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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“So, if your banker wants to cross-sell a product of the insurance company, he cannot tell the insurance company, "This is a good customer. He has X number of dollars in his bank account. Please go and offer him a $1 million insurance policy." He can give your name and you may be approached, but he cannot give particulars about accounts, transactions, assets and so on. I think that is not the purpose why people go to the bank in order to manage their money. So it should be only to financial institutions, only personal particulars and, secondly, there has to be an opt-out mechanism. So if I object or I tick off in a box, I will not have my particulars circulated around and not receive junk mail. We have tried to strike a balance in this legislation. It is a delicate balance. It is not one which is possible for MAS to strike on its own. We have discussed it with the banks very carefully. The banks are comfortable with these arrangements, and that is why I am here before the House commending this Bill to Members.”
“It is five times bigger than any other penalty that used to be in the Act. It is the biggest penalty in the Act, as it will be amended. If it is still not enough and we need to multiply it by another factor of five, I will come back and ask the House for permission. But I think, for now, $250,000 is adequate. On sharing information about customers for cross-selling, Mr Ong and Mrs Lim made opposite suggestions. Mrs Lim talked about making it more flexible and allowing cross-selling even to non-financial institutions. Whereas Mr Ong says, "Why do we want to have cross-selling? Why not just restrict it to people who opt in and tick off in a box and agree to have their information shared around?" This is a judgment. It is a trade-off. On the one hand, the banks need the flexibility to cross-sell. On the other hand, the customer wants some privacy. Mr Ong talked about Internet sites invariably asking you whether you want to have your name being circulated around before they give your name to other service providers. I wish they were all so scrupulous. I receive all sorts of junk mail from people whom I never agreed to give my name to, and I am sure so does he. Usually, there is a mechanism to get your name off the list. I think what we need is a balance between the two, a balance which will enable cross-selling to take place without it being intrusive to the customer and without the customer feeling that his privacy has been compromised. I think there are two things we should do. First, there should be only limited customer information relating to a person's personal particulars which may be disclosed, and only to financial institutions.”
“The banks presently already ask borrowers to declare, when they want a loan, whether it is for owner occupation, and it is possible that one way is for the banks to regularly ask for a new declaration, and ascertain the position every year. It is not likely to be absolutely foolproof but I think adequate measures can be worked out. Finally, banking secrecy provisions. I will take Mr Ong Kian Min's comments on banking secrecy provisions first. Mr Ong asked what happens to the database of customer information which has been given to an outsource service provider to process and it goes bankrupt. Can he sell it? The answer is he cannot, because it is an offence under the Banking Act for a party receiving customer information from a bank in the course of performing an outsource function to onward disclose that information. So he cannot go and sell it to somebody else. If he is overseas, it is a bit difficult for us to enforce, because our laws do not stretch overseas. But before a bank outsources a service overseas, we will want to be satisfied that it is going to somebody overseas which the bank can, in good conscience, have confidence with. And the outsource service provider is in a country overseas where he can have some assurance that the rule of law applies and that it is not just a cowboy environment. These are standard precautions before we allow a bank to outsource its services. They will have to consult us and if there is a regulator on the other side, we will be in touch with the regulator on the other side to reach an understanding on the conditions before we approve. So there are some safeguards. On contravention of banking secrecy, Mr Ong says $250,000 is not an adequate penalty. It is not a small sum.”
“We have excluded the owner-occupied housing loans from our limits on property exposure, but it is not a departure from the Basel approach, which assigns risk weights because owner-occupied housing loans do tend to have a lower risk of default, so they do merit more lenient treatment than other property loans. We are not treating them completely as unrestricted. We will monitor them separately and, if necessary, we will limit them. And one of the limits we now have is to say home-buyers must make a 20% cash payment before they borrow money from the bank and the bank will only lend them 80%. It is a somewhat sore point with the developers, but that is a rule which we have. As for ownership status, Mrs Lim is right that it is a little bit difficult to find out who is living in a house. HDB has ways of finding out and there are severe penalties. If he is not really living in the house and he is found out, he may get evicted and the house may be re-acquired. If it is a private property, there is no such sanction. But, still, there is a distinction between a loan which is for owner occupation and a loan which is for an investment property. If it is for owner occupation, it is his first house, he is living in it, he is paying for it probably out of his income and, therefore, he is not so likely to default on it, whereas if it is an investment property and he is paying for it out of rental income and he loses his tenant, then he may be unable to service his mortgage. So there is a risk difference between an owner-occupied house and a house purchased for investment purposes. How will the banks know?”
“With a Basel II framework which is being developed now, banks are moving towards internal risk models of loans, of operational risks, and will depend on these internal risk models to decide how much capital they need, rather than a certain formula set by the regulator. We hope that our banks in Singapore will be able to develop such risk models. They are working at it, but it will take some work and it also requires some pooling of data, because we need to have the track record to have reliable statistics as to how risky the loans are. If they have these risk models and if indeed their track record is good, then, of course, they will be able to save on their capital requirements and this will be to their advantage. So there is a positive incentive, as Mrs Lim Hwee Hua suggested should be done. On property exposure, Mrs Lim talked about the coverage being broadened because it will include loans to building and construction, and whether this will not be offset to a large extent by the exclusion of owner-occupied property loans. First of all, I should clarify that the coverage is not really broadened, because we are still focusing on property loans, ie, loans for property development. We are not going to impose limits on loans to construction service providers or people who provide building materials, because these are not property developers or property investors. They are providing services, goods. So, similarly, if you are an architect, you are not a property developer but you are providing services to the property developers. Or, if you are a civil engineer, construction engineer or a transport company, you are not in the business. So we are still focused only on property development.”
“Mrs Lim Hwee Hua asked about the capital adequacy of banks and whether 12% was not already high, and whether going for even more on a supervisory discretionary basis would be an overkill. 12% is higher than the BIS standard of 8%. That is true. But I would make two points. Firstly, our banks are operating in Asia and this is a less stable environment than the OECD countries and economies. So it is wise to have a bigger capital cushion to deal with the uncertainties of the market. Secondly, although the BIS standard is 8%, nearly all banks in good health have much higher capital ratios than that. Very few banks operate at the margin, with just enough capital as specified by the regulator. So they have 12%-16% capital, enough to have a cushion without being so excessive that it affects their rate of return. I think 12% is about the right figure for us. We may revise it from time to time. We have revised the composition of this 12% already twice to give the banks more flexibility, but it is not in the wrong ballpark. When will we go above 12%? When we think the bank's risk profile or risk management capabilities or the health of the bank's loan book is such that it better have a bit more capital because, over all, its exposure is riskier. That has to be judged bank by bank. I think the circumstances will be that we will look at the individual banks to decide, and I do not expect very many banks to have additional supervisory impositions placed upon them over and above the general standard. But that will depend on how the practice evolves.”
“And one of the things which we have allowed is to say, "You may set up a subsidiary, only $100 million paid-up capital, and you can use that subsidiary to carry out Internet banking or all other banking activities, or form a joint venture with a foreign partner." $100 million is not a small sum of money. Our overall requirement for bank capital is $1 1/2 billion paid-up, but that is at the top level. To require the subsidiary of a bank also to have $1 1/2 billion tied up is not reasonable. In most other jurisdictions, one can set up a bank with much less capital than that. In the UK, it is only five million Euros, which is about S$7 million. In Hong Kong, it is HK$150 million, which is only about S$30 million. So our requirement of $1 1/2 billion is many orders of magnitude higher. It is there because we want to be absolutely safe and we also wanted the banks to have a certain critical mass and size. But there is no justification for applying that at the subsidiary level. So we have set the subsidiary level at $100 million, which is still higher than nearly everybody else. If you say that the burn rate will soon burn out the $100 million, I would reply with what one banking supervisor told me, that it makes him very nervous when he reads bankers saying that they are running an Internet bank and it is their business to lose money so as to gain customers. Because when banks start to think like that, trouble is going to come. And so we have a banking framework for Internet banking which puts in adequate safeguards so that if a bank wants to start, it has some flexibility but, before it goes too far, there will be some checks to hold it back.”
“I am sure that the banks are talking to each other and I hope that something will develop as time passes. It is not something which we can do in a hurry. Arranging a match-making is a delicate business. One has to find the right partner and reach the right terms, otherwise it can end unhappily, and it is MAS' job to make sure that unhappy outcomes are kept to a minimum. So we will foster their consolidation but it will take a little bit of time. As for small companies and small depositors who may be affected by the consolidation of banking, this is an issue which we have discussed several times in this House. It is naturally of considerable concern to Members. DBS-POSBank is a major example, but there will be others because further consolidation will take place and further adjustments will become necessary. So one of the things which we are considering in MAS is whether we should not require many banks in Singapore to provide a basic banking account - not free, but affordable - with specified characteristics, which we can have the Association of Banks discuss and agree upon, so that whoever operates in the Singapore retail banking market will have to provide a service to look after the small depositors. It is something we are considering. We have to make sure that the burden is not too onerous, but we hope to reach a conclusion before too long. As for Internet banking and how they will be regulated, I completely share Mr Leong Horn Kee's and also Mr Ong Kian Min's scepticism about the risks of Internet and the hype about the dot-com euphoria which was very strong 12-18 months ago but is now substantially evaporated. I think it is right for us to allow a certain degree of experimentation by our banks, but in a cautious way.”
“This consent would be sufficient to permit disclosure as covered under the first paragraph of Part 1, ie, where the disclosure has been permitted in writing by the customer. Such a position is in fact commonly adopted by many reputable on-line vendors where they state clearly in their personal privacy policy that they will not sell or distribute any personal information about the customer to any third party and the customer is assured that he will receive promotional materials only when he requests that the vendor sends that information to him. Additionally, the customer may take his name off the list at any time and the vendor will immediately cease delivery of the promotional materials to him. I am therefore surprised that a customer of a bank should run the risk of his name and contact particulars being circulated to other financial institutions. I fear this will open the floodgates for name lists of bank customers to be swapped and exchanged among financial institutions, leading to all of us being inundated with more junk mail and cold calls, and not to mention a loss of privacy and confidentiality. Sir, I support the Banking (Amendment) Bill and hope that, in its implementation, the MAS will take the above concerns into consideration. BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank the Members who have spoken for their support for the Bill, and let me address the points which they have raised, all of which are valuable. First, Mr Leong Horn Kee has asked whether the rate of banking consolidation is fast enough. There has been some progress. DBS has merged with POSBank, but there have been no other mergers in Singapore, as he well knows. But, as I have said, no merger does not mean that nothing is happening.”
“My thinking is that the penalty of $250,000 under new section 47(6) for any corporation which contravenes new section 47(5) by disclosing the customer information is grossly insufficient in relation to the value of the customer database at hand. Further, I am unsure how this penalty can be enforced extra-territorially against a foreign company in a foreign jurisdiction. The second area of concern is on paragraph 9 of Part II of the Sixth Schedule that allows disclosure of the customer's name, identity, address and contact number if such disclosure is solely in connection with the promotion to the customers of the bank in Singapore of financial products and services made available in Singapore by any financial institution which is licensed or otherwise regulated by the MAS. I presume this is to facilitate the promotion and sale of financial products, such as credit cards, insurance policies, foreign currency deposits and unit trusts, offered by other financial institutions apart from the bank itself. I would like to ask what the rationale is for introducing such a blanket exception to our banking secrecy laws. Instead of having this blanket exception, I think a better way would be for the bank to ask its customers, either by way of a newsletter, customer survey or other means of communication from time to time, whether they would like to receive promotional materials and information on other financial products and services. This would be an "opt-in" system. If the customer wishes to know about these other products and opts in, he would have signified in writing his consent to the bank disclosing his name, identity and other contact particulars to the other financial institutions which can then contact him.”
“Revision of banking secrecy provisions Sir, on this point, I have two concerns. The first is paragraph 3 in Part II of the Sixth Schedule that permits disclosure of customer information in connection with the performance of operational functions of a bank where such operational functions have been out-sourced. Under this exception to banking secrecy, the disclosure can be made to any person, whether inside or outside Singapore, who has been engaged by the bank to perform the out-sourced functions. These persons would probably be located in a lower cost jurisdiction, such as the Philippines or perhaps Bangalore IT Park, as that makes commercial and financial sense to the bank. My question is: what if these companies become insolvent and bankrupt? We have heard of bankrupt dot-com companies becoming the target of a takeover for their valuable databases of customer information and of cash-strapped companies offering their customer database for sale to raise cash. What is to prevent otherwise-secret customer information from falling into the wrong hands through the sale of the database by a cash-strapped foreign contractor? What can we do to prevent or stop such a sale of information in a foreign jurisdiction? Could the Deputy Prime Minister please elaborate on the nature and types of conditions which may be specified or imposed by the MAS to prevent such events from happening? Further, in view of the risk of leakage of banking information through foreign companies which are undertaking out-sourced functions, I believe that more measures should be put in place to counter this risk.”
“The policy statement also highlighted liquidity risk resulting from price-sensitive customers moving their deposits electronically from one bank to another to take advantage of a marginal difference in rates. This is compounded by the convenience of conducting Internet transactions and may cause an electronic run on the bank. One of the reasons for companies to set up a subsidiary for a new business venture is to limit the liabilities and exposure arising from that venture. Notwithstanding that the parent Singapore incorporated bank will retain control and letters of undertaking will be required from the Singapore bank and any alliance partners to pledge their support, in a limited liability company, the shareholders' liabilities are limited to the extent of the capital they have put in. The letter of undertaking is usually not binding. But if the intention is to make it binding, it would effectively mean that alliance partners are guaranteeing the liabilities of the banking subsidiary. In that case, how would it help in removing the obstacles to our banks adopting new business models? So if the rationale is to facilitate the adoption of new, but untested, business models, I believe there are other operational structures and forms of collaboration that can be explored to provide the banks with the same level of operational flexibility and yet afford the customer of the so-called banking subsidiary better protection. With banking subsidiaries licensed as banks and permitted to offer a whole host of traditional banking services and products, my concern is on how the bank's customers will be protected in the event that it runs out of cash and folds up. Will such a bank collapse affect the banking industry on the whole and our reputation as a financial centre?”
“Could not the existing banks achieve their Internet strategy and compete equally effectively by offering its banking services through the Internet directly? Do we have to have this special emphasis so as to encourage the setting up of Internet-only banks? Sir, the use of the Internet is only a means of delivering a company's products and services to its customers. Whether these products are toys, books or banking services, many of these Internet-dependent business models have not been proven to be sustainable in the long run. For toys, I am reminded of e-Toys which has folded up but the good old Toys-R-Us is still around. And, in the light of the recent NASDAQ meltdown, people are now more enlightened and sceptical about the viability or non-viability of a pure Internet-only business model. When the MAS issued the policy statement in July 2000, NASDAQ was then in the first phase of its long and painful decline. Now that almost a year has passed and many once high-flying Internet or dot-com companies with much higher capitalisation than $100 million have run out of cash and crashed, I would like to ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether there should be a re-think on this issue of promoting Internet-only banks. S$100 million do not seem like a lot of money when the company has to invest in building the infrastructure and to advertise aggressively to attract traffic. And banking products and services are definitely more important to us than toys. The business risks faced by Internet-only banks are no different from other companies. The MAS July 2000 policy statement recognised these risks and cautioned that "unlike other Internet ventures, banks can ill-afford to incur losses for long start-up periods".”
“Sir, I support the Banking (Amendment) Bill as I believe the policies and measures encapsulated in these amendments to the Banking Act will enhance our position and reputation as a credible financial centre. However, I have two main concerns to raise and would like to seek clarification from the Deputy Prime Minister. My first concern relates to Internet-only banks and the second relates to revision of the banking secrecy provisions. Internet-only Banks. In July 2000, the Monetary Authority of Singapore issued an Internet banking policy statement that allowed a reduction of the paid-up capital requirements for local banking subsidiaries from $1.5 billion to $100 million. This is now covered in clause 11 of the Bill by introducing a new section 9A to the Act. It was stated in the MAS policy statement that one of the reasons for this reduction in capital requirements was to facilitate the banks' adoption of new business models, such as Internet-only banking. The MAS also recognised that two broad business models had emerged that a bank could consider in implementing its Internet banking strategy. One was through Internet banking facilities within the existing bank, and the other was through a stand-alone entity, such as Internet-only banks (or IOBs). I have a concern about the second model. I fully agree that to survive in this fast changing world, a company must be nimble, innovative and quick to change to respond to challenges in its industry. I also agree that Internet banking has the potential to improve services for the public. But I would like to ask, in the context of our local banking industry, is Internet-only banking so crucial that it warrants a reduction in the paid-up capital requirements from $1.5 billion to $100 million?”
“Sir, in an effort to initiate a green revolution of Singapore roads, the Government is offering OMV rebates and road tax incentives to encourage car owners to go green. This kind of encouragement would help to bring about greater conservation of natural resources and result in a better living environment for all of us. I would like to urge the Ministry of the Environment to go a step further to consider tax rebates and financial incentives to encourage the use of environmentally-friendly technologies for the production of electricity, whether on a wide scale by power stations or locally by some producers of electricity. We are in the tropics with abundant sunshine. Solar cell panels are one obvious example that deserves more of our attention. We have heard earlier in the debate that such technology is costly. But with greater usage, according to some industry sources, the capital cost and maintenance of the hardware and equipment can be reduced substantially. With the proper amount of incentives, I believe more people will use solar cell panels to supplement electricity consumption. This will in turn encourage more people to do research to develop better and more affordable equipment. This may even lead to technological breakthroughs, just as reported in the Straits Times today on the low radiation mobile phones developed by a Government-funded research body here.”
“Many had to close shop after a few months. One would think that the next guy to come along would be wiser. But that is not the case. There is always some other guy with equally limited business savvy who wants to give it a shot and pay the same high rent for the shop. To alleviate the situation and as its contribution to Retail 21, I believe the HDB should do more in advising and guiding people who want to open retail shops in HDB estates. I would like to urge HDB to offer some form of business consultancy or business intelligence service through its network of branch offices, where a prospective tenant can get some assistance and guidance in assessing the local business environment and the proper trade mix for that area.”
“As an essential piece in the infrastructure, people in these countries are even thinking of using them to offer other services, such as paying utilities bills, withdrawing money, buying stamps and posting letters. I would like to urge HDB to consider facilitating the development of such a network of convenience stores in our housing estates. If retailers were to upgrade their offering of goods and services, I dare say that they would find themselves more relevant in serving the needs of the local community, and more people and more businesses flowing through their shops. Contrary to what many people believe, opening a retail shop is not an easy matter. In my constituency, I have a neighbourhood centre. The shops there have been sold and most of them are rented out by the private owners who are now landlords. I speak to the shopkeepers there from time to time. But it is difficult to keep track because they come and go so quickly, some within months. Some of the aspiring retailers are first-timers taking the plunge. They complain to me that business is so quiet that they do not make enough to pay their rent. When I told them that perhaps they were paying too high a rent, they told me that they were inexperienced and did not know. Some of them were retired civil servants, ex-army officers and company executives. Some left good-paying jobs to go into the retail business. Some had been retrenched and decided to use their savings and retrenchment benefits to start out on their own. Being new to the trade and not familiar with the neighbourhood, they had decided to rent the shop without doing much feasibility study or ground research. They had agreed to pay a very high rent which cannot be sustained by the low pedestrian traffic and poor business.”
“Retailers who have rented shops from the HDB should have the option to voluntarily surrender their lease for compensation. 6.30 pm Sir, on the other side of the same problem of determining the optimal number of shops for any particular area is that there are many new housing estates, like my constituency, Pasir Ris GRC, with very few retail outlets in some precincts. These shops are few and far between, making it difficult for residents to get their necessities. To tackle these two problems - too many shops in some areas and too few in other areas - we need to find a right balance and the right tenant mix in between. There is a need to rethink and revamp the retail scene in the housing estates in the light of the changes in our shopping and buying habits. One of the reasons why our neighbourhood shops are not doing so well is the change in people's buying habits. People buy the bulk of what they need from the large supermarkets and shopping malls. People also prefer to wait for the right occasion to buy an item that they do not need urgently. For example, if you want to buy an expensive watch, you would rather make a special trip to a popular shopping mall than buy it from a neighbourhood shop. In these smaller neighbourhood shops, people are looking for things that they need urgently. This is the success behind the 7-Eleven stores. The 7-Eleven stores provide us with a model that has been proven to be highly successful, despite high rentals and business overheads. People do not mind paying more for the convenience of getting items they need quickly and conveniently. These stores are popular in many countries, including Japan and Hong Kong. They have become entrenched in the local community.”
“Sir, if one were to look around the housing estates, it is a no brainer to conclude that there is an over supply of shops in some areas where human traffic is low and business is poor, and an under supply of shops in other areas, because they are popular. People flock there and retailers do a roaring trade. The reason for this is simple. HDB decides on a new town from the top down. From the planner's point of view, which at times can be quite academic in nature, it is like there is an open field where you want to design and build a footpath for people to use. You can build one, but people may choose not to use it, because it is not convenient. Or you can wait for the people to carve a natural path through the grass and then pave it and make it into a footpath. When HDB designates a particular area to house the neighbourhood shops, there is no guarantee that it will successfully develop into a popular and attractive place that residents want to visit. Many factors are involved and consumers' preferences are fickle and hard to determine. Bus services, car park, accessibility, tenant mix and many other factors affect the success of the neighbourhood centres. The plans may look good on paper but actual implementation may produce a very different result. Of course, there is no denying that the planners can do a lot more to ensure success. For example, if you put a critical number of shops together, integrate them with the bus interchange and MRT station, like Tampines regional centre, the chances are that it will become a success. But other fringe neighbourhood centres are not so fortunate. As a result, many shopkeepers in fringe areas are not faring well. For these areas, there must be a mechanism for the excess to be cut down.”
“Who wants to live in an apartment with a warehouse on one side, a hostel on the other, and an office opposite? Such a situation does occur in a number of multi-purpose mixed-use developments, and measures should be taken to prevent them from being more widespread.”
“For public housing estates, I am sure the HDB will carry out quite a bit of redevelopment under the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) in the next 30-40 years. Secondly, if we build buildings with more reserved sites in between now, these spaces can be filled in later years. For example, Tampines Neighbourhood 4, in recent years, a park, an old folks home and a church centre have been built on reserved sites. Buildings can be clustered together but with open spaces in between. Residents do not mind being a little crammed provided there are open spaces, parks and playgrounds for them and their family to go to relax and enjoy. I believe with a combination of clustering buildings and nearby open spaces in between, residents will understand the constraints of building close-knit structures. But if we cram everybody without nearby open spaces, I think this makes everyday living that much more stressful. My third point is that we have to be careful in providing for mixed use developments and in having residential units in the vicinity of commercial areas. I agree with the Focus Group that more housing should be provided in the central area to rejuvenate it. But let us learn from the experience of Lucky Plaza. This building is situated along the popular Orchard Road, near Mount Elizabeth Hospital. It has a podium of commercial shops and a tower block of residential units. Humans being human, and commercial space being more valuable than residential space, what happens is that the apartments in the tower block are often used as offices, warehouses to store goods for the shops below and as hostels for long-term patients of the hospital. This is undesirable living environment.”
“The result of this has been that HDB estates are more crowded now. There is less space in between blocks of flats, and dwelling units are smaller. People suffer being more tightly packed while we wait for the balance of 1.5 million people to arrive in Singapore. I cannot agree with this approach. On one border of my constituency, I have a large piece of vacant undeveloped land. It benefits the relatively small number of residents whose flats face this so-called wilderness by offering them an unobstructed view of greenery. Even then, I think only the higher floor residents get the chance to appreciate the lovely view. Lower floor residents certainly do not appreciate the bites they get from mosquitoes bred in that vacant land. Such a valuable piece of land, yet it is not put to good use. Only recently, one section of the land was open for mountain biking. Otherwise, it was off limits to the public. Sir, I would like to suggest an alternative principle. Instead of building so compactly, let us be a little bit more "extravagant". We have not reached 5.5 million yet, and we do not have to cram everybody in now. There are two reasons why I say this. First, we must not have the mindset that just because we erect buildings on a piece of land to a certain gross plot ratio (GPR), we cannot increase the GPR in subsequent years. It is not as rigid as that. Market forces can be put to work. For instance, when the URA revised the plot ratio and DGP, developers and property owners jumped in, and older apartment blocks were sold en bloc for redevelopment. Some of these buildings sold en bloc were less than 15 years old.”
“With the easing of travel controls to Malaysia, I believe that it can be quite an attractive alternative to golfing in Singapore. Because of the abundance of land, Malaysia offers more recreational activities to Singaporeans at a lower cost. Malaysian green fees, for example, are only half or a third of that of Singapore's, and club memberships are only a fraction. My second point is about the density of our housing. Although the planning scenario is to accommodate 5.5 million persons in year X, ie, sometime in the future, it seems that in the present areas under development, our planners are already planning and building to cater for an overall density corresponding to a population of 5.5 million people. For example, in Sengkang and Punggol new towns, HDB is packing the flats very densely and tightly in a small area. They build many flats within a limited specific area, and leave huge tracts of land untouched and undeveloped. This principle is also adopted by the Focus Group on Land Allocation in formulating its recommendations. In its report, it is said that "given limited land, future development should start with looking at already developed areas. All areas that are presently sub-optimally used should be identified. Land development agencies should aggressively initiate programmes to upgrade and redevelop such areas to higher intensity before proceeding to open new areas for development." Sir, the argument seems to be that we have to pack the flats more densely so as to leave other areas to build more flats in future in anticipation of the time when we have 5.5 million people. The fear is that if we build less "densely" now, we will not be able to accommodate all the 5.5 million people in time to come.”
“Sir, prior to the development and finalisation of the Concept Plan, the URA had convened two focus groups to act as focal points for ideas and feedback for a wide cross-section of the population. This is commendable as URA and everyone involved have benefitted from the experience. I would like to add my views on three issues. My first point is that Singapore is an island state with limited land resources. We are a city and a country all rolled into one. Therefore, in planning for our nation, we have to meet a number of critical needs - housing, industries, airports, harbour, military training, reservoirs, nature reserves, just to name a few. We need to consider carefully what we need to have physically within the geographical limits of Singapore, and what we can access outside Singapore. I feel that for some non-essential items, we should look beyond Singapore's physical land mass. For example, we can look to our neighbouring countries - Johor, Batam and Bintan, to supply the space for more golf courses and theme parks. Some expert studies have concluded that for such a small population, we are over saturated with theme parks. I am sure land used for the Tang Dynasty Village and the Sentosa Asian Village can be put to better use. As for golf, it is simply not justifiable for more courses to be built within our national boundaries, as there are already so many courses in neighbouring Johor. Golfers now complain about the inconvenience of driving to Johor, but I think this problem can be solved. When the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mr Abdullah Badawi, visited us last month, he mentioned plans for a smart card system for frequent travellers between Singapore and Johor, to ease the congestion and waiting time at the checkpoints.”
“Sir, on the other hand, for certain serious criminal offences, such as sexual offences, molest and rape, robbery, drug-related offences, I believe the public has the right to know the person's background. Presently, we have to rely on newspapers, reports or gossip to find out whether the person we are dealing with, or intending to deal with, has been convicted of an offence in the past. The screening process of checking a person's criminal records is not open to the public, even on a need-to-know basis. It is only available to Government authorities. Why should that be so, especially in this age of transparency and full disclosure? There may be situations where a person has the need to find out another's background. If you are considering whether to do business with someone or to rent a room to someone, or even when you are thinking whether to let someone take your daughter out for a date, surely you would want to be able to find out whether that person was a trickster or molester. There is nothing private or confidential about a person's criminal record or background. For his crime, the accused is charged in open court, and evidence is produced in open court. It is not something that he should be able to hide. I would like to suggest that these criminal records be available, not just to the police, but to any person who has a need to know through a process similar to the bankruptcy searches that one can do with the Supreme Court registry to find out whether a person has been declared a bankrupt or not.”
“Sir, in an effort to help individuals who have been on the wrong side of the law and to turn over a new leaf and, as a society, to become more forgiving, transparent, yet fair, I think we should fine-tune our criminal registration process. Currently, a person carries a criminal record if he is convicted of any of the scheduled offences listed in the Registration of Criminals Act. He may have been punished for his crime, gone to jail, served his sentence and even rehabilitated. But certain jobs are still closed to him, because of his criminal record. For example, if he applies for a vocational driving licence to be a taxi or bus driver, the licensing authority will conduct a screening with the Police Criminal Registration Office, and his application will not be approved if the applicant has a criminal record, even records of minor offences committed many, many years ago. He may apply to be employed as a security guard, and that will be turned down. Sir, I understand the rationale for this stance taken by the licensing authorities. Clearly, a person who has committed robbery should not be allowed to be a security guard, bus or taxi driver. However, for certain more minor offences and especially if he has not committed any other offences for, say, a period of 10 years, he should be given the benefit of doubt that he has indeed turned over a new leaf and committed to embark afresh on a new life. To deprive him of this opportunity would be to condemn the petty criminal for life, forcing him to go back to a life of crime, as he would not be able to secure a good job to start building a good life. In a sense, he would be paying for his crimes forever.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head I of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code IE 3100. The Minister of State, Dr John Chen, has already given us his answer to an earlier question raised by Prof. Chin Tet Yung on whether taxis should be allowed to drive in bus lanes during restricted hours. I would like to ask the Ministry to consider whether taxis could be allowed to go into the bus lanes, not to drive for long distances but just to pick up and drop off passengers. I raise this because, given the competition among taxi companies, complaints by customers are taken very seriously, recorded and demerit points given to taxi drivers who do not provide service according to customers' wishes. A taxi driver risks the cancellation of his taxi rental agreement if he is not up to stuff. One of the complaints by customers is that taxi drivers do not pick them up or drop them off in the bus lane. This is compounded in situations where the bus lanes run for an entire stretch of the road. Some passengers do not or refuse to appreciate that it is against the law for taxi drivers to do so during restricted hours. This can result in a complaint being made against that taxi driver. The complaint may not be directly about not being picked up or dropped off in the bus lane. But when one is upset, it is easy to complain about rudeness, inconvenience or extra charges. At times, the taxi driver complies with the customer's request, goes into the bus lane and risks being caught, because he does not wish to be complained against. Sir, it does not take much time for a taxi to enter the bus lane to pick up or to drop off passengers. I think this should also facilitate better taxi service and a more satisfied customer. I hope the Ministry will consider this.”
“If they were to raise concerns of roadworthiness or registration of the vehicle with their employers, the chances of being fired are rather high. They are legitimately concerned that they may lose their jobs and are, therefore, forced to take unwarranted risks of facing the dire consequences themselves. For them, it becomes a question of choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea. If they refuse to drive the vehicle, they will be fired and others, who are more desperate, may take their place. If, on the other hand, they drive the vehicle on the roads, they may have to face the risk of being caught and prosecuted. I would like to ask the Minister to review the law, such that employers share a greater burden of maintaining the vehicles. In this way, we are still maintaining safety on our roads and yet placing the responsibility on the right shoulders.”
“I wish to raise the concern of drivers who are employed to drive their companies' vehicles. Under the Road Traffic Act, the liability of such employed drivers for certain offences is no different from drivers who are also owners of the vehicles. I believe that they should be treated differently as their circumstances are very different. Owners must be held responsible for the maintenance of their vehicles. On the other hand, being mere employees, employed drivers have little or no control over the maintenance of the vehicles they have been asked to drive. I would like to highlight two of such offences. First, under section 15 of the Road Traffic Act, any person who uses on any road any vehicle for which a licence is not enforced is guilty of an offence. I have come across a case where the driver noticed that the vehicle's road tax had not been paid for a few months. On asking his employer, he was verbally assured that the arrears had been settled when, in fact, that was not the case and the vehicle had been deregistered due to non-payment of road tax. The driver was in no position to ask his employer for documentary evidence that the road tax had indeed been paid and the licence was still in force. He could only take his employer's word for it. However, after he was stopped by the police, he was prosecuted for driving a deregistered vehicle and asked to attend court to answer to the charges. 2.15 pm Secondly, under section 72 of the same Act, the driver of the vehicle which emits smoke or visible vapour is guilty of an offence. Sir, in the present job market, the employed drivers are fearful of losing their jobs and their rice bowl.”
“The individual proprietors do not stand a chance in the tender exercise. I understand that some schools are considering tendering their canteens to main contractors, who then find individuals to run the stalls for them. Of course, this makes commercial sense in terms of control, coordination and efficiency. It is easier to deal only with one "big boss" rather than many small ones. It is easier to sub-contract to a main contractor and let him deal with the small individual problems. However, what this means is that the small guys no longer have an avenue to start small, and will always be an employee and taken advantage of by bosses who act as middlemen. Many famous entrepreneurs have started small. One example is Li Ka-shing, who started the Cheung Kong factory making plastic flowers. Today, he is a major player in real estate, retail, telecommunications, power generation and port operation. Do we, in modern Singapore, have room for someone to start small and grow like this? I would say it is a room that is getting smaller every day. But I do think that we need to give some due consideration to the small business owner in Singapore, to give him a fair and fighting chance to carve out some niche here. I am happy that in this budget, we have embarked on this process. Sir, I support the financial policy of the Government.”
“We want them to make it right here within our fair shores. What we need is to make commercial room so that Singaporeans can be successful entrepreneurs in Singapore. This will be another root to bind good people here to our land. It will help us deal with the very present danger of losing these good people to a digital, globalised world - a world that does not subscribe to the concept of "Our Home, Our Nation." Entrepreneurs are more invested in a country than professionals, who just offer their services to the highest bidder anywhere in the world. Entrepreneurs will be more engaged and concerned about local issues, because the business they own is at stake. We need to give such local talented trained Singaporeans the business conditions to grow here, so that they can feel invested in this country and have a stake here. Sir, at the same time that we are making room for top talents, we must also make room for those who are going to have a harder time in this high-speed world. While we must emphasize training and skills upgrading to prepare our population for the new economy, and there are laudable success stories of those who have made it, in reality, not everyone can be retrained for the new digital age. Some may just have to be helped along until their next generation takes over and brings the entire family to a higher plane. Recently, the media reported that the income gap was widening. Those from low-income families running small businesses face a particularly daunting uphill struggle. The small business owner is becoming a dying breed. There is also a change in business operations and the big boys have an advantage. Take, for example, newspaper kiosks along Orchard Road and at bus stops are tendered and won by big corporations like Singapore Press Holdings.”
“But if after graduation, they decide to remain and work in London, New York or Hong Kong and never return, how would that benefit us? Singapore must not merely be a training centre for the world. We must not merely be the school that produces good students, nor merely an institution that churns out efficient and diligent workers for foreign employers to recruit. Already, this is happening. Foreign hospitals come to Singapore to look for good qualified nurses. Foreign firms woo our best and brightest research engineers. More conducive business conditions elsewhere tempt our most promising entrepreneurs. Knowledge, ideas and talents are highly mobile. These are mobile because they reside in the heads of people, who are mobile. When a person is attracted to move to a foreign land with better opportunities, his knowledge, ideas, skills and talents go with him. But capital - our own money, our own national reserves - does not move unless and until we decide to move it. Ultimately, we decide where to move and deploy our money. We should therefore use our financial assets to strategically seek out and attract other people's knowledge, ideas and talents, and retain our own. Sir, I feel that the guardians and managers of our capital have not been creative enough to use the funds at their disposal to attract and retain talent. More can and should be done. It is noted that this year's budget contains a lot of measures to stimulate the business sector and to allow new industries to mushroom and thrive. This is a good sign that we are concerned about how to make sure that homegrown businesses can flourish. We should not just be concerned about training Singaporeans and foreigners so that they can make it in the world beyond our land.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to join in this debate. I support the Budget Statement delivered by the Minister for Finance. I am especially heartened by the Government's commitment to creating the best conditions for private enterprise to flourish in Singapore. Since our founding by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819, people from many countries, from different walks of life, have come to Singapore in search of opportunities. They have come in search of a better life for themselves and their families. To many, this means being here to make a decent living and to create wealth. After all, we are not an island to the south of Hawaii, where people chose to retire to, or to while away their days under a coconut tree. Singapore has always been a highly competitive commercial hub for businesses. Ultimately, it is business that draws foreign people to Singapore and retains local talents to work and live here. If Singapore is a backwater economy with few opportunities for advancement, talent, which is mobile, will take flight to seek out opportunities elsewhere. In this globalised world, a highly qualified and disciplined workforce, brought about by good education and training, is important but not sufficient by itself to ensure our continued success. As Mr Leong Horn Kee has pointed out just now, we have a very sound and effective education system. Our young achieved the best scores for science and mathematics. In a recent international ranking, our students came out tops. Last year, out of 12,192 students who sat for the "A" levels, 1,251 students (or more than 10%) scored four As. They move on to do very well in foreign universities, often coming up tops in their class.”
“Sir, is it a concern that if prices of new HDB flats are lowered, it would then lead to a drop in HDB resale prices and, subsequently, a decline in the property market on the whole? Dr John Chen Seow Phun: Sir, as I said, again, the key consideration is affordability. Everybody knows that the prices of new HDB flats lag behind prices of resale units and, I think, for good reason, because HDB flat prices do contribute to stability of the whole property market. GOVERNMENT LINKED COMPANIES (Review of performance) The following Question stood in the name of Mr Tay Beng Chuan - 8. To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry (a) whether his Ministry has conducted a critical review of the performance of Government linked companies (GLCs) and its impact on the Singapore economy; and (b) whether the strong presence of the GLCs in our domestic economy will impede our current efforts to create a pro-enterprise environment for businesses, especially the private entrepreneurs and the small and medium enterprises.”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister of State whether new HDB flats are still affordable to the lower-income group, bearing in mind that this group has been adversely affected by the recent economic crisis and might not have recovered in line with the subsequent recovery in the economy?”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his full investigation and comprehensive reply. I am satisfied that Unicorn International acted properly throughout this transaction. In raising this matter I had no intention of misleading anyone into thinking that our GLCs were adopting cut-throat business practices. If such impression was indeed created, I apologise. I am happy to note the Minister's reassurance to this House that the Government expects all our GLCs to adhere to responsible business practices.”
“I hope the Ministry will support this sport and pave the way for aspiring skaters to succeed.”
“One day, he tried figure ice-skating and said, and I quote, "It was the one thing that I could do on an equal basis with the other kids." After taking up the sport, Scott regained his health and had grown some more. All signs of his illness had disappeared. Some attributed it to the vigorous exercise of ice-skating. He never grew taller than 5 feet 31/2 inches but he certainly stands tall on the ice. Another example is Kristi Yamaguchi, an American born Japanese, who herself overcame her small stature and a turned-in foot condition to become an Olympic gold medallist in 1992. Sir, beyond the competitive level, ice-skating can also provide viable career opportunities for ice-skaters. If Singaporean ice-skaters can excel, they can even be full-time professional figure skaters. One example is the Disney World on Ice, which is currently performing in our Indoor Stadium at this time. Skaters could also end up as coaches to teach the next generation of young students. In order to promote and encourage ice-skating among Singaporeans, I would like to suggest two things we can do. The first is to put in place the infrastructure by building a world-class ice-skating rink. Kuala Lumpur has a number of international standard ice-skating rinks which have allowed the staging of several regional competitions and attracted good international participation and coverage. The second is for the Ministry of Education to accept ice-skating as a core curricular activity and to encourage students to take it up. In spite of our physical limits, I believe that Singapore could very well produce future champions in ice-skating. Given proper support, I believe that figure ice-skating will be one of the sports in which our athletes will shine.”
“In promoting sports, I believe that there is one more sport in which Singaporeans can attain international standing, that is, the sport of figure skating. Singaporeans can do well in figure skating for two reasons. First, we can skate on ice indoors all the year round. While it may be too hot and humid to play football outdoors in the sun, at noon, it is not a problem to practise and train on the ice skating rink indoors throughout the whole day. We also do not need winter to have a frozen surface of ice. Unlike skiing, when you need a mountain covered with snow, you do not need a frozen lake to ice skate. Whatever the temperature is outside, ice can be man-made by machine, whether it is rain or shine, hot or cold, night or day outside. We can ice-skate indoors any time of the day. 6.45 pm Second, figure ice-skating does not require a strong physique. In sports like athletics, swimming or basketball, a tall or well-built person has a distinct advantage but in competitive figure ice-skating where both artistry and athleticism are required, a small built is not a disadvantage. In fact, there are examples where ice-skaters have overcome their own physical disadvantages and excelled in the sport. These examples can be an inspiration to our young, whether they are budding sportsmen or not. Scott Hamilton is a four-time world and gold medal Olympic figure skating champion. He was a normal healthy kid until he mysteriously stopped growing when he was five years old. The doctors never knew what was wrong with him. He just had no physical development at all. For four years, his body was unable to absorb virtually any nutrition from the food he ate. For four years, he thought he would never grow another inch.”
“Such an alternative educational offering would also dovetail nicely into the Ministry of Education's goal of mass customisation to give students a basic education and yet provide them with teaching in other selected areas. Sports schools are common in other countries that have produced world class athletes. Such schools are formidable, offering boarding facilities, sports experts in various subjects along with teachers in basic curriculum. Such schools can play an essential part in providing the infrastructure for building accomplished athletes.”
“In December last year, at the Timesport 50 Greatest Athletes' Ceremony, our Prime Minister said that the time was right for Singapore to seek more ambitious goals in sports. In order to reach these goals, I believe we need a whole array of people, and not just the sportsmen alone, to support this effort and build a general infrastructure for sporting excellence. First and foremost, we need to identify and cultivate sporting talents. I believe there are such talents, among our young, who have the ability and inclination for sports. However, some may not have the ability to do well in mainstream subjects and who may drop out of school if they were to pursue extended curriculum. I believe there is a way to allow them to pursue their talent more effectively, that is, to set up sports schools to give them a customised programme to match their interests, career aspirations and abilities. These sports schools could be modelled after the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). In this case, we would be offering subjects that are related to sports and sports businesses. Besides scheduled training, they could study other subjects, such as nutrition, sports psychology, training methodology and principles, sports sociology, basic bio-mechanics and sports management. Students would also have access to facilities, equipment and training that most could not otherwise afford. Such institutions could stand these students in good stead, helping them carve out a future as a sportsman or woman, or being a part of sports management promotion, or as Dr Ho mentioned just now, as part of the sports industry.”
“In the case of the town councils, the expenses for a major overhaul of an older estate are already provided for by way of the sinking fund. It is the cost of the routine maintenance of newer estates that is a concern. I hope the Minister will take this into consideration so as to enable the town councils to maintain the newer estates at the standard that its original designers had in mind. Sir, my last point relates to private estates. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Koo Tsai Kee revealed last week in Parliament that the Government was considering setting aside funds for upgrading of our private estates. I feel that this is a very important issue because in the existing private estates, there are certain areas that may have slipped through the cracks between the various Government agencies. Within the estate, there may be a small piece of state land that has been left vacant because no one agency thought it as its responsibility to fully utilise it. And, so it is left as it is, and sometimes the vegetation gets trimmed so as not to breed mosquitoes. However, the residents there know that the land could be put to better use. It would be very useful if the residents' association could come up with ideas as to how to use it more effectively and the Government provides the funding to realise these ideas. Sir, in land scarce Singapore, we need many more creative approaches for this city to continue to grow and flourish as a vibrant world class home.”
“This will attract a large critical mass of people to the area even after office hours. So, even as the financial commercial activities wind down with night fall, another life emerges offering exhibitions, entertainment, lively shops and eateries. Raffles Place would then not only serve that singular purpose of a commercial hub. 2.30 pm My next point relates to public housing estates. When we think of using land and infrastructure more effectively, it is also relevant to take into account our standard of living and the need to create a generally pleasing ambience. These will go a long way in adding a sense of beauty and grace to our surroundings. Much credit must go to the HDB for continually improving the design and quality of its flats. When we step into an HDB estate, just by looking at the common areas, we can tell straightaway the era when the flats were constructed. However, more modern and better facilities, such as lifts which stop at every floor and better looking lighting facilities, or light fittings, mean higher maintenance expenses. There is a correlation between the age of the HDB flats and the cost of upkeeping them. At the operational level, it costs more to maintain the newer HDB estates because they have more facilities and features. It is like comparing a new car with an old one. The latest BMW and Mercedes Benz are full of electronic gadgets controlled by micro-processors. These cars have to be serviced by authorised trained mechanics and each service can run into thousands of dollars. On the other hand, I drive a 12-year old Mercedes 200. Any workshop can give the car a routine service for about $100 but I am aware that the likelihood of a major breakdown is higher and that will mean big money.”
“This allows people to enjoy refreshments within the setting of the Gardens whether as part of a visit to the Gardens or as a special occasion on its own. More can be done along this line. There are many other lovely parks located throughout the island. Could the National Parks Board consider allowing more refreshment outlets, like coffee clubs, to be set up along the fringes of these parks, so that patrons could have an area to sit out among the greenery and enjoy the ambience? Another location that I feel could be better utilised is the Central Business District, in particular, the Raffles Place-Shenton Way area. This area goes through a daily metamorphosis. During the business day, it is bustling and full of activities of commerce. The car parks are full; people move about with a sense of purpose; and it is difficult to get a table for lunch. At night and during the weekend, it sleeps and hibernates. The streets are deserted; the car parks are empty; and the restaurants are quiet after office hours. Food outlets cater for the lunch sitting only, compared to Hong Kong where good restaurants are packed for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even supper. I think it is such a waste of resources to invest in the roads, the car parks and the general infrastructure and derive not the fullest from them. On the other hand, Suntec City has done wonders by wearing the different hats of commerce, exhibition and retail businesses, sometimes simultaneously. Such a diverse menu keeps the place alive, and the infrastructure well used. All this inspite of not having the convenient access to the MRT system. To inject more life into Raffles Place after office hours, I would suggest that a large retail cum exhibition complex be built adjacent to it.”
“Sir, although Singapore has often been described as a city-state, we are, in fact, much more than a city. Other large cities in the world need only provide land for commercial, residential, retail, educational and transportation purposes, and maybe some areas for parks and recreational activities. We need more than that; we are an independent country, and in addition to all of the above, we have to set aside large tracts of land for our industries, airports, reservoirs, water catchment areas, nature reserves and military training. To achieve all of this and build a world class city-nation, we have to maximise our land use. The Government has always been looking for ways to utilise land more effectively and I am heartened to hear that the Ministry of National Development will be doing Concept Plan 2001 as part of its continual review of our land use policy. Further, the Concept Plan will not be drawn up by the Government agencies in isolation but will incorporate the inputs and suggestions of the public. My parliamentary colleague, Mr Lew, has touched on certain general principles, and I would like to just look at certain specific suggestions. Firstly, Sir, in view of our limited land size, our guiding principle in planning must be to intensify the use of our land and facilities wherever possible. The particular agency in charge of any parcel of land or facility cannot afford to be possessive but must allow it to be shared for economic and quality-of-life purposes. The National Parks Board is a good example when it opened its new Visitors' Centre at the Botanic Gardens and expanded the use of these facilities to co-locate a cafe, and a posh restaurant in a conservation house nearby.”
“Sir, my third question is a simple one for the Ministry. How does a mother with two young children, aged 5 and 2 years, one of whom is in a stroller and the other has to be held by the hand, cross Alexandra Road safely from the Ikea side to the Anchorage Condominium on the other side of the road? By this, I am referring to the tragic accident that happened just before the Lunar New Year, where a Korean mother and her two young children were knocked down. Most of us had, at some point of time, young children, and all of us have experienced how difficult it is to use overhead bridges or underpasses because of the steps, when we also have groceries, shopping bags and a stroller The difficulty is compounded many times, to the point where pedestrians find that they have no choice but to risk dashing across the road. Why can we not install escalators? Even the very busy underpasses under Orchard Road and Scotts Road do not have escalators throughout. I visited some cities in Germany in 1980 when I was studying in England. I was very impressed that they had escalators leading to their subway systems. They do not operate all the time, but are equipped with pressure mats like those that we have to open automatic sliding doors before motion detectors became popular. Sir, when you step on the mat, the system is activated and it moves. After a while, the escalator stops to conserve energy. That was 20 years ago. Do we have a lower standard of living today than that enjoyed by the Germans 20 years ago? 1.15 pm Sir, we have a fast aging population. Our overhead bridges and underpasses have to be more elderly friendly and less cumbersome for people who are less than fully mobile.”
“Sir, sweeping the road is not a very desirable job. With labour shortage and rising labour cost, it makes sense to use mechanical sweepers to clean our pavements. We have seen some of these sweepers being used today in a limited way. But it is quite comical when they try to navigate around trees, lamp-posts, high curbs and other obstacles, which are in their way on the pavements. Would the Minister consider setting some standard and uniformity in the design and building of our pavements, in such a way as to facilitate the more extensive use of such mechanical sweepers? Sir, my next topic relates to covered linkways. Our Town Councils and LTA have, over the years, built hundreds of kilometres of these linkways. They do not come cheap, and I have been told that this is because, at times, major underground services need to be diverted. Apart from the high cost, sometimes the diversion of these major services have resulted in delays and caused irritation to the residents around there. A hole has been dug to prepare for the foundation and if the work does not progress, it may breed mosquitoes and our residents have complained from time to time. To me, a linkway is quite a simple structure, and can be constructed with lightweight materials. Perhaps no one has really sat down to work out a structure that could be used without the need of a deep foundation. I would like to ask the Minister whether an agency can be tasked with this responsibility of designing a structure that can be used uniformly across Singapore without the need of designers and contractors looking at it on a case-by-case basis, and designing it for that purpose, but to use a lightweight structure that does not require a deep foundation and therefore to reduce the cost of these linkways.”
“Sir, various reasons have been cited for restricting public use of satellite dishes, such as control of content, censorship, prime time for the corportisation of TCS and for local broadcaster to compete, and that satellite dishes are bulky and unsightly. However, with the meteoric rise of the Internet, several factors have changed. First, the cabling of our nation has led to many Singaporeans having broadband access to the Internet. Images, news reports, video clips and whole programmes can be downloaded and viewed on the Internet. To add to this, we have wireless access to the Internet from portable devices such as 3-G phones and WAP phones. All these mean that we have the ability to view any site and any information that is on the world wide web. Second, the technology has and will continue to transform the ugly duckling of the satellite dishes into increasingly smaller versions. While this has made the satellite dishes more appealing in looks, technology has also made them much harder to detect and therefore, harder to monitor and restrict. In the light of these changes, I would like to ask the Minister whether the prohibition of satellite dishes is still necessary. Is it time for regulations to change to respond to a rapidly changing technology?”
“People with good ideas are venturing out to set up their own. I will be surprised if our GLCs do not suffer the same brain drain. In this scenario, the small guy will have the brilliant ideas, the know-how and the expertise, but may not have the resources to execute those ideas. Therefore, it is in the interest of the big players to work with them. It is a mistake for big corporations to think that once an idea has been proposed and a prototype has been constructed, that the inventor who initiated those ideas is no longer needed. That person has valuable insights and an in-depth understanding of his invention. Big corporations must nurture the development of ideas both internally within their own organisations, and externally, and benefit from these ideas by continuing a healthy relationship with the one who came up with the idea in the first place. What is at stake is not confined to that particular transaction alone. It is wider than that. It is more important for our GLCs to improve their image as a good business partner. Why are some companies more sought after than others as alliance partners? For example, why do technology start-ups seek to get Softbank to invest in them? I believe management vision, corporate culture and business decorum are very important attributes. It will be very sad if people shun GLCs as an alliance partner for the lack of these qualities. We have numerous plans for the 21st century - Singapore 21, T21, Manpower 21. Perhaps it is timely to come up with a GLC 21 to spell out the role and desired outcomes of our GLCs.”