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?”
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“If the hot spring park is properly developed and promoted, I am confident that it will become a popular attraction for all of us to enjoy. Rail Corridor Old Bukit Timah Fire Station”
“Mr Chairman, not many people know that there is a natural hot spring in Singapore, and it is located in Sembawang, off Gambas Avenue. This Sembawang hot spring is our one and only natural hot spring on our island here. The exact source of the hot spring remains unknown. Hot springs are formed when under groundwater enters the earth's crust as deep as three kilometres underground and get heated up to high temperatures by the hot rock masses. The high pressure causes the hot boiling water to seep upwards through cracks, thereby forcing itself out of the ground into a spring. At this point, the temperature of the water drops to about 70 degrees. There is an interesting history to our hot spring. In 1909, Seah Eng Keong, the son of Pioneer Seah Liang Seah, had discovered hot springs in his pineapple estate and channelled the springs all together so they could be concentrated in one area. A well was built along the spring and became popular with the villagers. The village was then known as Kampong Ayer Panas, which means "Village of Hot Water". In 1922, soft drinks firm Fraser & Neave (F&N) acquired the site and set up a plant nearby to tap the hot mineral water, which it bottled and called "Seletaris". During World War II, the Japanese forces, upon learning the existence of the hot spring, built a number of thermal baths, or onsen, in the area, to relax as well. But it is more than just that. It is a national treasure that is sadly unknown to many Singaporeans. I appeal to the Government to redevelop the area now into our national Sembawang Hot Spring Park to be managed by NParks. There is immense educational value for our students as well.”
“Chairman, I would like to ask the Minister of State regarding student care centres. I am quite glad to hear that all schools will have student care centres by 2020. my first clarification is: how does MOE plan to roll out this plan? Which are the areas that will have the student care centres first? I ask this because, in very high demand areas, like mine in Sembawang, we need more after-school care services. So, hopefully, when rolling out, the Ministry could consider the local demand.”
“Can the Minister update the House on the status of this programme? When can we see all our 190 primary schools having their student care centres? I hope MOE can ramp up the number of student care centres faster to cater for the demand to match MSF's rate of ramping up childcare centres. 12.30 pm”
“How adequate is the current supply of early childhood education centres in matching the demand? What are the plans in place to expand this network of early childhood education? We should consider investing in the training of early childhood educators and the pedagogy of doing so. We are dealing with the foundation years which are very important to our students. Over the years, there has been an upward trend in the number of preschoolers diagnosed with developmental issues like speech and language delays, learning difficulties and autism spectrum disorders. How aware and well-prepared are our early childhood educators in identifying these problems to facilitate early diagnosis and intervention? Many families have both parents who are working. They usually put their children in a full-day childcare centre or kindergarten. When the child enrols in a primary school, after-school care services are critical for this group. There seems to be a mismatch between full-day childcare and after-school care services. Can the Government do a more accurate projection of the demand for after-school care services in each estate by the number of children who are in full-day childcare? A news report in 2014 revealed that the demand for vacancies in after-school care services was so overwhelming that in some primary schools, they are holding ballots to enrol their students in their student care services. Most parents prefer to put their children in after-school care services in the same primary school. Since all primary schools are going single session, can the Ministry put an after-school care service in all primary schools and cater to all students who need it? The Ministry had announced plans to increase the number of student care centres to about 120 by 2015.”
“Mdm Chair, the schemes introduced in the Budget to support families with children are welcome measures and certainly encouraging to those who have just started a family. It would also encourage others to start a family in the near future as well. Nevertheless, parents in Singapore are rightfully very concerned about education opportunities for their children. Accessibility and affordability of related services, preschool education in particular, are the concerns of parents. I have spoken, like many other Members in this House, on the importance of early childhood education on the overall development of our children and have appealed to the Government to put in more resources to enhance early childhood education as it is an important social leveller. I have Page: 23 also proposed that the Government build larger early childhood education centres similar to our primary schools instead of tucking them at void decks. Will MOE consider starting mega early childhood centres or kindergartens so that there are economies of scale and better career prospects for our early childhood educators? Can MOE consider using the premises of soon-to-be closed secondary schools to run this project? In the past years, the Government has done quite a lot to enhance the quality of early childhood education, keep fees affordable and increase the number of early childhood education centres in Singapore. Early childhood educators are getting more relevant training as well as employment perks. But to create a children-friendly society that embraces the concept of families, we have to do more to enhance the quality of the centres that we have in Singapore now. Currently, there are 15 MOE-run kindergartens, including the new ones to be set up this year, as well as 169 run by partner operators.”
“They are planning to join hands to run as many as 30 centres. I am concerned whether they have enough resources. Does the Ministry have any plan to support them? What is the Ministry doing to track these weaker students and their progress and give them more support? What is being done to help those whose parents cannot afford tuition? Is there an early warning system so that the Ministry can intervene when a weak student is spotted? Sugar in Schools”
“Chairman, it is a well-known fact that students learn and develop at different rates and different pace at different periods of their lives. Some are fast learners during the early years and plateau as they grow older while some are late bloomers. MOE has set the noble mission of inculcating learning for mastery, learning throughout life and learning for life. In our very fast-paced formal education system, how does the proposed learning for mastery fit in? For some students who may need more time to master their subjects, they will lag behind their peers if insufficient time is given to achieve mastery. They may pass the tests and exams with just above 50 marks and get promoted to next level. When they reach the next level, the difficulty level of the subject is going to be raised another notch. Since they did not have a chance to master the subject, their weak foundation will give way and they may lose interest in learning the subject. I am concerned with under-performing students, in particular, those from low-income families. Not every home is able to offer a conducive environment to study, especially for those in rental flats where space is limited and those from dysfunctional families. Poverty becomes a vicious cycle and social mobility is hindered. Some students fall into bad company when they get discouraged by their poor performance and there is no one at home to supervise them. There are teachers who would stay back after school on their own accord and at their own expense. This is very commendable. Nevertheless, we cannot expect every teacher to do so, because of the heavy workload. I hope that there is more assistance from the self-help groups which offer student care services at subsidised rates.”
“Thank you, Chairman. I have two clarifications, both for the Senior Minister of State, regarding the NS Mark and NS Gold Mark. What are the specific criteria for the companies to achieve these? May I suggest that, the Government, being one of the largest employers, make sure that our own Statutory Boards and Government agencies all achieve NS Mark and NS Gold Mark even before the private sector firms do it? Secondly, regarding the low-key and high-key ICTs, personally, I also know of a few people who served many, many low-key ICTs somehow. Is it possible for them to consider accumulating that? For example, if you serve three or four low-key ICTs, it is equivalent to one high-key ICT. The number of days, added together, forms a sacrifice as well. I think we should recognise that, too.”
“During those few weeks, they will miss their families; their work will be shouldered by colleagues at their workplaces. NS has done a lot for our country. Apart from putting up a strong defence force, NS also builds up a strong spirit of camaraderie – a Singapore identity among the men. NS is a platform that allows men to gel, eat, sleep and train together regardless of race, language or religion. NS is a passage, a bonding experience, for many Singaporeans across all walks of life. Intake after intake, our NSmen have answered to the call of duty. Their competence and commitment are, indeed, qualities that would make every employer proud. Our men have undertaken so many missions, from humanitarian missions in the aftermath of natural disasters to participating in United Nations multinational military missions. I would like to ask the Minister how MINDEF or SAF can do more to recognise the sacrifices and commitment of our NSmen. Since our NSmen contributed and played an important role in our country's security, perhaps we should consider other quantifiable way of taking care of them, such as providing them free coverage through MediShield Life when they are 60 years old and above. Since they have spent their youth defending our country, it is only right for the country to take care of them when they are old. As NSmen form the majority of personnel in our defence force, they are assets to our defence. It is also important to provide training and develop our NSmen both professionally and personally. What are the programmes available in this aspect and what can MINDEF do more in this area? Compensation for SAF Personnel”
“Madam, the first batch of 9,000 youths were called-up for NS in 1967 where they spent two to two-and-half-years in full-time service and thereafter more than a decade serving NS for a few weeks annually. They are all part of the Pioneer Generation. Now they are 67 years old. Every Singaporean will know of someone serving or have served NS. That someone may be a father, husband, brother, son or, for some, even grandson. Occasionally, we are reminded of NS when we turn on our TV or radio. We hear the broadcast about mobilisation, of in-camp training as well as mobilisation of resources with certain call signs. But beneath this calm and peaceful environment, thousands of men are donned in their green fatigues or pixelated uniforms on land, air and sea. A small part of them are professional soldiers but the bulk are our operationally-ready NSmen. They have trained hard in all aspects of warfare, sometimes in the day and other times at night. Some would go overseas to train in various terrains, brave the thunderstorms during the monsoon season, or brave the gales and high seas, jumping off the plane with parachute and so on and so forth. Combat ration and cup noodles are luxuries during field training. Sometimes, night becomes day and day becomes night. When in uniform, you do not worry about time. Your focus is achieving your mission, meeting your combat objectives. How do I know? Well, I know all these because we have been there, done that with our fellow NSmen. I am still an active NS Navy medical officer. Because we have a strong defence force as a foundation, this peace and security allows us to prosper and thrive. Our NSmen answered to the call of the nation and serve in various vocations in the armed forces a few weeks annually.”
“But there will be that few who do not learn from these lessons and take for granted that there will always be help available. This sort of mentality is harmful all round. We are encouraging local businesses to venture out, but the business climates in other countries are far harsher than Singapore's. There will be more obstacles and nobody will be at hand to provide them with aid and assistance. By all means, give them the fishing rod, teach them how to fish, but do not just give them the fish. The Government and our local enterprises should not waste a good opportunity to learn from a crisis. Let the businesses learn to grapple with crisis and come out stronger. As the Chinese saying goes, 不经一番寒彻骨, 哪来梅花扑鼻香. In other words, "The plum only blooms in the harsh coldness of winter." It means success comes only with hard work and labour. In conclusion, it may be a difficult year ahead and work to groom a truly resilient Singapore never ends. But I believe that with wise leadership and the diligence of our people, we will all live to smell the fragrance of the plums. Mdm Speaker, I support the Motion.”
“There is no mention of climate change mitigation and what we are doing to reduce greenhouse gas Page: 47 emission. Although we do have green car carbon emission rebates, I am disappointed that there are no further enhancements to it. I hope the Government can put more focus on this and develop our green industries further. Learning from an economic crisis. There is a whole slew of schemes to help businesses, particularly SMEs, to face the challenges ahead. However, if I may briefly raise this point as I do not know if we are doing good if each time when we anticipate an imminent economic turbulence, everyone would look to the Government for shelter. Businesses are always hopeful and confident that the Government will introduce measures to help them tide over the crisis and, indeed, the Budget always delivers. In the last crisis, the Government introduced and enhanced many policies to retrain workers and help employers. But there are also situations that, if we over-shelter, we may end up with an over-reliance on the Government and businesses may become like plants growing in a sheltered greenhouse – they will not have the resilience to withstand a storm or winter. Economic crises are cyclical occurrences, just like the seasons. Seasons come, seasons go. With every crisis, we are supposed to emerge stronger and more resilient from the last one. But that would not happen if companies do not feel the pressure to improve, innovate or adapt. Business leaders who have the foresight will take advantage of the crisis to learn about the weaknesses of their set-up, resolve them quickly and accordingly. Some will restructure and become leaner. Some workers will learn new skills and become more employable.”
“The number of Pioneer Generation citizens will decrease with each passing year while the number of recipients for Silver Support Scheme is likely to increase with our ageing demographics. Resources needed to fund this recurring and perpetual scheme will have to come from the Government of the day. Can we sustain such a scheme, given that our working population to senior citizens ratio is dropping rapidly each decade? I have also received feedback from a few upset elderly who own 5-room HDB flats and were excluded from the scheme. Since there are already two other criteria – per capita income of less than $1,100 and also the CPF contribution limit of $70,000 before age 55, is there a need to cap the housing types only at 4-room HDB flat and below? Many have upgraded to 5-room flats to accommodate a bigger family and the price difference between 4- and 5-room flats was not that great decades ago. If we include the 5-room owners, how many more seniors will be eligible for the Silver Support Scheme? The three qualifying criteria are reasonable, simple and practical to implement but there will always be deserving cases that may not qualify. Is there an appeal mechanism for those who do not meet the criteria and feel that there is a case for them to appeal? If there is none, I hope the Minister can consider setting up one. Within the 140,000 recipients who qualified for the Silver Support Scheme, some may already be on the Public Assistance Scheme and some other welfare schemes. How will the new Silver Support Scheme affect the current assistance that they are receiving? What I do not like about the Budget this year is very simple – there is nothing "green" about it.”
“However, it is because we have a small population. If you look at the list of countries by total military expenditure, we are far from the top. Take, for example, Indonesia President Jokowi's campaign pledge to increase Indonesia's defence budget to 1.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) from its current 0.8% as Jakarta seeks to achieve a so-called Minimum Essential Force by 2024. They are now ranked number 30 in terms of military expenditure, just six places below us. Defence spending of our neighbours, given their growing economy and population size, will outstrip us soon. I am not saying this to get us into an arms race, but I raise this so that we know that there is a limit to what we can do, given our small size and small population. We need a new defence strategy, apart from maintaining a strong deterrent armed forces. What I like and do not like about the Budget. I am pleased that in his maiden Budget, the Minister for Finance has given focus to the elderly and the needy in our society. The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) and the investment in SkillsFuture are commendable efforts and, indeed, reflective of our caring policies. I like the Silver Support Scheme, which is designed to help the lower 20th to 30th percentiles of the economic group of the elderly. The Silver Support Scheme is the latest addition to our social safety network providing support to our needy senior citizens. It is like an extension of the current Public Assistance Scheme rather than what some perceived as an extension of the Pioneer Generation scheme. Resources needed for the Pioneer Generation Package are finite and the last Government has already set aside money for it.”
“Asia is not only the most populous region in the world, but it is one of the biggest markets for global trade and an engine of growth for the world economy. Singapore should be the best venue for UN to consider building its Asia HQ as the shift in economic and military power tilts towards our region. We have the infrastructure – from transport to communication, from political stability to social security – and with our educated workforce and our close relationships with many countries, Singapore should be the UN regional HQ for Asia. Likewise, the World Health Organization (WHO) should set up the most advanced diagnostic laboratories and disease surveillance centre here to monitor epidemics and pandemics that can affect the whole world. The list should include the International Labour Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization and even the UN International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) as we have the expertise and the ability to house them. If Singapore is the home to UN bodies, then we can be even more well-plugged into the global network to see us well through beyond our next 50 years. Jobs for graduates and boost for tourism. The opening up of UN offices in Singapore would also provide good employment prospects for Singaporeans from across various sectors here. The Page: 46 UN Park in Geneva is a tourist attraction. I am sure if we were to have a UN Park in Singapore, it would be a tourist attraction, too. Reconsidering our defence strategy. The presence of UN bodies, including the UN Security Council, here would also help to balance our defence posturing. We are ranked second in a list of countries by military expenditure per capita, second only to Saudi Arabia. So, to the layman, it looks like we are spending a lot on defence.”
“We have also successfully hosted many important global meetings, such as the first World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Meeting, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) meeting, as well as the World Customs Organization (WCO) meetings. We even played host to the historic landmark meeting last year between China’s President Xi Jinping and his Taiwanese counterpart, President Ma Ying-jeou. In the same year, we saw the opening of INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI), which complements INTERPOL's headquarters in Lyon, to enhance its presence in Asia and support policing efforts to tackle international crimes around the world. There are at least 70 resident foreign embassies and high commissions, 43 foreign consular posts and 11 international organisations in Singapore. Recently, we saw the opening of the China Cultural Centre as a bridge for people around the globe to get acquainted with China and vice versa. The Orthodox Metropolitanate of Singapore and South Asia has its headquarters in Singapore, of which 12 countries, including some of our neighbours and parts of Asia, are under its spiritual jurisdiction. So, from political to culture and religious organisations, we are clearly the choice for them. I would like to now propose a bold idea that we should lobby for the United Nations (UN) to establish a stronger presence in Asia by setting up a UN Asia Headquarters (HQ) in Singapore to house its key UN offices. Today, UN has permanent offices in New York, Geneva as well as Vienna, Austria, and in Nairobi, Kenya. Surely, this is the millennium for Asia; and should UN not have a better presence in this region?”
“Between the 1960s and 1990s, we had high economic growth and Singapore was recognised as one of the four Asian Tigers, along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan. Today, the tigers are facing extinction. How do we maintain our relevance to the world? If I may use a biological analogy: we could learn from the small organisms as to how they have survived and thrived over the millions of years. The mitochondrion is a very unique organelle within the cell and it is the only organelle within the cell that has its own DNA and genes. It is found in all cells, hosting critical biochemical Page: 45 processes like respiration and energy production. In short, the mitochondrion is the powerhouse of the cell. Because it has a structure that is very similar to a bacterium, many scientists believe it started off as a free-living bacterium many million years ago. Over time, it evolved and became incorporated into the Eukaryotic cells. And now, all cells cannot survive without a mitochondrion. So, we need to make Singapore a country such that we are very much needed in the modern scheme of things. Singapore can be the mitochondria to the world. Singapore is a democratic, secular, multiracial society with good political stability. We have well-developed infrastructure and good diplomatic relationships with all countries. We are strategically located as an air and sea transport hub, as well as a leading financial, communications and arbitration centre. Yes, we are small, but that also means we are no threat to the others as well. Since 2002, we have hosted the annual Shangri-La Dialogue which is attended by defence ministers and defence chiefs from 28 Asia-Pacific countries.”
“Mdm Speaker, there was much anticipation for this year's Budget, given that everyone is bracing for headwinds on our economy. Small businesses, particularly, are very worried about their outlook; so, too, are the workers on their job prospects. The Finance Minister has been very reassuring in his speech and I am confident that, once again, as long as we band together as one, we will tide over the difficult year ahead. The question is not just about the current headwind but what our future economy is going to be like. There is an urgent need for a new strategy, a new paradigm, a new narrative for Singapore so that Singaporeans can continue to enjoy good jobs. In today's speech, I will highlight and put forward a bold proposal for an uncertain future ahead. Second, I will talk a little bit about what I like and what I do not like about this Budget, and third, I will talk about learning from a crisis. In preparing for an uncertain future ahead, truth be told, for all our accomplishments as a nation, we are still very vulnerable to global economic and political storms. So, how can we survive as a small country in this turbulent world? History has never been kind to small countries. How do we ensure our continued existence in this big chaotic world? We have grown from an entrepot trading centre to manufacturing, to a thriving global city, actively engaging in regional and international dialogues from social, political to medical science; we are plugged in to the global network. Our manufacturing industry was once filled with vitality. Even Apple opened a plant in Singapore in 1981 to manufacture circuit boards and computers for several years.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister how did the projection of another 1,500 teachers come about, in terms of what is the projection of the number of children that we are going to serve. The second thing I want to ask the Minister is: how many of the childcare centres or early childhood education centres are currently operating below capacity because of manpower shortage? Which means that, physically, they have the infrastructure, but because they do not have enough teachers, therefore, they cannot bring in the students. Lastly, I do have many, many childcare centres in my area with a long waiting list. Unfortunately, due to the physical structure, they cannot take in anymore. I do have childcare centres whereby there are physical structures but there are not enough teachers at all. I am just wondering how will the Ministry help to solve this problem.”
“Mdm Speaker, let me thank the Acting Minister for his reply. Yes, I do receive many complaints from parents and, this time, it is about the sudden change in the policy or the announcement that no appeal will be entertained at all if they do not meet the minimum cut-off point of that particular school. My first clarification is: what is the timeframe given for the parents when they announce this? Why was it announced so late? I understand it was after they had made the choice for the schools, after the school listing is out. It caught everyone by surprise. I can understand there is a need for transparency. I am very happy to hear that the Ministry will exercise flexibility. The question is striking a balance between flexibility and transparency. The Acting Minister mentioned that there were 800 appeals that were successful, and there were some that did not meet the cut-off point and, based on special circumstances, they were accepted into the schools. Could the Acting Minister elaborate on the special circumstances for those who did not meet the cut-off point? Lastly, will the Ministry consider giving the Principal or the School Advisory Committee (SAC) some form of flexibility to admit certain numbers of students, so that they have some autonomy rather than completely no appeals at all? Some Principals were complaining to me that they had no choice because the Minister said that there are no appeals to be entertained.”
“Mdm Speaker, I think we feel very hungry after listening to the reply by the Senior Minister of State. I would like to thank the Senior Minister of State for the very delicious reply. First, I think all of us have heard of stories about very good food stalls in hawker centres cooked by very veteran hawkers but after a while, nobody will take over, and the art is lost completely and the skill is gone. We do not want to just merely look at the recipes. We want to really eat and taste the food. The key concerns I have now is that while NEA takes charge of hawker centres, the hardware, but the software of it, I hope the Ministry can look into it and work closer with NEA to see how to preserve and make sure that all our hawker centres, our hawker food, can continue to survive. Other countries or other states like Penang, there is a ruling whereby only the locals can cook Penang food. I am not sure how that works but I think the rest of the countries are trying very hard to preserve their own food. The issue is what are we doing and I hope that our food will be able to be tasted, not just looked at, in the recipes only.”
“Can I ask the Minister what was the quantum of the fine given to these 12,000 offenders? Should we revise the fines, if the deterrence measures still do not work?”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister for his answer. I am a little surprised to hear that 12,000 had been booked in the last three years. I would like the Minister to confirm that again. In a similar Parliamentary Question (PQ) three years ago, the average number of advisory notes issued was 320 per year. That figure was given in 2012. Twelve drivers were booked for offences. But now, the Minister has just replied that 12,000 had been booked. Why the big jump from 12 to 12,000? If the numbers are correct, is there a concern that there are more and more offenders now?”
“The Minister said we need to give them more time. It has been two years already since the Sports Hub was operational. When we say give them more time, how many more years do we need to give, for us to see that there are more activities coming up? Given the scale of the project, I am not sure what was the investment put in by the consortium, but what are their expected returns in the first place? Is it reasonable or is it unrealistic? As a result, are we having problems in terms of pricing and is that the reason why we are not attracting all these programmes? Is it because of price or is it because of some other factors?”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of State: there are 14 cases over the last five years, is this figure considered high, low or average compared to other countries in terms of sexual misconduct among educators? And I am sure that for all these cases, we know of those that have been detected, but how many cases go unreported or undetected at all? Is there a whistle-blowing sort of mechanism within the education system? Do you teach the students what is sexual harassment? How to report it? Is there a hotline for them to call? Is there a secret survey that is done among the student population to find out how prevalent the issue is?”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank the Acting Minister for his answer. I would like to ask the Acting Minister how many students are there currently enrolled in all these private institutions and, of these, how many are Singaporeans. How big is this particular market that we are talking about now? In terms of quality assurance, when the Acting Minister talked about it, we are also not very clear as to what is the employability of all these graduates that come out from these CPEs. What is Page: 18 the monitoring mechanism? Currently, I receive complaints or feedback from residents that when they go for courses in the private education sector and then they try to apply for Civil Service jobs, the Civil Service will say, "This is not applicable, we do not recognise this degree at all". They are just wondering, if the CPE actually recognises this, why does the Government not recognise it when they apply for a job?”
“Thank you, Mdm Speaker. I wanted to ask the Minister what is the average age of the individuals when they apply for LPA currently in our database. And, as Assoc Prof Fatimah has suggested, when they reach a certain age, such information could be mailed to the individuals or all Singaporeans when they are at a particular age, so that they know how to apply. Last of all, maybe the Minister can consider leveraging on the Pioneer Generation Office (PGO) when they reach out to the Pioneer Generation to advise them on the LPA as well.”
“Any increase in public sector manpower will mean a decrease in the available pool for the private sector and vice versa. Increasing productivity in the public sector will be an effective avenue in addressing the labour crunch and balancing the labour needs of both private and public sectors. It serves well for the Government to demonstrate a good example of increasing productivity. Can the Minister share with us what the public sector has done to improve productivity? How stringent is the control for recruitment of additional manpower in the civil service? Enabling Citizens”
“Chairman, demands and expectations from the public have been on the rise. I do not know if this phenomenon is more so here than elsewhere in other cities. We have seen the Government moving from setting up new feedback channels to new Government agencies and to infrastructure enhancement projects all with one objective – to meet public demand. The net result is more manpower is required to man the new fronts. Services are to be delivered almost flawlessly often at short notice, and a fast and efficient communication flow is also expected. We are currently facing the challenge of a tight labour market. Manufacturing and services sectors in particular were negatively affected by a manpower crunch. The public service is also not spared. Still, we have to roll out new projects, new upgrading works in order to keep our economy chugging ahead. In January this year, a news report indicated that the public sector's workforce grew at an annual rate of about 2.5% in the past 10 years. Growth is expected to maintain roughly at the same pace over the next few years. The Minister had shared that the total staff strength of the Singapore Public Service was estimated at about 4% of our labour force, which is a lower ratio than countries like Australia where 16% of the workforce is in the public service and 11% in Germany. But this gives us little comfort as our talent pool is limited yet we need Page: 141 the numbers to satisfy the public demand on the public services. We are often reminded of low productivity in the private sector. It will perhaps be good for the Government to push productivity in the public sector even more. I would like to know how will the Government manage its manpower growth to meet the demand for public services. The local talent and labour pool is finite.”
“English and Mandarin are widely used and they happen to be the most commonly used languages in the world. I note that we are among the top Muslim travel destination for Muslim travellers to go to non-Muslim destinations for the third successive year. The Global Muslim Travel Index gave us high scores for its safe travel environment, ease of access to prayer spaces as well as the number of halal dining options. Indeed, many of us have travelled to immerse ourselves in another country's culture, which is often different and therefore interesting to us. But are we re-inventing ourselves with new attractions and new packages? Questions were asked if the Great Singapore Sale is really that great or has online shopping taken a part of its business away? Do we need to pay more attention to other attractions? Has our F1 lost its shine as well? Can we play up on our uniqueness as a uniquely Singapore cultural icon like the Merlion? Are we doing enough to highlight our distinctive blend of heritage and culture? What are we doing to ensure that Singapore remains as a vibrant tourist destination and retaining our competitiveness on this front?”
“Mr Chairman, tourism is a major contributor to our economy. Tourist arrivals drive consumption of goods and services, which is crucial to businesses and services in our small market. Strong tourism industry also creates jobs for the service and hospitality sectors. There has been intensifying competition for the global tourist shopping dollars. Many countries, despite being huge tourism magnets, are significantly stepping up on their efforts to target increased tourist arrivals. More notably, their target is wealthy Chinese tourists who are eager to splurge their new-found wealth on widening their horizons. In the UK, for example, Chinese netizens have been consulted to name famous landmarks and pop cultures in Chinese so that these attractions would appear more endearing to the Chinese tourists. Spain is in talks with Asian airlines to draw up more direct flights while South Korea plays up on its pop culture and medical tourism packages, successfully replacing Japan as China's top Page: 138 tourist destination in 2013. Thailand offers free visas for Chinese and Taiwanese tourists last year while in Milan and Paris, retail assistants in luxury boutiques have to learn Chinese and English to cater to an international crowd. These countries, with their rich histories and ample variety of famous and unique landmarks and attractions, are formidable challenges for the tourism dollars. Tourism is recognised as a vital source of revenue as well as job creation within the APEC economies, according to APEC Tourism Working Group. In 2011, tourism accounted for 8.3% of GDP and 8.4% of employment in Asia respectively. We have many advantages that make us well-placed in receiving tourists. We offer good security and the transport system is easy to use.”
“Can the Minister share examples of projects which arising from the money given to RIE by the Government, companies have benefited and productivity boosted? What is the ROI for our economy? Additionally, what is being done to attract and retain talent in the R&D sector?”
“Chairman, research and development (R&D) has always been the cornerstone of our economic strategies. We need to carry out R&D which can help to add value to whatever we are doing, create new systems and processes, improve productivity and open doors to new opportunities. In fact, since 1960, economic growth has been rising exponentially in relation to the total amount of investment in R&D. The Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) Council was allocated a huge amount of $16.1 billion national budget for research, innovation and enterprise for Year 2011 to 2015 as part of the RIE2015 plan. This was a 20% increase from the $13.6 billion allocated in 2006 to 2010. It is a clear indication of the Government's resolve to invest in R&D. Against the backdrop of a globally competitive economy and labour crunch, investing in R&D can help us to retain and even enhance our competitive edge. R&D is certainly costly and short-term results are often intangible. Sometimes, they do not even yield any results or a breakthrough that may only happen years after the project began. We must continue to promote R&D and strengthen the resilience of its industry so that even in times of poor economic growth, companies are able to embrace research activities and continue to enhance their performance. Page: 135 I am proud to note that we have excellent R&D capabilities such as Research Centres of Excellence and the Centre for Quantum Technologies and Earth Observatory of Singapore, just to name a few. These are highly appealing to foreign investors and potential partners whom we can collaborate with for even greater achievements. With such a good R&D climate, I trust that the RIE2015 has made a good headstart and the funds are being put to good use.”
“Madam, MINDEF has been allocated the largest amount of expenditure for this year's Budget. And MINDEF is also the custodian of the largest amount of public land and public sector manpower. I believe the Ministry would have mapped out plans and strategies for the utilisation of these resources given to the Ministry. I would like to ask what MINDEF is doing to ensure that these resources, both fiscal and manpower, are adequately and properly deployed. Can the Minister share with the House what is in the pipeline for the next five years? MINDEF has always taken innovation and productivity seriously. In the past years, the Ministry has received regular recognition for cost-saving solutions and innovative ideas, and I congratulate the staff for these achievements. I would like to ask if the Minister can share some of the recent productivity measures that MINDEF is exploring and how successful these measures are. Defence Expenditure and Savings”
“I envisage it is a matter of time before the Russians start eyeing this region. They have been courting China and India so as not to be left out in the cold, except that, for now, they are pre-occupied with events in Europe. There is a criss-cross of defence arrangements between individual ASEAN countries and the US, and certainly among ASEAN countries as well. What are the implications of this growing military presence of the US and China on the strategic defence arrangements and architecture in our region? Should we expect to host a greater foreign military presence in the near future in our region? How will this affect our defence diplomacy within the region and with the major powers that we host? Maintaining and advancing defence relationships with the major powers are important for security and diplomacy. Joint training, in particular, will be mutually beneficial and highly enriching for our own defence forces, and I hope we can seek to achieve more of such arrangements. How has MINDEF continued to advance our defence relationships with the major powers? International and Regional Security”
“Madam, Singapore's security is inexplicably tied to our relations with our neighbours. It is, therefore, important for us to understand our neighbours' military and defence abilities and plans. In recent years, there have also been talks of an arms race going on in ASEAN. Perhaps largely fuelled by territorial disputes, some countries in the region have begun to import more arms, submarines, in particular. What is the annual growth of our neighbours' defence budgets in absolute and in percentage terms over the past few years? Does the Minister think that there is an ongoing arms race going on in the ASEAN region? Should we be concerned? What is the state of our bilateral defence relationships with our immediate neighbours? Additionally, what confidence-building measures has MINDEF taken to forge good, enduring defence relationships with our neighbours? I am heartened to note that just recently, Minister Ng Eng Hen has signed a Letter of Intent with Malaysia's Minister for Defence to enhance cooperation on military and defence matters. We need to develop trust and understanding between neighbours. I believe we can look forward to similar levels of affirmations and friendship with other ASEAN neighbours in the days ahead. International Defence Diplomacy Madam, major powers like the United States (US) and China play an important role in the security and stability of our region. In recent years, both countries have increased their military presence in this region and particularly in the South China Sea. The US will reportedly Page: 98 deploy four warships to Singapore by 2018 and this has been envisioned to be on a rotational basis. The days of the Cold War would seem to be gradually warming up from Europe to Asia.”
“" The territorial disputes in the South China Sea are still open sores which have not healed. The US has expressed its commitment to take on a greater interest and presence in the region. President Barack Obama has reassured his Asia Pacific allies about Washington's strategic shift towards the region as he sends a strong message to a rising China with a vow to "deepen our engagement using every element of our power" in his policy speech during his visit to Australia last November. In view of all these events, what is MFA's assessment of the state of Sino-US and Sino-Japan relationships? What effect will they have on the regional stability in ASEAN? How cohesive is ASEAN's stand on the issue of China's territorial claims? We are also in a unique position where we are able to adopt a more objective, neutral and fairer attitude towards this matter. We have good bilateral relations with all countries and we are not a claimant state. We have had the honour of participating and even hosting several regional dialogues and summits. What other roles can Singapore play in ensuring a regional architecture that is conducive for peace, stability and growth? Relations with Major Powers”
“Madam, Singapore thrives as a trading and financial hub for our region. As such, regional stability has always been vital for our continued growth and prosperity. Scholarly studies by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies have mentioned that there may not be much that ASEAN can do to bring about peace between the two major powers. But it is also arguing that it is vital for ASEAN to stand united, be resolute in preventing major power rivalry from spreading into our region. Relationships between and among major powers, such as the US, China and Japan, have an impact on regional stability. But the deep distrust has been undermining relationships. The Sino-Japanese conflict over their interpretation of World War II history, along with territorial disputes, further complicates matters. China has, in recent times, demonstrated a greater assertiveness over its displeasure towards Japan. It has even taken steps to organise a high-profile parade this year to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Leaders of major countries involved in the war would be invited, along with other countries in the region, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement recently. President Xi Jinping is overseeing the event, including the military parade, a reception and an evening gala dinner. I also note the US Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke at an event in Washington recently on an upcoming meeting of the Foreign Ministers of China, Japan and Korea. She pointed out that lashing out at each other is not only going to fuel nationalism. I quote the senior US diplomat: "It is not hard for a political leader anywhere to earn cheap applause by vilifying a former enemy. But such provocations produce paralysis, not Page: 69 progress.”
“The increase in personal income tax of the 5% higher income earners and the inclusion of Temasek's earnings in the Net Investment Income – those are welcomed. The increase in personal income tax will affect high-wage earners more but will not have a significant impact on the ultra-rich whose wealth is not derived from wages all. Their wealth is mainly derived from dividends, investments, properties and their businesses. They should shoulder more taxes to be commensurate with their wealth and also to make sure that they shoulder more responsibility. Taxes, such as capital gains tax, property tax increases – these may be better ways of taxing them. Another point I wish to make is the lack of any increase in "sin" taxes this year, surprisingly. The casinos and our gaming sector are all still reporting huge profits. Why did the Government not consider increasing gambling duty tax, liquor duty tax as well as cigarette duty tax this year to offset some of our increases in expenses in healthcare and social causes? Is increasing gambling, liquor and cigarette duty tax not a better option, compared to increasing petrol duty tax? With that, I support the Motion. 12.42 pm”
“In Australia, the Green Skills Agreement commits the Australian, the state as well as the territory governments to working with training organisations and businesses to ensure skills for sustainability. It is an integral component for their nationwide vocational education and training programme. Instructors and teachers are specifically trained to impart the knowledge, skills and principles on green technology. Next, I would like to make a few comments regarding our fiscal position. While I welcome the Government's Silver Support Scheme to provide periodic monetary payouts to our elderly who belong to the lowest 20% of the economic group, I am concerned, like many Members of this House, how sustainable this scheme is as our population ages and this group grows larger. The expenditure on the Silver Support Scheme will grow. The big question is: the current lower 20% of our poor elderly, are they the same group as 20 years ago? Will they be in the same group 20 years later? If they are the same group 20 years later, I will be very sad, which Page: 24 means that there is no improvement at all. As the country progresses, I expect the real income of even the poor to increase. So, by setting the target at 20%, I am not sure whether it is a good measure. Instead, the Government should set a more concrete measure, such as retirement adequacy, to see that whoever falls below this retirement adequacy should receive the Silver Support Scheme. And what is this retirement adequacy amount? That is up to the Government to decide as well as to ascertain what would be the required amount for a minimum life income, in order for them to sustain their living in Singapore. As the Government increases social spending, our revenue also needs to increase to balance the Budget.”
“Page: 23 We need to do more to incentivise companies and employers to think of more environmentally-friendly ways of doing business. We already have a few grants and funding schemes for building and construction, water and the environment. This is good, but I think we should be looking into making schools and all public buildings green buildings as well because our children and a whole new generation of Singaporeans who grow up in environmentally-friendly buildings would have been imbued with the culture to be green from the start. In the field of transport, there is the Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme, which applies to taxis and cars. Can we set an example with a greener public transportation system? In Scotland, the Scottish Green Bus Fund is designed to help bus companies purchase eco-friendly low-carbon buses. I hope all buses under our Bus Services Enhancement Programme (BSEP) can be eco-friendly green buses as well. And we should do more than just provide incentives. We will have to work on changing mindsets, investing in education and mentorships to guide companies towards green innovation. The 3P Partnership Fund and iLead are all good initiatives for improving capabilities in this area. I hope the Minister may shed some light on the take-up rate. I believe public awareness of the scheme is not as widespread as we want it to be. Some companies do not understand the relevance of green technology and would rather focus on other means to be more productive and profitable. It is important that we change this mentality through education and close partnerships with Government agencies, helping the smaller companies by making relevant resources and guidance easily accessible.”
“The cost of car ownership is very high with the high Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) and, worse still, now with the increase in terms of fuel duties. There is a suggestion for better distribution of COEs to families and to those who need a car more. There are many variations. Some suggested limiting it to one car per family, imposing a levy on the second car in the family and so on. I note that it will be very difficult to implement and may not be practical at all. There will be ways to circumvent all these rules. One suggestion that I have picked up is that of introducing a special family COE rebate. These are for families with school-going children or an elderly or a handicapped child who need transport. The one-time COE rebate will help to offset all transport costs for the family. Third, on the green Budget. Every year, I speak about the green Budget. Finally, I would like to move on to appeal for more incentives to promote a greener Singapore. I am glad to hear about the extension of the Carbon Emission-based Vehicle Scheme to 30 June 2017. The question is: what is our long-term strategy for green transport? We started with a green car rebate which was changed to a carbon emission-based vehicle scheme. Will the Government consider changing the categorisation of COE by engine volume to one purely by carbon emission instead? By allocating more COEs to carbon emission economy vehicles, we would transform the mindset of Singaporeans and achieve a firmer target for green transport on the roads quickly and definitely. I think there is no need for a two-system vehicle classification, both by engine volume and by carbon emission. So, my proposal is to merge them into one and just allocate COE by carbon emission.”
“The only way I can see it, going forward, is to think of an overall national scheme. This will ensure we have a universal high-quality and accessible early childhood education to maximise all Singaporeans' potential. We need to do this because human resource is the only true resource that Singapore has. Second, on the support for the family. Yes, I note that we have the SG50 Jubilee Baby package this year, but the cost of bringing up a child is very high. A study from Liverpool shows that in the UK, the cost of bringing up a child from birth all the way to 21 years old is Page: 22 about ₤220,000. If you convert this to Singapore dollars, it is about S$465,000, or about half a million dollars. But if you include all the tuition fees that the parents are investing now in all our children, it will definitely exceed half a million dollars. I hope that the Government can consider enhancing our parenthood tax rebate scheme for parents with children so that they can receive more relief. When was our child, parent or grandparent tax relief last reviewed and adjusted? Has it been adjusted for inflation? In the UK, tax credit, on top of child benefit, is available for children under 16. This can be extended to under 20 if the child is still in approved education institution or training. The beneficiary may not be working and even homemakers and freelancers would be able to get the benefit from the scheme. I hope the Government can increase the child, parent and grandparent tax reliefs as this is a clear and strong signal that this Government supports the family. For families with young children, a car may not be a luxury. It may practically be a necessity for family outings as well as for ferrying the children to and from schools.”
“I also note that, in this Budget, the Government is very generous in allocating a donation of $20,000 to all the schools to identify a cause that is found worthy by the school. I feel that if we want our students to imbibe such values, we should start them young, even when they are in kindergarten. The early childhood years are a crucial stage of learning. Early childhood education essentially sets the cornerstone for development and we should ensure that this sector is given the resources it needs to groom our young. I suggest the Government should also allocate some resources to the early childhood education centres, too, for this purpose. The Government should work closely with early childhood centre operator to launch a national campaign to recruit early childhood teachers. This can be initiated in the secondary schools and pre-university institutions to provide students with a more viable career option to explore. Talks, exhibitions, sharing of experiences by early childhood educators can help to drive interest and improve the image of this sector. With the current acute manpower shortage, I hope the Government can relax the current student-to-teacher ratio so that the existing childcare centres and kindergartens can temporarily increase their intakes to cope with the shortage of manpower. This ratio can be later adjusted or improved once adequate manpower is trained. In the long run, the Government should really look at nationalising early childhood education and childcare, similar to what many other countries have done. Unfortunately, I know that nationalisation is not a nice word to hear. The current early childhood education scene is heterogeneous, fragmentated, with varying standards.”
“There is a need for a formal pay structure in place like that for mainstream school teachers that all early childhood educational institutions, regardless of whether they are public or private, will have to abide by. Early childhood educators have a challenging job that involves multitasking, not unlike that of mainstream school teachers. The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) must analyse the challenges of this career and devise a wage scheme that gives due motivation and recognition. Perhaps, another Mediacorp series on early childhood educators, similar to the one on nurses now, should be screened soon. The second challenge is space. I look forward to early childhood schools and childcare centres to be allocated land and space just like our primary and secondary schools in any of the towns. They should be planned from the initial stage of a new precinct or town. This will avoid the current acute childcare shortages that we are witnessing in some of our new towns, including in Sembawang. Page: 21 We could look into setting up kindergartens as a standard feature in all primary schools in future. With infrastructure, such as canteen, bookshop, school field, already in place in these schools, the facilities on these premises will be better used. This can also be a gradual step forward for kindergarten teachers to become part of the overall teaching profession in Singapore. On this note, I welcome the recent announcement by MOE to set up more kindergartens, including one going to be set up in Northoaks Primary School in Sembawang. There will be better opportunities for interaction between kindergarten and lower primary school teachers to exchange ideas and to address professional issues.”
“First, is on early childhood education; second is on more support for families with young children as well as the elderly; and, third, a greener budget. Page: 20 First, on early childhood education. I hope that the words "early childhood education" could be used to replace the word "preschool". When we talk about "preschool", people will think that this is before school and something that is not important. It deserves much greater support from the Government. Although our Government has an ambitious plan to expand early childhood education and childcare with MOE-operated kindergartens introduced last year and also the addition of the Partner operator scheme on top of the current Anchor operator scheme, but we are a long way from a universal, high-quality and accessible early childhood education for all Singaporean children. There are a number of challenges. One of them is the shortage of passionate and skilled educators. I note that this is a problem not just facing our country but also the United Kingdom (UK) where the low salary for these teachers has kept people away from taking up this profession. I hope we can show the way and build up recognition for these teachers to attract the best to the profession as early childhood educators. Unfortunately, the industry lacks the appeal and a professional image. There are plenty of ignorance and misconception about the roles of early childhood educators. Because many of the early childhood centres are located at Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks, there is also a misconception that early childhood educators are "void deck teachers". I feel that more support and recognition should be given to kindergarten and childcare centre educators.”
“Mdm Speaker, I join the chorus of Members who have expressed their appreciation and support for a very well-rounded debate on this Budget. The Budget has been described by some as a bit to the left, a bit to the right, but I think what is most important is that this Budget must improve Singaporeans' lives and move everybody up. So, this should be an "uplifting" Budget, rather than a "left" or a "right" Budget. This Budget is one that is sympathetic to the disadvantaged in our society while, at the same time, encouraging collective responsibility from everyone. The provision of incentives for learning and honing skills and knowledge will go a long way. If everyone makes use of these incentives for self-betterment, doors will open for more opportunities, better wages as well as more fulfilling careers and lives. This way, the quality of life will improve and income gaps will be narrowed. The Finance Minister is right in his clarification that this is not a "Robin Hood" Budget. A "Robin Hood" Budget is one that would be taking from the rich, the well-off, and giving it to the poor directly. I am seeing a lot more focus on self-improvement with assistance from the Government, with the goal of promoting self-sufficiency. This Budget is not about giving fish to our Singaporeans but it is one that promotes and encourages Singaporeans to learn how to fish or improve their fishing skills. It is a wise and prudent move to ensure that Singaporeans would not be burdened with a huge budget to support social welfare in future. Although it is a Budget that has cast its net wide, covering the young, middle-aged and elderly, there are a few areas which are worth a relook and I hope the Government can consider them in future Budgets, if not for this one. There are a few areas.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State to clarify regarding the 20%-30% that are not approved. What are the reasons for rejecting these applications? Page: 14”
“Mdm Speaker, let me thank the Senior Minister of State for answering the question. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State a few supplementary questions. First, how many of these permits have been issued for those who operate unmanned aircraft of less than seven kilograms? Secondly, how long will this study take and when will the study be concluded so that we roughly know the timeline, as given by the Ministry, since the Ministry is reviewing the rules? I am also a bit concerned about mass events, such as marathons and even our National Day Parade, where we see drones flying around. How do we know these are authorised drones or not? Will they pose a security threat to all of us?”