Lim Wee Kiak
Singapore
“" The point I want to make here is that given that we have one of the longest lifespans in the world now, and there is a correlation with an ageing population and chronic diseases, are there plans to explore and develop the emerging fields of regenerative medicine and healthy longevity?”
“Can I ask, in light of the fact that we have a smoking cessation clinic, is there a vaping cessation clinic, whereby the public can surrender themselves and say, "I have been vaping. I wish to have some help"? And how does the Ministry of Health (MOH) handle this?”
“May I ask how the Government decided on these targets, and what steps will Singapore take to achieve them? I would like to highlight, this year, the Government announced a 2035 climate target to reduce emissions to "between 45 and 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2035". Are we on track to meet our 2030 target?”
“Building upon this progress, I encourage individuals with innovative ideas and a passion for contributing to this vital green industry to step forward.”
“While mandating sustainable aviation fuel for departing flights is a commendable way, what other strategic initiatives are planned across different sectors to leverage on our hub position? How will such initiatives affect Singapore's economic competitiveness as a travel hub?”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Minister of State for the reply. I would like to ask two supplementary questions. First is that, is the Government happy with the state of affairs of the current SFC utilisation? Is 50% of the of the population using SFC the target?”
The complete record
Every one of 673 lines we hold for Lim Wee Kiak, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 11 of 14.
“Sir, can the Minister clarify the point about nuclear energy which I had asked about just now? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sorry, I missed that point earlier, Dr Lim. As far as the Government is concerned, we have not ruled out any fuel option, nuclear or otherwise, in the long run. However, there are technical and economic considerations when dealing with nuclear energy. Even though nuclear energy is low carbon, we have to take a look at it very carefully, at issues of safety, siting and waste disposal, given Singapore's small size and high population density. So it is not off the table. It has to be studied very carefully because there are long-term implications. So we want to keep all options on the table at this point in time.”
“Can the Minister update the House on whether projects under the ABC programme will be brought forward? If so, which projects? What is the current status of the programme? I hope the Minister can also include some waterways which were not included, such as Sungei Sembawang, in this programme. With the completion of the Marina Barrage, what is the status of the water quality in the Kallang River and the new Marina Reservoir? What measures are taken to ensure that we will continue to have clean water, beautiful and active waterways? Last, we all hope for a quiet and clean home to relax after work. Noise pollution from domestic, construction and traffic can impact one adversely. Can the Ministry update the House on the status of noise pollution in Singapore and the measures that are taken? Air, water and noise pollutions are challenges that we have to tackle fast and head on if Singapore wants to continue to be the choice location for global talents and the best home for all Singaporeans. As the population strives to increase to 6.5 million in future, I am sure this pollution problem will be even a greater challenge if we cannot take this on now.”
“Sir, in a very densely populated island like Singapore, protection of the environment is critical. The effect of any pollution on the population is almost immediately felt as there is very little buffer space. This applies to air, water and noise pollution. How are we doing for air pollution? What is our PM2.5 in year 2008? As PM2.5 is linked to respiratory diseases, such as asthma and bronchitis especially in the vulnerable young and old, it is critical that we hasten our efforts to improve our air quality to ensure that our air is safe for the population, especially for the vulnerable. The main source of PM2.5 pollutants is motor vehicles. Like hon. Nominated Member of Parliament, Mr Edwin Khew, I would like to appeal to the Government to implement more measures to increase the proportion of green cars on our roads and encourage the use of cleaner fuels and engines. Suggestions, such as green car COE is one fast solution that will entice more drivers and the motor industry to embrace green cars, were made previously but were sort of put on hold. I hope the Government can further enhance the green car scheme and will consider further measures, such as green car COEs. Let me shift our attention to larger particulate matters in the air. Two years ago, I requested MEWR to work with shipyard operators and factories near Sembawang town to reduce the black dust pollution problem to the nearby HDB households. I am pleased to inform the House that the problem has significantly reduced, but I would like to urge MEWR to continue the good work to ensure black dust pollution is kept to the lowest possible level. I am glad that the Government is pump-priming the economy by bringing forward many infrastructural projects.”
“However, the immediate challenge we are faced with is the current economic downturn which will affect businesses, industries and households who are all looking towards the lowering of their costs. May I ask the Minister, under these circumstances, is sustainable development still a relevant priority in this economically uncertain times? Can businesses, industries and households benefit from adopting sustainable development practices? In the Budget speech, the Minister for Finance mentioned that "there is also an economic imperative for sustainable development" as resource efficiency can reduce costs and boost resource security. Can MEWR elaborate on whether there are any economic opportunities that Singapore can tap on in the area of sustainable development, for instance, in the area of environmental sustainability solutions? Finally, the target of 25% reduction in terms of carbon intensity has been achieved two to three years ago. Can the Minister state what new figures Singapore has achieved and whether there are any new targets for the next five years to ensure that we continue to strive for higher rates of energy efficiency and therefore a more sustainable Singapore? Energy Efficiency”
“Can the Ministry update us on the progress of these initiatives and share the plans on the promotion of energy efficiency in Singapore? Will legislation be used to enforce standards? We did well for the past few years in reducing our water consumption. Can the Ministry update us on the status of the 10-Litre Challenge and what other programmes will the Ministry be rolling out to ensure our taps will always flow? Is the Ministry looking at ways to reduce our carbon emissions although the Government has rejected previous suggestions for a climate change Bill? Can the Ministry update the House on our results so far on solar energy ultilisation? And will Singapore consider nuclear energy in the near future as an alternative source of carbon neutral energy? Sustainable Development and Environment Sustainability Er Edwin Khew Teck Fook: Sir, it is timely that the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development (IMCSD) was formed in February 2008 to formulate a clear national framework and strategy for Singapore's continued sustainable development. It is also appropriate for the Finance Minister to announce a $1 billion budget to spend on sustainable development. Can the Minister elaborate on what programmes these funds will be spent on and when the IMCSD's masterplan would be released? As illustrated by the general uptrend in resource prices such as energy and food, as well as on-going international negotiations on the post-Kyoto regime, issues like global resource scarcity and climate change are long-term challenges that all countries, including Singapore, will have to tackle. Sustainable development is undoubtedly important for the long term and should be a key priority for us.”
“Sir, every dark cloud has a silver lining. Last year, the high prices of food, commodities and oil affected every sector of our economy and reduced our purchasing power. It has made many wake up to the fact that there is a limit to natural resources and we need to reduce and conserve natural resources. The economic tide has turned. Although we are in the midst of our worst recession, efforts to conserve and recycle should be given more priority and emphasis. Are we doing enough for recycling? The hype on recycling that gained steady momentum over the past few years seems to have lost steam. We started with "Bring your own bags" once a month and now it is every Wednesday of the week. Can we further increase this to twice a week or three times a week? We have successfully implemented one recycling bin to five blocks of HDB flats and recycling receptacles for all commercial and private properties. Can the Ministry update the House on the issues and feedback regarding the recycling bins and the actions taken? Can we start to think about implementing one recycling bin per block now? If so, I would like to volunteer Canberra division in Sembawang GRC to pilot this. We have also door-to-door recycling bags collection fortnightly. What is the actual take-up rate from the door-to-door recycling bag collection? What is the Ministry doing to improve the participation rate? Can we improve the frequency to weekly? Can the Ministry also highlight some of the obstacles in moving forward to achieve a higher recycling rate for Singapore and how can we overcome those challenges? Our drive for greater energy efficiency is the right step forward. The Government has introduced various initiatives to encourage households and companies to promote energy efficiency.”
“There are genuine cases in the queue and you need an immediate supply for those. And with this recession, there are genuine cases.”
“Just to reply to the Minister. I am just advocating that since there is a long queue for rental units and you are still building the rental flats to increase the supply and the supply cannot meet the immediate demand, the fastest thing to do now is take this subsidy and then rent rooms from those units that are owing arrears to HDB because they need the money to pay their arrears anyway, and then pass the rooms to those people who need the rental units.”
“Sir, Sembawang needs some love as well. I would just like to ask the Minister to clarify two points, one of them is the affordability of HDB flats. He mentioned about the debt servicing ratio as the gauge to whether flats are affordable. Currently, I would like to ask the Minister how many years of loans are we talking about when we talk about debt servicing ratio of 21%. Because with longer life expectancy and delayed retirement age, debt servicing ratio of 21%, if I need to take a loan of 50 years, is a lot of money as well. The second point is in terms of rate of returns in an investment. If I bought a HDB flat in 1970s, compared to if I bought a HDB flat in 1980s and 1990s, what are my relative rate of returns over the years? I believe it is decreasing over the years. Last of all, on rental subsidy. I know that each rental unit is heavily subsidised. How much is the Government subsidising per unit? The Minister mentioned that there are a lot of people on arrears currently and waiting to rent out their rooms to settle their debts. Why does the Government not take this subsidy and rent those rooms in the open market so that they can pass it to those in the long queue? In this case, it will cut short the whole system of building rental flats immediately and there is a ready supply now.”
“Sir, with the current economic crisis, there are signs of reversal of population shift from cities to rural areas in big countries. People can choose to return to the rural areas for farming when there is manpower redundancy in the cities. In Singapore, we do not have such an option as we do not have a significant agricultural industry. During last year's high food prices inflation, some food producing countries adopted a protectionist stance and limited food exports. We are completely dependent on imported food so we are at the mercy of these countries. We need to import almost all our food, including any possible chemical or biological contaminants, such as melamine as well as viruses. Although adopting a diversity of food sources approach gives us more option, we are still vulnerable and dependent. How can we overcome such a shortcoming with our limited land resources? We have had some high tech agricultural ventures such as hydroponics and aeroponics in the past, but many of these ventures did not seem to survive for long. I would like to ask the Ministry what are the factors that resulted in their failures, and what can we do in Singapore to develop a viable agriculture and aqua-cultural sector to provide employment and food security for Singapore. 4.00 pm Preventing an Outbreak of Avian Flu in Singapore”
“Sir, I was so happy when MND informed me that my precinct in Yishun was selected for LUP. The LUP received very strong endorsement from the residents with some blocks achieving 100% votes. However, we heard that due to sand shortages as well as the escalation of building costs, new construction techniques and materials were used to speed up construction and at a lower cost. We are quite happy as well. But this happiness was short-lived. Our neighbouring precincts were selected for LUP. They used conventional concrete shaft while my precinct was the first to try out the aluminum cladded lift shaft. When the construction started, I received many feedback as well as emails from disappointed residents complaining about the poor aesthetics of the aluminum cladded lift shaft which looks out of sync with the concrete HDB blocks. There were also complaints about potential poor insulation problem. Can the Minister address these issues from the ground and assure the public of the safety, aesthetics and insulation of the new lift shafts?”
“These "no frills" flats should be built with only basic amenities rather than the full complement of covered linkways, gardens, playgrounds and barbeque pits. In doing so, we can lower the construction cost and price these flats well below $100,000. The Government can take time to improve the amenities so their prices can appreciate with time just like a bottle of good wine. The current prices are priced too high and there is limited room for any price appreciation in the long run. The amenities are so comprehensive that it leaves no room for MPs to improve the estate further. We can lower the cost by reducing the lease to 80 years instead of the current 99 years, or by reducing the size of the unit and by building "no frills" flats. I suggest the Government lower the costs of HDB flats by all means and realign the HDB with its mission of building low cost, affordable housing for the masses again.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, why are HDB flat prices so high? What is in the pipeline currently now to help HDB mortgagees? In the 1970s, prices of 3-room, 4-room and 5-room new HDB flats were $15,000, $20,000 and $25,000 respectively. A graduate starting pay in the 1970s was around $1,000. That means he could pay off his flat within 15 to 25 months with his salary. Today graduates' starting pay is about three-five times higher than that in the 1970s but the prices of our new flats have gone up by 10-40 times. 1.00 pm Young couples today face a challenging situation in home ownership as private property is mostly beyond their reach and new HDB flats are hard to come by. As MPs, we all have encountered many couples who have gone balloting for a few rounds of flats without success. Many finally relented to the resale HDB market, paying exorbitant cash-over-valuations as well as high HDB resale prices. Various reasons can be attributed for the rise in HDB prices. The most important is the switch by HDB from a cost-based pricing approach to a market-based pricing approach. The market-based pricing approach has resulted in escalation of both new and resale flat prices as both are benchmarked to one another in an upward spiral manner. Housing is the single largest investment by most Singaporeans. The high cost of housing has many repercussions as it results in higher cost of living, reduction of resources for other pursuits such as education and investment, and inculcates a risk of aversive culture as most will not take risk in their careers. I suggest the building of "no frills" flats and price them based on cost-based approach instead of market-based approach.”
“Although the Budget this year can be said to be pretty comprehensive, I would like to give a few suggestions, particularly, those that have not been covered in the Budget. For companies that are absolutely making no profit, the 1% cut in corporate tax has no relevance at all, because they need not pay any tax at all. Undoubtedly, these companies need more help than those companies which are merely facing declining profits. The Government could grant them rebates in public utilities to lighten their burden. The savings thereof can enable the companies to be more flexible and to improve their operations. This is completely in keeping with this Budget’s objective of improving the capital liquidity of these companies and enhancing their competitiveness. Health is wealth. During an economic recession, one way to prevent extra expenses is to stay healthy so as to avoid medical expenses. Although medical expenses in Singapore are still affordable, they are not cheap. In these difficult times, medical expenses are still a hefty expenditure. Unfortunately, we do not have the special privilege of total immunity to all diseases, particularly illnesses that come with ageing, and chronic diseases that require long-term treatment and medication, e.g. cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, etc. Some of these patients could not afford even the basic treatment. As such, the lower and middle-income patients, particularly the unemployed, need medical assistance imminently. I hope the Minister would consider these suggestions and solve the problems of these people. With that, Sir, I support the Motion. *Cols. 1603-1606.”
“At the same time, the Government should urge the transport operators to extend the concession to polytechnic students as well. With this assistance, many parents will have their children’s educational expenses reduced substantially. There are many pro-family measures in this year’s Budget, but there is still room for improvements. All along, the various tax rebates and GST subsidies are pegged to the size of the flats and the family income. This Budget is no exception. For example, $1,500 is the upper limit for the application for the various Government assistance schemes. Let me give an example to demonstrate how different families will cope with their income. For a small family of just the husband and the wife, it may be barely enough if they are frugal in their family expenses. However, with just one bread-winner in the family to support his aged parents, his wife and two school-going children, the $1,500 may be just enough to cover the basic necessities in daily living. Should someone in the family fall sick, or when the electricity tariff is adjusted upwards, this family will be in a predicament, and this is quite a common situation. I have come across quite a number of such families. For just a couple, not much space is required. A 3-room housing is more than enough. But for bigger families, a 4-room unit with bigger space is certainly necessary. Therefore, the way we measure the family financial situation by the family income and the size of the flat they live in, needs to be fine-tuned. Other factors such as the family size and other expenses such as educational and medical expenses should also be taken into consideration.”
“Apparently, their applications are screened and subject to approval from three bodies – the bank, SPRING and the insurance company. How long is the entire process expected to take? Time is money. Time is of the essence. This complicated multi-tiered process of loan application must be simplified. Otherwise, it is highly possible that we may encounter instances whereby when a loan is approved, the company has sunk beyond redemption and the workers have been retrenched. (In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Singapore’s high growth in various aspects is something which we are proud of. We are glad that the Government, while striving to seek counter measures to cope with this global recession, has not forgotten the major objectives of sustaining our development. It is necessary for Singapore to maintain its status as a world-class education centre. More importantly, we must continue to provide affordable world-class education to our students. The short-term study assistance scheme is an excellent idea. It can help our students overcome the obstacles brought about by the economic problems, so that every citizen will have a fair chance to study, and all our students will benefit from this scheme and concentrate on their studies without being affected by the economic recession. I would like to plead on behalf of the polytechnic students. Unlike the junior college students, polytechnic students do not enjoy concessionary bus and MRT fares. I believe that this economic recession is the best time to correct this anomaly. We must adopt a two-pronged approach to further expand the scope of this assistance scheme, to cover part of the students' transport cost.”
“His utilities bill for last quarter has gone up by 27% and on top of all that, he has to pay conservancy charges and cope with increased cost and lowered demand for his services. *Cols. 1599-1602. A 15% rental rebate for a year is simply insufficient, considering that "the worst has yet to come". I seek clarification if the 15% rental rebate is based on the new rental fees or the old rental fees. If the rental rebates are computed based on the latter, I propose they be readjusted and lowered in accordance to this year’s cooling property market before the rental rebates are computed. I am concerned that there is no indication of any measures that make it mandatory for landlords to pass on savings from property tax rebates to their tenants. I believe the main purpose of the 40% property tax rebate is to lower business cost by helping tenants to obtain a reduction in their rental. The Government should take on a more active role in ensuring that landlords will reduce rents for tenants. Similarly, how can we be assured that taxi operators will pass on road tax rebates to taxi drivers? I applaud the Government’s decision to share risks in bank loans. If banks are encouraged to do their part in lending, the $5.8 billion will offer cash-strapped businesses with much needed reprieve. However, some banks are dissatisfied with the 20% risk factor that remains. In these uncertain times, the risks of lending large sums of money to companies with weak balance sheets and declining sales are magnified. If banks remain skeptical about lending money to such businesses, what can be done to allay their concerns? Some businesses have given me feedback about the hassle of bank loan application processes.”
“Even if they do find a job by this year, their happiness would be short-lived as they may find themselves grappling with two income tax payments for both 2008 and 2009 next year, an equally mammoth task if the economy is still in the doldrums. Should the Government consider "forgiving" a taxpayer from the lower and middle income group if he stays unemployed for a period of time and can prove that he has been applying for jobs, but without success? Waive the tax for this group altogether for Year of Assessment 2009! The disparity between corporate tax and personal income tax has further widened. This puts professionals practising under LLP companies at a greater disadvantage than ever, in comparison to their corporate counterparts. At this juncture, I would like to declare my interest as my company is a LLP. We do not enjoy any tax incentive that corporate companies get. LLP companies and corporate companies are both profit-driven, in spite of having different business structures. The reduction in personal income tax will not only be welcomed by the public at large, it will also place LLP companies on the same starting line as corporate companies, consequently increasing their competitiveness. The 1% corporate tax reduction should take place in this Year of Assessment, instead of 2010. Already, businesses are struggling to survive. An earlier tax reduction would be more opportune. Large companies and SMEs are not the only businesses that are reeling from the recession. One of my residents confided in me his inability to maintain his small business – a problem which I believe applies also to other small-time business owners. His shop rental has increased by 20% since last July by HDB.”
“Furthermore, some of those who were retrenched felt that the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) is irrelevant as they already have the skills and qualifications. Instead, age becomes a hindrance for them to be re-employed. They want to work but the employers do not want them. The Jobs Credit Scheme is a good initiative to help them stay employed but it is only a temporary measure. A fishing rod is useful only if there are fishes in the water. If there is no demand for goods and services, companies will be forced to retrench workers. The Government must help those who are retrenched to get jobs again or provide temporary help for them to go through these difficult times. (In English): Sir, I will continue my speech in English. With spendable income on the decline, personal income tax reduction would come as a considerably huge respite for many. I sympathise with the many residents who expressed their disappointment at the absence of personal income tax cut and no increment in the income tax rebate. The impact of the income tax rebate is limited in comparison to a personal income tax cut. The rebates are the same as last year's, no increase. If the recession is expected to worsen this year, it seems only logical that the rebates should be more than last year's. Speaking of personal income tax, the tax instalment break does not offer much in reducing financial burdens for retrenched workers. Although the unemployed now have greater leeway to sort out their finances, they will still have to set aside money for income taxes, which would be a difficult task.”
“The speculation on CPF cuts caused many sleepless nights for my residents as many of them depend on the CPF to pay for their homes. For that, we must thank the Minister for Finance. My constituents now feel relieved with the Jobs Credit Scheme. I do not understand why Mr Low Thia Khiang did not support the Jobs Credit Scheme. It is important to stay employed in these turbulent times. It gives direction and dignity to a person, so as to continue living without fear and with optimism. It is impossible to provide unconditional compensation to each needy person. For the common good, we must emphasise the importance of self-sufficiency. I am happy that the Government places importance on staying employed. Thus, the Government must do something to ensure that the flow of water and the river is not blocked. This brings us to an old problem that is linked to the way we manage the inflow of foreign workers. I would like to know if there are other measures to limit foreign workers, especially the low-skilled ones. My constituents are willing to accept jobs in places like coffee-shops but those job opportunities have been taken up by foreigners. Do we need so many low-skilled foreign workers? My constituents welcome jobs that are nearest to their homes and not difficult to do. With that, I feel that the Government must ensure that these jobs that are wanted and can be done by Singaporeans can be made available to Singaporeans. The Budget promises to increase job opportunities through the public sector and subsidised training. However, the Budget does not offer concrete help to the elderly and those who were retrenched.”
“And similar to the Government, the people can continue to contribute to build up their reserves after this financial crisis is over, when good times return. With that, I support the motion. 04 pm Er Lee Bee Wah (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Speaker, Sir, please allow me to speak in Malay. (In Malay): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] I congratulate the Minister for Finance for outlining a comprehensive Budget this year. Singapore is different as it stimulates the economy without using foreign loans. Even though we are now facing uncertainties and anxieties, every Singaporean must have a positive attitude, and be happy that the huge spending incurred this year will not burden us when we repay it in the future. Although the downturn has not reached its most critical level, we must take necessary preventive measures to prevent its effects from worsening. Fighting an economic downturn is like fighting a disease. We must overcome it immediately or face the risk of needing more resources to overcome it. Hence, I support the Government's bold step to use the national reserves. If, previously, we have not been frugal, we may not have these reserves to use. Instead, we, and our future generation, might have to face possible higher taxes and other financial burdens. I share some peoples' concern, including Dr Lim Wee Kiak's, on using national reserves. For now, it is a necessity. Hopefully, we will not take this path for the long term. And not only that, we also hope to be able to pay back what we took out from the reserves. The implementation of the Jobs Credit Scheme is a creative and comprehensive solution. It is a move with a long-term view, compared to making use of the CPF.”
“But of course, we do not know how prolonged this particular storm or tsunami will last, and it is prudent for the Government to keep some savings just in case we need to use it in the short term. The two temporary and extraordinary programmes such as the Jobs Credit Scheme and the Special Risk-Sharing Initiative, which are to be funded by our reserves, will cost $4.9 billion. This is not a small amount. Singaporeans are concerned about the health of our reserves, especially with this financial crisis. Our reserves and investments must have also taken a hit and decreased like all asset classes in the global market. How much of our reserves is left after spending on these two programmes? Can the Minister for Finance assure the House that our goose that lays golden eggs, year after year, will continue to do so after this withdrawal and after this financial shock? Last of all, I would like to ask the Government to consider allowing the people to share the burden with the Government. The burden of the financial storm should not be borne by the Government alone. Can the burden be shared with the people? If the Government is to be allowed to use the reserves to cushion the storm, then can the Government allow the people to use their own reserves to cushion this storm too? Can the Government temporally relax the regulations to allow people to dip into their Special and Retirement Accounts for their mortgages and other needs during this crisis on short-term basis? Similar to safeguarding our reserves so that the piggy bank is not broken, guidelines can be drawn to safeguard the excessive drawdown on our Special and Retirement Accounts.”
“I do acknowledge the contributions by all our permanent resident employees but I do feel that Singaporeans, perhaps, should enjoy some preferential treatment if the reserves are being utilised. I would think that the Jobs Credit Scheme should have tilted slightly to the advantage of Singaporeans rather than to treat Singaporeans and permanent residents the same. I hope the Minister for Finance will help to clarify this point too. There have been many calls during the past financial crisis for the use of the reserves to cushion Singaporeans but they were all dismissed. In fact, it is a sacred cow. I presume, unlike the past crises, this crisis is much more severe. The use of our National Reserve has brought about many questions: Under what circumstances can the Government propose to use the reserves? Were the previous crises considered as too mild? If so, why were drastic measures such as CPF cuts justified? Senior Minister Goh has highlighted some rules to the use of the reserves over the weekend. I would like the Minister for Finance to give this topic greater clarity in this House and to all Singaporeans. Should some ground rules be set so that this episode does not become precedence for the future government to use to squander away our reserves? If not, we can become another Iceland in the near future. I am equally concerned with the health of the goose that lays our golden eggs. The National Reserves is all we have built up over the past 44 years. Should we not be extremely prudent to use the reserves only when we really need to do so? Yes, the Minister for Finance has mentioned that we can actually fund all the programmes highlighted in the Budget using this term – Government savings.”
“But it is better late than never as we do have other programmes such as SPUR. Hopefully, they will spur them on and they can find a job as soon as possible with "Train and Place" and "Place and Train". Even for those who are severely dehydrated now and are on the brink of death, there is no guarantee that with the water, they will survive or the water will reach them in time as some may be siphoned away by employers for their own personal gains rather than saving the businesses and saving jobs. Is the Jobs Credit too much geared towards employers? I think many members of the public have asked, "Could part of the money be used to pay for the employee's CPF instead so that the employee can bring home a little bit more bacon for support in this financial storm?" We have all learned with dismay how many billions of the US government rescue funds were siphoned away as bonuses to bank executives, after they were disbursed in the US. How effective is the Jobs Credit Scheme in saving jobs and what is the worst case scenario? Is it 10% unemployment? Even with Jobs Credit Scheme being announced after 19th January 2009, we keep receiving news of more retrenchments in the pipeline. Will the money be well spent or will it be just water pouring into sand? This is the question for which I hope the Minister for Finance can shed some clarity. The Singapore national reserve was painstakingly built up dollar by dollar and by the sweat and blood of all Singaporeans from the past and current generations. Being a Singaporean means you are an equal stakeholder to the reserves. As the famous quote from a credit card advertisement says, "Membership has its privileges". Should the reserves used in the Jobs Credit Scheme treat Singaporeans and permanent residents alike?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, last year, this time during our Budget debate, we were all debating on how we were going to spend the previous year's surplus of $6 billion. There were some Members in this House who felt that the Government should be more generous with the handouts rather than saving the surpluses for rainy days. And it seems that not only the rainy days are here, a storm is here. Members were questioning the accuracy of our budgetary process and asking why there was a huge surplus. I had advised Members that we should look forward and not backward. But this year the situation is completely different. We are facing the worst global financial crisis since nation building. It shows how fragile and how volatile the global financial system today is. No matter how good a fortune teller our Finance Minister is, there is no way he could have seen this coming. The Government has for the first time in the history of Singapore dipped into our well-guarded and well-protected national reserves to fund two unique and innovative programmes, one of which is the Jobs Credit Scheme. The Jobs Credit Scheme effectively puts all Singaporean and Permanent Resident employees in Singapore partly on the Government's payroll for the next 12 months. So everybody is a civil servant now. This unprecedented move, I believe, is the first in the world. As it is the first in the world, there are many unknowns and there are many, many queries and many, many worries on this. Many asked whether the money is well spent or it will be like water being poured into the sand. Our sympathy is for those who have been retrenched and for them, it is like water delivered to a person who had just perished due to dehydration in the desert as it is too late.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister, does the Ministry track Singaporeans who go overseas for medical treatment, which means the reverse. Do you have any numbers of that?”
“I hope that the Government will introduce measures to keep our fleet of ships afloat, as soon as possible, before we lose more ships or crews. 5.05 pm”
“However, their Act was amended in 1998 to include employees earning $1,500 to $5,000 ringgit, but they are restricted to issues relating to wages, allowances and other cash benefits. What protection and assurance will there be for employers against employees who may try to exploit the Act for self? Another amendment that will increase the cost indirectly to employers is the revision from six to three months for an employee to qualify for sick leave. This, I believe, our approach is somewhat different from Malaysia and Hong Kong. In Malaysia, it is 14 days leave in a calendar year for those who have worked for less than two years, while in Hong Kong, an employee gets two days paid sick leave for each completed month of employment during the first 12 months. I would like the Minister to enlighten this House on the benefit of our approach as compared to our neighbouring countries and competitors. I certainly hope that the Government has taken into consideration the additional weight that these changes will add to the burden facing businesses altogether. The business community will look forward to the relief that the Government can provide, as mentioned by the Prime Minister last weekend. This financial storm is no ordinary storm. It is the perfect storm of this century for the financial industry and for some, they have termed it the "financial tsunami". There are already many ships that have fallen and sunk along with the crew. Even an aircraft carrier like Lehman Brothers has capsized. While I support the measures taken to protect and benefit our workers, we need to be cognisant of the plight of the employers during this stormy season.”
“I rise in support of the Bill as it will give the Ministry of Manpower more teeth to protect the interest of our workers against irresponsible employers, and I strongly support the provision to enhance the penalty for those who flout the law on the Employment Act, as stated in the amendments. However, there are areas in the proposed amendments which, I feel, could be introduced at a more opportune time than now when businesses and industries are scrambling to keep themselves afloat amidst this financial storm. The employers are facing many cost increases in the last two years: wage increase, extension of skill development levy to include all workers, increase of medical insurance premium for their workers, rental increase, raw material increase, transportation cost increase, utility bill increase, and many more. It seems to me that the amendments in this Bill will further increase the business cost to our enterprises and erode our competitiveness. With the amendments, I note that we are casting a wider coverage which means more workers will fall under the ambit of the Workmen's Compensation Act, by raising the salary threshold under the Bill in question. This, I feel, will invariably bring about an added cost to all employers because the insurance companies will revise the premiums as they have to cover a bigger ground. Secondly, I hope that the Minister can explain how the salary ceiling of $4,500 under clause 9, subsection (1) of section 33 was reached, and the threshold of other employees from $1,600 a month to $2,000 a month was derived in drawing up the amendments. I note that in Malaysia, their Employment Act has a ceiling cap of not more than $1,500 ringgit for employees.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker Sir, I read an interesting article on a Viking ship a few days ago. The Viking ship which was built in 700 – 900 AD is considered by many as one of the ancient engineering marvels in sea faring. The Vikings combined both rowing and sailing in their design to take advantage of manpower and wind power, and it is important for them to balance the use of these forces to achieve maximum speed, as well as manoeuvrability. Among the Viking ships, the longship is the most versatile with a length of about 100 feet, a 20-foot beam, up to 60 oars, and runs on a crew of 70-80. These ships can carry up to 20 tons of supplies. To run such ships optimally, the Vikings need to harness both the manpower, as in the rowers and the wind power, effectively. During calm seas and strong winds, the rowers can actually relax a little bit. The captains can order them to slow down and give them more welfare, but during a stormy weather, the rowers have to work hard. With the sails up, in fact, the wind can overpower the rowers and capsize the ship. Similarly, if the rowers are not committed to their tasks and slacken, the ship can be capsized easily as well. With our looming economic storm, each enterprise is like a Viking ship trying to stay afloat and on course. The employees or workers are crucial crew to ensure the ship maintains its balance in this stormy sea. While it is important to ensure that our workers and employees are well protected and their welfare taken care of, it is even more important to ensure the ship stays afloat and sails safely through this stormy sea. If the ship sinks, all the crew, along with the captain, will perish.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary four supplementary questions: (1) At our weekly MPS, we have been seeing an increasing trend of cases of mortgage arrears approaching the MPs for help. I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary what is the projected trend in terms of HDB mortgage default as our economy goes into this expected prolonged recession for the next few quarters, judging from the past experience that the Ministry has. (2) What is currently done now to assist those who are affected? Is there a joint inter-ministerial committee between MCYS as well as MND to look into temporary housing for some of these who are going to be displaced by compulsory acquisition or when they are unable to repay their debts? (3) Will the Ministry consider building temporary or interim housing for the homeless? One suggestion is to use unoccupied Government buildings such as unoccupied schools and converting them into interim housing to house our homeless rather than foreign workers at this point in time. I think Singaporeans come first. (4) Last of all, instead of compulsory acquisition, will the Ministry consider reviewing the current reduced mortgage repayment scheme to make it a little bit more attractive and stretch it a bit more flexible, especially for the next few quarters for those who are retrenched?”
“It is the bedrock of Singapore's foundation. I hope the Minister can reassure this House and the people of Singapore that this amendment will bring no harm to the health of our goose. I understand that to negate the market volatility and gyrations, the Government will be using long-term expected returns rather than actual returns to compute the Net Investment Return. I would like to know what would happen if this projection missed the target range for whatever reasons. If it is over projected, will it lead to an inadvertent draw down on our national reserves? If it is over projected, will this amendment allow for adjustment to increase the amount to be released to the Government later? With the projected rate of return, will this translate into a key performance indicator or target for the GIC to achieve? If yes, will there be any risk of premature divestment of our long-term investments just to meet short-term targets? How can this be avoided? I do not want the GIC to kill the golden goose just to extract more eggs or to meet short-term targets. And last of all, I would like to ask the Minister what does this amendment mean to Mr Tan, a 70-year-old retiree, to his son, a 40-year-old manager, as well as to his grandson, a NUS graduate at 20. With that, Sir, I support the Bill. 3.53 pm”
“The question is: how will this amendment affect our annualised inflation-adjusted rate of growth of our national reserves? I would like to ask the Minister what is our current annualised inflation-adjusted rate of return from our national reserves for the last 10 years. And, with this amendment, how will it affect this particular growth? The additional resources derived from the Net Investment Return is the fruit of labour of all Singaporeans, especially the older generation who have contributed and sacrificed so much for this country. To them, I would say that they would not understand the building of a new school or conversion to a single session mean to them. I think our esteemed colleague over here, Mr Liang Eng Hwa, has alluded to Joe the Plumber, which was made famous by John McCain in the Presidential debates. I would like to quote Mr Tan, the retiree. To a typical Singaporean, Mr Tan, a 70-year old retiree, what does this Amendment Bill mean to him? What will the changes mean to him, in terms of building new schools, constructing new highways and expanding new MRT lines? What is the implication to Mr Tan? I would say that it is only right that additional resources should be used to support this group of Singaporeans who have sacrificed so much for this particular country. Can the Minister then make provisions to assure Singaporeans that more resources can be channelled into some of these programmes? I have received many comments from the public on my Facebook entry on this topic, and many have expressed concern that our national reserves should never be drawn down unless in emergency. None has urged the spending of the national reserves. And I am glad that Singaporeans do understand the importance of our national reserves.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I believe everyone in this House has heard about the story of the goose that lays golden eggs during their childhood. In the fable, the poor goose was killed because the owners got greedy and could not wait for the golden eggs to be laid. Our national reserves is like the goose that lays golden eggs and we had many golden eggs from the goose. We are prudent that we did not consume the entire golden egg each year but we just used half of the shell of the golden egg. The other half of the shell and the entire egg is reinvested to fatten our goose and make it lay bigger eggs each year. This has played an important role in Singapore's growth story over the last few decades. Singapore is at a turning point in our demographic profile. The ageing demographics will mean that the Government will need to spend more on social programmes and healthcare. The Government has made appropriate adjustments and introduced initiatives such as Workfare, ComCare and Medifund. All the initiatives are good but they will need more resources. As a small nation without any natural resources, we are only dependent on our people. We have limited options, in terms of gathering more resources for such initiatives. The Government has highlighted that the increase in GST and the revision of the Net Investment Income to Net Investment Return will provide additional resources to make such initiatives sustainable. The amendment of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore will provide additional resources, but it simply means that we have to be prepared to accept a slower rate of growth of our national reserves. Instead of just taking half the shell, this amendment will allow the Government to use up to half of the entire egg, and the goose’s growth will decrease.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Senior Minister of State for her answer. I would like to ask her: what are the obstacles or impediments preventing first-time buyers from buying the resale flats instead of waiting for new flats; is the cash-over-valuation system one of the problems, and is HDB thinking of revamping the cash-over-valuation system?”
“May I ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary what is the rationale for having 16 gantries, since it is only one tunnel?”
“Sir, I thank Mrs Lim Hwee Hwa for answering the Question. I think as far as car pooling is concerned, I tend to disagree that it should best be left to individual groups to arrange. In the first place, I think we need all measures to solve our congestion problems. Most of us have seen parents sending kids to school with only one child inside the car and there is a long queue going to the school. I am just wondering whether there can be some platform set up, eg, at the Ministry of Education's school level to encourage parents to car pool, especially within the same area, they can send their kids together to school. Likewise for working places or even those residing in the same town, the CDC or the grassroots organisations may encourage such schemes.”
“Thank you, Minister, for the comprehensive answer. Yes, as an employer, I do give my nurses a day off for Nurses' Day. It may not be taken on 1st August but it can be taken as off in lieu of another day. I hope that the Ministry can consider granting nurses one day off in lieu and that they can take it at any time of the year. I think that would be a good gesture since teachers have a day off and nurses are as equally important to our society as teachers.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether, apart from the removal of the age limit for cadaveric transplant, there are other measures that the Ministry would be looking into, eg, some form of bereavement fund or financial compensation for the cadaveric donors' families to encourage more of these cadaveric donors. The second point is that, with the current improvement in terms of technology, what kind of effort has been put into more research, so as to shrink the dialysis machine down to a size small enough to be implanted in the body. With the membrane technology that we have now, are we pushing in this particular direction?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think many people are very worried – like what my colleague here has mentioned – about the cost. They are worried that the school bus operators may take this opportunity now to profiteer by increasing the monthly school bus fares excessively. What measures are in place now by MOT to ensure that any bus fare increases are scrutinised properly and are justified? Will MOT now consider implementing a system similar to the Public Transport Council to review any proposal by the school bus operators to increase fees rather than to just let them regulate themselves? One more supplementary question. I am sure every single school bus must have its licensed capacity. For boats, if they want to carry so many passengers, they make sure that they have enough life rafts. Likewise, if a school bus is licensed to carry 20 children, make sure that there are 20 seat belts.”
“Sir, I think currently most the applications, especially to the Government departments as well as statutory boards, require the employees to declare whether they are undischarged bankrupts. So it poses a lot of problems in terms of them seeking for a job. If the Government is not prepared to employ them, likewise the private sector will not take them either. So I hope MOM can seek ways to resolve this and hopefully get them employed meaningfully.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there seems to be discordance in terms of the numbers that are quoted by the Ministry of Law and MOM. The Senior Minister of State quoted there are 900-over that are unemployed and then over here in the referral system there are only 40 that are being referred. I am just wondering whether MOM could clarify this point.”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Senior Minister of State for his reply. I would like to check whether, out of the 900 that are unemployed currently, there is any scheme by the Ministry to help them to secure employment. This is related to the next question which I am going to ask the Ministry of Manpower. It is similar to the Yellow Ribbon project whereby MHA actually helps the prisoners to look for new jobs when they get out of prison. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, actually the 960 figure relates to those who were unemployed at the time they were made bankrupt. There is a smaller number of them who are currently unemployed. The figures, of course, cannot be fully determined because a lot depends on whether and how they furnish this data. But on his point about employment, IPTO actually works with MOM. There is a referral scheme where bankrupts who need jobs are referred to MOM. But it is a good point and I have in fact asked the Official Assignee to strengthen this referral process. And indeed if there are lessons to be learnt from the Yellow Ribbon project that can be applied to bankrupts who are unemployed, they should also look at how we can apply these. For example, maybe have a Green Ribbon project because there are also "green zone" bankrupts and "red zone" bankrupts. So if you are in a green zone and are cooperative, yes, you have done your part, maybe we can see whether we can help you with a job. Ultimately, of course, it is up to the person whether he wants a job and the employer, whether he wants to give the person a job.”
“In Australia, some of the trains actually provide free transport during off-peak hours, so that passengers can actually spread out the load to off-peak hours and peak hours become less congested. Are there plans of differential pricing for peak hours and off-peak hours on trains in Singapore, so that you can actually spread the passenger load more to the off-peak hours?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister regarding the supply of food products, since the Senior Minister of State has reassured this House that we have enough rice. But I also notice that there has been a general increase in prices of poultry, meat, vegetables as well as seafood products. So, Singaporeans are generally very worried about whether we will be getting enough supplies. Can the Minister address this?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Senior Paliamentary Secretary whether, in his opinion, what kind of timeline would be given to SMSA to beef up their capacity or capability so that they can host and organise the entire F1 event in future.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his comprehensive answer. I would like to ask what kind of resources has been provided to SMSA since the announcement of F1 race in Singapore to promote motor sports in Singapore. Would there be more fundings given? Apart from the infrastructure development in the Changi area, would there be more infrastructure developments elsewhere in Singapore as well?”
“For those who are reaching 60 or 62 years old, because they are taking a 10% pay cut, could such a system be like the flexi-work scheme, ie, instead of working 100%, they work 90%, so as to commensurate with the 10% pay cut?”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his comprehensive reply, but allow me to ask about the flexi-work scheme. I read in the papers yesterday that the hotels have started to employ people using this fund. I am just wondering whether the Government sector, including the restructured hospitals and the statutory boards, has introduced such schemes in the first place. My second clarification: based on the example that I quoted yesterday, instead of reducing the pay by 10%, could a flexi-work scheme be introduced as well, so that there is a 10% reduction in working hours too, which is more equitable.”
“If there is going to be a 10% cut in pay, there might as well be a 10% cut in working hours as well. Part-time work will also encourage more non-working spouse to return to workforce as part-time arrangement will allow them to take care of their families as well. Therefore, I would like to ask: what are the barriers to part-time work for the employers and the employees? Will MOM do more to promote and encourage part-time work? And what is the current legal framework to protect the interest of these part-time workers? Flexi-Works! Scheme”