Ong Kian Min
Singapore
“Sir, on the first case, as I said, my resident approached me at the MPS. I wrote to the Traffic Police to appeal for him. I am sure the Traffic Police would look into that appeal and reply to that resident accordingly. The two other cases were not based on hearsay upon hearsay because those were personal encounters by these two friends.”
“My point in raising this is: among the motoring community there is this fear, whether it is real or perceived, that they should not seek medical treatment immediately in case the Police were to issue them with a summons for careless driving.”
“Unless the motorcyclist is so seriously injured that he has no alternative but to be taken to the hospital by ambulance, he would steer clear of the hospital so as to avoid the fate of being reported against and penalised.”
“They are counted as having taken two HDB loans. They are deemed to have had their two bites of the cherry, but is the quantitative number of bites or loans a fair measure of the amount of subsidy enjoyed?”
“Still on the matter of languages, I am of the view that schools should promote more actively the learning of Malay or Bahasa Indonesia by non-Malays, the reason being that Indonesia and Malaysia are our immediate neighbours.”
“And are there more efficient ways of apprehending errant litterbugs? NEA raised the composition fine for first-time minor littering offenders from $200 to $300 last year. I would like to ask: can and do the foreign workers that have been caught littering pay up this fine?”
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“Sir, on the first case, as I said, my resident approached me at the MPS. I wrote to the Traffic Police to appeal for him. I am sure the Traffic Police would look into that appeal and reply to that resident accordingly. The two other cases were not based on hearsay upon hearsay because those were personal encounters by these two friends. They narrated to me their personal encounters, first hand. The point I am trying to make is that there is a fear, whether it is real or perceived, among the motorcyclist community. I just want to ask the Minister to give the assurance to them that that is not the case. For careless driving offences, these are not serious enough to warrant the matter being referred to the Attorney General. Usually, they are investigated by the Traffic Investigation section in the Traffic Police and the summons would then be issued to the alleged offender. I would like just to ask the Minister to assure the motorcyclist community that the Police would not be making such simple investigations regarding such cases.”
“My point in raising this is: among the motoring community there is this fear, whether it is real or perceived, that they should not seek medical treatment immediately in case the Police were to issue them with a summons for careless driving. I want to thank the Minister of State for making that clarification and the assurance to the motorcyclist community.”
“Sir, I would like to make a clarification about Traffic Police investigation regarding motorcyclists. Some months ago, one of my residents came to see me at the Meet-the-People session (MPS). He was riding on the road on his motorcycle, a car cut into his path and he took evasive action. He landed in the drain, I think. If I remember correctly, these were the facts. He was sent to hospital and was hospitalised. No other party was involved. It was a single-party accident. He was then served with a summons for careless riding. He felt victimised because he was the victim – he was hospitalised – the car sped away. He could not get the vehicle number of the car. But that was not the case that I was referring to when I raised those points in my speech. Quite recently, I was having a gathering with friends, a motorcyclist friend came late. It was a wet and rainy night. He arrived late, he was bloodied, blood all over his body. Apparently, on the way to the meeting, he skidded on the road markings – single party, no other drivers were involved, he injured himself but he was well enough not to be sent to the hospital. I said, "Look, you are injured. Why don't you go to the hospital." He said he would rather not because his fear was that the Police would give him a summons for careless driving. Someone in the party in my group said "yes", a few months ago he was also injured in a motorcycle accident, broke his ankle in two places but there was a fear and he waited for two days before going to the hospital to seek treatment.”
“Unless the motorcyclist is so seriously injured that he has no alternative but to be taken to the hospital by ambulance, he would steer clear of the hospital so as to avoid the fate of being reported against and penalised. Instead, in the interest of self-preservation, he would rather go home and attend to his wounds through self-medication and seek medical treatment on his own the next day, if needed. This way, the chain linking injury to accident would be broken, and no report is filed by the hospital. I hope the Minister can look into this. Youth-at-risk”
“Sir, I wish to express my concern about the high incidence of accidents involving motorcyclists. The Traffic Police reported that motorcyclists and pillion riders remain the most vulnerable road users accounting for close to half of all road fatalities in 2010. I commend the new initiatives set up by the Traffic Police to reduce the number of accidents involving motorcyclists. The Expressway Familiarisation Ride allows new Class 2B riders a hands-on experience of the expressway under the supervision of a riding instructor without charge. The course will, indeed, provide newly qualified motorcyclists a smoother transition from the simulated environment and training routes around the driving centres to the faster and more challenging expressways. Based on newspaper reports, the take-up rate for the expressway training has not been encouraging. Is this the matter of having to create more awareness, introduce more flexible timetabling or redesign the course for greater effectiveness? I would also like to ask what other steps are being taken or planned to improve rider safety. 6.45 pm Sir, I understand from feedback from motorcyclist friends that when a motorcyclist is injured in a traffic accident and he is sent to hospital, the hospital staff is obliged to inform the Police. Apparently , it is a practice for the Traffic Police to use the accident report to conclude that the rider has committed an offence of careless riding. The logic is simple. If the motorcyclist had not been careless, how else would the accident have occured? So, since the accident had happened, he must have been careless. However, such action leads to an undesirable unintended reaction.”
“Besides the provision of dedicated cycling paths, we should ensure that there are sufficient bicycle parking facilities in convenient locations available to support cycling as a serious mode of transport. Without the proper facilities to support the National Cycling Plan, our efforts will not reap full dividends. In Paris, there is a fairly successful urban public bicycle hire system with automated rental terminals located throughout the city. Users hire the bike on a time basis. When the bike is released from its dock, the clock starts ticking. When it is slotted back into its docking bracket at the destination, the clock stops. I notice that one major weakness of the system is that there is always a physical limit on the number of parking slots. When the slots are full at popular destinations, one has to go through the time and hassle of looking around for another location with available slots to return the bicycle. In order for our system to work, we should foresee and look out for glitches that will compromise its efficiency. In this respect, may I know if the Ministry has plans to provide more bicycle parking facilities at the key end points of the cycling paths and whether these will be as conveniently located as possible to amenities and public transport nodes? Bicycle licensing”
“Sir, the National Cycling Plan cannot be more welcome in an era where we are ever more conscious of playing our part in keeping our environment clean and green, and when people live longer and need to stay fit to better enjoy their silver years. Construction works for cycling paths are being carried out in many parts of Singapore. As these dedicated off-road intra-town cycling paths will facilitate convenient cycling to and from homes, workplaces, local amenities and transport nodes, I am confident that the new cycling infrastructure will attract greater usage of the bicycle as a supplemental mode of transport. The first phase of cycling paths in Tampines Town was launched in 2010, and the Taman Jurong Cycling Path has just been opened earlier this year. May I know what is the detailed progress on the implementation of other sections under the National Cycling Plan? Have there been lessons learnt in the design and usage of the cycling paths and their integration with the end points of home, workplace, town facilities and transport nodes? Recently, I read in the Straits Times that Jakarta has designated two Sundays a month as Car-Free Days and the number of cyclists has swelled. The Straits Times' article also mentioned reckless drivers and pot-holed roads which make cycling dangerous. With our new dedicated cycling paths, I am heartened that these dangers are absent in our system and our cyclists may ride their bicycles free of such worries. May I know whether the Ministry has any plans to discourage cyclists from riding on our main roads where they may come into conflict with other vehicles?”
“North-South Expressway – traffic management Sir, moving on, earlier last month, in response to Er Lee Bee Wah's question on why certain segments of the North-South Expressway (NSE) are not designed as a full tunnel, the Minister stated that large ventilation buildings requiring 15,000 square metres of land would have to be built to ventilate full tunnels. I am not an engineer by training, so I went back to read up on tunnels. The proposed NSE will not be the longest tunnel in the world by a long shot. There are many existing tunnels in other countries which are much longer. The Gotthard Road Tunnel in Switzerland is 16.9 kilometres long and the Arlberg Road Tunnel is 13.9 kilometres long, both running deep below the Alps. Yet, I do not think that one can find any sizeable ventilation buildings on the slopes of the Alps. As a layman, I am curious how these tunnels are ventilated. Has our Ministry explored other options for ventilation? What kind of ventilation standards and technology will we be adopting for the NSE? Also, if the semi-tunnels are covered to form full tunnels, would that not free up more land space above that can be used for other purposes? I hope the Minister can enlighten me. Sir, on traffic management, LTA has installed many CCTV cameras along our roads and junctions to monitor traffic flow and detect problem areas on the roads. However, on our radio, we still hear DJs reporting on the daily traffic situation from time to time based on calls received from listeners. I wonder if there is a more systematic way for LTA to inform and update our radio stations of road congestions. Also, if an incident were to happen, how quickly can LTA respond to clear the congestion on the road? ERP gantries”
“For this to happen, buses have to take passengers from point A to point B in as close a time as possible to the time taken if travelling by train. Speed is one issue. I would like to ask how the Mandatory Give Way to Buses Scheme has improved the speed and reliability of bus services. Another issue that affects bus services is predictability. The closer buses can keep to schedules and the easier it is for the commuters to check on the schedule, the more likely it is that commuters will take the bus. Sir, moving on to taxis. There have been recent complaints that it is difficult to, firstly, secure call bookings and, secondly, get a cab on Sunday evenings. In the case of call bookings, there are complaints of not getting through to the operator after repeated calls or being told after getting through at last that the taxi number would be sent by SMS, but instead of a taxi number, the frustrating message to the caller is that no taxi is available. Is this difficulty to get a cab due to higher demand because of the healthy economy, an increase in the number of tourists or a recent scheme that allows cabbies to reject call bookings at their discretion? Regarding the difficulty of getting cabs even on quiet Sunday nights, one cabby was reported to have said that this was due to taxi drivers preferring to be home with their families on Sunday nights. I would like to ask what steps the LTA would take to raise our taxi service standards.”
“Sir, as COE prices climb higher, new ERP gantries appear, and the cheapest petrol costs more than $2 a litre, more and more people are pushed towards taking public transport. How is our public transport system coping? Commuters can look forward to some exciting and life-style changing developments in the rail network. Step by step, we are building a Mass Rapid Transit System that will bring more speed and more convenience to our daily commutes. Meanwhile, though, in the present, complaints of overcrowding in MRT carriages abound. This is not surprising as, in the last 10 years, more residents have been travelling to work by train only, or by train plus another mode of transport, while the number taking only public buses to work has dropped. How overcrowding is defined is a contentious issue between train passengers and the authorities. Being told that the peak loading levels are within acceptable standards only aggravates passengers who at peak hours are either packed shoulder to shoulder with other passengers in the train or who have to wait for another less crowded train to arrive. As for the standards of 1,600 passengers per train or standing space of five persons per square metre, I can appreciate that the wearing of light tropical clothing perhaps necessitates more personal space for each passenger, as commuters here do not have the protection of thick coats to buffer them against another warm and maybe even sweaty human body. Until the MRT system expands and is able to absorb its commuters more efficiently, we have to depend more heavily in the near future on our bus services in order to alleviate the overcrowding situation in the MRT. Thus, we should ensure that buses are a viable alternative to trains.”
“We need people of different talents, different ideas, different inspirations and different expertise to make up our society and our children need the space to become these people. Specification of school operating hours Assoc. Prof. Paulin Tay Straughan (Nominated Member): Sir, to facilitate a healthy work-family life balance for staff and students, will the MOE consider specifying school operating hours? Based on anecdotal evidence and informal observations, schools tend to stretch for almost 12 hours each day. Typically, a secondary school student reports to school at 7.10 am-7.15am, and usually for about two to four days a week, depending on the CCAs he or she is involved in, the child will only leave school at about 6.30 pm or maybe even later, especially they if are in performing arts or when preparing for competitions. I think CCAs are the main culprit as schools are caught up with the numerous competitions that, if done well, can add value to the credentials of the school. I am certainly not against encouraging students to strive for the best in both academia and CCAs. But I do think that as responsible society, we should set some parameters for healthy competition. I think it is reasonable to expect the MOE to mandate schools to stop CCAs by 6.00 pm. This will ensure that even on CCA days, students and staff can go home in time for dinner with the family. They will have time to complete preparation and homework, reflect on lessons learnt that day and recharge for the next day, and perhaps with a healthy work-life balance, the Minister would be able to reduce the singlehood rate among his staff as well.”
“However, the long semestral holidays in June or December should be regarded as much deserved breaks after a demanding half year that culminates in gruelling examinations. For this reason, students and parents – parents who also need a break from checking on their child's schoolwork – are understandably resistant to holiday homework for the semestral vacations except, perhaps, for when a national examination looms ahead. Hence, I hope that schools can be more sympathetic and judicious in handing out holiday homework for the mid-year and year-end school holidays. By organising extra after-hours classes and giving holiday homework, I am sure that schools have the sincerest intentions to produce good results, give students the best future they deserve and assure concerned parents. However, bearing in mind the goal of our school system to provide a holistic education, we must give our students leeway to enjoy their own space and have some say in how they would like to use that space. If you confine students for long hours in school engaging in similar types of activities like curriculum Mathematics or Science, we will create products who are academically sound, each one able to answer almost every conceivable examination question. If we set them standard tasks and assignments that give them no other space to be unique, they will indeed produce the reports and make the requisite presentations. The skills developed are valuable but the room to explore and do something different becomes more crowded. We certainly do not want students to be as alike as the uniforms they wear. If we allow students some time on their hands, they can use that time for activities of their own choice, whether in school at CCAs or out of school.”
“I would like to join Mr Lim Biow Chuan in asking should after-class hours be kept free of classes. This was a hotly debated and emotive issue recently. The vast majority of parents accept that the extra lessons organised after school and during school holidays to prepare Primary 5 and Primary 6 pupils for the PSLE would be beneficial. However, parents just cannot agree on whether schools should give compulsory lessons after school for Primary 3 and Primary 4 students. Many parents consider as "compulsory" any extra lessons that cover an integral part of the syllabus even though these may be labelled as "optional". Letting their child miss learning any part of the syllabus cannot be an option. On the one hand, there are parents who are grateful for the additional after-hours teaching and, on the other hand, there are those who strongly feel that their children should make better use of their time. I strongly urge schools to conduct extra lessons for only supplemental or remedial purposes for levels not preparing for major national examinations. This will be boon to students who require the extra attention as well as those whose parents do not have the time or means to send them for private tuition. Now, on the topic of school holiday homework. Some, such as writing essays and reading specific materials, can be done within a few hours at home, while others like group projects require an enormous amount of time, research, travel and coordination. Most students and parents would recognise that the March and September breaks are short breathers which give students a break from travelling to school for more formal lessons, allowing them some space to do as they wish.”
“They are counted as having taken two HDB loans. They are deemed to have had their two bites of the cherry, but is the quantitative number of bites or loans a fair measure of the amount of subsidy enjoyed? I would like to propose that in determining whether to grant a third concessionary loan, HDB should take into account not just the number of loans already granted but also the quantum of interest subsidy enjoyed.”
“Today, for many young professional couples, the income level of $8,000 can be reached within a few years of starting work under the current employment trends and healthy economic climate. The day that the combined income of a young couple exceeds $8,000 should be a cause for celebration and not for worry over housing issues. Such a dampener runs contrary to our ideal of a society where aspirations and hard work are encouraged. Our message to young Singaporeans must be clear: work hard, earn as much as you can while you can. We should not penalise them for achieving success early by disqualifying them from buying a new HDB flat. For the reasons set out, I would like to urge the Minister to consider raising the income ceiling for first-time buyers of HDB flats. Sir, my next point is on HDB loans. Currently, only under exceptional circumstances or financial hardship will HDB grant a third concessionary loan. However, I suggest that it may not be equitable for HDB to just base its assessment on the number of loans that an individual has taken. One must also consider the actual length of the loan or loans to assess the amount of subsidy the person has enjoyed. Take for example, a family who buys a 4-room HDB flat with a HDB loan, lives in it for 20 years and then upgrade to another HDB flat with a second HDB loan and lives there for 20 more years, finally paying off the second loan in full. For the term of these two HDB loans which stretched over 40 years, the total quantum of interest subsidy enjoyed is very substantial. This family would have enjoyed two big delicious bites of the cherry, so to say. Let us compare that to another family who is forced by extenuating circumstances to sell and move out of their home twice over a short period of time.”
“Sir, families with incomes exceeding $8,000 are not eligible to buy new HDB BTO flats. This $8,000 ceiling was set more than 15 years ago in 1994. Although there have been calls in the past to raise this, it has been remained unchanged at this level. The reasons given were that the $8,000 limit already allowed 80% of Singaporean families to buy a new flat. And those earning up to $10,000 are eligible for flats under the Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) and executive condominiums which are priced higher. I believe not all households that earn more than $8,000 can afford or want to spend more on housing. The price gap between new subsidised HDB flats and other housing options is considerable. The loan quantum is also quite different. Many young families also have not saved up the 5% cash required for private financing or have sufficient CPF savings for the balance of the 20% downpayment. Others may have financially draining commitments by having to support elderly parents, younger siblings or handicapped family members. There are also those who are financially prudent and want to live within their means in an HDB flat rather than overburden themselves with mortgage payments that may become unmanageable should a baby or two come into the family or should there be a reduction in family income arising from a crisis. I feel that keeping this income ceiling unchanged all these 16 years while earned incomes have risen over the same period is unfair to young Singaporeans who are entering the job market and starting out on their own. In the past, it took a lot longer for household incomes to reach $8,000.”
“Sometimes business was slow, but he never sat idle, in part because of the advice his father gave him that "there is always something you can be doing". A few years later, he brought the same energy to his job at a local home builder. When he was awaiting deliveries of building materials or had nothing to do, he would gather up the scrap lumber or sweep up the sawdust or whatever else he could find. His initiative, energy, right attitude and work ethic so impressed his bosses that he advanced quickly in his job. Increasing productivity does not mean that one has to work longer hours. But, during the hours of work and since we are stuck having to spend those hours in that work anyway, if every worker were to do the best that he can with the right attitude and work ethics, I think we can increase our productivity many times over. Sir, no doubt, the increase in the CPF contribution from employers and the levy increase will lead to cost increases for companies which will, in turn, be passed on to the consumers. With the generous handouts this year and a healthy economy to boot, it will be no surprise that there will be many consumers who would be willing to fork out the resulting increase. This will be welcomed by businesses, but I would urge Singaporeans to be cautious in their spending on consumption and to remember to save and invest wisely in view of the uncertainties I mentioned earlier. In his Budget Statement, the Finance Minister has given us his careful diagnosis of our economic situation and prescribed appropriate short-term relief and long-term measures accordingly. Although our economy is growing healthily, the economic environment is still fraught with uncertainties and we must stand prepared. Sir, I support the Budget Statement. 12.36 pm”
“But now that the economy has improved and business is better, companies are in a healthier position and should seize this opportunity to raise their productivity and reduce their reliance on cheap foreign labour. At the same time, they may take advantage of the enhanced Productivity and Innovation Credit Scheme to raise the skills of their workers and boost productivity. Sir, onto a subject related to productivity, that is producing more babies. I was talking to a CFO of a listed company yesterday who has two children aged 4 and 2 years old. So, I asked him what would persuade him to have the third child and more. As he is an accountant by training, someone who deals with numbers and costs, I thought he would calculate the high costs of bringing up more children but, to my surprise, he said if children of families with more than two children can get priority admission into primary school, he and many in his cohort would definitely want to have more children. In fact, he would apply for six months leave, take his wife on a long vacation and work harder. Although there will be some implementation issues to be ironed out in such a policy, I think the suggestion is worth considering and it is not too dissimilar to allowing families who stopped at two children to have priority admission to school when we had the Stop at Two policy. Sir, in our drive to improve productivity, workers too must play their part. Increasing productivity can come in many ways. I would like to share the advice which Jim Rogers received from his father. Some may know Jim Rogers as the legendary investor who has now made Singapore his home. In his book, A Gift to My Children, he recounted that when he was 14, he spent his Saturday mornings working in his uncle's convenience store.”
“The Minister for National Development has explained that low interest rates compounded by excessive liquidity can cause property prices to overshoot economic fundamentals and lead to unmanageable capital losses should the market weaken. When interest rates rise, property owners who are overstretched financially will be caught. May I ask how long will the latest cooling measures be sustained? How will the Government determine when the market is sufficiently "cooled"? Although we should be wary of excessive speculation, we would all agree that some degree of short-term speculation is desirable or even necessary in every market as it adds liquidity, resulting in the creation of a more efficient market. Therefore, I would like to ask, at which level of interest rate or liquidity would the Government consider withdrawing the draconian measures meant to stem speculation? Sir, many are concerned about the impact on businesses arising from the 0.5% increase in the CPF contribution rate from employers and the increase in the foreign worker levy. I believe that most employers have accepted the restoration in the CPF contribution. However, the levy hike will require a more painful adjustment on the part of businesses. The fact is that there are jobs that Singaporeans refuse to take up. In January, it was reported that job vacancies were at a four-year high, with 50,200 unfilled jobs, most of which are low skilled. Businesses in the service sectors, which attract little interest from local workers, will find it a challenge to increase their productivity and still maintain their service standards. Sir, there is never a good time to increase fees and charges.”
“If we find it difficult to cope with high food prices, in spite of our strong economy and full employment rate, I wonder how other less well-off nations are managing – grappling with hunger while fending off social discontent. Back in 2007, I recall that prices were rising amidst the booming global economy. Compared to 1.3% rise in 2005 and 1.6% rise in 2006, Singapore's food inflation in 2007 shot up to 2.9%. The price increases did not seem to be a hindrance to the rich western economies that were borrowing and consuming like there was no tomorrow. In contrast, the world is now faced with a double whammy. Major economies are not growing while commodity prices are getting more and more expensive. The stresses on these economies may also filter over to Asia. Another change that may shake our economy is when our currently low interest rates go up. It can only be a question of when, not if. In January this year, MAS Managing Director Heng Swee Keat warned banks not to assume that the current low interest rates will last indefinitely and to take into account potentially higher interest rates in their credit assessments. The general consensus is that the US Federal Reserves will pump in more money if the need arises, with more quantitative easing (QEs) and that low interest rates will stay for some time to come. However, there will be a day when interest rates will go north. Businesses and the man in the street should be prepared for it in their financial planning to avoid rude shocks. Sir, recently, anti-speculative property cooling measures were introduced to stabilise the property market buoyed by our low interest rates, inflow of hot money, high liquidity and strong economic growth.”
“We should come up with a novel and simple way of communicating this "motherhood" statement of the Budget more effectively to the people. Sir, I applaud the Finance Minister's responsible decision to return the $4 billion drawn for the Resilience Package into the past reserves, even though there is no legal obligation to do so. Returning the funds into reserves will strengthen our position to cope with future uncertainties and vulnerabilities. We must save and set aside money for rainy days, especially in view of the extreme weather patterns and volatile economic turns that we have almost come to expect as normal these days. The Singapore economy is sunny for now, but there are some dark clouds looming overhead. Although we welcome the economic recovery in Asia, the global economy is not quite out of the woods yet. While Asia is charging ahead, the economies in the Euro Zone and the US are, on the whole, still anaemic, although there are some early signs of recovery. Hopefully, these economic imbalances will work out eventually without overly painful adjustments or discontent and social unrest, which can disrupt global recovery. Meanwhile, the domino effect of unrest in the Middle East and North Africa has taken the world by surprise. First, it was Tunisia and Egypt. Now, there are protests in Bahrain, Yemen, Morocco, Iran and Sudan. The recent events in Libya threaten oil supplies and may send prices rocketing to unseen levels, unravelling any inroads into the still fragile recovery of the world economy and sending major economies down the spiral into a double dip recession. Further, rising food prices are casting a shadow over the household budgets of many Singaporeans. In fact, it is a worldwide predicament.”
“I note that the Minister for Finance referred to the "Growth and Share" package as being complementary to the long-term measures to help lower- and middle-income Singaporeans. The key word is "complementary". Although measures such as the Growth Dividends, tax rebates and top-ups will make a positive and immediate impact on the lives of many Singaporeans and allow them to share in the growth of the economy, I would like to caution that spending on consumption is only a short-term measure. It is like taking a medicine for pain relief. Within a short time, the pain lessens and disappears, but that little pill has not removed the underlying problem. I am heartened to note that the Finance Minister has made it clear that the main thrust of the Budget is to strengthen our economy by boosting skills, productivity and enterprise growth and building our society through ensuring opportunities for all, including the lower-income group. This approach recognises that long-term investment in the future matters more than one-off measures. However, the post-Budget reaction received by the Feedback Unit, REACH, shows that the rising costs of living remains the primary concern of many Singaporeans. At this point, there seems to be little absorption of the fiscal philosophies governing the Budget Statement. Understandably, many Singaporeans are worried that cash payouts will not cover all rising costs and they find it hard to see beyond their immediate difficulties. Nevertheless, surely more can be done to help Singaporeans understand that the Government cannot shield all residents completely from the impact of rising costs, and investing in the future with the aim to raise real incomes by 30% for this decade paves the way to better living standards in the long run for everyone.”
“Sir, by definition, a balanced budget is one where revenue equals or exceeds expenses. But a good budget requires a lot more balancing than just revenue and expenditure. A good government budget has to balance the needs of the lower-, middle- and high-income earners' long-term developments and short-term demands, the young and the old and the various business sectors, to name a few. For this Budget, I would say that the challenge is to balance, optimally, the present and future needs of the nation. The most pressing problem to be tackled is the rising cost of living. Our $3.2 billion "Grow and Share" package allows Singaporeans to directly benefit from our exceptional economic growth last year. It will certainly help to alleviate the pains of inflation and rising costs. As for our future growth, the Budget strategies to boost productivity and innovation will elevate the incomes of all Singaporeans. Last year, our economy rebounded faster than expected. This is due, in no small part, to the resounding success of earlier initiatives like the Special Risk-Sharing Initiative (SPUR) and the Jobs Credit Scheme that were created in response to the economic crisis. The robust economic performance we experienced last year means that we are now able to enjoy the generous 2011 Budget that is able to meet immediate concerns and also enable us to fulfil our longer term goals. In other words, better times beget bountiful budgets. However, even as good times return, we will do well to exercise prudence in the way we employ our surpluses. Rather than spending away our surpluses readily in euphoria, we should invest wisely in our people and our corporate systems to build capabilities. The "motherhood" statement of our Budget this year is "invest in our future".”
“The Mandatory Give-Way to Buses scheme and full-day bus lanes have made for smoother and faster bus rides. However, many drivers still flout bus lane rules. Perhaps they do that because the likelihood of being caught is slim. Instead of deploying enforcement officers only now and then standing by the side of the road to catch them, is it not more productive and economical to install electronic cameras to monitor the bus lanes continuously? Then, would-be offenders will have no doubt whatsoever that they will be caught. Sir, in spite of the measures mentioned, complaints of overcrowded buses and MRT trains during peak hours still abound. I would like to know what additional steps will be taken to reduce overcrowding as this is surely one major factor that pushes commuters towards the car. Two measures to moderate car usage are the Off-Peak Car scheme and the Park and Ride Scheme. The newly revised Off-Peak Car scheme has met with tremendous success. Car owners are still awaiting good news on the Park and Ride Scheme. I would like to ask the Minister whether the Ministry will have any measures to promote the Park and Ride Scheme. Long-term plans for road use”
“They expect the wardens to approach them and ask them to move off; some even try to bargain before driving away. Now with modern technology like digital cameras, I think the wardens should just take a snapshot of the parked vehicles as evidence. Eventually, the message should be very clear – for certain stretches of busy roads, do not even try waiting there during peak hours because the likelihood of being caught is almost certain and the traffic wardens will not give chance. Sir, to help motorists avoid congested areas, LTA should push for more publicity on Google Maps covering Singapore. The Singapore version of Google Maps, which has key transit and traffic information, including "live" traffic feeds from LTA, was launched last November. I discovered the application on my iPhone by chance only recently and I have been happily showing how it works to many of my friends. None of them was aware of its existence. It is a boon to both motorists and commuters alike. On Google Maps, I can now check on road traffic congestion and find the most convenient route to reach my destination. It is what I have been wishing for and it is free. It is simple to use and read, with the map showing which road sections are green, indicating free flowing; yellow for heavy traffic; and red for traffic jams. I would especially encourage motorists to make full use of this facility. With traffic information from the LTA updated every few minutes, drivers are able to avoid congested roads and plan their driving routes accordingly. Now, my only complaint is: why was this not made known earlier to people like me? Sir, how can we make public transport the choice mode of transport? It is true that public transport has some way to go.”
“Mr Chairman, there seem to be more and more vehicles on our roads nowadays, their large numbers leading to frustrating congestions and traffic jams, especially during the morning and evening peak hours. Under the Land Transport Masterplan (LTMP) unveiled in 2008, the vehicle population growth rate is to be lowered to 1.5% with effect from Quota Year 2009, ie, May 2009. Statistics show that the total motor vehicle population in May 2009 was 907,566 and that in January 2010 was 929,277. A quick calculation shows that the increase over this period of nine months alone is already 2.4%. Can the Minister explain the figures and enlighten us on any steps that will be taken to contain the yearly growth rate at 1.5%? While waiting for our vehicle population to stabilise, I believe more should be done to ease traffic flow. I recognise LTA's efforts in road widening. However, I feel sad that while we take up more land to add lanes, vehicles can still be seen parking or waiting at the side of the road. Just one car waiting at the side of the road will effectively take that lane out of operation. Worse still, vehicles trying to switch out of that lane cause vehicles in other lanes to slow down, resulting in congestion. Because of one inconsiderate driver, many others are inconvenienced, wasting a lot of time for everyone. So, I would like to ask what are the KPIs of the traffic wardens. I do not mean that they should have a quota or summonses issued but their performance should be based on how our roads are free of obstructing vehicles. I urge MOT to indicate very clearly the busy trunk roads where any obstruction to the flow of traffic would not be tolerated during peak hours, and this should be enforced vigorously. These drivers play a cat-and-mouse game with our traffic wardens.”
“Still on the matter of languages, I am of the view that schools should promote more actively the learning of Malay or Bahasa Indonesia by non-Malays, the reason being that Indonesia and Malaysia are our immediate neighbours. Non-Malay students are able to study Malay as a third language under the Malay Special Programme and Bahasa Indonesia as a third language. In addition, conversational Malay enrichment programmes are available. I wonder how these programmes are faring and whether the take-up rate should be pushed higher. Moral and political education”
“In schools, the temptation to use art, music and PE periods for other subjects, especially around examination time, is strong. If we are serious about providing our children with quality PE, music and art education, we should have teachers who have in-depth knowledge and are specially trained to teach in these areas. Precious time is wasted and interest lost if children do not receive instructions from specialists in these areas who can give a better insight into their area of specialty and are more likely to infect and inspire the children with their enthusiasm. For instance, in one art lesson, primary school students can be instructed simply to paint a scene in a park and be allowed to proceed as they please or, alternatively, they can be shown a few different techniques and styles that have been used by artists over the ages before being asked to paint a scene in the park in a style they prefer. In the former scenario, they are allowed to express themselves creatively while in the latter scenario, they are not only able to express themselves but they also learn appreciation of the work of other artists and take with them some understanding of art in a historical context. Next, may I request that the Ministry elaborate on the progress that has been made on the learning of the Chinese language in primary schools since key changes were made to the curriculum and implemented at Primary 1 and 2 in 2007, Primary 3 and 4 in 2008, followed by Primary 5 in 2009? It would also be helpful to know how the students are tested at both primary and secondary levels and to have an update on our plan to maintain a core group of Chinese language experts.”
“Programmes with the long-term objective of enabling all students to achieve their full potential in speech and presentation should be carried out consistently and progressively throughout the primary, secondary and post-secondary school years. Such programmes can weave opportunities to develop public speaking and presentation skills into the curriculum across subjects and levels. By the time the student leaves school, he or she should be able to speak confidently in any situation, convey ideas articulately and deliver polished presentations to any group of people. Madam, I would like now to touch on the subjects of PE, music and art. When asked what their favourite subject is, many a young school-goer will gleefully reply "recess!" Not surprisingly, PE, music and art rank as the favourite subjects for many of our little ones once they are told that recess, fun as it is, is not a subject. What are the key performance indicators of PE, music and art programmes respectively? For example, will every child be physically fit, be motivated to keep fit and have been introduced to a variety of sports and physical activities by the time he leaves school? Will every child be able to play a musical instrument or appreciate a classical music performance by the time he or she leaves school? Will every child be able to appreciate different media and techniques, the relationship between the visual arts and other disciplines and appreciate visual art in relation to history and different cultures long after he folds away his last school uniform? PE, art and music, being non-core and non-academic subjects, tend to get sidelined by other subjects, like mathematics and science.”
“However, I would say that since we, Singaporeans, already have a fair amount of substance, and if we work on improving and honing our form, we would be able to take on the world. Let us do away with the "we are doers, not talkers" mentality and adopt the "can do, can talk" mentality. I urge MOE to develop a comprehensive programme to uplift the speaking and presentation skills of our students so that they are able to verbalise and communicate ideas effectively. I observe that our present system tends to favour and nurture those who are already gifted speakers. In schools, we have the high achievers with their oratory talents who do Singapore proud by winning debating awards in the international arena. Then there are also those who are already competent speakers who will either readily volunteer or be chosen by their teachers as safe bets or deserving for activities which require good speaking skills, such as acting as master of ceremonies at school functions. But what about the remaining students who form the vast majority? At school functions and debates, they just sit back and watch their eloquent schoolmates on stage, aware that their own development in public speaking and presentation is limited to a random chance to make presentations in the odd school project or only during special one-off public speaking courses at school. We should aim at raising the frequency and standards of formal oral communication at every level and there is no better place to do so than the school environment. We should develop our students early from primary school, starting with show and tell sessions and speech and drama lessons, so that they gradually build the confidence to speak and present persuasively as they move up the learning ladder.”
“Madam, I would like to call for an increase in opportunities to develop social skills and speaking skills in the school environment. With our sharp focus on the education system as well as our investment in an outstanding CET system, we are equipping Singaporeans with the necessary knowledge and technical skills. Are these sufficient? One key ingredient which Singaporeans need to become successful citizens of a globalised world is social aptitude. Social skills – such as the ability to listen, empathy, the ability to build rapport, being able to communicate, the ability to resolve conflicts and having a sense of humour – enable human beings to communicate, relate and interact with one another. With good social skills, understanding and development of common goals would be made much easier. 5.15 pm As MOE recognises that social emotional learning enables students to develop skills to succeed in life, I would like to ask about the progress our schools are making in developing social skills in our young. One core competency which I believe our students should possess is public speaking and presentation. Surely, the ability to speak publicly and present clearly, confidently and coherently counts as an important social skill in the productivity-driven culture of the new decade. In any organisation, the ability to speak and present is a vital and much-valued skill. Many of us are impressed, from time to time, with the powerful presentation skills of Americans who are able to speak comfortably to an audience. There are those who will say that it is all air, that the ability to talk, speak or chat constitutes more form than substance.”
“And are there more efficient ways of apprehending errant litterbugs? NEA raised the composition fine for first-time minor littering offenders from $200 to $300 last year. I would like to ask: can and do the foreign workers that have been caught littering pay up this fine? Besides fines, are there other punitive measures that can deter foreign workers from littering? Are there any other measures besides education and enforcement being planned? One initiative by NEA to control the littering in Little India was to increase the numbers of bins in Little India. As beer bottles, liquor bottles and empty food containers take up a lot of space and can fill up a bin within minutes, should the bins be larger, greater in numbers and cleared more frequently during the weekends so that the foreign workers have no excuse to litter? I hope that the NEA will find creative solutions to keep Singapore clean. This will certainly help to ease the brewing unhappiness of locals with foreign workers in Singapore. Littering and noise pollution”
“Mr Chairman, 27,572 Singaporeans and 11,059 foreigners were caught littering in 2009. Looking at the sheer number of offenders caught, it is clear that littering in Singapore is still rampant. In particular, littering by foreign workers has long been recognised to be a problem. The resentment felt by Singaporeans towards foreigners is fanned partly by clashes in habits and differing standards of behaviour. One habit of foreign workers that does not sit well with locals is littering. Foreign workers who gather at parks, void decks and other areas often leave behind an unsightly mess of beer bottles and leftover food. Every weekend, we see large crowds of foreign workers gathering at various places, like Little India. I have been informed by NEA that on a typical weekend night, more than 15,000 foreign workers could congregate in Little India. After a Saturday night, Little India is strewn with so much rubbish everywhere that people have to be careful where they step. A 2008 article in the New Paper on littering by foreign workers described little India as "Litter India". Action must be taken to tackle the problem of littering which is a public health hazard. The efforts of NEA to educate foreign workers against littering have not gone unnoticed. However, education to change the littering habit of foreign workers will take time and has a limited effect. To overcome the littering problem, we cannot rely on education alone. Enforcement is necessary. I would like to ask how many littering tickets are issued on a typical Saturday and Sunday for littering in Little India. Looking at the mess that is left behind, I assume that it will be very easy to catch litterbugs there. What are the methods of enforcement?”
“Madam, I would like to stress the importance of personal financial discipline in the low interest environment that we are currently enjoying. Many banks and credit card companies are cold calling customers, offering low interest fund transfer. Some banks even send blank cheques through the mail. And all you have to do is to fill in the amount and drop the cheque into another bank account. I have received a number of such calls and when I tell the callers that I do not need their facility, the bait the caller use is that, "The interest is cheap, meaning low, so you should borrow." That seems to be the key selling point to entice customers. But cheap repayment loans with small monthly instalments and where the principal sum has to be repaid at the end of the promotional period are dangerous and give a false sense of financial liberty. They encourage people to spend by removing the worry of making periodic repayments to pay down loan. This is very tempting, all the more so that the Resorts World casino is open. We must never forget that low interest rates will not last forever. And in the case of fund transfer, the interest rate becomes punitively high as early as when the loan is not repaid at the end of its limited period. Easy credit can be harmful or beneficial, depending on the hands of he who receives it. If we are not careful when we sign up for easy cheap loans, responding to cold calls, blank cheques and free gifts without thought and if we do not manage our finances carefully, the impact on our finances can be devastating. I would like to ask how the Monetary Authority of Singapore is monitoring this situation and whether it will be advising the banks on their marketing and sales practices. Complex financial products”
“But, as the children arrive and there are more bodies packed in the small flat, the reality is that the family very quickly runs out of space and soon, it seems as though it is the grandparents who take up too much of the limited space, even in a 5-room HDB flat. While it is not good Government policy to provide a rental flat for all parents who want to live away from their children, and children and family members should be encouraged to take care of their elderly parents or relatives, more help should be extended to the family caregivers. In this respect, more assistance should be targeted at the lower-income group who live in smaller HDB flats. This year's Budget provides for higher relief for taxpayers living with parents, but this is useful only to those who earn enough to pay tax. We should also extend financial help to lower-income Singaporeans who do not earn enough to have to pay tax, but live with their parents or have their parents live with them. If their parents were forced to go out and rent a room in a HDB flat from the open market, they may have to fork out $500 per month for rent. To help low-income Singaporeans house their parents, I would like to suggest that half of that amount – that is, $250 – be given as a grant to be credited as a top-up in the CPF Ordinary Account of children who have their parents live with them. This CPF top-up can be a great help in meeting their home mortgage loan instalments. Sir, with that, I support the Budget. 12.52 pm”
“We would not have been able to bring up our five children as well as we have, especially when they were very young, and still continued to have both our careers and carry out our public and volunteer duties if we had not lived together with my parents. We are grateful to my parents who helped and still help to keep a watchful and loving eye over our children, providing them a warm, nurturing and healthy environment and passing on their time-tested values to our children. To increase our TFR, I believe we should encourage more parents to commit to help bring up their children's children. Unfortunately, the sad fact is that not everyone in the same family can live harmoniously under one roof. I note a worrying sign that more and more elderly parents want to apply for HDB rental flats because – as pointed out also by Ms Indranee Rajah – they are living with their married son or daughter and cannot get along with either their daughter- or son-in-law. It is difficult for the Government to accede to all such requests for elderly folks to live on their own away from their children. However, I can empathise with multi-generation families who are forced by circumstances to live together in an overcrowded flat. Inevitably, friction among unhappy family members will arise. Quarrels break out and living together becomes increasingly unbearable. After a certain point, the relationship sours beyond reconciliation. They may have started off on a good note – a newly-married couple having their parents live with them, and also in the example cited by Ms Indranee Rajah, some parents might even have sold their old flat to live with their son or daughter in a newer or larger flat.”
“Being more productive at work does not mean that our work-life balance will worsen nor that we should be less productive at home, that is, in producing children. Some experts are concerned that the birth rate would dip again this year, one reason being the Government’s drive to raise productivity. With all due respect, I believe that a person can be productive at work and also be productive parents at home. Raising our labour productivity need not be counterproductive to raising our fertility rate. To illustrate, let us look at the fertility rates in the US and France. Both the US and France enjoy a fertility rate of about two births per female. Yet both the US and France are among the two most productive nations in the world. If we increase our productivity levels by doing more, earning more and accomplishing more within the same or even a shorter timeframe at work, surely we will have more time to spend with our families and to enjoy our children. With the recent news that our TFR is at its lowest ever and amid concerns that it may even drop further this year, I was initially disappointed not to see any financial incentives in this year’s Budget statement to boost our TFR. But after some thought, I concluded that maybe it was not such a bad thing to realise that financial subsidies and grants could only do so much. In reality, they could have reached their maximum effectiveness in encouraging married couples to have more babies and we should now seek other ways to help families who want to have more children. My wife and I are blessed with four daughters and a son.”
“There must be an inner conviction within each of us to strive for efficiency, creativity and productivity. Just look at the generally mediocre standards of service in Singapore and compare them to what we experience in our travels to countries like the United States, Australia, Japan or Thailand. I have observed how a waitress in a restaurant in Australia single-handedly served six tables of patrons. She greeted customers with a smile, spent time to explain the menu, darted about ensuring that glasses were always topped up, checked often on tables to see if anything else was needed, remembered the needs of her regular customers and even opened the door for the patrons as they left. The waitress anticipated the needs of her customers and attended to them even before she was asked. In that way, she kept on top of things and managed the situation very well. I am sure many of us have also witnessed how, in Singapore, a waitress may bring a dish to the table, go back to her station empty-handed and, two minutes later, another waitress may walk empty-handed to that table to clear away a few used plates that had already been sitting around. Now, if the first waitress had brought the new dish and taken away the used plates on the way back, she would have saved herself and her co-worker one trip and doubled her task performance within the same time. The productivity message "work smarter, not longer" has become the mantra of many workplaces and organisations and yet the simple slogan carries the simple truth that "working smart" means producing better results within the same time and not simply working harder or longer.”
“As a testament to confidence in our labour productivity, a Dorma manager was quoted in a Straits Times' article in early February saying that if Dorma were to relocate its Singapore factory to China, it would need 2,000 people to do the same work that can be done by its 350 employees in Singapore. This gap of 350 to 2,000 is the situation as at today. But we can be sure that other countries, such as China, India and Vietnam, will not be keeping still and are themselves pressing hard to upgrade their skills and improve their productivity. With the initiatives and commitment set out in the Budget Statement, companies like Dorma may be assured that we can reap even higher productivity in time to come and stay ahead of the competition. Increasing productivity is also one good way to overcome the rising cost of living. For inspiration, Singaporeans can take a leaf out of the book of Singaporean singer Jing Wong, popularly known as Huang Jìng Lun. In less than two years, the 26-year-old, based in Taiwan, has released two albums and played a substantial role in a popular Taiwanese drama serial. Jing Wong looks for alternatives to improve himself and works hard to stay in the industry. It turns out that one reason for his high productivity is the costly living expenses in Taiwan. Sir, while Budget 2010 maps out a comprehensive financial strategy that seeks to transform our economy and our enterprises, I wonder how will individual Singaporeans respond to the call for greater productivity. Each and every one of us has to step up to the challenges to better our work performance and rise to the call of greater output. The desire to achieve more has to start with the "self".”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Finance Minister's 2010 budget statement will give Singapore a fresh and promising start as we take the initiatives to upgrade and prepare our economy for the new decade. By placing quality of effort above quantity of resources, our economy will be better able to tackle the challenges brought about by increasing global competition. Some are disappointed that this year's Budget does not contain more direct financial help for individuals and businesses. But as the recovery of the world economy is still fraught with uncertainty and we remain susceptible to unpleasant surprises that may be lurking round the corners, I believe that this is a prudent Budget, prudent to keep some of our powder dry in position to respond to any financial or economic crises that may unfold. Budget 2010 is a confident, forward-looking Budget, and by focusing resources to uplift our productivity, it will have a great multiplier effect on the entire economy. The systemic way taken by the Finance Minister to boost productivity by encouraging higher-value activities, supporting business investment in skills and innovation and investing in continual upgrading of the skills of every worker will allow us to sustain our economic growth over the next decade and further. I am positive that with the multi-faceted approach taken by the Finance Minister in Budget 2010, Singapore will succeed in its quest for quality growth via the productivity route. Dorma, a mid-sized global German company that makes high-tech door fittings and door equipment, set up its first overseas plant in Singapore in 1979 and has since made Singapore its regional headquarters for its operations in ASEAN, Korea, Taiwan and Japan. Dorma currently employs 350 people in Singapore.”
“Singaporeans will have the opportunity to see for themselves whether the candidate is worthy of being elected. If the NCMP is able to win over voters with his or her performance, he or she stands a better chance of being elected in future. One can therefore say that the NCMP scheme provides an avenue for new entrants whom the voters may not have sufficient opportunity to get to know during the hustle and bustle of the short GE campaign period. With the scheme expanded, this avenue will be simultaneously broadened. This way, Opposition candidates who fail to get elected but are offered NCMP seats will not have to go into hibernation in between elections and emerge into the limelight again only at the next GE campaign, which may be years away, but can continue to steadily build their credibility and experience through the parliamentary platform. Sir, I support the Prime Minister’s intention to fine-tune the political system to create greater stability and balance. Over time, I believe the proposed changes to our political system will build a solid foundation for our future. We will have a system that accommodates views from the different segments of our population, each view having the same right to be heard. We will have a system that enables our people to have a better informed choice of the government they want to lead them further into the future. Sir, I support the motion and wish to thank the President for his Address.”
“Sir, when I mentioned to foreigners that our Constitution guarantees a minimum number of Opposition members in Parliament, they were very surprised as they knew we have a strong Government and wondered why a strong Government would allow its strength to be compromised by letting the Opposition have a foot in the door. I am sure some sceptics will say that the proposed changes to our political system are but an election ploy to let the voters have their cake and eat it. But that is not a bad thing. Voters can enjoy the benefits of having elected PAP MPs serve them day-to-day in their constituency while having Opposition voices in Parliament. Workers’ Party treasurer, Mr Eric Tan, has expressed his fear that raising the number of Opposition members in Parliament will cost the Opposition votes. However, Prime Minister Lee has made it very clear that the change is not intended to entrench any party. On the contrary, the change will surely ensure or result in the Opposition having an added chance to benefit from having their voices heard not only in this House but to a wider public audience through media coverage in the papers, the television and the Internet of the parliamentary proceedings. Even if Opposition candidates do not succeed in winning majority support to go past the post, if they do well enough, they can enter the parliamentary arena as NCMPs and use this parliamentary platform to air their views. As NCMPs, they will enjoy a higher public profile and, I must say, much higher and more effective than what some opposition parties get by working the ground, visiting markets and hawker centres on Sundays to sell their newsletters. From their speeches in Parliament, voters will be able to better assess their values, sincerity and abilities.”
“Yet again this year, Singapore topped the survey conducted by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy as Asia’s least corrupt country. The ranking can be attributed to an honest Government that sets for its members the highest standards of integrity. Our electoral system has produced a strong political leadership that practises meritocracy and respects the rule of law. Our electoral system has worked well for us. However, we must evolve to keep up with the times. We are a small country with a small pool of talent and an even smaller pool of political talent. However, we have big ambitions to improve the lives of all Singaporeans. To allow for diverse and opposing views, our Government introduced the NMP and NCMP schemes years ago and I am heartened by the changes announced by the Prime Minister yesterday which are to be implemented before the next General Election. The proposed changes are balanced and a refinement to our established system without rocking the boat. I welcome the reduction in the average size of the GRCs, the increase in the number of SMCs and Opposition MPs in the House (whether as elected Opposition MPs or NCMPs), as these would encourage and allow more people with political aspirations to come forward and join the political arena. At one time when the number of six-member GRCs increased, there was a joke, a speculation, flying around that one day Singapore will be divided into just four GRCs – north, south, east and west, each anchored by a heavy weight Minister. With the average size of GRCs brought down to five at most, there is certainly no truth in that speculation, and such a concern is no longer valid.”
“Google has the largest engineering hub outside the US in Zurich where Zooglers, as the Google staff in Zurich are called, are involved in the design of maps and flight simulators for Google Earth. Singapore and Switzerland share a few characteristics – both are small territories lacking in natural resources, both enjoy a high-skilled workforce with a strong work ethic. What are Switzerland and the Swiss people doing right? I remember watching an interview with Mr Robert Kuok, the sugar king and the majority owner of the Shangri-la Group of hotels years ago. I cannot quote verbatim but I recall, when asked why so many of his hotel general managers were Swiss, Mr Kuok replied candidly that the Swiss manager takes pride in being a professional and dedicated manager in a life-long career, but many of his local employees, even local talents spotted by him, want to be their own boss and do their own business. In Hokkien, they say zhou seng li. They want to work for a few years in the hotel line, gain some experience, make some contacts, and then start up their own small business supplying goods and services for the hotel. Surely, there must be something we can learn from this. As the Prime Minister said, we need to build up an entire ecosystem. We should look closely at how Swiss MNCs and SMEs have developed successfully over the years. How did they come about and get to where they are now? Were the Swiss MNCs once SMEs that grew big over time and acquired other foreign companies as they grew? Or were the Swiss able to attract foreign MNCs to relocate their headquarters and control towers to Switzerland and, which through the years, became localised and became identified as Swiss? Sir, now I would like to move on to the changes to our political system.”
“Under then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, we did indeed realise our vision to reach the 1984 Swiss standard of living in 2000, missing our target by one year due to the Asian financial crisis in 1997. We are still occasionally referred to as the Switzerland of the East. Even after so many years since we talked about reaching the Swiss standard of living, aside from its high standard of living, there is much more that we can learn from the Swiss corporate world. Many people in the world may narrowly associate Switzerland with fine chocolates, cuckoo clocks, Rolex watches, and probably mentally picturing them being made in a setting of snow-capped mountains and pristine lakes. But in reality, there is much more that fuel the engines of the Swiss economic growth. Compared to Austria, its Alpine neighbour, the Swiss economy is much more vibrant with many global companies anchored there. Food giant Nestle and the pharmaceutical groups Novartis and Roche are but a few of Swiss MNCs. Foreign MNCs such as Proctor & Gamble also contribute significantly to the Swiss GDP. Although Switzerland is a very high cost country, with the highest wage costs per working hour in Europe, the Global Competitiveness Report 2008-2009 released by the World Economic Forum placed Switzerland second in overall ranking after the US. Among the reasons cited for the ranking were Switzerland’s capacity for innovation, its business sophistication, the excellent partnership between its business and academic sectors and the country’s priority on research and development. It is not just the old established MNCs that have made a presence in Switzerland.”
“Their environment, their history, how things came about are all very much a part of their lives. However, when visitors come to Singapore, besides bringing them to see a few of the standard historic or tourist spots, we mostly know where to bring them to eat for breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and supper, but cannot name them the brown and black birds flying past our heads or tell them much about landmarks around us. Singaporeans who are knowledgeable and passionate about their country, Singaporeans who are proud of their own environment, heritage and culture and Singaporeans who have first-hand experience of all the sights and attractions in Singapore will make the best ambassadors for Singapore. Having knowledge of the past experiences, recent and not-so-recent, that our country has weathered, and of ongoing issues that we face and having an intimate appreciation of all that our country has to offer will give our Singaporean youths a sense of rootedness and belonging to Singapore. It will also contribute to strengthening our social cohesion. Sir, I would now like to comment on the ongoing debate about the importance of MNCs and SMEs. I feel that we have not articulated strongly enough a vision of what our corporate world should be. In the case of our standard of living, that everyone is familiar with – in 1984, our Government set a target that Singapore should reach the 1984 Swiss standard of living by 1999. To be more accurate, the target was that Singapore should achieve by 1999, the Swiss per capita gross national product (GNP) of 1984. As a young man of 24 at that time, that vision fascinated me.”
“Do we need a long and rich history in order to put up an interesting exhibition on Typhoon Nargis, the Szechuan earthquake, volcanic eruptions or the tsunami? Surely not. Our new Marina Barrage is a good start, with its Sustainable Singapore Gallery where we can be educated on Singapore's efforts towards environmental sustainability and discover how the barrage prevents flooding to the city's low-lying areas. More should be done to ensure, through permanent exhibitions, that recent events that have significantly impacted our country and our region may be impressed upon present and future generations of Singaporeans, as well as foreign visitors so that they may have a better sense of our country, our region and the issues that concern us. This leads me to my next point that we cannot pin our hopes on the highly anticipated Integrated Resorts to bring in more tourists and generate employment. We should not place all our bets on one horse. We should closely examine what attractions we have in our own backyard and have a fresh re-think of how we can re-package them and excite more interest in our own tourist attractions. Singaporeans flock by the thousands every school holiday to exotic faraway destinations. However, they should also give themselves a chance to experience the wonders that are on their own home soil. There is more room for Singaporeans to be more enthusiastic about their own country. When we visit our friends and relatives in other countries, they seem to be able to rattle on about their culture and history. They can tell us the names of birds, animals and plants around them as they walk the streets. When they point out their buildings, whether old or new, they are able to relate a story behind the architecture.”
“But I wanted to prove a point to him and so I brought him to the Natural History Museum, which has more than three million visitors passing through its doors every year, and led him to the exhibits on the Kobe earthquake and Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruptions. My son was deeply fascinated and spent a long time studying the exhibits, so did many other visitors. I then asked him whether Kobe and Mount Pinatubo are closer to Singapore or to London. Why do people, like my son, have to travel halfway round the world to learn about events that had occurred in this part of the world? In Singapore, we have many museums that house various art collections and historical artefacts. We have the history gallery in the National Museum that gives an excellent experience of our early history and past major national events. However, apart from a few events that have commemorated the tsunami and SARS and a Tembusu tree planted in the Botanic Gardens to commemorate those who fought and died in the battle against SARS, we have not done much to ensure that our future generations have a point of reference that they may visit to learn more about recent events that have affected Singapore and our surrounding countries. During the tsunami, our SAF was mobilised to provide rescue and relief efforts. Many companies and individuals came forward and banded together, giving generous donations and travelling to disaster zones. Without any conscious effort to gather, collate and display the necessary information, the memories of the devastation wrought by the tsunami and the relief efforts will be lost, save perhaps for a few sentences in our history textbooks.”
“In contrast, after the Great Depression, they had to move to smaller houses and live more humbly. The lesson Minister Mentor Lee learnt from his experience was that it is important to build up reserves while the economy is doing well. What lessons will our young people learn and what will they tell their children and grandchildren about the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression or, for that matter, any of the crises and disasters that had afflicted our region in recent years? Take, for example, the tsunami that killed 230,000 people, in which year? I believe many have forgotten that it happened in 2004. A museum was built in Banda Aceh to commemorate the people who died. At first, what struck me was the huge sum of US$5.6 million that was spent to build the four-storey museum. US$5.6 million is no trivial sum to build a museum to commemorate the victims who died, while the victims who lived are still in need of assistance. But, leaving aside the debate as to whether such a large expenditure is justified, I think it is important for us here in Singapore to remember the catastrophic disaster, so that locals and visitors from all over the world and, more importantly, future generations can remember and learn about what had happened in our own region. Last year, my then 11-year-old son and I went back-packing in Europe. When we were in London, I suggested that we visit some of the museums in London as they have interesting collections. His immediate response to me was that as England has a longer and richer history than Singapore, naturally it has been able to amass more materials to exhibit. From a child's perspective, his observation certainly was not entirely unreasonable.”
“Perhaps more than shoppers in Singapore, shoppers in the US have learnt to stretch their dollar further in order to restrain their spending. Wal-Mart, the US mass market retailer, recently reported that their customers have altered their shopping patterns and are now focusing on thrift. They are, in fact, proud to tell their friends they shop at Wal-Mart. In comparison, in Singapore, COE prices for cars, which are an indicator of economic sentiment, rose sharply in May with the open category rising to five-figures as a sign of market perception that the economy is picking up. Property new launches are encouraging. The recent stock market rally and talks of "green shoots" have contributed to a heightened sense of euphoria as if the crisis is over. It looks as though the economic downturn barely made a blip in the spending habits of our people. It is as if the economic downturn has come and gone, like the "Cheshire cat" from "Alice in Wonderland" disappearing and leaving only visible its grin hanging in the air as a reminder that it is still around. However, the worst may not be over yet and, as our PM said yesterday, if our factories have less business and orders do not come in, they will not be able to hold on to their workers indefinitely and at some point in time, they will have to restructure and shed jobs. I wonder what lessons from this credit crunch our young today will learn and pass on to the young of tomorrow? Earlier this year, our Minister Mentor, who was born in 1923, shared some of his memories of the Great Depression. He said before the Great Depression, his family were well-to-do and lived comfortably. The clothes they wore, in photographs from that time, were imported from Britain.”