Lim Kim San
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Public Utilities Board's investigation shows that the residents of Pulau Ubin are unwilling to pay higher prices due to higher operating costs, thereby causing the contractor to cease operations. It was explained to the hon.”
“Sir, I understand the Member's point, but I hope he realises that six months after serving notice, the pigs will still be defecating freely which will continue to contaminate our water.”
“Sir, if anyone should get sick from coming into contact with contaminated water, I hope they will accept sympathy from the Member for Jurong. But we cannot evaluate the danger to human life in terms of dollars and cents. The farmers have known for several years now that pig-rearing will have to be phased out of the catchment areas.”
“Sir, all I can say is that we are still looking into the feasibility of siting a coal-fired station on one of the islands to reduce the pollution problem. But no definite decision has yet been made. We have several offers to do a feasibility study on it, and we are looking closely into the matter. 5.45 p.m.”
“Merit Scholar- Merit Courses ships Bursaries Medicine/ Dentistry 44 41 Engineering 28 22 Architecture/ Building/ Estate Management 6 18 Accountancy/ Business Administration 9 14 Arts/Social Science/Law 32 40 Science (includes Pharmacy) 82 102 ___ ___ 201 237 === === Sir, I believe the hon.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, air pollution is being monitored daily by the Anti- Pollution Unit, and we find that the air pollution in industrial estates and the urban areas is normally higher than in the residential or rural areas.”
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“Mr Speaker, Sir, far from interfering in any trading that is being carried on in Singapore, it is the avowed policy of the Government to allow freedom of trade as much as possible. But, as I have said in moving the Second Reading of the Bill, we have come across instances where letters of credit were opened and there was an absence of good faith. In fact, there was connivance between the banks. Hence the necessity for this amendment. I can assure the Member for Havelock that the wording of the amendment as it stands will enable us to prevent or discourage such malpractices and punishment meted out if they ever arise. The amendment has been vetted by the S.A.G.'s Office and, as far as I can ascertain, the legal phraseology is as it should be. If the hon. Member has reason to believe that it is not so, then I welcome any further amendment by him. 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. -[Mr Lim Kim San]. Bill considered in Committee. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] 4.31 p.m. Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 2 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it was originally proposed that the proviso to section 5 of the Control of Imports and Exports Ordinance (Chapter 214) be deleted so as to enable Government to cancel, suspend, amend or disallow any import licence or permit for goods covered by an irrevocable letter of credit. However, the Chambers of Commerce and banks have advised that the deletion of this proviso would give the Controller and Registrar of Imports and Exports unfettered powers to cancel even import licences for goods covered by genuine letters of credit established in good faith. This may create uncertainty among the trade and could react to the discredit of Singapore as a trading centre. I, therefore, propose to suggest an amendment to clause 2 of the Bill during the Committee stage. This amendment will give the Government powers to reject, cancel or suspend import licences covered by irrevocable letters of credit suspected to be established not in good faith. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, under the proviso to section 5 of the Control of Imports and Exports Ordinance (Chapter 214), the Controller and Registrar of Imports and Exports is unable to cancel, suspend or amend any import licence or permit until the existing irrevocable letter of credit issued in respect of it has expired. There have been instances where manufacturers have asked for the imposition of quota restrictions, and with the knowledge that such restrictions would be implemented soon, they or their friends are suspected to have taken advantage of the proviso to section 5 of the Ordinance by placing orders with overseas buyers in quantities much larger than they normally import and establish covering letters of credit just before the quota restrictions are imposed. There are also instances where merchants and banks are suspected to have connived in backdating letters of credit so as to take advantage of opportunities arising from the imposition of quotas. Sir, in order to prevent these disruptive practices, it is considered that the recognition of an irrevocable letter of credit should be discretionary and not mandatory. In other words, where letters of credit have been opened in good faith, then such imports will be allowed. On the other hand, if there are strong grounds of suspicion that there is improper advantage being taken of foreknowledge of a quota or ban or that the banks, in connivance with the traders, have backdated their letters of credit, then the imports will not be allowed even if irrevocable letters of credit have been established.”
“I have said that our economy is one of free enterprise, and if shopkeeper A raises the prices too high, shopkeeper B will undersell him. So the prices will be the result of the interplay of supply and demand. CHINA-MADE AND SINGAPORE-MADE GOODS (Value of imports and exports) 9. Madam Chan Choy Siong asked the Minister for Finance the total value of China-made goods imported into Singapore and of Singapore-made goods exported to China in 1966.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we are known as a country which allows free enterprise and free play of prices of supply and demand. The prices of rice and sugar are not fixed by the Government. They are the results of supply and demand.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not think that it is within the powers of the Government to control the prices of sugar and rice since we do not grow these commodities ourselves. Any form of control would lead to evasion, and the moment you start controlling, there would be a black-market in these commodities. Moreover, to keep the prices stable - to follow the suggestion of the Member for Punggol - would mean that we would have to subsidise either the price of rice or sugar. I think the Member need not go very far to find out what has happened to the country that has been subsidising the price of rice. Mr P. Govindaswamy (Anson): Do the Government or the people outside fix the prices of rice and sugar?”
“But if and when we find it imperative to make changes and amendments to the law in order to cope with the growing complexities and sophistication of the monetary system, we will not hesitate to do so. However, for the immediate future we believe confidence in the value of the Singapore dollar can and will be retained by a continuation of the Currency Board system with 100 per cent backing and without any fiduciary issue. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“Clause 30 requires the annual accounts and report of the Board to be transmitted to the President and thereafter published in the Gazette and laid before Parliament. The Board is also required to make Out quarterly returns of its currency notes and coins in circulation for publication in the Gazette and to publish half-yearly statements showing the liquid portion of its Fund and the assets of the Fund. Thus every member of the public will be in a position to know and verify for himself the value and worth of the Singapore dollar. In clauses 32 to 35 are transitional and repeal provisions. Clause 32 gives legal status to acts performed by the Government on behalf of the Board prior to its establishment. In clause 34, it is provided that the notes and coins of the present Currency Board shall be exchanged at par for the new Board's notes and coins. I would like, Mr Speaker, Sir, to add in conclusion that the Bill now before the House has been drafted in consultation with the Association of Banks in Singapore and Malaysia. This Association was formed when Singapore was in Malaysia, and still represents banks in Singapore. Many of the Association's suggestions have been accepted and incorporated in the Bill. It now remains for me to record the Government's appreciation of the careful and detailed manner in which the Association has contributed in finalising the Bill, which continues with a system, albeit old-fashioned to some, but which has given us one of the strongest and most stable currencies you can find anywhere. Mr Speaker, Sir, we are loath now to relinquish a method of currency issue which has stood us in good stead for so long.”
“The assets of the Fund form the backing for the currency issued by the Board. The provisions of clause 25 (3) ensure that the value of the Fund is equivalent to the face value of the currency issued by the Board, i.e., there is 100 per cent cover for every Singapore dollar issued. Further, it is provided that the Fund shall consist of all external assets, the items of which are listed in clause 24. It will be seen that, apart from sterling, the Board is also empowered to hold other foreign assets and therefore have a more diversified portfolio of investments. This is an improvement compared with the present position where only sterling assets are held. It should also be noted that there are no provisions whatsoever for a fiduciary issue. Put simply, Mr Speaker, Sir, a fiduciary issue means the issue of currency with Singapore Government securities as backing and represents Government's borrowing from the Currency Fund. This, I may remind the House, is an even stricter provision than has been found in our present currency system which allows the present Board to have a fiduciary issue of $300 million. In addition, the provisions of clause 25 (3) and clause 26 guarantee the 100 per cent cover as any deficiency in the assets of the Currency Fund is automatically charged to the Consolidated Fund. Thus it will be seen that the Singapore dollar is at all times backed 100 per cent by foreign assets. In clauses 28 to 31 are miscellaneous provisions. Clause 28 provides for the financial year of the Board, which will be the calendar year. Clause 29 provides that the accounts of the Board shall be audited by the Director of Audit.”
“In clause 13, it is provided that on and after 12th June, unless validly provided for, all monetary obligations or transactions in Singapore shall be deemed to be expressed and recorded and settled in the Singapore dollar. This is to avoid confusion. Clause 14 gives the Board the sole right to issue currency notes and coins in Singapore. The legal tender status of these notes and coins is any amount for notes; and for coins, up to an amount not exceeding $10 in the case of coins of denominations of 50 cents and above; and up to an amount not exceeding $2 in the case of coins of a lower denomination. These provisions arc similar to those in the present Currency Board system. Sub-clauses (3) and (4) of this clause are transitional provisions, providing that the notes and coins of the present Currency Board shall continue to be legal tender in Singapore in the amounts as mentioned above until demonetised. Such demonetisation will require the approval of the President and has to be published in the Gazette. Clause 16 of the Bill ensures that the new Singapore currency notes and coins are fully and automatically convertible into sterling. This is identical with the provisions to be found in the present Currency Board system. Clause 17 provides that the Board may at its discretion redeem and issue currency notes and coins against gold and other foreign currencies. In clause 18 are spelt out the details of how procedures of redemption and issues of currency notes and coins are to be effected by the Board. In clauses 23, 24 and 25 are detailed the backing and types of assets that will be held by the Board as a backing for the currency it has issued. Clause 23 sets up a Fund to be called the Currency Fund.”
“It is our belief, however, that the structure of the Board allowing for appointment of four members from the private sector will provide for the maximum expression and balance of interests before decisions could be taken. However, when and where there is a genuine difference of opinion or of judgment among members of the Board, it is necessary for the Government, in the wider interests of the nation, to be able to make the ultimate decision with the use of the Chairman's casting vote. Thus, it is provided that the Government members, i.e., the Chairman and Deputy Chairman, will together have four votes and the other four members will together have the same number of votes with the Chairman having a casting vote in case of an equality of votes. In clause 8 are listed the conditions under which members of the Board are automatically disqualified. In clause 9 are outlined obligations of Board members in deliberations of the Board where the member has an interest. Clause 10 ensures that members and employees of the Board do not make use of information they acquire in the course of their functions for their own private use or for purposes other than for the performance of their duties under this Act. Clause 11 establishes the unit of currency for Singapore which will be called the Singapore dollar and which will be divided into 100 cents. In clause 12 is stated the par value of the Singapore dollar which will be 0.290299 grammes of fine gold. This is equivalent to 2s. 4d, in sterling. It will be seen, therefore, that the par value of the Singapore dollar will be the same as the par value of our present dollar.”
“The provisions of the Currency Bill now before the House fulfil both these requirements. I would now like to take the provisions of the Bill clause by clause and to draw the attention of Members of the House to the more salient features of the Bill. Clause 3 provides for the establishment of a Currency Board to be called "the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore". The purpose of the Board is to issue currency notes and coins. In clause 4, the Board is made a body corporate, with its head office in Singapore, and with power to appoint agents and correspondents. Clause 5 enables the Board to employ officers for its business. The composition of the Board is given in clause 6, which provides for a Board of six members comprising the Chairman, who shall be the Minister responsible for Finance, and five other members, including a Deputy Chairman, to be appointed by the President. The Deputy Chairman will be a full-time official and will become the chief executive officer of the Board. The other four members will include representatives of local and foreign banks in Singapore, so that what we do in the Board will be known not only in Singapore but abroad as well. The Board is obliged by law to meet at least once a year, and on receipt of a request from at least two members of the Board, the Chairman is obliged to call a meeting as soon as practicable. The quorum for a meeting is three members. It will be noted that the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman have two votes each, whilst the other four members each has one vote. In an equality of votes, the Chairman would have the casting vote. It will no doubt be argued that this system of votes places the balance of par in the hands of the official members.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Mr Speaker, Sir, for many years, the sole currency issuing authority in the territories now comprising Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore was the Board of Commissioners of Currency, Malaya and British Borneo. This has resulted from an Agreement made between the Governments of these territories, which Agreement also provides that the Board should cease to be the currency issuing authority should anyone of the Participating Governments give notice to that effect. In December 1964, the Government of the Federation of Malaysia lodged such a notice and as a result the Board will cease to issue currency in June this year. After separation, Singapore embarked on negotiations with the Malaysian Government regarding the use of a common currency in these two territories. The House will recall that at a sitting on the 26th August, I gave details of the negotiations and outlined events leading to the announcement made on 17th August that an agreement for a common currency and banking system could not be reached between the Singapore and Malaysian Governments. There has been much debate and discussion on this subject since then, and I do not propose to dwell on this any further. Suffice it to say that with the breakdown in negotiations, it now becomes necessary for us to take legal steps to enable Singapore to issue her own currency on 12th June, 1967. The objective of this Bill is, therefore, to set up a currency issuing authority for Singapore. On 26th August, 1966, I told the House that Singapore would continue with a Currency Board system. I further said that the new Singapore dollar will "at all times be backed 100 per cent by gold or foreign exchange assets and will remain fully convertible".”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Development Loan (Local) Ordinance, No. 50 of 1959, and the Development Loan Ordinance, No. 7 of 1961, together authorise a sum of $500 million to be raised by way of loan for the purposes of the Development Fund. To date, a total of $477 million has been raised under these two Ordinances, leaving a balance of $23 million still available for issue. Members are no doubt aware that besides external sources such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, it is necessary to mobilise funds from internal sources to finance our development programme. The Bill which is now before us is necessary since the previous legislation, which I mentioned earlier, cannot be suitably amended to increase the amount of loans that can be raised. One feature of the Bill is a provision in clause 18 that any instrument or written law which empowers any person to invest shall be deemed to give that person the power to make advance deposits as well. In this Bill the scope of investment for the Sinking Fund is wider as compared with that in the Development Loan Ordinance, 1961. Clause 13 (3) of the Bill authorises investment in securities of or securities guaranteed by any government or international financial institution as may be determined by the President under section 7 (3) (d) of the Financial Procedure Act, 1966. 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.-[Mr Lim Kim San]. Bill considered in Committee. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] 3.23 p.m. Clause 1 -”
“If I may, Mr Speaker. I would like to reply to the question raised by the Member for Bras Basah. We on the Government side will always try to protect an industry if it is efficient, and we will always weigh the interests of the consumer with the benefits of local industry. But when we find that the local industry is not efficient and has raised the price very much higher than it was before, we will lift whatever tariff protection there is to see that the interests of consumers are not jeopardised. Does that answer your question, Mr Ho?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, the Fees Ordinance was first passed in Singapore, as far back as 1881, to provide for the levy of fees and payments for licences where not otherwise provided by law. It was added to and amended, the last time in 1958, to provide for the Yang di-Pertuan Negara to frame fees by Order and to carry out such other acts which are administrative by nature. This Bill seeks to make such amendments and deletions to the Ordinance as are necessary consequent upon Singapore establishing herself as a sovereign Republic. The opportunity is taken in clause 4 to provide for the transfer of the power of the "Yang di-Pertuan Negara" to prescribe fees, and the carrying out of the functions of the Ordinance, to the "Minister for Finance". As it is an administrative procedure for all fees and charges levied under the Ordinance to be referred for the prior approval of the Treasury, it is neither necessary, nor appropriate, to refer administrative acts of this nature to the President. It is accordingly provided that the power to prescribe fees, and other administrative acts, be transferred to the Minister for Finance in accordance with constitutional practice. The opportunity has also been taken to delete references to "the Colony" and to the "Legislative Assembly" and to substitute "Singapore" and "Parliament" instead. Sir, I beg to move. 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. - [Mr Lim Kim San]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. HOLIDAYS BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.11 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Third time." Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Third time and passed. REARRANGEMENT OF ORDER OF BUSINESS (Motion) 3.06 p.m. Resolved, "That item 5 be taken after the completion of the proceedings on item 8 on the Order Paper." - [Dr Toh Chin Chye]. FEES (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.07 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The purpose of this Bill is to provide statutory authority in accordance with clause (2) of Article 85 of the Constitution of Singapore for additional provision for expenditure in excess of the provisions for expenditure authorised by the Supply Ordinance, 1963. This additional sum, which was scheduled as a Statement of Excess, has been approved by Parliament. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time Third Reading”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Third time." Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Third time and passed. FINAL SUPPLY (1964) BILL Order for Second and Third Readings read. 3.03 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The purpose of this Bill is to provide statutory authority in accordance with clause (2) of Article 85 of the Constitution of Singapore for additional provisions for expenditure in excess of the provisions for expenditure authorised by the Appropriation Ordinance, 1963. These additional sums have been scheduled as Supplementary Estimates totalling $203,896,798, and as a Statement of Excess for $36,707.05. The Supplementary Estimates were approved by the then Legislative Assembly in 1963 and the Statement of Excess was approved by Parliament this year. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time. Third Reading”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Third time." Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Third time and passed. FINAL SUPPLY (1963) BILL Order for Second and Third Readings read. 3.00 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The purpose of this Bill is to provide statutory authority in accordance with clause (2) of Article 87 of the Constitution of Singapore for additional provision for expenditure in excess of the provisions for expenditure authorised by the Supply Act, 1965. This additional sum has been scheduled as a Supplementary Estimate and laid before Parliament. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time. Third Reading”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Third time." Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Third time and passed. SUPPLEMENTARY SUPPLY (NO. 3) BILL Order for Second and Third Readings read. 2.58 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Main Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the year 1967 have been considered and approved by the House as Cmd. Paper 26 of 1966. Under section 85 of the Constitution of Singapore, heads of expenditure other than statutory expenditure to be met from the Consolidated Fund have to be included in the Bill to be known as the Supply Bill. The purpose of such a Bill is to provide for the issue from the Consolidated Fund of the sums necessary to meet the expenditure and the appropriation of these sums for the purposes specified therein. The Supply Bill before Members is to give legislative approval for the issue of funds from the Consolidated Fund to meet the sums of expenditure for 1967. In the Schedule to the Bill are shown the various heads of expenditure and the sums that may be incurred in respect of each head. These have been approved by the House in the Estimates of Expenditure for 1967 and appear in pages 53 and 54 of Paper Cmd. 26 of 1966. Once the Supply Bill is approved, I will be empowered to issue warrants authorising expenditure up to the amount under each head as shown in the Bill to be paid out from the Consolidated Fund. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time. Third Reading”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That Parliament doth agree with the Committee on the said resolution." Question put, and agreed to. Resolution accordingly agreed to. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That this House do now adjourn." - [Mr Lim Kim San]. Adjourned accordingly at Two minutes to Eight o'clock p.m. Singapore Development Estimates, 1967 (Revised)(Cols 1045-1048)”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply have come to a certain resolution. Resolution reported - That the sum of $249,247,580 shall be supplied to the Government under' the heads of expenditure for the public services shown in the Development Estimates for 1967 contained in Paper Cmd. 27 of 1966.”
“To answer the Member for Sembawang, the development to be carried out for building Customs stations and quarters Customs officers in Jurong is because of the rapid expansion of the industry complex and also because of the n Jurong wharf from which goods to be off-loaded. Since I have one minute, I will reply to the Member for Jurong. It is true that our Customs has not got proper facilities to examine goods arriving rail from Malaysia. At the moment, we have not had permission from the Malaysian Government, who owns the Malaysian Railways, to open a Customs House there, but we will try our level best to see whether they can accommodate us and make things easy. Failing that, we will have to think of another way to put up proper facilities to e amine goods coming in from Malaysia. Mr Teong Eng Siong(In Mandarin): I thank the Minister for his explanation, and I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $2,586,000 for Head 41 ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think it would clear the mind of the Member for River Valley if I were to explain to him that the people who are renting the houses and the people who are able to purchase the houses are two different groups of people. Therefore, if you satisfy one group fully, you may not he able to satisfy the other group. And if he would more carefully read the pamphlet which he quoted, he would notice that it is mentioned therein that we want to bring about a house-owning democracy by encouraging the lower middle income group to own houses, and these houses could be sold only to this group. It is because of this objective that we drew up certain rules and regulations to prevent abuse. As a result of this, we have a group of people who otherwise would not find it possible to own houses. Because of this policy now, there is a group of people who own their own homes. Otherwise, they would be in no position at all to purchase any house of their own. To come to the question of satisfying applicants for flats. I think it has often been mentioned here that we can provide an applicant with a house if he is not choosy, because the number of houses that are available is limited as against the number of applicants. Therefore, if a person is in real urgent need of a house, he cannot designate the locality in which he wants to rent the house. Maybe it is because there are none available and therefore it is not possible to accede to every wish of the applicant.”
“I believe what the Member has in mind is that everyone who is eligible to purchase a housing unit should he given a chance to purchase one, and that more of these houses should be made available for sale. Here again, Mr Speaker, Sir, one has to weigh whether to satisfy all those who are eligible to purchase houses fro the Housing Board by allowing them so purchase, or to give a chance to those who can only afford to rent houses from the Housing Board to so rent. We only build a limited number of about 10,000 to 12,000 units, and, at the moment, I think we have a few thousand units on the register waiting to be rented out. Therefore, if we satisfy those who want to purchase, we will have less for renting. So it is a question of weighing priorities - who should the first option and where they should go. Much as we like to, we find it i possible to meet the demands of all those who are eligible to purchase houses. The last query put up by the Member for River Valley is something which cannot understand. His request is we should make home ownership easier. I do not understand what it means. If he can clarify it, perhaps I may be able to reply.”
“It will give me great pleasure to reply. Much as we like to review the subsidy to the Housing Board, I do not think that we in any way have infringed the principle that the poor should be helped more and the not-so-poor should be helped less. From the figures that I gave in replying to the debate on the Budget Statement, you will notice, Mr Speaker, Sir, that the one-room units which are rented by the very poor are subsidised to the extent of more than 75 to 80 per cent of the rental; and when you come further down to the three-room units where the rental is $66.50, the subsidy is between $2 and $6. All these subsidies are given to people who we consider should get some element of housing subsidy, because they are people whose personal income is less than $500 per month and whose total family income is not more than $800. Of course, when the time comes when there is fuller employment in Singapore, we may reconsider this question of subsidising people who are renting the three-room units and paying $66.50 rent per month and who are being subsidised to the extent of between $2 and $6. Now, the Member for Cairnhill (Laughter] - I am sorry, the Member for River Valley; the confusion arose because Cairnhill and River Valley used to own one branch together! The Member for River Valley proposes that more houses should be made available for sale and that everyone who wants to buy a house should be allowed to buy one. I think our policy is to sell only to those who are eligible to buy. There is a limitation to the income of the applicant, i.e., if he belongs to a higher income group, he is not allowed to buy.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sums to be allocated for the following heads of expenditure in the Singapore Development Estimates for the year 1967, as contained in Paper Cmd. 27 of 1966 be increased by the sums hereafter stated: Amount of Heads of Expenditure Increase $ 01 Civil Aviation 30 02 Postal Services 30 03 Telecommunications 60 20 Ministry of Education 30 22 Vocational Institutes 20 23 Teachers' Training College 10 30 Hospitals Division 70 31 Public Health Division 30 33 Pharmaceutical and Laboratory Services 10 50 Broadcasting Division 20 52 National Library 10 57 Fire Brigade 30 58 Prisons 10 63 Primary Production 60 64 Roads and Bridges 70 65 Drainage and Flood Alleviation 10 66 Sewerage 10 Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, That the sums to be allocated for the following heads of expenditure in the Singapore Development Estimates for the year 1967, as contained in Paper Cmd. 27 of 1966 be increased by the sums hereafter stated:- Amount of Heads of Expenditure Increase $ 01 Civil Aviation 30 02 Postal Services 30 03 Telecommunications 60 20 Ministry of Education 30 22 Vocational Institutes 20 23 Teachers' Training College 10 30 Hospitals Division 70 31 Public Health Division 30 33 Pharmaceutical and Laboratory Services 10 50 Broadcasting Division 20 52 National Library 10 57 Fire Brigade 30 58 Prisons 10 63 Primary Production 60 64 Roads and Bridges 70 65 Drainage and Flood Alleviation 10 66 Sewerage 10”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move a motion, without notice, to increase the sums to be allocated for certain heads of expenditure in the Singapore Development Estimates for 1967. Mr Speaker, Sir, the totals for certain heads of expenditure in the Development Estimates do not include token provisions of $10 each provided for certain subheads under those heads, and the purpose of my motion is to put the matter right.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That Parliament doth agree with the Committee on the said resolution." Question put, and agreed to. Resolution accordingly agreed to. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That the House do now adjourn." - [Mr Lim Kim San]. Adjourned accordingly at Fifteen minutes to Eight o'clock p.m. Singapore Development Estimates for the year 1967 Appendix (Cols 0949-0952)”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for 1967, and beg leave to sit again on Monday, the 19th of December.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I cannot claim any credit at all for the work done by the Statistics Department. It has been going on for quite some time and advantage has been taken of modern technology, as a result of which we are able to get these statistical digests within the first fortnight of the preceding month. I am sure the suggestion put forward by the Member for Choa Chu Kang will be considered by the Statistics Department.”
“But it is inevitable that there will be a little bit more delay in the case of those goods where there are certain regulations governing them than in the case of other goods.”
“I would say roughly there are about 3,000 to 5,000 inward and outward declarations a day, and I do not think they are broken up as to how much are by land, sea and air. So even if I should be supplied with these monthly statistics by my Friend, the Member for Choa Chu Kang, the figures are not available there. Normally an export and import declaration will be cleared within 24 hours. The delays are in respect of those declarations where an inadequate description of the goods is given, or in respect of those goods where there is a quantitative restriction or quotas. In certain cases also these declarations have to be sent to the Statistics Coding Section for them to be placed under the right code for statistical purposes. In instances of this nature, there would inevitably be some delay, but where sufficient information is given and where no reference need be made to departments like Veterinary, Culture, Health, or Police to ensure that the goods imported do conform to the regulations for health or security purposes, then normally they would all be cleared within 24 hours. The Member requests that goods consigned by air should be given priority for clearance. Mr Speaker, Sir, whether they come by air, sea or land, the goods have to conform to our import restrictions. And here again where sufficient details and descriptions of the goods are given, they would be cleared very quickly. So the delay complained of is not due to a shortage of staff but to certain procedures which have to be followed. The Member must understand that quotas and tariff restrictions have been imposed after our separation from Malaysia. Though there may be hitches at the moment, they are all being ironed out.”
“Sir, the Member for River Valley is asking for a very detailed breakdown of figures of trade. I am afraid I cannot give this to him, but if he would like to follow it up with Questions, I will be able to give it to him later on. Roughly, I would say that there are about -”
“By and large, I think there is a review of assessment where the assessor feels that his property has been under-valued and his criterion would be how much rent is being paid by properties of a similar type around that area. I think in the case mentioned by the hon. Member, if the person concerned is not satisfied - or anybody for that matter - with the assessment raised, there are procedures available to him for making an appeal. The Member has also said that it is unfair that some persons who never received notices of assessment or whose addresses could not be found were fined between 50 cents and $5 for delay in payment. Mr Speaker, Sir, any property owner should know that property tax is due on the 1st of January, and I believe there is a period, up to the 15th of March, within which he has to pay. Therefore, if you are a property owner, it is incumbent upon you to pay your property tax within that period.”
“The reason why the rate of property tax in the rural area is lower than that in the urban area is that formerly in the rural areas people did not get all the services available to those living in the urban area - services which have to be paid for somehow or other, and payment for part of the services is derived from the collection of property tax. Therefore, there is a difference between the rate of property tax in the urban area and that in the rural area. It is a distinction which is very hard to see because, as I have said, Singapore is gradually becoming an urban area right through. Therefore, from a logical point of view, instead of reducing the rate of property tax in the rural areas now that most of the rural areas are getting the advantage of the services that are available in the urban area, the rate of property tax in the rural areas should come up to that in the urban area. However, Mr Speaker, Sir, we have many different rates of property tax in Singapore, and these are relics of the old days when circumstances were different. I think very soon we will have to sit down and really think of a way to standardise property tax. But with present commitments, as it were, we should count ourselves most fortunate that, apart from the new form of assessing road tax and the increase in car licence tax, we have no additional taxation. I think all of us should heave a sigh of relief, instead of considering ways of reducing taxation. The Member has brought up the case of one of his constituents whose assessment was almost doubled and he wondered on what basis the assessment was raised.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, some Back-benchers probably think that Ministers are having an easy time without an Opposition here, for when they move amendments, they do not give us the courtesy of moving them under the appropriate heads and they leave us guessing as to what subjects they are going to talk on. We have the Member for Sembawang moving a reduction of $100 to the sum allocated for Head 0807 which touches on income tax, estate duty, general collection section, etc. So, Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not know whether or not you will give a ruling, but I think it is only fair and customary courtesy for a Member to move his amendment, wherever possible, under a specific Head if it is shown in the Estimates. That is just by the way. I am afraid the Member for Sembawang has completely not realised or misunderstood the purpose of the incentive for urban renewal - the incentive we give by reducing property tax from 36 per cent to 12 per cent for those developers who are willing to participate with us in the urban redevelopment of the country. I cannot see any connection between this incentive to people to invest and develop properties in the centre of the city and the question of the rate of property tax in the rural areas. The $6 concession is a very special concession given to those people who have attap houses. The Member is asking for a reduction of 27 per cent in property tax on houses in the rural areas, and here, Mr Speaker, Sir, one begins to realise more and more that the division between the rural and urban areas in Singapore is a fictitious one, because the whole of Singapore is very fast becoming an urban area.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Regulations expressly require that any renewed licence would be dated from the date of expiry of the old licence, notwithstanding that there has been a compound of late payment or not. That is what the Regulations say. If the Member for Aljunied is dissatisfied, he should move an amendment to the Regulations in this House - a private Member's Bill.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it is a long time since the Member for Aljunied had the pleasure of taking a trip to London and looking at the exhibits there. My reports are that at the moment Singapore's exhibits comprise the following:- A first-class illuminated diorama of Singapore Island giving a bird's eye view of the whole territory from Clifford Pier to the Causeway; An illuminated map of the world mechanically operated showing Singapore as a centre with flashing lights, indicating the various trade routes and values of goods carried; and Many displays and first-class photographs in panels showing racial types of industries, educational facilities, housing, population, etc. Anyway, Mr Speaker, Sir, we have just set up an Embassy in London and will ask our Ambassador to make a review of all our commitments there. It is expected that by April next year, we will have a full report from our Embassy on the Commonwealth Institute. After that, following this report, we will have to decide whether it is worth while to continue to maintain Singapore Corner or not. If it is worth while, improvements could be made.”
“You could ask a question for oral answer.”
“The whole idea of industrialisation is, of course, as far as possible, to reduce the visible unfavourable balance of trade. It is by industrialisation, by exporting the goods that we are manufacturing, that we will be able to reduce the unfavourable balance of trade. 6.30 p.m. That is one of the main objectives of industrialisation, to save foreign exchange, to sell more and, last but the most important, of course, to give more jobs to our people.”
“So let us be independent ourselves and find other markets further afield, and if the markets nearby do come to some sort of arrangement or feel that it is time that they consider that we should co-exist, then well and good, we will have more markets. Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Aljunied thinks that it is an insult to a civil servant who, having acted in a post, is later on considered to be unfit to hold that post substantively. I can assure him that in more cases than not, when a person has been acting there, the chances of his getting a promotion are much better. Because of a lack of suitable officers at the moment, we cannot help but make use of a few officers for the time being. But, as I have said, the tendency for officers to act too long in the post is becoming less and less, because we are getting more and more qualified people from both our universities and from abroad.”
“To see that they get at least a fair share of the local market, that at least they would have a chance to capture some of the local market, we have imposed quotas so that products of a similar nature from abroad are either restricted in the quantity that can be imported here or they have to pay duty on coming in here. So, by and large, the prices which importers of consumer goods from abroad charge for their goods would be higher than local goods. The rest, of course, is left to the population themselves. They should realise that it is through buying locally made goods that we will be able to help ourselves and create the employment which we so much require. As regards the incentives for exports which have been announced here, Malaysia will be counted as a foreign country. Therefore, exports to Malaysia will qualify for these incentives. I cannot agree with the Member for Sembawang when he says that we are now in a fortunate, position because trade has increased on account of the Vietnam war, but that we cannot depend on it alone. Quite true. We cannot depend on it alone. But he adds a rider and says that when the Vietnam war is ended - I do not know; I do not think anyone knows when it will be ended - there will be less trade. I think when the Vietnam war is ended, if and when it is ended, there will be more trade, because you need more goods for reconstruction and development than for destruction. But I agree with him entirely that as much as possible we should try to depend on our neighbours. Unfortunately, our neighbours do not want us to depend on them.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in the revenue accounts they are all lumped together. It is very difficult to separate interest earnings from investments abroad and locally. But I would say roughly it is in the region of between $10 million and $11 million annually on the one thousand and odd million dollars worth of foreign reserves that we hold. I am not sure whether or not the Member for Delta has talked about the Family Planning Association, and whether she has heard about the progress this Association has made during the last few years. Reports from my colleague, the Minister for Health, indicate that the population explosion is well contained and the rate of increase of the population, which was growing at the rate of about 4 per cent plus after the war, has come down to 2.4 per cent or so. Therefore, we have been able to contain the terrific increase in the rate of population growth immediately after the war. As to what we are doing to protect local industries, I can only assume that the fact that the toilet paper and towels in Parliament are not locally manufactured is due to the fact that these are probably stocks that are carried forward, because directives have been sent time and time again to every Department in Government that preference should be given to buy local products wherever possible, even though there is a difference of 15 per cent in prices or more. I am sure, Mr Speaker, Sir, you will personally look into this question yourself so that we would not have toilet soap from China and perfumed soap from France. The Member for Delta asked what we have done to aid industrialists whom we have persuaded to invest their money here. I think I have mentioned that we have already given some incentives. In this year's budget we have given them more incentives.”
“Though we would like to sell to Indonesia, what they are interested in at the moment is how much credit we can give. The Member for Tiong Bahru, who, from what I have heard just now, was an ex-teacher (in Indonesia), feels that with courage we can get trade. If trading is that simple, Mr Speaker, I think the courageous elements in our society should become the best traders! I can assure him that, if need be, I will lead a mission to Jakarta if it will serve any useful purpose. But this is not the appropriate time. They have had several missions here, and there are some difficulties with regard to regulations which will have to be clarified before we can really sit down and get going. In fact, we have already signed a trade agreement and yet trade is not going on as briskly as we like. The Member for Tiong Bahru may or may not know it, but quite a large number of our traders have already had visas to go to Jakarta, but owing to the conditions there, they have had second thoughts. They may be lacking in courage, but they are full of prudence and they are quite sagacious businessmen. So if there is any money to be made by going there, I am sure they would pluck up courage to go there. Of course, the idea of entering into a bilateral trade agreement is to see that trade between the two countries balances. That is the main purpose of a bilateral trade agreement. We are not going to enter into an agreement with a country and say, "We will buy more from you than we sell to you." No. We say, "Whatever you sell to us, you must buy from us." The idea of a bilateral trade agreement is a balanced trade between the two. The Member for Sembawang wants to know how much we earn from investments of our foreign reserves abroad.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I feel that the Member for Sembawang has swallowed hook, line and sinker, the propaganda line put out by people who are not favourably inclined towards us. He feels that because Singapore has an unfavourable balance of trade, we are in dire danger of losing our external reserves. I think I did say sometime here that we have had an unfavourable balance of trade ever since we can remember, and yet we have still been able to increase our external reserves. When we talk about the unfavourable balance of trade and the figures which he quoted, they only pertain to what we call the visible balance of trade. That is, items on which we can get statistics and to which we can point our fingers. But there are other items which are not taken into consideration in drawing up these statistics. It is my belief that from the invisible balance of trade, from earnings from the port, earnings on services rendered, ship building, ship repairing, tourists and investments, the inflow of capital from abroad, we have been able to maintain our position, so that, in spite of the figures showing that we have an unfavourable balance of trade from year to year, we still find, with prudent budgetting that we able to increase our external reserves. I quite agree with the speakers, including the Member for Sembawang, who say that we should depend more on our neighbours for trade. Of course, it is easier if we can trade more and more with our neighbours. But, at the same time, we are casting our net far and wide. Unfortunately, at the present moment, though Indonesia represents a very large market, because of conditions there and because of the state of the currency, trade with Indonesia is not as much as it should be.”