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 6 of 6.
“He reminded me of three Chinese sayings about "ku", or hardship: (1) chi de ku zhong ku, fang wei ren shang ren ( ), meaning you must be able to endure utmost hardship before you can be above the others; (2) tong gan gong ku ( ), meaning as true friends and partners we should share in each other's comfort and hardship; and (3) ku jin gan lai ( ), meaning after enduring hardship, happiness will eventually come. Singapore 21 Vision is something worthy of all our people to fight and strive for. In a sense, we have no choice but to strive for it. This is because we are facing very intense competition. We are like a boat sailing against the current. We must forge ahead or else we will be driven back. However, to succeed, we must have strong fighting spirit. Success will not be plain sailing. There will be hardship to endure. The three sayings I quoted above are not only the trilogy for us to realise our Singapore 21 Vision, but they are also the rondo for the long-term endeavours of Singapore. We want to go for the knowledge-based economy. On the one hand, we have to work hard. On the other hand, we also have to constantly upgrade ourselves. So we have to keep on learning and keep on working hard. This is tough - real hardship indeed! If we want to upgrade ourselves to become a world class economy, we have to look beyond our own country and take in the whole world in view. We have to strike friendship and deal with customers and partners with different cultural backgrounds, and to operate in unfamiliar environment overseas. That is also hardship! I can testify, as I have personally experienced it! We will inevitably encounter frustrations and even failures.”
“How do we encourage the self-employed people to save beyond Medisave to better meet their old age needs? How do we encourage CPF members to plan early for adequate financial security for their retirement? Everyone, particularly the workers, would like to know how much money is considered adequate. MOM has not given us details on this. To realise the Singapore 21 Vision, the concerted effort of each and every Singaporean is needed, that is to say, every Singaporean should selflessly contribute his or her best. Equally important, those in power, the Cabinet Ministers, should have the patience and take the trouble to explain to the people of Singapore what the intentions of the policy are. Why should certain things be done in a certain way and by so doing what benefit would they bring to the people? So long as the Government and the people can continue to have this tacit understanding, I believe that Singapore's future is bright and promising. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Minister for Health (Mr Chan Soo Sen) (In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak in support of the motion in the name of Mr Davinder Singh to thank the President for his Address. I fully support the motion. In his policy Speech, the President outlined our vision and listed the tasks ahead for us. To me, this is truly thought-provoking.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the motion standing in the name of my colleague, Mr Davinder Singh, to thank the President for his Address. In the Addendum to the President's Address, the Ministry of Manpower states that it will restore the CPF contribution as quickly as possible. To the workers, this is a piece of good news. The workers have witnessed the rapid recovery of the Singapore economy from the recession. During the recession, they made sacrifices by resolutely accepting a 10% reduction in the employers' CPF contribution rate. Now that the economy has begun to turn around, it is only fair that they be compensated appropriately. The Government will review the long term employers' and the employees' CPF contribution rate. There are some rumours in the market that eventually the employers' and the employees' CPF contribution rate will be set at 15% each way. Many union members are asking me whether this is true. The workers are very concerned with this matter, because this will affect their savings for retirement. In the MOM's Addendum, it is mentioned that the Ministry will refine the CPF system to ensure that members have adequate savings to meet their old age needs and medical care. However, there is no mention as to how this could be done. MOM has also stated that they will explore new avenues for CPF members to invest their savings for higher returns. Everyone is very happy when they heard this. Yet there are some people who are skeptical as to whether their investments could also cause some CPF members to lose part of their CPF savings. Has the Government set up any sort of mechanism or system to safeguard the interest of the members when they are investing their CPF savings?”
“Sir, can the Minister inform the House about the number of complaints that his Ministry received on gender based discrimination over the past few years? Second, in future, does he foresee that more women will work part-time and flexi-time? How would the Ministry ensure that such workers are protected from discrimination based on gender? And the third question is on the prohibition of child labour. While it is not a problem in Singapore, can the Minister tell us the number of companies which has been found employing underaged youths in the past few years?”
“Even at the statutory roadworthiness inspection for vehicles, these defects are classified only as minor faults that require no rectification and no fine will be imposed. Sir, can the Minister enlighten the House on what are the practices of other more advanced countries such as Japan, Europe and the USA with regard to the enforcement of the rules on black smoke emission? What are the rationale, standards and practices adopted in imposing the penalty fines? How many countries are using the Hartridge smoke meters? 4.15 pm”
“Sir, my views on the detection of black smoke from vehicles is different from my other colleagues. First, I would like to declare my interest as the Executive Secretary of the National Transport Workers' Union and Adviser to three taxi operator associations. I would like to bring to the notice of the House the unhappiness of many drivers of diesel vehicles with regard to the penalties for emission of black smoke. In the past, vehicles which emitted black smoke with Hartridge Smoke Unit (HSU) reading of 84 and below, the fine was $150 each for the driver and the owner. Since 1st August 1998, the Ministry of the Environment has revised the penalty for black smoke emission. The current penalty for offenders with HSU reading of 84 and below is $150 for the driver and the owner in the case of a first offender. For repeat offender within two years, the driver and owner have to face fines of $500 each. For HSU reading of 85 and above, the fine for a first offender is $300 each for the driver and owner, and $500 each for a repeat offender within two years. This is a big amount to the taxi drivers. They feel that such a penalty is too stiff. They have remarked that the fines for speeding and other traffic offences which may result in loss of lives are not as severe as the penalty for emission of black smoke. Why is the penalty for such an offence more severe than the other life-threatening traffic offences? On the other hand, they feel that poisonous gases such as nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide which are emitted by petrol-driven vehicles are more harmful than the black smoke. These toxic gases are not visible to the naked eye, and that makes detection difficult.”
“2) How many graduates from our tertiary institutions have decided to further their education in view of the lull labour market? Is their delayed entry into the job market actually a postponement of our employment problem? With so many advanced learning institutions around, are they being trained in the required skills, so that the under-unemployment situation will not be aggravated after they have acquired their higher qualifications? 3) Is the Minister satisfied with the success of MOM's "job matching" efforts? Has the Ministry any proactive action plan to improve the success rate? Can the Minister tell us how many workers have refused jobs offered to them despite being placed several times, and the number of companies which rejected the job- applicants recommended by the Ministry? While looking for jobs, are the workers' concern about inequitable pay and long hours of standing valid? Is there any discrimination against older workers in the recruitment exercises? Sir, I support the Government's action to attract foreign talents who could add value to our economy as part of our strategy to move towards a knowledge-based economy. However, may I ask the Minister for Manpower what measures have been taken by his Ministry to attract local workers to these higher value-added jobs, since these jobs will provide higher income?”
“Sir, to soften the impact of the regional economic crisis on us, our key strategy is to focus on minimising unemployment and maximising employability. Last year, the Government, together with various economic and social agencies, stepped up its programme to help our workers who were affected by the crisis. It is therefore very important that these agencies keep abreast of the latest development in our labour situation, in order that they may tackle the issues at the earliest possible opportunity. Hence, I would like to request the Minister for Manpower to provide monthly reports on job creation and opportunities in the various industries, so that NTUC can match our workers with the vacancies in these industries concerned. I also understand that skilled workers are urgently required in the new high-tech industries, and some of our workers still do not possess the relevant skills to take on the new technologies involved. However, there is still a large number of workers who seem to be unaware of the seriousness of this crisis. Many workers also do not realise that the jobs they have lost today may not come back even when the economy picks up later on. Therefore, we should do more to upgrade the skills of our workers and to shift their mindset towards one of continuous learning to move into the knowledge economy that we are moving towards. Sir, may I know if the Manpower Minister has any innovative plans to overcome these challenges? I would also like to request the Minister to enlighten us on the following matters: 1) The proportion of new entrants into our workforce who are gainfully employed, and the proportion that is under-employed. Does the Ministry have any scheme in place to assist them so that they can be gainfully employed when the economy picks up?”
“If the economy goes into a recession, does it mean that workers will have to go through another round of CPF and wage cut? Besides, when will the workers know if they have to bite the bullet again to help the economy to pull out of the recession? When will these workers be able to know whether the cost-cutting measures announced last year are working? The Budget Statement has yet to provide answers to these questions uppermost in the minds of the ordinary workers. It is time now for them to have a clearer picture of what is in store for them this year. It is only fair that they be warned early of the painful adjustments, as in the last year. On this note, I support the Budget Statement.”
“Though only 35% of the taxpayers enjoy this 10% rebate, the remaining 65% of the population have also not been forgotten, as the Budget provides for rebates in rents and conservancy charges for those staying in rented and owner-occupied HDB flats. The amounts of these housing rebates range from two months' net rent and three months' net service and conservancy (S&C) charges for one-roomers to one month's net S&C charges for the 5-roomers. It is right that due emphasis and consideration be given to the lower and middle income groups. This approach certainly deserves our applause. It shows that the Government is able to present a budget for everyone during this crisis. For many years, due to the prudent fiscal policies, Singapore is able to enjoy budget surpluses. This has helped to build up surplus funds that can be used during difficult times. From the Budget, one can see that the projected expenditure, which will lead to an operating deficit of $5.1 billion or 3.5% of GDP for FY99, is drawn from the accumulated surpluses. The Government has no need, at this moment in time, to use the country's reserves to help Singapore to tide over this crisis. This is another area that we, as Singaporeans, should appreciate. I am confident that the Prime Minister and his team will be able to lead Singapore out of the regional financial crisis. But we should unite together to fully support the Government's efforts. Mr Speaker, Sir, the 10% across-the-board income tax cut will help to cushion the impact of the CPF and wage cuts for workers. However, the workers would like to ask if it will be enough to carry them through this year if the economy registers a negative growth.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government responded to the regional economic crisis with two cost-cutting packages last year to boost the economy. One was a $2-billion off-budget package announced last June, and the other a $10.5-billion cost-cutting supplementary package announced last November. In addition, this year's Budget has adequately and reasonably taken care of Singaporeans of different income groups. I am glad that the largest allocation of the Budget has gone to Defence - at 25% of total Government spending, followed by Education at 19%. National defence is one area that the Government has always emphasised. In times like this, Singapore is a small country and when there are social unrest and chaos in some other countries, we need to be even more prepared. The emphasis on education is also appropriate. Singapore is a small country with no natural resources. Human resource is what we depend on most for our success. As economic competition intensifies in the region and in the world, it is necessary for Singapore to move into a knowledge-based economy in order to survive and continue to grow. The second largest spending on education therefore should help develop our human resources for this challenge. However, I urge the Government to also support training and retraining programmes for our semi-skilled and unskilled workers, because they will remain in the workforce for at least another 20 years. One area that I want to give special attention to is the 10% personal income tax rebate that the Budget provides for this year, up from 5% given in the last financial year.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether the Government is taking steps to ensure that employers do their fair share to see an economic turnaround instead of taking the easy way out by cutting wages or cutting employers' CPF contribution. Dr Lee Boon Yang: As I have explained in my answer, it is not just a question of cutting wages. Government will also make a comprehensive review of all taxes, rates and levies to help minimise cost of business in Singapore. At the same time, it stands to reason that employers faced with this crisis will also be examining their business strategy, re-engineering their business operations, for instance, looking for new product mix, in order to survive this crisis. They will have to look for new markets and in their efforts, they will receive additional support from Government. The Trade Development Board will help them to look for new markets for their products. In the case of Singaporeans who want to invest abroad and to find new places where they can invest, Government will also provide the kind of support to help them reach out to new locations where they can invest to continue their business.”
“Sir, I will be very brief. I would just like to ask the Minister on the Sports Excellence 2000 scheme of the Singapore Sports Council which has been implemented for the last five years, costing about $10 million a year. Have we attained the targets that we have set and is there any further plan? Secondly, I must declare that I am the President of the Singapore Basketball Association (SBA). The SBA has been holding all its tournaments at the Geylang Indoor Stadium, formerly known as Gay World Stadium or Happy World Stadium. If you happen to pass by the Geylang Indoor Stadium, you will notice that the stadium is exactly the same as it was in the 50s. My concern is that many people are saying that basketball is a game played predominantly by the Chinese-educated. So why should the Government look after them? But why do people have this sentiment? I think the Sports Council should take some responsibility for this perception. Why can the SSC not do something to upgrade the stadium? If the site is earmarked for development, then the stadium should be demolished. If not, then something should be done to spruce up this stadium where all major basketball tournaments are held, so that it will not give people the impression that since basketball is played predominantly by the Chinese-educated, the Government will not look after it. I think the Singapore Sports Council should do something about it.”
“As he has mentioned just now, the queuing time for Registration of Flats Scheme (RFS) has been reduced drastically, from about five years to even two years for some areas. I would like to ask the Minister whether there are similar guidelines to reduce the waiting time for TRHS applicants, because for many of them who need interim housing, there is a more urgent need to get this housing because of the size of the family and for various other reasons, as we hear from our meet-the-people session cases. Therefore, it is more urgent for them to get this housing. I would like to ask the Minister whether HDB has a similar target to shorten waiting time for TRHS applicants. 1.45 pm”
“If the people living upstairs and downstairs are of different races they may have a misunderstanding caused by the language differences. This will certainly be very bad to our efforts to promote racial harmony and enhance social cohesion. I feel that the Area Office could resolve such matters as leaking toilet ceiling easily, because as soon as the Area Office has received the complaint and investigated, and found that the complaint is substantiated, they could call up the two parties involved and tell them the cost of repair and how much they have to pay. So it could be resolved in three to five days' time. I hope the Minister would pay more attention to this matter because this is happening more and more often now. Mr Sinnakaruppan: Sir, the Transitional Rental Housing Scheme (TRHS) was introduced in October 1991 with the aim of providing interim housing to young couples who are waiting for the completion of their home ownership flats. In October 1995, the HDB introduced improvements to the TRHS to make it easier for first-time applicants to get interim housing. As a result, the demand for TRHS flats more than doubled from 1,200 applications in July 1995 to an average of 2,800 in every quarterly exercise subsequently. In the July 1997 quarterly exercise, 2,840 applications were received for the 500 units. HDB introduced various new measures in October 1997 with the provision of 1-room flats and the buying back of 2- and 3-room flats from the open market. HDB increased the number of flats offered under each TRHS quarterly exercise by 20%, from the current 500-600 units from the October 1997 exercise. Sir, I applaud HDB for this effort. However, what I would like to ask the Minister is about the waiting time for the TRHS applicants.”
“Sir, with the aging of the flats in the older estates and the frequent resale of flats, there are many incidences of leaking ceiling caused by renovation works. Under the present HDB policy, residents who have leaking ceilings will have to bear the repair cost, because the ceiling is a party structure belonging jointly to the adjoining flats. Therefore, the owners of these two units are jointly liable for the repair cost. Normally, when the Area Office receives a complaint, they will send their officials to investigate the matter within three days. The Area Office will write to the two parties involved within nine days so that they could proceed with the repair works. The Area Office would also recommend contractors to the residents who have difficulty in getting the appropriate contractor. Normally, repairing a leaking toilet would cost about $1,200. This means that each unit will have to bear $600. Normally, the people living upstairs are reluctant to pay for the cost of repair and this will cause delay in the repairs. The Area Office will then have to inform the legal officers in the HDB head office and normally this will be done one month after receiving the complaint. After the first letter is issued and if no action is taken by the resident living upstairs, a reminder will be sent. So the whole process would take about 73 days or about two and a half months after the complaint before work can commence. Very often the people living upstairs will say that they have no money as an excuse and keep on delaying. Taking more than three months to resolve a leaking ceiling in the toilet is indeed a cause of great regret. Sir, we are a multi-racial society.”
“Sir, I also wish to talk about the run away of foreign maids. Recently, some voters came to me to seek assistance in appealing against the forfeiture of security bonds for their foreign maids or workers who had run away. A family employed a foreign maid to help look after their aged parents and parents-in-law at home. When the couple came home from work, they found that their maid was missing. They could not get help from anywhere. Even the police would not help them because the police do not deal with such matters unless the absconded maid has overstayed in Singapore. Even if the employer knows the whereabouts of the maid, there is no organisation he can turn to to get the maid home. With the maid running away, the employer has to apply for no-pay leave to look after his aged parents and parent-in-law. The moment the Immigration Department comes to know about it, the employer will be asked to surrender the maid to the authority for repatriation, failing which the security bond of $5,000 will be forfeited. I hope the newly formed Ministry of Manpower will render some assistance to these employers. Give them a grace period before forfeiting their security bond of $5,000, unless there are compelling reasons why the grace period cannot be granted.”
“Secondly, with cable TV and Internet getting more and more popular, it implies that MITA is allowing our people to be subjected to the impact of various views and schools of thoughts. Thirdly, we are allowing our cultural organisations more space for development, for example, busking. Under the necessary supervision, encouraging creativity and competition is a breakthrough. I hope that the Government would encourage any consortium which is interested to start a new major daily newspaper in Singapore.”
“Sir, today, the younger generation of Singaporeans are receiving better education, and many of them are effectively bilingual. With the advancement in communications, the quality of life of our people has enhanced. Now, more and more Singaporeans are travelling overseas to broaden their visit and to motivate their pursuit for knowledge. At the moment, each of the four language streams has one daily newspaper. In addition, there is one afternoon English newspaper and two Chinese evening newspapers. As far as I know, many Singaporeans are hoping to have at least one more Chinese or English daily newspaper, so that they can have the option of an alternative newspaper to the existing one and only major language newspaper in Singapore. Sir, after 30 years of nation building, our people are more mature now. The younger generation of Singaporeans have received better education. They know how to distinguish between right and wrong. They are not easily instigated by others. So by giving them one more newspaper, their daily life could be further enriched. Under competition, I think the editorial contents and substance of the newspapers would be further improved and more quality reports will be provided for the benefit of the readers. To the advertisers, they will have an alternative choice to place their advertisement. It will also create more job opportunities for our mass communication students. In fact, the Government has already started what we call a "self-discipline" development in terms of education and culture. For example, the Ministry of Education is encouraging more independent schools to be set up so that they could have their own curriculum and methods of teaching, provided they comply with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education.”
“Our retirement age at the national level is 60, and will be extended to 62. I think retiring police officers at 45 years is a waste of manpower. The Police should review the conditions of service and to persuade those with a good service record to continue serving in the Police Force. They can put in another 17 years of useful service to the Police Force. Sir, we all know that the Police job is a very challenging one. Our security, our children, our family's security are all dependent on the Police officers. They are the pillar of our social order and discipline. We need capable and experienced officers to stay in the Police Force to lower our crime rates and to ensure our safety and security. But when they enforce their duties, they have to risk their lives. So we must give them better pay and better care. I think this is something worth our consideration.”
“On the other hand, those who go for 2 1/2 years of full-time national service in the army are paid some $200 to $300. So from the financial point of view, it is very attractive for these national servicemen to join the Police Force, because they can get better pay. But the question is: after five years, how do we retain them in the Police Force, and make them take Police as a life-long career? If we cannot retain them, then the Police Force will face the question of manpower shortage every year. Sir, I feel that the Police can consider the following suggestions: Firstly, apart from adjusting the pay for the Police officers, we must also increase various kinds of allowances, eg, shift allowance, children's education insurance or dependants' allowance. Police officers will not have to worry about their families when they carry on their duties. Secondly, we must extend the five-year Police service bond in order to be eligible for exemption from national service. I understand in the recruitment exercise last year, for the 700 vacancies, there were only 300 applicants. About 88% of them were more interested in exemption from national service than service in the Police. So if we extend this five-year qualifying period for exemption from national service, then we will be able to attract those people who are genuinely interested in joining the Police Force rather than those who are only using the 5-year stint as a means to avoid national service. In this way, the Police will be better able to do their long-term planning for manpower and training. Thirdly, we know that the retirement age for junior officer is 45. I know that many junior officers who have reached the retirement age do not want to remain in the Police Force.”
“Sir, according to the crime statistics released by the Police, last year's crime rate dropped by 5%, the 9th successive year of drop in crime rate. This is indeed something we can be proud of. The Police Force plays a very important role in ensuring our internal security, just as the armed forces ensure our protection against invasion from outside. Once our internal security is threatened, not only will our people's daily lives be affected, the foreign investors will also be scared away. Therefore, the job of the Police is very important and very challenging. For this reason, while we need to attract talented people to join the Police Force, we must also find ways and means to recruit and retain the capable, experienced and dedicated policemen to keep up the good work of the Police Force and to ensure that the crime rate is kept under control. Sir, at the moment, if young people who reach the age in which they are liable for national service join the regular police force, they will be exempted from national service after five years. If we are unable to retain these experienced police officers after they have completed five years of service, then we will have a rather serious problem at hand. We are losing experienced police officers. The Police Force will have to recruit new officers and train them afresh. Training will take quite a period of time, and the operations of the Police will surely be affected. What we are worried is that more and more young people are enrolling in the Police Force as an alternative to national service. As soon as they have completed their mandatory period of service, they will leave the Force. Recruits with `O' level passes who have not completed their national service, get a starting pay of $1,350.”