Masagos Zulkifli B M M
Singapore
“Coordination between Early Intervention (EI) centres, families and preschools is important for the continuity of support for children with developmental needs.”
“The Taxi Subsidy Scheme supports persons with disabilities (PwDs) who are unable to take public transport, by providing means-tested subsidies to offset the cost of taxi travel to school, work and employment-related training supported by SG Enable.”
“The Skills and Salary Guidelines published by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) guides social service agencies (SSAs) to pay their employees fair and competitive remuneration and maintain the sector's attractiveness. The Guidelines are adjusted so that salaries remain competitive with comparable roles in competing markets.”
“Staff turnover rates vary across social service agencies (SSAs). An individual's decision to leave an organisation is influenced by a myriad of factors, of which pay is only one.”
“Beyond the requirement of a structured daily programme, community-based SCFA administrators have the flexibility to offer programmes and additional enrichment activities that meet the needs of their students. MSF does not track staff salaries and turnover of SCCs in general nor those that administer SCFA.”
“Male preschool educators comprised about 1% of the early childhood workforce in each of the last five years. The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has not issued guidelines pertaining to the rules set by preschool centres specific to the conduct of male preschool educators.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,489 lines we hold for Masagos Zulkifli B M M, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 47 of 50.
“Currently, the two critical areas are bus-stops and pedestrian crossings. Cyclists are speeding across the bus-stops as well as pedestrian crossings. Has the Ministry of Home Affairs been working with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to see whether we can install some physical barriers to prevent cyclists from speeding across the bus-stops? Until now, even as we are speaking on this issue, I have not seen any circular or poster by MHA, LTA or the Ministry of Transport so far. We have been talking about educational materials, so I really do not know what these educational materials are –  Mr Speaker: Mdm Phua, please keep your questions short.  Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: In total, there were 1,513 summonses that we issued to cyclists. This, compared to 471 in 2008, is threefold. It shows that the enforcement action that the Traffic Police has taken has been more vigorous and frequent, in response to the complaints and feedback from our Members of Parliament as well as members of the public. Most of these summonses involve cycling along footways of a public road. Next is riding along flow of traffic and then riding other than an orderly manner. For most of them, the fine had been paid, for compounding, like I mentioned, 95%. Certainly, we will look at ways specifically to educate further the people to whom we should target safe cycling, including foreign workers as they make up 81% of the summonses. I can share the materials that we have published for these foreign workers as well as for the national education for our local residents with our Member. We also encourage Members to co-organise such workshops for the residents as well as the foreign workers in the vicinity together with the Traffic Police and LTA so that we can better reach them.”
“Under the Road Traffic (Bicycles) Rules, to ensure the cyclists remain visible to other motorists who are riding at night, bicycles are required to carry a headlamp showing a white light to the front and a lamp or reflector showing red light to the rear of their bicycles during hours of darkness. As for reaching out to foreign workers, the Traffic Police has been working closely with various foreign dormitories, corporate partners and organisations that employ a large number of foreign workers to promote safe cycling amongst their workers. The Traffic Police, in partnership with the Ministry of Manpower, produced a road safety video for foreign workers that focuses traffic specifically on the safety of pedestrians and safe cycling behaviour of cyclists. The video is screened at the premises of MOM, ICA and major foreign dormitories. These efforts have bolstered efforts by the local Neighbourhood Police Centres (NPCs) in promoting road safety awareness amongst both local and foreign residents. I would like to remind cyclists to obey all traffic rules as well as to be considerate to other road users especially pedestrians who are the more vulnerable road user group. While Police will press on in its efforts to educate the public and take the necessary enforcement action, roads can be shared safely only if all users exercise courtesy and personal responsibility in ensuring their own safety and that of others. Travelling on Singapore's streets would then be a safe and pleasant experience for all users.  Mdm Cynthia Phua (Aljunied): Sir, I would like ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary to elaborate on the number of foreign worker cases that has been taken to court. The second question is this.”
“Sir, 699 summonses were issued last year to cyclists for cycling along the footways of roads, which is an offence under the Road Traffic Rules. Of these, 566 summonses or 81% were issued to foreign cyclists. More than 95% of these summonses have already been paid. For cycling at night without front lights or rear reflector lights, 226 summonses were issued in 2009. Based on the circumstances of each case, errant cyclists may be offered a composition amount of $20 for these offences. A repeat offender could be similarly offered the same composition amount. However, for more serious cases, especially where the cyclist injures a pedestrian, the cyclist will likely be prosecuted in Court under section 131 of the Road Traffic Act, section 279 (Rash Driving or Riding on a Public Way) or section 337 (Causing Hurt by an Act which Endangers Life or the Personal Safety of Others) of the Penal Code. Police are also empowered to arrest the perpetrator without a warrant if the case is classified under sections 279 and 337 of the Penal Code. A pedestrian will therefore not need to lodge the case with a Magistrate. Mdm Cynthia Phua asked about the education programme against cycling on road pavements for the general public and foreign workers. To ensure that cyclists ride in safe manner that will not only ensure their own safety but also that of pedestrians, Traffic Police has been actively reaching out to cyclists through platforms such as road safety talks and exhibitions in schools, workplaces and neighbourhoods. At these sessions, the Traffic Police outlines safe cycling tips and highlights road traffic rules that should be obeyed when cycling including requirements imposed for night cycling.”
“For the 350 children, we have knocked on their doors, gone to their houses and in some cases, neighbours have told us that the parents have moved on or they are divorced. Sometimes the children are living with their grandparents and they do not know where they live and, as you know, we do not have a registration system for children below 15 years old. So we cannot track them unless we know where the parents live. Even when their parents are contactable, they have multiple social problems and some of the problems are really not easily addressed because they concern issues of custody and who has the right to register, etc. We refer them to the family service centres so that they can resolve these multi-faceted issues in order to get them finally to get their children into pre-school. At this point in time, we have not decided to make pre-school compulsory. In many developed countries, pre-school is not legislated to be compulsory education. The reason for compulsory education varies across many countries. In Europe, for example, it is seen as a right of every citizen to be given an education. In other countries, it is for national education purposes. For these various reasons, we have looked at fundings, and inclusion of education proper, more for primary school and above. There is enough evidence and research. In fact, the most recent one from Cambridge was a study incorporating inputs from professionals as well as government to raise the schooling age, from five currently to six or seven. They feel that the structured schooling system is the best for that age group. 3.00 pm”
“Dr Khor asked about the "sandwiched class" and I understand her plea to increase the income ceiling for KiFAS. Unfortunately, this is an area which is really within MCYS' purview. I can understand that they have to do this in tandem with other policies with regard to welfare because you cannot just adjust one issue and not affect all others. However, I can also point to the fact that the "sandwiched class" has access to other funds, eg, baby bonus, where they can get one-for-one funding; this means they pay 50% of the fees and this will already substantially reduce the amount of fees they give for pre-school.”
“Mr Chairman, on the last question on pre-school funding, I do not have the actual numbers to compare on a per student basis but I am quite sure it is less than primary school per child basis funding. However, I think it is not a fair comparison for a few reasons. First, the funding that we are giving is targeted largely to the children of families which are of lower income. Secondly, it is for a totally different purpose. Pre-schools have a different purpose of development, curriculum, guidance and so forth. Thirdly, the pre-school and the primary school sectors have different starting points. Therefore, instead of measuring on an absolute basis, ie, how much we spend on each student, we measure our effectiveness on the key parametres that I mentioned just now – affordability, accessibility and quality improvement.”
“We want to give every child the best chance at education so that every family can look forward to a better future.”
“There is also the Regional Studies Programme in Raffles Institution (RI), Raffles Girls' School (RGS), Victoria School (VS), Anglo-Chinese School (International) (ACS(I)) that allows non-Malay students to offer Malay or Bahasa Indonesia as a third language and learn about contemporary Southeast Asian culture and society. Dr Fatimah Lateef wanted to know about our schools' processes to recognise and address signs of radicalism in our students. As part of schools' pastoral care efforts, teachers keep an eye out for telltale signs of students who may be drawn into violent or extremist ideologies, and counsel them. If more specialised counselling is required, schools will seek parental consent to refer the student to competent authorities. This is similar to the way schools manage other harmful anti-social behaviour such as gang involvement, smoking or glue sniffing. While schools will help students who show signs of extremist beliefs or anti-social behaviour, they cannot work alone. They must work together with parents. And parents need to take responsibility to understand and monitor their children so as to provide timely guidance. Dr Fatimah also asked about teacher education. This is still fresh. A community has begun work in November to follow up on the teacher education model for the 21st century (TE21) recommendations, and National Institute of Education (NIE) is expected to launch the enhanced programmes by July 2011. In conclusion, Sir, let me emphasise that MOE is investing substantial resources to ensure that pre-school education is accessible, affordable and of a good quality. We will continue our best to support the education of children from lower-income families, working with parents, other agencies and community organisations.”
“The culture of tuition is not unique to Singapore. Indeed in most Confucian societies where education is held in high regard and seen as a means to break the poverty cycle, tuition flourishes. Even in Australia where I worked for three years, I often heard criticism of the Asian community for overworking their children from a young age with tuition classes. But we know that a whole host of factors affect students' success. There are many students who succeed without tuition, by paying attention in class, by consulting teachers and by working consistently throughout the year. Let me touch on National Education raised by Mr Inderjit Singh. The Member should be happy to know that within the Civics and Moral Education (CME) curriculum, students learn about the six major religions in Singapore, including their origins, significant beliefs and practices, and important religious celebrations and festivals. The importance of social cohesion, tolerance and sensitivity are emphasised. We plan to enhance the teaching of religious awareness in CME, with additional teaching resources and training for teachers. Outside the formal curriculum, schools also use activities such as assembly programmes, Racial Harmony Day, projects and so forth, to promote religious and cultural awareness and learning. Our students are also exposed to local and regional issues, and learn about Singapore's relations with the rest of Southeast Asia through the Social Studies, History and Geography syllabuses at primary and secondary schools.”
“Our expectations and attitudes have a strong bearing on the stress levels experienced by our young and how they cope with their studies. MOE has judiciously reduced curriculum content to lighten the curriculum load on our students. The Senior Minister of State, Ms Grace Fu, had already mentioned just now that the primary school curriculum had been reduced by 30%. Subject-based banding at primary level and the offering of a wider range of subjects at secondary level allow students to choose courses that are more suited to their learning needs and abilities. This should help students to better manage stress. Schools have also been reminded not to load their students with too much work. However, as students will grow up and encounter inevitable competition and stress as adults, learning how to manage stress is an essential life-skill for them. Schools therefore impart skills such as self-awareness, self-management and decision-making to students as part of socio-emotional learning. These will build students' resilience and help them cope with stressful situations. The Member also mentioned tuition. Our schools currently provide adequate time and attention to pupils to learn their academic subjects fully, and give remedial classes to those who need additional help with their school work. Some parents may choose to supplement this with tuition. For students who cannot afford tuition from commercial centres, affordable classes organised by self-help groups are also available. When appropriately used, tuition can provide learning support for students outside of school hours to reinforce what they have learnt in school but parents need to be mindful of the impact of tuition on their children's learning experiences and stress levels.”
“We also honour outstanding pre-school teachers and support them to become teacher mentors who can share good teaching practices with their peers. Since the many announcements on pre-school education in 2006, I am happy to note that they are all gaining momentum and traction. In sum, MOE strives to raise the quality of pre-school education through implementing a quality assurance and accreditation framework for kindergartens, providing broad curriculum guidance, facilitating innovation and sharing, and promoting professional training and development. Mr Chairman, I will now move on to the remaining queries on school matters. Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Ms Denise Phua both spoke about stress in schools. Schools may make use of part of the vacation period to conduct remedial or enrichment classes and co-curricular activities such as camps and overseas exchanges. I am not sure whether the children do not actually enjoy them, they probably do. Schools make the decision to conduct such activities during vacation time after careful consideration, so as to balance the need for some students to be given additional support or enrichment in their development and the need for them to have an adequate break to re-charge themselves for the new term. Schools generally should not be conducting compulsory lessons or tests during the school holidays. The causes of stress are multi-faceted. Students feel stressed when there is a mismatch between expectations and achievement, but expectations are shaped at many levels not just in schools – such as self, the family and society. To deal with the issue of stress, schools, parents and society need to understand that while we want the best for our children, we should not push them beyond their limits.”
“So far, 75 people have enrolled in the first two runs of the course and the first batch will graduate this month. We are also providing scholarships and teaching awards for a new Bachelor of Early Childhood Education with Management course at UniSIM which equips students with the knowledge and skills to take up management roles in the pre-school sector. This is an undergraduate course. In 2009, we received 38 applications and awarded 27 scholarships and teaching awards. More scholarships and teaching awards will be offered this year. 2.15 pm Members will be happy to know that from this year onwards, MOE will enhance our grant to provide greater support for eligible kindergartens to attract and reward graduate principals and teachers. We hope this additional push will help eligible kindergartens to employ more highly-qualified teachers and principals, and encourage existing teachers and principals to pursue higher qualifications, while keeping kindergarten fees affordable. Effective leadership and well-qualified teachers will uplift the standards of pre-school education. Other ongoing initiatives include the English Communication Skills course in 2007, a 40-hour part-time course to help kindergarten teachers use English competently and confidently; and funding for the Association of Early Childhood Educators (Singapore) (AECES) to conduct workshops and courses to enhance the professionalism of our kindergarten teachers. This I hope will address the concerns of Dr Khor. To give the profession a bigger push, we collaborate with AECES to present the annual MOE-AECES Awards for Kindergarten Excellence. This recognises kindergartens and teachers who have successfully implemented innovations.”
“Let me now update on MOE’s initiatives to improve teacher quality, which is a key thrust of our efforts to uplift the pre-school sector. Mrs Josephine Teo and Dr Amy Khor asked about the training and career development of pre-school teachers and Mrs Teo raised the idea of a multi-agency taskforce. One such taskforce which has already been set up for some time now is the Pre-school Qualification and Accreditation Committee which MOE and MCYS both steer. The Committee oversees the standards and quality of pre-school teacher training for both the kindergarten and childcare sectors by accrediting certificate and diploma-level courses. In January last year, we enhanced the standards required of pre-school training courses to ensure that teacher preparation programmes are rigorous and keep up with new developments in the field of early childhood education. Last year, Members will remember we also raised the minimum professional qualification for pre-school teachers from a certificate to a diploma in pre-school teaching. Existing teachers who wish to teach in K1 and K2 have until December 2012 to obtain their diploma. The minimum academic requirement for new teachers was also raised to five "O" level passes, including a pass in English Language. MOE is committed to encouraging teachers to upgrade to meet the requirements. To cater to fresh and mid-career degree and polytechnic diploma holders who wish to enter the pre-school sector, we worked with Singapore Polytechnic to introduce an accelerated professional diploma programme, the Advanced Diploma in Kindergarten Education-Teaching (ADKET). We also collaborated with the Workforce Development Agency to provide SPUR funding for teacher trainees undergoing this course.”
“2 million to 352 kindergartens who successfully applied. We believe a culture of innovation will foster continuous improvement amongst kindergartens. Thus, over the last two years, MOE has offered an Innovation Grant scheme which provides kindergartens who apply successfully with up to $5,000 to pursue innovative projects. In 2009, MOE approved grants totalling $340,000 for 94 projects. One example is P&J Kindergarten that built a tree-house as part of its "Outdoor Learning System". This is to provide children a setting to learn about nature and the environment. Another kindergarten, PCF Pioneer, had a "Junior Writers" project where children "published" their own books and then invited parents to attend the "launch" of their books. I think these are very interesting projects that kindergartens have taken on their own and prove that a variegated landscape is indeed good for our pre-school system. To further drive innovation in early childhood education, MOE will support a new initiative, an experimental kindergarten to be established at Temasek Polytechnic. Registration will commence in the second half of this year, and the kindergarten will start next year. It will innovate and conduct research in early childhood education as asked by some Members. Qualified teachers will use innovative strategies and pedagogy to help children acquire knowledge, language and social skills and dispositions. The experimental kindergarten will also leverage on the varied expertise and facilities within Temasek Polytechnic. Successful practices will be shared with the rest of the pre-school sector in Singapore. MOE will provide $1.5 million over three years for Temasek Polytechnic to set up the experimental kindergarten.”
“Currently, information on kindergarten profiles, including whether they conducted self-appraisal, is already on our website, and their accreditation status could similarly be reflected. We hope that the accreditation framework will motivate operators to improve standards over time, and this was alluded to by Mr Christopher de Souza and Dr Amy Khor. Even though this scheme is voluntary, I am sure over time that parents will only be assured if the kindergarten that their child is attending is one that has obtained accreditation. Mr Chairman, MOE’s articulated Desired Outcomes of Pre-school Education suggest what children should know at the end of kindergarten education. Based on findings from local and international research, MOE has developed and published a kindergarten curriculum framework. This does not prescribe what and how pre-schools should teach, but provides general guiding principles for a holistic approach to children’s development and learning. Kindergartens are free to design their own educational programmes and lesson plans using these broad principles. Over the years, we have also provided various curriculum resources to help kindergartens to design and deliver suitable programmes. I am pleased to share that come April this year, MOE will be providing additional curriculum resources that will help kindergartens to provide opportunities for children to learn perseverance, reflectiveness and inventiveness. They will also help teachers to understand that such skills are important areas of development for pre-school children. MOE will also continue to provide teaching and learning resources grants for not-for-profit kindergartens to build up their resources to deliver a quality pre-school education. In 2009, we provided $2.”
“For example, MOE leads in setting standards in high leverage areas such as teacher qualifications and quality assurance, and provides curriculum guidance to ensure a baseline quality of early childhood education. MOE announced in 2008 that we would develop a new voluntary quality assurance framework based on what we call a quality rating scale. A draft of this quality rating scale for kindergartens was disseminated to kindergartens late last year. It provides a structured approach for kindergartens to conduct self-appraisal by examining their structures, processes and outcomes every year. Kindergartens can then prioritise areas for improvement, draw up action plans and monitor the progress of plans over time. So far, I am happy to say that 90% of kindergartens have undergone training on the use of the quality rating scale and we have received positive feedback. As announced last year, MOE is also on track to roll out a voluntary kindergarten accreditation framework by January next year. Some Members have asked for it to be compulsory. Now kindergartens use the Quality Rating Scale to prepare themselves for accreditation. They should be given time to raise their standards progressively so to impose a compulsory accreditation immediately would not be fair to them as they need time to change according to the standards we have set. We are pleased to report, however, that in 2009, 80% of kindergartens conducted self-appraisal using the Quality Rating Scale. It shows a very high level of voluntary participation in the sector. We will encourage them to apply for accreditation by MOE when they are ready.”
“We provide guidelines on the programme content, while the Self-Help Groups plan and coordinate the implementation of the Bridging Programme and conduct workshops for parents. In 2009, 280 children were offered places although only 230 turned up. Not a bad number, but we hope we can get more of them. We will reach out to more of these children using this targeted approach, working on the ground with community and self-help groups to provide that human touch to individual families. Because each have their own individual problems. I have just described how we have ensured that pre-school is both affordable and accessible. Now, I will move on to improving the quality of the pre-school sector, which several Members like Mrs Josephine Teo and Dr Muhammad Faishal have brought up. MOE’s approach is to set broad parameters to kindergarten education to ensure a baseline of quality, while preserving the richness and diversity that comes from having a range of operators and models. This provides leeway for parents with different preferences to choose the option that best meets their needs. Their needs can vary; some might choose religious-based models to immerse their children in religious knowledge from a young age. Dr Amy Khor, Mr Christopher de Souza and Dr Muhammad Faishal wanted to know how MOE will ensure a baseline of quality and promote higher standards for pre-school education. We do work closely with MCYS to coordinate the policies and practices in both kindergarten and childcare sectors. Such an arrangement allows flexibility to regulate each sector according to its different circumstances and requirements.”
“These efforts are indeed laborious and require the commitment and persistence of all of our stakeholders. But our persistence has paid off. The exercise last year has reduced the percentage of children who enter Primary 1 without attending any pre-school from a high of 5% in 2006 to 2.1% in 2010. I would like to thank all parties involved in this exercise. For individual children, these efforts make a big difference to jump start their education journey and, at times, even led us to unexpected discoveries. There was one child, a boy who was under the custody of his father. During the outreach, we discovered the father had gone missing. His mother had remarried and was planning to go overseas with her new family. None of the child’s aunts or uncles wanted to take care of him because they had their own family commitments. We referred the case to the Singapore Children’s Society who then helped the child to be admitted to a children’s home and then got him to start attending a pre-school in Paya Lebar. Cases like these are referred to relevant organisations such as the Singapore Children’s Society or Family Service Centres, but we can only do so because of the discovery during the outreach. We therefore will continue our efforts to work with these partners to help more children to attend pre-school. Even so, we continue to be concerned for the 350 children who still were not in pre-school last year mostly because they are just not contactable. However when we know of them during the Primary 1 registration exercise, we fund Self-Help Groups in their Bridging Programme to help the children have a smoother transition to Primary 1.”
“In addition, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) has a Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) which specifically helps lower-income families by defraying kindergarten fees of up to $98 at eligible kindergartens. Start-up grants for expenses like registration fees, books and uniforms are also available. Over and above these, many of the grassroots organisations, self-help groups and the kindergartens themselves provide support to supplement these Government subsidies. In short, families that need help can apply for financial assistance. Based on a median monthly fee of $110 at eligible kindergartens, families eligible for KiFAS would only need to pay about $12, or even less if they also receive other assistance. Similar schemes are available for childcare. For example, I know the case of a boy who is the youngest of four children. His father is not supporting the family financially. His mother decided not to enrol him into a kindergarten because she was unable to pay the $16 kindergarten registration fee. After multiple home visits and many phone calls to reach out to the mother, she became aware of financial assistance and applied for it and we are glad that this boy is now attending regularly at a kindergarten in Woodlands. Thus we know that availability of financial schemes alone does not guarantee that parents will send their children to pre-school. They may also have other problems. We have mounted outreach exercises specifically to these parents since 2006. MOE and MCYS have been identifying 5- and 6-year old children who are not attending pre-school. VWOs and grassroots organisations have been contacting the families of these children to understand the difficulties they face and counsel parents on their problems.”
“Mr Chairman, there have been concerns raised over the last few days on how the Government can help children from lower-income families. The Ministry of Education (MOE) will ensure that financially disadvantaged children are not deprived of educational opportunities and will institute additional programmes to help them level up. However, we know that many of the problems faced by such children are multi-faceted and to address them requires the concerted involvement and support of parents and the community. 2.00 pm MOE acknowledges that pre-school is especially important for children from lower-income families as it gives them a good start. They tend to lack home support. But pre-school will develop important areas in them — areas like communication, motor and social skills. For example, for children who have difficulties with English — and they usually come from low-income families — MOE has put in place a targeted programme called Focused Language Assistance in Reading (FLAiR) to level up their language learning opportunities. In 2010, 1,400 children from 137 eligible kindergartens participated in FLAiR, up from 570 children from 54 eligible kindergartens in 2008. Mrs Josephine Teo and Dr Amy Khor have both asked about the affordability of pre-school education, especially for children from lower-income families. MOE provides substantial grant to eligible kindergartens to enable them to keep their fees affordable, while at the same time improving the quality of their programmes. Our grant has more than doubled from $17 million in 2008 to $36 million last year and is expected to reach $62 million by 2013.”
“Mr Chairman, one of the regular complaints from my residents when I visit them is the menace of mosquitoes. Constantly, they are worried about the possibility of their loved ones coming down with dengue. This prompted me to ponder over the dengue situation that has affected Singapore last year where there was, as I understand, a 26% increase in dengue cases in the first nine weeks of 2009 in comparison to the situation in the same period in 2008. Dengue fever is the most common mosquito-borne viral infection in the world and poses a serious public health threat to all of us in the Republic. The economic and social effects of dengue on households are significant and distressing. As we all know, if the head of your family gets infected, is unable to work and incurs medical cost, the spouse has to stay home for a while. Outstanding bills get piled up, kids get affected emotionally and sometimes, worst of all, someone passes away, that is, death comes a-knocking. Of late, we have heard of the phrase encouraging productivity on the basis of cheaper, faster and better. I wonder if this endeavour can be applied to our mozzie busting efforts. Thus, can MEWR and NEA update us all on the dengue situation in 2009 so that the key lending points can be adapted and rolled out for implementation? Having a better understanding of the key learning points from previous experiences on dengue control will ensure that the resources devoted to this cause will lead to effective operational policy approaches in keeping the dengue threat at bay. Sustaining public cleanliness standards”
“This could be attributed to the fact that Singapore is a tropical city state where unlike the higher ranked countries which have temperate climate, Singapore depends heavily on air-conditioning to cool its buildings all year round. In temperate countries, heating is usually used only in autumn and winter and air-conditioning in summer, only during very hot weather. Nevertheless, there is much that Singapore can and should do to improve its energy efficiency. Efficient utilisation of energy will enhance our cost competitiveness bearing in mind that oil and gas prices will rise in the long run. In addition to this, with the growing international concern about carbon dioxide emission, Singapore will need to contain its carbon dioxide emission and comply with international obligations. The challenge will be to ensure economic growth while minimising the growth in energy demand. Hence, can the Minister share with the House on what more it plans to do to promote energy efficiency in Singapore? Water resources Mr Chairman, Sir, without a doubt, the Republic is envied by many developed cities in the world for being able to move from scarcity to sustainability with regards to its water supply. A little red dot that is not blessed with great lakes and limited land size to collect rainwater, it is certainly amazing that Singapore has a robust and diversified water supply from four different sources known as the four national taps – water from local catchment areas, imported water, reclaimed water known as NEWater and desalinated water. Indeed, if Singapore's breakthroughs in the areas of water technology, continued investment in research and development –”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I have been brought up since young to switch off the lights and fans as I go round the house, especially if nobody is using them. I grow up conditioned to sleep without air-conditioners. And even when I need to these days when it is really hot at night, I only turn it on long enough to cool down the room so that later on the fan can just do its work. I do not sense, however, that this is a habit everyone has taken to and, in fact, I believe many had become used to a life with beautiful but high-energy consuming lights in their houses and cold temperatures in their bedrooms. Often, I meet residents who complain of high electricity bill. I talk to them and ask if they sleep with the air-conditioning turned on, and if they do, I suggest to them to turn it off at one or two o'clock. They tell me they cannot sleep. What can I do? I understand that on 1st April 2001, the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources formed their National Energy Efficiency Committee (NEEC). With Singapore's plan to accede to the Kyoto Protocol in 2006, the NEEC has been expanded in scope to cover climate change issues and has been renamed the National Climate Change Committee (NCCC) to better reflect its expanded function. At this juncture, I would like to ask whether Singapore has kept up with developed countries in the efficient use of energy. Have we got our citizens to adopt enough of the measures to ensure efficient and economic use of energy even as they rely more on modern appliances to make life comfortable? Sir, the 2000 World Competitiveness Year Book complied by the World Economic Forum ranked Singapore 25th out of 45 countries behind most developed countries in energy intensity or the amount of commercial energy consumed per dollar of GDP.”
“30 pm In addition, I also understand that in an attempt to ramp up the LUP and achieve the target of providing direct lift access for all eligible HDB blocks, Town Councils (TCs) are allowed to implement their own LUP by tapping on their sinking funds, subject, of course, to certain conditions and limits. In view of the importance to cater to the needs of an increasing ageing population and making it more affordable for the Town Councils to implement the LUP, would HDB be willing to consider more assistance to TCs? Wet market and hawker centre development”
“The HDB, in the planning and design of public housing and in its endeavour to meet the changing needs and aspirations of Singaporeans, has done no less for the elderly. Without a doubt, everyone acknowledges the impending increase in the number of the elderly in our population and it is for this fundamental reason that planning works and allocation of resources must be considered to benefit them. In the past before 1990, HDB flats built did not come together with 100% lift access. However, with changes in demographics and shifting desires of HDB dwellers, the Lift Upgrading Programme came about with the aim to improve the flats' access and provide personal convenience. What is noteworthy regarding this programme is of course the availability of heavy subsidies. Sir, my residents welcome LUP programmes and we thank HDB for these. Last year some time in the early period of the global financial crisis, HDB announced that efforts on lift upgrading would be stepped up. If I recalled correctly by as much as 12%, and the move was designed to stimulate the sluggish economy by creating business for smaller contractors then. Certainly, the increased momentum to accelerate the LUP last year could be considered a two-pronged approach – benefiting the citizens and at the same time, capitalising on the low construction cost to level up the LUP. A year has since passed and it would be good for us to know what progress has been made. On this note, can MND give us an update on the number of precincts that have benefited from the LUP, amount of Government spending to-date and expected completion period of this entire LUP? 6.”
“On this note, can the Minister cite some cases of HDB flat owners who contravene the rules and regulations stipulated of subletting their flats out illegally and the actions HDB has taken to address this?”
“However, on the other hand, these assets can pass on to cash-rich PRs and private property owners – Singaporeans included – who are also allowed to purchase HDB flats and can turn them into investment vehicles, to primarily earn rental income rather than to live in them. This only creates an artificial upward rise of HDB resale flat prices and jeopardise other sections of citizens who are in genuine need to buy HDB flats. To address this, a system of effective checks and balances to weed out speculators is paramount. On the issue of owner-occupation of HDB flats, some residents whom I met during the Meet-the-People sessions explained that they cannot afford to buy resale flats or rent flats in the open market owing to the eligibility criteria that they do not meet, and, of course, affordability issues. I have to admit that this group of residents are usually in the low-income bracket, sometimes unemployed for a long time and usually is saddled with difficulties in financing their bills like utilities and monthly mortgage payments. Hence, one of the practical ways to address their problems is through the sale of their HDB flats. However, when they do this, the task of getting a smaller flat for their families becomes onerous – no thanks to the increased prices of HDB resale flats. As the HDB flats in the resale market are out of their reach, renting of rooms or flats is equally challenging given the high monthly rents quoted by the lessees. They often wonder and ask if their challenges are attributed to the practice of some flat lessees subletting their flats out illegally.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the increased prices of resale flats that continued to climb in the fourth quarter of the year 2009 has led to some active discussions among citizens over the affordability of public housing. Nevertheless, I am pleased to note that HDB is taking proactive steps in ensuring that there is no room for speculation in public housing by emphasising that HDB flats are meant as roofs above our heads. However, will MND be able to share with us some rules and regulations that are being studied to curb speculative behaviour of public housing? Among others, I have proposed in my Budget speech to revert to the old scheme where CPF gets priority over banks for sales proceeds and to lock in sales gains at least for some sector of our population. My reason for asking is that, while I acknowledge that the resale market should be allowed to operate on the basis of a free market – with prices set on a "willing buyer, willing seller" basis – we need to ensure that whatever actions we take will not affect adversely certain quarters of HDB dwellers, especially those of the lower income, whose assets are largely vested in their HDB homes. At one end, citizens would be able to gain from the capital appreciation of their HDB flats especially when downgrading to smaller units when most of their children have their own home and use the net sales proceeds for retirement. On this note, it is imperative for us to know whether the concrete steps to curb speculative activity of HDB flats that MND is currently mulling, could result in less-than-desired outcomes and affect citizens' aspirations to unlock the value of their flats when they reach retirement age.”
“The recent SG United Jamboree held in January 2010 provided students with an opportunity to interact with peers of other races and increase their understanding of terrorism, emergency preparedness and safety and security issues. Most of the helpers and participants in the Jamboree had also previously participated in Home Team-related camps which included a CEP dimension. Another approach is to tap on existing youth-based structures and their activities. For example, students from the National Civil Defence Cadet Corps (NCDCC) are engaged through the CEP Badge, which they can earn by performing CEP-related activities. We have also started working with partners such as the National Youth Achievement Award (NYAA) Gold Award Holders' Alumni to organise a NYAA-SG United Forum in June this year. 1.00 pm The more mature or student leader groups are engaged through discussions at workshops or forums via the SG United Journey for Student Leaders (Tertiary) programme. The inaugural session for this was held recently with student leaders from NUS religious groups and clubs. SCDF has also piloted a Civil Defence Lionhearters Club in Singapore Polytechnic where students are trained in basic emergency preparedness skills, exposed to the CEP concept and given the chance to do humantarian relief work overseas. We will continue to engage with future sessions on mediation and understudying ethnicity. Mr Viswa Sadasivan mentioned that we should extend the CEP to reach out to PRs and new citizens. The CEP right now does not specifically target this group or cater to them but rather looks at the community in Singapore as a whole. Nonetheless, we will explore ways on how to develop this further with the National Integration Council under MCYS.”
“We are reviewing whether to increase the composition amount for greater deterrence. In addition, most Town Councils have by-laws prohibiting cycling on HDB common property such as pavements, and open spaces such as void decks. Action can be taken against cyclists who disregard these laws. In 2009, there were 583 accidents involving cyclists resulting in fatalities or injuries compared to 604 for 2008. This is a decrease of 21 cases, or 3.5%. The number of fatalities involving cyclists who died in accidents also went down by 22.7% from 22 to 17. Notwithstanding this modest improvement, cyclists have been identified as a key target group in TP's educational efforts in 2010. We will continue to work with the Ministry of Transport and the Land Transport Authority to raise safety awareness through public education programmes, and create a safer environment for cyclists by providing adequate infrastructure and facilities. Let me touch on Mr Viswa's speech and cut on Community Engagement Programme (CEP). Mr Viswa suggested that the CEP engage youth leaders, both within the school system and outside, as well as PRs and new citizens. These are indeed important constituencies that we have reached out to under the CEP. We have adopted a multi-pronged youth engagement approach to engage not just youth leaders but youths in different sectors. Within the school system, we work with the Ministry of Education to engage principals and teachers in workshops where they are equipped with CEP-related skills such as mediation, which may come in useful in a school environment. Before this, we have been building awareness of CEP through talks and interactive projects at youth camps.”
“This is something we have recently been studying together with various relevant agencies. Now on cycling, Mr Michael Palmer asked about educating cyclists on cycling regulations and safe cycling behaviour. The Traffic Police (TP) has already been doing this through road safety talks and exhibitions in schools, workplaces and neighbourhoods. The talks cover a pre-riding checklist, safe cycling tips and case studies of accidents involving cyclists. Through these platforms, cyclists are reminded about safe cycling behaviour as well as the need to abide by all road traffic rules, including the Road Traffic (Bicycles) Rules. These rules include hand signals showing the intention to stop, riding close to the left hand edge of the road, riding in an orderly manner, and carrying a lamp with white light at the front of the bicycle during hours of darkness. Mr Palmer asked why cyclists are not required by law to wear helmets. The practice of mandating the use of bicycle helmets varies from country to country. The experience of other countries has been that education and community-based programmes, as opposed to legislation, have been more effective in promoting the use of helmets. TP will continue to work with organisations such as the Singapore Amateur Cycling Association and the Safe Cycling Task Force, to promote the wearing of protective cycling gear. TP will monitor the situation and assess if there is a need to mandate the use of helmets in future. In addition to public education efforts, TP also takes enforcement action against errant cyclists who flout the rules by cycling on footways of roads. In 2009, more than 600 summonses were issued to such cyclists compared to 115 issued in 2008. The current penalties are usually a composition fine of $20.”
“It may not be the best paying job but it will be a fair wage based on his skills and competencies. More importantly, he will have a stable income until a better job offer comes along. The final and arguably most critical part of the equation is ensuring that offenders can successfully re- integrate into the community after their release. Prisons partnered with the Singapore After-care Association (SACA) and the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA) in 2001 to provide offenders with aftercare assistance to adjust to life outside prison. In order for re-integration to succeed, the community must be willing to support and accept ex-offenders who want to change for the better. The Yellow Ribbon Project, which started in 2004, has achieved progress on this front. Many volunteers have since stepped forward to help by providing religious counselling for inmates, assisting their families and employing ex-offenders. What more can be done. It took us almost a decade to build up our structured rehabilitation and reintegration regime, and to achieve our low recidivism rates, we have to garner the support of dedicated volunteers and partners. We note Mr Alvin Yeo's concern on the rising trend of recidivism, and will continue to monitor this and endeavour to keep it down. However it is not realistic to expect our recidivism rates to continue to fall indefinitely and there will be fluctuations from time to time. Notwithstanding the relatively low recividism rate, we continue to explore how our programmes can be improved and whether they can be refined to better reach specific target groups such as youths. Likewise, while the recidivism rate for Malay and Indian offenders has decreased over the years, it is still higher than the general recidivism rate.”
“Sir, I will now touch on recidivism, road safety and safe cycling and the Community Engagement Programme. Dr Maliki asked about the recidivism rate in Singapore, defined as the percentage of local inmates who are imprisoned again for a new offence within two years of their release. Singapore's recidivism rate has declined over the years from about 44.4% for the cohort released in 1998 to an all time low of about 23.7% for the cohort released in 2004. Although the recidivism rate has since increased slightly to about 26.5% for the cohort released in 2007, this is still low by international standards. The general decline in recidivism over the last decade is the result of concerted efforts by Prisons, the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE) and community partners. Within the institutions, Prisons has a classification framework which assesses offenders' risk of re-offending and rehabilitation needs. Specialised Treatment Programmes also address specific risk factors such as substance abuse, criminal thinking and sexual offending behaviour. In parallel, SCORE has various activities to enhance inmates' employability. This, as Dr Maliki has emphasised, is an important protective factor for ex-offenders. SCORE conducts training in workplace literacy and numeracy skills and offers certified courses in retail, electronics and IT skills. Potential employers are also invited into Prisons to help offenders secure jobs even before their release. In 2009, SCORE offered employment assistance to a total of 1,344 inmates and ex-offenders. Of this number, employment was secured for almost 85%. If an ex-offender is sincere and does not have unrealistic expectations, SCORE will be able to find him a job.”
“That is akin to saying that a teacher feels that it is a success if 80% of his students pass well in examinations. This is like Pareto principle, and clearly, more resources and funds must be used to upgrade the other 20% in the group. But we should not just abandon this affected group who is facing multiple problems. We must continue helping them find ways to improve their lives, in line with the increase in income of the general population. It is just like a teacher who works as hard as possible, but only able to obtain passes from 80%, as mentioned earlier. In this situation, the community’s satisfaction will come when we are sure that the teacher has taught everyone equally and suited to their own abilities. The results will not be similar but they have been given equal opportunity to succeed. I am happy that this Budget promises to improve the status of all segments of the community. This not only shows that we are a civilised society, but also will protect the prosperity of the general population. We must provide opportunities for each member of society to join us in the main league and, hopefully, stay together in it. *Cols. 2563-2568.”
“This group includes those who are still trapped in the lowest rung of society; still unable to enter the main league. This is the group that is still left behind and even though the Government has already increased assistance to them, in the form of the WIS or subsidies like U-Save, they still have a lack of vision and are gripped by the pressures of daily life. Sometimes, it is due to too much physical labour to feed their families. But I disagree with Mr Low that this is the only reason they will not be able to seize future opportunities. Many of them have family members arguing at home. The house is not peaceful and the children are not taken care of properly. There are also many cases of fathers or husbands in jail. In this matter, I hope that the Government will still pay attention to the issues that they face, as they are already left behind. And with the renewed direction of the economy, we do not want them to be left further behind in the coming years. To solve the problems I mentioned earlier, I would like to suggest that the Government further strengthen the bodies that often help the needy, who are mostly from the minority groups, and I suggest that the Government increase funding or provide relevant information to self-help bodies like MENDAKI and SINDA. This is important because such bodies can broadcast information about upgrading programmes to those who are affected, through suitable language and cultural approach. Government bodies should also adjust their assessment when measuring the success of their policies. For example, it is often said that if 80% of a specific group can benefit from it, it is enough to celebrate the Government body’s effort as a success.”
“I hope they will be able to learn lessons from the group who lost their homes due to lack of knowledge in investing the profits that they accumulated from selling their houses. We must learn and be aware of what really happened to those who lost such valuable assets. I do not wish to teach them how to spend their money more wisely. I just want to remind everyone, that even with the best Government policies, individuals must make the right choices. This is especially so with the current economic condition that is chaotic and uncertain. Similarly, their ability to earn income will be unequal and unstable within this uncertain global economic climate currently. In this situation, we must have a savings system that we can use when times are hard. We should not lose our hard earned assets that should have guaranteed a good future. We should not lose those assets due to mistakes, just because we want to try living the good life. I would also like to ask the Government to take steps so that the assets that were just built by certain segments of society can be kept in the form of savings or houses, maybe by re-introducing the system of returning the money from loans to the CPF before returning it to the banks, while the profits made may need to be locked up for the time being. With this, hopefully, the community that has just attained success will stay in the main league and is not relegated, just because of wrong life choices. With this, a community that has just progressed will continue progressing, and thus reduces the number of people who still need help to build their lives. The Government will also spend $2.5 billion to establish Continuing Education and Training. I hope that this fund will be distributed in the best way to build up the second group.”
“Eventually, they are not only unable to pay the principal loan, but the interest is now almost equal to the principal loan. Those who no longer own homes, because they were thrown out due to family conflicts, are now stranded at the beach. This is the Portsmouth Football Club syndrome that is afflicting parts of our community. They should have been prosperous due to the high asset value of their homes that will continue to increase. That asset should have been their investment for old age or for their children to fulfil their ambitions through continuing education, but due to incorrect life choices, the opportunities are gone and they are removed from the successful group and from the main league. What is obvious is that each issue or consequence is not due to a wrong Government policy, but because it is a game between Government policy and individual choice, and sometimes, the assistance available from the community. This is my concern when I listened to the speech by the Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman. He promised that after taking into account inflation, income will increase by a third within a decade and it can be achieved if we can increase productivity by upgrading skills through continuous education. The Government will also spend billions of dollars to enhance industries, thus increasing job opportunities that are of high quality and promise better pay. To be sure, this Budget is a milestone budget which will shape the economy in the future. There are two groups that I am concerned about in the Government’s effort to reshape our economy. The first group is those who I think will succeed in seizing opportunities to upgrade themselves. This group will more or less be able to make their lives more stable.”
“What is clear is that even though the Government and community leadership will, and must, help them to have a roof over their heads and be able to rise again, we must not forget the real cause as to why they are stranded there, and not be quick to point fingers. There are a few similar cases where I am trying to assist. Families facing such misfortune are coming to meet me during the Meet-the-People Session (MPS). After I obtained enough information from the HDB, I was often left puzzled as to why many of them have to suffer such a fate. But what is clear is that many cases are caused by them making incorrect or slow decisions. Many of them have already made substantial profits by selling their flats. Some bought their flats in the early 1970s for only $7,000 and then sold it for $200,000. Some reaped this kind of profits not only once, but twice. However, the sales profits that are reaped only when the economy is good and allows homes to be sold at a good profit, subsequently does not bring happiness to them and some of them suffer. There are those among them who buy new homes that are more expensive and beyond their means. Many do not take into account whether they can continue paying for it. Some invest a lot of money to beautify their house. Some even distribute the sales proceeds to their children, because they love them so much and also to gain favour in the hope that the children will take care of them when they no longer have a house. Some even marry again! When problems occur, whether because they were retrenched or have chronic illness, they do not know how to quickly solve their problems. For instance, they face an increasing loan interest.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] My parliamentary colleague, Mr Liang, has touched on his aspiration for our economy to join the main league economies. I was driving last Friday and heard the news on the BBC channel that Barclay’s Premier League football club Portsmouth is declared bankrupt. In fact, by just entering that League, a football club can be very wealthy. A club can receive £7 million in transfer fees and broadcasting rights, not counting other income. This is even if Portsmouth is one of the bottom clubs within the Premier League and it can still potentially build its assets in terms of money, players and coaches. However, no matter how high is its income, Portsmouth has spent more than what it can earn. Hence, it has to suffer the consequences of its own actions. As a result of being bankrupt, the club will lose its Premier League status and subsequently, lose the right to earn further income as well as the chance to develop. It struck me how a segment of our community – and I am not saying that it is everyone – can fail in their life in Singapore, even though they live in country that is rich, prosperous and abundant with economic opportunities, just by choosing the wrong path. For example, recently, we see many reports on the beach community phenomenon – which does not refer to those who like relaxing at the beach, but are stranded there because they lost their homes. This situation is often portrayed in the media as associated with the Malay community, which always faces challenges and is described as a community left behind. Some people swiftly attribute it to the lack of ability among the leadership or Government to solve the problem, and so on.”
“For example, a Caucasian-Chinese couple may decide to have their child's race recorded as Caucasian, Chinese or Eurasian. In fact, the Singapore birth certificate gazetted under the Registration of Births and Death Rules does not require a child's race to be recorded. The child's race is recorded provisionally at birth registration in ICA's system until the child turns 15 and is required to register for an identity card. At this point in time, registration of the identity card will entail a registration of race declared and this will then be used to update the existing record of the individual in the ICA system. Changes of race declaration can also be made at any time by the parents or by the child himself when he is no longer a minor. In short, the system, especially with the recent changes, already provides for an appropriate level of flexibility and choice to parents who are of different races. Ultimately, however, parents who are of different races should come to a decision as to which of their races they would like their child to be recorded as belonging to.”
“The Police certainly takes proactive measures on this. In 2008, we had issued about 471 summonses so that errant cyclists are taken to task. The bulk of these was issued to cyclists because they failed to ride in an orderly manner. In the same way, too, we take a lot of steps to educate the public – cyclists as well as motorcyclists and motorists – to ensure that they accord due care to others when they drive or cycle on the roads. ETHNICITY ON IDENTITY CARD 10. Mr Hri Kumar Nair asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs why a child whose parents are of different races cannot have both races reflected in his or her identity card. The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs): Sir, the Government does not assign race to a person but follows the general rule that a child's race would follow that of his or her father. Nevertheless, recognising that the diversity of Singapore's racial demographics has increased in recent years due to the inflow of immigrants and the rise in the number of locals marrying foreigners, with effect from 2nd January this year, our birth registration forms were revised to provide for declaration by the parents on their child's race during birth registration. Previously, such a child would be registered following the general rule as having the race of the father. The recent change gives parents who are of different races the flexibility and choice to decide how their child's race should be recorded. The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is not the authority or expert on "race". It will accept a race declaration so long as it falls within generally accepted notions of ethnicity by lineage.”
“Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Prime Minister (a) in 2008 and 2009, how many applicants for Government scholarships applied to pursue their studies in engineering; (b) how many of these applicants are awarded scholarships; and (c) what is the Public Service Commission doing to ensure an even distribution of applicants for various courses ranging from humanities to engineering.”
“Sir, as I mentioned, the approach to addressing the issues is three-fold. One of them is to build the ability of teachers to spot them. We have been working with the Health Promotion Board's psychologists. There is a committee right now or an effort called Reach where teachers are being trained by full-time school counsellors to learn to spot the symptoms of depression or even to look at behaviours that may lead to depressions. Right now, this is piloted in the north zone schools. We hope to finish this by the end of this year, and then roll it out to the rest of the schools, so that every teacher has some level of skill or competency to spot such problems. Second, on the question of information, this passing of information on students has just started this year when we started to populate the information in the School Cockpit for counsellors to know about the students who have been counselled from their previous school. We assure Members of the House that we make sure the privacy of the students is taken care of. The information is confidential and only the relevant officers, who are usually the full-time school counsellors (FTSCs), will have access to this information. Third, class size for secondary classes is always an issue that will be reviewed over time. At this point of time, what we have done instead is to increase the number of support that students get. For example, we have already increased the number of allied educators that support teachers in the classes. We have provided more FTSCs in schools where we find there is a need for them, and also operations managers to take away some of the administrative matters that teachers would otherwise have to do. ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIPS 5.”
“In fact, for some families, this is the time for them to think about investing for the sake of their families’ long-term well-being. For those who have "saved up" in terms of upgrading their job skills, that is by ensuring that they always possess the skills and qualifications that are needed by employers, and are aware of developments in the world economy – surely they now are more confident that their services are still needed by employers. This is apart from being more ready to accept job opportunities in new or emerging fields. In conclusion, today’s economic gloom will certainly bring many challenges and hurdles. But the storm will pass. In this downturn, we must hold on to main and fundamental issues, just as the Government has held on to the basic principles that have brought prosperity to Singapore so far. We must continue to focus on education, be prudent and spend within our means, as well as continue to upgrade our skills. With that, we can overcome this crisis successfully, and emerge in a stronger and steadier position than before. What is important is that the community must together grab the available opportunities, especially in the fields of education and jobs, so that no one in our community will be left behind once again when the country’s economy recovers. *Cols. 407-412.”
“As we ride through this economic downturn, we must continue focusing on basic policies like giving emphasis on education. We may lose our jobs, but our children’s education is the one thing that we must not neglect. We may have less money to spend as luxuriously as we are used to, but we must ensure that our children remain in school and can focus their attention on their studies. The biggest mistake that we can make as parents is to let our confusion and situation become the reason for our children dropping out from school, or even encourage them with the wrong notion that is better for them to work to help out the family. It is true that our children can get jobs even without finishing school. But the Government realises that it is not enough to just create jobs. What is more reassuring is not the presence of jobs, but that our children are prepared to have careers. At the very least, our children must complete 10 years of education in primary and secondary schools, and get the ITE certificates, to help them continue upgrading themselves in their careers in the future. Two more groups that are far-sighted and held on patiently to fundamental principles will definitely be safe in this economic situation. My late father used to tell me not to spend more than what I earn and always save money. This is another fundamental principle that is easily accepted, but hard to follow. This downturn has woken up those who are faced with retrenchments; especially those who overspend beyond their means, do not have savings and in fact saddled with a lot of debts. Instead, those who think far, have savings and set aside some money each month, are not facing a lot of debts, and spend within their means, they must surely be in a better position to ride out this crisis.”
“In fact, we have to be thankful that there are factors that give benefit to minorities, and that we are not burdened by barriers that are set up purposely and give advantages to a particular race only. What is there to complain, when Singaporean minorities are not forced to embrace the majority’s language and religion? In Denmark, minorities are forced to absorb the Danish language; while in Sri Lanka, the Tamil minorities must master the Singhalese language, which is among the reasons that a civil war erupted. In fact, everyone in Singapore must speak English, even though there is no majority English race that is in power in Singapore. Why complain when our journey to improve our lives through education is not blocked on the basis of our origins? In fact, we are given support and assistance so that poverty will not hold anyone back. All Singapore schools have high standards and give equal treatment, so that our children can receive good education wherever they are schooling, even in schools that may not be considered as elite. This is not like many other countries where only the rich or the royalty can have the chance to receive quality education. In tertiary education, the Government is committed to give more university places, with the setting up of an institute that will give an advanced route for polytechnic graduates to obtain university degrees. In fact, those less well-off financially can get more help to continue schooling. I support President Nathan’s emphasis that education remains the best investment to guarantee Singapore’s and our children’s future. It is this basic policy, whether to encourage economic growth, close the income gap or build the future for the next generation, that education remains key.”
“We are very grateful for Mr Nathan’s assurance that each worker and family will continue to be assisted, and the lower income will not be neglected, and each worker will be helped to train and be ready for new jobs. We are lucky as the Government so far has looked at the fundamental and main issues. Due to the fact that it did not indiscriminately overspend to gain popularity, it was able to have extra funds that were able to be compiled into the nation’s asset and used to fund the measures during this downturn. This emphasis on main and fundamental issues should not only be followed by all governments, but also to be reflected on by all of us. These fundamental and basic issues can be easily understood but not many people can hold on to it well. For example, we acknowledge the importance of getting a proper and high standard of education. But how many are patient enough to go through 15 years of education with diligence and perseverance to reach university, while their households face difficulties? It is the same for meritocracy. The policy of meritocracy is fundamental in our nation’s development and has made everyone work hard to prove themselves. It has produced the Singaporeans’ work ethic and culture, including in Malay Singaporeans, that are admired and trusted in the eyes of the world. But some still complain that they lose out and always feel that meritocracy has been contaminated by discrimination. To me, even if there is discrimination, it is an inborn individual prejudice and not a systematic one, and can be overcome by proving our abilities and building trust.”
“In his speech during the Opening of this Parliament, President S R Nathan said that this global financial crisis also affected Singapore’s economy. After enjoying years of good growth in the previous years, he described Singapore’s economy as going up and down like a roller coaster since 2006. Even so, we can still feel positive and confident as we can still continue our journey and not get thrown off this roller coaster economy – thanks to the Government’s effective policies. In fact, we still see many people go to restaurants and holidaying in these uncertain times. How is it that we can feel less pressure from the economic downturn, while in many countries, their people clearly feel anxious and worried? In Britain alone, two million workers are retrenched and an estimated one million more will lose their jobs. In Singapore, the economic downturn is not felt to be too strangling, as mentioned by my colleague Mr Sam Tan. My assumption is that many who are still working continue to feel stable. They have taken appropriate and wise steps during the good times in order to be ready for the hard times. However, my worry is whether the lower income group is also ready to face the second wave of crisis that is expected to be bigger and more threatening. I am concerned about the reactions and actions of my own community, where many of them are working in fields that mostly cannot endure when faced with the economic downturn. Clearly, the Government has focused on measures to resolve this economic crisis, and help Singaporeans to ride through it.”
“The gravest mistake that any of us as parents can do in our sorrow and depression when we lose our job or suffer a pay cut is to affect our children; in the extreme some may even encourage them to drop out of school on the mistaken belief that they may even be better off helping the family by starting work. They can certainly find a job without completing school. But by continuing and completing school, we will have prepared them for a career, not just for a job. Therefore, as we face this economic recession, we must not lose sight of our fundamentals. The Government’s measures to soften the impact of the economic downturn and to prepare us for the eventual recovery will come to naught for us and our children, if we ourselves do not keep to the fundamentals both when we are in a crisis as well as when things are fine. In fact, keeping to fundamentals during a crisis will help us to emerge even stronger, knowing well even it is the more difficult route. Mr Speaker, allow me to speak in Malay. (In Malay): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Almost every day in the mass media, either in the newspaper pages, television screens or radio channels, we read or hear news about the current economic downturn. News reports about the high number of retrenched workers, the shrinking global or local economy from one quarter to another quarter, the fall of the once mighty global companies, as well as investors who faced losses due to the sharp fall of share and property prices, have become daily affairs. Recently, the spread of the H1N1 influenza epidemic that began in Mexico affected the world’s population, and worsened the fragile and uncertain global economic situation.”
“Unfortunately, too, keeping to fundamentals is often too onerous. Earning from hard and honest work is a sure but slow way to accumulate our wealth. Get-rich-quick schemes work on our impatience and greed, often very successfully. A good number of our youths, in my ward, I find out, drop out of school because they can get by, working at fast food chains for $4 an hour and leaving school immediately rather than wait for 12 long years of education to earn a basic trade certificate and in the process with much less pocket money. Keeping to fundamentals is hard work because the perceived short cuts are many. The Government’s priority has been to tackle the crisis and help Singaporean cope with the downturn. We are grateful for the President’s assurance that every worker and family will be helped, where the lower-income group will not be left to fend for themselves and where every retrenched worker will get help to be trained and prepare for new jobs. But retraining especially in an area one is not already familiar with and in mid-career is hard work and no easy task. I am happy that Singaporeans have not expected handouts only but appreciated the need to keep to the fundamentals to be ready for a different future where their current jobs may not even exist. I believe that long-term success can only be ensured by sticking to principles and fundamentals. This must not only be held by Government, but also by us all. We may lose our jobs, but our children’s future must not also be lost by letting them pre-empt their education. In a recession, as things get tougher and we have less money for certain luxuries and comforts that we have been used to, we must not lose sight to ensure our children continue to attend school and focus on their studies.”