Lim Chee Onn
Singapore
“I would like the Ministry in its discussion with the Ministry of Finance to consider this scheme seriously in order to attract more R&D activities and more companies to adopt technology in their production processes. Such a scheme should not be just a case of providing relief to individuals and corporations, risk-takers or entrepreneurs.”
“On the surface, the venture capital allowance would appear to just favour investors, entrepreneurs and promoting R&D activities, which would appear to benefit only a very restricted few.”
“The point really is even if they apply and are allotted a 4-room flat or a 3-room flat, not all of them can be accommodated under one roof by mere reason of numbers.”
“But I am afraid, Mr Speaker, Sir, my mode of transport is slightly more modest, it is a bicycle. I would like to illustrate by means of a bicycle, if I may, how Singaporeans can expect to create wealth and how we, as a government, as a Parliament, and as a people, ought to distribute this wealth.”
“Finally, perhaps on a matter of semantics, I would have preferred to have seen the Committee adopt a more positive attitude towards the aged than to refer to the matter as problems of the aged. Because if that were the case, then every one of us here is a potential problem.”
“And here we have a Member of Parliament, someone who presumably is not short of grey matter, advocating that we should follow the British and go down the drain the way they are going. Is he really speaking out for the workers? I dare say he is not. Probably he is just looking for publicity. Some hon. Members: Yes.”
The complete record
Every one of 74 lines we hold for Lim Chee Onn, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 2.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to fully support the Motion moved by the hon. Member for Serangoon Gardens in expressing our thanks to the President for his Address at the Opening of this Parliament. My colleagues who have spoken before me have reminded the House of the political and economic threats which have a tremendous bearing on how we will fare over the next five to ten years. They have urged that our Government should bring its mind to bear on these problems. In fact, it is imperative that we must be prepared to face these challenges squarely if we are to enjoy continued stability and prosperity. The younger generation of workers, professionals, and even politicians, have grown up and developed in a period of peace and prosperity. They have not had the opportunity to savour the strife and obstacles that challenged our early leaders and workers. It was through battling these obstacles against overwhelming odds that moulded and tempered our present group of political and trade union leaders. The question has often been asked whether our next generation of political and union leaders have the resilience, tenacity and sense of purpose, traits which are the hallmark of our present leaders, to overcome the trials and tribulations ahead. This question will continue to be asked, but unfortunately there are no ready answers. It will be folly to deliberately recreate the battle conditions just to put the second generation of leaders through a baptism of fire, to identify the sheep from the goats. At the same time, there will always be the nagging doubt as to what these budding leaders are made of unless an answer is found for the question.”
“Sir, I am quite gratified to note that the Hon. Minister has deemed it fit to take up the case on behalf of the Registry of Trade Marks and Patents. I should have imagined that the alleged periods of absence of the caretaker were due primarily to what the Minister has just referred to as the loose administration that prevailed and to the fact that the caretaker's working hours were not explicitly laid down. However, in view of the Minister's assurance that some equitable arrangements would be arrived at to resolve the issue, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $9,124,620 for Head P ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $54,000,000 for Head P ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head Q -”
“However, since we are discussing a specific case in the Ministry of Law, could I have an assurance from the Minister that he will direct the senior officers in his Ministry to review this and any other similar cases, if any, more objectively and sympathetically.”
“The reply acknowledged that an irregular situation existed in the Registry. This, to my mind, is indeed euphemism par excellence. According to my calculations, during the period between 10th February 1975 and 1st October 1977, the officer has worked 9,580 hours in excess of the required number of hours of work expected of him. In addition to that, he has not been given any of the 136 rest days and 29 public holidays due to him. It is no wonder that the local press has termed him "The Marathon Man". Judging by his ability to persevere, he may even be bionic, to boot. When its attention was drawn to this case, the Registry should have reviewed the facts more objectively. Instead, the Registry chose to give a reply stating that there was some ambiguity in the actual working hours of the officer. To add insult to injury, after acknowledging that the working hours of the officer were not satisfactory, the Ministry concluded in the same breath that it was not possible to substantiate any claim of extra hours of actual work performed in the past. Sir, if there was an oversight or error committed on the part of senior officers, the Registry or the Ministry should make every effort to ensure that wrongs are righted instead of trying to gloss over these errors with technicalities. Junior officers should not be made to pay for the mistakes of their supervisors. Unless such principles are adopted and practised at every level of the civil service, all our efforts to improve the performance of the civil service will come to naught. Hon. Members will agree that my remarks are applicable to any Government department or Ministry.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head P be reduced by $10 in respect of item 1210 of Subhead Code PC-02 of the Main Estimates. Sir, one of the preoccupations of the civil service has been, and I hope it will continue to be, to find out how it can improve the extent and grade of service provided to the public. Towards this end, the terms and conditions of employment of civil servants have been improved with the aim of retaining the better officers and reducing the turnover rate. I am certain that hon. Members will agree with me that this course of action should be applicable not only to civil servants in the Superscales but also to Divisions III and IV officers, the people at the base of the pyramid. For it is only when there is fair treatment to everyone within an organisation that its efficiency and efficacy are assured. However, it would appear that the Registry of Trade Marks and Patents does not subscribe to this policy. Sir, I would like to draw the attention of the Hon. Minister to the case of a junior officer who has been working in the Registry of Trade Marks and Patents since February 1975 without a rest day being given him. This officer has been asked to perform his duty since 10th February 1975, on the following hours. On weekdays, that is, from Mondays to Fridays, between 5,00 p.m. and 8.00 a.m. the following morning. On Saturdays, from 1.00 p.m. to 8.00 a.m. the following Monday. Moreover, he has to perform his duties on public holidays. All this was expected of him without any form of compensation whatsoever, be it time off or overtime pay. The attention of the Registrar of Trade Marks and Patents was drawn to this sad state of affairs and the reply from the Registrar was received in October 1977.”
“Sir, I believe the figures quoted by the Senior Parliamentary Secretary refer to the number of posts. The point I wish to clarify is whether all the posts are filled. The reason why I am asking is this. If there are underlying causes as to why these technical posts are not filled, I think the Ministry should look into them fairly urgently.”
“I would like to request the Senior Parliamentary Secretary to clarify the point regarding the number of posts in the Industrial Safety Department. He has mentioned that the number of posts has remained stagnant. Could I seek clarification as to whether all the posts are filled?”
“I note from the establishment list under the Industrial Safety Programme that there is no change in the number of posts for Technical Officers, despite the fact that the number of factory inspections increased substantially from 828 inspections in January 1977 to over 1,000 in January 1978. The Ministry ought to be congratulated for taking on this greater load without any increase in staff. My hope is that this was not done at the expense of thoroughness in the inspections carried out. With higher standards of safety, especially with the requirements stipulated in the Factories (Amendment) Bill now before Parliament, more technical personnel with better training will be needed to advise employers on these requirements and, just as important, to enforce these industrial safety laws. The availability of better trained officers is made that much more important by the fact that manufacturing and industrial processes in our factories are becoming more sophisticated and complicated, especially in industries which use chemicals and heavy machinery in their manufacturing processes. While the unions will do all they can to educate and to inform our workers of the importance of complying with safety rules and regulations and cultivating good work habits, this alone will not suffice. Could the Minister inform the House what plans his Ministry has to ensure that there will be no let-up in its efforts to promote industrial safety, especially in the newer types of industry, so as to reduce the number of industrial accidents? I am particularly interested in the plans to train and develop the technical staff involved with the implementation of the Ministry's industrial safety and industrial health programmes.”
“Yes, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir. Sir, the number of industrial accidents, including those at factory sites, does not do much to reassure parents of the desirability of encouraging their children to take up blue collar jobs. As we all know, the Government and the unions have spared no efforts in encouraging the younger members of our labour force to take up jobs in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. Unfortunately, the industrial accidents that hit the headline! now and again only serve to negate all oui efforts. In fact, it will harden the resistance towards blue collar work. Despite the assurance given by the Ministry that measures have been taken to improve the industrial safety and health, the figures on industrial accidents are far from reassuring. The total number of accidents over the past three years did not abate in spite of efforts by the Factory lnspectorate and Industrial Health Department. The number of industrial accidents rose from 3,827 in 1975 to 4,252 in 1976 and 4,575 in 1977. It is little consolation that the number of fatalities decreased by five each year; from 67 fatalities in 1975 to 62 and 57 in 1976 and 1977 respectively. Sir, there were 5,849 factories registered by the end of January 1978. This is an increase of 3.3% over the 5,662 factories in January 1977. More factories will be set up as we accelerate our industrialisation programme. Unless greater efforts are made to promote safe work practices among new entrants to the labour market and to advise employers on safety requirements, it will be just wishful thinking to hope that the number of industrial accidents will fall.”
“Our trade unions have also included in their draft collective agreements clauses relating to the system of awards and penalty. However, regrettably, some employers have rejected the proposals of our trade unions. What they are interested in is only to deduct the pay increase of employees whose services have fallen below standard. They are not interested in the scheme giving rewards to those who have shown good performance. In other words, the employers are merely taking advantage of NWC's proposals beneficial to them but rejecting those parts sharing the fruit of prosperity with employees who have contributed to it. This kind of action has directly or indirectly affected adversely the morale of those employees who work diligently. Therefore, I hope the Minister will take note of this unreasonable attitude and find a way to remedy it.”
“Sir, in view of the explanation given by the Senior Minister of State, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $37,927,120 for Head L ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. 7.45 p.m. Head M - Mr Tan Cheng San (Paya Lebar)( In Mandarin): Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head M be reduced by $10 in respect of item 1100 of Subhead Code MA-01 of the Main Estimates. In recent years, the National Wages Council recommendations for wage increase have greatly enhanced the remuneration of our workers and have raised their standard of living. This shows the success of tripartite cooperation among the workers, employers and the Government. It has gained the support of all our people. Owing to worldwide economic recession, many advanced industrial countries are faced with the serious problem of unemployment. The trade unions in these countries then applied pressure on their governments so much so that their governments have to adopt protectionism to limit the outflow of capital. In order that our nation can maintain a profitable trade internationally and continue to attract foreign technology and investment, our NWC have repeatedly urged those concerned to seriously raise the productivity of our workers. In NWC proposals last year the scheme for the implementation of penalty for demerits and awards for merits was brought up. We are a democratic socialist Republic carrying out the policy of "From each his best; to each his worth." The proposals of our NWC are therefore correct. This is one way that our nation can continue to be prosperous. Our NTUC has set up a Productivity Consultation Department to assist the smooth implementation of plans to raise productivity, and also to give consultation services where required.”
“I would have thought that such awards would form a most excellent vehicle for fostering among ASEAN nationals who are recipients of these awards, a better understanding of one another's social, cultural and economic background. I hope that the Ministry will increase the number of such awards and make them more attractive. By so doing, ASEAN training awards could eventually be transformed into one more ASEAN programme for fostering better understanding among ASEAN states.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of item 3310 of Subhead Code LA-02 of the Main Estimates*. Sir, our foreign policy has been and still is to establish Singapore as a global city while at the same time to stress on cooperation and development with other countries based on principles of mutual respect for each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as non-interference in each other's internal affairs. For this reason, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may have considered it necessary for Singapore to become increasingly active in international forums and organisations. With such an objective, it is inevitable that our financial contributions to international organisations will increase. However, this alone will not account for the quantum increase of such contributions by 125% to over a million dollars budgeted for the next financial year. There must be a reason for this, and I hope the Senior Minister of State could let us know what it is and reassure the House that this large increase will not become a trend for future contributions. Sir, the importance Singapore places on the need for close cooperation among ASEAN states, especially in trade, economic, cultural, technical and other fields, cannot be over-emphasised. In fact, the Senior Minister of State confirms this. This is, amply demonstrated by the fact that $2.5 million or 26% of the total sum of $9.6 million budgeted for the Foreign Ministry's administration programme has been set aside for the ASEAN Fund. On the other hand, I note that the amount earmarked for ASEAN training awards has decreased by 12 1/2% to $70,000.”
“Sir, in view of the fact that the Minister has preempted my comments and, in fact, has answered quite a large number of the questions which I would have asked, I do not wish to move my amendment.”
“Hopefully, the private sector will gradually follow suit. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the unions, both in the public and private sectors, are more than willing to give their full support in any such exercise. 6.30 p.m.”
“While I do not wish to detract from the contributions made by senior civil servants, I wonder how often have the authorities spared a thought to improving the conditions and job prospects for junior officers. Obviously not every Division III or IV officer will have the aptitude for self-improvement through the acquisition of higher skills. But for those who have and are so inclined every assistance should be granted to them. For the others, either because of age or circumstances who have to persist in their jobs, my hope is that the Ministry of Finance would ensure that fair and sympathetic treatment is meted out to them either in improving their working conditions or in alleviating the tediousness of their work through mechanisation or other improvements of the systems in which they operate. In fact, it is in a Department's self-interest to ensure higher productivity from its staff by introducing mechanisation and establishing better working conditions. The Hon. Minister has acknowledged that there are shortages of officers in a number of Ministries. According to statistics given in the Budget for FY 78, out of 67,685 approved posts, there were 6,866 vacancies as at 30th November, 1977. The Ministry of Finance would do well to examine and identify the underlying causes for the relatively high number of vacancies in the Ministries of Health, Education and Home Affairs. It is not enough simply to carry out recruitment exercises all the year and repeatedly turn-up figures reflecting a high turnover rate of staff. Positive steps must be initiated to counteract the trend. Being the largest employer, the Government should take the lead in introducing innovative measures to improve the skills of and working conditions for its employees, especially junior officers.”
“Since most of the statutory boards which are also large users of manpower have fairly comprehensive training programmes, perhaps some arrangements can be made for them to help employees who have found themselves out on a limb as a result of technological change in our industries. In the same vein, Sir, I hope that in its anxiety and efforts to improve the lot of the senior civil servants so as to retain their services, the Ministry of Finance has not forgotten the people at the bottom of the civil service pyramid. The Government has reassured the public that every attempt will be made to improve the grade of services provided, be it in hospitals, airports, police stations or across counters in public offices. Much of the daily routine in such places is handled by Divisions III and IV officers, who more often than not are by-passed when plans for upgrading the conditions of employment for civil servants are formulated. It is these same officers who come into contact with the public most frequently. Should there be genuine grievances which create discontentment among junior officers, it will be in the interest of the Department or Ministry concerned to try to resolve these problems rather than to sweep them under the carpet or to will them away. Unless these problems are given an airing and are tackled squarely, efforts to raise the standard of service provided to the public will be to no avail. Sir, I hope that this remark will not be construed by the Hon. Minister to be in support of rudeness on the part of civil servants, for on the contrary, I would be the last to condone slipshod work and poor work ethics from any sector.”
“In fact, I find it difficult to reconcile the desire to accelerate the deepening of our industrial sector with the fact that only 11 lines out of a 33-page Budget Statement were devoted to discussing manpower development. Although I am slightly reassured by the fact that 15% of the estimated expenditure under the Main Estimates for FY 78 has been set aside for Education, out of which the vocational training institutes, secondary technical schools, education centres and universities will be getting their fair share, and the fact that over $15 million have been earmarked for expenditure in manpower planning under the Ministry of Finance's vote, I hope that the passing reference to manpower development in the Budget speech does not mean that the Ministry of Finance has relegated the training and re-training of our workforce to a lower priority. With greater emphasis placed on higher skills, and the setting up of high technology industries, it is inevitable that some members of the labour force will become apprehensive about the security of their future. This applies especially to those who are relatively older, and could even affect those who are semi-skilled or skilled. This is exemplified by the recent call by our local ship radio operators for assistance in upgrading themselves to radio officers as they have found it increasingly difficult to get jobs as radio operators. In-house training programmes to upgrade the skills of existing employees would be ideal, but unfortunately not many factories at present undertake this task. I would urge the Government to look into this matter and consider ways of helping those who are in this predicament.”
“The point I am trying to make, Sir, is that such sterling qualities can only be developed and sharpened by active engagement in the competition for profits, especially in the international arena, and such battles must be fought without excessive molly coddling from the Government. Should our local entrepreneurs come to rely too much on the Government to bail them out when the going gets tough, or worse still, become unwilling to make a move unless safe profits are assured either through further tax incentives or other fiscal aids, then I am afraid that one of two things can happen in a real hard crisis. Either our economic shock absorbers will break at the first impact with a sizable economic pothole, or the Government will have to keep on pouring incentive schemes one after the other into a bottomless pit. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the fiscal policies outlined in the Minister's Budget Statement have not overlooked the need to encourage our entrepreneurs in prudent risk taking and to develop in them a true entrepreneurial ability. For this reason, I support these policies and welcome the proposed company tax package aimed at widening and deepening our industrial and financial sectors. While incentives can be given to channel resources in the right direction and to encourage investment in the more desirable industries, the whole plan will not got off the ground unless there are skilled and trained personnel to operate and maintain the lines of production. Sir, I am referring to the need to improve and upgrade our most precious assets, namely, our human resources. It is indeed strange that while acknowledging the immaturity of our industrial workforce, there has been little or nothing said regarding plans for its further development.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Hon. Minister for Finance began his Budget speech with the welcome news that Singapore did well in 1977 despite the difficult international economic situation. This simple and modest statement does not reflect the tremendous efforts that have gone into charting the proper course for our Ship of State. To be able to generate a growth of 7.8% in our economy and reduce unemployment to 3.9% in the face of falling world trade and slow recovery of the world economy takes more than just good fortune. The pragmatic policies and flexible approach which have been the hallmark of our development strategy have served us well in the past. We will do well to continue on these lines but at the same time we must bolster our shock absorbers to enable us to withstand the jolts of still higher fuel prices, increasingly protectionist policies of the industrialised countries and a slower growth in world trade. One of the elements in our economic strategy over the next few years is to further upgrade our industries, especially in the production of capital goods. It is only right that the Government, especially the taxman, should lead the way in stimulating the corporate sector to achieve this. However, the success of our industrial, trade and services development programmes ultimately depends on much more than tax incentives alone. It requires our local entrepreneurs to develop, in addition to a razor-sharp mind, the keen perception of an opportunist and the acumen of an accomplished businessman. The question we must ask, is, how do our own entrepreneurs fare in comparison with those elsewhere, say, in Hong Kong or South Korea.”
“To ask the Minister for Finance (a) whether his Ministry has examined the cost-effectiveness of increasing the number of trade or commercial offices located overseas and/or upgrading those already in existence, in order to promote our exports; and (b) what other plans his Ministry has to assist our manufacturers in further diversifying their exports to new markets and in responding quickly to overseas demand for new products. 33.”
“To ask the Minister for Labour (a) what plans his Ministry has to educate our workers on their responsibilities in increasing job security and job prospects for the labour force; and (b) how these plans relate to those workers who are unorganised or who are members of unions which are not affiliated to the National Trades Union Congress.”
“To ask the Minister for National Development and Communications, in view of the heavy traffic along Jalan Bukit Merah, if an overhead bridge for pedestrians will be constructed across the road in front of the Bukit Merah Town Centre.”
“To ask the Minister for Health when the Bukit Merah Town Centre's Regional Polyclinic now under construction will be commissioned and what services the clinic will provide. Mr Speaker: Mr Lim Chee Onn.”