Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap
Singapore
“Sir, I believe that the Minister did not answer quite a number of my questions. But due to time factors, I will submit a Parliamentary Question. Nonetheless, I have two clarifications. One, on the full-time madrasahs.”
“Is MOH looking into more aggressively hiring junior doctors, especially those that have left the public healthcare system? How do they intend to do so? Will it include increasing doctor's salaries to better compete with the private sectors and, if so, how much?”
“Sir, actually, I have written to SFA and they have actually replied to me recently. I just want to get a better clarification on the issues. What happened was that there is this issue that has been going on for about 10 years where the bakery located in the same block, a four-storey HDB block, has been emanating noise, heat and pungent sm…”
“What are SFA's requirements for bakeries to operate in a HDB residential block emitting the noise and heat levels resulting from their daily operations?”
“Sir, earlier in my speech, I have sought two clarifications on my cuts pertaining to ventilation systems for bakeries in order to better manage the disamenities caused by bakeries located in the HDB blocks. I really have not received a reply on this from the Ministry.”
“Sir, on the contrary, the implication of not approving LTVP+ applications for both these groups is that their lives will become more challenging and it will further complicate their lives. I would like to request that ICA exercise greater flexibility to applicants who are facing the two situations that I mentioned.”
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“Thank you, Madam. Madam, I would like to seek clarification from Minister Shanmugam in relation to Mr Zainal Sapari's question. I just want to get a confirmation as well as affirmation from the Minister whether MUIS and PERGAS will be consulted, because I believe that MUIS and PERGAS will be able to provide a more accurate interpretation of the imam's text, since he is said to be quoting from verses in the Quran.”
“Can the Government give an assurance that consumers will not experience price increases? (In English): Madam, I will conclude my speech in English. Our nation's goals are to achieve: one, a caring and inclusive society; and two, an innovative and connected economy relies heavily on both components ‒ hardware, that is, technologies, and heartware, our values. Comparing both, the latter is more crucial and requires a tremendous and continuous effort as well as commitment. Mindset and culture need to evolve and be developed. Madam, I am confident that empowered with the right and sincere hearts, followed by a determined, collective and consolidated effort, we can achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.”
“Are our workers happy when they perform their tasks? Do they feel that their employers care or give priority to them? Madam, if we look at the results of surveys done on Singapore workers in the past years, as a whole, Singapore workers are not happy workers and the main reason can be said that the organisational and work culture is less than satisfactory. Due to the absence of job satisfaction, the level of productivity and innovation cannot be improved. Madam, efforts to change organisational and work culture must be given priority if we wish to see positive changes to our country's innovation and productivity. It is not easy to change culture. It is a process that will take a long time as well as a collective, comprehensive and continuous effort. It will need the participation of all parties: the Government, employers and workers. Madam, touching on the issue of unhappiness, many people have voiced their displeasure, particularly via social media, about the 30% increase in the price of water as announced by the Government. Although the Government has provided additional assistance through U-save rebates, the increase in the price of water does not only comprise domestic users or consumption at home, but it also involves all aspects of water consumption like industries and businesses. The increase in the price of water, compounded with the increase in diesel prices, will result in increases in the cost of operations and doing business. I believe that this additional cost will, in turn, be channeled towards consumers. For instance, the increase in the price of water will likely result in an increase in prices at coffee shops as well as hawker centres. The increase in the price of diesel will likely cause an increase in bus and taxi fares.”
“I am of the view that we need to cater more programmes and training focusing on the development of soft skills. I would like to suggest that the learning on the topic of human psychology should be made the main thrust in programmes and training syllabuses. The reason is that self-awareness, as well as awareness and a better understanding of others around us, will allow the development of more positive and effective intra- and interpersonal skills. Madam, I would also like to suggest that the learning of psychology be introduced in our lower secondary school curriculum to develop soft skills, both intra- and interpersonal, in our younger generation. We need not teach the whole spectrum on the subject of psychology. My suggestion is to include the following three components: one, personality; two, perception; and three, social psychology. It can be included as part of the Science subject, alongside Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The learning of these three components will allow our younger generation to develop better awareness of themselves, family members, friends and others in our society. With such better awareness, our young ones will be able to establish good social and community values. And with such good values, and equipped together with skills and knowledge, our young Singaporeans will be more empowered when entering our workforce. Madam, I will switch to Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Madam, the organisational and work culture has an impact on the level of happiness of our workforce. Many internationally renowned companies like Google and Virgin Group and corporations, practise employee-centric work culture that gives priority to workers. Madam, the question is: what is the reality of organisational and work culture in Singapore?”
“Overall, if we look at the studies and surveys conducted on Singapore's workforce for the last couple of years, our workers are unhappy. Arguably, the main cause is our organisational and work culture that does not give job satisfaction. The consequences of not being able to provide job satisfaction are hampering our productivity and innovation. Madam, efforts to change our organisational and work culture must be made a top priority if we want to see positive changes in our nation's level of innovation and productivity. Changing a culture is not easy. It is a process that needs collective and continuous effort and participation of the Government, employers and employees, spanning over a period of time. The Government must take the lead in changing the organisational and work cultures through programmes, its schemes and other initiatives. Programmes should be conducted for employers to enhance their knowledge on how to establish a conducive work culture that can make employees feel appreciated and, thus, feel more motivated to innovate and be more productive. In addition to these programmes, schemes, such as PIC, should be extended to the cost expended in transforming our organisational and work culture to be more conducive and employee-centric. Employers have an important task in ensuring that the Government's schemes and initiatives are being implemented and practised in the most extensive manner to bring about an employee-centric culture. As for employees, they must strive to manifest the best work values. One way of doing so is to attend more programmes and training to improve both the hard and soft skills. Madam, I am convinced that employees equipped with both hard and soft skills are the ones who are more motivated and display good work attitudes.”
“Do they feel their employer cares for them? Are our employers making the employees as their top priority? To answer these questions, I will cite findings of a couple of studies conducted, addressing the issues of Singapore's employees' level of happiness. Madam, in 2014, the Singapore Human Resources Institute (SHRI) and Align Group, a consulting firm, conducted a study, an overview of workplace happiness index. Their findings indicated that employees in Singapore are not so happy with their workplace. The index obtained is 59 out of 100 fell in the category under "happy". The study used a scientific method that contains 20 factors which were categorised into four main categories ‒ satisfaction, alignment, engagement and well-being. The survey also found that happiness is related to employees' perception of their work and experience in the workplace. The report also stated that the ability of companies or employers in promoting pride, positive emotions, a sense of accomplishment and enhancing work culture will affect how happy their employees may feel. In September 2016, JobStreet issued a report on a survey, Job Happiness Index, which was conducted in seven ASEAN countries. The result of the survey showed Singapore employees ranked the lowest amongst their ASEAN counterparts. Singapore only gained 5.09 out of 10. In the same report, it was said that the job happiness index for Singapore will continue to fall to the level of 4.93 in the next six months. The report further mentioned that, given such circumstances, employers have been advised to revisit and review their human resource (HR) practices and address the factors that caused employees to feel less satisfaction.”
“He said, and I quote, "It should go without saying if a person who works at your company is 100% proud of the brand, and you give them the tools to do a good job and they are treated well, they are going to be happy." In the same interview, Mr Branson also said, and I quote, "If a person who works at your company is not appreciated, they are not going to do things with a smile." Mr Branson further shared that the first priority is his employees, customers second and shareholders third. Google, a giant Internet company, emphasises on organisational and work culture that focuses on satisfaction and happiness of employees. As a result, Google has consistently received the top spot in the list of Fortune's Best Companies to work for. Google believes that, on average, a person spends most of his time in the workplace and, hence, it is important to feel happy and calm. They believe, with joy and peace, it will spark innovation and productivity. Amongst Google's initiatives are: one, their offices are designed with an open concept that allows the employees to interact openly in order to stimulate the mind and spark innovation; two, to provide facilities, such as gymnasium, fitness centre and games room. Google believes that a healthy workplace produces joy and happiness and, hence, this will further spark innovation and productivity. Google's office in Malaysia houses a cafe© that provides free food to employees. Google believes that spending on such is part of their investment cost because everyone knows that good food can boost employees' morale. Madam, the questions are: what is the state of our workforce today? Is it a happy or unhappy one? What is the situation of our organisational and work culture in Singapore? Do employees feel happier while on assignment?”
“In addition to improving individual skills of the workforce through training, schemes, such as Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) and others, have also been introduced to equip companies and employers with technologies to further enhance innovation and productivity. Madam, the introduction of technologies or hardware is, indeed, good and necessary. However, enhancement is also very much needed in the aspect of software or heartware. Technology, by itself, is not able to achieve better innovation and productivity. Its effectiveness relies on employees who use the technology. Only with a motivated workforce can we work towards enhancing our innovation and productivity. Madam, a happy employee equates to a motivated employee. A motivated employee is obviously more innovative and productive and many studies have proven this. A study conducted by the University of Warwick in 2014 found that happiness led to an increase in productivity by 12%. The same study also found that workers who are otherwise unhappy show a decline of 10% in their productivity level. The Harvard Business Review, a magazine published by Harvard University, also produced analyses of several studies that showed an average increase of 31% in productivity level for happy employees. Madam, the organisational and work culture has a very great impact on the level of happiness of our workforce. Many internationally renowned companies and corporations practise employee-centric work culture. Mr Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group, in an interview in 2014, mentioned that one business strategy that he used is employee-centric management, giving priority to employees.”
“Madam, in 2016, we witnessed two major events that surprised many: Brexit and the American Presidential election. Many expressed concerns on the possibility of a major global impact these two events may pose, especially on the economic front. Many see a future with uncertainties. Madam, moving into an uncertain global situation, each nation must analyse and evaluate its own strengths and resources and find ways to strive and strengthen its utilisation of resources in a more prudent and most effective manner. In this year's Budget, the two main themes or objectives are: one, a compassionate and inclusive society; and two, an innovative and connected economy. Madam, Singapore is an island city state and only has human resource at our disposal. We rely heavily on our human resource to generate a strong and robust economy. However, we are also very aware that human resource is a challenging factor in the near future due to the drop in our total fertility rate (TFR) in a rapidly ageing population. Apart from making efforts to increase our TFR, we should also find ways to empower Singaporeans, in particular, our workforce. With an empowered nation only can we achieve our objective of, one, a compassionate and inclusive society and, two, an innovative and connected economy. Madam, in this year's as well as previous years' Budgets, many initiatives have been rolled out and implemented, such as SkillsFuture, to enable the Singaporean workforce to upgrade their skills so as to remain relevant and ready to face the challenges in an uncertain global situation.”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for his reply and thank you, Mdm Speaker. Madam, I have attended to cases where residents had sought assistance to appeal to HDB for rectification of the mentioned problems. As mentioned by the Senior Minister of State, usually HDB would reply that they would grant the Goodwill Repair Assistance Scheme. However, most of these residents feel that the cost for such repairs should be fully borne by HDB. To them, such problems should not surface within a short period after the DLP has expired. I just want to know whether HDB can consider absorbing fully the cost of such repairs, especially for problems that are observed to have resulted from poor workmanship or due to oversight during the pre-repair assessment.”
“Madam, my answer just now was very clear.”
“Madam, I am answering the question, so please allow me to answer. Madam, I believe it was mentioned that the very purpose of having a reserved Presidential election is to address the perceptions and feelings of minorities. I believe that this particular issue of addressing such feelings can also be settled through the option of having an appointed Presidency, with the inclusion of the rotational system.”
“Madam, as I mentioned just now, on the very basis of addressing the issue of feelings and perceptions of minoritiy candidates, that is why the reason of having a —”
“My second question is: I did ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many Malay individuals would be eligible for the next Presidential election and how many of them are from the public sector as well as how many from private sector. My last question is: the very basis of having a reserved Presidential election for the minority communities is to address the issue of feelings and perceptions of minorities not able to access the Office of the President. On this very basis, can I ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Government will consider forming a committee or a commission to address the feelings and perceptions of the Malay community on the issue of fairness and equality?”
“Madam, I am just repeating my questions from yesterday.”
“Mdm Speaker, I believe that the Deputy Prime Minister has not answered the three questions that I asked in my speech yesterday. One is: I would like to know why after 25 years of inception of the EP has the Government decided to propose a reserved Presidential election for the minorities. This is referring to President Tony Tan's message to Parliament which mentioned that, "It was not a coincidence that the first four Presidents of Singapore represented the main four communities in Singapore". Hence, based on this explanation, I believe that the reserved —”
“I just want to know does the Minister agree that the Constitutional Commission is taking a more prudent approach in dealing with the inherent tension by asking to do away with the Elected Presidency. I just want to have a simple answer, "yes" or "no".”
“Madam, I would like to thank the Minister for his elaborate reply to my earlier clarification. But I would like to ask the question again because the Minister has not given me the answer yes or no.”
“Madam, I would like to ask one clarification from Mr Shanmugam. The Minister mentioned that the Government does acknowledge there is an inherent tension in the custodial role as well as the historical role. And the Minister alluded to the point that the Government can overcome this issue and also based on the past three Elected Presidents to prove that they have done their job very well. So, I would like to seek a clarification. But before that, I would like to just add on: does the Minister acknowledge that when the Constitutional Commission made such an observation, they also took into consideration the three past Elected Presidents ‒ what they have done ‒ as well as take into consideration what happened in 2011 during the campaigning? So, I would like to have a simple answer from the Minister ‒ as he always wishes Members to give him a simple answer ‒ does the Minister agree that, in this case, the Constitutional Commission is more prudent than the Government in asking not to continue with the Elected Presidency scheme?”
“Sir, as I mentioned just now, it is not part of my speech. But I would like to address the point where I did mention during the Committee of Supply debate that there is no doubt there is progress being made in the Singapore Armed Forces on the whole in getting Malays to assume those sensitive posts. I mentioned this quite a number of times in this Chamber. Page: 110”
“Sir, the issue was brought up at the Committee of Supply debate. I mentioned this issue today on the basis that the Malay community are still unhappy and are still having some concerns about the issue of loyalty.”
“Sir, I did not mention that in my speech. What I mentioned is that instead of allowing the minority to hold the office of Presidency, it can be addressed by reverting to the appointed President scheme.”
“[Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, by having a Senate, yes, it has nothing to do with the matter of taking care of Malay issues. As I stated earlier, we do not discount the importance of taking care of Malay issues or giving the Presidency to the Malays. We did say that the issue of minorities not having a chance to Page: 109 become a President can be resolved by having a rotational system for the appointed Presidency. So, what I said was that the Malay issues or the concerns of the Malay community can also be taken care by the appointed President.”
“[Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, my apologies, the reply to that question will be a bit long, but I will try to go back to the main points. Yes, the report by the Constitutional Commission contains many proposals. Just like the Government. They also did not choose certain proposals. Although they have studied it, they decided to choose some proposals. It is the same with me. I think I showed that the WP's view is inclined towards certain things stated by the Constitutional Commission. Hence, I used what was there to explain why we agree and why we disagree with certain proposals.”
“[Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, as stated by my colleague, Ms Sylvia Lim, we respect the views of the Constitutional Commission. However, we also have our own views and this view is different from that of the Commission. I have stated earlier in my speech that this view is inclined towards the view of the Constitutional Commission. I did not say that we agree with them totally. Hence, we have our own views whereby we said that the elected Senators are a better option than a body that is not elected, in order to retain its moral authority and also to receive the mandate from the people. Page: 108”
“Sir, I would like to go back to the basic where we mentioned that we prefer to have an appointed Presidency, together with eight elected Senators. Sir, I believe that this question has been asked over and over again, asking for clarification. What I can say is that we believe the basic, the fundamental, is that these eight elected individuals will do a better job than one Elected President.”
“Sir, on the whole, what I said earlier showed that there is still a lingering suspicion about the issue of equality that is buried deep in the hearts of Malay/Muslims in Singapore. Once again, I would like to request for a committee or, better still, a commission, to be formed to delve into or study ways to alleviate these feelings of angst and unhappiness among the Malay community that are still being heard in relation to this issue of equality, even though our nation has been independent for 51 years. Sir, finally, the crux of my speech is that the concern about the tensions that can emerge from the friction between the historical and custodial roles can be resolved by reverting the Presidency to an appointed office. If we look back, such concerns did not emerge at all throughout the period when the Presidency was an appointed office. Page: 106”
“I would like to ask how many Malays who are qualified to contest and, out of this, how many are from the public sector and how many are from the private sector. Sir, the WP's stand is that when the office of the President reverts to an appointed office, the concern about minorities not having the chance to assume the office of the President can be overcome, by having a system of rotation. Sir, before I end my speech, I would like to touch on the statement by the Constitutional Commission, which drew my attention towards the issue of perception and minorities. As a multiracial and multi-religious nation that holds fast to the principle of meritocracy, every race, especially minorities, should feel that they are given an equal and fair chance and do not perceive Page: 105 otherwise in every aspect of life in Singapore. Sir, I have highlighted the issue of equality many times in this Chamber. I have quoted the feelings and perceptions of the Malays, that were expressed in the report, about the issue of equality and I requested for solutions to this issue through the formation of a committee. However, my suggestions have remained just a suggestion. Sir, the issue of having a halal kitchen in the Republic of Singapore Navy's ships during the Committee of Supply (COS) debates this year has received much attention. I have received many personal messages of thanks and support for highlighting this issue. I was also approached by many individuals when I was out in public, and they gave their views and thanked me. On the issue of having a reserved Presidential Election for Malays, although generally the Malay community accepted it with an open heart, however, at the same time, we hear many comments, that display suspicion and dissatisfaction, among the Malay community.”
“However, there is some difference between our proposals and the Commission's proposal about the custodial role. We suggest that this role be given to a chamber or Senate comprising eight individuals who are elected via a national election process. This is because we believe that individuals holding this responsibility should get a mandate from the people so that they are equipped with the moral authority to perform their duty. Another thing that I would touch on is about the suggestion to have a reserved Presidential Election for minorities so that they have the chance to become President.Sir, I have two questions for Deputy Prime Minister Teo on the Government's plan to have a reserved election only for Malay candidates. Firstly, why now? After 25 years, since the introduction of the Elected Presidency? Would it not be the best time to give an opportunity to the Malay community to become President during the first Presidential Election in 1992, because after the late Encik Yusof Ishak became first President, the three Presidents after him were from races other than the Malay community? This is based on the message by President Tony Tan that was delivered by Mdm Speaker yesterday, whereby President Tony Tan said that it is not a coincidence and it was arranged this way, that the first four Presidents are from different races. This statement further reinforces the fact that the first Elected President in 1992 should have been reserved for the Malay community if that was the actual intent. But why was it not done? Second, in answering media queries recently, the Prime Minister said that there are enough Malay candidates to contest for the Elected Presidency.”
“It is also based on the reason that something can be done when the tension occurs. Nonetheless, the Government did not say how this can be mitigated or overcome. Sir, the Government constantly adheres to the principle of caution and takes a careful and preventive approach when creating national policies in order to prevent or mitigate the risk of something undesirable from happening. Based on this, I say that the argument used by the Government to reject the proposal of the Commission in this matter is incongruous with the Page: 104 principle and the attitude of the Government that I just mentioned. One other thing about the difference of opinion between the Government and the Constitutional Commission on the issue of "Whether the Presidency should remain an elected office", I would urge everyone to make an honest assessment. The Constitutional Commission, that was set up by the Prime Minister himself and comprising individuals who do not have any political interests, is of the view that the Presidency should revert to an appointed office, with the concern that this can avoid something undesirable from happening in the future, that is, society being divided and political conflict occurs between the President and the Government. On the other hand, the one who wants to retain this Elected Presidency scheme is the ruling political party. So, think about that. Sir, now I would like to state the WP position on the matter "Whether the Presidency should remain an elected office". In this matter, we are inclined towards the view put forward by the Constitutional Commission, that is, firstly, the Presidency reverts to the office of an appointed President, and secondly, the custodial role is given to a body.”
“But the President should not be playing this role. The Commission suggested that this custodial role be given to an appointed body comprising a panel of experts. The Commission conceptualised this appointed body as a body of experts that will be the second chamber of Parliament, that is, given a process-delaying role, by forcing something to be debated again and requiring the Government to override any objections only with a supermajority. Sir, in answering the proposals of the Commission for the custodial role to be given to an appointed body, the Government used the following arguments. First, the Government believes that the second key must be held by an institution that has obtained the direct mandate from Singaporeans through an election process. This is so that this institution has the moral authority and the mandate to use its veto power against the Government. Second, the appointed body that is suggested by the Commission can only force something to be debated again and cannot use the veto power to block the Government's initiatives because it does not have the mandate to do so. Sir, when we look back at the differences of opinion between the Government and the Constitutional Commission on the matter "Whether the Presidency should remain an elected office", it is clear that both parties – the Commission and the Government – agree that there is tension when a President performs both the historical and custodial roles. If we studied the arguments put forth by the Constitutional Commission, it is, firstly, forward-looking, and secondly, it is also preventive in nature, in order to prevent something undesirable from happening. On the other hand, the Government's argument is based on the experience over the past four terms of the Presidency.”
“Such messages are incongruous with the custodial role of the President, which is only concerned with the nation's Reserves and other duties. The Prime Minister himself has touched on this issue in his speech during the debate on the President's Address at the Opening of the 13th Parliament. I quote his speech in English. Page: 103 (In English): "By design, the President has no executive, policy-making role and this remains the prerogative of the elected Government commanding the majority in Parliament. But in the last Presidential Election, many people did not understand this. I suspect even now, quite a number of people still do not understand this. Regrettably, during the last Presidential Election, those who did not understand it included some candidates. They campaigned for President as if they were going to form an alternate government". (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I end with this quote. If such an undesirable situation happens, where a politically-inclined Presidential candidate exploits the agenda to "check" on the Government as an incentive to campaign on an anti-government platform, surely, if such a candidate were to be elected, this candidate would highly likely go head-to-head frequently with the government. When this happens, it will certainly hinder the role of the President as the unifier of the nation. I believe when the Commission thought about this matter, it also took into account the situation that happened during the 2011 Presidential Election. Sir, I will now touch on the custodial role. Although the Commission suggested that this Elected Presidency scheme be unbundled in an effort to stabilise and strengthen the role of a unifier of the nation, the Commission, however, agreed that the custodial role must be retained.”
“When this situation occurs, it will surely have a negative effect on the role of the President as the unifier of the nation. Sir, the Government has rejected the proposals put forward by the Constitutional Commission as stated in the Government's White Paper. The Government has presented these arguments. First, the Government accepted that there are tensions between the election process and the role of the Elected President as the unifier of the nation. However, the Government believed that this tension can be mitigated, although not totally removed. With regard to this argument, I have two questions for Deputy Prime Minister Teo. First, on what basis does the Government believe that this tension can be mitigated and, second, what will the Government do to mitigate this tension? The Government's second argument is that, although tension can potentially happen between the historical and custodial roles as identified by the Commission, the Government said that all the Elected Presidents so far have performed both roles successfully. Sir, the answers given by the Government on this matter are not that convincing. Just because something bad did not happen previously, it does not mean that it will not happen in the future. At the same time, all the previous Elected Presidents are individuals who have a direct or indirect relationship with the ruling party before they became President. However, Sir, imagine the situation during campaigning at the Presidential Elections, whereby some candidates use messages that are political in nature in order to attract votes, as mentioned by the Constitutional Commission. For example, if elected as President, they say that they will become the check and balance against the Government.”
“I would like to share the main points that were touched on and discussed by the Constitutional Commission when it gave its suggestions to the Government to reconsider the Elected Presidency scheme. The Commission stated that after 25 years since the scheme was first introduced, and with changing situations and over time, it was observed that there was some tension between the two main roles of the Elected Presidency, that is, the historical role or the unifying role, and the Page: 102 custodial role. The Commission had given at least three clarifications about their observations on this issue of tension. First, the Commission found that the historical role requires a President who is neutral, who is non-partisan, and has a role as the unifier of the nation. On the other hand, the custodial role requires a President who will confront and query the Government, if the situation requires it. This is a responsibility that is rather unsuitable for an office that is supposed to be a symbol of a unifier of the nation. Secondly, the Commission then stated that there is some irony in the Elected Presidency scheme. This is because the Presidential Election process itself, which will surely have political and divisive elements, contradicts with the role as a unifier of the nation. In other words, these political and divisive elements should not be present in the process of electing a President who will become a unifier of the nation. Thirdly, the Commission stated that the role of the Elected President is to serve as a check on the Government. But the irony is, this aspect can become an incentive for a candidate to campaign on an anti-government platform. Such a President, who is political in nature, will surely be likely to come head-to-head frequently with the Government.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I will deliver my speech in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, the WP rejects this amendment Bill that is being presented and debated on. We would like to state that we stand by our original position we had since the office of the Elected Presidency was instituted, that is, we do not agree with the Elected Presidency and call for the Presidency to be returned to its original office, that is, an appointed Presidency. Sir, I would like to touch on the differences of opinion found in the report of the Constitutional Commission and the Government's White Paper regarding the issue of "Whether the Presidency should remain an elected office", and the WP's stand on this matter. I would also like to touch on whether it is necessary to have a reserved Presidential Election so that minorities have the chance to become the President. Sir, one thing that caught my attention, which is located in the report of the Constitutional Commission, was the suggestion that the Government consider reverting the Presidency to its original office, that is, an appointed Presidency. This is an interesting issue because this issue was not contained in the Terms of Reference that the Government gave to the Constitutional Commission to conduct the review. However, the Commission stated that this issue was raised because when they were performing their review, the Commission had the opportunity to focus on and make considerations about the advantages and disadvantages of the Elected Presidency scheme and the matters that are related to the weaknesses of this scheme and how these can be overcome by an alternative system.”
“I had asked for a breakdown based on the teachers on the PGDE and BA/BSc (Education) tracks, as well as how many MOE scholars have been teaching as their first career and how many are on mid-career switches to teaching. I believe that the Minister of State has not addressed these issues.”
“Madam, I would like to thank the Minister of State for his reply. I may have missed it, but I believe that he has not answered the whole of my question. Can I have the Minister of State to address my question, please?”
“Mdm Speaker, I have one supplementary question for the Minister. I want to know whether ARS will apply to non-Singaporean religious teachers, especially for those who are invited to Singapore to give sermons and speeches on Islam? If not, then how do we ensure that they maintain the same standards as the ARS-registered teachers? Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Madam, those who are invited to Singapore to give public talks, as we know, will have to apply for Miscellaneous Work Pass through the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). MUIS works together with MOM to ensure that those who are invited in will meet our requirements.”
“I am quite concerned that the cost incurred to use the ECT's services may become an obstacle that causes workers, especially low-wage workers, to become reluctant to step forward and make their claims. The issue of cost should not become an impediment for anyone who wishes to obtain any legal service. Hence, with the implementation of the ECT, I would like to request that the Ministry reduce the costs that will be incurred and provide waivers for low-wage workers. In the Ministry's Consultation Paper, it was stated under paragraph 8 that the ECT was implemented only as an "expeditious mechanism to deal with salary-related claims". Therefore, it does not include other aspects like job dismissals that were conducted unfairly or due to discrimination. Here, Madam, I hope that the ECT can also include claims made by workers that are related to, firstly, issues of discrimination due to age, disability, religion, race, gender and, secondly, dismissals that were conducted unfairly. It cannot be denied that issues of discrimination and unfair dismissals still occur in Singapore. For instance, in 2013, the then-Acting Minister for Manpower, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, said that between 2007 and 2013, MOM received, on average, 70 cases from female workers every year, whereby 70% of them were expectant mothers who felt that they were dismissed unfairly. Therefore, Madam, I believe that the ECT can become more encompassing and, therefore, bring about more benefits and become more meaningful to workers, if claims related to issues of discrimination and unfair dismissals can be included in this Bill. (In English): Madam, in conclusion, on the basis of these four proposals I have shared earlier in enhancing the working of this Bill, I support the setting up of the ECT. Page: 85”
“The ECT sets out to, I quote, "create a more accessible system" for potential employees who wish to seek redress, and higher costs may lower accessibility. Hence, as my third proposal, I would like to propose that the grounds of decision by the ECT be made free to claimants so that they can better understand the factors considered by the ECT and thus be more aware of their rights. This can also help them decide on further actions they may wish to undertake. Notes of evidence should also be made more affordable, with charges waived for low-income claimants. Madam, I understand that under clause 34 of the Bill, fees for making claims to the ECT are not specified and the Minister has this flexibility to make regulations to the fees charged. I would like to seek clarity on what these fees are and how they will be calculated. Considering that our claimants could be facing financial difficulties and are seeking recourse through the ECT, I would like to propose that the fees be pegged at no higher than $160 for salary-related claims, a practice common in the UK, and it should be waived entirely for those in financial distress. Madam, in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Madam, the move to replace the Labour Court with the ECT was based on two main considerations, that is, to have more inclusivity and, secondly, to enhance efficiency in reaching resolutions. I welcome the move to make labour laws more inclusive and efficient. However, I would like to make some suggestions to further enhance this Bill, so that it can be more inclusive. The first thing that I would like to touch on is related to costs.”
“Madam, in the consultation paper, it is stated under paragraph 8 that the ECT is meant to be an, I quote, "expeditious mechanism to deal with salary-related claims." And hence, it will not include other workplace grievances, such as unfair dismissal or discrimination. Thus, I would like to propose that the ECT should preferably deal with claims related to discrimination based on age, disability, race, gender and unfair dismissal. This will bring it in line with other jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom (UK). Including claims related to other workplace grievances will make the ECT more comprehensive and useful for employees. Madam, such workplace grievances are still commonplace in Singapore. In 2013, for instance, the then Acting Minister for Manpower, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, said that from between the period 2007 and 2013, MOM received an average of 70 cases from female employees annually, 70% of whom are pregnant mothers who felt that they had been unfairly dismissed. Madam, on accessibility to the ECT, I would like to raise two further points. The issue here is affordability. To be inclusive in this instance is to facilitate access to the ECT, in particular, for those are less fortunate in our midst. Access to any legal recourse should be made accessible to all, regardless of their financial circumstances. This is the point that Members in this House will concur with. Presently, claimants have to pay $5 per page for the notes of evidence and grounds of decision made by the Labour Court Commissioner. Such cost can be prohibitive, especially for low-wage Page: 84 workers, some of whom may not even have received their salaries for a period of time.”
“Madam, the move to replace the current Labour Court with the ECT is based on two main considerations: one, inclusivity; and two, enhancing efficiency in achieving resolutions. The ECT will basically cover all employees who have an employment contract with the employers regardless of their salary level, with the exception of the following three groups of employees: one, public servants; two, domestic workers; and three, seafarers. The implementation of the ECT will also improve efficiency, shortening the time required to resolve a salary-related claim. I welcome this move in making our labour laws more inclusive and efficient. However, I would like to raise four suggestions to further enhance this Bill so that it can be more encompassing and inclusive. Madam, in the proposed Bill, domestic workers will be excluded from filing claims when the ECT is set up. However, it opens a possibility that domestic workers may be included and I quote, "at a later date when operations have stabilised." In the meantime, affected domestic workers will have to, I quote, "approach their employment agencies and/or MOM to resolve disputes" as they are not covered by the EA and thus do not have access to the Labour Court. Madam, domestic workers are amongst the most vulnerable workers in Singapore, in part due to the authority and power the employers have over them and they could possibly be in debt upon arriving in Singapore. If they are not covered from the start, requiring them to approach MOM would perpetuate all the downsides of their current claims dispute settlement mechanism that the ECT is trying to resolve. As such, I propose that the Ministry indicate the public timeline for domestic workers to be included in the overall operations of the ECT.”
“I would like to thank the Minister for her reply. Madam, I have three supplementary questions. One is whether the Ministry is open to the idea of discussing such sensitive issues on a platform which has a wider public outreach and is more formal, such as the SG Future Forum. I believe such discussions will allow public awareness on these issues. Secondly, what are the processes that MCCY uses to review current and on-going efforts to address discrimination to improve on the existing work in this area? And, lastly, how does MCCY support efforts to address discrimination in areas covered by other Ministries and Government agencies, such as MOM and TAFEP, to understand and deal with workplace discrimination?”
“Madam, I would like to thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. Madam, I am heartened to hear that there is a diverse and varied approach to inculcate values. Unfortunately, recently, we have seen incidences being shown in the social media of incidents of parent and child making insensitive cultural and religious remarks in public. Thus, I would like to make one proposal to the Ministry, that is, whether the Ministry can consider having more programmes to address these issues of diversity, differences and discrimination that will also involve parents as well. For example, run more of such programmes under the PSD platform.”
“I do not remember the figures, but close to over 90% of all of our madrasah teachers have gone for the training. If there is a special request Page: 50 from a particular madrasah which is not in JMS, we will evaluate it, based on the requirements of the madrasah and the funds available. So, that is the assurance I give to the Member and the House. On MMCDF, I come back to my reply again on it earlier. Certainly, it is not the core objective of the mosques, but I also mentioned in my reply they can always work in partnership with other organisations. The point to be made is that there is no shortage of funds for the mosques to tap on. They have zakat funds and they have donations that they receive every Friday and every day of the week. I know for a fact that mosques do have a lot of resources. The partnership is also very good for the MMOs because it gives them a way to extend their programme into the mosques, especially for the use of the facilities and greater outreach. So, I will leave it to the mosques to find their own way to work together with the organisations.”
“Madam, I have two clarifications for Minister Yaacob. The first one is on my MMCDF cut. I agree that the mosques' core focus is on spiritual development. However, there are also mosque programmes, such as youth programmes run by the Mosques Youth Development Unit, which focus on developing the spirit of teamwork and resilience. Maybe, in future, they may want to conduct a trip to OBS @ Coney Island. Hence, I would like to reiterate my call for MMCDF to be extended selectively for mosque programmes which focus on social and personal development. My second point is on JMS. I would like to, firstly, declare that I have a child who is a student of a madrasah which is not under the system. Since the Minister had mentioned just now that Madrasah Aljunied and Arabiah, which are under JMS, in collaboration with MUIS, are rolling out new programmes, I commend these collaborative efforts in making madrasahs a more progressive institution. My question is whether MUIS has any plans in collaborating with madrasahs which are not part of JMS to roll out such similar programmes. Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Madam, on the second question, JMS is a specially arranged programme between three madrasahs and MUIS, and we remain open for other madrasahs to join us. Having said that, MUIS has always extended assistance to all the six madrasahs. Madrasahs which are out of JMS have their own programmes. They want to do things on their own. We provide funding for them, especially because the children are also facing PSLE requirements. So, we will never deny them that. In fact, what we have also done is to ensure that the teacher training which we extend to JMS teachers is also extended to the non-JMS madrasahs.”
“In the name of this spirit of partnership, I would to like to ask that the Minister and the Government consider the proposal that this fund be extended to the mosques, so that this MMCDF can bring further benefits towards the development of the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore. This will also strengthen the spirit of partnership between the Government and Malay/Muslim bodies. Sir, I have two questions for the Minister. First, can the Minister clarify what are the criteria that are being used to categorise an institution or organisation as a Malay/Muslim organisation (MMO)? Secondly, who decides on these criteria? Underage Marriages Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: Mr Chairman, the numbers of underage and teenage marriages have always been on the radar of our community. This is because observations, studies and statistics have shown a significant proportion of them to have family financial problems, as well as a higher rate of divorce, and subsequent remarriages, resulting in many challenges and disruptions for the children of such families. Efforts have been proactive and have been put forth to contain their numbers. Marriage counselling has also been targeted towards this group of people. Can we have an update on the current numbers that we face in the community and to assess if targeted interventions that have been implemented along the way have been positive and have impacted these families? How are we tracking them and the existing couples who need assistance and continue to need assistance? Are there further interventions and new initiatives underway?”
“Sir, in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In his reply to my query in this Chamber on whether the Malay/Muslim Community Development Fund (MMCDF) can be extended to the mosques, the Minister said that this cannot be done as mosques are not considered to be Malay/Muslim bodies. However, he added that mosques can receive this fund if their social programmes are run in cooperation with Government bodies or other Malay/Muslim organisations. I really admire the efforts of the Muslim community in Singapore in the administration of mosques. The management board and staff of every mosque work hard to run these mosques, while the Muslim community also plays a role to achieve stability for the mosques by contributing their money and energy. As we know, mosques welcome contributions from the community in any shape or form, especially financial contributions. This is because, as I understand it, all the expenses incurred in running a mosque like utility bills, payment of monthly salaries and so on are also funded with money contributed by the community. This spirit of partnership is born out of the intent and sincere effort to achieve a shared objective that is to help mosques in Singapore prosper. The stability of mosques, which is built on this spirit of partnership, will turn mosques into one of the important and main contributors not only in spiritual development, but also in the social development of our Muslim community. Sir, one of the themes of this year's Budget is the spirit of partnership.”
“Mdm Chair, all children are unique, as are the methods that are most effective for them. They are naturally eager for knowledge and some children require a very structured teacher-led style of learning while others learn better in a child-led environment that emphasises individuality and creativity. It is the responsibility of parents to assess the temperament and learning abilities of their children and to select the most appropriate school and curriculum for their children's growth and development. However, the unevenness of KiFAS means that the choices that they make for their children's education are limited, especially for the less well-off. Kindergarten education is extremely important as it sets the foundation for skills that they will build on later in life and plays an important role in the social and emotional growth of the child. KiFAS can currently only be used in about half of all registered kindergartens which are in the centres run by anchor operators and MOE. This stifles competition with other operators that provide quality education but are not KiFAS-eligible and limits parents' choices. Page: 81 Madam, I am repeating my earlier calls for KiFAS to be expanded to all kindergartens so as to create more quality choices of learning and development. Affordable Childcare Fees”
“Madam, I would like to clarify on what Senior Minister of State Mr Ng mentioned earlier. He said that any improper tweaking of the current COE scheme may result in an increase of the vehicle population and this contradicts the objective of the COE scheme. However, Madam, my proposal in asking for an adjustment to the existing Cat D is more towards making a proper and fairer allocation of quotas among the three different classes of motorcycles, according to the demand of the respective classes. Hence, it does not increase the vehicle population. So, I do hope that the Ministry will further study this proposal.”