N. Govindasamy
Singapore
“Sir, in the hope that the Ministry of Finance will release the funds required for the Telok Blangah community centre within the next six months, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr J F.”
“Member for Serangoon Gardens, would show that numerous criticisms were made in this Chamber. Some of the pitfalls of the education policies were pointed out and they could have been avoided.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am still a little confused. Would the Minister of State categorically state in this House whether the restructured education scheme is on or off? Even the teachers and the principals are arguing among themselves whether the restructured education scheme is on or off.”
“Sir, I have no intention of joining in. The problem here is riot a question of marrying abroad or in Singapore. The problem is still faced by people who were married in Singapore. There is the case of a woman who has been married here for eight years and has four children all living here in a Housing Board flat.”
“Perhaps when the Minister replies he will want to use it. Sir, the woman has been here for eight years. She was married in the Singapore Registry of Marriages. Four children were born in Singapore and they are now living in a Housing Board flat.”
“Sir, the Minister has set a specific number of hours and he says. "Well, if they do their part-time national service in 12 years they will have to do so many hours of work, and if we reduce it to five years, then they must perform the same number of hours of duties." This would mean that they have to go for duty practically everyday.”
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“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister of State has mentioned that where locally-produced goods are concerned, his Ministry is able to control prices. Can he give me one instance where his Ministry is able to control the price of any commodity at all in Singapore?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can the Minister of State inform this House what steps did his Ministry take when the Bakers' Association recently decided to increase the price of bread when the price of the basic commodity for bread, that is, flour, did not go up?”
“This will not improve our postal services. It has also been announced that the Post Office Savings Bank will become a corporation soon. As a result, 39 officers from the Post Office Savings Bank will revert to the postal services proper. Will the Minister confirm that all the employees who are now engaged in the Post Office Savings Bank work will be absorbed into the postal services proper when the Post Office Savings Bank becomes a corporation? Although the Postal Clerks and the Junior Postal Clerks are recruited into the Government service as General Clerical Officers and Clerical Assistants, once, they are posted to the Post Office they virtually remain in the Post Office until their retirement or death. If there are requests from the clerks in the postal offices for transfer to other departments of the civil service, will the Government entertain such requests? At one time the postal services used to be considered a closed service, but recently we have noticed that senior civil servants from other departments have been transferred to senior posts in the Postal Department. Can the officers in the Postal Department also similarly be transferred out of the postal services into other departments if they request such transfers? 8.00 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, recently there has been much criticism, as the Member for Sembawang has pointed out, in the papers as well by persons whom I personally know, about the slowness of our postal services. There were cases where the delivery of local letters took more than two days. A lapse of two or even more days between posting and delivery is not uncommon. The Member for Anson, my namesake, talks about buying more bicycles to make postal deliveries. I notice under "Other Charges, Special Expenditure", the Ministry has asked for more money to buy bicycles. I am just wondering if the Minister will consider buying scooters instead of bicycles in keeping with the times so that there will be more expeditious delivery of mails. This year, as the Memorandum on the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure of Singapore points out, the provision has been increased by 10.3 per cent. The amount asked for is to fill 98 posts, comprising 35 Postal Clerical Assistants, 49 postmen and 14 supernumerary posts, to accommodate replacements of staff enlisted for national service. The memorandum goes on to state that it "is expected that with these additional posts, the accumulated staff shortage in the Postal Services will be remedied." The increase in the staff requested for this year is only in replacement of vacant positions. I wonder if the small increase in staff requested by the Minister will improve our postal services. I am also told that the turnover of postmen and other postal employees has been very high in the past two years or so. Is the Department taking any steps to arrest the turnover of postmen, for example, through resignations, so that we will not be recruiting new postmen all the time? New postmen means training, familiarisation with the work, etc.”
“" There need not be any consideration, Sir, because in one and a half month's time the application would have become invalidated. That was the immediate reply. Nobody ever sees the appeal made on behalf of any applicant. This particular applicant is in one of the tertiary institutions receiving remission of tuition fees because her parents are citizens and because this applicant is a minor at the moment. When the next term in the university begins, she is not going to receive a remission of tuition fees because, in her own right, she becomes a major and, as a result, loses this remission. This afternoon we have heard that the number of bursaries is to be limited. Hardship cases of this nature should receive at least some consideration, or the grounds for appeal should at least be looked into. No. Sir, it was just a prompt reply from the Registry of Citizenship. That is all that happened. 6.30 p.m. Sir, I should have thought that instead of just replying promptly, the Registry would need further reactivation. I hope the Minister can enlighten Members on the following points: (1) What is the total number of (a) applications for citizenship received; and (b) applications approved; and (c) applications rejected during the year 1970? (2) Is the prolongation of the processing period for citizenship applications due to a conscious and deliberate policy of the Ministry or the inability of the Registry to cope with the volume of work? (3) What is the longest period for citizenship applications to be considered? Is it possible to speed up the procedure for the issue of a citizenship certificate to a minor applicant who is the only non-citizen in a family of citizens?”
“Sir, as the Member for Changi has pointed out, the Citizenship Registry and the Government's policy on citizenship came under heavy criticism during the last budget debate. In view of and subsequent to the various criticisms levelled at the Government during the last budget debate, has there been any change in the Government's policy on citizenship? From my own experience, I notice that applicants for citizenship have to wait much longer than ever before. There has been no apparent improvement at all in the processing of applications by the Registry of Citizenship. The only improvement that can be credited to the Registry is the prompt response to an inquiry by Members of Parliament about applications which may be pending for two years or even more. The Registry, undoubtedly, is of the view that it has conscientiously discharged its duty by promptly informing us that the application is still under active consideration. The Members who have spoken previously have mentioned particular cases. Sir, may I also point out a particular case where the prompt reply from the Registry would make all and sundry laugh, especially at the manner in which the reply was given. The parents, brothers and sisters of this applicant for citizenship are all citizens. The parents applied for minor citizenship for the person concerned when she was almost 18 years old. Next month this applicant would have become a major, that is, she would have passed 21 years of age, and when an appeal was made, because in one month's time her minor citizenship application would be invalidated because she would be 21 years old, the usual cyclostyled reply was, "Your application is under active consideration.”
“Sir, is the Minister of State for Labour in a position to let us know the number of employers in Singapore who have utilised the facilities provided by the Ministry, such as borrowing the films? At the same time, has the executive staff been asked to attend the courses organised by the Ministry in respect of industrial health and safety?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a matter of clarification. If the statistics mentioned by the Minister of State for Labour are right - and I do not doubt his words - could the large number of accidents attributed to the negligence of the workers be due to the lack of safety devices and not the result of direct negligence? Is the Factory Inspectorate at this juncture sufficiently large to check the factories for the possibility of introducing safety devices? Perhaps the large number of accidents which the Minister has attributed to the negligence of the workers could be because of the lack of safety devices.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Mr Ng Yeow Chong: Mr Speaker, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1053*. (*The same amendment also stood in the name of MrConceicao.) Sir, with this amendment, I wish to seek clarification from the Minister on the purpose of setting up the Science and Management Group in the Ministry of Defence, and what its duties and functions are.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1046. This amendment is moved in order to seek clarification from the Minister as to the general position and functions of the 30-odd police officers, ranging from subheads 1046 to 1052. These police officers are now listed as being attached to the Ministry of Defence. We have often been given to understand that there is great difficulty in recruiting sufficient and suitable personnel to man the Police Force. The Ministry of Home Affairs is now responsible for the administration of the Police Force. Can the Minister inform the House what these police officers are doing in the Ministry of Defence, which is no longer responsible for the administration of the Police Force?”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $615,090 for Head 0301 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. 3.45 p.m. Head 0302 -”
“Sir, the vote of $1 million in the Development Estimates for the Science Centre will not be sufficient if it is to achieve the objective for which it is set up. The Minister concurred with me and in his reply he mentioned that the proposed Popular Science Centre might eventually cost more than $5 million. Sir, from the Memorandum on the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for Singapore, it appears that no provision is made for the staff and expenditure of the Popular Science Centre. Instead, a Science Centre Board has been formed and a separate provision of $201,150 is being asked for the Board under subhead 2104 of Head 1303 (Contributions and Charitable Allowances). Further, in the Development Estimates, a sum of $1750,000 is asked for as "Contributions to Science Centre Board". We are also told in the Memorandum on the Development Estimates that the proposed Science Centre is estimated to cost $9 million. Apparently from both Memoranda, the Science Centre is going to be the responsibility of the Science Centre Board. If that is the case, I wish to ask the Minister what is the relationship, if any, between the Science Centre Board and the Ministry of Science and Technology. If the Science Centre Board has been set up, can the Minister tell us who are the members of the Board? And other than the responsibility for the Popular Science Centre, has the Board any other responsibilities? Again, Sir, as I mentioned in the last budget session, the Popular Science Centre has my fullest support.”
“Yes, Sir, as it comes under the same subhead 3004. Sir, during the last budget debate estimates for the Popular Science Centre were provided under the Ministry of Science and Technology. At the moment, the Science Centre still comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and Technology. And if I may be permitted to continue, Sir, is the Minister prepared to clarify?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0301 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 3004. Sir, I wish to seek clarification on the Popular Science Centre. During the last budget debate I said that the vote of $70,000 for the staff of the Science Centre and the vote of $1 million for the establishment of the Centre were insufficient”
“Sir, while I welcome the setting up of the Anti-Pollution Unit, I must express some dissatisfaction with the manner in which the implementation of our Anti-Pollution Campaign has been carried out this far. It is my hope that the proposed unit will help to remove the cause of my dissatisfaction. I have, however, to seek further clarification about the unit as I have noted that the sum of $164,230 has been allocated for the 17 staff in the unit. My questions are: (1) Has this unit been set up yet? If so, where does it operate from? (2) What are the functions of the unit? (3) Which department will be the enforcing authority of the anti-pollution measures taken by the Government? Today, we notice that several Ministries or departments, such as the Ministry of Health, the Police Force of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Registry of Vehicles, and the statutory boards such as the Port of Singapore Authority are responsible for the enforcement of various anti-pollution measures. Is it possible for the Anti- Pollution Unit to be made the sole authority for the enforcement of the various anti-pollution measures?”
“Sir, I think the point has been made and I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $991,920 for Head 0108 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0109 -”
“Sir, as I have said, the number of office boys required has increased from one to five to seven from one year to the next, and the Department is asking for only $l0. How can they ever replace these office boys who go for national service with a $10 token vote? Do they want the office boys or do they not?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0108 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1028. Sir, the estimate is for Office Boys (Supernumerary). The Concise Oxford Dictionary that I referred to gives the meaning of supernumerary as "in excess of the normal number". In the estimates for 1969-70, the number of office boys asked for under this category was one person. In the estimates for 1970-71, the request was for five supernumerary office boys. The Audit Department has also requested this year for seven supernumerary general clerical assistants. In each and every instance, a token vote of $10 has been asked for and granted up to now, last year and the year before last. Sir, it seems strange to me that year after year the number of office boys required has been progressively increased. If there is a real and increasing need for office boys, there should have been some systematic arrangement for recruiting office boys as such. I do not seriously think that there is a shortage of applicants for jobs as office boys. But if there is no real need for office boys, it is rather misleading to provide for an increasing number of supernumerary office boys under a token vote. Sir, my question is whether it is necessary to increase the number of supernumerary office boys under a token vote and what is the real significance, if any, in such increase in number? Mr E. W. Barker: Sir, the answer to the Member's question is national service. This is one of the side effects of national service and this token provision of $10 is merely to meet the need for the employment of office boys temporarily to replace those permanently recruited office boys who may be required to do their national service.”
“Yes, Sir, if you will now permit me. I have never said that the Government should not go into housing for the middle income group. My quarrel was that the incentive to buy houses, which the Government offers to civil servants, is no more an incentive, because housing developers are charging too high. For the benefit of the Member for Katong, let me repeat that I never mentioned that Government should not go into building houses for the middle income group.”
“The Minister himself stated the other day that we can make Singapore the key location for industries if "our workers and the unions are educated to the realities of our economic life, keen to make their contribution to the transformation of our society with high industrialisation and sophistication in technology". But, unfortunately, the vast majority of employers do not seem to view national interest or the urgency of national development in the same light as the Minister and the workers, if the workers wish to attend enlightening courses, they can do so in their own time and make further sacrifices in the national interest. And those same employers are the ones who benefit most from the painless budget. 4.53 p.m.”
“What is more ominous is the thought that the Association would not be able to make good its threat of reprisals against public-spirited bakers unless they have the backing of flour producers and distributors. The increase in bread consumption in the republic is a testimony to the effectiveness of the Government's campaign to persuade Singaporeans to eat wheat instead of rice. The least the Government can do now is to prevent a handful of local wheat and bread tycoons from holding the rest of us to ransom. At the risk of being accused of wallowing in self-pity, I have to round up my comments on the Minister for Finance's speech with the observation that it is a tough job being a worker in Singapore. As the bulk of consumers, workers find themselves not only at the losing end of the battle against rising prices, but also tilting at some quixotic windmills into the bargain, because the cost of living has officially increased by not more than one per cent per year since 1960. As the principal source of labour, workers find that national interest has not, and is not expected to have, any cogent appeal for owners and developers of land. As trade unionists, workers are constantly exhorted to be realistic and practical in worldly affairs and, towards this end, are urged to familiarise themselves with the various concepts and analyses of society. Thus, the Government hails the decision of the trade union movement to reorganise itself and to reorientate and educate its officials and members so as to be able to assist in the development of Singapore.”
“It is obvious that a publication of the cost-of-living index cannot be treated in the same manner as the reading of a thermometer can be taken to measure a rise or a fall in temperature. I am not, however, imputing any sinister motive to the Minister who has shown such great faith in the official cost-of-living index, or any lack of integrity to those civil servants in the Statistics Department responsible for the publication of the official index. The point I wish to make is that the cost of living is closely related to the standard of living. Any improvement in the standard of living will radically affect the pattern of weights used in computing the cost-of-living index. As the Member for Whampoa has pointed out just now, the pattern has not been changed in the computation since 1960. In the meantime, the standard of living has improved beyond recognition, judging by the number of cars, scooters, television sets and what-have-you. While the cost of living remains a matter for speculation, profiteers can continue to thrive. The latest price hike is in respect of bread. 1 was shocked to read recently of the threat by the Bakers' Association against bakers who may wish to sell their bread below the price dictated by the Association. The increased price of bread could be understandable if the production costs have gone up as a result of the increased costs of flour, labour, etc. Here, we have an Association ordering its members to increase the price without justification and threatening them with reprisals if they refuse to join in fleecing the hapless consumers. I would have thought the Government should have smacked this Association down and hard.”
“While the cost-of-living index purports to show the average increase in prices of commodities of general consumption, the weights given to the respective items can influence the final figure, that is, the cost-of-living index. For it must be remembered that of all the items used for computation of the index, not all the items are of equal importance. In computing an accurate index, more weights have to be given to items which are consumed in greater quantities. By playing about with statistical weights, the index can be rigged to show an increase or decrease in the cost of living. Let me illustrate with a practical example, the prices of which have been taken from the Government's Monthly Digest of Statistics. If we are to compute on an index with disproportionately greater weights assigned to items (on the basis of the data shown in the Monthly Digest of Statistics) such as fish, which has increased in price by 29 per cent since 1960, sugar products by 62 per cent, vegetables by 20 per cent, beverages by 18 per cent, furniture and household equipment by 36 per cent and footwear by 16 per cent, the cost of living can be shown to have increased by more than double the official 11.5 per cent quoted by the Minister since 1960. Conversely, by arbitrarily assigning disproportionately greater weights to such items as meat and poultry which have gone down in price by three per cent since 1960, oils and fats which have gone up by one per cent, fruits up by two per cent, tailoring and laundering charges up by one per cent, transport up by one per cent and entertainment up by four per cent, the cost of living can be shown to increase by only less than half the official figure.”
“There is a need for action to be taken to prevent the many tourists from being fleeced by some shops which are only interested in making a fast buck and being misled by touts operating as tourist guides. Sir,. I am aware that there are many genuine and competent tourist guides, but I am also aware that there are as many touts posing as bona fide tourist guides. Sir, for many tourists Singapore is a byword as an international shopping centre for popular items, such as cameras, watches, transistors, ornaments and curios. I appreciate that ours is a free trade economy, but if it is possible we should institute some form of control of prices of goods normally purchased by tourists. Touts operating as tourist guides take the unsuspecting tourists to shops that charge exorbitant prices, and the shops pay a commission to such touts. While the Tourist Promotion Board has directed its attention to undesirable practices among shopkeepers, it should exercise greater vigilance in the protection and promotion of Singapore's reputation as an international shopping centre. Sir, I even notice a shop in Stamford Road with a signboard proclaiming itself to be a tax-free shop, giving the impression that goods purchased in other shops carry purchase tax. Sir, the Minister claims that the price index has risen by only 11.5 per cent since 1960. A few Members have taken up this question. This figure is taken from the Monthly Digest of Statistics produced by the Department of Statistics. May I humbly suggest that even the Minister's wife, if she does marketing herself, would vehemently disagree with him. Statistics show only what the statistician wants to show. The presentation of statistics can be an exact science but it can also be a very refined art.”
“The rising prices of houses is a serious problem today and, instead of continuing to watch the situation further, I think the Government should take action now to prevent this condition from deteriorating any further. With the present prices of houses, even the Housing Loan Scheme of the Government with its maximum of $40,000, or the equivalent of three years' salary, whichever is lower, becomes more of a mockery than an aid to civil servants who aspire to be proud house-owners. While workers have responded to the call of the Government to stabilize the wage level, developers capitalise on the apparent neglect by the Government of the deleterious effects of price manipulations by developers. It appears to be the thinking of the Government that, as long as the Economic Development Board can control sufficient land for the construction and use of factories, and the Housing and Development Board can have sufficient land for housing factory workers as cheaply as possible, private developers are to be permitted to enjoy laissez faire. Thus our middle-class workers are made to compete at a very great disadvantage with expatriate or foreign managers and technicians who, with the backing of their respective employers, are able and prepared to play along with the developers' game of jacking-up housing costs beyond the reach of local buyers. The supreme irony of this all is that the capital gains so engendered by private developers cannot be syphoned off by the Government in the form of taxes to increase, for instance, the resources of the Housing and Development Board. Sir, tourism represents a source of further economic growth. The Government should ensure that such a source is not unduly prejudiced.”
“While I am pleased to note that the Minister has acknowledged the cupidity of developers as the cause of the rocketing prices of landed property and am assured that he is keeping his Ministerial eye on the situation, I would have been happier if the Minister had intimated a more concrete course of action against the anti-social conduct of our developers. Sir, if he were to intimidate the developers, I would be happier! Unless the Government steps in and does something drastic now, the ever-spiralling circle of prices extorted by the building developers will put it beyond the dreams, and means of ordinary wage earners to own their homes. Sir, the developers who sold small houses at $20,000 each two years ago are now demanding anything between $50,000 and $60,000 for similar houses in the same estates. It is cheaper in Jurong, I am told! The trouble is that the wage level has not significantly increased during the past decade. While a wage earner earning about $1,000 per month three years ago was in a position to purchase a reasonable-sized house from a private developer, now he cannot even own a smaller house. His best hope for a home of his own is to turn to the Housing and Development Board which is subsidised by the Government. This, however, places a great strain on the resources of the Housing and Development Board which cannot meet such increased demand without neglecting the needs of workers who earn considerably less than $l,000 per month and who constitute the bulk of the working population. Thus, the so-called middle-class workers are caught between the devil of the developers and the deep blue sea of the limited resources of the Housing and Development Board.”
“Sir, I am sure that the time is ripe for a complete overhaul of our civil service terms and conditions of service so as to be able to arrest the continuing stream of resignations from among the middle and lower echelons of teachers, the Police Force, the Fire Brigade and other branches of our civil service. Not only are such trained civil servants hard to replace at once, but every loss of trained personnel also means that there is a wastage of public funds. I know that a committee has been set up to look into the wage scales in our police force and that the Teachers' Union has had one discussion, as was pointed out by the Member for Moulmein yesterday, With the Ministry of Education some six months ago. But the discontentment among civil servants is not confined to the teachers and policemen alone. I do hope the Minister will look thoroughly into the matter and not dismiss it with another cursory note. Sir, the Minister has mentioned that there has been a boom in the building industry. He has, however, added that the "smaller increases recorded for these building materials indicate that the construction industry's 36 per cent increase in earnings may be constituted partly by higher profit margins and only partly by increased constructional capacity." Sir, this statement has borne out my belief that the shortage of skilled building and construction workers and the consequent higher wage level of such workers have not been responsible for the fantastic prices that the developers charge for their products during the past few years.”
“I have known of many experienced civil servants who would not be so dedicated to and would have left the service today to join private industries which are crying for seasoned and competent managerial personnel, were it not for the fact that they stand to lose their pension rights. The situation would have been different if such civil servants had been governed by the Central Provident Fund Ordinance rather than the Pensions Ordinance. For the civil service to retain its trained and experienced personnel in the face of blatant poaching by private employers, the terms and conditions of service and working conditions obtainable in the civil service have to be revised and made more attractive. It is all very well to say that we want only civil servants who are dedicated to public service and that for such civil servants money is of immaterial consideration. While there are undoubtedly civil servants who fit this bill, the vast majority are only human or too susceptible. Dedication and loyalty to public interest and national interest are two qualities which cannot appear to have carried much weight in the light of our obvious admiration for the entrepreneur who can make a fast buck. My point, however, is that even the most energetic entrepreneur can constructively pursue his money-making activities best in an economy with a stable socio-economic infrastructure, of which the civil service must provide the vital skeletal framework. I should not think a painful budget is too high a price to pay for that.”
“The result is that harassed employers are prepared to up their ante to secure their supply of such scarce manpower. As more and more foreign industries come to Singapore, we lose more and more trained civil servants to the private sector which pays more for their services. My fear is that if we allow the haemorrhage of trained personnel from our civil service to continue unchecked, not only will our civil service be unable to claim to be the most efficient in South-east Asia, as it can today, but also our socio-economic infrastructure may be weakened to that extent. We do not match the private sector in payment of wages and other fringe benefits, because we just cannot afford to match them. As a result, the cream of our citizens are not attracted to a career in the civil service. Even among serving civil servants, the temptation to leave is ever present. Those senior civil servants who remain in service do so because of their loyalty to the national cause and their dedication to the civil service. The bright young ones will stay on to gain some experience before joining the private sector where they expect the pasture to be undoubtedly greener. The trouble is that very few in the private sector see a greener pasture in the civil service. The question is, can we afford to allow such a situation to continue to deteriorate? At the moment, we are exploiting the few dedicated arid loyal civil servants by making them do not just one full-time job but in certain cases even three or four full-time jobs.”
“But all the same, hard-headed investors, whether British or otherwise, look for something more substantial and tangible than the ghost of gunboat diplomacy. For British investors in Singapore, the recent statutory assurance of the Singapore Government to guarantee their investment is more likely to appeal to them. May I suggest that there are other important reasons beside those mentioned by the Minister for the present economic well-being of Singapore. The political stability of Singapore and its potential for profitable economic investment undoubtedly are contributive factors of our present economic health. My great regret is that our hard-working, adaptable and responsible workers, who constitute the back-up troops as well as the front-line fighters in our drive towards economic success, do not merit even perfunctory praise from the Minister. The acceptance of the Employment Act by the trade union movement against the grain of its traditional objective is in keeping with the avowed policy of co-operation with the Government in any matter of national interest. The Government has acknowledged this in private, but after listening to the Minister's speech, I was saddened not to hear a word of tribute to the contribution by labour towards the prosperity of Singapore. The. Minister spoke confidently of "a record number of very large projects by well-known international companies" extending their operations to Singapore in 1971. I have no doubt that this desirable trend will contribute towards the continuing economic growth. But I have my misgivings about the undesirable side-effects that may be generated by such large-scale invasion of foreign investment. Labour may be plentiful in Singapore, but trained and skilled manpower is, unfortunately, not plentiful.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this is the second consecutive year in which a painless budget has been presented to this House and to the people of Singapore. May I take this opportunity to congratulate the Government and the Minister on the apparently happy state of the Republic's financial affairs? However, in his budget statement, the Minister introduced a cautionary note by drawing attention to the ominous presence of indicative factors making for economic instability. The vagaries of the International Monetary System and the British withdrawal, for instance, are apparently pointers to the vulnerability of the foundation of our economic viability and prosperity. Sir, we Singaporeans pride ourselves on our realistic and pragmatic attitude to life. The history of Singapore, particularly during the past decade, confirms rather than refutes Singaporeans' awareness of and their capacity to cope with the ups and downs of life. While it is not my intention to suggest that a cautionary note is out of tune in a budget meant to instil confidence, it would have been better if the Minister had run through the whole gamut rather than just a solitary note of caution. I may be wrong but the impression I receive is that the Minister, after delivering himself of the note of caution, merely contented himself with a "happy budget". Sir, in my opinion, the Minister has over-emphasised the impact of the British Conservative Government's decision to maintain a military presence in the area on British investment in Singapore. No doubt, British industrialists and businessmen may get a moral boost from being under the very faint shadow of British arms in this area even after 1971.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $1,239,600 for Head 94 ordered to stand part of the Second Supplementary Development Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1st April, 1970, to 31st March, 1971. The sum of $1,860,000 for Head 101 ordered to stand part of the Second Supplementary Development Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1st April, 1970, to 31st March. 1971. Question, "That the sum of $3,099,600 shall be supplied to the Government under the heads of expenditure for the public services shown in the Second Supplementary Development Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1st April. 1970, to 31st March. 1971, contained in Paper Cmd. 6 of 1971." put, and agreed to. Resolution to be reported. Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.”
“I know of two places where this has happened, e.g.. Braddell Circus and Shenton Way Circus. Shortly after they were converted into good gardens, the Roads Division came and dug them up and made them into traffic-light junctions. 3.45 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 94 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 212*. (*The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting.) Sir, I would like to compliment the Parks and Trees Division on their contribution in making Singapore a garden city. However, may I hasten to add a word of caution. While the planting of shrubs, trees and greenery along the major roads is important, the routine work of maintaining and preserving existing greenery is also just as important. I have noticed some areas where the shrubs need trimming and the grass needs cutting. I am beginning to wonder if the Department have sufficient manpower to maintain the increased number of parks and gardens that they have to look after as a result of the recent campaign to make Singapore a garden city. Let me now say a few words about the instant trees that the Parks and Trees Division planted recently all over the city. Sir, the angsana trees planted even around Parliament House are very hardy and take root fast and we had good green trees overnight. In their enthusiasm, the Parks and Trees Division planted trees along roadsides, monsoon drains and pedestrian paths and sometimes too close to one another for people to walk through. Sir, I am told these angsana trees are not only hardy, but they also grow to be very large trees and will soon damage the footpaths and drains, thereby causing additional expenditure. Sir, I can understand the need for road-widening and removal of some roundabouts, but what I cannot understand is why the Parks and Trees Division beautify roundabouts and road-dividers which are scheduled to be removed soon by the Public Works Department of the Ministry of Law and National Development.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the fact that we will be debating with the Minister for Education again in a couple of days, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $524,000 for Head 0701 ordered to stand part of the Third Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1st April, 1970, to 31st March, 1971. The Chairman: I shall now deal with the remaining Head 0401 - Ministry of Finance. Question, "That the sum of $30,000,000 for Head 0401 stand part of the Third Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1st April, 1970, to 31st March, 1971," put, and agreed to. Question, "That the sum of $30,594,000 shall be supplied to the Government under the heads of expenditure for the public services shown in the Third Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1st April, 1970, to 31st March, 1971, contained in Paper Cmd. 5 of 1971," put, and agreed to. Resolution to be reported. 3.41 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the Minister and I agree that there is a considerable number of vacancies in the teaching service. But the question I am posing now is that, as far as I know, this shortage has been in existence for the last three years. Year after year the Ministry of Education has been coming here and asking for a vote for relief teachers. Sir, my quarrel is not with the relief teachers but with the unqualified relief teachers - people who go into the classrooms and later come out. I would like to know from the Minister what attempts the Ministry has made to recruit teachers for the teaching service in the last three years - the number of times recruitment took place and the number of teachers in the last three years who went through a regular teacher training course to fill the vacancies that we have had in the last three years.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting.) Sir, I am pleased to learn that the Ministry of Education has been able to fill a greater number of its vacant posts than was anticipated by the Ministry. This amendment is moved in order to seek further clarification on the posts that the Ministry has been able to fill. Sir, in my opinion, the Ministry should fill not only the vacancies in the promotion grades but also the many vacancies in the lower grades of the teaching service. Last year the estimate for Substitute Relief Teachers alone was $1.3 million in the General Education Department. In answering a supplementary question on relief teachers last week, the Minister of State for Education said that the phenomenon of relief teachers will continue to exist so long as teachers continue to take maternity leave. Sir, I have been a teacher for many years, and maternity leave is not a new concept. It has been there all along. The reason for the employment of relief teachers now is due to the shortage of teachers and not that teachers take maternity leave. The position obtaining then was that every school had a quota of teachers over and above the number that would be needed for all the classrooms. If any teacher went on long leave or maternity leave, there would be sufficient qualified teachers to stand in. Because of this quota of teachers in each school, I deem this number to be vacancies in the school as well. The question is: will the Ministry attempt to fill not only the vacant posts in the promotion grades, but also the shortage of teachers in schools?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to ask the Minister for some information and clarification on the sudden increase in the provision for payment of claims against the Government arising out of accidents involving Government vehicles. The estimate for 1969 - 70, a period of 15 months, was $20,000; for 1970 - 71, a period of 12 months, $20,000 was earmarked: and this year, as the Member for Katong has pointed out, $25,000 has been asked for. Therefore, iii normal circumstances, an estimate of $20,000 per year would have been deemed sufficient to meet accident claims. The year 1970 - 71 has actually cost the Government, including the request for Supplementary Estimates, about $90,000 to meet accident claims involving Government vehicles. This sum, in my opinion, is abnormally high. I would therefore like to seek from the Minister the following details: (1) The total number of accidents involving Government vehicles for the period under review; (2) The breakdown of the above-mentioned total, Government department by department; (3) The number of successful claims against the Government and the total amount of money paid out in relation thereto; (4) The number of unsuccessful claims against the Government; (5) What steps, as the Member for Katong has asked, are being taken by the Government to minimise the accident rate of Government vehicles involved in accidents?”
“Sir, the Minister of State says that we cannot do away with the employment of relief teachers. May I ask him if the employment of unqualified relief teachers is a recent phenomenon, or has it been going on all the time? As far as I understand, the employment of unqualified relief teachers is a new thing. As such, I cannot understand how the Minister of State for Education can say that it cannot be done away with.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, taking into consideration the fact that the pure and temporary vacancies will continue to exist for many years to come, may I ask the Minister of State for Education what concrete steps are being taken to do away with the method of employing unqualified relief teachers to man our schools in such large numbers, as quoted by him just now?”
“Order. I think this is a convenient time to have a suspension. I suspend this sitting now and will take the Chair again at five minutes to Six o'clock. Sitting accordingly suspended at 5.13 p.m, until 5.55 p.m. Sitting resumed at 5.55 p.m. [Mr N. Govindasamy in the Chair] CENTRAL PROVIDENT FUND (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read.”
“Inche Abdul Aziz, your question is, why was the list circulated so late!”
“What is your supplementary question, Mr Cheong?”
“The Certificate is in order. Have typed or printed copies of the Bill been circulated to Members?”
“As a mark of respect to the late President, I propose to suspend this sitting and I shall take the Chair again at 2.45 p.m. Sitting accordingly suspended at 2.38 p.m, until 2.45 p.m. Sitting resumed at 2.45 p.m. [Mr N. Govindasamy in the Chair] CIVIL LIST AND PENSION (AMENDMENT) BILL First Reading”
“Therefore, I would suggest that in giving in-service courses to the non-graduate teachers who are teaching in secondary schools now, we may have to shorten the course that a school-leaver would normally have to undergo to complete his Bachelor of Education Degree. The Minister says that the BE. Degree course will be done in a three-year period. I presume this three-year period course is for those fresh from school who have gone into the Institute of Education to obtain the B.E. Degree. Teachers who have served a number of years in secondary schools should be given an opportunity to complete the course earlier. If this course is going to be a full-time course, sufficient incentive should be given to them. In other words, paid leave should be given to them to attend these courses full-time, or a part-time in-service course leading to a degree. In this way, they can learn as well as teach at the same time. I am not too sure if these questions have been thrashed out. If they have been, I would like to hear from the Minister of any details that he has worked out for the serving teachers in secondary schools to go to the Institute to obtain a degree. We have heard on previous occasions that serving teachers were having difficulty in obtaining permission to attend university courses on paid leave. Further, the University is not providing in-service courses which will lead to a degree or higher degree. A number of teachers went to the University and did a degree course, but they never returned to the schools. I hope we will not make the same mistake and that some sort of arrangements will be made so that we will continue to have their services. 4.22 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, let me join my colleagues, the Members for Jurong, Katong and Moulmein, in complimenting the Minister on bringing forth this Institute of Education Bill which is, in my opinion, a little long overdue. Let me at the same time hasten to add my tribute to the T.T.C, to which I believe we are playing a swan song. The T.T.C, did its duty when we wanted quantitative education. We have spoken on qualitative education before. In establishing an Institute of Education which we hope will bring about teachers of quality, there are a number of matters that we will have to take into consideration. One of the important aspects in our secondary education today is, as has already been pointed out, mainly managed by teachers who are non-graduates and who are not really trained to teach in secondary schools. We owe a great debt to these non-graduate teachers in our secondary schools for the unstinted service that they have put in over the years. I hope this Institute will give them an opportunity to better themselves so that the standard of qualitative education and the contents of the subjects being taught in secondary schools are improved. I was glad to hear from the Minister that the Institute will open its doors to serving teachers to improve their teaching techniques as well as knowledge of the contents of the subjects. We all know that the number of Honours graduates and graduate teachers in secondary schools is limited. They specialise in certain subjects and prefer to teach only the subjects in which they obtain their Honours degrees, whereas the non-graduate teachers - unfortunately being specialists in nothing -- are expected to teach all subjects allotted to them.”
“Sir, can we have an assurance from the Minister of State for Finance that every effort will be made to expedite the investigation of these cases so that within a year the officers concerned will know what their fate is?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can the Minister of State for Finance say how long the Public Service Commission takes to complete investigations into a disciplinary case? Sir, I was shocked to hear that there are cases pending from 1969. This is November 1970.”
“Sir, what is the rationale for stopping the bonus at the third year and what is the criterion for arriving at this decision?”