Ong Ah Heng
Singapore
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Mr Chairman, in 2010, there were 54 deaths due to workplace accidents, down from 70 deaths in 2009. This is despite a 14% surge in construction projects worth close to $26 billion. Death at the worksite is a painful incident. Even one death is one death too many.”
“I urge the Ministry of Manpower to come up with a system to systematically monitor work hours – both formal as well as informal hours. We must have reliable data on overtime work – especially unpaid overtime. With available data, we can then investigate why Singaporeans overwork.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Mr Chairman, Singaporeans are living longer, with many living beyond 80 years old. If we retire at the current retirement age of 62 and live to 72, there is still a good 10 years of our life. We must make good use of the time after our retirement at age 62.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to *Cols. 3833-3834. Appendix A*.] Madam, the working adults spend more than half their waking hours at the workplace. The workplace is also where most people identify as the source of their stress. A healthy staff is an asset to any organisation. This is a fact well-recognised by all companies.”
“Workplace directly influences physical, psychological, economic and social well-being of workers which, in turn, affects the health of their families, community and eventually society. A health promoting workplace can now become a pre-requisite for sustainable social and economic development.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Mr Speaker, it is not because I am a PAP MP that I support the Budget of the Government. Just now, I gave my views on anti-terrorism, for example. I think we are too complacent and not thinking enough of potential dangers.”
The complete record
Every one of 272 lines we hold for Ong Ah Heng, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 6.
“I also note that, with effect from 1st March 2008, MOM has included six more industry sectors, which is good, and I hope that with the inclusion of the six new sectors, worksite safety can be further enhanced. *Cols. 2053-2054.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Sir, our construction industry is booming and the growing number of construction projects requires more workers. A lot of construction workers are needed and the number is likely to grow further. The majority of the workers in our construction industry are foreign workers. Many of these workers have come to our shore, leaving their loved ones and family behind, to look for employment opportunities. Many of them are also indebted just to come here. They have families to support from the wages they earn here. Therefore, we should ensure that the workplace is safe by enforcing safety procedures at the construction site. Although we have tough laws to ensure workplace safety, such as the Workplace Health and Safety Act, and stiff penalties against errant companies that do not observe good safety procedures at the worksite, we still have a lot of worksite accidents resulting in death. For instance, worksite accidents caused by lifting equipment at workplace have risen to a five-year high in 2007, causing 342 injured and 12 dead. In 2002, the figure was 86 injured and eight killed. I know that our Manpower Ministry has been working very hard with the industry to train their personnel in the area of workplace safety and to provide co-funding training. Just like what Mr Hawazi said, "Accidents at the worksite often can be prevented if adequate preparations are made." I have noted that worksite accidents are very high in the construction and marine industries. As we continue to see large numbers of deaths from worksite accidents, I would like to know whether the number of worksite death has been reduced, after the introduction of the Worksite Health and Safety Act to lower industrial accidents.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Singapore's unemployment rate is the envy of many countries around the world. This is something that we can be happy and thankful for. Last year, more than 130,000 jobs were created. According to reports, many sectors, including NTUC, are reporting higher wages in the labour force. However, during the meet-the-people sessions, we still get residents coming to see us requesting for employment assistance. They are mostly the elderly, the less educated and the less skilled. While the Singapore economy is booming, this group of people is left out. So when Singaporeans enjoy higher take-home pay, this group can only watch with envy. And many of them suffer in silence about the difficulty of getting a permanent job or job insecurity and they are the most vulnerable group. They often hold partime jobs, or temporary jobs. They are unlikely to have a steady income due to the insecure nature of their job. So they do not have much CPF and we see them regularly during the meet-the-people sessions. Although the Government has many social assistance schemes their most immediate needs would be to help these people get employed and to meet their current financial needs. In this regard, I would like to ask MOM whether we have any special schemes to assist this group of people. Besides the current measures that we have, they still need a lot of assistance from the Government and they are in urgent need of help especially when the rest of Singaporeans are benefiting from a growing economy. *Cols. 2049-2050. Contract and Part-time Labour”
“At the same time, could there be more coordination between the HDB and MOM to find out how many foreign workers would be allowed to come in each year, so that the HDB would have enough time to build enough dormitories for these foreign workers? *Cols. 1347-1348.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Sir, last year, our economy performed very well. Although this year, there may be some uncertainties, such as the declining US economy, our construction industry and service industry will continue to do well. A lot of manpower will be needed, and we may still have to depend on foreign workers. According to the report in the newspaper, even the coffee shops need to employ foreign workers to be the chefs and coffee shop assistants. I am wondering if the Government would build more dormitories for these foreign workers to stay in. In Ang Mo Kio where I live, a 4-room HDB flat can be rented out for as much as $1,900 per month and we can see some posters hanging on the lamp posts advertising for flats to let at between $1,700 and $2,000 per month. I asked the people how these flats can fetch such a high rental. They said, "Oh, easy, you just rent it to the labour contractors." The contractors will tell the owner that they are accommodating three workers there. Next day, five workers will be staying there. If the landlord does not go there to check, the contractor will put in seven workers, and eventually about 30 workers will be put into one flat. Sir, if more and more HDB flats are having more than 30 people living in each unit, would the safety and ambience of the neighbourhood be affected? Would it not threaten the safety of the people, particularly the women folk, when they come back home from work in the night? I would like to ask the Minister how long it would take before more dormitories can be built to accommodate the ever-increasing number of foreign workers.”
“He is only in his 50s and he can wait for another 10 years to look for a successor!" Although this is a "coffee-shop talk", to me, it reflects the concerns of the people. We certainly feel that Singaporeans do appreciate the importance of good Government and what it means to their livelihood. The people are very sensitive and they make all kinds of comments. I urge the Government to assure the people that we do have strong and capable leaders to run the country. Concerted effort should be made to strengthen the leadership and leadership renewal should be ongoing. The people of Singapore are confident that the Government is always doing what it could to help the people. But, Singaporeans can be full of complaints. For example, the taxi drivers in Taiwan and Hong Kong are the same. In the past, they praised President Chen Shui-bian. Now, they scold him. In Singapore, it is the same. Our taxi drivers are full of complaints. As Mao Zedong said, "Taxi drivers in every country have something against the government." Therefore, such emotional outburst should be carefully considered by us. On our part, we should unite together to make Singapore a stronger and more resilient society. I believe we can make it happen. I support the Budget. *Cols. 921-924. ADJOURNMENT OF DEBATE Resolved, That the debate be now adjourned. - [Mr Mah Bow Tan].”
“They have a bigger population than Singapore, a population size of 23 million people. In shipbuilding, steel making and agriculture, they are more advanced than Singapore. However, today, if you watch the Zhong Tian TV News, we have seen many elderly people waiting for their children to finish their meals and pour over the leftover food to get some food to eat. Such a big contrast, eight years before and eight years now. How unlucky, how unfortunate they have been. If we look around us, there are many things that make us thankful. From the Taiwan example, we have many reasons to be thankful. We should remind ourselves that if our national leaders have made a wrong move, the people will suffer. Therefore, as Singaporeans, we should be thankful and grateful that we have a good Government. It is true that the cost of living is hitting the pockets of many Singaporeans. Living in a small country with little natural resources, except with a lot of sea-water around us, we need to be mindful that there is really very little we can do to contain imported inflation. Many raw materials, from petrol to wheat grain to steel, we have seen unprecedented increase in prices of all materials. In this regard, the Government has been advising people to buy "house brands" to contain the high cost of living. When I was moving around the constituency, many people asked me, "Is our PM in good health? There is talk that PM has gone overseas. Is it to seek medical treatment? Is it true that he is looking for the fourth generation leaders to take over from him?" I assured them that PM is in good health and he has been going round the constituency to attend local events. They hesitated and asked again, "If he is healthy, what is the hurry?”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *. ] Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Budget for Financial Year 2008 has addressed the concern of rising cost of living, particularly the prices of many daily goods and services. Many Singaporeans, especially the lower income and elderly, really feel the pressure of inflation. What worries them most is whether they would be able to cope with their earnings if inflation continues. The one-off generous payout would only help them in the short run. They have asked, "What will happen next year?" Being practical Singaporeans, they are concerned with the measures adopted by the Government in helping them to grow their income and the economy as a whole. The people want the Government to spend more resources to focus on overcoming the problems of low wages, low productivity and low self-esteem in certain sectors of the economy or industries. In this aspect, we need professional people to understand business and its value chain, analyse the problems and put in place the right plans that will help to increase job opportunities. Our Government departments may need to review their policies to assist companies. All ministries and statutory boards should focus and further introduce measures to help the workers, especially the low-wage workers. I believe this administrative effort will make a difference in truly helping and giving them confidence to cope with the rising cost of living. I often watch the progress and issues in Taiwan. Many friends from Taiwan have commended how Singapore had done well in the last few years. Each year, when there is a Budget surplus, the Government acts like generous parents, giving them hong baos. Eight years ago, Taiwan was one of the four Dragons in Asia with good economic progress.”
“So when our Minister rolls out all these schemes, we hope that the new committee will consider all these points and maybe they should study the scheme further, and allow the people to be given the choice to choose whether they want to draw out at 85, 82 or 80, and how much they can get at 80, 82 or 85 years old. Finally, I would like to praise our Manpower Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen for implementing such a good scheme which is widely acceptable, especially paying attention to those low-income groups with a monthly salary of about $800-$1,500. In fact, the additional 1% interest under the new CPF scheme will benefit all our people and I support and thank him for this new measure. 6.35 pm”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, up to now, those middle and lower-income groups who have no work or income depend heavily on the subsidies from our constituencies, ComCare and CCC funds. They have asked us, "How long can I continue to draw on this fund and the subsidies?" And we have always explained to them that the Government will not transfer the responsibility to the people. In fact, under the CPF reform scheme, it is, just like what our Minister has said, that the Government has set aside about $120 million for this purpose. In addition, the Government will incur about $110 million every year on employment funds as well as the increased rate of return on CPF funds. So we explain this to them. Our Government would try to help them in various respects. But how long can the Government continue to help them? Nobody can give them a guaranteed answer. So how are we going to answer them? The only answer we can give them is: only when the PAP is in power, we can guarantee that. But if the PAP is no longer in power, we cannot give them that guarantee. Just look around, a lot of leaders in the other countries just pocket the money of the nation. Therefore, we say that so long as the PAP is still in power, we can give them such a guarantee. Those people who do not support the Government say, "Oh, you are cheating us of our votes." But that is the case in reality. In other words, if the PAP is not in power, how can the people continue to expect higher returns from the CPF funds and all kinds of Workfare subsidies and to expect every month and every week, during the Budget session, they can get some subsidies and all kinds of financial help from the ComCare fund, etc?”
“So, if they have money, although they cannot live long enough, it is still better than if they live long enough but have no money. Of course, not everyone will agree with this, but what I am trying to tell them is that it is a task for every individual, everybody must take care of his old age and be responsible for his retirement. Mr Deputy Speaker, what I am worried about is that when they reach their 60s and 70s, they will have no work. What are they going to do? And who will help them? If they have grown-up children, they will have no problem as their children can earn enough money to help them financially. However, if their children belong to the low-income group, then some problems might arise. Therefore, I hope our Government will also consider the plight of this group of people. Secondly, as what has been raised by my colleagues earlier, why is the age set at 85? Is it because the insurance company is telling our Government that we should set at 85, but not 82 or 80? I am raising this because a lot of constituents have asked me this question. Because they cannot believe that they can live until 85 or beyond. This is especially so in my constituency because most of them are in the middle and lower-income groups. They believe that their life is pre-destined. Therefore, they have no confidence to live up to 85 or beyond. So, is it possible that the committee, led by Prof. Lim, consider lowering the Minimum Sum draw-down age, and to consider having a different payout at different ages, for instance, when they reach 85, they can get a higher payout, but if they draw out at 80 years old, they get a lower sum?”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, birth, ageing, illness and death are a natural process of life. But in this process, who should be held responsible and who should provide us with the basic necessities of life? Apart from the parents, the people will think that it is the responsibility of the Government. Our Government leaders also understand the mindset of our people. Therefore, our leaders always try to persuade the people not to overly rely on the Government. I think our Government has slightly changed its approach, that is, to ensure that the people buy longevity insurance when they are still young, during their golden age, maybe 20-30 years old and they start earning money, to make it compulsory for them to buy the longevity insurance. It is not really a bad idea, as this will ensure that these people who are in their 30s, 40s or 50s, or when they grow older, will be able to live comfortably. *Cols. 1673-1676. Mr Deputy Speaker, sometimes, when we are in the coffeeshop, some residents have asked me whether the Government is trying to delay giving us back our CPF monies. They said that by the time they can take back their CPF money, maybe it is time for them to go. I think we should understand this common worry that the people have, and the fear that they will not have a long life to enjoy their monies. But, on the other hand, I try my best to explain to them that having the money but not living long enough to enjoy it, is far better than having none at old age. If they had lived until a very old age, but they have no money, that is even more terrible because, at that time, if their children do not support them, then their life will be more meaningless.”
“The important thing is that the bulk of this amount is spent on looking after the lower income families. Mdm Deputy Speaker, we are a small country, we have started from scratch, to having everything today. We cannot afford to have corruption in our political regime. Otherwise, we are going to lose everything that we have. Therefore, when the Government spent $4 billion to look after the middle- and lower-income people, I fully support the increase in our Ministerial salaries and senior civil servants' salaries. And I hope that Prime Minister Lee's team will introduce more pro-people measures every year . *Cols. 367-368. 6.40 pm”
“But our Ministers only receive one salary. So, in comparison, there are a lot of anomalies because many foreign friends do not realise that our Prime Minister and the Ministers only receive a salary and there are no other claims for entertainment expenses, special fees and other fees. Last week, two friends from Beijing came to visit me, and I drove them around Singapore. Coincidentally, there was a Minister's car passing by. So I pointed out to my friends and said that he is one of our Ministers. He said, "Oh, your Minister is very young." And I asked, "Which one?" He replied, "The one on the front seat next to the driver." I told them, "No, that is the bodyguard. The one driving is the Minister." So the Minister has become the driver for his security officer! That would be big news in China. But that is the practical reality of Singapore. I do not think there is any other country where the Minister becomes the driver for his security officer. This reflects Singapore's own unique circumstances. On the question of the salary increase for Ministers, what is the reaction of the citizens? I can summarise it in one sentence and the voice of the people is: "Ministers, please do not forget about us." In fact, this Government has not forgotten about the people at any time because party politics has this special feature that the power comes from the people. The governing party understands this principle and I think the Opposition party also understands this principle. The Minister for Finance, in this year's Budget said, since 2001, the Government has distributed a total of $7.5 billion, to share the fruits of success with the people. This year, the Government has set aside $4 billion to share with the people of our country.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Mdm Deputy Speaker, in 1994, during the parliamentary debate on Ministerial salaries, Minister Mentor Lee said, and I quote, "Even for Lim Kim San, Barker, Hon Sui Sen, the first generation leaders, whether they will still step forward bravely to decide today to serve in the Government and serve in politics, it is not certain." The former Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Tony Tan, said that the immediate task our Government is facing today is how to ensure that the young generation will continue to lead Singapore and to take over the Ministerial positions and bring Singapore forward. Mdm Deputy Speaker, unless there are better alternatives, the high salary policy is the only practical measure to attract talents to serve in the Government, in Singapore's context. The day before, a report in Lianhe Zaobao pointed out that, despite having a population of 1.3 billion people, China today also faces the same problem of a shortage of leaders. In Singapore, we only have 4.5 million people; the shortage of talents is a more serious problem. Last night, the Taiwan TVBS channel reported the salary increase for the Singapore Prime Minister and compared Singapore Prime Minister's salary with their President's salary. And they hinted obliquely that Singapore PM's salary is 10 times their President's salary. I think the newscaster has probably forgotten, or perhaps she is not aware that each time their President used the presidential jet, it would cost more than a few million Taiwan dollars, or even more than 10 billion Taiwan dollars. But our Prime Minister only travels first-class on SIA. How do you compare? And also, the reporter forgot that their President has certain claims for his expenses.”
“Therefore, I would like to ask the MCYS to consider giving the upper middle income group earning between $1,500 and $1,800 a month some form of assistance, for example, giving them 50% subsidy instead of 100%, so that those who do not meet the means test will nonetheless still enjoy a subsidised rate for day-care and nursing services. According to feedback from day-care centre operators, I was informed that the cost per head per month is at least $500. And the transport charges from home to the centre will cost about $120. However, many day-care centres are charging less than $300 for the fees and $80 for transport. Although the centres are eligible for subsidies from MCYS, the subsidy does not cover all items. From my knowledge, it is just like the NTUC Eldercare, where it is heavily subsidised by the Government up to over $100,000 each year. As a result, it has to organise fund-raising events every year. The question is that many activities at the day-care centres are organised by voluntary workers and, as such, the quality and standard vary. Having said that, I think we should give the voluntary workers proper recognition for their dedication and effort. Hence, I would like to suggest that MCYS consider giving more aid to the day-care centres. Apart from giving subsidy to keep fees affordable to low income earners, more can be done. In this regard, I would like to suggest that the Minister consider giving assistance to day-care centres for organising constructive activities for the elderly, so that more enriching programmes can be organised for the elderly and not just mindless activities such as clapping of hands and dancing. This, I believe, will greatly enhance the old people's quality of life. Ageing Population 3.30 pm”
“To make it effective, we have to lay down hard and fast rules, even if it means forcing them to do so. It is like the saying “用真情买假爱” [yong zhen qing mai jia ai ] - to reciprocate true feelings with insincerity. We have to resort to doing so, if need be. Otherwise, we will face the same situation five years later. In that regard, we are not a warm society that we think we are. Day-Care Centres for the Elderly On another point, I would like to talk about the day-care centres for the elderly. There are about 30 day-care centres for the elderly in Singapore. These day-care centres look after the elderly and engage them in constructive activities such as social dances, karaoke and handicraft-making, etc. As you might be aware, these day-care centres and nursing homes are run by voluntary welfare organisations. And their role is to provide supportive help to the targeted group, which is the bottom 20% of low income earners. Currently, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) will do means-testing to determine the applicants’ ability to pay and this includes looking into the number of family members, family income, etc, before it decides whether a subsidy should be given. The purpose is to make day-care and nursing services more affordable to the low income earners. However, not everyone can afford to send their elderly to the day-care centres or nursing homes. For instance, the middle income group will definitely not meet the means test criteria, as they are likely to exceed the quota by $200 to $300.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] The Community Centres (CCs) and Residents' Committees (RCs) organise yearly visits to old folks' homes *Cols. 3449-3452. during the Chinese New Year and other Chinese festivals. I visited a home for the aged last year. And this year, I have participated twice. Each time I visited an old folks' home, I have an intense feeling of sorrow and sadness, because many of them are weak and feeble and they need nurses to feed them. Even if you give them an ang bao, they are weak and they need nurses to receive it on their behalf. Most of all, I am saddened by their expressionless face. On two separate occasions, I asked two elderly people what will make them happy. One of them replied that he wished his children could visit him since they have not been coming for a long time and he would be very happy to see his son. The other elderly person wished that he could see his grandson whom he vaguely remembers to be eight years old now. Because his son never brings his grandchildren to visit him, he has no idea how his grandchildren look like. Sir, our society has been emphasising the importance of tenderness, kinship and relationship, but I feel that these qualities have thinned. As such, it is necessary for us to come up with a solution, otherwise it will chip away the pillars of our society and we become less humane. Therefore, I would like to suggest that the Minister consider making it compulsory for the children to visit their parents who are admitted into nursing homes. This can be made mandatory in the application process. For instance, unless they agree to visit their parents at least once a month, or once in two or three months, their application will not be accepted by the nursing home.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] The Ministry of Manpower recognises the need to develop a work-life friendly culture in Singapore. In 2004, a $10 million Work-Life Works! Fund was set up as an incentive to offer more work-life practices and create a family-friendly work environment. This programme is well received and popular with their employees. In this regard, I would like to ask the Minister whether he will give an update on the progress of the Work-Life *Cols. 3445-3446. Works! Fund initiative. Apart from the $10 million fund in 2004, what plans are there in the pipeline to achieve a better work-life balance?”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Mr Chairman, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), employers and unions have been actively promoting and encouraging fair and responsible employment practices. As part of an overall effort, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment (TAFEP) has launched a pledge to support non-discriminating employment practices. I would like to congratulate MOM and its partners for successfully engaging more than 300 employers to pledge their commitment towards adopting fair employment practices at their workplace. I am happy to see that TAFEP, in its effort to assist employers to organise seminars, small group discussions, layout of education materials and planning of training courses, is helping employers to better understand and implement fair employment practices. But much more can be done. I do hope that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) can do more to help employers who wish to adopt fair employment practices and to provide them with the necessary assistance when needed. This will in turn encourage more employers to support and adopt fair employment practices. Employment Discrimination”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Mr Chairman, during my meet-the-people sessions, I often meet divorced couples who are forced to split up due to some personal reasons. But, very often, it is the woman who suffers a greater pain. This is because the women are softhearted and want to fight for the custody of their kids regardless of their financial ability. Most importantly, it is the expression of love of the maternal instinct since she is the natural mother of the child. Often, they need to look after their children, but being lowly educated and unemployed usually put them in adverse circumstances. Therefore, I am concerned with the court’s decision with regard to the division of matrimonial assets, that is, the HDB flat. In the event the divorced couple need to equally divide their assets, if the husband is more than 55 years old, then the sale proceeds of the flat will have to go back to his CPF account so as to meet the CPF Minimum Sum balance. What is given to the wife will eventually be lesser. I would like to urge the Minister for Manpower to consider revising the CPF ruling, so that a certain percentage of the sale proceeds, for instance, 30% will be given to the wife’s CPF account while the remaining 70% will go back to the husband’s CPF account. It is thus the husband’s responsibility to top up his CPF account to ensure that the CPF Minimum Sum is maintained. In comparison, the wife will usually suffer a greater loss than the husband. Therefore, I hope that the Minister will consider a change in the CPF ruling so as to take better care of the welfare of these divorced women and their children. *Cols. 3441-3442.”
“We have been highly regarded by the world, and a foreign friend told me, "20 years from now on, Singapore will still be governed by the PAP.” I asked him, "Why are you so sure?" He said that he cared so much about Singapore. Singapore is a small country and so many people. Only the PAP Government can get the best talents to join the Government team. Mr Deputy Speaker, I really admire the will of my foreign friend. Of course, he makes some people uneasy. Maybe the Workers' Party’s Chairman may not be happy to hear that. If you ask me, the next 20 years should not be a problem. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support Budget 2007. 4.45 pm”
“But after that, they must still remain cool and calm and ask themselves, "What has the Government done for us? What have I done for myself?" To assist Singaporeans who have difficulties making ends meet, we have the Workfare and Medisave schemes, a two-pronged policy and, on top of that, we have the GST subsidy, elderly bonus, utilities rebates, conservancy rebates and even education account top-up, etc. If some Singaporeans still have financial difficulties, then within our constituency, we also have the ComCare Fund to help them. We still have a lot of funds to help them. To speak simply, they must first try their best to help themselves, before others can help them. If they continue to idle in the coffeeshop every day, then other people will not know how to help them. Therefore, I think they should not complain about their life. So long as they are willing to work, there are always some helping hands around. Mr Deputy Speaker, we are in the ocean of “politics of jealousy”. It is always stormy. Even our people can see from the media that there are negative press reports from time to time. Under such an environment, our people must not only care for themselves and their families, but they must also care for the survival of their country. We must encourage ourselves all the time and remind ourselves that only if the people are dedicated and committed, wise and far-sighted, gracious and broad hearted, then we can safeguard and protect our little red dot. Mr Deputy Speaker, this August is our country’s 42nd anniversary. For the past 41 years, the PAP Government has been leading our people, weathered stormy periods, and this little red dot is still standing tall in the world arena.”
“Of course, this is not a problem that is easily solved. We need to have mutual understanding between the employers and employees. Mr Deputy Speaker, we often hear debates over outsourcing or cost-cutting measures. This outsourcing has now become low cost sourcing, or cheap sourcing, ie, to hire the cheaper workers. Once we have this low cost or cheap sourcing, salaries and wages of our elderly workers will become lower and lower. What we should encourage is not the cheap sourcing but a brilliant quality sourcing, that means, we must allocate resources based on performance, and not necessarily giving the project to the contractor who has the lowest bidding price. In this regard, I would like to urge our Government Ministries to take the lead in this, and set a good example. When we evaluate the performance of our civil servants, we should evaluate them based on their capabilities and performance, and not how much savings the organisation can achieve through cheap sourcing. Therefore, they should evaluate the tenders based on quality, and they should be rewarded if they achieve this premium quality sourcing. Mr Deputy Speaker, when I read the newspaper recently, we have been highly ranked by a political and economic risk consulting company in Hong Kong. They said this, "We have a good Government, which is the PAP Government. Our Government implements an effective system and policy." When we face the challenges of globalisation and terrorism, we continue to maintain our stability and prosperity in our society. So within our country, I want to urge our people that when they are unhappy, they can make some noises, they can let out their emotions, that is totally all right. That is acceptable.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Mr Speaker, first of all, I must applaud our Government for unveiling a Budget that has various components helping the low-income group. It shows that our Government really listens to the voices of its people and adopts concrete steps to help our people. The implementation of the Workfare policy is our cornerstone. The purpose is to help those who want to be self-reliant and willing to work. The Workfare policy will become a long-term policy to help our low-wage workers. We must try our best to help the low-wage workers, especially those elderly workers. We need to help them stay employed. [Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Matthias Yao Chih) in the Chair] 4.37 pm I have received feedback and some said that whenever we talk about helping *Cols. 1765-1768 the elderly workers, we always ask them to become cleaners or lowly paid workers. I hope our Government will allocate more resources to study and to redesign jobs that are suitable for our elderly workers. The NTUC, employers and Government must come together and formulate a win-win employment agreement. For the retirees or the elderly who are near retirement, the Government can help them to be re-employed. Most of these people are staying in HDB flats. These are the important people whom we should help. No matter how hard we try to help those people who have no CPF to be qualified for Workfare, some of these people still fail to register. As such, they are not eligible for such incentive bonus. Last year, there were about 40,000 people who did not register by the due date. Therefore, they lost the opportunity to receive such financial incentives. On the other hand, even among those people who got the Workfare Bonus, more than 100,000 people did not pay CPF.”
“At the last general election, 66% of the voters once again affirmed the mandate for the People's Action Party Government. As such, the notion of 'with you in charge, we are assured' should be changed to "with the PAP Government in charge, we are assured." The fact is before us. We have done that for the past 41 years. Mr Low said that he did not know who was going to be the next Prime Minister of Singapore. I think he does not need to worry about that. This is something in the future. At the right time, the right talent will surface. So long as the people continue to elect the PAP to form the Government, the PAP will surely be able to find an outstanding Prime Minister for Singapore. As for his comment that if it comes a day when the Government is corrupt, the people who are living in "deep water and scorching fire" will rise up to protest and attack the Government, I think we should thank Mr Low for the reminder. The PAP should be vigilant at all times to maintain a just and honest Government at all times. Then the PAP will never be corrupt. But this will not be good for Mr Low because then he will never have a chance to take over the Government. I support the motion. * Cols. 735-738. 2.31 pm”
“Should it come a time when, like some of the economies of the developed countries, Singapore also needs 5 to 10 years to recover from an economic downturn, we will then face the cruel reality of not being able to realise the enormous welfare schemes. Mr Speaker, Sir, each MP has only one pair of eyes and one pair of ears. He cannot detect all the problems and sufferings of the residents from every nook and corner of his constituency. But we have the assistance of hundreds of grassroots leaders with a few hundred pairs of eyes and a few hundred pairs of ears, to ensure that our residents who are in need of help will not be desperate, helpless and not knowing which way to go. Only then can we be focused on our efforts to help our people who are in need to ensure that no Singaporean should be left behind as our country continues to develop. Mr Speaker, Sir, over the past two days, I have been thinking over what the Member for Hougang, Mr Low Thia Khiang, has said at this debate to remind the people. He said, and I quote, "Singapore is now in the hands of our third Prime Minister. I do not know who will be the next Prime Minister. However, if the people still hold this mentality of 'with you in charge, I am rest assured' of the Mao Zedong era, there may come a day when the government becomes corrupt and they will rise up to protest and attack the government. Then, I do not know whether Singapore would be able to withstand such an impact." Since our independence 40 years ago, the People's Action Party has been the only government of choice of the people of Singapore. Minister Mentor passed the responsibility of governing the nation to the Senior Minister, and Senior Minister Goh passed the baton to Prime Minister Lee.”
“However, we have neglected one thing, ie, among the weaker people in our society, many are old folks and less educated people. They are totally ignorant of such schemes. I fully agree with Ms Ellen Lee that the Government should plan and coordinate the various assistance schemes of the various Government departments, and review the application procedure and regulations in order to minimise red tape and bureaucracy. I would also suggest that MCYS and MOM engage the services of public relations professionals to design some systematic, simple and user-friendly ways to advise the residents through the media and various networks of the grassroots organisations on how and where to seek assistance. We should make it easier for our residents to know how and where to get assistance. We should also make full use of the limited resources we have to do more for our people. If MCYS does not understand this, they should learn from Mr Tan Kin Lian, the CEO of NTUC Income. Mr Tan Kin Lian often appears on advertisements to encourage people to buy insurance policies from NTUC Income. I think MCYS should try and engage some professionals to help them advertise and publicise their financial assistance schemes. The strength of the State is limited, but the strength of the people is unlimited. We need to rally the strengths of the various civic organisations, particularly the community and non-profit organisations, to help more people. When we need more welfare, we must also consider how we are going to sustain such schemes. We may not be able to turn a weak economy around quickly on each and every occasion.”
“However, even without the low-skilled foreign workers, wages of our local workers might not have gone up, because in order to save cost, the foreign investors would relocate their factories to the other countries in this region. In the end, our local workers will have to face the competition from the workforce of the other countries. Mr Low Thia Khiang said that the feedback from the people was that the economy was good for the Government but no good for the people. As a grassroots MP, I can understand that such a statement could be very appealing to the residents. However, Mr Low did not propose any specific solution to this House on how to make the economy good for the Government and good for the people as well. Over the years, the Government and the NTUC have been encouraging the workers to go for training to enhance their employability. We have successfully created many higher income jobs. NTUC and the Government will continue to do so. I hope that Mr Low Thia Khiang would also encourage the lower skilled workers in his constituency to go for training in order to enhance their employability and earn better income. In my opinion, the present Government has already built up many safety nets for the less fortunate and weaker people in Singapore. From utilities bills and service and conservancy charges rebates, economic recession financial grants, unemployment and training subsidies, job placements, to Edusave bursaries and ComCare fund, etc, these are the many helping hands extended to the people of Singapore when they need them most. From what I know, the Government has some 36 different assistance schemes for the less fortunate and weaker people.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for this opportunity to participate in the debate. As Members of Parliament, we have the duty to do our best to take practical action to look after the less fortunate and weaker residents in our constituencies. This is something we need to do. When debating on how to build a better social safety net for Singaporeans, I hope that all of us would know the major principle in the human social development history that remains unchanged throughout the ages. The path Singapore has taken all along is like what is described in an old Chinese saying, 天行健,君子当自强不息 (tian xing jian, junzi dang zi qiang bu xi) meaning, 'In this ever changing world, one must make unremitting efforts to improve oneself'. 天行健 (tian xing jian ) tells us that the world is changing everyday. As we face the trend of globalisation today, the employability of our people and the income they are earning are subject to greater and greater pressure arising from competition. The development trend of this fact will not change just because of our personal preferences. Many people are at a loss, not knowing which way to go. As mentioned by the Secretary-General of NTUC, Mr Lim Boon Heng, when faced with global competition, wages of the low-skilled workers have not risen over the years, and many, in fact, suffered lower income when they are converted to contract workers. I would like to thank Mr Low Thia Khiang for reminding us. Many Singaporeans are concerned that the foreign workers are snatching away their rice bowls and cause their wages to be lowered.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, every month, we read in the newspapers that some foreign maids were abused. I would like to ask the Minister whether there is a comprehensive plan to review the welfare given to our foreign maids, and whether there is any channel for the maids to voice their grievances. Could the Ministry legislate to ensure that the maid agencies visit their maids at least once a month or once every two months? This will reduce the number of maid-abuse cases. I hope the Minister will consider this. Marriage Restriction Policy Mr Chairman, Sir, it is very difficult for Singaporeans to marry work permit holders. Very difficult indeed! We all know that. But we read in the newspapers that some Singaporeans find it much easier to marry brides from China or Vietnam. Any foreigner who is in Singapore, but not holding a work permit, can marry a Singaporean any time. But for those who come here to work in the factories, meet their Singaporean colleagues here and maybe build up a relationship with them, they are not permitted to tie the nuptial knots. Likewise, Singaporean workers meet their prospective brides in the workplace and hope to eventually marry them. But because their prospects are work permit holders, they become the forbidden fruit. In the end, they have to resort to brides from Vietnam and China. Why can we not relax this rule? Can we have some flexibility? Now, the Singapore population is not growing, and our women are not giving birth. Why should we force our men to marry these brides from China or Vietnam? Since our men are colleagues of these foreign workers and they are working together, why should we not consider letting them marry these work permit holders, instead of having to go to Vietnam and China?”
“Sir, just now, the Minister talked about employability of older workers. With our ageing population, we should take some steps to give older workers more job opportunities, particularly those who are physically and mentally fit. The NTUC has convinced some 50 unionised companies to employ older workers. But for those companies which are yet to be unionised, is there any plan on the part of MOM to persuade the employers to also agree with our plea to employ the older workers? The exercise to employ older workers cannot be carried out unilaterally. We cannot expect MOM to dictate it. We need the support of the employers. As the NTUC works its way into convincing the unionised companies, can MOM find some way to persuade the non-unionised companies? Employability of Older Workers”
“Sir, I am happy that the Government has announced a $40 million package to support the Job Recreation Programme. This is indeed very encouraging. My feelings may not be the same as that of Mr Low Thia Khiang. Many people are structurally unemployed in Singapore and have difficulties in getting jobs, but most of those affected are the older and lesser skilled ones, not the professional or the highly-qualified. I believe that this $40 million package will be able to give these people a better opportunity to get employed. I would like to ask the Minister to further elaborate on how the $40 million will be spent to recreate jobs. But as I see it, it is a very complex process to review the existing business processes or workflows. We have to conduct market research and use new technologies or equipment so that we will be able to improve productivity, enhance the image and raise the pay of certain jobs. I hope that the Government or the Ministry of Manpower could look at which type of jobs would require what type of workers, and try to match them. Of course, the Member from Hougang talked about people migrating because they could not find suitable jobs here. He was referring to those who were highly-skilled and highly-qualified. I am looking at the problems of the older Singaporeans, the lower-skilled workers. Even if they want to migrate, nobody would take them. So, they stay in Singapore. I hope the Minister for Manpower would look into how we could help these people to find jobs which they could be comfortable working in. I would be most grateful. Employment Assistance”
“Mr Chairman, the terrorist threat and the uproar in various parts of the world over the publishing of cartoons on Prophet Mohamad serve to remind us of the importance of racial harmony based on mutual respect and understanding. Such a process should start from young when our children begin to attend school. May I ask the Minister for Education whether there is any holistic programme with concrete plans in our primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions to enable our students to understand, appreciate and respect the different cultures and religions in our multi-racial society. I think this is very important in such a multi-racial and multi-cultural society. We will be able to respect one another's culture, traditions and customs. This is very important to a multi-racial society like ours. If we cannot start to inculcate in our students from the primary schools on such a concept, it would be very difficult later on to persuade them to come forward and serve the community, even when called upon by Government leaders to do so.”
“Sir, I understand the Ministry of Education has introduced the "Growing Years Series" of sex education for students in the primary, secondary and junior colleges. It is also in the midst of introducing this series to students studying at the tertiary level. Sir, before the schools introduced such a series, we do not have incidents of students taking their nude photos or sexual activities with their handphones. Now, with the series, we have such events happening. People are now asking whether the Ministry of Education has taught the wrong thing. Will the Minister consider reviewing this programme and also to get proper teachers to teach the lessons, otherwise, our students seem to have been going in another direction. This will be contrary to the original intention of this programme.”
“Sir, in our schools, we will always find a small group of students who have difficulty keeping pace with the normal school curriculum and activities. May I ask the Minister what is the proportion of Primary One students in each cohort who are not ready or found it difficult to cope with primary education? I know that MOE has got the Learning Support Programmes. I would like to ask whether the Minister would review the Learning Support Programmes and enhance the programmes so that they can be more effective and more practical in assisting these students who have difficulties. Drop-out Rates”
“Mr Chairman, as my colleague has said, the whole world is very concerned over the possible bird flu pandemic and recently, H5N1 was discovered in chickens in Selangor. Although the Primary Production Department has said that all chickens consumed in Singapore are safe and reliable, can the Government tell the ordinary citizens what steps should be taken to ensure that the chickens that eat will not affect us adversely? The ordinary people would like to know what the Government is doing, otherwise, they would not dare to eat chickens.”
“The fact tells us that only a capable Government and hardworking people, together with social cohesion, will be able to ensure that Singapore continues to live on. We will be able to ensure that our families and our children will have a better life in the future. Mr Speaker, Sir, whether or not this is a good Budget, we can see for ourselves. As for those people who promise more, we cannot see how they are going to do so, because political parties who propose more giveaways are not in the Government. I say that Singaporeans should consider themselves fortunate that we continue to have a capable and clean Government to lead Singapore ahead to a better and brighter future. 2.48 pm”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I must stress that the greatest achievement of the Government is its ability to implement the policies that bring prosperity to the nation and happiness to the people. From the media reports, we can see that there are political problems in a lot of countries - Philippines, Thailand, and so on. Why is it that Singapore can stand out of all these chaos and unrest? The reason is simple: Because we have a good, clean and capable Government. Many countries have much more natural resources but they are not able to have a Budget like the one we have today, because politically, they face different kinds of corruption and incompetence. Our people are fortunate that we have already gotten out of this kind of situation. A clean government will realise the promises it makes. If we do not have good people in charge and put in place the right policy, we will not have budget surpluses, let alone debating on how to share the wealth. To make matters worse, if we have the wrong people in charge - those who have lost touch with the reality at the ground, especially on issues like multi-racial harmony, meritocracy, work ethics and economic development - then we are done for. From the 1985 economic recession, the 1998 Asian financial crisis, the urgent need to restructure the economy in the face of globalisation, the terrorist threat since 2002 to the 2003 SARS crisis, the current team of Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has proven once and again to Singaporeans that they are reliable and dependable. Since last year, our job situation and economy have improved. Accordingly, we must distribute some benefits to the people. They deserve them!”
“So we cannot depend on the Government for everything and hope that the Government will give you money every day to live on. Mr Speaker, Sir, this world is very uncertain. We are not sure when the bird flu will hit us or whether the terrorists will eventually strike at us. This is something which nobody can be certain about. Even a powerful country like the United States was in a state of shock when the 9/11 terrorist attack happened at the heart of its biggest city. The Government must ensure that, in case of such an eventuality, the people here are alert and vigilant all the time. We want to ensure that the Government has annual surpluses to help the needy, and this is something that can be expected of a good Government. Our people expect a government like the present one to share the budget surpluses among the people. If you are not a good government, then nobody can have such expectation. As a people, we must also understand that the Government will not always have money to help. Very often, we have to help ourselves and be self-reliant. We have been trying our best to help our people to upgrade and raise the standard of living and quality of life. People have come to a realisation that mere propaganda talks over the media are meaningless. You can criticise and make a lot of comments and promises. But they are all empty promises - cheques that cannot be honoured. In Singapore, people are used to having a good and honest Government. Politicians cannot just give all sorts of empty promises in order to win votes. It would not work! The people of Singapore can see for themselves that this Budget has the interest of the people at heart, particularly the lower-income people and the older workers. Help is given to those who need it most. This is clear for everybody to see.”
“This is because many poor children in the neighbourhood are going to benefit from this fund. They will be able to access the Internet, attend immersion courses overseas, and take part in many activities, thus making full use of the excellent opportunity in education. Even if a child comes from a low-income family, the Government will help him to upgrade and become better off in future. More and more children have better opportunities to be better educated and enjoy better opportunities to enjoy a better standard of living. We must know how to use money wisely and how to earn a living. The Non-Constituency MP suggested giving $100, $200 or $300 to each of the poor families. I think that is not the correct way. When you give the money to a child and do not teach him how to spend his money wisely, he will soon use up all the money, and his pocket will be empty again. We must strive to upgrade. We provide training to the workers to upgrade themselves. We have helped all the lower wage workers and older workers to improve their skills and thereby earn more money to enjoy a better quality of life. To these people, the real help is to get them jobs, and better jobs for that matter. Then they can have a decent life. But if they are still having difficulty, we have so many assistance schemes to help them. I feel that, in Singapore, nobody can say that he would not be able to live. History has taught us that the national power is limited, but the people power is unlimited. So we know what the Government can do is limited, but Singaporeans must do their own part - be a self-starter, upgrade the skills regardless of age and adapt positively to the new job. Another important point to note is that we live in an uncertain world.”
“I told him that he had to be realistic and contented with what he has received from his son and the Government. Most importantly, he must also do his part, get a job and work to sustain his expected standard of living. He reluctantly agreed to my suggestion. Just now, when I heard Mr Steve Chia, Non-Constituency MP, said that the Government should give everybody $100 per family, two children, $200, three children, $300, and so on, I just do not understand. Where will the money come from? Where can we get so much money to give away to so many people? You can give the money to the people, make the old people happy, make the housewives happy, but they may not necessarily cast the vote for you. Mr Speaker, Sir, there are ups and downs in life. The fact is that we are unhappy about many things in life but if we look back and think about it, we are not short of the essential needs for our daily lives. It is rare to see Singaporeans who are so poor that they cannot even afford a roof over their heads or money to buy food and clothing. Even in the event of some rare exceptions, at grassroots level, we would be able to help them. We leave no stone unturned to do our best to help such people. I do not deny that there are some poor people in our society. These people may be poor, but they have strong character. Our poor people are poor simply because they have less than others. But compared to poor countries, the poor people in Singapore are still better off. Singaporeans should not make unreasonable demands on the Government. You may not give the Government full marks, but at least you should not discard the Government that we have now. On the other hand, there are many people who appreciate the Opportunity Funds set up by the Ministry of Education. Why?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, during my routine coffeeshop walkabout, I can sense the positive response from Singaporeans from all walks of life on this year's Budget. Regardless of the interpretation or speculations on the objectives and purposes of the Budget we have seen in the media, it reconfirms my belief that Budget 2006 will benefit many Singaporeans, especially the lower-income group. There is a Chinese saying, "Spread the money and unite the people". It means that if the Government knows how to use the money wisely, it will be able to unite the people and progress together. Wealth is only meaningful if we know how to gain and spend it. This is what Mr Low Thia Khiang has failed to understand. Why do we incur so much deficit and give away $2.6 billion to the people? He did not know how to use the money. He did not know how we can use the money to level up the people. Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully support the principle of sharing the wealth of economic growth in a targeted manner. Such a consistent policy is particularly important to the lower-income groups and the less fortunate people in our society. We know that some people have difficulties and hardships, and the Government is particularly targeting at helping these people. But we need to manage the people's expectations properly. One 60-year old resident of mine complained that the few hundred dollars from the Government is not enough for a year. I asked him what his son was doing. He told me that his son was an odd-job worker with a family of three children, and that he could still give $100 a month to his father. He feels that the amount is too little. I told him that looking at his son's earning capacity and family commitments, he should be thankful that his son would still be able to cough out $100 per month for him.”
“So, I would appeal to everybody to put away their differences and give full support to the decision of the Prime Minister. Even in the dark, we are just like a small boat sailing in the darkness. No matter how much time we have to traverse the ocean, after the darkness phase, we will see the dawn of light. We cannot be travelling forever, 24 hours a day, in darkness. The time of dawn will come. Sir, I fully support the Prime Minister's proposal.”
“But they hope that they will one day strike the first prize in the Toto draw so that they can provide a better life for their children. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I will never oppose gambling, because I know gambling will give some people some hope and the hope to survive. Big gambling is bad, but small gambling will certainly give some hope to some people. Sir, MM Lee told us that if we continue to remain as the safest, cleanest and the most efficient country or city in the world, then Singapore will miss the opportunities created in the new world. SM Goh also mentioned that if we do not do anything now, we will be bypassed in no time. So, the question is: do we want to seize the opportunities as they come along, or do we want to let others bypass us, and fall behind them? Sir, Deng Xiaoping's opening up of China and his reforms have already transformed China. MOS Mrs Yu-Foo went to Shanghai recently and she was very impressed by the spectacular developments in Shanghai. But we know that the Chinese have already paid a very high social cost. Do you know how much they have paid socially? After Prime Minister Lee announced the setting up of two IRs in Singapore, and I went to the coffeeshops in my constituency, everybody put up their thumbs and said "Good". Is it because they are gamblers? Is it because they are addicted gamblers? It is because they do not want the opportunities to bypass us, because these are the people who are lagging behind the rest of the society, so they will have hope from the casinos. They believe that the future generation, their children and grandchildren will benefit from this project. Sir, when Deng Xiaoping advocated opening up and transforming China, he had not met with any opposition. Even if there was, he would have succeeded anyway.”
“They are still within control of our social network. The Shin Min Daily News interviewed some people for their views on the setting up of casinos, and one of them, a 30-year-old lady answered, "Will the opening of a casino lead to bad social ethos and affect our younger children? I think it depends on the examples set by their parents. If we teach and educate our children the correct and right values and inculcate these in them properly, then there is no need to worry." A 25-year-old graduate said, "Unexpectedly, there are two, not one, IRs to be built, but I believe that these two IRs will inject more dynamism into Singapore and will create more jobs for Singapore. As for the social ills brought about by gambling, I think we are mature enough to control such ills." These two persons interviewed by the Shin Min Daily News represent our new generation of people. If there are more young Singaporeans who think like these two persons I have quoted, together with our effective measures to control the ills of gambling and the protective safety net, then the casino will not bring about very serious problems in Singapore. I think it will be very minimal. Of course, gambling is bad. But to some other people, it brings a light of hope. Sir, one morning, I went to the dry market at Blk 761 to meet my constituents. I met one familiar face. She had just come out from a Singapore Pools betting centre. I asked her, "You buy 4-D too?" She said, "Yes. You buy, then you have some hope. Otherwise, what hope do the poor people have?" A lot of people in the lower income group are poor but their ambition is still there. They do not blame the Government. They do not blame anybody. They accept their fate.”
“Recently, for more than a month, there were some problems that caused the closure of casinos in Batam. People told me that we can gamble every day in Singapore. The question is whether you want to gamble and have the money to gamble. Gambling is going on every day right here in Singapore. You can play mahjong. Yes, it is a healthy pastime for many. At our void decks, we have senior citizens playing card games. They have nothing to do, so they entertain themselves this way. We have all kinds of gambling going on right in front of us, day and night. As shown in the survey done by MCYS, 2.1% of these inveterate gamblers can go underground and gamble, if there is no proper channel for them to gamble. Some old people told me, "Wherever you have Chinese, you have gambling." This is what the senior people told me. Since we have all kinds of gambling going on right here, can we say that our social ethos have already degenerated? Have our morals also gone down the drain though we are still maintaining the image of being a very clean, moral and honest Government? We are still getting praises, world acclaim for our image as a clean and organised society. Gambling is going on not only in Singapore but everywhere in the world. The question is: how do we control the ill effects of gambling? Since gambling is so prevalent, then the ills that gambling brings are just small little problems in our society. Having heard Minister Wong Kan Seng, Minister Khaw Boon Wan and Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, they have already agreed to set up a safety net in our society. I would not be as pessimistic as those anti-gambling people. I can judge from the Ministers' speeches that the social problems created by gambling will not have a very great impact on us.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the proposal to build integrated resorts with a casino in Singapore. I can feel the pain of the unemployed people. These IRs, with a casino, will be able to create 35,000 jobs. So, how can I fail to support this kind of proposal? Losing a job is not the fault of the workers. They were born into poor families, so they were not able to receive a higher education for better skills to enable them to secure good jobs. They are part of our country. They have a family and children to feed. Although the opening of casinos may cause the breaking up of some families and create some social problems, this is the result of inveterate gambling. So, it has nothing to do with the majority of our workers. It is not something that can really be controlled by the Government. The most important thing is that a lot of our workers are unemployed for a long time. Sir, I entirely agree with Minister Vivian Balakrishnan that gambling is already prevalent in Singapore. But it does not mean that every gambler will go into a frenzy. Most people do not get into problem with gambling. I understand from my constituents that there are two Toto draws a week, three 4-D draws a week, one Big Sweep draw every month, and horse racing two to three times a week. In addition, we have also football matches where you can place your bets on almost every day. Yes, we have all kinds of legalised gambling going on in Singapore already. Some of my constituents told me that they can go to Batam and enjoy a free boat ride. They can go there every day. They say that a lot of housewives wait for their husbands to go to work and then they would go to Batam to gamble, and come back in the afternoon ahead of their husbands. So, nobody knows that these women had been to Batam.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, Census 2000 revealed that there were some 240,000 Singaporeans who are now aged 65 and above. Our aged population is expected to grow rapidly over the next 25 years from the present 7% to about 19% of the population by 2030. The rapid increase in the proportion of older persons is mainly due to three factors. First, the post-war baby boomers who are now 35-54. In a few years' time they would have moved to the age range of 65 and above. Second, with better advance in medical sciences, people are more healthy, food is more nutritious and the life-span is longer. Third, the low fertility rate, which has dropped from 1.87 in 1990 to 1.37 in 2002. With the trend of our young having fewer children and some even staying single, families would thus face increased pressure to care for both the young and the old. The demand for support to the elderly would thus become even more critical in future. Older Singaporeans have made significant contributions in the early years of our nation building. They deserve our respect and concern. As our Prime Minister said in his Budget speech, "Nobody should be left behind as Singapore forges ahead", I would like to ask the Minister what is the budget that the Government has set aside for eldercare services and would this budget be increased in future in tandem with the increase in elderly population. The Elderly and Homemaker”
“Sir, under the new maid guidelines, the maid must be 23 years old and has completed eight years of formal schooling. Because of this stricter requirement, Indonesians maids cannot come to work in Singapore, and the maid agencies face acute shortage of maids to meet the demand. Can MOM consider opening other sources of supply of maids? Prime Minister Lee recently announced the lowering of maid levy by $50, resulting in an increase of demand for foreign domestic maids. I am afraid a lot of Singaporeans have the mentality of "You have it, I must also have it!". In fact, when given the keys to their HDB flats, many people saw the terrace houses nearby and thought, "People can stay in terrace houses, why can't I?" So, they start installing false ornamental ceilings with cornices and hang up chandeliers to satisfy their ego. I would like to ask the Minister whether he has any special measures to control the influx of maids due to the reduction in maid levy. Ratification of ILO Convention 138”