Mohd. Ariff bin Suradi
Singapore
“Sir, were these two welfare officers appointed by the MUIS, on did they voluntarily come forward to offer their services as welfare officers? As regards air passage, was it paid for by the travel agents who arranged the flights for the pilgrims, on was it paid by those who had no connection whatsoever with the pilgrimage?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, if the cost of the air passage for these two welfare officers was paid by the travel agencies which organised the pilgrimage, this is indeed improper.”
“I think this is most inappropriate. Again, recipients of these scholarships have been known to drive in Opel 1700s to attend classes whilst applicants for such scholarships who are genuinely in need of financial assistance, as they are fatherless and depend solely on their brothers who themselves have their own responsibilities, are depri…”
“Sir, in view of the explanation and assurance by the Minister, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY REPORTING PROGRESS (Suspension of Standing Orders) 6.50 p.m. Resolved, "That notwithstanding the Standing Orders, progress be reported and leave asked to sit again."-[Mr E. W. Barker].”
“In view of the Minister's explanation, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the names of Messrs Ng Kah Ting and P. Govindaswamy - (4) That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BDA 1107.”
“The People's Association should not content itself with giving orders to the management committees through its supervisors, without advising how best to implement its instructions.”
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“(6) That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BGA 8101.”
“On that assurance, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendments stood on the Order Paper Supplement -”
“Could the Parliamentary Secretary provide me with a written reply at the next sitting?”
“Sir, how many disabled persons have been offered employment in the Government service?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 3020. Sir, contributions by the Ministry of Social Affairs to the various welfare and charitable institutions are small indeed. I am sure it is difficult for the officials of these institutions to implement its training schemes with such meagre allocations. In a seminar on the retarded, the Minister for Social Affairs in his speech urged that the retarded should be given training to enable them to be usefully employed so as to bring them back to normal community life. In this respect the Minister urged upon the firms to offer jobs to these retarded people who have been suitably trained. But I do not know how these people can be given the necessary training if the allocation of moneys from the Ministry of Social Affairs is so small. What is strange is that while the Minister has urged firms and private enterprises to employ these retarded people, the Government itself does not employ them. It has been found that those disabled people who have been trained for certain jobs have not been offered employment up to now. This matter has been referred to the Ministry of Labour, but only relief work has been given to them. It is therefore proper for the Minister for Social Affairs to urge all Government departments to give employment to the disabled. I wish to know whether the Minister will do so.”
“With that assurance given by the Minister, I hope this year there will not be a recurrence of this affair. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, if the cost of the air passage for these two welfare officers was paid by the travel agencies which organised the pilgrimage, this is indeed improper. If anything is given free, there must be an ulterior motive, The travel agencies which have direct connection with the Singapore haj pilgrims should not take part in providing for the welfare officers. If I am not mistaken these two volunteers themselves are sheikhs dealing with haj pilgrims, and I believe they both have a special interest in offering voluntary service. So also is the case with the aim passages offered. I beg the Minister to give serious consideration to this matter.”
“Sir, were these two welfare officers appointed by the MUIS, on did they voluntarily come forward to offer their services as welfare officers? As regards air passage, was it paid for by the travel agents who arranged the flights for the pilgrims, on was it paid by those who had no connection whatsoever with the pilgrimage? Encik Othman Bin Wok: Sir, on the question of the two welfare officers who gave voluntary service, they submitted their names to the MUIS for voluntary work, and were accepted by the Council. On the question of the air passage, offhand I am not in a position to say anything definite, but I think it must have been paid by the agencies involved with the pilgrimage from Singapore to Mecca.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to he allocated for Head R be reduced by the whole sum in respect of subhead BCA 1111 Sir, I wish to congratulate the Minister for Social Affairs and to offer him a bouquet for the immediate action taken to resolve the problems faced by the Haj pilgrims who were left stranded because of the unavailability of aircraft which had been booked by two travel agents who handled the travelling arrangements for the Haj pilgrims last year. I hope that the Minister's assurance given in answer to an oral question by the Member for Geylang Senai. that MUIS would take over the management of the Haj affairs this year and arrange with Singapore Airlines to transport Haj pilgrims from Singapore to perform their Haj pilgrimage can be i in p1 implemented. Likewise as with the Minister's promise to provide welfare officers for the Singapore pilgrims, the MUIS had, in fact, provided four welfare officers last year, when the pilgrims were staying in Mecca and Medina. I wish to thank the President of MUIS for his efforts to make available the services of the four officers concerned. However, I wish to know. Sir, what was the cost incurred by the MUIS in respect of these officers, and whether reports have been received from these officers. Is the Minister satisfied with the performance of these officers in looking after the welfare of the Haj pilgrims from Singapore?”
“Sir, in view of the Minister of State's explanation, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendments stood on the Order Paper Supplement:”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, could the Minister of State give an assurance that the development of flats in Kampong Kembangan near Kampong Ubi could be expedited in view of the difficulties faced by my constituents?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 8201*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs L. P. Rodrigo, Teong Eng Siong, Lee Yiok Seng, Ho Kah Leong and Ch'ng Jit Koon.) Sir, the loan given by the Government to the Housing and Development Board for FY 76 is $74 million more than the previous financial year. I believe that with this increased allocation the HDB will be able to build more flats and more speedily this year. The residents in Kampong Ubi are affected by resettlement and they are experiencing endless problems of living in an environment with broken pipes, flooding, mosquitoes, etc. Various difficulties are being confronted by them as a result of the development now in progress in Kampong Ubi I hope the Ministry of National Development would give serious attention to this constituency so that flats could be made available to them as early as possible. When I say that the flats should be made available immediately. I do not mean that the flats should be accepted as completed if they are still unsatisfactorily done, as has been pointed out by many Members in this House earlier. I hope priority can be given to this matter so that the construction project in Kampong Kembangan can be expedited. 6.00 p.m.”
“I think this is most inappropriate. Again, recipients of these scholarships have been known to drive in Opel 1700s to attend classes whilst applicants for such scholarships who are genuinely in need of financial assistance, as they are fatherless and depend solely on their brothers who themselves have their own responsibilities, are deprived of these scholarships. I hope the Minister in charge will give serious attention to this matter concerning the power to make rules to pay out money from contributions by Muslims towards the Mosque Building Fund.”
“They do not want to be a social burden to the Government and to the other communities in Singapore. I have been informed that, since the commencement of the deductions in May, 1975, the net amount received by the Muslim Religious Council of Singapore through the CPF was $51,000 and in the subsequent month it was $53,000. From the total number of Muslims in Singapore only 40 do not wish to have their pay deducted for the purpose. This means that the number of such people is negligible. I believe that this Bill will produce the desired benefits for the Muslims in Singapore. Mr Speaker, Sir, may I say something on the new section 75B in clause 3 regarding the provision for the payment of any costs of administering this Fund? I believe this Fund will be maintained through computerised collections by the CPF. I also believe that the cost of administering this Fund and the salaries of those who administer this Fund will be paid out of the contributions. May I suggest to the Minister in charge that similarly contributions to this Fund be used to pay the Imams and the caretakers of the mosques built out of this Fund. With regard to the new section 7SF, which empowers the Majlis to make rules, I would ask the Minister to give careful attention to this power. I would like to draw the attention of the Minister to the power given to the Majlis Ugama Is/am to award scholarships met by the collection of tithes. From my experience I have discovered that some Muslims in Singapore who have gone abroad to further their studies and are no longer Singapore citizens still continue to receive these scholarships. Furthermore students who are studying abroad and who have since married foreigners in their places of study are still receiving these scholarships.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, following the Prime Minister's announcement concerning the provision of sites for mosques in new satellite towns, statements were made concerning the voluntary deductions of 50 cents per month from Muslim employees through the CPF. Muslims in Singapore have now become more than ever convinced of the Government's policy. Prior to these announcements, complaints and grievances could be heard from many Muslims in Singapore, and their target was the Muslim Religious Council of Singapore. Although the Muslims in Singapore accepted, in principle, the demolition of old mosques on those sites which are affected by urban development, nevertheless their feeling of suspicion could be discerned because those mosques affected by development have already been demolished whilst the building of new ones has yet to commence. With the spiralling costs of building materials consequent upon inflation, it is even more difficult to build the mosques which are being planned because of the shortage of funds. It would seem that these mosques will never be built so long as building costs do not return to normal levels as in 1972 and 1973. With this Bill, however, Mr Speaker, Sir, the Muslims now feel that the Government is really sincere in wanting to assist and cooperate with them towards the progress of Muslims in Singapore, so that they can be put, on the same level as the other communities, not by providing a subsidy but by practical means, like giving them facilities to collect and raise funds from the Muslims themselves. The Muslims in Singapore also realise that although they are left far behind in all fields of endeavour, they do not want to depend solely on assistance from the Government.”
“Sir, in view of the explanation and assurance by the Minister, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY REPORTING PROGRESS (Suspension of Standing Orders) 6.50 p.m. Resolved, "That notwithstanding the Standing Orders, progress be reported and leave asked to sit again."-[Mr E. W. Barker]. Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House. Mr Barker: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1st April, 1975 to 31st March, 1976 and ask leave to sit again on Monday. 24th March, 1975.”
“In view of the Minister's explanation, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the names of Messrs Ng Kah Ting and P. Govindaswamy - (4) That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BDA 1107.”
“Sir, what is the amount of the contribution? Encik Othman Bin Wok: Sir, I think the contribution for last year was over $40,000, it depends on the number of pilgrims going to Mecca from Singapore every year.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since Singapore is an independent country, why should we rely on another country to render medical and welfare services to our pilgrims? Is the Ministry of , Social Affairs contributing towards this service?”
“Similarly, there is the question of welfare of the Muslim community, for which assistance is needed in the matter of raising money to finance awards of scholarships and bursaries. In the past, in addition to Government assistance in the form of special bursaries for the Malays, there were voluntary organisations like the LBKM which collected funds by organising flag days, to assist poor students. These bodies have now coordinated their efforts with the MUIS. Therefore, I think these voluntary bodies need no longer continue to function because MUIS, with Government assistance, can now collect the funds through the CPF, and the awards of scholarships and bursaries can be effected through the Public Service Commission to avoid allegation of favouritism in such awards. Sir, a few years ago the Minister made a promise in this House, but it has not as yet been fulfilled. This is in regard to haj pilgrims from Singapore. He said that they would be provided with medical facilities and their welfare would be looked after by a welfare officer during their sojourn in Mecca and Medina. Sir, I would like to know whether the Minister will fulfil his promise this year or whether he will merely put this matter in his KIV file.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BCA 1111. Sir, I wish to congratulate the Minister for Social Affairs on his efforts to get the Government to agree to a scheme to deduct 50 cents per month from each Muslim on a voluntary basis through the Central Provident Fund towards the Mosque Building Fund to be organised by the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS). The idea of building mosques in satellite towns was mooted many years ago, but the donations collected from Muslim donors, the majority of whom were wage earners were made, inadequate for the purpose. Now, with the cooperation of Government, I think it should not be difficult to overcome the other problems as well, for example, compliance with the need for building plans. Not only in respect of the construction of mosques but, in fact, in any other project, the primary question is the availability of funds. With the assistance of the Government forthcoming, the idea to deduct a small sum on a voluntary basis from the salaries of Muslim workers has been welcomed by local Muslims. This will greatly relieve the burden of the Mosque Building Committees. What I wish to suggest to the Minister is that upon completion of the construction of the mosques, it would be wise to continue with the deductions for those who wish to do so. The reason is that upon completion of the mosques, there are recurrent expenditures to be met, such as repairs and renovation; payment of PUB bills, remuneration for the imams and officials and other miscellaneous expenditure which require funds. Otherwise, the mosques which would have been built at very high costs, would fall into a state of neglect.”
“Sir, just now the Minister for `Culture said that the Board of the People's Association meets only once a month. The letter I was talking about was sent to the People's Association two months ago. At least it should have the courtesy to acknowledge receipt of the letter.”
“Point of clarification, Sir,I did not say that we had asked for permission to hold an exposition. What I said was that two months ago the management committee sent a letter to the Deputy Director of the People's Association asking for financial assistance to build a basket-ball court and to raise the backyard of the community centre and up till now there has been no acknowledgment.”
“Sir, on a point of clarification. My management committee sent a letter to the Deputy Director of the People's Association two months ago asking for financial assistance to build a basket-ball court and to raise the backyard of the community centre and up till now there has been no acknowledgment to that letter.”
“The People's Association should not content itself with giving orders to the management committees through its supervisors, without advising how best to implement its instructions. I hope the Minister for Culture will ensure that officers of the People's Association are responsive to the suggestions and complaints of the management committees. Otherwise we will lose valuable volunteers who are prepared to dedicate themselves to the community. 7.15 p.m.”
“But surprisingly, as has been explained by my colleague earlier on, some constituencies have been given dollar-for-dollar grants for their community centre building fund. In addition, permission was also given to organise donation draws. Nevertheless, with the management committee's continuous effort and dedication to serve the community, the Kampung Eunos Community Centre was constructed at a cost of about $130,000 without donation of even a single cent from the People's Association. However, there are still many in-adequacies. It needs more facilities like badminton courts, basketball courts, sepak takraw courts, classrooms and raising the backyard of the community centre. In addition they need to organise courses and other activities. Letters of appeal were sent by the management committee about two months ago for donations but there was not even an acknowledgement, let alone a reply. Subsequently, the management committee expressed its desire to make an appointment to meet the Director or the Deputy Director of the People's Association to discuss the problem of Kampung Eunos Community Centre. But their request was turned down. There are many problems which cause concern to the management committee because of the indifferent attitude of the officers of the People's Association. The management committees of community centres consist of voluntary workers. The officers of the People's Association should be very careful and diplomatic when dealing with members of the management committees of community centres. The ideal is to maintain a dialogue between the People's Association and the management committees.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, Kampung Eunos Community Centre was built with the efforts of the management committee of the Centre. Members of the committee have worked hard day and night, in the sun or rain, to raise funds from philanthropists to build the Community Centre with facilities to serve the residents of Kampung Eunos so that they can spend their leisure time in various activities, as is the case with many other community centres. However, as has been said by my colleagues, the Member for Boon Teck and the Member for River Valley, it is true that there is discrimination in the allocation of grants to constituencies for the construction of community centres. It is not surprising that constituencies in urban areas, particularly the Ministers' constituencies, receive generous donations from philanthropists in their constituencies, lf $130,000 is collected in a rural constituency ten times that amount can be collected in an urban constituency. But for Kampung Kembangan constituency, I am sure everyone knows how difficult it is to raise $130,000 needed to build a community centre to serve the residents of Kampung Eunos. When the management committee submitted its application to the Director of the People's Association for grants, the reply was that there was no provision to build a community centre there and that they themselves must raise funds if they wished to build a community centre in their constituency. When they asked for permission to organise donation draws, the reply was that it was the policy of the People's Association not to permit the management committee to organise donation draws. Is this not dampening the spirit of the management committee?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to seek a clarification from the Minister for Law and National Development. Can the Minister explain to this House the development projects for Kampung Kembangan constituency? Listed in the Budget for 1974, we find a contribution of $30 million and a loan of $506 million to the Housing and Development Board. There was an explanation by the Minister earlier, but there was no mention of any development in Kampung Kembangan. I would therefore like to ask the Minister when will the development plans for Kampung Kembangan be implemented.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the point raised by the Member for Geylang Serai. The Minister for Social Affairs has said in this House on 21st March, 1972, [col. 940]: `... that the arrangement for pilgrimage through the establishment of Tabong Haji or the Pilgrimage Fund will include the provision of welfare and health facilities for pilgrims during their sojourn in Mecca, Medina and Jeddah. The Pilgrimage Committee is considering the provision of medical facilities, including the services of a doctor and a nurse for the pilgrims when they are in Mecca. The provision of a welfare officer to look into the welfare aspects of the pilgrims and the services of a reputable pilgrim broker, .., are also being looked into.' If these services mentioned by the Minister in 1972 have still not been provided, I do not know when can they be provided, as two years have already elapsed, Sir. Another point, Sir, is that last year the Pilgrimage Office in the Ministry of Social Affairs announced that as from 1974 Singapore pilgrims travelling by air would be required to use pilgrimage passports, and that they would no longer be using international passports as had been done in previous years. I wish to know, Sir, which department will be responsible for the issue of these pilgrimage passports. Would it be the Immigration Department, the Muslim Religious Council of Singapore, or the Malaysian Pilgrimage Fund? Sir, I also wish to know if this requirement will be implemented this year.”
“Sir, in view of the explanation of the Minister, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, on the explanation given by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture, I would like to have his assurance, or preferably from the Minister for Culture who has just arrived, that with the introduction of colour TV, the licence fees for black and white TV sets will not be increased. This point was also mentioned by the Member for Telok Blangah. If I am not mistaken, Sir, a few years ago in this Chamber, the Prime Minister said that the increase in the number of cars, motorcycles and scooters registered from month to month is related to the economic progress of Singapore. But in the last few days, we have been debating on the problem of reducing the number of private cars by increasing taxes and the prices of petrol. I would like to have the Minister's assurance that with the introduction of colour TV, the licence fee for black and white TV sets will not be increased and will remain at $36 as at present.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head JA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead CA 1107*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy) Mr Speaker, Sir, inflation which is prevailing now throughout the world, including Singapore, is causing prices to rise, and rise still higher from day to day. Therefore, I think it is inappropriate for the Minister for Culture to spend $10.2 million to implement the plan for colour TV in Singapore. The sum to be allocated can be better used by other Ministries for projects that are more beneficial to the people of Singapore. Sir, workers in the low-income group are still hoping for a sympathetic gesture from the Government by giving them a higher salary, so that they can meet the rising cost of living, as prices are very high now. Therefore, it would be better for the sum of $10.2 million to be channelled elsewhere, so that people in the low-income group can get more. The Minister himself and the Prime Minister have suggested to the people not to spend money unnecessarily. But when the Ministry of Culture implements TV programmes in colour, people will buy colour television sets. Although the Ministry does not encourage people to buy colour sets, nevertheless the people will be inclined and influenced into buying colour sets on instalment basis. And by paying in instalments, the price will definitely be higher, and this will further affect their cost of living, making it more difficult for them. Therefore, I think it would be better for the Ministry of Culture to postpone the introduction of colour television to next year or to some other appropriate time, when inflation has subsided and when economic conditions in Singapore have improved.”
“Sir, with the explanation of the Minister, I wish to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head IA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BI 1111. Sir, since the burial grounds close to the City have been closed, the Muslim cemetery has been shifted to Chua Chu Kang. However, the workers in charge of the grounds are the same workers who are provided with quarters in the Bidadari cemetery grounds. The Ministry of the Environment does not provide them with transport, and they have to travel to Chua Chu Kang at their own expense. With the increase in bus fares now, they have to pay more. For those who own scooters or motorcycles, they also have to pay more for petrol because of the recent increase in petrol prices. I wish to know whether the Ministry is considering providing free transport for these workers or to build quarters near their place of employment. The incomes of these workers are low.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I agree with the Minister for the Environment that it is important to educate our children to form the habit of throwing litter into bins. But why is it that old and damaged refuse bins provided by the Government have not been replaced?”
“Sometimes the rubbish is collected only on alternate days. Even in the City areas, certain streets are used as rubbish collection centres. These streets do not have a sufficient number of containers and, as a result, the rubbish spill over on to the roads, thus producing an excellent breeding ground for the rats and other vermin. Many of the people in some housing estates have been complaining about the mosquitoes. You will remember, Sir, the "Anti-mosquito campaign". We can revive it. The Vector Control Unit, which was so effective, has been defunct for some time. Could this unit also be revived? I would also like to bring to the notice of the Minister the complaint that the workers who collect the rubbish from households would just chuck the dust-bins after they have thrown the rubbish into the van. After one or two months the dustbins would break. The Ministry should get the Inspectors to check on all van drivers and workers. It is very bad if the people have to buy dustbins every now and then.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head IA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BA 1107*. (*The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy.) Mr Speaker, Sir, I merely wish to know whether the campaign launched by the Ministry of the Environment to safeguard the cleanliness of Singapore and to encourage the people not to litter the streets have achieved its objective. Singapore is well-known for the cleanliness of its roads and surroundings. This opinion has been voiced by foreign leaders and tourists. They have seen with their own eyes how clean are our roads and streets. Now, Sir, the Ministry of the Environment is launching a campaign to resite hawkers from all over the city to the various hawker centres which have been provided by the Government. However, there is a condition that these hawkers must pay attention to personal hygiene and that the food must be clean. The campaigns to keep Singapore clean and to teach our citizens to form the habit of throwing their litter into litter-bins are now over, and we can see the results. However, Sir, recently our roads and streets are again littered with unwanted boxes dumped into refuse bins. Moreover, the refuse bins provided by the Government are old, and they are not being replaced. I wish to know from the Minister whether our efforts to teach the people of Singapore to keep Singapore clean and to form the habit of not littering have been rewarded or otherwise. Mr P. Govindaswamy: Mr Speaker, Sir, what efforts are being made by the Public Health Division to remove the rubbish in time? Although credit must be given for the efficient removal of rubbish for most of the City areas, the same cannot be said of the rural areas and some housing estates.”
“In view of the "guillotine" time, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The time allotted for Head 1001 having expired, the following amendments were not proceeded with: Madam Chan Choy Siong: (4) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1001 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1351. (5) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1001 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1551. Mr P. Govindaswamy: (6) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1001 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1631. Madam Chan Choy Siong: (7) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1001 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1701.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1001 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1251. Mr Speaker, Sir, during the debate on the Estimates for 1967, the Minister of State for Culture said - and I quote from Hansard Vol. 25, No. 12, dated 19th December, 1966, col. 908: '...the fact that the national language is popular in the City State, where 75 per cent of the population are Chinese, is enough to show that at least the Dewan Bahasa is doing its best to encourage the study of the national language.'”
“The Minister has said that the alien wife of a Singapore citizen will not be able to get her passport renewed if he cannot maintain her and her children. How can the Minister or the Controller of Immigration be sure that the husband cannot maintain his wife? If the wife is willing to stay with her husband, he will be able to maintain her and the children.”
“On that note, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House. Mr Speaker: I will now suspend the sitting and take the Chair again at 5.45 p.m. Sitting accordingly suspended at 5.08 p.m, until 5.45 p.m. Sitting resumed at 5.45 p.m. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Debate in Committee of Supply resumed. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Head 0701 - (contd.)”
“How many teachers have received such bonuses up to now'?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2127. Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary have now and again stated that the vote for education has been cut for the sake of defence. But I notice in the Estimates that a provision has been made for "Bonuses for Language Examinations". To whom are these bonuses given?”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“The Parliamentary Secretary has said that the remuneration of part-time teachers will be reduced. This means that they will receive less remuneration than what they have been receiving heretofore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2106. Since the inception of the Lembaga Gerakan Pelajaran Dewasa, it has made valuable contributions to the community and the state, in addition to giving com mercial education in subjects like shorthand, typewriting and accounting. It also conducts courses in orchid growing, photography and so on. The biggest contribution by the Adult Education Board is to accommodate students who fail in the Cambridge School Certificate Examination, the Federation of Malaya Certificate Examination, or the Secondary IV examination. The majority of students who failed in such examinations are admitted to classes conducted by the Board and some of them have passed the Higher School Certificate Examination and have been admitted to the universities. I believe more and more pupils will be admitted to these classes next year. I notice from the Estimates that the sum allocated to the Board for 1968 is $2 million, whereas the sum allocated for the next financial year 1969-70 is only $1,875,000. Sir, I wish to know whether the Malay pupils who have been removed from these classes will continue to receive free education, like those who have been removed from the technical and academic schools.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move amendment (28) standing in my name and that of the Member for Serangoon Gardens, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2101*. I will also range over amendments (25)**, (26)+ and (27)++. The amendments read as follows: **(25) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1501. + (26) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1502. ++(27) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $10 in respect nf subhead 1721. I wish to know how many applications have been received for the ASEAN scholarships and which are the countries that have submitted the applications.”
“I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”