor should the courts interpret the setting of a higher limit to mean that the crime has become more serious. In the textbook Sentencing Practice in the Subordinate Courts (second edition) written by judicial officers, the authors stated that judges do look at the maximum and minimum sentences imposed by Parliament for an indication of the gravity of the offence. However, Sir, in this current set of amendments which are not specific to any particular offence, the intention of Parliament surely must be simply to allow the courts to have greater sentencing options to mete out appropriate sentences. Heavier penalties should thus be imposed by the courts only where there are aggravating factors and there should not be a rise in the punishment across the board for all offences simply because of this amendment.”
“I support the changes to these sections as the intent of the change is to preserve the social fabric of the country and to penalise persons who deliberately wound the religious and racial feelings of others. Sexual offences Next, Sir, sexual offences. I support the Government's move to protect minors and persons with mental disability from being victims of sexual offences. It is indeed important to send the message that the young and the vulnerable should be protected from sexual predators. [Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Matthias Yao Chih) in the Chair] 5.13 pm I also support the new sections (sections 376B and 376C) which would make it an offence for a person to pay for the sexual services of a minor who is under 18 years of age. It is important for the Government to recognise that there is the possibility of young impressionable persons who are prepared to sell their sexual services just to earn some extra income. For some of them, they are simply immature or vulnerable. For others, they may need money but do not know where to turn to for financial help. And there may be others who may have succumbed to the craving for the ownership of luxury material goods. We should not allow such young and impressionable persons to be exploited by sexual predators. Nor should we allow these sexual predators to exploit other young and vulnerable persons from other countries who, for whatever reasons, and I suspect in this case mostly poverty, are compelled to trade their sexual services for commercial consideration. It would be hypocritical of us to enact laws to protect the young in Singapore and turn a blind eye to sexual predators in Singapore going overseas to our neighbouring countries to seek such gratification.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the amendment Bill on the Penal Code. According to the 2006 Annual Report of the Subordinate Courts, the Courts dealt with about 62,500 criminal-related cases last year. Although the figure cited include cases from MOM, MPA, NPB and NS cases, a large bulk of these cases involve people being charged in court for criminal offences or breach of the Penal Code. The Penal Code was last reviewed in 1984. It is timely for a comprehensive review of the Act 23 years later. I wish to applaud the Ministry of Home Affairs for its receptiveness to the feedback given after the public consultation exercise. And I understand that quite a number of sections were amended after taking into account the views of the members of the public. Sir, there are various amendments to the Penal Code and I would just like to touch on a few areas which I am concerned with. Section 298 - offences relating to religion or race Section 298 has been amended by inserting the word "or racial" after the word "religious". A new section 298A has also been introduced to make it an offence for any person to promote enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race and doing of acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony. Sir, Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religious society. We take great pains to preserve the racial and religious harmony amongst the different races and religions in this country. Any insensitive or inconsiderate action by a small minority can easily result in racial riots as Singapore had experienced in the Maria Hertogh riots and in the 1969 racial riots.”
“Better still, could the Government not fully pay for the longevity insurance for these poorer or needy people as a gesture of the Government's commitment to look after those people who have fallen through the cracks and who have not enjoyed the fruits of prosperity that Singapore is harvesting? In this way, those who are better off will not have to buy compulsory longevity insurance when they can provide better for themselves. And for those who really need financial help, the Government could step in to assist if these people agree to also take responsibility for themselves. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Government's proposals to strengthen the retirement support for the ageing population. 4.12 pm”
“The Prime Minister has already said that the target is to have 30% of each cohort in the local universities by 2015. And here we have not included the many others who are studying in overseas universities, those who are studying in our polytechnics, ITEs, upper secondary and secondary schools. Surely, it would be better for the Government to embark on an education plan so that the importance of planning for their retirement is emphasised to these better educated people who should then take responsibility for their own financial future. Thus, is there a need for longevity insurance to be made compulsory when so many more educated Singaporeans can make better financial decisions about their own retirement planning? Should the Govern- ment assume that the educated people in our midst are unable to plan for their retirement? Co-payment of insurance premiums Sir, for the poorer segment of society and the less educated who earn a lower income and cannot or do not have the ability to plan for their retirement, I call on the Government to consider having a scheme whereby the Government offers an incentive for these people to buy a longevity insurance. The Government co-pays part of the cost for these people. The cost of the co-payment would be limited to only those who fall within the lower income segment of society. In fact, the day before yesterday, Manpower Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen had said that a CPF member with $60,000 in his CPF savings would receive $7,200 more in interest in 10 years, and $17,900 more in 20 years. Could the Government not find some way to channel the additional interest earned towards co-payment of the longevity insurance premium for those who are poorer or those who are needy?”
“The longevity insurance will only give him good returns if he lives at least a few years after 85 years. Even then, many people that I spoke to wonder whether the amount of payouts that they receive after 85 years would be enough for them to live a reasonable life of dignity at that time. Would it not be better for them to make their own retirement planning so that they can decide how much they need on a monthly basis when they are older? They can also decide when they wish to receive the monthly payout from their insurance company. If they pass away before they reach the age for payment of the money due under their annuities, then at least their estate can still receive a lump sum of money which they can then bequeath to their loved ones in their family. If they have other savings or bought other forms of insurance for themselves, they may not want to buy any other type of insurance. Paternalistic approach of the Government This brings me to my last point, Sir. Why should the Government continue to be so paternalistic in its approach when the general population is much better educated nowadays? Sir, the CPF Board was set up in July 1955 as a form of compulsory savings scheme, whereby the employer and the employee both contribute to a savings plan so as to enable the worker to save for his future. At that time, many Singaporeans were less educated and hence there was this need for a savings scheme to be made compulsory. In the context of modern Singapore where nearly 25% of the current population are educated in the three state-funded universities, is there a need for the Government to legislate on matters when better educated Singaporeans can make their own decision on their own financial planning?”
“To make the Minimum Sum last longer, we can encourage CPF members to voluntarily defer their withdrawal of their monthly payments until 65, and we can do so by payment of additional interest on the CPF moneys, much akin to the Government's D-Bonus or V-Bonus. I understand that the V-Bonus costs $570 million at 2% interest. If the cost of paying such additional interest is too high, then perhaps the Government can consider paying higher interest of only 0.5% or even 0.25%, so as to encourage members to delay voluntarily the withdrawal of their monthly payments. For those who do not wish to have the higher interest on their Minimum Sum, they should be allowed to withdraw the instalments from the Minimum Sum but spread over 23 years, instead of 20 years. Their monthly instalments shall thus be much lesser. I believe that it would be much better to persuade Singaporeans on the importance of stretching their CPF savings by providing incentives rather than through legislation. Next, on compulsory annuities. Many people that I spoke to are skeptical that they will be able to live many years after 85. Hence, they are against the idea of buying compulsory annuity which would only pay them when they reach 85 years old. Many have also voiced their views that longevity insurance is simply not worth it. To illustrate, Sir, if a CPF member lives to 55 years old, he withdraws his CPF savings and leaves a Minimum Sum of between $100,000 and $120,000 in his Retirement Account. From the Retirement Account, he will be asked to pay a few thousand dollars to buy a compulsory longevity insurance. If he dies any time from 55 to 85, he gets absolutely nothing. If he dies at age 86 years, at least he gets some payout for one year, but it may still not be worth it for him.”
“They just want a life whereby they do not have to worry about their daily expenses, their medical fees and their children's educational costs. Ms Lee Bee Wah had just reminded me that public transport fares have also increased, and this has added a burden to their daily expenses. Some of them have said that they do not wish to be a burden on their relatives for the next eight to 10 years until they can touch their CPF funds. Nor do they wish to be on charity or to seek help from the CDCs. For those who are ill, they are not even sure that they can make it to 62 years to enjoy their CPF moneys. So, for this particular group of Singaporeans, having a draw-down age at age 62 years is already a huge problem for them. If they do not have much money in their CPF, they can only withdraw a limited amount from their CPF accounts at age 55, and the rest of their CPF money, up to 50%, must be set aside in their Retirement Account. To defer the draw-down age to 65 years would pose a greater challenge for them, as it would mean a lower quality of life between 55 and 65 years. I urge the Government to consider this particular group of Singaporeans when making changes to the draw-down age. Nobody likes to be on charity, seeking help from the CDCs and the many other charitable organisations. With the "many helping hands approach", those who need financial help would have to go from charity to charity, asking for a few hundred dollars from each charity. Many Singaporeans who are in that condition just want to lead their life with dignity when they reach an older age. For this reason, Sir, I would urge the Government to consider maintaining the draw-down age at 62 years.”
“There are also some who have fallen ill and due to some medical or physical inability are unable to work further, and some may even have to stop work to look after their loved ones. In fact, based on MOM statistics, in the year 2006, only 82% of the male labour force aged between 55 and 59 are participating in the labour force. For those aged between 60 and 64, only 63% of the male workforce are still working. The figures for the female workforce is even more disheartening at 45% for those aged between 55 and 59 years and 26% for those aged between 60 and 64 years. For the 18% of the male workforce and 55% of the female workforce who are aged between 55 and 59, quite a few of them must be struggling without a regular income. Even with the impending change in the re-employment law, which will kick in by 2012, how much better can these statistics get? Mind you, Sir, these are statistics in 2006 when the economy had improved. What if there is a recession or economic downturn in the next 10-20 years? During an economic downturn, surely the figures of unemployment amongst the older workers would be much higher no matter what we do. For this category of people who are not working for whatever reasons, they struggle to meet their financial needs on a monthly basis even though they have moneys in their CPF Ordinary Accounts or Retirement Accounts. Some of them have asked me, "Why are they living in such poor conditions now? Why can't they withdraw their CPF moneys now so that they can have an improved quality of life?" They are not concerned about the future. They just want to have a better lot in life now for the present. And when I say that they want a better quality of life, I do not mean that they are looking for a life of luxury.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak in this debate on CPF reforms. I wish to thank the Whip for letting me be the last speaker. Sir, I agree with the Prime Minister that with longer life expectancy for many Singaporeans, there is a need to address the challenges of a future Singapore with more and more ageing Singaporeans. It is also important to consider the different options available to provide for retirement income to last the rest of our lifetime. Sir, I compliment the Government for its proposals to provide a three-pillar support for retirement. It is heartening to know that our Government has the political courage as well as the foresight to discuss the problem of an ageing population many years ahead, even before the problem becomes critical. Many of my parliamentary colleagues have already spoken on the re-employment legislation and a better interest rate on CPF funds. I concur with many of the sentiments already expressed. However, Sir, please allow me to add to the voices of concern regarding the intention of the Government to raise the draw-down age from 62 years to 65 years and, eventually, to 67 years. Like the MPs who have spoken before me, there is concern about the many Singaporeans who for whatever reasons are unable to find work after 62 years. In fact, from my various MPS cases and frequent interaction on the ground, I understand that there are many Singaporeans who have difficulty finding jobs when they are in their late 40s or early 50s. Some of these people may have lesser education opportunities or are less skilled, and hence have difficulties finding a job. Some may be slightly older or over qualified for the managerial jobs that they are looking for since many companies prefer to look for younger managers.”
“May I ask the MOS whether she could clarify why did the Public Transport Council increase the fares for senior citizens when we are basically trying to look after the welfare of senior citizens and make it more convenient for them to travel?”
“Thank you, Sir. I do recognise that buses are the most efficient movers of passengers during peak hours. Hence, I have never quibbled over having bus lanes during peak hours. But I would like to ask the Minister of State whether she recognises that during off-peak hours, there are less passengers on buses and, hence, there must be a balance between moving passengers during off-peak hours in the buses versus the inconvenience caused to motorists during off-peak hours.”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether LTA would consider the loading of the buses, ie, the number of passengers on the buses during off-peak hours, and whether the convenience of travel for these bus commuters would justify the inconvenience caused to other motorists by the closure of one lane just for these buses. Second question: if the obstruction to the bus traffic is due to inconsiderate stoppage of vehicles (taxis, pick-ups and others), as written by Nurlizah Ibrahim in her reply in the Straits Times, would LTA consider having double zig-zag lines, instead of having a full-day bus lane, at those five locations? Third question: would LTA consider regulations so that buses do not travel on other road lanes whenever there are dedicated full-day bus lanes?”
“I used to receive lots of spam faxes everyday promoting maid agencies, tuition agencies, tours, stationery, computers, etc, and this costs me toner cost and paper cost plus loss of productivity, checking whether they are relevant. I have since installed a software to filter all these out, but, nevertheless, unless you invest in a software, you will continue to receive spam faxes everyday. With this, Sir, I support the Bill.”
“In any event, by the time you click "unsubscribe", your email address may have been sold to traders of email addresses. So now, I never click "unsubscribe" anymore. I just click "delete". For that reason, Sir, I would prefer to have an opt-in provision as this will minimise cost to the individual consumer and shift the onus to businesses to ascertain that mails are only sent to recipients who have consented to receiving their advertisements. To increase the effectiveness of the Bill, I would strongly urge for the inclusion of an opt-in provision. And I understand that this is the case in the European Union and in Australia. Finally, Sir, in spite of my support, I do wish to highlight that there are severe limitations to this Bill as it is not effective against spam mail that originates from overseas. Mr Eddie Ho, an analyst, wrote in the Straits Times on 24th February 2007 that he estimates that 90% of spam that Singaporeans receive come from abroad. This means that the various pornographic marketing materials, the false stories of recipients striking lottery or the get-rich scams like what Mr Sam Tan had just tried to convince us about, the marketing of health products like Viagra from suspicious origins, etc, will continue to plague us. I do recognise, Sir, that this Bill is a small step towards control of a growing problem. And as spam mail becomes a greater concern worldwide, the Government should explore cross border collaboration on the control of spam mail. This will complement our effort to control spam. Otherwise, all the efforts in this Bill will come to naught. Finally, like Mr Siew, I also wish to ask the Minister whether there are any steps to control spam mail from faxes.”
“Sir, I wish that our Internet service providers and telecommunication service providers would also do likewise. Having said all that, Sir, I would also wish to express some concerns on certain aspects of the Bill which require closer scrutiny. Firstly, I am concerned, with this legislation, whether we are unwittingly legitimising spam. As long as the spammers comply with the requirements in the Second Schedule of the Bill, does this mean that they can go ahead to spam consumers as, in this case, consent from consumers is not required under this Bill? Secondly, like many other speakers before me, I am concerned about the opt-out provision for recipients of spam email in the Bill. This places the onus on individuals to unsubscribe from unsolicited emails. Considering the large volume of spam emails that an individual or consumer may receive, this places an unfair burden on consumers to unsubscribe from this spam email. Some years ago, Sir, I created a hotmail account. A few days after creating the account, I received some spam pornographic emails which I did not want. I then clicked "Unsubscribe" for the email. I never really know whether it worked but what happened was that I received lots and lots more of such emails promoting various other types of pornographic services. If any of the Members would like to find out more, just go and create a hotmail account, and they are promoting Viagra, gambling, mortgage services and the like. I was told by members in the industry that spam companies buy data based on your profile when you click "Create an account" and when you click unsubscribe, you are effectively telling the spammers that this Internet account is active.”
“Even emails from friends, like Sam, about lunch get classified as spam email. Sir, there are real limitations to efforts to try to filter or block spam as legitimate email messages may also get blocked out. Hence, I strongly support the Spam Control Bill as it will facilitate the management of spam and provides recourse for individuals and organisations to act against spammers. It also requires spammers to mark their mails as advertisement and this will enable individuals and organisations to differentiate solicited and unsolicited mail. So, as a consumer, you can just click "Delete" if you do not wish to open a spam email which is advertisement. I am also glad, Sir, that the Bill empowers individuals and organisations to commence civil action against spammers. They would be able to either claim for damages or seek statutory damages from a spammer acting in contravention of the Act. Sir, an individual's point right to commence civil action has its limitation as many individuals will not have the financial resources to want to commence expensive civil suits just because they have been spammed. It will be useful for the Bill to allow individuals to commence class action against spammers so as to decrease legal costs for the individuals. Sir, under the Bill, Internet access service providers and telecommunications service providers may also issue a code of practice that sets minimum standards of technical control for spam. The commitment of these service providers to prevent spam and their compliance to a code of practice will be a boost to fighting spam. I know of a company that sent spam advertisements previously and after a number of complaints were registered, the Internet access service provider closed that account and imposed a hefty fine on the company.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as a consumer advocate and a member of CASE, I rise in support of the Bill. I will be speaking from the point of view as a consumer who has been plagued with spam, although I have not been plagued by interviewers, like Mr Sam Tan, before. Sir, spam is unsolicited email which is sent to an Internet user or email user in bulk. Spam is a nuisance to Internet users, a threat to network security on valuable computer resources. It also causes the consumer substantial amount of time. In fact, there have been studies which suggest that a person will receive an average of 2,200 emails a year or six spam emails a day, and I am sure many Members of this House would attest to the fact that they have received more than six spam emails a day. If the heading of the spam mail is unclear or vague as to its usefulness, it would take you about 10 seconds to open the email, read the advertisement and then delete the email from your system. Just to give you an example. I went through some of my email and the heading reads "Waiting for your mail", "Possimon or Synchronism" - whatever that means, "U VIP Casino". So when you receive email like this, you really do not know what it is all about, and if you are a bit more inquisitive, you would take that amount of time to open it, read it and then delete it. So, in total, you will waste six to seven hours of your time each year just clearing spam emails. If your computer system is slower, it may take you a longer period of time. Sir, I recently installed an Internet anti-virus and anti-spam software on my computer but somehow now the regular email even from the Law Society is classified as spam and so too are some of the other emails which I receive from my clients.”
“And if any person who does not wish to join the rank of Ministers or Government officers simply because they cannot take the financial sacrifices, then let us just accept that. It may be better for both Singapore and the persons concerned that they remain in the private commercial world where they can contribute to Singapore in a different manner. Sir, once again, I reiterate that I have no issue that civil servants and officers should be paid competitively. But I would urge the Government to rethink the policy of pegging the civil service salary to the top earners in the economy. Let us look for a formula that would compensate our top Ministers, other office-bearers and senior civil servants well and yet allow the people of Singapore to appreciate the sacrifices that these leaders are making. EXEMPTED BUSINESS (Motion) Resolved, That the proceedings on the business set down on the Order Paper for today be exempted at this day's sitting from the provisions of Standing Order No. 2. - [Mr Mah Bow Tan]. CIVIL SERVICE SALARY REVISIONS Debate resumed. 6.12 pm”
“And I am certain that all of us would consider this service as MPs an honour to serve the people and the privilege to have the opportunity to lead, to influence policy and to make a difference in the life of fellow Singaporeans. Likewise, for senior members of the Government service, the Permanent Secretaries, the Directors and the Deputy Directors. They all have the privilege of drawing up policies that would have an impact on the lives of Singaporeans. They would be working with the best of the best in Singapore. As the newly appointed Second Permanent Secretary for MTI, Mr Ravi Menon, said, he stayed there a little longer because he found this work meaningful. Maybe I am idealistic, but I firmly believe that to be a leader, self-sacrifice is important. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, Minister Mentor spoke about the huge personal sacrifices made by Dr Ng Eng Hen, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Dr Balaji, when they gave up their lucrative medical practices to become Ministers and Senior Minister of State. And having read of their personal sacrifices in the newspapers, my respect for each one of them has shot up several notches, just as all of us in this House have immense respect for Minister Mentor because he gave up the opportunity to be a top lawyer, earning millions of dollars, to take home the pittance that Ministers in those days received. And one day, Sir, I would like to be able to say that I had the privilege of working with these giants in politics who were prepared to make the requisite sacrifices to answer the call to duty. Can we find more such people? I am certain that if we put our minds to it, we would be able to do so.”
“" In other words, Sir, in the Singapore context, if half of our Permanent Secretaries were to quit tomorrow, whilst the transition would be very painful, I would expect the Deputy Secretaries to be able to step in and take over, and perform equally up to the mark. Finally, Sir, I am concerned about the message that we are sending to Singaporeans by paying our top office-bearers such a large sum of money, and the message was unintended in that money is everything. As it is, the public perception is that Ministers and senior civil servants are already well-paid. For the Government to argue that they should be paid even more would create a bigger gulf between the Government and the man-in-the-street. It would cost more misunderstanding that the Government does not appreciate the hardship that the people are suffering under. And here, I say, misunderstanding because I know fully well that the Government does appreciate this hardship and is doing its utmost best to solve these issues. We assume, Sir, that Singaporeans cannot be motivated to serve as civil servants, office- bearers or Ministers, unless they are paid well. We assume that Singaporeans will not rise to the challenge to make personal sacrifices and to serve when called upon to do so. Sir, I am aware that every Member of this House has made personal sacrifices and suffered financial loss to be serving as MPs. Some have taken pay cuts to serve as office-bearers. Some have lost business opportunities due to the huge amount of time taken up by parliamentary duties. There is also the loss in privacy and loss of family time with loved ones. But we all came into politics with our eyes open and we have all decided that we would accept the sacrifices required of us.”
“In the year 2000, when the Prime Minister spoke about the review of salary benchmarks in Parliament, he spoke about the resignations of eight Administrative Officer scholars, of whom three left to join start-ups because they wanted to be part of the revolution. So the reality is that talented people want different challenges. Some officers may feel that if they do not make it to the top three of their cohort in the year, they would never make it to the top in the civil service. So they better leave as their talent is not recognised. Thus, up to a certain stage in one's life, increasing salaries alone may not be a motivating factor in persuading an Administrative Officer to stay. They may want to be their own boss. They may want to see the world from a different perspective, or they just may want a more balanced family life. In any event, Sir, I would submit that it is not a bad thing for talent to go to the private sector. This spread of talent in the civil service and the private sector may be better for Singapore as it keeps the economy vibrant with good exchange of ideas to make things work more efficiently. Fourth, Sir, I am not convinced that if we lose talent to the private sector because of inadequate salaries, the officers and Ministers that we lose are not replaceable. Former Secretary of State of America, Mr Colin Powell, recounted in his autobiography that when he was promoted to Brigadier General, the Army Chief of Staff told the 52 newly promoted BGs that competition was very keen at that level. General Rodgers said, "All of you could board an airplane and disappear over the Atlantic tomorrow, and the 52 Colonels that we replace you with would be just as good as you are.”
“How does the Government justify paying such top dollars for someone with such experience even if there is only one such officer who achieves the grade in a year? Sir, it is not my intention to run down the work that these Administrative Officer scholars do or to cast down on their ability. I know a few of these Administrative Officer scholars who work very hard and do their utmost best to deliver in their work. I just wish to put into perspective that having a benchmark does lead to a financial result that many people feel is unjustified. Next, Sir, a top earner in an MNC, a lawyer, or an accountant, in the last three years may not be a top earner this year or the next. Fortunes in business vary according to industry cycles, and today's top earner may be in financial difficulties tomorrow. Based on the current peg to private sector salary, the senior civil servants will never ever have to face a downward cycle because it is pegged to the salaries of top earners, and there will always be top earners. Thus, this year, the top earners may be a property developer. If there is a glut in properties, he will not be the top earner next year and, next year, the top earner may be someone in the IR business. The following year, the top earner may be someone in the computer business. But for the civil servant, his fortunes will never fall, as he is always pegged to the top earner. Third, assuming that indeed, we have talented people that justify that kind of salary, my next concern is whether any increase in salaries will keep these talented people. Some of us may have read in the Straits Times about a former Administrative Officer, Mr Lee Chee Khoon, who already had four job offers when he quit the Administrative Service.”
“As a lawyer who runs a law firm, I worry all the time whether the clients would continue to use my services, whether the bills which the lawyer renders would become bad debts, whether the law firm staff would leave and take away business, whether the incompetent staff would mess up the accounts, whether the firm could deliver on legal work and whether the firm will be sued for negligence. There is also the worry that a dissatisfied client may make a complaint against a lawyer with the Law Society. All these, Sir, are on top of the concern whether I could pay my staff at the end of the month. And if these worries, like poor business, bad debts, negligence suits, etc, are not properly handled, the consequences are devastating for the business. For the other industries, they are likely to be the same for accountants, engineers and bankers. Possibly for bankers and some of the MNCs, you have to worry whether you can meet the sale targets for the year. Sir, I struggle to understand what does the top Administrative Officer aged 32 at Grade SR9 have to worry about that would justify him receiving $363,000 a year, assuming he completes NS and graduates at 25 or 26 years of age, spends one to two years on a Master programme, at best he would have received five to six years of working experience at age 32 years old. What does a Grade SR9 Administrative Officer scholar with five to six years of experience do to earn that kind of salary of $363,000? From many people's perspective, they take no personal risks and are thus paid employees. If they mess up the policies, at best, they fail to be promoted, or they are asked to leave the Administrative Service.”
“2 million for an officer of Grade MR4 and $363,000 for an officer at Grade SR9. And from the feedback that I have received, many people too feel that the salary which the Government is paying for these civil servants and office-bearers is too high. I express my concern as to the manner of pegging civil service salaries to the income of private sector individuals. Allow me to elaborate, Sir. Firstly, in the private sector. Many of the top earners receive such high income because they either built up the companies themselves or they took huge risks with their personal fortunes. Had they failed in their endeavours, they would have received the blue bankruptcy papers that all businessmen dread. For every success story of any businessman that you read about, there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, who had failed and are now either bankrupt, or lost their family homes, or have suffered huge financial loss. Sir, my humble opinion using the top earners in the six professions can at best be a guide as to what a top civil service officer should earn as he or she simply does not have to contend with the risk of losing her personal fortune. Former Permanent Secretary, Mr Ngiam Tong Dow, once said that, as a Permanent Secretary, he never had to worry whether he could pay his staff their wages. It was all provided for in the Budget. When he became the Chairman of DBS Bank, he worried about wages only 20% of his time. When he became the Chairman of HDB Corp, a new setup spun off from HDB, he spent 90% of his time worrying whether he had enough to pay his staff at the end of the month. Sir, if you are a top earner as a lawyer, an accountant, engineer, banker or employee in an MNC or local manufacturing, the worries are just as bad, if not worse, than at HDB Corp.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak on this topic. It has been hotly debated by many people since the announcement was made by the Prime Minister on 22nd March 2007. Sir, I accept the principle that if you do not pay Ministers and senior civil servants competitively, then you risk the situation where you have poor quality and incompetent government and even possibly corruption. Recently, I read in the Straits Times that hundreds and thousands of low income civil servants in Malaysia are moonlighting to make ends meet. I certainly do not wish for a situation where any of our civil servants had to moonlight to work a second shift just to pay for their monthly expenses. For that reason, I understand the rationale for increasing salaries of the various categories of civil servants. Last week, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew gave an interview in Australia where he asked, "Why do we quarrel about whether we pay the Ministers and office-holders $46 million, which is 0.13% of Government expenditure, or whether we pay them $36 million or, better still, $26 million?" Minister Mentor said, "So you save $20 million and jeopardise an economy of $210 billion." Indeed, from the perspective, to pay the Ministers and office-holders $46 million seems a reasonable amount. But, Sir, the counter argument may then be, "Why not pay them $20 million more at $66 million?" The question many people grapple with is: what is a reasonable sum to pay for the Ministers, office-holders or senior civil servants? Sir, whilst I feel that we should pay our civil servants competitively, I have my reservations about the huge amounts of money that we are paying for our top civil servants and office-bearers - $2.”
“Sir, earlier I asked the Minister whether he would be prepared to consider a dedicated radio channel during morning and evening peak hours that does nothing but broadcasts traffic information, and this is for the purpose of allowing motorists to make an informed choice. He suggested that I turned on the radio. Sir, Traffic Watch takes about 15 minutes to come on. Even then, the information comes on about two or three expressways. I am sure the Minister does not expect me to sit in my car for 10 to 15 minutes waiting for Traffic Watch. I would like to ask the Minister to clarify whether his answer is "no" or is it a "maybe" and it can be considered during the focus group discussion.”
“Sir, I add my voice to hon. Member, Mr Cedric Foo, in asking the Minister about the diversion of traffic to the Second Link. Last year, in December, the Malaysian government issued a notification that the Causeway would be closed to heavy traffic and these vehicles would be diverted to the Second Link. Sir, the Second Link is also heavily used by travellers who are heading for Malacca, KL or further north. They use the Second Link for a faster journey and to bypass the heavy traffic at Johor Bahru. As it is, I have feedback that traffic at the Second Link can be very heavy during the school holidays. Just last year, in June, members of my church who were returning to Singapore from a church camp via the Second Link were caught in a traffic jam for three to four hours. May I ask the Minister for an update as to the situation at the Second Link? Would the diversion cause more delays to travellers as there would be more vehicles and heavier vehicles? Would it result in more costs for the motorists? Would this result in more heavy vehicles passing through the western part of Singapore? Is it a temporary diversion or would it become a permanent diversion? The Minister's clarification would be much appreciated.”
“Sir, I understand the Minister's preference is to encourage greater use of public transport, but until the real system is more widespread and the bus system more efficient, most Singapore will prefer to save their time and drive at their convenience. There are many motorists who feel that increasing ERP is an easy solution to a difficult problem and many of them are middle-income and they feel that they are being squeezed to pay more for using the roads. They also feel that congestion comes about because of inadequate planning of road infrastructure vis-a-vis the large number of housing estates which are springing up in the north and the east. I would like to urge the Minister to consider all other options to improve the management of traffic before resorting to increases in ERP charges. Land Transport System”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether LTA has any other plans to manage traffic congestion besides increasing ERP charges. I would also like to ask the Minister whether LTA would be willing to have a dedicated team of road engineers to re-look at the green link determining system (GLIDE) with a view of improving traffic flow during peak hours. Currently, many motorists complain that the arterial roads are not a useful alternative to the expressway because of uncoordinated traffic lights, and I am sure many Members in this House would likewise agree. This results in traffic jams and start-stop conditions due to the lack of a green flow traffic light system. Like the hon. Member, Mr Ong Kian Min, I would also like to ask the Minister whether he will be prepared to consider a better traffic information system like a dedicated radio station during the morning and evening peaks that does nothing but broadcasts traffic information so that a motorist can make a more informed choice and plan his route accordingly. Just to give an example. When I left Parliament on Monday evening, I travelled for 15 minutes to reach the entrance of the CTE tunnel. And there, I saw the EMAS message saying "Massive jam in CTE tunnel". If I had known of the massive jam, I would have simply avoided using that route and saved myself 15 minutes and I would also not contribute to the traffic congestion in making my way to the CTE tunnel entrance. Finally, I would like to ask the Minister whether he would look into having more monitoring and enforcement action against heavy or slow-moving vehicles that hog the roads during peak hours.”
“Mr Chairman, the ERP has been used since 1997 or 1998 as a traffic management tool. But after almost 10 years, many of the expressways and main arterial roads remain congested during peak hours. If you use the CTE to work during the morning peak, you have to pay ERP charges of up to $7.50 to travel to the city. On your return trip in the evening, you pay up to $1.50. But despite paying all these ERP charges, you are not guaranteed a smooth trip on the expressway. On the contrary, during the peak hours, the expressway is likely to remain congested. Each time, when LTA announces that ERP charges will increase, there will be a slight reduction in traffic along the CTE, or for that matter, any other expressway. This will last for a few days. However, the joy is short-lived as the traffic, which initially goes away, will eventually return as the motorists realise that there is no real alternative to using these expressways. The traffic congestion along the alternative arterial roads is worse as the motorists had to contend with many traffic lights plus heavy traffic. Some of the arterial roads also have ERP gantries. So, whichever way you travel, you pay ERP charges. Thus, within a few weeks, the traffic returns back to the same level of congestion and traffic is chock-a-block again this expressway until the next revision in ERP charges. The cycle then starts all over again as motorists continue to look for alternative routes, only to conclude that there is no real alternative. The fact, Sir, is that despite several increases in the ERP charges, the traffic congestion along expressways during peak hours does not seem much improved. Hence, I will submit that simply raising ERP charges as a means to manage traffic congestion has its limitations.”
“May I know whether the Ministry of Education is satisfied whether the students who have completed their 10 years of basic education have had a basic knowledge of basic values like humility, loyalty, patriotism, compassion, respect for others, and filial piety? These are some of the values which would make Singapore a gracious society which the hon. Member of Jalan Besar GRC, Ms Denise Phua, has mentioned, too. Since it is not an examinable subject, how does MOE assess the efficacy of what the schools have taught? Here I wish to stress that I am not asking for these subjects to become examinable. The National Education programme was launched in September 1996. Since then, 10 years have passed. May I know whether the Ministry has assessed the success of the National Education programme? Is the Ministry satisfied with the level of involvement for the six key messages that the National Education programme seeks to promote? I also understand that the school principals are reluctant to take on students who are perceived to be weak academically, as these students may pull down their ranking in the schools' assessment. If this is true, I would like to ask the Minister whether the mission of our schools is to educate the students to be super-achievers or is it to help build and develop the character and value of each and every student. Co-curricular Activities”
“Sir, I understand that every primary and secondary school has Civics and Moral Education as part of its syllabus. In addition, we have National Education, which is part of the total education which is infused across all subjects within the curricula. For Civics and Moral Education, may I ask the Minister how many hours per week are being spent on this subject? Are there schools which sacrificed time spent on this subject in order to catch up on academic school curriculum? Sir, I raise this concern as I receive various feedback about the self-centred behaviour amongst the younger people. Complaints about students being unwilling to give up their seats to elderly or pregnant women seem to suggest that lessons on graciousness have not sunk in. There is also feedback about students not behaving properly in MRT stations and on buses. They sit on the floor, talk loudly and smooch in public. Even when the students are collecting their Edusave Merit Bursary or scholarship, there was feedback from various parents that some of these students do not come prepared. They come improperly attired. They come late. They do not wish to wait for the collection of their awards and they do not respect their fellow students who have been waiting for their turn. Sir, I do understand that this is a minority and sometimes there are various reasons why the conduct of the students may be found wanting. I do also accept that many a time the behaviour of adults too is not exemplary. However, we should not stop trying to inculcate proper values to the younger generation when they are in school. The lack of certain basic values for our future generation should not be for want of effort by our schools.”
“But when the average student takes five to six subjects for their "A" level examinations, I am dumbfounded as to why the school encouraged or even allow students to take nine subjects. Is the message to these students that the more scores you have, the better you will do in life, so better to cram like mad now? I would submit that a school's role is to develop the student and to teach the students skills which would enable them to be educated citizens who have skills which will enable them to be forever learners and not just "A" students in a subject. If a student has to do so many "O" and "A" level subjects, plus excel in their CCA, where do they have time to do anything else? I would like to ask the Minister whether there is any monitoring of the schools to make sure that the school administrators do not unnecessarily stress their students or teachers to produce excellent academic results for their schools. Whilst I agree that some degree of stress is useful to strengthen a person's constitution, I am concerned that too much stress would cause a breakdown in the psychological make-up of either the student or the teacher. Sir, I am also worried about the pressure of wanting to be selected for the IP programme in certain prestigious and premium schools. I understand that some of these schools offering the IP are also competing for students. Is this practice healthy, as it leads to unnecessary stress of competing for students so as to improve the schools' standing? Sir, I am also asking the Minister, in view of the "Teach Less, Learn More" policy, has the workload and curricula for the students and teachers come down? Family Values”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, it is a well-known fact that Singapore has a strong education system where our students perform exceedingly well both locally and internationally. We have good schools with capable school leaders and teachers and facilities that are amongst the best in the world. With such a reputation for excellence, I am concerned about the amount of stress that is being placed on the school system as well as on the students and teachers to continually perform and excel beyond expectation. The stress comes from the heavy workload for both teachers and students, the cramming required for students to do well in their examinations, the higher expectation that is placed on the principals to deliver good results for the school and the ranking of the schools. Frequently, parents complain about the stress faced by their children in having to cram for their examinations, continual tests, project work and to attend CCA. Teachers, too, complain about the unforgiving pace at which they have to run to teach, to mark examination scripts, to plan curriculum and to conduct CCA, just to name a few. Many a time, they are also expected to counsel the students in their class. 1.30 pm In a recent GCE "O" levels, there were 25 students who scored nine distinctions, ie, A1s, for their examinations. This is excluding the many other bright students who did not take their GCE "O" levels this year because they are in the Integrated Programme. In the recent GCE "A" levels, we have schools where the students scored nine distinctions each. The Straits Times quoted: "It is rare for Arts students to take three "S" papers because the study workload is too demanding." But if the student is very bright and doing well and examinations come easily to them, good for them and congratulations.”
“Sir, relating to consumer issues, I earlier asked the MOS whether he would consider having a consumer claims tribunal of some sort to assist consumers. The feedback that we have from consumers is that the Small Claims Tribunal refuses to listen to claims relating to time share disputes.”
“Again, the consumer here is not protected as there is presently no lemon law in Singapore that will oblige a supplier to exchange or replace a product which is defective, despite many attempts to repair. Sir, third, in 2004, CASE received 1,187 complaints against the financial industry for unfair and high pressure tactics in selling their financial products. In 2005, we have 1,021 complaints. Currently, contracts relating to financial investment and insurance matters are excluded from the CPFTA and this leaves little recourse to the consumer. The Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act Review Taskforce has been formed in July 2005. It has made several recommendations to MTI to amend the Act. May I ask the Minister whether these amendments have been accepted, and if so, when will they be tabled in Parliament for discussion? I would like to ask the Minister also whether he will consider having a lemon law to compel suppliers of defective products to replace them. I also would like to ask the Minister whether he would consider bringing financial services under the ambit of the Act. I also like to urge the Minister to consider having a Consumer Claims Tribunal of some sort to assist consumers. From the feedback given by consumers, they face difficulties at the Small Claims Tribunal. Sir, the Consumer Claims Tribunal will allow consumers the option of making their claims before specialist referees and without having to resort to costly litigation under the present legal assistance.”
“Mr Chairman, first, let me declare my interest, before speaking on this cut, as a Committee Member of the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE). Sir, the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act has been in force since 1st March 2004. It is a law meant to protect consumers from various unfair practices by suppliers. Sir, after three years of operation of the law, there are some weaknesses in the consumer protection law that needs to be reviewed. Let me just highlight a few of them. Opt-out practices. Consumers are sometimes required to pay for unsolicited goods and services. In such cases, suppliers typically send goods or services to the consumers without their prior consent and then subsequently demand for payment. Sometimes, these goods and services are provided on free trial and when the trial period ends, the consumer is obligated to opt out from the arrangement. Sir, this places the obligation on the consumer to opt out from an arrangement which he never requested for in the first place. Sometimes, the consumer forgets to opt out because the reminder came by way of an SMS which he has either accidentally deleted or overlooked. In the process, he is required to pay because of a moment of forgetfulness. In such an instance, because this is not considered as an unfair practice under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, the consumer has no recourse, even though he did not ask for the supply of services. Second, refund for/or replacement of defective goods. There are increasing incidents where suppliers refuse to refund/replace goods which remain defective despite multiple repair attempts even though these goods are still under warranty. This can be basic goods like mobile phones with defective software or even expensive products like vehicles.”
“The main point, Sir, is that the Government should not just turn them away because these people do not fall within the basic guidelines for financial assistance. I would urge the Government to consider allowing the CDC or the VWOs to exercise some flexibility in assessing how to help some of the Singaporeans who are caught in the middle ground so that assistance can be more holistic in nature. Finally, I would like to state that I support the Government's initiative to promote research and the injection of $500 million into the National Research Fund. However, the total sum of monies to be invested in R&D is a huge amount, some $2 billion of Government expenditure all in for this year. I wish to urge the Government to consider providing regular updates to Parliament each time there is a major sum of expenditure for research and development. This will help provide more transparency as to the process by which the Government uses large sums of money for research and development expenditure. Who decides what areas of research and development to concentrate on? How much should the investment be? What are the criteria for investment? How does the Government ensure that the huge amount of monies set aside for research and development related expenditure is properly spent? Some members of the public have already raised concerns about the area of focus for research, and I think that these concerns should properly be considered and addressed by the Government. With this, Sir, I support the Budget. 1.01 pm”
“Or is it that they do not feel appreciated by the Government who feels that they are not talented enough? Or is it because of the school system which determines their children's future from young? Next, Sir, please allow me to speak about the social security system. I accept the basic principles which underlie the social security system which is that of self-reliance, mutual support within the family, supplemented by the Government only to the extent necessary. But, within this system, I do not believe that we need to see Singaporeans living in abject poverty before we extend a helping hand to them. I believe that it is not unreasonable for some lower income Singaporeans to say, "Look, I have some small savings. But I really need them for a rainy day. Can you give me some kind of help now because I need some form of financial assistance?" Or other Singaporeans may say, "Can you give me some help now, even though I have two children who can give some allowance? But I try not to rely on them because they too have their own families to look after." And for some older residents who say, "Yes, I have made a small profit from the sale of my HDB flat. But I need to set them aside for my future medical bills." And some would save for their coffin or funeral expenses. So can you allow them to rent a subsidised flat from HDB? At the end of the day, it is really a matter of balance of deciding when to help them and how much to help them. They are not so poor that they will be eligible for all the schemes for the needy. But they are definitely not considered well off by any standard, that they should be considered as not needy.”
“However, looking at the difficulties that some of them faced like not being able to get a HDB flat because they have just sold a private property, frequently at a loss, or like not being able to get a HDB loan, one cannot help but feel for their frustration. Sir, there is a second group of Singaporeans and this would be a group of middle income residents who are eligible for financial aid and, here, I would say they do not wish to have financial aid. They have worked hard for their income and they desire to stretch their income to have a better quality lifestyle in Singapore. But because of the various increases in transport fares, utilities charges, medical charges, postage, ERP charges and now GST, they feel squeezed because of the inflationary pressures in the cost of living in Singapore. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would urge the Government to consider how we can address the concerns or aspirations of some of these Singaporeans as they form the middle and upper tier of our society. They feel alienated from the Government because the Government policies do not seem to benefit them. They really should be happy because of their greater wealth or higher income earning ability and they have done well in life. But somehow or other, many of them feel that the better option for them is to migrate where they would be happier in another country. Even as Singapore tries to attract skilled and talented foreigners to Singapore, we should also put in our own effort to persuade our own Singaporeans that they too are talented in their own way and they too have a bright future in their own homeland. Are our fellow Singaporeans leaving the country because of the increased cost of living? Or is it because of the pressures of living in a competitive society?”
“I would also support the Government's strategy of having Workfare Income Supplement as a way to encourage those who can work to carry on working and to be as self-reliant as possible. To me, this is a far better option and outright cash handout to residents who then have no incentive to work, and this may lead to a crutch mentality. I am talking about mental crutch and not fiscal crutch. Sir, there are two groups of people whom I am concerned about. The first group comprises Singaporeans who, because of globalisation or economic restructuring, are caught with negative assets and either lower income or no income. They may be having their own purchased flats or even private properties which are now below valuation, but because they have lost their jobs or they are unable to find similar paying jobs, they are caught in a situation where they are not eligible for Government aid because of the assets they own, but yet they struggle financially because of their loss of income. Quite a few other MPs have spoken previously about the need to help this group of lower middle income Singaporeans who are caught in the middle. I add my voice in urging the Government to find some way to provide financial relief to them. The best way to help this group is really to help them find a job that will pay a reasonable wage as before, to enable them to apply their experience and to use the skills that they have learned over the years. But until they are able to get back on their feet, the Government should consider them to be eligible for short-term financial assistance, whenever necessary. If nothing else, Sir, we should be sympathetic towards their situation.”
“With such well thought through directions, I submit that this year's Budget Statement would give many Singaporeans confidence that the country is in the good hands of Government leaders with strong vision for the future. Secondly, Sir, I wish to thank the Government for the various offset measures to help Singaporeans cope with the GST increase. $1.8 billion alone would be given in the form of GST credits over five years. Although I understand that any increase in GST is never welcomed, however with an ageing population and increasing competition for foreign investment, it is increasingly apparent that the present direct tax regime is inadequate and hence the need to shift to an indirect form of taxation. But like the speaker before me, Mr Zainul, I feel that the Government needs to explain more about the reason and the need to shift the tax incidents to indirect taxes. A few Members of this House yesterday had expressed disappointment about the lack of an income tax cut. Whilst I would personally be very happy with a cut in income tax, I do recognise that any cut in income tax would necessarily mean less revenue for the Government to fund its expenses and help packages. This revenue must come from somewhere, and this may mean that the offset packages would be lesser for those who need this help the most. So, I would be slow to ask the Government to be more generous. I am very pleased to note that the focus of these offset measures is on the poor, the needy and the elderly, as it rightly should be. The poor and lower middle income group would be the ones who would have the most difficulty adjusting to the effects of globalisation, and it is right that the most help is given to this group of people.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to take part in this Budget debate. Sir, I have been sworn in for barely two weeks when the Prime Minister made the announcement about the impending increase in GST from 5% to 7%. My heart sank when I heard the news, as I was certain that this announcement would not go down well with Singaporeans who are already complaining that the cost of living has gone up. True enough, within a few days after the announcement, I received many unsolicited emails, SMSes and feedback about how regressive the consumption tax would be. Many of the feedback were unhappy expressions against the Government. After listening to the explanation from the Prime Minister and the other Ministers, I held back my own judgement and waited with bated breath to see how this Government could make the consumption tax non-regressive. I also kept assuring my grassroots leaders and my residents to have faith in the Government and that the Government would provide suitable offsets to compensate for the increase in the GST. Sir, after hearing the Budget Statement from the Second Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, I am much relieved. Indeed, the Budget Statement is a well-balanced Budget which shows that the Government has well thought ideas and plans as to how to improve the lives of Singaporeans and to plan for the future. Like many other Members before me, please allow me to, firstly, compliment the Government on its vision of preparing for our future by having growth opportunity for all. The Government's plans to build capabilities for the future and its plans to strengthen the social security system by restructuring CPF and introducing the Workfare Income Supplement are commendable.”
“But I think the Member's point is that when you are dealing with a person selling you secondhand goods, you want to make sure that this in fact is a bona fide seller and records will be kept. That is fair enough. I will ask the Police to consider that. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee]. Bill considered in Committee. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair]”
“There is a police licensing unit general enquiry line, 68350000. Basically, Police will be very friendly. They are not there to catch you off guard. They want to help you because some people may not be certain or sure whether they need a licence. And indeed, Dr Teo mentioned some of these. What if you just want to buy and sell your own things online, for example, you are occasionally a person who likes to refresh your wardrobe, will you be caught? Or a flea market, I know that some of our friends set up shop at Tanglin Mall fortnightly. I do not know whether it is first and third week or second and fourth week where you can set up shop and sell things. Or some of the trade bazaars that now dot the island. As a general guide, a person who sells a fairly large amount of goods, especially those of the same type, like handphones, and with some regularity, not once off, that means frequency of trade and especially if you are not selling your own goods or not buying goods for your own consumption, then you will probably be required to obtain a licence. But if you are not sure, just check. So the once-off guy who sells his own goods, I think he need not fear. Sir, I have covered business cost. I have covered form of reporting. I have covered Internet transaction. I have also covered this point about whether you want to keep for one month. One or two other points that I will ask the Police to consider will be, for example, the requirement to fix the licence on the shop front; also a directory to be kept online of licensees who have valid licences, especially those which have been revoked, although the Police tells me that, in fact, revocation is very rare.”
“In fact, he made a very good point too regarding whether or not we should encourage the secondhand goods dealers to submit through online. Of course, we are mindful that not all secondhand goods dealers are sophisticated. But Dr Teo urges that Police should take this opportunity to maybe work with SPRING Singapore to get more of them to be computer literate and to maximise and leverage on the benefits of computerisation. I think that Police can do. But the point of keeping it simple, I think, is important. Therefore, Police intends not just to have one language, but the explanation will be in four languages with the submission in English. But the dealers would know what to submit, as the explanation to them is given in four languages. An additional important piece of information which Police would require that is different from the current position will be the identity of the buyer. Currently, it is not required. Currently, the focus is more on the seller - who the seller is, and so forth. But this is part of more effective tracing. So it is not so much whether the goods are physically there. But if they are not, who bought them. Hence, there will a new requirement where the identity of the buyer will also be required. Hopefully, this would assuage some of the concerns of Dr Teo. Indeed, he is right in that one other area that we have to now fill up is this new area that has blossomed and bloomed, which is trading on the Internet. Currently, the Act, being framed in 1918, only covers physical shop fronts. So Police will take the opportunity to also fill up this gap. Every dealer who deals in secondhand goods, as set out in the Schedule, will have to apply for a licence. If they are not sure, then I would urge them to check with the licensing unit.”
“Indeed, there is an improvement because under the current scheme, the licence is taken to start from 1st January to end on 31st December. So if a new person comes on board in June, he has to renew on 1st January the following year. But now, with more flexibility, it will be one calendar year from the time the person is issued with a licence. That is why I am not minded, for example, to take up the suggestion of Dr Teo's that may in fact add to business cost. For example, if you say, "Why not require the dealer to keep the goods for one year?", that would mean that he would have holding cost; he would have compliance cost; he would have monitoring cost. That is why I do not think we need to do that. But I will show that by one or two things that we have done, the plight of consumers who may have lost goods and indeed the plight of consumers who may buy secondhand goods which are stolen will be somewhat ameliorated. Why do I say this? This is linked to the second point which is the format of the reporting structure. Dr Teo very rightly pointed out that requiring dealers to keep information is important. But of course the framework that Police imposes must be reasonable. Five years is reasonable because, like I have just mentioned in my earlier speech in this House, amendments have been moved to standardise record-keeping periods in various Acts to five years. I think it is fair to ask the secondhand goods dealers to keep records for five years. The format, again, will be a simple one. I take his point that if you want people to keep information and if you want the dealers to submit information as and when required, it should not be a very complicated and complex field. So Police has got that clearly in mind.”