Murali Pillai
Singapore
“Sir, my response will also cover matters raised in the related oral questions, as well as written questions, all filed by the hon Member, Ms Sylvia Lim1, 2, for a subsequent Sitting. The hon Member may wish to withdraw her Parliamentary Questions (PQs) if her queries are answered in today's Sitting.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to respond to the hon Member Ms Poh's third question on jet fuel. We are working with the aviation stakeholders to monitor the fuel supply for aviation hubs carefully to ensure that it remains stable.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in response to the hon Member Dennis Tan's question on maritime hub, I just want to say that for the now, for the current, port operations have been stable. There are no significant fuel supply shortages, and we have adequate fuel and bunker supply.”
“Sir, I would like to answer the hon Member Shawn Loh's question on the status of the aviation hub. There have been some flight disruptions. Apart from the disruptions, most of Changi Airport's flights have been operating normally. The disruptions have been limited to some Singapore-Middle East passenger and cargo services.”
“Sir, I would like to thank the hon Member Mr Chia for his kind words about the efforts we have made thus far to attract young talent. On the specific issue about the GRIT programme, that involves traineeship, the good thing about the maritime sector is that we have jobs available.”
“It was John Harrison's invention of the chronometer, highly accurate even at sea, that allowed longitudes to be plotted and journeys to be precise enough to chase a nimble whale. Likewise, Singapore must remain alive to the transformational power of new technologies, to master new tasks and chart new journeys through untested waters.”
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“A decade later, substantially the same copy of the Indian Penal Code with its 511 sections was enacted as law in Singapore through Ordinance 4 of 1871 when Singapore was part of the Straits Settlement. Since then, law students, lawyers and our Courts have referred to Indian case law when interpreting our Penal Code provisions. What were the main objectives of the Penal Code then? The principal objective was to codify common law criminal offences, which are really judge-made law and, in the words of Prof Phang, "replace the manifold systems of criminal law then existing" with a single code. The Penal Code allowed lay people to understand what kind of action and behaviour amounts to criminal conduct as well as the precise ingredients that make up the offences. Almost 150 years later, the Penal Code continues to play an important role in the administration of the criminal justice system. It clearly withstood the test of time. The Penal Code is applied every day in the State Courts. Given the evolving nature of our society and our mores, the Penal Code had to be, and indeed was, revised from time to time to ensure its relevance. As mentioned earlier by the hon Senior Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin, the last revision of the Penal Code was done by this House a little over a decade ago in 2008. I have reviewed the work of the PCRC chaired by the hon Minister Indranee Rajah and co-chaired by Senior Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin. The PCRC members are all eminent people drawn from the judiciary, legal service, Ministries, academia and private practice. Together, with their collective knowledge, experience and wisdom, they are uniquely well-placed to undertake the review. As we heard from Senior Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin, they delivered a 500-page tome.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, please allow me to declare my interest as a litigation lawyer. I have a practice. Given the Bicentennial Commemoration this year, I think it would be apt to pay tribute to the original framers of the Penal Code, which is one of the oldest pieces of legislation in Singapore, in the administration of criminal justice in Singapore. Prof Ho Peng Kee, the then Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, colourfully described the Penal Code as "the mother of all statutes" when it was last reviewed in this House in 2008. There are masterful commentaries about the history of the Penal Code in two textbooks. The first book is "The Criminal Law in Malaysia and Singapore" by Profs Stanley Yeo, Neil Morgan and Chan Wing Cheong. Incidentally, Prof Stanley Yeo and Prof Chan volunteered as members of PCRC. The second book is "The Development of Singapore Law: Historical and Socio Legal Perspectives" by Prof Andrew Phang as he then was. I relied on these commentaries in the preparation of my speech. The principal framer of the Penal Code was Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay. In 1837, the Law Commission, which he chaired, produced the draft of the Penal Code. For the draft, Lord Macaulay drew inspiration not just from English common law but two other sources: (a) the French Napoleonic Penal Code of 1791 and (b) Livingstone’s Code for Louisiana which was printed in 1833. He drew from the best ideas from continental Europe, America and the UK. Already then, it was not uncommon to trawl the world for best ideas to be incorporated into draft legislation. Eventually, the Penal Code was introduced in India in 1860.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the hon Second Minister for her comprehensive answer to my question. I have a few supplementary questions. Firstly, in relation to the crime, how much of it is committed by organised crime syndicates? Secondly, given that the casino businesses are doing relatively well, should we not accept that casino businesses will continue to be targets for organised crime syndicates? And what can we do to deter these syndicates, particularly the foreign crime syndicates, from coming over to Singapore and ensnaring Singaporeans as well?”
“The peace and security we enjoy are a direct result of the painstaking efforts of succeeding generations of our Government leaders, fully backed by fellow Singaporeans, to ensure that we preserve multiracial and religious harmony. In the words of the hon Minister, he said, "We took no chances." Our unity and future as a nation will continue to depend, in large part, on how we manage race and religious issues. It is, therefore, of paramount importance that we continue to be vigilant and guard against the propagation of hate and offensive speeches that affect the maintenance of racial and religious harmony in Singapore.”
“Next, I suggest a rethink on the decision to oust judicial review of Government action under the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act and the Internal Security Act to deal with hate speech incidents that affect the maintenance of racial and religious harmony. In some quarters, there is a concern about the possibility for the wide-ranging powers vested with the Executive arm of our Government to be abused in future. In fact, I received an e-mail from my resident expressing this point. Judicial review by the Judiciary, which is an independent branch of our Government, will provide an important assurance and signalling effect to people having such concerns. This does not mean that the judiciary will substitute its decision on the matter; the narrow focus of judicial review is to ascertain the legality, rationality and procedural propriety of the Executive’s decision. I shall now conclude. Last month, I attended an Officer Cadet Course Commissioning Parade at the Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute Military Institute (SAFTI MI). It was a proud moment for all gathered there, particularly the officer cadets and parents. I was delighted to see about 10 religious leaders standing side by side and offering prayers and blessings to the newly commissioned officers drawn from different races and religions. This has been a long-standing tradition of SAF. The Chief of Navy, who was seated beside me, mentioned to me that each time a Navy vessel is launched, our religious leaders will be in attendance to offer prayers and blessings, too. Having enjoyed relative peace and security for so long, we may be tempted to take such things for granted. The reality is that in many parts of the world today, this is not at all common.”
“For example, during the Hari Raya Haji prayers last year, two of our Taoist temple organisations built a tent at Bukit Batok Central for the benefit of around 1,000 Muslims so that they can perform their Hari Raya prayers led by an Ustaz from the Ar-Raudhah Mosque. The congregants were able to perform their prayers properly and did not get wet despite the heavy rain at that time. We are truly fortunate to have far-sighted religious leaders like Dr Suhami and his peers from the various religions in Bukit Batok. We must continue to strengthen interracial and inter-religious relations so that hate speech, which can potentially divide our different races and religions, will not take root in our society, in order to safeguard Singapore's cohesiveness and solidarity. (In English): Sir, the next point I wish to make is that, having regard to the emerging trends, especially involving the social media, there is a basis to consider strengthening the current framework. On the phenomenon of weaponising social media, this has been dealt with in depth in the report of the Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods which made 22 recommendations, and I would not say more on this. I do think, however, that there is a need to see how we can prevent or deprive any commercial entity or person from making money by being platforms or providing support for hate and offensive speeches that may create disaffection along racial and religious lines. We could consider adapting the provisions dealing with terrorism financing. This will make corporations and people think twice before deciding to support such hate and offensive speeches.”
“We must courageously confront such efforts that try to divide our society. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] People who are involved in hate speech seek to divide society along religious lines and try to create an "us" versus "them" situation. The objective is to create a perception that one group within a society is different and more important than the rest. In this way, the group that feels that they are superior will be insensitive towards discrimination and, in fact, commit acts of violence towards others. Knowing this, if the bonds within our society are strong and cannot be undone either along racial or religious lines, hate speakers will not succeed in their efforts. Here, I would like to commend the efforts by religious leaders in Singapore who place importance on cooperation with their peers from other religions in order to show that we are a cohesive society and are united. One example of such a religious leader in Bukit Batok is Dr Suhami Mustar, the Executive Chairman of Ar-Raudhah Mosque. For the past few years, the mosque has been reaching out to disadvantaged families in Bukit Batok, regardless of race or religion. For instance, the mosque organises activities to entertain families in Bukit Batok during the celebration of various festivals, like Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Christmas as well as Hari Raya Puasa. These celebrations are jointly organised with other religious organisations like the Catholic Church, the Taoist temple and the Hindu temple. The recipient families, comprising community members from different races and religions, will naturally sense the close friendship among the different races and religions. It is not just that. In the spirit of brotherhood, these religious organisations also help one another.”
“I will, thereafter, in my Malay speech, highlight how regular outreach efforts among members of different religious backgrounds, such as through joining hands to celebrate one another's cultural festivals and help the less fortunate irrespective of their race and religion, is singularly powerful to guard against anyone who tries to separate us along racial and religious lines through hate speech. Sir, in Tamil, please. (In Tamil): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In any society, we can find some people expressing their views to the extent of creating hatred against others. However, we have to be careful when such expressions go to the extent of instigating racial issues. Let me give an example. Recently, a market operator issued a notice in Hindi instead of the Tamil language. It went viral in the social media and many Tamils came to know about this incident and were angry. Such anger is understandable. However, the problem got worse when some people in the social media said that, henceforth, Hindi will be used to replace the Tamil language. They said that Hindi would become an official language. These views are not true. Such hateful views evoke unnecessary and wrong emotions. It was only after Minister Iswaran had explained about these false exchanges that many felt comforted. Minister Iswaran had assured that the Tamil language is one of four official languages of Singapore. He also said that, henceforth, translations should be done in a responsible and careful manner. After Singapore's Independence, it was written in our Constitution that the Tamil language will be one of the official languages. Even then, the thought of another language replacing Tamil has risen. Many arouse racial feelings and try to divide our society. We have to examine such incidents.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I express my support of the Government's current approach to restrict hate speech with a view to maintain racial and religious harmony in Singapore. The hon Minister in his Statement outlined the findings of scientific neurological research on the impact of hate speech on humans. It accords with my own research on the matter. The objective of the speakers is to prey on the human psyche to divide our communities along racial and religious lines by – and as said by the hon Minister – displacing logic and reasoning through desensitising individuals to verbal aggression, in part because it normalises what is usually socially condemned behaviour. Research also shows that there is no difference in the impact of hate speech as opposed to offensive speech. It only takes more time for humans to be similarly influenced with respect of offensive speech. Against that backdrop, the first point I wish to make is that we must continue to "invest" heavily in ensuring that, as a country, we remain united so that such seeds introduced by hate and offensive speeches will not take root in our multiracial and multi-religious community. The reality is that in this modern era, it is difficult to prevent people from hearing or reading hate and offensive speeches. It is not as easy as turning off the radio. Hate and offensive speeches, as well as fake news, assail us through so many platforms, many of which are from overseas. We need to work hard on "immunising" our people and strengthen our social defence against these speakers. In this regard, I will, shortly, in my Tamil speech, highlight how easy it is for members of a race to feel alienated by playing on ethnic sentiments.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, I am heartened to note from the hon Minister's speech that young couples applying for BTO flats in non-mature estates will be able to secure their flats within two to three bids. I have a query in relation to young couples whose combined incomes breach the income ceiling. I understand that the policy objective behind the income ceiling is to husband the housing subsidies such that we direct it to those who need it the most. However, in relation to young couples whose incomes breach the income ceiling, they may not necessarily have an option to purchase a condominium because condominium prices have increased quite significantly as well. I welcome the hon Minister's comments on this, please.”
“Sir, in July last year, I suggested in this House that vacant school sites be considered for conversion into retirement homes. The Government agreed to study the suggestion. The main reason behind my suggestion is to pass on to our seniors the savings arising from lower capital expenditure involved in converting schools to homes. Also, there are other advantages, as noted by the hon Minister in his written reply, such as the relatively large size of the school plot which can accommodate a good number of persons and the favourable location as, usually, schools tend to be located near neighbourhoods. Yesterday, we heard from the hon Minister for Education on his plans to redevelop junior colleges which will eventually result in more vacant schools. I would be grateful for an update on this matter from the Minister. 6.00 pm Waiver of Development Charge for Rest Areas”
“Often, in the absence of supervision from families, there are practical difficulties in ensuring that these patients receive and adhere to their treatment. Even if the Police get called in, and the patients are eventually referred to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), there is no guarantee that they would present themselves at scheduled appointments. Once they are off their medicine, the tendency is for them to go back to their anti-social behaviour and the entire cycle repeats itself. This raises a conundrum in the communities where they live. Not only that, these patients may harm themselves, especially if they plunge into depression. I would like to ask the hon Minister what are his plans to provide more help to mental health patients and their caregivers, including those who are older patients? Also, how can the community and other partners help in this regard? Mental Health”
“Sir, families whose members are diagnosed with mental health conditions often have difficulty managing these patients. It is not unusual for such patients not to adhere to instructions to take their medication or even attend medical appointments. This would lead to relapses on the part of the patients. Often, their caregivers undergo quite a bit of stress as a result. There are also families where the caregivers are older than the patients, giving rise to uncertainty and worry on the part of caregivers as to how the patients, usually their children, would be taken care of once they pass on. During the recent debate on the Caregivers for Seniors' Motion introduced in this House by hon Member of Parliament, Dr Chia Shi-Lu, the Government announced a slew of measures to help caregivers of seniors, such as provision of the Home Caregiver Grant of $200 per month and caregiver support network. The hon Senior Minister of State Edwin Tong pertinently recognised in his speech at the debate that there is a "broad range of caregivers who operate in a variety of different circumstances and a very broad landscape". It is time to consider providing similar support for caregivers of mental health patients as that announced for the caregivers of seniors. Separately, there are a good number of cases of mental health patients who live alone or do not get any support from family members and are in sore need of medical intervention. From time to time, we hear of such patients engaged in behaviour, such as hoarding materials in common corridors of HDB flats, quarrelling with neighbours based on perceived threats, throwing bags of urine and faeces and so on. A good number of them cannot help themselves because they suffer from anti-social personality disorders whose prognosis is guarded.”
“Sir, year after year, we have seen an increase in our health budget, as mentioned by the hon Minister for Health, to cater for the health and healthcare needs of Singaporeans. It may be timely to review our "investment" in health over the years and determine how we have fared thus far and what targets we should aim for the future. My attention was recently drawn to a study published earlier this year in the Singapore Medical Journal by a group of 10 doctors and researchers entitled "Successful ageing in Singapore". The study focused on successful ageing amongst Singaporeans aged 60 and older. Successful ageing is defined as having no major diseases, no disability, high cognitive functions as well as physical functions and active life engagement. The study revealed that 25.4% of our seniors have aged successfully. What is the Minister's view of the finding in light of the "investments" made in promoting good health over the years and against the backdrop of an increase in lifestyle diseases, as the hon Minister just mentioned? What are our targets for the future?”
“Sir, in 2017, I suggested that MediShield Life coverage be extended to patients who are directly admitted to Community Hospitals. The Ministry indicated that it would study my suggestion. In Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency where I serve, residents have benefited from a range of in-patient services provided by St Luke’s Hospital, a community hospital dedicated to the elderly sick, over two decades. The services extended by the hospital have increased significantly and now includes, in addition to medical care, palliative care, rehabilitation care and dementia care. A change in MediShield Life coverage will help residents in paying for these "cares". The hon Minister responded in 2017 by stating that MediShield Life was designed to provide coverage for large acute hospital bills and there is a need to guard against cost escalation. I would respectfully point out that there are benefits in right-siting the care of the patients at an appropriate healthcare institution so that precious resources in acute hospitals are not stretched. I would be grateful for an update on this matter. Private Ambulance Services”
“I have gathered that in some of these cases, it is, ironically, the parents who do not provide support for their children's education. These parents, by reason of their personal circumstances, may not have the requisite parenting skills or motivation to look after their children's needs. There could also be situations where the children’s homes are not conducive for learning. I made the point previously that the current statutory levers do not provide for interventions where parents do not give their children reasonable support for their educational pursuits. I would like to seek an update from the hon Minister on the task force’s work and, in addition, how she proposes that UPLIFT deal with the challenges that I have identified. Fighting Absenteeism”
“Sir, Singapore's meritocratic system has served us well. Over generations, our families have moved up the social ladder through their children's pursuit of education. Minister Heng Swee Keat, in his Budget round-up speech last week made the point that, currently, nine in 10 persons have completed post-secondary education. This compares to two in 10 for the Merdeka Generation and one in 10 for the Pioneer Generation. Notwithstanding our achievements, I think we all can agree that there is still a need to address why some of our children are underperforming and how we can help them. With the rapid rate of transformation of our world, if these children do not equip themselves with skills for the jobs of the future, their own future is likely to be bleak. Each of these children, even though they, cumulatively, do not represent a big number, are not mere statistical digits that can be ignored. Each one of them, if they are provided with adequate motivation and support to overcome challenges and uplift themselves, they will be, as Mr Charles Chong just said, add value to themselves, their families as well as Singapore and be part of our success story. This must be our aim since we are focused on building an inclusive society. This task, however, would not be easy, as generations of families have already taken advantage of our meritocratic system to forge ahead, leaving behind families which have more serious issues. It is in this context that I had welcomed the Government’s announcement in November last year that it has set up UPLIFT, headed by the hon Minister Indranee Rajah, to find meaningful ways to support children from disadvantaged homes who are underperforming.”
“Sir, the first JC in Singapore started in 1969. This introduced a lecture and tutorial system, akin to the university model, for students pursuing a two-year GCE "A" level course to gain entry into universities. Fifty years later, this remains one of the most direct routes to universities. Since then, more JCs were built. Today, the bulk of our JCs are more 30 years old. Over this period, the JC curriculum has been reviewed and enhanced. For example, in 2002, it was reported in this House that the curriculum was broadened to include Project Work to develop flexible thinking and a creative bent amongst our students. This may be an opportune time to consider whether the older JCs have adequate facilities to deal with the expanded curriculum requirements and desired educational outcomes for the future. What are the development plans that MOE has to ensure that older JC campuses are adequately resourced and conducive for their students and teachers? Special Educational Needs Support in Secondary Schools and IHLs”
“In addition, Singapore acceded to the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements which allows SICC judgments to be enforced in jurisdictions of the contracting parties, thereby broadening the reach of SICC judgments. I would like to seek an update from the hon Minister on the development of SICC as well as his Ministry’s efforts to entrench Singapore as a choice location for dealing with international disputes as well as how Singapore’s legal industry would benefit from such efforts. I also seek an update from the Ministry on its review of my suggestion that Singapore accedes to the Apostille Convention to facilitate easier recognition of foreign legal documents in Singapore. Support for Law Firms and Legal Sector”
“The hon Senior Minister of State, as she then was, informed this House that the Ministry would like to test the third-party funding framework within the international arbitration sphere before deciding to expand the categories. She also stated that the relevant stakeholders will be consulted, too. I would like to respectfully seek an update on this matter. Singapore as an International Legal Hub In 2015, SICC was established with a view to broaden the suite of dispute resolution options here, apart from international arbitration and mediation, and further enhance Singapore’s standing as a leading international dispute resolution centre. As stated by the hon Senior Minister of State, as she then was, in this House, the underlying objective is for SICC to be a neutral venue for international commercial litigation for parties with little or no connection to Singapore but who need and value a neutral jurisdiction with a strong tradition of the rule of law, experienced and respected commercial judges and legal services of high quality. SICC currently has, in addition to our own experienced Supreme Court judges, 16 International Judges, who are also highly regarded jurists in their own jurisdictions. The diversity of the SICC judges’ backgrounds add to the strength of SICC. Despite being recently set up, SICC has already drawn compliments from commentators for the quality of its judgments. Also, the jurisdiction of SICC has been widened to enable it to hear cases involving international arbitration law, an area which all the SICC judges would be very familiar with.”
“Sir, I would like to declare my interest as a lawyer in private practice. On the first cut, in last year's Committee of Supply deliberations, I suggested that the estate administration process for a person dying intestate, meaning without a will, be looked into with a view to simplifying the procedure. As Members would know, currently, if the value of the estate of a person who died intestate is less than $50,000, the Public Trustee is able to administer the estate without the need for the family to make a Court application. However, this option is not open for estates worth more. Since the Government has access to identity data of beneficiaries of a person who has passed away intestate, such as his or her spouse, children and parents, there is scope to devise a more cost-effective and efficient system to administer the estate, hopefully, without the need to involve the Court system. The hon Senior Minister of State, as she then was, informed that the Ministry would undertake a review of the estate administration system after the completion of the work on the civil justice system reform. I would be grateful for an update on this matter. Extending Third-Party Funding Categories As Members of this House may remember, in January 2017, amendments were made to the Civil Law Act to enable third-party funding for international arbitration and connected matters. Given that third-party funding can potentially facilitate access to justice by enabling parties who may not have sufficient financial means to prosecute their claims, I had suggested that the framework be extended to litigation cases. There is also a case to allow for third-party funding for commercial litigation cases in the Singapore International Commercial Court, particularly the offshore cases.”
“Sir, in a number of jurisdictions across the world, there are stricter drink-driving laws against probationary and young drivers as compared to other drivers. For example, in New Zealand, for young drivers, there is a zero-alcohol limit imposed against them. Canada has similar laws. In many states of Australia, zero-alcohol limits are also imposed on probationary drivers. It seems to me that the regulations are imposed not because young and probationary drivers are more likely to drink-drive compared to other drivers, but because there is a need to better protect them from the effects of alcohol which is likely to impair their judgement much more than the experienced and older drivers. In the past five years, the average number of probationary drivers in Singapore arrested for drink-driving per year is 111. The corresponding figure for younger drivers is 17 per year. The average number of drink-driving arrests per year is 2,298. Whilst the instances of drink-driving amongst probationary and young drivers in Singapore are relatively low, the numbers are not piffling. More importantly, our laws do not make a distinction on the impact of alcohol on probationary and young drivers’ judgement as compared to other experienced drivers. For these reasons, I recommend that the Ministry consider putting in place a tiered drink-driving system that takes into account the effect of alcohol on probationary and young drivers.”
“Sir, it is clear that the SPF’s scope of work has increased significantly in the recent past and this trend is likely to continue in the future. As an example, one need only refer to the amendment Bill to the Penal Code that was tabled in Parliament earlier this month. If passed, it will introduce a slew of new offences to better protect the more vulnerable amongst us. In addition, there is a trend of increasing e-commerce scams which saw an increase of 36.1% between 2017 and 2018. As SPF is the primary investigative body for such offences, it will have to consequently expand its investigative resources to deal with an expected increase in workload. SPF will also have to ensure it has the resources to deal with security issues to keep Singapore and Singaporeans safe. This is not an easy task, given the current geopolitical situation and assessment of security threat. I am heartened to note that in this Budget, there is an increase in financial support to keep Singapore safe and secure. How will the Ministry ensure that the Police Force has sufficient manpower to handle this expected additional workload? Is there scope for the Police to be further freed from non-core duties, such as assisting members of public to update changes in their addresses? How much can technology really be leveraged to free up manpower, given that there will always be a limit to what can be done without the human touch? Stance on Illegal Drugs”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, ASEAN-EU dialogue relations, connecting a combined population of more than a billion people, span more than 40 years. The relations have led to the identification of common goals and objectives in the areas of political and security cooperation, economic cooperation and sociocultural cooperation. Much progress has been made on these fronts. The EU is ASEAN’s second largest trading partner. In 2017, ASEAN exported almost €135 billion worth of goods and services into EU. For the corresponding period, EU exported €91 billion to ASEAN. The EU is also the biggest provider of FDIs in ASEAN. EU and ASEAN have also agreed to resuming talks for a region-to-region FTA. On the security front, ASEAN and EU agreed to work together to enhance crisis response and disaster management. EU is also the biggest donor to the ASEAN secretariat with funds of €200 million in support of ASEAN regional integration in addition to €2 billion of bilateral support to ASEAN member states. Without a doubt, EU is an important partner of ASEAN. Singapore took over as country coordinator for ASEAN-EU dialogue relations in August 2018. It will hold this appointment until August 2021. In January 2019, Singapore co-chaired the 22nd ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting in January 2019 where an agreement in principle was reached to upgrade ASEAN-EU relations to a strategic partnership. In addition, the ministers from EU and ASEAN discussed cooperation as well as challenges on regional and international issues. May I ask what are Singapore’s goals and priorities as country coordinator to enhance collaboration and relations between ASEAN and EU? Does Singapore anticipate any issues affecting ASEAN-EU dialogue relations arising from Brexit? ASEAN and Rohingya Crisis”
“In conclusion, I express my support for Budget 2019.”
“On social spending and prudence, I note that social expenditure is up. The hon Minister mentioned that the social Ministries' spending has doubled to $30 billion within a nine-year period. As in previous Government terms, when our economy grows, we also have an obligation to contribute to the Reserves to be used for the uncertainties of the future. It is a big part of our responsibility to ensure a bright future for our children and our progeny. Does the Minister anticipate that the Government will be able to follow the same practice in this term, notwithstanding his decision to set aside big sums for the various programmes, which were helpfully identified by hon Member Ms Foo Mee Har in her speech? Finally, I would like to applaud the initiatives to strengthen the involvement of the community corporations, as well as the better-off amongst us to help less fortunate families to level up. To me, this captures the essence of what the hon Minister meant when he referred to building a united Singapore. The potential multiplier effect that will arise by facilitating involvement of private individuals and corporations in helping less-advantaged families is very significant. This effort should not be the sole responsibility of our Government. This also ensures that through this, we will prudently manage our social expenditure. I fully support the strengthening of the SG Cares movement. The steps to enhance the spirit of volunteerism in our youths, seniors and public officers, as well as the setting up of the Bicentennial Community Fund providing dollar-for-dollar matching and tax incentives. These efforts will help to address issues of social mobility and inequality that Members in this House debated passionately on not too long ago.”
“For example, the logistics business, they would still need human drivers – the framework for autonomous vehicles will only be in place by 2030, if at all. Could there not be a more granular assessment of industries to see if, indeed, they have been laggards on the productivity front before placing a foreign manpower quota on them? Next, we need to be mindful that in the drive for enterprises to become cost-efficient and productive, we do not create a situation where full-time jobs are cut down in favour of engaging freelancers whose pay is variable. What strategy do we have to ensure that this would not happen as SMEs tap on Government grants and programmes? I would like to make a call for financial resources to be channelled to build a strong Singapore brand that enterprises can leverage. Deputy Prime Minister Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam recently mentioned this outside this House that Singapore has gained a strong international reputation for trust. Minister Heng Swee Keat as well as hon Member Mr Liang Eng Hwa referred to Switzerland in their speeches. The Swiss have successfully carved a well-earned reputation for quality, punctuality and reliability. We would have heard the phrase "Swiss precision" where "Swiss" is used as an adjective. This is as a result of a national marketing effort. Much has been written on this. Would the hon Minister agree that more can be done to strengthen the Singapore brand so that enterprises here can also leverage this? This particularly dovetails with the Minister’s call that enterprises build deeper partnerships across the world. What steps can he identify to support these brand-building efforts? Hopefully, one day, the word "Singaporean" will be become synonymous all over the world with "dependability".”
“And hon Minister Heng Swee Keat candidly acknowledged in his Statement that "financial resources alone do not get us there". I also think that any acknowledgement should be done by the succeeding generation, just like how the MGP is formulated by the 4G Leaders and the details provided in this House by Minister Heng Swee Keat on behalf of the 4G Leaders. Finally, like the PGP and MGP, there should not be any financial burden placed on future generations nor any drawdowns on past Reserves. Otherwise, it would not be right. As I have said before, the package is not meant to plug a needs gap. Next, on the efforts to transform enterprises. Year on year, much resources have been devoted to transform businesses of our 200,000-plus enterprises and skilling up our people. As advisor to the Port Officers' Union (POU), I am personally aware of the great strides made by the Port officers to be ready for the automated mega ports by upskilling themselves. I note that the hon Minister intends to provide more support and, in some instances, refinements to current programmes, such as the SME Go Digital programme and the Enterprise Financing Scheme. May I please ask: what is the Minister's assessment of the current schemes to date? Is he satisfied with the progress that has been made? At the same time, the hon Minister announced adjusting downwards of the workforce quota for the services sector which generates about 70% of our GDP. It is meant to deal with sluggish productivity growth in this sector, which is admittedly uneven. Would the hon Minister, however, not agree that the services sector is a kind of a "broad church" which includes industries where it is not easy to automate and digitise for the purpose of increasing productivity?”
“I am not sure if that is an accurate way of describing the timing and, indeed, the position of the Government. From the feedback that I have received, generally, the MGP is well-received by both by the MG as well as their children. It is well designed to promote an active lifestyle, in addition to providing for further healthcare subsidies. I do have a query on the funding quantum, though: $6.1 billion is being set aside for an expected $8-billion expenditure. As a comparison, for the PGP, $8 billion was set aside for an expected $9-billion expenditure. I would like to ask the hon Minister how did he arrive at the $6.1 billion figure and how he will ensure that future governments will not inherit the task of funding the MGP. I did note the next generation, those born in the 1960s, seem to have an expectation that they should be beneficiaries of a package, too, and I think Assoc Prof Daniel Goh made a call along these lines. I am a member of the 1960s generation, but I am not raising this out of personal interest. There are some bets going on outside this House as to how we would be labelled – the strongest horse seems to be "Majulah Generation". I do not have a suggestion for Assoc Prof Goh's generation, however. It is important that while we honour the MG's contributions through the MGP, we in this House also take the opportunity to disabuse the notion that each succeeding generation would be automatically entitled to a package, over and above the needs that have to be taken care of by the Budget. Much depends on the extent and outcome of the generation's contributions. This is where the strategic direction that the Government intends to steer Singapore, too, becomes relevant. This is where the call to unity to deliver sound economic and social outcomes becomes key.”
“The existing systems and Budget allocation have already done that and, as I understand, we are spending more and more on healthcare, year on year. Such gaps have to be dealt with across the board, irrespective of the age of fellow Singaporeans. I understand that the objective behind the MGP is to acknowledge the contributions of the generation that contributed much to the economic development of Singapore. And in the words of Assoc Prof Daniel Goh, the MG taught him independence. So, there is much to be recognised. It is analogous to PGP, or rather, the PG, who are credited for the very existence of Singapore. No one in this House can hardly argue against the fact that the MG Singaporeans – defined not just by age, but the depth of their roots in Singapore – did, indeed, strengthen the economic foundations of Singapore against the prevailing odds then. So, the case for acknowledging their contributions is, therefore, strong. Importantly, it is funded by current Reserves. Now, it seems to me that we are in a fortunate situation to be able to fund MGP through the current Reserves because we have higher than expected contributions from stamp duty, as well as from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Members of this House sometimes forget that whatever we budget for in this House does not define what will happen for the financial year. The spiritual amongst us may say, "Man proposes; God disposes". But really, it is the market circumstances that would dictate whether or not we would have sufficient resources for these packages. So, to ascribe a political motive to say that MGP is timed for the elections, really kind of elevates the Government to the position of being a fortune-teller.”
“On our people front, focus falls on training, deepening our capabilities, ensuring we are productive, possess skills that make us relevant to the world and earn a decent living. On the social front, the focus remains on dealing with social inequality, social mobility and access to critical needs, be it healthcare, education and so on, and also to build, ultimately, a caring and united society. In addition, while we spend more on the social front, financial prudence is maintained always. So, as I see, there is no change in the general direction of strategies employed over these years. Those who described this year's Budget as a pre-elections sweetener Budget make reference to the Bicentennial Bonus and the MGP. I have considered these viewpoints. My view is that such a characterisation does not take into account what happened in the previous years, as well as the entirety of what Minister Heng Swee Keat announced this year. Every year, there has always been a slew of short-term measures announced in the Budget Statements together with long-term measures. For example, in 2016 and 2017, the Minister announced a one-off GST Voucher (GSTV) – Cash Special Payment; and last year, we had the SG Bonus. There are also pain points introduced this year, running contrary to the suggestion that this is an artificial feel-good Budget. For example, the doubling of the diesel tax, introduced much to the chagrin of my colleague, Mr Ang Hin Kee, to ensure a sustainable environment; and reducing foreign-worker dependence to encourage higher productivity On the $8-billion MGP, there seems to be a misunderstanding on the purpose behind it. As I heard Minister Heng Swee Keat, the MGP is not for the purpose of plugging the healthcare or affordability need gaps.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to speak on three areas. First, the strategic direction of the Budget; second, an assessment on the schemes currently in place to help enterprises transform; and last, the implication of the increased social expenditure. On the strategic direction of the Budget, the hon Member, Mr Pritam Singh, in his speech shared some ground feedback that he had obtained, suggesting this Budget Statement is tied with the election cycle, rather than being a strategic Budget. Respectfully, I feel that it is important for Members of this House to deal emphatically with such soundings as they may give rise to cynicism. If left unchecked, it may well undermine the stated objectives of this year's Budget, which is to build a strong and united Singapore. To understand the strategic direction of this year's Budget, I found it useful to juxtapose this year's Budget Statement against the backdrop of previous Budget Statements, especially from the first year of the current term of Government, so that we, as Members of this House, can better appreciate where the Government intends to take our country to, to overcome the challenges we face as a country. Members may recall the slogans for the past three years' Budgets. Budget 2016 was "Partnering for the Future"; 2017 was "Moving Forward Together"; 2018 was "Together a Better Future". The broad themes for each year, including this year, are similar. On the economic front, there is an emphasis on the need to transform our economy to a lean technology-based and innovation-driven economy that will ensure our enterprises will continue to capture their fair share of opportunities here and overseas. A lot of support is given for such transformation efforts.”
“This may mean less need to provide for institution-based care or subsidies associated with this. So, there is a basis to assume that there could be some savings that could be channeled to caregivers. I am chary, however, of adding on to financial burden without understanding the full implications. The point to note is that our expenditure on healthcare is already up, as mentioned by Mr Henry Kwek. It has increased two-and-a-half times since 2011 to more than $10 billion. So, we need to understand what are the implications, what are the financial tradeoffs in deciding how much Government resources should be used to provide support for caregivers, bearing in mind their relative size to the population of Singapore and other needs. But for me, the non-tangible benefit of strengthening the family and taking care of the well-being of the caregivers should also be borne in mind. I welcome the views of the Government on what it considers to be a responsible approach in providing financial support for caregivers. In conclusion, I reiterate my support for both Motions and I look forward to the Government rolling out concrete plans to support active ageing and caregivers of our seniors based on the discussions today.”
“These health peers make house calls on seniors or attend functions targeting seniors. They then engage the seniors and focus on reinforcing health messages, such as proper exercise, proper eating, following medication and treatment schedules. In the process, they support caregivers in ensuring that their senior family members who are ailing comply with these health messages. However, there are some challenges that these community efforts face. And one significant challenge is the inability to leverage patient data. As mentioned earlier, the health peers go from door to door to see whether they can help the families. So, at times, it becomes a bit of a hit-and-miss affair. And it is also an enormous commitment on the time of these volunteers. This is where I feel that the Government can help through identifying seniors and caregivers, getting their consent and providing the linkage to community programmes. I would welcome the Government's comments on this suggestion because it would really be a win-win situation on the part of the patients, the caregivers, the Government, the community, if we can make it work and there could be leveraging of one another's resources. On the Government front, we already have existing programmes to help caregivers. Hon Members have today made clarion calls for even more support in terms of CPF top-ups, financial top-ups, caregiver allowance, caregiver leave and so on. These could have assisted Mr Noorman when he stopped working as a full-time forklift driver and worked as a security guard to take care of his mother and sisters. I do agree that more support can be given to caregivers. There is a utilitarian basis to encourage more financial support for caregivers.”
“We can do this at the community level through newsletters and community functions, too. Turning to the issue of support, before we instinctively think of Government support, I would suggest that it is equally important for our respective communities to build ecosystems of support for caregivers. This will have a strong signalling effect and help us build, indeed, a caring environment where residents can seek and obtain help from fellow residents and community partners. There is much we can do at the community level and hon Members have shared their examples, in particular, a noteworthy speech by Dr Lily Neo. I wish to share some examples from Bukit Batok. For example, in relation to Mr Noorman, through community resources, we provided him with legal assistance to be appointed as his mother's deputy by the Court, financial assistance and medical supplies using resources from the community. We also made available a number of hospital beds to caregivers to help them with the physical task of lifting their bedridden family members for activities, such as feeding, getting them out of bed and so forth. In Bukit Batok, with the help of South West CDC, our community leaders have been fortunate to partner Caregivers Alliance Ltd to run training courses for residents who are caregivers to family members suffering from mental issues, such as dementia. These residents would then form peer support groups to support one another emotionally. These caregivers, I am told, find this as a very welcome resource. I would like to also highlight another community initiative put together with the help of National University Health System (NUHS). We formed a group of volunteers who are known as "health peers". We currently have about 123 of them. They are specially trained by staff of NUHS.”
“He did, however, acknowledge that it is not easy to take care of aged parents generally. He said, in Malay, "Satu ibu boleh jaga sepuluh anak, Sepuluh anak belum tentu boleh jaga satu ibu.", that is, one mother can take care of 10 children, but it is not a given that 10 children can take care of one mother. We must make sure that this does not become a reality. His mother passed away a few months ago at the age of 86. Noorman is at peace now because he knew that he looked after her as well as he could over two decades. His focus now is on his two ailing sisters. It is humbling to hear about Mr Noorman and his example. It would have been natural for him to get married, have children and send his mother to a home for institutionalised care. He eschewed that in favour of taking care of his mother and siblings personally. He did that out of love and affection. He made significant personal sacrifices and remained steadfast and resilient in the face of many challenges. As shared by the hon Members who spoke before me, there are certainly other Noormans in our society. And this Motion allows us to shine a spotlight on their work. I am glad to note that health institutions have been recognising and encouraging caregivers through presentation of awards and sharing of their stories annually. Their actions keep families together. Children, many of whom will form the next generation of caregivers, would also learn from their inspiring examples. I suggest that these efforts to recognise these caregivers be scaled up. These stories should be shared more widely. These heroes and heroines must be held up as worthy examples for us to follow. In this way, we can entrench the important social values, such as filial piety.”
“He needed to carry, bathe, clothe, clean and feed his bedridden mother and sister. He demonstrated to me how he carried his mother, using his arms, instead of tugging at the pyjamas at the hips of his mother's, as he did not want to unwittingly injure her. He learnt how to administer injections, do dressings. He accompanied his mother for every visit to the hospital for treatment. To be able to do this, he gave up his job, took up a security guard job that allowed him to work from 10.30 pm to 6.00 am when his mother was sleeping. At times, he was sleep-deprived. His salary also dropped. He refused to entertain the notion of getting his bedridden mother and sister admitted into homes. His explanation was this. He said, "This is my duty." He said, "I told my mother, I am your son, do not have to feel embarrassed about me cleaning and bathing you. I will look after you well." This encouraged his mother. Her morale was lifted and, as a result, her life expectancy improved as well. He also shared that he helped as a volunteer in a nursing home, cutting patients' hair. The Home took care of its patients well. But he noticed that even though the patients are taken care of well, they feel sad because they rather be at their home being taken care of by their own blood relatives. And this is a point that Dr Chia Shi-Lu made. For him, it is clear in his mind that only love from the family will ensure that his mother will live as long as possible. He is very proud of the fact that his mother did not suffer bedsores despite being bedridden for 18 years. He said that he changed his mother's position frequently so that the pressure on her skin will be evenly distributed. He used a fan to ensure that she does not perspire too much.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the two Motions standing in the names of Mr Henry Kwek and Dr Chia Shi-Lu respectively. My speech today is focused on the Support for Caregivers Motion. The Motion presents an opportunity for us to reaffirm one important pillar of our Shared Values – family as the building block of our nation – as caregivers are mostly drawn from the family or extended family. It is a point that was emphatically made by Dr Chia Shi-Lu in his speech in moving this Motion and with which I fully agree. To me, the focus of the caregiver Motion is to acknowledge the important role caregivers play in taking care of their senior family members and identify meaningful ways to support them. In the end, our family is strengthened and, in the process, our communities and nation are also strengthened. There are many caregivers who deserve recognition for what they do. I wish to highlight the case of an exemplary caregiver who resides in Bukit Batok Single Member Constituency. His name is Mr Noorman bin Semar, 57 years of age. He used to work as a forklift driver. Almost two decades ago, his mother suffered a stroke which left her bedridden. She was also severely diabetic. Not only that, he has two elder sisters who are both unwell. His elder sister, now 59, is suffering from a rare disease that affected her spine for the past 20 years, leaving her bedridden. She is currently on kidney dialysis, too. Her husband, unfortunately, divorced her when she became bedridden. His eldest sister, now 61, is suffering from psoriasis. She suffers from arthritis, too, and her mobility is restricted and is unable to work. Mr Noorman decided not to get married and focus on taking care of his mother and his sisters. It is a gargantuan task.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the hon Minister for his detailed answer to my question. I have a few supplementary questions. First, may I ask whether distance from the housing estate is a factor to be considered in deciding which funeral site should be zoned, and if so, why is it that the Bukit Batok site was chosen, given that the nearest housing estate is about 200 metres away from the proposed funeral site? The second question I have is whether in relation to the other three funeral parlour sites, the housing estates are as close or are they further? The third question I have is in relation to mitigation measures. I am glad to hear that there are proposals to consider designating hearse routes. May I ask whether hearse routes could be designated even though they are vacant or in operation?”
“The Bill does not specify what this period of time is, save to say that the different periods may be prescribed for different classes of regulated dealers, different types of designated transactions or different documents and information. Presumably, these requirements will be specified through secondary legislation. Could the Senior Minister of State please provide some guidance as to what the prescribed period of time would likely be? Would this be, for example, five years, as in the case for pawnbrokers? What are the considerations behind the need to segregate the prescribed period based on different classes of dealers or transactions? Notwithstanding my queries, I support the Bill.”
“What are some of the steps that the Ministry has taken or plans to take to ensure that regulated dealers will have the necessary training and will be well-versed with their obligations under the Bill and understand the consequences of non-compliance, for example, via ongoing industry engagements through industry bodies, such as the Singapore Jewellers Association? Next, it should also be noted that PSMDs are generally not as well-resourced as banks. Would the Ministry be providing support to enable PSMDs to build capacity to conduct CDD? In comparison, I recall it was announced that MAS was working with the banking sector to develop a common screening platform for CDD purposes. This has a salutary effect of ensuring common standards as well as ensuring that compliance costs are kept in check. I wonder how the Ministry would deal with possible situations arising where purchasers could spread their purchases with PSMDs to escape detection by transacting below the threshold amount of $20,000 so as to escape CDD requirements. What expectations will be placed on PSMDs to find out whether such multiple purchases were or will be made? It may not be practical to require PSMDs to share information of purchasers’ identities with their competitors. But on the other hand, there could be scope for pooling information amongst affiliated PSMDs or outlets of the same PSMDs. I welcome the Senior Minister of State's clarification on this. Finally, section 18 of the Bill requires a regulated dealer to keep prescribed documents and information for a prescribed period of time.”
“Admittedly, in certain types of commercial transactions, there might well be a practice of exercising due diligence…In Singapore, unlike the US and the UK, there are currently no rules that require jewellers, gem dealers and precious metal dealers to implement anti-money laundering programmes… ...This is why the Judge quite correctly remarked that most honest retailers would not bother to check on the background or standing of their customers even for very large purchases; there is simply no general practice of making inquiries and imposing such an invariable requirement on large transactions might jeopardise completion of large numbers of legitimate transactions." If the jeweller in question had been required to conduct due diligence checks on the source of funds, perhaps this unfortunate matter might have been prevented. I welcome the Bill, which will shore up our defences against financial crime. I also applaud the fact that the Ministry of Law had conducted public consultation and incorporated the feedback into the Bill that is being introduced in the House today for Second Reading. I take the opportunity to make a few short comments on the proposed Bill. The first area concerns how the Ministry intends to ensure that jewellers, bullion traders, jewellery wholesalers and retailers, auctioneers and secondhand goods dealers – who would be regulated dealers under the Bill – would be adequately equipped to understand their obligations under the Bill, such as their obligations to conduct CDD and filing of suspicious transaction reports. Such dealers may be tradesmen who may not be familiar with or have experience in carrying out such AML controls, or whose current business models would need to be adapted to allow such controls to be implemented.”
“The payments were first made by way of a telegraphic transfer from his firm’s client account and, subsequently, a cash cheque was issued in the name of the firm’s client account. His clients subsequently tried to recover their losses from the jeweller via a civil action before the Singapore Courts. In doing so, the clients alleged that the jeweller ought to have known from the circumstances of the transactions that he was using monies belonging to another in breach of trust. The Singapore Court of Appeal, in its 2010 decision, considered that whilst there were some circumstances surrounding the transaction which arguably might have raised cause for concern about the probity of the transaction, the jeweller did not cross the boundaries of reasonable commercial conduct in relation to the first transaction paid through telegraphic transfer of monies. In arriving at its decision, a key consideration of the Court of Appeal was that there was no pre-existing practice of jewellers questioning customers on the source of funds, such that it would not be fair to criticise the jeweller’s staff for their failure to query the source of purchaser’s funds. The Court of Appeal's comments in this regard were particularly pertinent and exemplifies the gap in our present regulatory scheme. It said: "Clearly, it is not the usual practice for jewellers and retailers, in general, to ask their clients searching questions about the source of their funds. As rightly pointed out by the Judge, indeed, there are usually cogent reasons for not asking questions. Genuine clients would feel offended, the transaction might be unreasonably delayed, and costs incurred.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to, first, declare my interest as a lawyer who issues compliance advice on AML/CTF matters from time to time. Singapore's position as a major financial hub brings with it greater exposure to transnational economic crime. To counteract this, Singapore has developed and implemented a robust AML/CTF framework to target, prevent and confiscate the proceeds of crime, particularly within the financial sector, and the Senior Minister of State has mentioned some aspects of it in his earlier speech. This House had, as recently as in October last year, passed the Serious Crimes and Counter-Terrorism Bill, to strengthen our ability to detect and deter criminals. Apart from the financial sector, other designated non-financial sectors, such as pawnbrokers, are also subject to AML/CTF measures. However, we are only as safe and strong as our weakest link. The Financial Action Task Force, in its evaluation of Singapore's AML framework in 2016, has identified the PSMD sector as a risk area for controls to be improved. The PSMD sector in Singapore is not currently subject to any specific AML/CTF controls. This is a gap that criminals may exploit and may even be presently exploiting. The PSMD sector is particularly vulnerable, as identified by Mr Christopher de Souza, because of the fact that precious stones and metals are easily transported, concealed and converted into cash. This can be used by criminals to launder monies to hide their illicit sources of funds. The case of an errant lawyer in 2006 is a good example. He had used approximately $2 million that he held on trust for his client to purchase various pieces of jewellery and precious stones from a jeweller and absconded with all these items.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have a further supplementary question. The suggestion I have made in relation to the provision of a bond is to deal with the function of the EA as a collecting body, as opposed to the usual situation envisaged in a contract where the EA is really seeking to be paid its own fees. In the context of the EA being a collection agency, perhaps the risks associated with the monies being given to the EA only to be delivered to a foreign EA can be dealt with through the bond system.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the hon Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the answer. I have a supplementary question. It is in relation to allocation of risks. In a situation where an FDW leaves earlier than anticipated, and where a family has already made advance payment to an EA which collects it for a foreign employment agency, could the Ministry consider perhaps the EA issuing a bond such that, if such a situation happens, at least the family can recoup the losses through the exercise of its rights under the bond?”
“Sir, I thank the hon Senior Minister of State for his comprehensive explanation. My question revolves around the fact that in the recent past, I see that doctors were somehow disquieted by SMC's rulings. Given that the medical profession is meant to be self-regulating, as mentioned by the hon Senior Minister of State, how do we address the gap between what is understood by the medical profession on one hand and the SMC's rulings meted out by senior doctors? In that regard, I note that there are sentencing guidelines that would be issued. What other steps can be taken to address this gap?”
“Given our geographical proximity to the centres of production of controlled drugs, higher levels of drug production, as the hon Minister said, as well as our status as an international transport hub, we could easily be in the same situation as in the US, if not for our dedicated and courageous officers working in tandem with other Government agencies, and critically, with the whole-hearted support of Singaporeans. The job that our CNB officers do on a day-to-day basis is clearly not for the faint-hearted, as the people that they deal with, especially the drug traffickers, tend to be more desperate and violent, given the stakes should they get apprehended. We owe them a debt of gratitude. Thank you.”
“They could have made it into the national squad. In fact, some of my teammates did. But they could not make it into the national squad because they became addicted to drugs and their whole lives were wasted. It was the Government and CNB's tough and uncompromising stance against drugs that allowed us to emerge from that dark situation to now enjoy a relatively drug-free and low-crime environment. I highlight low crime because there has always been a link between drug-taking and crime. Many drug addicts resort to crime to be able to fund their habit. There is also a positive economic impact arising from the successful tackling of the drug problem. We managed to ensure that the people who would otherwise be snagged by the lure of drugs, would be economically active and contribute to their families and our country. In contrast, a good number of countries have gone the opposite way. I had occasion to listen to the speech of Ms Bridget Brennon, the Special Prosecutor for Narcotics in the city of New York in the US last year at the Economic Crime Symposium in Cambridge, UK. She reported that, in the US, life expectancy has gone down for three consecutive years and she attributed it to the serious drug problem her country has. She also found that opioid addiction has led to less economic participation amongst her people. The situation has been exacerbated by the advent of synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, which is very addictive and only a fifth of the cost of heroin. I highlight this not to gloat but really to join in the suggestion that the hon Member Mr Christopher de Souza made, in terms of highlighting these cases to people who may otherwise take a softer stance to drugs.”
“But with the amendments, the Court will now have no choice but to sentence him to imprisonment for at least one year, even if the offence may be on the relatively less culpable side. May I please ask: what is the policy consideration for the decision to impose a minimum mandatory sentence for drug consumption and possession, regardless of the circumstances, and remove judicial discretion in this regard? I now move on to section 34. Section 34 deals with the increased duration of supervision from two years to five years. I understand from the hon Minister's speech that this is because the focus is on making sure that the drug addict is fully rehabilitated and the chances of recidivism is reduced. I support this aim. As I understand it, if a drug addict beyond the five-year mark does not take drugs, then, the chances are, he would not take drugs in the future. This would be a good objective to realise because families fractured by their members who take drugs can then have a chance to be wholly reunited again. I note that the Explanatory Note suggests that there is no increase in public expenditure arising from the amendments to this Bill. However, I would imagine that there would be resourcing and staffing issues, given that the contemplated extension of supervision is for a period of up to five years. May I please ask what are the plans the Minister has in this area? Before I end, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to pay tribute to the good work of the CNB officers over the years since CNB was established in 1971. We had a serious problem with drugs then. This is a stark memory for me because, as a young boy, I grew up in a neighbourhood where I played football almost every day with some very talented footballers who could perform mesmerising tricks.”