Ong Teng Cheong
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as of now, the position is this. We have signed an in-principle agreement with the Suzhou Municipality to help plan, develop and manage a township. There are two parts to this development. So far, we have put up a rough outline plan for the development of the township.”
“The consortium would include members or companies from both the Government as well as the private sector. Whether SLF will hold a significant share it has yet to be decided. I believe SLF will hold a very small share or no share at all, because, as I have said, our role is that of a facilitator.”
“Like all other projects undertaken by SLF, such as the Pasir Ris Resort, the Sentosa Beach Resort and the Orchid Country Club, the ultimate objective of SLF's investments is to help raise the social and economic status of our workers, and ensure that our workers will continue to enjoy a fair share of Singapore's progress.”
“Sir, I think Mr Chiam has got all this confused. PAP and NTUC run BEST classes jointly. NTUC does not run BEST classes by itself. George Sita, he is referring to, is a member of the SDP who stood against the PAP in the last election. He was employed jointly by NTUC and PAP.”
“NTUC Comfort is a co-operative. The taxi-drivers are members of the co-operative, and there were more than two members who had been removed from membership of the co-operative because of misbehaviour or misconduct, or arrears of their instalment payments, or whatever it is. There were many reasons why they were removed.”
“But when members of the co-operative are actively involved with opposition political parties against the PAP or NTUC, then they are acting against the resolution of the National Trade Union Congress, and it was a compliance of that resolution that action had to be taken against them.”
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“If the hawkers are not happy with the new site and are willing to change their trades, they could apply for vacant stalls in existing markets/food centres. SINGAPORE CITIZENSHIP (Granted to permanent residents on completion of National Service) 24. Mr Ang Nam Piau asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education (a) how many permanent residents have enlisted for full-time National Service since the implementation of the scheme to grant citizenship to permanent residents who have done full-time National Service; (b) how many of them have completed their Service; and (c) how many applications for citizenship from such persons (i) have been granted; (ii) are still under consideration; and (iii) have been rejected and the reasons therefor. The Acting Minister for Home Affairs and Minister of State of Defence (Mr Bernard Chen) (for the Minister for Home Affairs and Education): Sir, national service for permanent residents born on or after 1st January, 1949, was introduced in July 1973. Since then, a total of 3,198 permanent residents have been enlisted for full-time National Service. Of these, 2,811 have completed their service and 2,564 have applied for citizenship. 2,481 such persons have been granted citizenship. 71 applications are still under consideration while 12 applications have been rejected. Of the 12 applications rejected, 11 were on the ground that they did not complete their National Service satisfactorily while one was because the applicant did not have the requisite five years' residence. NICOLL HIGHWAY CENTRE CARRIAGEWAY (Reversal of traffic flow) 25.”
“The Acting Minister for Social Affairs and Acting Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology (Dr Ahmad Mattar): Sir, in 1976 plastic bins made of high density plastic and with tight fitting covers were introduced in Singapore. These bins which are manufactured by a local company are more durable than metal bins. The bins with a capacity of 60 and 85 litres are obtainable from supermarkets. Demand has not been very encouraging because these bins cost about two to three times more than metal bins. But these bins are more economical because the last longer and do not dent or crack or cause as much of a din as metal bins. RESITING OF HAWKERS IN LORONG ENGKU AMAN 23. Haji Rahmat bin Kenap asked the Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology whether sympathetic consideration will be given to the joint appeal of the cooked food hawkers who had been moved from Lorong Engku Aman to the back lane between Guillemard Road and Lorong 42 to be re-sited in Lorong Engku Aman until work on redevelopment projects in that area is about to commence. Mr Chor Yeok Eng (for the Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology)( In Mandarin): Sir, the hawkers have been resited because of development work along the road. There are no anti-pollution facilities along Lorong Engku Aman. The other reason is that Lorong Engku Aman has become a busy link road with the conversion of Geylang Road and Sims Avenue into one-way roads. Resiting the hawkers back to Lorong Engku Aman will cause obstruction to traffic. The Ministry will be providing anti-pollution facilities for hawkers resited at the back- lane between Guillemard Road and Lorong 42.”
“Sir, for the period January to May 1978, 2,200 new taxi driver's licences were issued. From June to the end of this year, another 2,000 such licences will be issued. This number will be sufficient to provide drivers to man the 1,400 new taxis to be issued this year. At the end of May 1978, there were 16,500 holders of taxi driving licences. KALLANG ESTATE MARKET (Extension) 21. Mr Ng Yeow Chong asked the Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology whether there is any plan to enlarge the Kallang Estate Market, in view of the expected increase in population when the redevelopment of the Old Kallang Airport and the Guillemard Road Estates is completed in 1980/81. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment (Mr Chor Yeok Eng) (for the Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology)( In Mandarin): Sir, Mountbatten Constituency is presently served by the Kallang Estate Market and the HDB Kallang Hawker Emporium. These two centres have a total number of 488 stalls comprising 209 cooked food, 124 piece and sundry goods, and 155 market produce stalls. The two centres are adequate to cater for the increase in population following redevelopment of the Old Kallang Airport and the Guillemard Road Estates by 1980. There is, therefore, no plan to enlarge the Kallang Estate Market. DOMESTIC REFUSE BINS (Replacement) 22. Mr Ng Yeow Chong asked the Minister for Law, the Environment and Science and Technology whether he will initiate the use of better-designed and more durable domestic refuse bins to replace those flimsy metal ones now in use.”
“Sir, the present bus depot at Bedok South Road is only for temporary use. It will be shifted to Somapah Road in a few years' time. Meanwhile, steps are being taken by SBS to minimise the nuisance caused to residents of Neighbourhood 11. In particular, bus drivers have been told not to rev the bus engines unnecessarily. TAXI DRIVERS' LICENCES (Particulars) 20. Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for National Development and Communications (a) how many taxi driving licences were issued in the first five months of 1978 and how many more are expected to be issued in the remaining months of the year: and (b) what was the total number of taxi driving licence holders as at 31st May, 1978.”
“Sir, the proposed rationalisa- tion scheme for Bedok New Town will be implemented in stages. The first phase is tentatively scheduled for implementation sometime later this year. The exact date of implementation will be announced in due course. The possibility of issuing one-fare tickets or transfer tickets for commuters using feeder services as well as external services is being looked into by SBS (1978) Limited. In the meantime, a $5 monthly season pass for feeder service has been introduced since 1st June 1978. This season pass entitles the holder to unlimited travel on any one designated feeder service. Therefore, regular commuters benefit from the use of these season passes. RESITING OF BUS DEPOT AT BEDOK SOUTH ROAD 19. Haji Sha'ari bin Tadin asked the Minister for National Development and Communications if he will request the Singapore Bus Service (1978) Limited to re-site the bus depot at Bedok South Road at some other place because of the nuisance caused to residents of Neighbourhood 11 by noise from the present depot, especially in the early hours of the morning.”
“Sir, I still cannot follow the argument raised by the Member for Sembawang. If he is talking generally of shortage of buses to cater to the needs of the students, I would disagree with him. However, if he has any specific case or problem of school children going to school in any particular area, I would be pleased if he would bring it to my attention. SBS RATIONALISATION SCHEME FOR BEDOK NEW TOWN 18. Haji Sha'ari bin Tadin asked the Minister for National Development and Communications if he will ascertain from the Singapore Bus Service (1978) Limited (a) when the proposed rationalization scheme will be implemented for Bedok New Town; and (b) whether the Company will consider the possibility of issuing one-fare tickets for commuters using the feeder services as well as the external services.”
“At the Old Kallang Airport, 3 blocks of 14-storey building consisting of 365 units of flats are under construction, and are scheduled for completion by mid 1980. In the redevelopment at Guillemard Road, 17 blocks of flats built by the former Singapore Improvement Trust will be demolished soon and 7 new blocks of 13-storey building consisting of 864 units have been planned for completion by 1980.”
“Sir, as I said earlier, the announcement on the formation of the board of directors will be made at the appropriate time. I am not in a position to advise him at this stage. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr Ong Teng Cheong]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. STATUTES OF THE ASEAN INTER-PARLIAMENTARY ORGANISATION 3.25 p.m.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the experience of SBS in the past, especially since the Government Team of Officials moved into SBS in August 1974, has shown that with a sound management and motivated staff, SBS can provide a reliable and efficient service and, at the same time make a fair return on capital so long as the bus fares are not fixed at an unrealistic level. When the Minister for Finance made the announcement earlier he touched on this point. The Minister for Labour has also said earlier on that he is unable to assure the Member that the fares will not be increased or the fares will remain as they are forever. It is a question of time. As to who will sit on the board of directors, this is being looked into and is being finalised. I myself do not know who will be on the board at this stage but I suspect that officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour will be invited. It is too early for me to say who will sit on the board at this stage. A proper announcement will be made at the appropriate time.”
“Sir, on a point of order. We are now talking about a new Postal Complex at Jalan Eunos, and not about the present Sorting Centre at Nelson Road. Mr Ivan Baptist: On a point of clarification, Sir. The Senior minister of State did mention Nelson Road Mails and Parcels Centre in his answer. He did say that things were being done there, and so I am following up with a supplementary question on what he has actually mentioned.”
“The commercial rate is applicable to exhibitions or fun fairs where sale is involved. The non-commercial rate is applied where no sale is involved. This is the line drawn between the two.”
“Sir, the Victoria Theatre and Memorial Hall presently charges two rates for rental, the commercial rate of $400 and a non-commercial rate of $200 per hiring of up to eight hours. The rates include, where applicable, the cost of electricity, water, air-conditioning and a cloak room attendant. The present rates have been computed to enable the Hall to just break even on its operating expenses. In fact, it has not been quite so. In the period 1974 to 1976, the expenditure has exceeded revenue, in effect constituting a subsidy to the users of the Hall. The overall deficits arise mainly from the low rates granted to non-commercial organisations making use of the Hall for cultural and artistic purposes. The non-commercial rate of $200 is not really that high. I know of some community centres that let out their hall at a rate of over $100 on a per day basis. 4.00 p.m.”
“Mr Ong Teng Cheong( In Mandarin): Sir, I have given a very detailed explanation as to the objective of Toto and I do not intend to prolong this debate to explain whether the objective of Toto is correct or otherwise. I have explained that the proceeds of Toto are distributed mainly to charitable organisations which promote healthy activities for our young people and for other commendable activities or purposes. With regard to playwriting contest, not poetry writing contest, there were 173 entries. This figure was not bad.”
“" The reason to telecast Toto on television live is exactly to prevent fraud and exploitation. Mr Teong Eng Siong( In Mandarin): Sir, I do not agree to some of the replies of the Acting Minister for Culture. He said the fees for television and radio dramas and plays have been increased in the last few years. In fact, the fees have not been increased for the last three years. If he said the Ministry is going to increase the fees, I welcome such suggestion. But the situation has not improved yet. So far he has not got the money from the Ministry of Finance. I welcome his intention to increase the fees for the playwrights to improve the situation. He also said that the responses to the various competitions were good and he quoted two examples. However, the entries to the drama writing competition numbered only some 70-odd. Some 170 took part in the novel and poetry writing competitions. Therefore, more encouragement should be given to the people to take part in such contests. With regard to Toto advertisements, I do agree with what the Minister said. He also quoted my views expressed in the 1968 debate when I opposed Toto; and I have not changed my stand since then. If the Minister wants to defend Toto advertisement, it may not become of him, because he will be encouraging the people to gamble. The purpose of Toto advertising is to sell more Toto tickets. In order to boost the sale of Toto tickets, therefore, the Singapore Pools (Pte) Ltd. has been allowed to resort to advertisements over radio and television. In fact, the sale of Toto can be promoted through other channels and it is therefore not necessary to advertise through the television and radio.”
“My Ministry is presently looking into the possibility of holding workshops, forums and other allied programmes to encourage a greater interest in literary activities. My Ministry's role is to provide a congenial environment to nurture such interests. It is up to the people, particularly the young, to make the most of these opportunities. In answer to the questions raised by Members on Toto advertisements on radio and television, RTS only refuses advertisements which are morally objectionable, in bad taste or otherwise undesirable, or contain misrepresentations or misleading claims. The Singapore Pools (Pte) Ltd. is a wholly Government-owned organisation, whose profits go to worthwhile causes and hence there is no reason to refuse its advertisement or to deny publicity to the organisation. The question of the nature of Toto and desirability of Toto has actually been thrashed out at great length during the 1968 debate in which the Member for Sembawang had participated very actively. I do not intend to go through this again, but only to say that the idea of introducing Toto is not only to generate part of the proceeds to worthy causes, which otherwise would have gone to line the pockets of illegal operators but also to control illegal gambling. Part of the reason for the introduction of Toto is therefore a very cogent one of trying to control illegal gambling. The Member for Chua Chu Kang, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the House now, and who was then the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance, quoted the United Kingdom report of the Royal Commission on Gambling of 1961, and I quote: "So long as these gambling facilities are in private hands, it would be impossible entirely to prevent fraud, exploitation and inducement to gambling.”
“The Member for Sembawang wants the Ministry to consider raising the fees paid to writers of radio and TV drama serials. Fees paid to pan-time musicians have already been revised and approved. The Department of Broadcasting is at present in the process of working out revised rates of fees for various types of services rendered by the various groups including scriptwriters and so on. We have to work out a reasonable increase to the fees paid to the scriptwriters, actors, actresses, dancers, singers, comperes and all the other categories of talent. This will apply to both television and radio. Subject to the approval of the Ministry of Finance, the intention is to increase these fees hopefully by at least 35%. 3.45 p.m. The Member asked about plans to encourage the production of local literary works, especially drama. I have already replied to that in my answer to the question raised by the Member for Kolam Ayer. Regarding other types of literary works, since 1976 we have been organising creative writing competitions designed to promote literary activities. Three such competitions have been organised so far, namely, a Short Story Writing Competition, a Poetry Writing Competition and a Playwriting Competition. We will continue with our efforts to nurture and develop local literary talents and we plan to publish the winning entries of the literary competitions and stage the outstanding play. All these are incentives for more people to take up literary and dramatic pursuits. The response to the three competitions organised by my Ministry, quite contrary to what he claimed, has been encouraging. There were 305 entries in the Short Story Competition, 1,827 entries in the Poetry Writing Competition and 173 entries in the Playwriting Competition.”
“This together with the Ministry's drama promotion scheme, will, I hope, help to encourage more local drama societies to stage dramas and improve the standard of drama performance. With regard to the suggestion by the Member to have stage shows jointly produced with other ASEAN producers, this is in fact under the purview of the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information. The Committee has so far successfully organised two ASEAN All Star Shows featuring top radio and TV artistes of the five ASEAN member countries. The second All Star Show was held in Singapore in October last year and received very good response. However, I would like to assure the Member that it is our policy to promote better understanding and appreciation of the cultural heritage of the other ASEAN member countries. This has been done and will continue to be done through the organisation of a wide range of cultural activities, including exchange of radio and television artistes, exchange of radio and television programmes, ASEAN journals, ASEAN travelling art and photographic exhibitions, etc. We will continue to work in this direction. The Member for Sembawang likes to see more art festivals. The Member is probably aware that the Ministry of Education and the Young Musicians' Society organised the first Festival of Art last year. The second Festival on a slightly bigger scale is being planned for the latter part of this year. This will be organised by the Ministry of Culture. It is envisaged that apart from the performing arts, the festival will include visual arts as well. The pro-tem organising committee will announce details of the festival when these are finalised. We share his hope and we do really hope to hold such festivals annually or at least once in two years.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first, I will answer some of the points raised by the Member for Kolam Ayer. He questioned about the provision of $7,000 which was provided in last year's budget under the ASEAN Permanent Committee vote, and he wants to know why it no longer appears in the vote in the FY 78 estimates. The explanation is that the seat for the ASEAN Permanent Committee on mass media is located in member countries by rotation in alphabetical order for a period of three ministerial meetings. Since the ministerial meetings are held annually, the seat of the Permanent Committee is held by a member country for three years. Singapore was the location for the Permanent Committee for the period from 1975 to 1978. The last meeting was held in Singapore in January this year following which the Committee, reconstituted as ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information, is expected to move to another ASEAN country. The provision of $7,000 under expenses of ASEAN Permanent Committees was included in the financial year 1977-78 estimates because the seat of ASEAN Permanent Committee on mass media was still in Singapore, and as host we had to meet the organisational expenses of the meetings. With the moving of this seat to another member country, no provision is therefore necessary for the next financial year. I agree with the Member's view that culture like society is undergoing constant changes all the time. It does not stand still. I also agree with him that there is much to be said for promoting drama. If there are good stage shows for drama which can be adapted for television use, RTS will definitely consider recording and televising them.”
“The Member for Anson did mention about this matter yesterday. I personally do not know Tamil. He said that the correct word in Tamil was Lechum. I will look into this matter.”
“Whether RTS should allow this programme to be telecast is a subjective one. So far we have not had many complaints on this. It is purely meant to entertain. As an entertaining programme, it does not necessarily reflect badly on the Armed Forces. Sometimes it is good to be able to laugh at their own absurdities and awkwardness, the problems that they have in the Army. I know the Americans have a television programme called Phil Silvers Show It pokes fun at the Army generals and Army personnel. That does not necessarily reflect the quality of the US Army. The Member for Serangoon Gardens has made a suggestion on the possibility of puffing up a publication to define and explain the salient features of our cultural heritage. It is perhaps high time too that we took stock of our resources and of our cultural heritage by collating data to establish the yardstick of our cultural evolution up to this stage, so to speak, to see in what direction we are going. I agree that such publications may be useful. I do not know whether at the present moment the Ministry of Culture has the resources to do this or when it will be produced. I cannot promise him at this stage. I will definitely look into the matter. Mr P. Govindaswamy rose -”
“Sir, to some extent, I agree with the comments of the Member for Jalan Kayu that our local productions are not really that poor. But there is always room for improvement. His criticism on our variety show being over-dependent on foreign artistes is not entirely true. We have local artistes participating in this programme also. We will look into the possibility of reducing the foreign artiste content in this programme in the future. In fact, my Ministry has plans to have another programme consisting mainly of local and young budding artistes, especially those who came into the finals of local song and music contests. This programme will consist wholly of local content and will be available to viewers soon. 3.15 p.m. The question of constraints is not entirely a financial one. Financial constraint is only part of it. But it is mainly the manpower constraint. It is like starting a new university; you must have the professors and lecturers. It is the same with the RTS. As it is, there is already a shortage of staff, and not all the vacancies are filled. The good personnel are running away. This is a perennial problem which we have to constantly look into. We should perhaps look into the question of revising the scales and rates of pay that we pay to the artistes. The question of considering the possibility of allowing private TV stations to be established in Singapore does not really arise because no one has yet made that proposal. When the time comes we will consider the matter. The Member for Boon Lay is entitled to his views. If the matter is serious enough to warrant a check on productions made by the Armed Forces personnel, the best thing to do is to bring this to the attention of the Minister of Defence.”
“Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates for the financial year 1st April, 1978 to 31st March, 1979, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“Sir, offhand, I do not recall any of these tandems being registered with the ROV. I fully agree with his views so explicitly expressed that if we are to allow tandems on our roads, it will be very dangerous. I do not think my Ministry will encourage the registration of these tandems or allow them to be used on the roads. 3.45 p.m.”
“Sir, it is very dangerous to stand on the steps of a moving bus. When the bus comes to a sudden halt or negotiates a bend, there is a great likelihood that those passengers standing on the steps will slip or lose hold of their grip and fall off the bus. This can result in death or injury. SBS drivers and conductors have been told and given ample warning of the risks involved in allowing passengers to stand on the steps. There is nothing more dangerous than the loss of life and limb, a danger which can be prevented by bus drivers and conductors themselves. For example, the bus driver can refuse to drive on if the passengers remain standing on the steps. No doubt it is true that some passengers are stubborn and refuse to take heed or advice from the conductor or driver and continue to stand on the steps. Thus the penalty meted out to bus drivers or conductors may appear to be harsh in cases like this. To book SBS is no solution and it would not be fair either to SBS. I shall ask the SBS, ROV and the Traffic Police to get together and look into the problem. Perhaps these stubborn passengers who refuse to take advice from the conductor should be made to pay part of the penalty. Anyway, I will ask the various parties concerned to look into the matter.”
“6 also says: "Every vehicle which is moving at a slow rate of speed shall be driven as close to the left hand edge of the road way as possible and every vehicle shall at all times be driven in such manner as not to obstruct vehicles moving at a faster speed." I agree with the Member that there would be less traffic congestion if motorists follow the Highway Code or the Road Traffic Rules by keeping left at all times unless overtaking or turning right The Traffic Police has stepped up enforcement action to book road hoggers who violate this rule. Certain roads such as Nicoll Highway, Ayer Rajah Road, Lornie Road, upper Thomson Road and Braddell Road have been singled out for intensive enforcement action. As a result, in 1977 a total of 5,081 motorists were booked for not keeping left. The Traffic Police has assured me that continued action will be taken to enforce the Keep Left ruling. If the Member feels that there should be a campaign, perhaps he would like to put the suggestion to me in writing and he should be prepared to sit in the Campaign committee.”
“Sir, we have statistics of accidents caused by mechanical faults. The statistics kept by the Traffic Police show that for the period January 1977 to November 1977, 91 1/2% or 26,357 accidents out of a total of 28,814 accidents were caused by careless and inattentive drivers whereas accidents resulting from mechanical faults of vehicles accounted for only 0.09% of the total number of accidents. At present, all public service vehicles and goods vehicles are already subject to compulsory inspections at regular intervals. For example, all taxis and public buses are called up for inspection twice a year, while all goods vehicles, excursion buses, private buses, private hired buses, private hired cars are all required to be inspected once a year. During the inspection, the vehicles are checked to ensure that they are roadworthy. Those which are not are sent away to correct the faults identified by the ROV. A vehicle is certified roadworthy when all the faults are rectified. The Member's suggestion will be looked into. My Ministry is currently examining the feasibility of introducing compulsory inspection of private cars which are two years old and above. The object of this is to ensure a high level of car maintenance which will not only enhance road safety but also minimise pollution caused by poorly maintained cars. Sir, I also have a copy of the Highway Code here, and the Road Traffic Rules. The Highway Code, Rule 50 on "Keep Left" says: "When driving along, keep well to the left and as near as practicable to the boundary of the road, except when you intend to overtake or turn right. Do not hug the middle of the road. This applies to dual carriageways as well." The Road Traffic Rules, No.”
“Sir, I do not know whether I need to reply further on this matter. As I have mentioned earlier, so long as the bicycles are in serviceable condition, it is irrelevant whether it is one year old, 10 years old or 20 years old. If the bicycles are found to be beyond economic repair and are not serviceable, they will be replaced. On the question of whether we could use scooters instead of bicycles, it is a matter of getting funds and whether the postmen are able to ride scooters on the rural tracks. The amount of damage to the scooters would be much greater than the damage to the bicycles used in the rural areas.”
“The speed post service will be implemented on 1st April this year. This service will provide a door-to-door collection and delivery of postal packages. It will initially operate between Singapore and Hong Kong and between Singapore and the United Kingdom. At a later stage we may extend the service to other countries such as the United States of America, Canada, Australia and Japan where there is a potential demand for such a service. The Member asked about the possibility of air-conditioning all the post offices for the benefit of staff and the general public. There are presently seven post offices which are air-conditioned. These post offices are either situated in premises which are centrally air-conditioned or they share premises with POSB branches which are air-conditioned. The Member would appreciate that it is very costly to air-condition all the post offices in Singapore. However, the Postal Services Department will consider air-conditioning its other post offices as and when funds are available. I think I have covered all the points.”
“The Member also wants to know how many bicycles are there and how old they are, and why postmen are made to use the unisex bicycles. Presently, the Postal Services Department has 330 bicycles in service. Of these, 140 bicycles, or 45%, are more than 10 years old. So 55% are less than 10 years old. However, these bicycles are still in serviceable condition and, where necessary, they are either given a new coat of paint or sent for necessary repairs. In the case of bicycles which are beyond economic repair, they are sent for replacement. In the last three years, 43 bicycles were replaced. 2.45 p.m. This system of regular inspection and replacement ensures that only bicycles which are serviceable will be retained for continued use by the postal staff. The present policy of the Postal Services Department, as he has mentioned, is to introduce bicycles without cross-bars, when the old ones are being replaced. It may be unisex bicycles. But the objective is to accord flexibility, so that these bicycles can be used either by postmen or postwomen for mail delivery purposes. There is therefore no reason for the postman to feel embarrassed or ashamed about using this type of bicycle without cross-bars. I think it is a matter of habit and they will get used to it. At the present moment, there are in use 52 such bicycles without cross-bars. The Member would like to see a better colour distinction on the uniforms of postmen for easy identification. I am pleased to tell him that the Postal Department will be introducing additional distinguishing features to the uniform of these officers in this financial year. Details will be made known later on. I am pleased that the hon. Member is happy with our proposed speed post service and he asked when will this be implemented.”
“He asked how many assistant postmen and women are in the service, and also the rate of resignation or attrition, and recruitment. As at February this year, the total actual strength of both assistant postmen and assistant postwomen in the Department was 106, 86 men and 20 women. The authorised establishment of this grade of postal uniformed staff is 111. So there are only five vacancies. During the financial year 1977, 64 assistant postmen and postwomen were recruited. 59 of these were assistant postmen and five assistant postwomen. During this year, 12 have resigned, 13 absconded without notice or vacated office. In addition 7 were dismissed. So all together 32 had left the service. The rate of attrition was, therefore, lower than the rate of recruitment. Over 90% of those who had resigned or vacated office without prior notice during the financial years from 1974 to 1977 were assistant postmen. This is largely due to the nature of the work which requires physical strength and effort. Therefore, many male staff resigned for lighter work elsewhere. However, the rate of attrition among assistant postwomen is lower than assistant postmen, as they are not required to do heavy porterage work. They usually work indoors at the Mail and Parcel Centre. The Member would be pleased to note the various improvements that have been made in the past to the working conditions at the Mail and Parcel Centre, and we will continue to look into ways to improve their working conditions. Recruitment exercises for assistant postmen and postwomen are conducted by the Postal Department, as and when necessary, to fill the vacancies. The Ministry of Labour and the Singapore Armed Forces Reservists Association have been requested from time to time to supply the candidates to fill these vacancies.”
“Meanwhile, normal supplies of the pictorial aerogrammes have been restored to this post office where the demand is very heavy. We hope that this unsatisfactory situation of short-supply will not happen again. The existing pictorial aerogramme actually was deliberately printed in very faint pastel shade to enable the writing to be legible. As the objective of this pictorial aerogramme is to help to promote our tourist industry, to show how green and beautiful Singapore is, we thought it wise to reproduce Singapore's scenic spots across the whole back portion of the aerogramme. If we are to superimpose the blank portion, it may mar the pictures. I have examined these pictorial aerogrammes myself It is not really that bad. One can read the address very clearly. Anyway, at the end of this month we are introducing a new aerogramme without the picture. This will satisfy those who have difficulty in reading. The Member for Anson also asked about assistant postmen and women who were asked to stay back at the last minute of the day to do overtime work or emergency work. Sometimes this is unavoidable. The reason is that they have to cope with occasional heavier arrival of mails from overseas or big consignment of mails which need to be despatched to the wharves for delivery overseas. This happens on normal working days and not on weekends or Saturdays. Sometimes they have to cover the duties of those assistant postmen who have gone on medical leave or for other reasons. So they have to do overtime to avoid disruption to the mail service. During festive seasons, such as Christmas and Chinese New Year, in order to clear the extra loads of mails, these overtime duties are unavoidable, otherwise there would be delays in deliveries.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Member for Anson raised quite a number of points yesterday before we adjourned, He asked about the General Purpose Counter system which was introduced in February this year and whether it has been working satisfactorily so far. I would like to report to him that it has been working satisfactorily since its introduction. The General Purpose Counter provides a more convenient, speedy and flexible postal counter service, as members of the public no longer have to queue up at different counters to obtain different postal counter services. The posting of parcels is still being made at a separate Parcel Counter. The rest are General Purpose Counters. Inconvenience and delays have been minimised, although queues are sometimes unavoidable if there is a rush at a particular point of time. The advantages of a General Purpose Counter system more than outweigh the disadvantages in terms of overall service efficiency and staff productivity. Generally speaking, we are satisfied with the service. He also asked how often does the Postal Department check on the stocks of items like stamps, aerogrammes, etc. Stocks of stamps, aerogrammes, etc. at the post offices are checked weekly, while the general stock position at the headquarters is checked monthly. The recent shortage of supply of the pictorial aerogrammes at some of the post offices which he mentioned was due largely to the unexpected heavy demand at the end of last year. To rectify this situation, the Postal Services Department ordered an emergency supply of the pictorial aerogrammes from the printers a fortnight ago. The new supply of these aerogrammes is expected to arrive sometime this month.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the new Changi International Airport, as he has mentioned, will have two runways. They will be able to handle two aircraft taking off or landing simultaneously with a maximum of about 80 landings and take-offs per hour. The peak hour traffic movement through Singapore is expected to reach 31 movements in 1982. An aircraft taking off or landing is recorded as one movement. By 1990 the movements are expected to increase to 48 per hour. With two runways handling up to about 80 landings or 80 movements per hour, it is going to bring us well into the 21st century. But it is too early for us to say what will happen after that. Technology advances and changes. We will leave something for our future generation to look into.”
“These problems will be solved when renovation work is completed, where there will be extended space for the ticketing section and so on. Nevertheless, I will ask the departments concerned to look into the various problems which he has raised. The Member has also mentioned about the use of the existing buildings at the Paya Lebar Airport after 1981-82 when we move to Changi. From 1980-82 when Phase I of the Changi Airport is completed. Paya Lebar Airport will be used to cater for any overflow of civil aircraft traffic which could not be handled by Changi Airport with just one runway. The new arrival building at the Paya Lebar Airport will therefore continue to process passengers from those civil aircraft which could not be handled at Changi Airport alone during the two years from 1980 to 1982. After 1982 the new arrival building will be handed over to the Government agency administering the Paya Lebar Airport. The new arrival building as well as the departure building could, if necessary, be converted into offices or other uses depending on the requirements at that time.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Member for Telok Blangah wishes an assurance that the most advanced types of navigational aids and equipment will be installed and provided at the Changi Airport. I hereby give him that assurance. We have been sending teams of engineers and technicians overseas to various airports to study the latest airport design and equipment used. When the Changi Airport is put into service with two runways, I assure him that it will be able to handle civil air traffic well into the 21st century. In the Master Plan for Changi Airport, sufficient land has been set aside for the expansion of the passenger terminal and cargo buildings. When the airport opens in 1980-81, the first passenger terminal building will be able to handle a maximum of 10 million passenger movements annually. With more than 5 million passenger movements last year, this figure is expected to increase to 10 million in 1982. By then, and if the actual growth in passenger traffic warrants, a second passenger terminal with a similar capacity, of 10 million passenger movements can be built. Space for a third and a fourth passenger terminal has been reserved to allow expansion to meet the demand well into the 21st century when the annual passenger movements may well exceed 13 million. Likewise, the cargo handling space has been planned for phased expansions to cater for growth well into the 21st century. Regarding the questions raised by the Member for Changi I am sure he is aware that the Paya Lebar Airport terminal building is now under renovation. It will be converted wholly into a departure hall. Renovation work is expected to be completed in the next few months. I believe the problems which he has described are most likely to be true. But I hope they are only temporary.”
“The new airport bus company is a joint venture spearheaded by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board together with the Singapore Bus Service Ltd., the Singapore Airport Terminal Services, tour operators and various hotels in town. The new fleet of luxurious airport buses will be fully air-conditioned with appropriate baggage compartments for a comfortable ride by passengers and we hope that, with this new service provided, the waiting time for passengers would be cut down and less inconvenience caused.”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Member for Moulmein for his compliments on the way we managed the shops at the airport. That is the objective of the policy to make Singapore a shopping paradise in this part of the region and the world and we cannot agree with him more that a satisfied tourist is the best ambassador for our tourist trade. I come now to the question of taxi service at the airport. Owing to Singapore's geographical location and restriction of operating hours at some of the international airports, most airline operators find that they have to schedule their aircraft to Singapore between 6.00 p.m. and 10.00 p.m. This causes a very sharp peak at the airport in the evening. This is the main cause of the taxi problem at the airport. During the peak period every facility at the airport is stretched to the limit. Very often, more than 10 aircraft would land within an hour during the evening peak and they usually include three or four wide-bodied jets, the jumbos, etc. which carry 300 to 400 passengers. Under these circumstances, 100 or 200 taxis waiting to pick up the passengers would be insufficient during the peak hour. It is difficult to force or encourage taxi drivers to go to the airport as much as we would like to because there is a limit to this coaxing without special incentives, given the fact that there is equally good demand for taxis in town. Since the response from the taxi operators has not been very encouraging, a new airport shuttle bus service to town is expected to operate later this year. This new airport bus service will provide regular bus services between the airport and major hotels in town at frequent intervals.”
“Sir, Singapore registered ships are actually governed by international safety standards. They have to conform with international safety standards backed by the inter-governmental maritime consultative organisations, that is, the International Conventions for Safety of Life at Sea, 1960; the International Convention on Loadline, 1966; the International Regulations for Prevention of Collision at Sea of 1972. The surveyors from the Maritime Department together with surveyors from six international classification societies inspect our ships regularly to ensure that these international safety standards are maintained.”
“Sir, it is true that National Maritime Board deals with seamen and not officers. As far as seamen's employment opportunity is concerned, it is to a certain extent looked after and safeguarded by the National Maritime Board. On the matter of officers to be covered by the Board, in the first place the Board was not set up for that purpose. This would have to be looked into and raised by the officers themselves as to whether they want it to be so. I will ask the Board to look into the matter.”
“Sir, we are all concerned for our own citizens. It is not true to say that the local ship's officers are not covered by any Act. Actually, the local ship's officers are certificated under the Merchant Shipping Act. They are therefore recognised for the purposes of the Act. Ships going to sea from Singapore are required to carry officers duly certificated under the Act. In the case of foreign ships, certificates of competency granted by the competent authority of a flag-state are accepted as having the corresponding value to certificates of competency granted under our own Merchant Shipping Act. This has to be so because of the very nature of shipping as a mode of international transportation. It would be unreasonable of us to stipulate that foreign ships calling at Singapore should employ only local ship's officers. If we do so, we may not have foreign ships calling here any more. If they call here and could not get enough ship's officers to man their ships, then they would go somewhere else. Generally speaking, employment opportunities at sea are not difficult to come by, provided the officers and seamen have the necessary discipline and are not too choosy in their jobs.”
“I will ask the SBS to look into this. If the demand justifies the reversion, it will be implemented.”
“The Member for Serangoon Gardens requested a direct bus service to High Street -”
“It is not entirely the fault of newspapers. The publishers of the journal had difficulty in getting enough articles for the journal to be printed in time. I wish it had come out two years ago. The Member raised the question on car population. Unfortunately, I do not have the actual figures. It is roughly about 135,000 or 136,000. If the Member could submit a question for oral or written answer, I will give him the full details. 7.15 p.m. The Member for Potong Pasir would like to see publicity given on the necessity of proper maintenance of vehicles.”
“Sir, even if we are to decide to go ahead with MRT now, it would take us at least another four years before we could start ground-breaking. We need at least two years to do the engineering studies and design and another two years to prepare all the contract documents and so on. So five or six years is not that far away. For the information of the Member for Kim Seng, the article he quoted was, unfortunately, written by me two years ago in my capacity as an urban planner.”
“Details of the course are being finalised and will be announced by the ROV in the next few days. The licensing scheme will commence within 18 months after the date of commencement of the training course. The object of licensing instructors is to ensure that a high standard of driving instruction is achieved, and it is hoped that in this way the skill of learner drivers will be upgraded. 6.50 p.m. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] The Member for Toa Payoh has also mentioned about the use of simulators. There is no plan to instal driving simulators in the ROV as the ROV does not provide instruction for learner drivers. However, driving schools are free to make use of teaching aids such as simulators. I believe some of the driving schools do have simulators for instructional purposes. I think I have covered all the points, Sir.”
“When to build MRT, therefore, depends on economic growth and ensuing transport demands. A guiding principle for commencement of MRT construction is to build only when it becomes economically less of a luxury and more of a necessity. Based on current GDP growth rate projection of between 6% and 8% per annum over the next five years, we might not have to begin construction until the mid-1980s. Nevertheless, further design and engineering studies will be undertaken so that we can be ready for the MRT implementation when the time comes. Coming back to the points raised by the Members for Toa Payoh and Potong Pasir on the licensing of driving instructors and driving schools, I agree with the Members' observation that the standard of driving instruction has declined. In line with our attempts to improve driving skills, my Ministry has examined the possibility of licensing instructors so that learner drivers can be trained by properly qualified instructors. I am pleased to announce that Government has decided to license all driving instructors. Under the scheme no driving instructor will be allowed to give instruction for reward unless he is a licensed instructor. As the successful completion of a training course is one of.the prerequisites for the issue of a licence, all driving instructors will be required to undergo a training course which will be conducted by the ROV. For those driving instructors who have completed a driving instructor course conducted by the Adult Education Board in the past, an accelerated course will be conducted for them. These instructors will be required to undergo a shorter training course with emphasis on practical driving techniques. Driving schools will also be licensed. They will be required to employ only licensed driving instructors.”
“It is significant to note that the Consultants have treated the MRT purely as a transportation project. Its findings are therefore confined to the narrow view of engineering and financial feasibility of the project. In reality, it is not as simple as that because MRT implementation has much wider implications. A decision can only be taken after all factors have been considered. My Ministry and the Ministries of National Development and Finance have carried out in-house studies on the coordination and integration of MRT into a comprehensive land use scheme in keeping with the overall island-wide development concept plan. As MRT implementation is expected to affect many other factors besides transport, these studies will provide information on an overall basis for a decision on MRT. Careful consideration has to be given not only, to its financial viability but also to its impact on development planning and the economy in general. Right now, MRT right-of-way is being safeguarded to keep open the option for MRT. Further design and engineering studies will be carried out to obtain a set of technically accurate data on MRT track and station requirements. This is needed to permit safeguarding to be restricted to a minimum area of land required for MRT use and allow development to take place in a way so as not to increase unnecessarily the cost of MRT construction later on. We share the views of hon. Members that the longer the project is delayed the higher the cost will be because of inflation. It has to be noted, however, that from a national perspective the cost of inflation, foregone on MRT if it is built now, will be borne by other projects which have to be postponed because capital and labour are spent on MRT first.”
“But because of protracted discussions between the World Bank and the Consultants, the review dragged on for a much longer time than was expected. The Phase II Report was only finalised at the end of 1977. The Consultants are now printing the report for submission to the Singapore Government. The Report will remain confidential for the time being, pending a decision from the Government. The salient features of the Report will be made public when it is time. An hon. Member: Another five years!”
“For this reason, it would not be possible for SBS to consider a fare reduction to offset the additional fares paid on feeder services when it is introduced, SBS has been asked to examine the feasibility of introducing monthly season pass or concessionary tickets on feeder services to minimise the impact of this indirect bus fare increase. 6.45 p.m. Both the Members for Serangoon Gardens and Anson have asked about the floating of SBS company. The Government is now finalising plans to convert the SBS into a public limited company with the intention of throwing open the ownership of the bus company to the public. The Ministries of Communications and Finance will make an announcement when the scheme is finalised. This will be pretty soon, probably in the next few days or so. It would be premature for me to make a detailed announcement at this stage. A number of Members have asked about the progress of our Mass Rapid Transit Study. As Members will recollect, the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Study was undertaken with the assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank has acted as executive agency for the UNDP. It was carried out in two phases by the consultant firm, Wilbur Smith and Associates. Phase I of the study which was completed in 1974 examined five mass transit alternatives, including all-bus and bus-rail systems. The bus-rail system was recommended for more detailed evaluation in the Phase II study. The feasibility of having such a system with a rail-based mass rapid transit network was established. Analytical work on the Phase II was completed in March 1976. That was almost two years ago. A draft report was put up by the Consultants for review by the World Bank.”
“The Member also complained about taxi services which I have already mentioned earlier. He spoke about his experience and he knows of taxi drivers refusing to pick up fares. I would like to remind him again that should he come across such instances again, please let us have detailed information of the taxi because this is a serious offence and if the driver is found guilty he is liable to have his licence suspended. The Member for Serangoon Gardens also mentioned about the rationalised bus services. The rationalisation of bus services, as he correctly pointed out, incorporates the feeder services concept. This has been necessitated by economic and operational considerations. Less buses are required to operate when this re-scheduling of services takes place under this rationalisation scheme. Therefore, the buses withdrawn are then ploughed back into the system to improve frequencies of the services, especially during peak hours. The buses are also used to provide new services to new housing estates. This has consequently led to a more efficient service to the public and will continue to improve as and when more of such services are introduced. The commuter had in the past enjoyed low fares because they were enjoying hidden subsidies from SBS. This was because fare stages were not counted within the town or the estate. The higher cost of looping the services around the town was, therefore, not reflected in the fares paid by the commuters. Therefore, when the rationalisation system is introduced, they feel the pinch.”