Low Thia Khiang
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, my question is for the Minister for Health. The official communication channel to the people who subscribe to the WhatsApp group quoted the Prime Minister saying that "Experts think that the Wuhan virus may be less deadlier than SARS". So, can we have some verification whether this is true so far?”
“In Mandarin, Sir. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] So, Member Mr Gan Thiam Poh meant to say that although the Minister has the decision-making power under this Bill, you can still go to Court to challenge the decision.”
“Mr Speaker, clarification in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I have stated clearly that the Government already has a lot of power under existing legislation. They can even shut down websites.”
“(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] First and foremost, you must follow the Minister's decision to take down the message, you cannot go to Court. According to this Bill, you must comply with the Minister's order. Otherwise, you will be charged.”
“In Mandarin, Sir. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our Secretary-General is in the Committee. He told us about the contents of the Committee's discussion, so we know what was discussed in the Committee.”
“(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] You assume that the Minister will not do this, but is your assumption correct? It may be correct now, but will it be correct in the future? Even the Minister cannot guarantee that, he said he cannot be sure that future governments will not abuse their power. Can you be sure?”
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“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to speak on the amended Motion.”
“Is the Minister aware that by the way the heartlanders and cosmopolitans are being portrayed and reported in the mass media, it has given rise to the perception or impression that cosmopolitans and heartlanders are two different classes of Singapore citizens in our society? Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, as the Member states, the media portrays them as such, not the Government.”
“There are "checks and balances". That is what he said.”
“Does that mean you do not have the right?”
“In fact, what the people have to worry about is not a scenario in which there is an opposition party taking over the Government. What we really need to worry is that you have a dominant PAP Government and a PAP approved Elected President but have no effective opposition having the ability to serve as a mechanism to exercise checks and balances on the Government. Under the circumstances, there may come a day when the PAP Government squanders away all the reserves of the nation and then Singapore really is "hopeless", as the PM had said.”
“It is only after the first Elected President is about to step down that we see problems exist between the President and the Government. It has already become a thing of the past, and only then do the people know about it. Secondly, the Elected President is actually nominated by the Government. The word "elected" is a misnomer. Even if people were to vote, they can only vote for those whom the Government had certified to be eligible. The public's participation in the whole process is subject to what the Government has provided for them. This system of pre-qualification is ineffective. It has resulted in people who are eligible refusing to offer themselves for nomination, while those who are willing and ready to stand for election fail to qualify under the rules set by the Government. As a result, the candidate endorsed and nominated by the Government just walks in and is returned unopposed. The so-called "election" and "participation of the people" have become just a means to legitimatize the institution. Therefore, the Workers' Party feels that if we want to effectively safeguard the people's assets and the security of the country, we should have more opposition Members in Parliament so that the Government will be checked when it does anything against the interest of the people, they have to face the challenge of opposition and the prospect of losing parliamentary seats in elections. Sir, on 12th August 1988, when the then First Deputy Prime Minister was speaking on the amendment, he said, and I quote: "A weak and/or opportunistic Government together with a weak opportunistic President, and both belonging to the same party. Under that scenario, I think it is hopeless." Those were the words of the Prime Minister.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the amended motion moved by the Secretary-General of the Workers' Party. In 1990, the PAP Government amended the Constitution to institute the office of Elected President in what was supposed to be a move to "clip the wings" of the Government. Yet, in 1994, the PAP Government again amended the Constitution, and this time, it was to clip the wings of the President. Under the amended Constitution, the President's consent is not required for defence expenditure. Even if he knows it, he has no power to veto it and to make it public. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) no longer comes under the supervision of the President. There were also some other amendments. As a result, the original intention of having the President to safeguard the national reserves is thus diminished. Although it was said that the Elected President was holding a "second key", the PAP Government changed the lock! It has become apparent to us that it is not the President but the Council of Presidential Advisers who is having the veto power. More than half of the members of the Council of Presidential Advisers were appointed by the Government, and in the event of a tie in the votes, the Chairman of the Council has the last say. Even if the President vetoes the advice of the Council, Parliament can also overturn the President's decision by a two-thirds majority. Under the current circumstances of a PAP dominated Parliament, the Elected President is actually a nominal post. Can he effectively safeguard our national reserves and our security? No. From our experience of the way the first Elected President operated, we can see that this system is not functioning effectively at all. There is no transparency in the workings between the Government and the President.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, how about the casing of the air-conditioner that is corroded? The owner has failed to maintain it and the whole motor can fall out as well. Is that covered under the Bill? Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: Mr Speaker, Sir, anything the owner puts up, the owner must bring down before it hits somebody's head. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. BANKRUPTCY (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read.”
“Leakage. Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: As a flat ages, there will be minor problems. Just like when we age, we will have minor ailments. It is not for the Government to treat us. We must treat ourselves. Similarly, you live in a flat, you cannot expect HDB to go in and fix every small little problem. Over time, rubber seals will drop off, doors will not hang well, things like that. Deterioration of these things is normal over time.”
“Mr Speaker, may I clarify with the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary in his answer says that the wooden air-conditioning panel and the opening were provided by HDB on a goodwill basis. But I wonder whether all owners would want this goodwill in the first place because I notice a lot of them do not use the air-conditioner opening provided. Either the position is not correct or it is going to cause problems to them because of noise nuisance. But bear in mind that this is initially a goodwill. When the Bill is passed, it becomes a "bad will", because if you do not do anything to it and it drops off, it is your responsibility, and you are going to be punished under the Act. So when the goodwill becomes a problem, would the HDB not be responsible to at least help to facilitate the owners with this goodwill provided by helping them to solve the problem? So can we have another goodwill from the HDB to replace the wooden air-conditioning panel?”
“Exemption for flats undergoing MUP and IUP is something that I will talk to HDB and we will see what we can do. The Member was suggesting that flats which have been targeted for SERS should be exempted. A SERS programme takes five years from announcement to completion. So five years is a very long time. If it is for SERS, I would be very reluctant to exempt them because it is a long time. Because when we announced, for example, the en-bloc redevelopment at Hillview this year, it will take some time for the residents to be physically relocated to the new location. So in five years' time anything can happen. But the Member's area is a new area, so probably steel brackets are already in place. But anyway I will ask HDB to look at it. But off my head I think we should think through this again. For MUP, maybe we can look at it. MUP could take two to three years. The time-frame is much shorter. But in any case, if the wooden frame needs to be changed, it has to be changed, and I think we should not compromise on safety. I think I have answered all the questions. If I have not, please remind me.”
“But this is a system solution which can only come about when there is a MUP. But for individual cases, they have to solve it within the unit. Usually, what they do is that they bring the pipe back into the bathroom or into the toilet. On Mr Ang Mong Seng's question, he suggested that we should not license the workers but we should license the companies. It is difficult to license the companies. In any case, it is not a very difficult job to install steel brackets to window air-conditioners. If we license companies alone, I think it will be making a big deal out of a small problem. In any case, there will not be enough companies. We have 4,000 workers. We do not have 4,000 companies. And we have set a time limit of one year because we think that while the problem is not severe enough, there is a possibility that one or two air-conditioners might fall off in the one-year period. So we want to be very safe, we want to make sure the problem is solved in as short a time as possible, and we want to allow a qualified competent person to do the job. I think a trained worker with a certificate from BCA can do the job. In any case, companies come and go, and there is no assurance either. Mr Ang Mong Seng suggested that after the completion of the job, the trained worker or the company should stick a label there to certify that the job has been done satisfactorily. I will pass this back to the BCA and HDB to ask them to consider. But, off my head, I think that the sticker solution may not be a fool-proof solution because you can always tear off a sticker or you can stick on a fixed sticker. But anyway it is one area we can look at and I will ask the authority to look at it.”
“The course is 17 hours conducted by BCA at the Construction Industry Training Institute at Braddell Road. The course fee is $410 per participant and we conduct the classes in Mandarin or English, or if there is enough critical mass of about 24 students, it can be conducted in any dialect or language. Companies can sponsor their workers for this course. They can pay a one-time fee of $9,840 for one class organised for a company. We have settled the problem whether there is sufficient time. The answer is yes. Are there enough workers? The answer is also yes. What is the best approved material? At this point in time, we think stainless steel is the best material. That will be in the subsidiary legislation. Stainless steel is relatively cheap, readily available and easily installable. Mr Kenneth Chen talked about noise pollution problem. Yes, it is indeed a problem. As the air-conditioning unit ages, the noise level does go up. I will refer the problem to the Ministry of the Environment. They have a Noise Pollution Unit which monitors the noise level of air-conditioning units and other industrial machineries. As regards drainage problem, before HDB allows an air-conditioning unit to be installed, the person who installs the air-conditioning unit must satisfy HDB that the drainage problem is solved before we issue a permit for the air-conditioning unit to be installed. I do not think this is a serious problem. But at the MUP stage where old flats are undergoing MUP, various MUP committees have tackled this problem systematically and some of them actually put a pipe all the way down from the top floor to the bottom floor so that the window air-conditioning units can be connected to such an improvised down pipe.”
“HDB is unable and will not replace the wooden frames for the flat owners because this was done on a goodwill basis. Any wooden frame that has deteriorated over time should be replaced by the owner. Once the owner takes over the apartment, it is the owner's responsibility for maintaining all the internal fixtures within the flat. Having learnt the lesson, what is HDB doing now? For the new generation flats, HDB is putting them in the service balconies. If you look at the new generation flats, you will find that there is a service balcony where owners can put in their split condensers. At the same time, HDB has also explored areas within the wash areas. We have put in the ledgers with railings to mount the air-conditioners. This is to facilitate replacement. So HDB has progressed ahead and we are now tackling a problem that is actually rooted in the past. We are asking the owners to look at their wooden frames and take the effort to change these wooden frames within one year. Is one year sufficient time to change all the 65,000 air-conditioning units, of which 45,000 are in HDB flats and 20,000 in private estates? We have a pool of 4,000 trained workers certified to install steel brackets on to these existing air-conditioning units. We have an existing problem of 65,000 air-conditioning units. So there should be enough time. We have 4,000 workers and we expect more workers to be trained. What is the qualification of a worker? It is not very high because it is a very simple task actually. We require a person to take a test. If he says he is qualified, he has the skills but he has no certificate, we will require him to take a test. If he says, "I do not know how to do the installation", then he undergoes a course.”
“Sir, one of the major causes of air-conditioning units falling off is the deterioration of the air- conditioning unit over time. But we must not forget that these wooden frames were installed by HDB. They were provided for when the owners moved in. HDB, as a developer, provides such wooden frames. I wonder whether the Bill should also require developers (both HDB and private developers) to provide air-conditioning frames from materials which would not deteriorate over time, and thus cause a potential danger in the future. I wonder whether HDB has a moral responsibility to replace the existing wooden frames in HDB estates. Do not forget, Sir, it is not only those who install air-conditioning units on wooden frames that cause the problem, but the frames themselves cause a problem as well for those who do not have an air-conditioning unit. This is because as the wooden frame deteriorates, there is the problem of water leakage which they have to solve. I would urge the Senior Parliamentary Secretary to consider whether HDB would replace the wooden frames as a matter of goodwill, as a one-time basis. Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: Mr Speaker, may I take the last question first in answer to Mr Low Thia Khiang. HDB did provide some HDB flats with wooden frames to facilitate the owners to put in their window air-conditioning units. These wooden frames were placed on a goodwill basis because there were requests prior to HDB's guesture. In the past when HDB did not provide the frames, owners had to hack a big hole to insert the air-conditioning unit into the hole. Then they have to fix the air-conditioning unit into the hole by inserting wooden frames on the four sides.”
“There should be adequate provision for working space to prevent incidents of falling tools and components as well as to ensure that the worker can attend to the unit without exposing himself to undue danger. The design of such air-conditioning units should also incorporate devices that allow for proper installation. The Building Control Authority may want to seek the assistance of the PSB and the product design of such air-conditioners. Sir, I am given to understand that apart from incidents of falling air-conditioning units, there have also been instances of falling casement windows in HDB flats. They pose an equally severe threat to the safety of residents. Would the Commissioner of Buildings consider imposing similar legislative control regarding the proper installation and maintenance of such windows? With these comments and queries, I support the Bill.”
“Such decay of wooden frames is not surprising, given the kind of hot and wet weather we have in Singapore. I have a few queries and clarifications to make regarding the main features of the Bill. In new section 21B, the Bill requires such air-conditioning units to be installed by a trained worker. The Bill does not give details about the pre-requisites or qualifications for such a trained worker, except that he is a person who holds a certificate issued by the BCA. Would this be linked to any NTC qualification later to make the requirement more clear and transparent? What is the number of trained workers that we have in the industry right now? Would there be enough trained workers so as to keep such installation works at reasonable price levels? Section 21C also says that the installation will use "such material as may be prescribed." Given that wood is not suitable in such a climate, what will be the new acceptable materials that can be used in its place? I believe that this is not given in the Bill. Can the Bill be a bit more specific on this matter? Apart from the deterioration of timber frames, I understand that the brackets can also corrode and give way, posing the same danger to residents. Will the Building Commissioner consider requiring building owners to inspect and maintain air-conditioners and their mountings on a regular basis? The Bill does not seem to address the issue of service or maintenance of air-conditioning units after installation. Obviously, apart from having the units installed securely, they should also be installed in a manner that allows them to be serviced safely.”
“Under this section, any person who contravenes or fails to comply with the said provisions shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable upon conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both. Clause 5 allows the Minister to make regulations in relation to the installation and retrofitting works for air-conditioning units. The Minister can also make regulations stipulating the duties and responsibilities of the trained workers in carrying out their works. Consequential amendments are made under clause 6 of the Bill, which tidies up the references to air-conditioning units made under the existing Schedule to the Act. In conclusion, the Bill is necessary to protect the general public from the potential injury that could be caused by falling air-conditioning units. Although we could also let the problem resolve itself as the older air-conditioning units mounted on wooden frames break down and are replaced by new and better supporting structures, we are concerned that further accidents might occur. The Bill is thus introduced to accelerate the replacement process and ensure a safer environment, especially in the HDB estates where many air-conditioning units mounted on wooden frames still exist today. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. Mr Lew Syn Pau (Kreta Ayer-Tanglin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the Building Control (Amendment) Bill 1999. First of all, I commend the Government for taking proactive action on the subject of falling air-conditioning units in HDB estates before anybody is injured. We are told that these incidents have occurred because the wooden frames that the air-conditioning units were mounted on have decayed over the years.”
“The provisions I have elaborated so far cover air-conditioning units that are to be installed. I will now move on to section 21C which deals with existing air-conditioning units. Although we have previously issued advices to many flat owners to retrofit existing wooden air-conditioning frames with properly-installed brackets made of approved material, namely, stainless steel, many air-conditioning unit owners have not been forthcoming in taking up the advice. Currently, about 45,000 air-conditioning units in HDB estates and under 20,000 air-conditioning units in private estates are mounted on wooden frames. These would pose a danger to the general public as the wooden frames deteriorate over time. As such, section 21C requires the owner of the building or premises where air-conditioning units are mounted on wooden frames to replace these frames with properly-installed stainless steel brackets. A grace period of one year from the date of commencement of this Act will be given to the owner of the building or premises to carry out the retrofitting works. New section 21D allows the Commissioner of Building Control to require retrofitting works for any other dangerous air-conditioning units. New section 21E provides in the main body of the Act an existing requirement that the trained worker shall, upon completion of the installation or retrofitting works, submit a properly completed installation report to the Commissioner of Building Control. The penalties for any person who contravenes section 21B(1), 21C, 21D or 21E(1) are prescribed in new section 21F of the Building Control Act.”
“Clause 2 addresses the meaning of "air-conditioning unit" for the purpose of the Building Control Act. In addition, the clause also transfers the definition of the "Building and Control Authority" and "trained workers" from the Schedule to the main Act for the purpose of the new provisions regulating air-conditioning works which I shall elaborate on later. As air-conditioning units do not affect the structural integrity of a building and their installations are considered really to be minor works, clause 3 continues to exempt air-conditioning works from Part II of the Building Control Act. That is, there is no need to submit building plans for installing air-conditioning units to the BCA. Sir, I shall now elaborate on the main provisions regulating the installation of air-conditioning units under clause 4 of the Bill. Clause 4 introduces a new Part IIA to be inserted into the Building Control Act. New Part IIA New Part IIA contains six sections. New section 21A limits the application of the Part to air-conditioning units that would pose a danger to the public. As air-conditioning units installed in landed properties would not pose a danger to the safety of the general public, these are exempted from the provisions of this Part. The same goes for units that do not protrude outwards from buildings or premises. New section 21B makes it mandatory for any person who desires to install air-conditioning units to engage a "trained worker" to properly install the air-conditioning unit. A trained worker holds a certificate from the Building and Construction Authority for the installation of air-conditioning units. This section consolidates what we have already introduced in 1997, to prevent accidents of falling air-conditioning units due to poor workmanship in installation.”
“Koo Tsai Kee): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Objective The Bill seeks to amend the Building Control Act to put in place measures to minimise incidents of falling air-conditioning units from certain premises or buildings. Rationale Since 1994, 8 cases of fallen air-conditioning units have been reported. Out of the 8 cases, 7 occurred because the wooden frames these units were mounted on have decayed over the years. These 7 cases occurred in populated HDB estates. It was fortunate that no one was injured or killed. Sir, we have introduced several measures since 1990 to forestall the problem of falling air-conditioning units. We required all new air-conditioning units in HDB flats to be mounted properly on stainless steel brackets. An additional measure was introduced in 1997 to ensure that trained workers were engaged to install new air-conditioning units. This is to ensure that the units were properly installed so as to minimise the risk of falling air-conditioning units due to poor workmanship in installation. However, the stock of wooden frames installed before these measures were introduced will remain substantial for some time to come. These air-conditioning units therefore represent a growing risk to the public as the condition of the frames deteriorates with time. To minimise the possibility of further accidents from happening, wooden frames should be replaced with properly-installed brackets made of stainless steel. Main Features of the Bill Sir, let me now elaborate on the main features of the Bill. Clause 1 names the Bill as the Building Control (Amendment) Act 1999. The clause also allows the Minister to bring the Bill into operation by notification in the Gazette.”
“Mr Chuang then asked what if the licensed cable detection worker was negligent. I think, if this can be established legally, that should be a defence for the contractor. As for the amendment to the section on water mains, to begin with, structures or objects should not in the first place be built or positioned in such a way that water mains cannot be maintained or repaired. When we talk about "in the vicinity of water mains", it is with respect to whether it affects the ability of PUB to maintain or repair these mains. Mr Chuang also asked in the event that the architect designs a structure which causes an obstruction, then who should be liable? That really is a private matter to be resolved between the owner and his architect. Equally, whether insurance should cover such liabilities is also a private matter, defined in contract. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked whether the power supply company is under an obligation to provide reliable power. Yes, they are. As to what the penalty involves, I do not have them with me here now. And as to the past incidents, and follow-up action PUB has taken with respect to voltage dips not caused by cable damage in the past, I do not have the details here. But if he submits a question on this, I would be very happy to answer him. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [BG George Yong-Boon Yeo]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. BUILDING CONTROL (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 2.16 pm The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for National Development (Assoc. Prof.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I just want to make a short clarification. I understand the Amendment Bill is to severely punish contractors who damage high voltage cables. How about a power supply company that causes a voltage dip which is equally damaging to the economy and the company concerned as well? I would like to know what is the penalty. I believe that it is in the Bill. How about for those voltage dip cases which the Minister cited just now that were not caused by damaged cable? For those cases, was penalty imposed on PowerGrid and, if so, what was the penalty imposed? BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Members for their support of the Bill. Mr Chuang Shaw Peng asked how would an earthwork contractor know that he is in the vicinity of high voltage cables. He has to find out from the licensee, which means, PowerGrid Private Limited and PowerGrid is under an obligation to speedily provide the detailed information and the information must be detailed to enable the cables which are in the vicinity to be accurately marked out by licensed detection workers. Which licensee? There is only one right now which is PowerGrid. They own all the high voltage cables in Singapore. Mr Chuang asked what happens if the licensee disclaims the accuracy of the information he provides to the contractor. He cannot. Under the law, he is required to provide accurate information. As for the training of cable detection workers, this is done by PowerGrid. In fact, under its licensing conditions, it is responsible to provide training on cable detection and the person would only be granted a licence as a cable detection worker if he has successfully completed the prescribed course conducted by PowerGrid and holds the required qualifications and relevant experience.”
“Sir, will the cost of surveys go up? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: I have mentioned just now that the amendment will result in more surveyors entering the field and providing quality survey work. So with more surveyors doing the work, cost will be kept competitive. Nobody can assure you that cost will not go up or cost may go down. I think it is a function of the marketplace. What we can say is that it is not a monopoly or closed-shop situation.”
“He has asked whether we are going to make further amendments to the Act. I do not think we want to have a separate register for people who say that they are doing simple works. What I can ask the Land Surveyors Board to consider is to see, without jeopardising public interest and safety, for these very simple minor works which do not require certification by a registered surveyor, maybe levelling of drains and so forth, whether or not we could provide an exemption from the Land Surveyors Act for these simple works. But I think this is something that I cannot give an assurance now. It is an idea that Mr Heng has suggested which the Land Surveyors Board can study, because under the Act, the Minister, if he deems it suitable, can make an exemption. But the important point is that public safety must not be jeopardised. Sir, I think I have addressed all the points.”
“So there is a need to ensure that field assistants are of a certain standard. Having said this, here the standards will not be raised. Registration for field assistants doing cadastral work has been required since 1972. So it is a matter of extending it now to field assistants doing non-cadastral work. The requirements are quite basic - a diploma in surveying work from the polytechnic. If not, then they need to pass a course in cadastral survey conducted by the Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers. These are not overly strict requirements for field assistants. Mr Simon Tay asked whether, in Singapore, we are running ahead of other countries. In fact, we are not the only country doing this. Our system is quite close to the Australian system, and there are three states in Australia which also regulate both cadastral and non-cadastral surveys. Having said this, I think we need not be apologetic that we are progressive. As Members have quite rightly captured the spirit here, the fact is that, in Singapore, we are land scarce and high density, and we have little room for error in the positioning of buildings, structures in our estates and infrastructural developments. As has been said, the cost of remedying such defects can be enormous. I think what we are doing is justified, more so because of the increasing overlapping between cadastral work and non-cadastral work. Sir, in the old days, we could have people say, "I just do non-cadastral work." But with the advent of modern technology, eg, the Global Positioning System (GPS), the use of modern equipment, the overlap is becoming increasingly large. There is indeed a need for those who do non-cadastral work to also know about cadastral work and what it entails. Sir, this point addresses Mr Heng's question.”
“I do not think it has been finalised yet, but I think they are working towards that, so that it will actually give incentive for those who want to continue providing survey works on their own to register. This is an important point because this will in fact give the impetus, not only for upgrading, but for more to become registered. Hence, we will have a larger pool of people offering a higher quality of work, thereby enhancing competition and keeping costs competitive. The other main point is the point that Mr Heng Chiang Meng makes, where he talks about the large variety of survey works. He asks whether or not a separate register can be kept for people who want to do simple survey works. I should, first, clarify that there are two registration exercises. The first is to be registered as professional surveyors, and the other one is registration as field assistants for those who are working for or employed by registered surveyors. That is how the amendment Bill is structured. Mr Kenneth Chen realises this, because under the new section 16A, all registered surveyors who want to engage or employ field assistants will need approval of the Board, and thereafter a register is kept for them. Mr Chen asked why this needs to be so. I have mentioned in my speech the reasons why this has to be so, because these field assistants are the ones who actually do the field work on the ground. And in the nature of the profession, they work very much on their own, no doubt under the direction and supervision of the registered surveyors, but the registered surveyors cannot be there all the time. The data that they collect on the field is very important. It will be the original source data based on which the office staff will do the computation and draw up the field plans.”
“They will also familiarise themselves with cadastral work, and then they will register. They will therefore add to the 50-odd registered surveyors who are currently on the register, so that there will in fact be more professional surveyors. That is the first point. This will not reduce the pool but will increase the pool. The second aspect of this is that these amendments will indeed give impetus to field assistants to register. In the Act, they are renamed "Assistant Surveyors" and called in the industry "Surveying Technicians". The impetus will be there for them also to register, particularly those who want to practise on their own. As I have said in my speech, there are about 400 such field assistants currently. In fact, many will be quite content with doing what they are doing now. They are working in Government departments and statutory boards, or they are working as field assistants for registered surveyors and they are quite happy doing that. So they will not want to take the examinations to upgrade themselves to become professional surveyors. But there will be some who will rise to the occasion and indeed these surveying technicians who have been operating on their own, if they still want to continue operating on their own, then it is quite likely that they will take the route which is open to them. The Singapore Polytechnic is organising the advanced diploma course for them. The good news for Mr Simon Tay is that the Singapore Polytechnic is working towards a situation where they will incorporate the examinations which normally the surveyors will take at the end into the course. Because it is a part-time 3-year course, it will be comprehensive enough to also incorporate the legislation examination and the field work aspect into the course.”
“The different speakers who have spoken have injected various viewpoints to the discussion, some of which we have considered carefully after receiving representations. What I want to say at the outset is that, as captured very poignantly by Mr Kenneth Chen and also repeated by Mr Simon Tay and others, the key objectives of the amendments are, firstly, to promote accountability of surveyors. Currently the situation is not tenable, because there are people doing non-cadastral works who are not accountable to the Land Surveyors Board. Secondly, promote public safety and interest. Mr Chen, who is an architect, brings this up very well, that as Singapore progresses in terms of building styles and complexity, there is a need to upgrade our surveyors. Apparently simple mistakes can result in enormous losses. And the example I gave in my speech illustrates this point, where two rows of shophouses had to be demolished. I think I should start my speech on this point - the basic objectives of the Bill. Having said this, I want to debunk any allegation that this Bill is to protect those who are already registered. This is related to what Mr Tay Beng Chuan has said. He asked whether the amendments would result in a shortage of registered surveyors. In fact, the intent of this Bill is to require all professional surveyors who are offering survey works of whatever form, whether cadastral or non-cadastral, to register. Currently, only those who are doing survey works of the cadastral type need to register. There are currently about 30 of such unregistered professional surveyors offering non-cadastral survey works, who are not yet registered, which means that they will have to register. What they will do is to take the necessary examinations.”
“Sir, I rise to express the concern of the Society of Surveying Technicians. I believe they have also written to other Members of this House and most of the points have been raised by speakers before me. But I just wish to raise three points with the Minister. Firstly, I would like to know whether the cost of surveys would increase because of this amendment Bill, as the number of survey firms would be limited. Secondly, I would like the Minister of State to assure this House that the existing practitioners would not be at the mercy of the registered surveyors after the Act is amended. Because the Bill, as it is now, requires them to be registered with the registered surveyors as assistant surveyors. It seems to me that it is all under the registered surveyors' power or they are at their mercy. The market talk has been that the registered surveyors are waiting for money to come, because they are bound to make a lot of money as they will be the only ones who will be able to practise when the amendment Bill comes into effect. Thirdly, I would like the Minister to consider a suggestion which was made by Mr Heng Chiang Meng. Is it possible for us to have different classes of surveyors, instead of just registered surveyors that encompass everything? Like in other trades, we have technicians, electricians and we also have professional electrical engineers. There are different classes of professionals. Is it possible to consider having different classes of surveyors doing different types of surveys? They can register directly with the board and practise, and they can do whatever submissions that are needed. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, I thank all the speakers who have spoken.”
“May I seek clarification from the Senior Minister? Is the Senior Minister implying that even with the PAP, the dominant party, continuing as Government, he has no confidence and that the PAP may one day produce a government that will squander the reserves, thereby you need the checks and the circuit breakers?”
“Sir, the Prime Minister said just now that unless he sends a circular to civil servants to find out whether anyone finds the President a nuisance, he would not know. I would like to ask him if he would tell us, in this House, whether he has asked any Minister here who finds President Ong troublesome and a nuisance.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am puzzled over the puzzle of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is puzzled why the President, who was the Deputy Prime Minister, did not understand clearly that the Government does not need to draw on past reserves, and thereby made such statements. And he is also puzzled as to why the President decided to cast doubts on the Government. Based on the sequence of events the Prime Minister has given, in terms of whether to support the re-election, I wonder whether the Prime Minster is implying that the reason why the President has cast doubts and raised so many issues and decided not to stand for re-election was because the Cabinet failed to support his re-election, I would also like the Prime Minister's opinion on whether or not the routine function of the elected President should be made more transparent, so that Singaporeans would know what the elected President is doing, rather than at the end of the term, the elected President comes out with something which has already passed. My third concern is that although the Prime Minister says that the elected President can work through the Government system, the civil servants and all that, I wonder how would the elected President know if the Government or a statutory board decides that it has to sell land or dispose of assets within the budgeting period. Would the Prime Minister clarify?”
“After this case, does the Minister of State see the need to revise the guidelines because it may apparently be a wrong assessment resulting in the death of a person? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, I think the question is premature. Like I said, there may be a coroner's inquiry. He is assuming that it is a wrong assessment. What I have said before is that the procedures are very clear and the instructions are that if in doubt, the patient will be conveyed to hospital. E-COMMERCE (Number of certification authorities) 9. Mr Chuang Shaw Peng asked the Minister for Communications and Information Technology if he will state the number of certification authorities for e-commerce and among these, how many have been licensed by the National Computer Board. The Minister for Communications and Information Technology (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong): Sir, currently, Netrust is the only public certification authority (CA) in operation in Singapore. CISCO Security and Singapore Post have recently announced their plan to operate another CA, called ID.safe, under a 50-50 joint venture. Both Netrust and ID.safe have indicated to NCB that they will be applying for CA licences, which is a voluntary licensing regime, under the Electronic Transaction (Certification Authority) Regulations 1999.”
“Sir, I would like to ask whether the Minister of State is aware of the recent case in which a student was attended to by a paramedic and who was certified to be all right but died later in hospital. If so, would he like to tell this House what had happened to the case? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, certainly all of us are aware of the case. It is an unfortunate case. But as there may be a coroner's inquiry, I cannot say very much now in this House. But what I can say is that when the ambulance was called the Ambulance Officer who attended to the boy had properly carried out the assessment on him, according to the set of medical procedures approved by SCDF's Medical Advisory Committee. Her assessment was that it was a non-emergency situation.”
“Sir, the Senior Minister of State in his reply said that 5% of students from the Normal (Technical) stream were transferred to the Normal (Academic) stream each year. I would like to know what is the number in the cohort of students each year who are being transferred from Normal (Technical) to Normal (Academic) stream. Secondly, is he satisfied that this number of students being transferred represents the optimum possibility for the students who academically have a higher ability at EM3 and are able to be transferred? Thirdly, is he satisfied that the Ministry of Education and the schools have put in enough resources and effort to educate EM3 students as well as Normal (Technical) stream students in the secondary schools, given the fact that they might have some problems in learning? Is there any special effort or special training for the teachers to cope with these students?”
“Has the Government the responsibility to balance commercial interests against social interests? If so, what approach would the Government take in terms of the current issue of bank charges on the small savers? BG Lee Hsien Loong: I have explained to the Member that there is DBS Bank with POSBank and they have to consider how this role will be implemented for their POSBank account holders. For the others, it is a free market and they have to compete against each other. Whether it is PUB with utilities or Telecom with telephone charges, or any other essential service in Singapore, food, medical care, there has to be really a price which reflects the cost of providing that service. Because we have followed that philosophy, therefore, we have prospered and nearly everybody can enjoy in Singapore a full range of essential services to the families. 95% have telephones and television sets. So it is not a question of depriving people. It is a question of having the right system so that we can prosper and everybody will be able to enjoy these services.”
“Sir, is the Government in support of the banks' imposition of such charges on small savers, and whether the Government will consider the impact on lower income families who need to operate a bank account to pay in their salary or whatever by allowing the banks to impose such charges by the MAS? BG Lee Hsien Loong: There is an impact whenever there is a charge which is levied, but it is not a matter for MAS to decide or not to decide, because MAS has never had any rule to require banks to provide free services. There are many banks in Singapore. Some are focused on the smaller savers and the smaller customer segment of the market. Some go for the middle or higher segment of the market. And they have to charge for their services. It is a facility which many wage-earners use because they receive their salaries, they have to pay their bills and so on. But, overall, our philosophy in Singapore has been that when there are costs, it is best that they are reflected. So, whether it is medical services, whether it is your utilities - electricity and water, whether it is telephones, they are all not for free, and yet everybody in Singapore has water, electricity, medical services and telephones. So there is really no argument to be made that banking services should be different.”
“Would the Minister clarify item 3 in the Annex that parents responded to MOE's letter but did not specify whether their children were in local mainstream schools or other types of local schools? Are they in school or are they not in school? Does the Minister know? RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Sir, as the parents have responded that their children are in school, we take their word for it.”
“Does the Minister agree that even before the economic downturn when the CPF rate was cut, CPF members who have reached the age of 60 and above, their total CPF contribution was 15%, and 8% of the 15% had to be contributed to Medisave, which I think renders very little money in their Ordinary Account to service the housing loan? So for those who are still serving their mortgage loans and have difficulty in paying, would the Minister consider allowing these people to temporarily give a lesser contribution to Medisave to help them tide over the period?”
“Is the Government satisfied that the senior government official from China was honest when he said that he was not aware of the existence of the Suzhou New District when he advised the Singapore Government about investing in Suzhou? BG Lee Hsien Loong: Sir, I have no reason whatsoever to doubt that.”
“Clarification, Sir. Is the Deputy Prime Minister saying that even the adviser to the Singapore Government from China was not aware of the existence of the Suzhou New District at the point in time, and was the Singapore Government aware of the Suzhou New District at the point in time? BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, I did not say the adviser to the Singapore Government. I said a senior Chinese leader who gave us advice told us that he would have given us different advice had he been aware of SND. We were aware that SND existed. We did not know how big a problem it would pose and we believe the problem was manageable, and we were mistaken.”
“He said that if he had been aware of SND, he would not have advised us to go to Suzhou. Therefore, this was a problem which we did not fully appreciate and their top leaders were not aware of either.”
“Sir, I do not know whether the Government has sufficiently considered the Suzhou New District before committing its investment which has resulted in today's position. I understand that the Suzhou New District had been in existence before the Government decided to make an investment. Was it prudent for the Government to make the investment and pulling in the commercial establishments which are now suffering losses and facing an uncertain future? BG Lee Hsien Loong: Sir, in retrospect, obviously, we did not pay enough attention to it. But there was a reason. We were aware of it but there was a reason why we started on a different area, and that is because we were not just building an industrial estate, but building a township complete with schools, houses, infrastructure, industrial park, utilities, everything. Therefore the idea was to look for a fresh piece of ground and start in order to have a clean slate. We believed that the Suzhou authorities would give clear priority to the SIP project over SND and indeed this was so for the first few years of the project. But as time went on, the competition and rivalry became a problem and finally came to a head. As Members know, I think in November 1997, one of the Vice Mayors of Suzhou went to Germany to promote SND, the rival, and told the German investors that they should come to SND because Jiang Zemin did not support SIP, to the amazement of Chancellor Helmut Kohl's special representative, who was in charge of encouraging German businessmen to go to China together with Singapore. And that is what brought the matter to a head. We have been discussing it over these last 20 months and it has been finally settled. I should quote to the Member what one very senior Chinese official told us.”
“I am sure you understand the psychology. So I think it is more likely it will be settled after, rather than before, the general elections. VISIT OF HONOURABLE DR (MRS) NAJMA HEPTULLA, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF THE RAJYA SABHA (COUNCIL OF STATES) OF INDIA (Presence in Gallery)”
“Sir, in view of the difficulty of the Clob issue so far and the so-called unsatisfactory result in the level of negotiation between the Singapore Stock Exchange and the Malaysia Stock Exchange, does the Government intend to take up the issue with the Prime Minister of Malaysia? BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, in fact, the Government had already done so. If you read my previous statement in May 1999, I explained that after the matter reached an impasse at the working level, the two Prime Ministers discussed it in Hanoi when they met during the ASEAN Summit. After the meeting, Dr Mahathir came out and told the press that Clob would be part of the package of issues to be negotiated between the two governments, including water, railway land, CPF, and so on, and he mentioned specifically Clob. But, unfortunately, the Malaysian Government subsequently changed its position. On 17th May this year, Prime Minister Mahathir made a different statement and he said, "No. Clob is not one of the issues. Clob is a separate matter." But the Singapore Government has said, in our negotiations with the Malaysians, that while this is something we can negotiate separately, by the time the main negotiations are settled, Clob should not remain outstanding. So the two can proceed on parallel paths but they must reach a conclusion at the same time. But both packages may take some time to resolve because, in the nature of our relations with Malaysia, these are not easy problems. So we will have to wait and see what happens. Mr Chng Hee Kok: Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Deputy Prime Minister say that he would not expect any form of solution until after the Malaysian general elections? BG Lee Hsien Loong: I did not quite say that. I said that they have their minds on other matters right now.”
“Although the Act provides that a by-election is necessary only when all the seats in the GRC are vacant, there is no express provision to say when a by-election must be held. This is a loophole. Under such circumstances, it is for the ruling Party to decide when to hold a by-election. They could just drag on until the next general election, as they had done in the past. In 1986, when the Anson constituency was vacant, they made use of this loophole in the Parliamentary Elections Act to refrain from holding a by-election. The seat was left vacant all the time until the general election in 1988 when they split Anson into three parts and have them absorbed into a GRC. If the PAP Government is a responsible government, they should amend the Parliamentary Elections Act to provide that whenever there is any vacancy in any constituency, a by-election should be held within a specific period even if there is only one seat in the GRC which is vacant. In the present situation in the Jalan Besar GRC, even if all the Members have vacated their seats necessitating a by-election, there is no provision to say by when the election must be held. So if the PAP is a responsible government, they should urge all GRC Members to resign their seats so that there will be a by-election. In the event that the PAP is saying that it is not fair to ask the other Members to resign, then they should consider the suggestion by my Secretary-General that Whampoa be taken out from the GRC to form a single constituency, and hold a by-election there.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, although we are now debating this motion that Parliament resolves that there should be a by-election in Jalan Besar GRC, we can envisage that the motion will not be passed because Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has already made his stand before this sitting that there will not be a by-election in Jalan Besar GRC. Prime Minister Goh said that there would not be a by-election because he did not want to divert the people's focus on our economic recovery. I feel that this is just an excuse. As we all know, in Singapore, even in general elections, the whole process can be finished within 10 days. Now, only one GRC is involved. How would this affect our economic recovery? In fact, there is no need for Prime Minister Goh to seek an excuse. He could simply say that according to the Parliamentary Elections Act, there is no need to hold a by-election. The PAP Government had in 1988 amended the Parliamentary Elections Act to the effect that only when all the seats in a GRC are vacant, will it be mandatory for a by-election to be held. Under the circumstances, in a six-seat GRC, even if there is only one Member left in the GRC, there is no need to hold a by-election. The PAP can just ask some others to help out in the constituency work. As far as this motion is concerned, whether or not we must hold a by-election, it is a foregone conclusion. Nevertheless, it still makes sense for us to discuss this issue of whether a by-election should be held under the present circumstances, because the law in Singapore is often amended again and again. Let us go to the crux of the matter. The crux of the matter lies with the Parliamentary Elections Act.”
“The Government has various enterprise support schemes and market development efforts to help our companies. Our SMEs, in particular, should take advantage of some of these programmes. TRADE BETWEEN SINGAPORE AND ASEAN COUNTRIES 4. Mr Chuang Shaw Peng asked the Minister for Trade and Industry whether there was any improvement in trade between Singapore and the ASEAN countries from June 1998 to May 1999. BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Mr Speaker, Sir, Singapore's total trade with the ASEAN countries has turned around since March this year. It expanded by 8.8% for the period March to May 1999, after declining by 12% between June last year and February this year. The rebound was due to the bottoming out of the ASEAN economies as well as the improvement in global electronics demand. Both exports to and imports from the ASEAN countries expanded for the period March to May 1999. Exports rose by 8.1% due mainly to higher exports of intermediate inputs, in particular, electronics and related products, mostly used to manufacture products where the final demand is in the US and the European Union. There were also higher exports of consumer goods to ASEAN, reflecting improved consumer sentiments in these countries. Imports, on the other hand, grew by 9.6% fuelled by higher imports of intermediate goods to support manufacturing operations in Singapore. The Trade Development Board (TDB) is cautiously optimistic that the expansion in trade with ASEAN would continue for the rest of the year, provided that global electronic demand stays healthy and the recovery of the ASEAN economies remains on course.”
“I welcome the Government's decision to review the restoration of CPF earlier if the economy is good. Would the Deputy Prime Minister give us more details such as the time frame for the restoration, the percentage and the components, instead of just saying it is the Special account that would be restored first? BG Lee Hsien Loong: If the Member could tell me what our growth rate will be this year and what the position will be next year and where the Americans next year, I will give him a good answer. ECONOMIC RECOVERY 3. Mr Tay Beng Chuan asked the Minister for Trade and Industry what is his assessment on the prospects of economic recovery for Singapore this year and his advice on the strategies the business community should adopt in response to the fast changing economic circumstances. The Minister for Trade and Industry (BG George Yong-Boon Yeo): Mr Speaker, Sir, DPM Lee has already given the Government's assessment of the current economic recovery. I will not repeat it here. The pace of economic recovery has exceeded our expectations. With better business prospects, more companies should do better this year. However, our companies should not relent in their efforts to upgrade their operations, acquire new capabilities and penetrate new markets. We have to stay globally competitive in the modern economy. During recession, it is easier to get companies to upgrade their capabilities as it is a matter of survival. In good times, companies may become complacent. The region is slowly recovering and our regional competitors will emerge stronger, especially if they follow through with serious reforms. Our companies must prepare for tougher competition ahead. They should press on with upgrading their manpower and technology capabilities and expand their market networks.”