Ong Teng Koon
Singapore
“As the old adage says, "A sunken ship watches a thousand boats pass by it, a withered tree sees ten thousand saplings blossom beyond it. (As the old continue to wither away, the new will blossom and lead the way.)" Sir, we will be able to find a new way of polling that will adapt to the new information age.”
“Mr Chairman, the BuildSG Transformation Fund has catalysed many productivity innovation projects last year. In the construction sector, there was a focus on offsite prefabrication to improve productivity.”
“Mr Chairman. I wish to thank the Minister, on behalf of the residents of Blocks 115 and 119 of Marsiling Rise for his kind and compassionate consideration of the situation with the introduction of the Lift Access Grant.”
“But I feel that financial prudence should be about not overspending above a projected cost, a certain limit. It cannot be, but HDB has been telling me this and it is not about putting an arbitrary limit on the costs without taking into account our residents' well-being.”
“Mr Chairman, with the on-going COVID-19 outbreak, we have seen destabilising falsehoods that have hurt our nation. These range from the false closure of Woodlands MRT station; seven countries banning travel to Singapore; to an online falsehood regarding the death of a man in Singapore from COVID-19, when no such death had occurred.”
“Trade associations can also help to mobilise the workers. Our emphasis on lifelong learning will provide a skilled workforce of craftsmen and domain experts. Perhaps what we really need is for the Government to invest in a Mittelstand fund or to start a Mittelstand development bank to catalyse the entire SME ecosystem.”
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“As the old adage says, "A sunken ship watches a thousand boats pass by it, a withered tree sees ten thousand saplings blossom beyond it. (As the old continue to wither away, the new will blossom and lead the way.)" Sir, we will be able to find a new way of polling that will adapt to the new information age. Singapore will definitely rise again from the ashes of the pandemic. Mr Speaker, I support the Bill. Thank you. 7.08 pm”
“Of course, this is a new exploration. There will always be new issues to address. For example, privacy, the secrecy of the votes, cybersecurity and also fraud. Seniors may also need help in technical areas. But as with any encounter with new things and new developments, we have to endeavour to try to overcome all the difficulties and challenges in order to move forward. If the COVID-19 outbreak has taught us one thing, it is that many things that were similarly described as impossible in January this year had in fact been shown to be possible. Ensuring safe and fair campaigning is as important as ensuring safe and fair polling. If the electorate feels that some parties were constrained unfairly, then the election will no longer be legitimate. Hence, this Bill should make provisions for political parties to conduct virtual hustings and virtual rallies, and to make sure that the boundaries are clear. If internet campaigning or social media are used, rules and regulations should be established, especially to guard against any rumours or fake news. In order to ensure fairness of the election, these boundaries are very important. Mr Speaker, in these challenging times, true humanity will be revealed. We talk about sacrifices. We talk about having to choose between liberty and life. But in real life, execution is of the essence. What we should aim for is to allow our voters to exercise their democratic rights safely. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. If we make the right decisions and start preparing now, our voters will not need to make a trade-off between democracy and health. It is very easy to say "no", but our responsibility is to find a more effective, safer and win-win solution.”
“If the Government fails to defend the Constitution, how can it answer to the people who have elected it time after time since our independence in 965? How are we going to answer to the voters? Several opposition parties have said that the Government would be most irresponsible if it were to call for a General Election during the outbreak. But no one really knows if COVID-19 will end before 14 April 2021. Of course, I sincerely hope that COVID-19 will be behind us by then. But even if it is not fully eradicated, it would be most irresponsible of the Government not to call a General Election by 14 April 2021. Fourteenth April 2021 is still a long way away, there is no excuse for the Government not to prepare properly for the election in advance and hold one at an appropriate time. This Bill ensures that the Government will put in all the necessary precautions to ensure a fair election and to ensure the safety and health of voters if the outbreak is not over yet. This requirement is non-negotiable. While we are trying to uphold the Constitution, we also cannot risk a flaring of the outbreak. Singaporeans from all walks of life have been suffering economically from the circuit breaker. The sacrifices of these people cannot be made in vain. The real question is how do we do this effectively? Specifically, we have to explore all the ways to make sure that physical voting is safer, for example, staggered polling times, more polling stations, less contact from sharing objects. Other than that, we also need to use this opportunity to explore other areas which are not stipulated in this Bill. For example, to use internet technology to enable online voting instead of physical voting. Can we allow online voting if the voters log in with their SingPass?”
“(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Speaker, if anybody had ever doubted the importance of a strong government, I believe that this current pandemic should have ended those doubts. Can you imagine a Singapore without the three Budgets, which have kept the economy afloat and supported the livelihood of the people with a total amount of $63.7 billion to fight the COVID-19 crisis? What would be the consequences? Can you imagine a Singapore with a runaway infection number of critically ill patients without the circuit breaker in force? What would then be the consequences? Can you imagine a Singapore where the Government is too weak to make the tough but necessary choices? What would it be like now? I cannot imagine what the situation would be without all those. I am fortunate and am grateful how we are faring now in Singapore. These are the far-reaching strict and painful measures that only a democratically elected Government with a strong mandate from the people can enact effectively during an outbreak. A politically weak Government will not have the political capital or legitimacy to do this. Legitimacy is only conferred with a free and fair election, and only a legitimate Government can get a strong mandate from the people. Without the strong mandate from the people, the Government will not be able to make the best possible decisions to steer us out of this crisis. As Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean has said in Parliament, unless it is a state of emergency, it would be unconstitutional not to hold an election before the date of 14 April 2021. Singapore, since its founding until now, has not declared a state of emergency and we should not take it lightly to set this precedent.”
“Because, like a goalkeeper, who can make 20 great saves but he makes a single error and lets in a single goal and people will suffer. And in this case, the price for error of judgement is death. So, we got to keep our eyes on the ball and continue to have the courage and conviction to make the right call. Mr Speaker, politics is a serious business. The leaders that we elect can mean life and death for our people. Some nations and their leaders have reacted decisively by recognising the initial signs of danger. Others have prevaricated and brought disaster upon their citizens. Mr Speaker, this crisis and this pandemic will inspire a generation of young people to come forward to serve the community and to serve humanity because there is no greater calling than the calling of public service. It is, indeed, a privilege and an honour to be of service to one's nation and one's people. I urge all Singaporeans to come forward and join the fight of our lifetime. To quote my immensely courageous and respected friend and mentor, Mr Lim Swee Say, "Singapore together, Majullah forever". Mr Speaker, I wish our fine nation a thousand more years of unity, resilience, solidarity, peace, prosperity and good health. I support the Budget. [Applause.] 3.54 pm”
“We have shown the world that we can lead in many ways. We have first-class contact tracing protocols. Our engineers have put together the world's first contact tracing app, TraceTogether. We have a high level of trust between the Government and the people. And we must continue to allow the world to be confident that we can be relevant and contribute to the international society of states. Because all of us know that, if we are not at the table, we are on the table. Mr Speaker, this pandemic has shown the importance of trust in our public institutions and in our Government. Tough choices need to be made and everyone has to make sacrifices in order to preserve our way of life. But they need to know that these decisions are made based on science and fact, not politics nor personal advantage. Because to solve big problems, we need big trust between the people and the Government. Not opportunism, not populism, not ideologies, not slogans. Trust depends on telling the truth. For the Government to retain the public's trust, it cannot distort facts nor try to manipulate the public with misleading headlines, as we have seen in many countries – so-called "first world countries" – trying to do this and they are suffering the consequences of it. This must not happen here. The way that the Government has pulled out all the stops and mobilised society in such a way that makes me proud to call myself a Singaporean. I am proud of our Prime Minister, our Deputy Prime Minister, our Ministers, our public servants, our frontline workers and all manners of Singaporeans who have stepped up to be counted. We need leadership at this critical juncture and I am proud to say that our Government has unequivocally provided this. But it is not the time to pat ourselves on the back.”
“As a seller of last resort, the Government needs to continue to make sustained investment in our infrastructure and strategic industries, especially in public utilities and essential services – health, water, food, electricity, masks and even weapons for our national defence – because this pandemic has shown that our survival is too important to be left to the invisible hand of the market. It needs the strong hand of the Government. Having a buffer for productive resources in our strategic industries might be inefficient, but it is not a cost. It is simply the premium we pay for insurance because one day – such as today – when we need to ramp up the productive capacities of our strategic industries, there would be no price too high for us to pay. But, while the case might be strong for us to strengthen our domestic supply chain, we cannot turn out backs on globalisation and free trade. This pandemic will change the rules of international engagement. It will increase nationalism and experts have predicted a retreat from globalisation. It will increase anti-immigration sentiments. It will shift power from West to East. Already, we have seen countries banning the exports of masks, a Singapore student getting beaten up in London, China exercising its soft power by delivering aid to Western countries in a total reversal of roles. But, paradoxically, this pandemic has also shown that the world is a global village. We all got sick together and, to overcome this, we all must stick together. We need to continue to participate in international forums, especially the World Health Organization, because that remains critical for us to find a vaccine in order to defeat the virus. Singapore must also use this opportunity to enhance our strategic position.”
“We are one Singapore. We must help each other. Self-serving behaviour will only make the crisis much more dangerous than it needs to be. The neighbour who chooses to go out, not because he needs to but because he wants to, represents a failure of our society to inculcate the right values. Mr Speaker, this pandemic has shown us that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, teachers, care-givers, utility workers, cleaners, delivery workers – these are the real heroes; not the management consultant nor the investment banker nor the high-powered lawyer who earn millions of dollars. A market-based economy has its limitations. It can fail and it can fail spectacularly. And, today, it has done so once again. Mr Speaker, perhaps, it is time we think of how to reward our true heroes with their real worth, instead of what companies say they are worth. In my mind, there is only one entity that can act as the buyer and seller of last resort for goods and services, and that is the Government. When the challenge is truly existential, only the state can offer a solution that is impactful and equitable for everyone. As a buyer of last resort, the state, the Government needs make sure that businesses stay afloat and workers have jobs. When hotels are running at 20% occupancy, the Government can step in and utilise their beds as quarantine facilities. When the store owner is facing bankruptcy, the Government can step in and offer rental rebates and other reliefs. When the delivery worker, the gig worker, the restaurant staff cannot make a living by working from home, the Government can step in and offer unemployment benefits.”
“Mr Speaker, these past few months have been surreal. It feels as though we are living in a science fiction film, and not a particularly believable one. Globally, the first 100,000 cases of COVID took three months to be discovered. The next 100,000 cases – one month, and then it was one week. Now, we are adding more than 100,000 cases in a single day. We are fighting a war, not a conventional war but, nonetheless, a war. This might be the biggest crisis the world has ever faced in modern times. It is global, it is unrelenting. It knows no borders nor nationalities nor social classes, none of the traditional lines that divide society. The Government has rolled out two unprecedented Supplementary Budgets – the Resilience Budget and the Solidarity Budget. The central theme running through these two Budgets is the need to protect our people, people who have been financially devastated by this crisis. It also sends a very powerful message of the need to prevent inequality to be a societal fault line. We seem to inhabit parallel universes. Rich parents are clamouring for schools to be shut in order to protect their children while poor parents are appealing for schools to be open, because they cannot stay at home. For them, no job means no food. They cannot work from home or WFH, as the new acronym goes. Either way, the Government is holding a very difficult line. It has to decide to protect lives or to protect livelihoods. It is truly an unenviable task trying to balance such conflicting goals. But the role of the Government, especially in a crisis, is to hold the fabric of society together. Failure to do so will result in voter rebellion. Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Central, French Revolution; the pitchforks are just one crisis away. Our fates are linked.”
“Mr Chairman. I wish to thank the Minister, on behalf of the residents of Blocks 115 and 119 of Marsiling Rise for his kind and compassionate consideration of the situation with the introduction of the Lift Access Grant. I wish to ask the Minister whether such grant will be available to flat owners who have purchased the flat prior to the announcement today or will be available to subsequent owners as well. And if the granting of the Lift Access Grant will automatically enable them to buy a flat from the HDB or would they have to buy from the resale market? Can they sell the flat to the HDB or must they sell to the resale market; in which case, will future owners also be eligible for this grant?”
“Chairman, the work of MSO as part of the Smart Nation Movement has tangibly improved the lives of many Singaporeans. Improvements through the Municipal Services Productivity Fund include Parking.sg, and this has increased convenience to drivers and reduce litter and waste generated by paper coupons. And many drivers given the feedback that they appreciate the refunds being to them if they end their parking sessions early. Sir, it was good to hear last year that the Municipal Services Productivity Fund was going to be extended with more funds for more agencies to tap into. One such project was the use of drones by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) for the early detection of maintenance issues, and also a trial deployment of compactor litter bins by NEA for more efficient waste collection. I would like to ask the Minister to share an update on the progress of these projects and if there are any other technology-enabled services that the Municipal Services Productivity Fund is currently looking at. I would also like to ask the Minister whether she can consider the use of smart locks that can be remotely controlled. These could be used in our shared common spaces like badminton courts and basketball courts. While some residents enjoy the use of these facilities, I have also got many residents who will complain to me because of the dis-amenities late into the night. I would like to ask if we could leverage on technology to better manage our common space.”
“Mr Chairman, the BuildSG Transformation Fund has catalysed many productivity innovation projects last year. In the construction sector, there was a focus on offsite prefabrication to improve productivity. I would like to ask the Minister, how does Singapore compare with other countries in terms of manpower efficiency in our construction sector, and if there are initiatives and schemes to encourage our construction industry to be the best in class. Sir, with the reduction of S Pass sub-DRC, I would like to ask the Minister if this would affect the local PMET's job. Many of our local PMETs typically take on supervisory roles of the foreign workers. Now, if they have no more foreign workers to supervise, will they still have a job? Thirdly, I would like to ask the Minister if there are new job opportunities for PMETs in the construction sector. With growth areas such as Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) and Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD), are there more programmes for PMETs who can transit into these jobs? Jobs for Locals in Construction Industry”
“But I feel that financial prudence should be about not overspending above a projected cost, a certain limit. It cannot be, but HDB has been telling me this and it is not about putting an arbitrary limit on the costs without taking into account our residents' well-being. I hope there can be a resolution to this issue soon, that the Minister can help my residents at Block 115 and 119 of Marsiling Rise to get lifts. I hope that more than a 150 blocks in the rest of Singapore, the residents will get lifts soon, because I believe that that we need to ensure that everyone gets high quality living regardless of when his flat was built or where his flat was built.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Mr Chairman, to promote the take-up of Electric Vehicles (EVs), I would like to ask the Minster whether he will consider opening up the carparks that are maintained by URA and HDB to more than one operator so that they may install EV chargers and whether such EV chargers can be opened up to the general public for their use, instead of only restricting it to the operators' own EVs. Many residents have asked me if they can park their normal conventional cars in the EV lots and they have asked me why BlueSG gets to park in the prime lots right in front of their flats. So, I would like to ask the Minister whether he can consider or he can educate us on how he intends to will allocate prime real estate between supporting EVs and the needs of residents who might have elderly folks or young children. Lift Upgrading Programme Sir, on the issue of the lift upgrading programme, I would like to highlight two blocks in my constituency, Block 115 and 119 of Marsiling Rise for the Minister's consideration. I have appealed for Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) for these blocks for many years and I have raised this issue in Parliament since 2012. The profile of these blocks: the residents are greying, there are many elderly residents, some of them are wheelchair bound, many have mobility issues. To them, having a lift is an existential need, it is not a good to have. They become very vexatious when they see that public money is being spent on a nice garden as part of the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) but not the lift that they have been asking for many years as part of the LUP. HDB has cited the need for financial prudence in order to maintain cost effectiveness.”
“Mr Chairman, with the on-going COVID-19 outbreak, we have seen destabilising falsehoods that have hurt our nation. These range from the false closure of Woodlands MRT station; seven countries banning travel to Singapore; to an online falsehood regarding the death of a man in Singapore from COVID-19, when no such death had occurred. POFMA has served to preserve the stability by dealing with false information. But it is also important to ensure that our citizens have access to trusted information. I would like to ask the Minister what he can do to help citizens easily access trusted information from different sources. I also ask the Minister whether he would consider to drop the paywall on The Straits Times during times of emergency. Communication in a Digitalised World”
“Mr Chairman, data can be used for great good or it can be used to inflict terrible harm. With developments in technology ranging from facial recognition to online personality analysis, individual data is increasingly easy to obtain. We have the Personal Data Protection Act to protect individual privacy but there are also data portability concerns. We need to address the issue of secondary acquisition of data and the use of legally acquired data by undesirable companies. For example, a foreign online company might acquire and transfer the personal data from a local company. These foreign online betting companies then target the vulnerable and entice them to gamble. How can the Minister ensure that data portability and data protection can work together without conflict? I would also like to ask the Minister how we can use legislation to restrict the data that companies collect. What users often encounter on websites or when downloading apps on their smartphones are these lengthy click-through agreements with a lot of information disclosure provisions embedded in those agreements. The result is that when the users click "accept", they are allowing these information disclosure terms which expose them to the sharing of data and often without their knowledge. So, I would like to ask the Minister what ethical safeguards can be put in place to protect the consumer and Singaporeans at large. PDPA – Jobs for Para-professionals”
“And would the Minster consider a stipend for mature PMETs who undergo retraining so that they are able to still take care of their families while they are doing so? In relation to cybersecurity jobs, as advertised by the Professional Conversion Programme on WSG's website, residents have given me feedback that it is difficult to get a place into such professional conversion programmes. This issue is these programmes on a place-and-train basis. Place-and-train means that they need to get a job first before they can get training. These residents are stuck in a catch-22 situation. They need to get the job first before they can get training but they need the training to get the job. So, I would like to ask the Minister whether he can consider to go beyond what Deputy Prime Minister announced in his Budget Statement of the 20% salary support for six months, to further incentivise companies to take the first step. The creation of jobs for Singapore in the ICM sector is contingent on Singapore being an attractive hub to local and global businesses. I would like to ask the Minster what are plans to further develop our local eco-system and how do we continue to position Singapore as the digital technological hub for Asia. And how do we ensure that research, innovation and entrepreneurship continue to be our engines of growth?”
“Both cuts, thank you. Mr Chairman, the SME Go Digital Programme has helped over 4,000 companies to implement digital solutions. This is encouraging to hear and it should remain our priority to accelerate digital transformation in order to create new opportunities, both locally and in the region. I would like to ask the Minister what are our future plans for the Go Digital Programme and how we intend to continue to drive digital adoption in SMEs? For a SME to go digital, talent is paramount. However, the competition for talents in fields such as automation and machine learning is fierce. Our SMEs may be no match for MNCs when it comes to recruitment. I would like to ask the Minster how we can ensure that our SMEs are able to attract the talent they need and how can we help SMEs to develop such skills in-house by upskilling their existing employees. One of the key challenges to any digitalisation faced by SMEs is getting all their employees ready and equipped for these changes. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I would like to ask the Minister if he would consider additional skill training subsidies for all the employees of SMEs to complement their ongoing digital transformation. Helping Singaporeans Get Good Jobs My next cut. The Infocomm Media (ICM) sector is a key growth sector, particularly in technology such as cybersecurity, Internet of Things, immersive media, data analytics and artificial intelligence. I would like to ask the Minister how many jobs would be created for Singaporeans in such sector and how we can help mature PMETs who are displaced from adjacent industries to get employed into the ICM sector.”
“Mr Chairman, businesses are often faced with processes that require approvals from multiple Government agencies. This is time-consuming and expensive for businesses when they have to make physical visits to different agencies, provide similar information repeatedly on separate application forms and track the status of applications on different agency portals. It could become frustrating when business owners uncover additional regulatory requirements that they were unaware of, resulting in delays to their application process. I would like to ask the Minster what is the Government doing to streamline such G2B processes and if there an ongoing dialogue with businesses to review the current G2B processes and identify their pain points. With the launch of the GoBusiness Licensing Portal by GovTech in October 2019, business owners in the food industry now experience a seamless application process that requires only one form with 90 data fields instead of 14 forms with 845 data fields. I would like to ask the Minster what is the reduction to cost, time and effort for business owners from this successful process optimisation and if this has reduced the total application fees paid by businesses. Also, what are the future plans on the roll-out of the integrated licensing portal to other industries? What will be the expected savings from these efforts? Currently, GovTech has launched the GoBusiness Licensing Portal and the Business Grants Portal. Can the Minster advise if are there other touchpoints with businesses that will be streamlined?”
“Mr Chairman, I am gratified that Singapore has always been conscious of the drastic impact that climate change has on our generation and more importantly on future generations. I am in support of the bold and proactive steps that the Government has taken over the last few years to reduce our carbon emissions. I would like to ask the Minister what strategies and plans will put in place for Singapore to continue to reduce our future emissions? Currently, 1.3% of Singapore’s generation capacity is from solar photovoltaic generation. Given that there are limited alternative renewable sources viable in Singapore, I would like to ask the Minister how Singapore will further reduce the emission from our energy consumption. As Singapore builds, a proposal would be to consider the entire life cycle of building materials and choose to use materials that can be recycled or reused, such as, for drains and roads. It would also be in our future vision to build and convert existing buildings to zero-energy or net-zero building buildings. I would ask the Minister what efforts and initiatives there are to make our nation building more sustainable? As a whole country effort is required to reduce emissions, I would also ask the Minister if we can create a National Green Mark to recognise local projects and businesses with initiatives and practices which reduce emissions and; grant incentives to the finance sector to provide funding to such businesses and projects. Green Strategies and Opportunities”
“Trade associations can also help to mobilise the workers. Our emphasis on lifelong learning will provide a skilled workforce of craftsmen and domain experts. Perhaps what we really need is for the Government to invest in a Mittelstand fund or to start a Mittelstand development bank to catalyse the entire SME ecosystem. Give it an inspiring name, articulate the bold vision, set an ambitious timeline and make it happen. Let us show our pioneering spirit once again. Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Budget.”
“One way of doing so is to build up a local ecosystem of SMEs with the requisite local expertise to operate these industries to become our version of Mittelstand. Germany has its famous Mittelstand – the heart of German industry. The unifying mindset is a focus on social, intergenerational and community responsibility. Mittelstand companies contribute to the local economic and social welfare. They also offer stability and loyalty to their staff by investing heavily in training and retaining staff in times of crisis. This stands in contrast to the more common Western style of capitalism, with an exclusive focus on profits. Their overriding obligation is to their shareholders, not to other stakeholders like workers. This "winner takes all" mentality might have also contributed to the growing inequality problem that we see in the world today. From a societal perspective, it is not always clear that unbridled capitalism will lead to the best outcome. Perhaps it is time for us to explore how we can build a core of locally-anchored, stakeholder-conscious Singapore businesses that can help our economy in both good times and bad times. Singapore already has many of the ingredients to cultivate our own Mittelstand ecosystem. We are uniquely placed to work together as a Government and as a society to achieve a bold vision. Enterprise Singapore and the private sector can work together to identify the right industries. The Economic Development Board can bring these businesses to Singapore. Innovation can be driven by research and academic institutions, with funding from the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE), and there can be tripartite collaboration with the unions to make sure that our workers have a voice.”
“And this might even include having to pay the salary of such temporary replacements. This would encourage them to upskill their workers while not compromising their day-to-day activities. Residents have also given feedback that it is difficult to get placement into the Professional Conversion Programmes which operate on a "place and train" basis. Place and train means that you have to get placed in a job first before you can undergo training. But it creates a catch-22 situation for mature PMETs. They need the training to get a job, but need to get the job to get the training. So, they are stuck. I would urge the Government to provide more than the hiring incentive of 20% salary, capped at six months that is announced in the Budget, in order to further incentivise companies to make the first move. The fourth point is what do we do for the longer term, how do we increase the resilience of our economy and our workforce? A key lesson learnt from the COVID-19 virus is that even when you have money, you cannot buy a mask. Similarly, in the area of manpower, we need to build up our self-sufficiency. We need to reconsider outsourcing. I would encourage the Government to identify areas of critical need or essential services, and to build up a core of local talent. The speed and ability of the Government Technology Agency to swing into action and update from "gov.sg" or "maskgowhere" are testament that inhouse ability matters in times of crisis. Another example would be the need for experienced engineering tech talent, experienced engineering staff during the SMRT crisis in 2015. It might be cheaper to outsource in the short term, but the strategic value of insourcing would be very apparent and outweigh the cost when disaster hits.”
“Even if they come back, they might go to a different, younger crowd. Employment for mature PMETs exhibits a ratchet effect. It only goes one direction. It is much easier for a mature PMET to lose a job than to be hired back into one. So, the emphasis on SkillsFuture 2, SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit and the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Support Package in this year’s Budget is, therefore, much welcomed. I am also gratified to learn from the Deputy Prime Minister's Budget speech that in the last three years, productivity has risen by 2.6% per year and real median income has risen by 3.6% per year. These are positive developments for the Singaporean worker. But I would also like to ask how we can get Singaporeans to do the relevant training, instead of spending their SkillsFuture money on new skills and interests that might not help them to stay employed. I totally agree with the Deputy Prime Minister when he said that enterprises know best what are the skills needed for their businesses to transform. But under the Enhanced Training Support for SMEs, the Government already pays for 90% of the course fees and 80% of workers' salary while employees are undergoing training. Minister Josephine Teo also said in her speech that funding is not the constraint or the impediment that is preventing workers from getting training. But I know that SMEs are unwilling to send their workers because it is just too difficult for them to take their workers away from day-to-day work. Therefore, the new SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit that is capped at $10,000 per year might see a very low take-up rate. I would like to suggest for the Government to intensify efforts to help businesses to find replacement manpower to cover their employees when they are undergoing training.”
“The Stabilisation and Support Package will help small enterprises but it is really too small for medium enterprises. There is a "sandwich" class of companies where it is too big for such small help to matter but too small to survive for long periods of negative cash flows. The Corporate Income Tax rebate of 25% of tax payable is a welcome measure, but it is capped at $15,000. This is a small drop in the ocean for such companies. Even a $600,000 loan guarantee by the Government may not be enough for a medium enterprise whose revenue may be up to the region of $50 million to $100 million a year. I would like to urge the Government to calibrate and scale this assistance according to the size of the company. The second question relates to the timing of the help. What can the Government do to speed up cash flow assistance to these companies? It has been almost six weeks since the virus started to impact travel and commerce. Many businesses are already running down on their reserves and they cannot depend on their suppliers to extend credit because their supplies are similarly impacted. Cash flow is the lifeline of every business. From what I heard from the banks, it will take until mid-March to approve new loans and these loans will not be disbursed until mid-April. For some, this will be too late. So, I would like to ask the Government what more can we do to open the spigot to make sure that these companies do not go down because of the virus in the short term. The third point relates to what we must do to prevent short-term pain becoming chronic, in the form of long-term unemployment among mature professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs). If companies go under because of COVID-19, many jobs will disappear and may never come back.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, this year’s Budget Debate is taking place under the dark clouds caused by a global pandemic. But Singaporeans can take heart that we are better placed than almost any other country to deal with this crisis and to mitigate its impact. The Government has gone all out to address the potential fallout from COVID-19, and my residents would like to express their thanks to the Government for this Budget and all the help that it has been offering. My residents have also asked me to express thanks to our frontline workers whose bravery, commitment and calmness have inspired all of us to carry on. However, COVID-19 is a once-in-a-decade threat to the economy and the full effects are not even apparent yet. Even if it does not get worse, it has already blasted a hole in the world’s supply chain. Chinese manufacturers have shut down for a month and many industries are hurt because of lower Chinese demand and because of the broken Chinese supply chain. To cushion the impact on local businesses, the Government has introduced a comprehensive set of measures in this year's Budget. Protecting businesses means protecting jobs and protecting families. This is why I support the Government’s efforts to inject additional stimulus in the economy. I am especially appreciative of the Stabilisation and Support Package where $4 billion will be made available to local businesses to tide over short-term dislocations, and the Transformation and Growth Strategy where $8.3 billion will be made available to local businesses to position for the future. Mr Deputy Speaker, nevertheless, I would like to make four additional suggestions for the Government to consider. The first point relates to feedback from the SME community.”
“Why should gig workers be excluded from such benefits? We know that it is possible that this move will encounter pushback from the gig companies. But our Government needs to balance creating economic growth versus safeguarding worker’s welfare. Innovation is important but it should not be at the cost of workers' welfare. In fact, true innovation should benefit all stakeholders, not just shareholders. I feel strongly that such a move would help to mitigate gig workers' livelihood concerns and establish us as a caring and compassionate Government. Additionally, we can level the playing field for other companies which are already subjected to the Employment Act. Implementation will need to be managed carefully. The requirements can be phased in over time. Another option is for gig workers to have the choice to opt in and out of the Employment Act depending on their specific situations. I believe that this would be a pro-people, pro-worker and pro-business message to help create the policy space we need to continue to pursue the right policies. Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“The need to manage such reactions would reduce our policy options and it might even dissuade us from doing the right thing. Mr Deputy Speaker, this PMD matter could merely be the first warning sign in the wider context of the gig economy. There are 41,000 Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) drivers, 7,000 PMD deliverymen and many more non-PMD deliverymen. This suggests around 150,000 non-PMD gig workers who face different challenges and pressures. Hence, future issues could affect even more Singaporean gig workers. Many other countries are doing what they can to protect their gig workers, and we need to do the same. I believe that a solution would be to ensure that gig companies should bear their fair share of responsibility to protect their workers. Other countries have introduced new legislation, but I would argue that this can be achieved under our existing legislative framework in Singapore. I was heartened to find the new section 58A of the Act mandating third-party insurance. Businesses now need to ensure that the riders and drivers have third-party insurance before they are employed or engaged in outwork arrangements. This is definitely a step in the right direction but it is almost certainly not enough. I propose we go a few steps further and classify gig workers as employees instead of contractors under the Employment Act. Those who work less than 35 hours a week should be part-time workers, and those who work more than 35 hours a week should be full-time workers. This will protect workers by ensuring that they are provided with statutory benefits, including annual leave, sick leave, overtime pay, rest days and are paid CPF contributions, giving them the ability to save for housing, retirement and medical expenses.”
“According to MOM’s Labour Force survey of 2018, there are around 210,000 gig workers or what the Ministry calls own account workers. Of these, eight in 10, or 160,000 of them, did this as their primary job. These are vulnerable Singaporeans who need more support than they are currently getting. They are one of many disposable contractors who have no bargaining power whatsoever against the companies that they work for. In the UK, gig economy workers are euphemistically referred to as in "precarious employment". If gig arrangements are here to stay, we need to give gig workers more support and more protection against their companies. California enacted a "Gig Worker Law" in September 2019. They saw that Uber's market power had substantially decreased drivers' earning potential. Similarly, our local drivers experienced the same thing during the period when Uber pulled out of the Singapore market and before Gojek came in. Sir, I have heard increasing concerns about the entire gig economy in Singapore. Gig companies have built their businesses around avoiding the costs of employment. Unlike traditional companies, they do not provide leave days, health insurance and other statutory benefits. There has been a constant complaint from traditional companies that compete against them. More importantly, this has created unhappiness on the ground from marginalised workers who feel unprotected. Left unchecked, I am afraid that this issue is going to grow and fester and become another potential flashpoint. Sensible policies will trigger outsized emotional reactions. People feel that we are kicking them when they are down. Even sensible policies like the PMD ban that seek to protect pedestrians have triggered strong reactions.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, it is timely that we amend and expand the AMA. We need to reflect what we have learnt and experienced in the three years since the original Bill was passed. The proliferation of PMDs has changed the way that we travel, work and play. But at the same time, this has also created new problems, most vividly illustrated by the many high-profile accidents that caused personal injuries and even death. When the PMD ban was first announced, 30 PMD riders came to my Meet-the-People Sessions to ask for help. They were angry and they felt that their livelihood had been taken away from them without any warning. The sentiment was more intense than a mere transport policy change. There was that perception that their source of income has been killed and this had been enacted out of the blue. There was no consideration for the consequences on them. PMD riders continued to turn up at my Meet-the-People Sessions to ask for help and this made me increasingly concerned. It soon dawned on me that such delivery riders are gig workers. They are not employees wearing uniforms of the company. They had no protection from the company. And from my interactions, I realised that the PMD controversy was just one instance of how vulnerable such gig workers are. Many of them that I spoke to are doing gig work as their primary or full-time job. This is their only source of income. They included retrenched professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) looking to earn money while searching for a new opportunity. There were ex-prisoners who have been marginalised due to their criminal records. Many of them are sole breadwinners supporting a large family. The number of gig workers is rising.”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary a supplementary question. Our latest total fertility rate (TFR) for 2018 shows a number of 1.14. This is the second lowest TFR in the past decade. And given the heavy demands of work, many parents have found it to be a necessity to employ an FDW to help them to do household chores and look after their kids. I believe The Straits Times ran an article over the weekend on this particular subject. So, will the Ministry consider waiving FDW levies for families with more than three children in order to help them lower their financial demands and to encourage them to have more than three children?”
“Mr Speaker, may I first declare that I work in the utilities industry. I thank the Senior Minister of State for her reply. I have three supplementary questions. The first question is on air-conditioning. Given that air-conditioning that is provided by large-scale district cooling has shown to reduce electricity consumption by more than 30%, are there any plans by the Government to encourage more of such district cooling in Singapore? The second question relates to electric vehicles. Given that it is always a chicken-and-egg problem between having charging points and buying and using electric vehicles, does the Government have any plans to open more public parking spaces for public charging? Not private charging for the customers of a particular company, but public charging, so as to incentivise more car owners to switch to electric vehicles. My third question relates to waste incineration. There are presently technologies, such as gasification that does not have harmful emissions and that are compact and modular enough to be deployed locally at our Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates. Gasification technology can treat food waste and general waste and has shown to be very clean. Does the Government have any plans to introduce such gasification technology in our HDB estates?”
“And I would like to humbly suggest that Singapore should aim to move one step beyond zero waste to become a net negative waste nation. Through a combination of diplomacy, commerce and technology, we can help address an existential crisis for Singapore and for the world. Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“But the same question applies here: can we not do more to reduce waste? In conclusion, as the father of two young children who could live to see the turn of the next century, I feel that we have to ask ourselves if the measures in this Bill are necessary, but ultimately, not sufficient. Are we merely arranging deckchairs on the Titanic, while accelerating towards an iceberg? Yes, as a small country, our total waste is relatively small compared to the global total. We need to ask if we can do more to help the rest of the world reduce or deal with waste. Technology and innovation are two assets that Singapore can leverage. Can we encourage our companies to develop technologies to help to manage waste? These can range from better biodegradable materials to solutions to help manage waste at source, for example, distributed gasification system to treat waste locally at each HDB precinct. As the waste problem grows globally, mastering technology in this domain can create a competitive advantage for Singapore businesses looking to expand globally. I remember past stories of companies being lauded for launching sustainable businesses, such as local food waste recycler IUT Global. However, many faded and shut down after a few years. Can we nurture national champions with deep expertise in managing waste in a commercially viable manner? As a nation, this is also an opportunity for us to take the lead on the international stage. While climate change might be a divisive issue in some countries, or still seem distant to some people, waste is a more direct and tangible issue. That should make it easier to rally people to take action. Bold targets lead to bold actions. I hope the Minister can set us a target.”
“Reducing waste would help producers save money while also saving the earth. Everybody wins. So, while it is great that there is a requirement for producers of waste to submit plans to reduce, recycle or reuse the waste that they generate, I hope that the Minister can go further by prescribing a hard limit on the amount of waste to be reduced. We do not seem to mandate reductions in the amount of packaging waste per dollar of product. Should we be doing more to move the needle and aggressively drive down the amount of packaging waste produced? For example, when the United States (US) introduced fuel efficiency targets for US carmarkers, they pushed for an aggressive improvement. They wanted to go from around 30 miles per gallon in 2011 to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Will the Minister consider mandatory waste reduction guidelines? My last point is on food waste. It is another area that is causing a big concern. According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization, around 30% of the world's food production is lost or wasted annually. Apart from the economic and human cost, this has massive environmental impact as well. In this Bill, the focus is on building managers to provide separate food waste disposal, to treat the food waste or send it to a licensed waste disposal facility. Would it be cheaper and more effective for the Government to provide this service in bulk through a regulated service provider and charge for this service? If this is instead done piecemeal privately, is there a risk of higher costs? Even worse, would we be creating a bigger carbon footprint if transport is not efficient? Overall, I laud this Bill as a good first step as it makes it easier to extract usable bioresources from our waste, which can then be used to produce biogas or electricity.”
“Prior to 2018, most of the world's e-waste ended up in China. However, China's National Sword policy kicked in in early 2018. The policy bans various types of plastic, paper and solid waste from being exported to China. It sent shock waves through the global recyclables market. Waste started piling up in exporting countries, even in parking lots. The changes resulted in waste being diverted to Southeast Asian countries, whose ports and facilities were ill-prepared to receive them in such high volume. This created massive challenges for their environment. As a result, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia begun to enact their own restrictions. So, the National Sword has several important implications for Singapore. To the extent that we are unable to recycle our own waste and rely on exports, this creates a bottleneck in the system. Can the Minister assure us that Singapore has the necessary facilities to treat e-waste and will not be exporting our problems to the rest of the world? A second risk is pollution incidents resulting from the increased volume of waste being treated, particularly in Malaysia. Can the Minister also assure us that a pollution incident in Johor will not easily threaten our water supply? My next point is on packaging. Reducing packaging waste should be a win-win for all. As a consumer, I am often amazed by the almost comical amount of packaging that can surround one small device. One computer mouse or one thumbdrive can be surrounded by packaging four to five times its size. This has consequences. We see increasing reports of fish or whales that are dying because their stomachs are full of plastics. According to the World Economic Forum, there will be more plastic than fish in our seas by the year 2050.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, it is timely that we discuss the issue of waste management and resource sustainability today. The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of climate change during the National Day Rally. In fact, there is enough evidence to suggest that the threat is bigger and sooner than 50 to 100 years away. Climate science is imperfect in its predictions but all their errors have been to consistently underestimate the negative impact. If anything, we should be moving even faster to prepare for a warmer and more variable climate. Climate change is a complex issue with many facets. For Singapore, we may think that as a small nation, what we do would not really have an impact on the global stage. But that is not to say that we can afford to ignore the consequences of our own actions. Climate change and rising sea levels are existential threats to Singapore. We need to do the right thing so that we can have the moral authority to voice out in international fora for bigger nations to also do their part to fight climate change. The first issue I wish to touch on is e-waste. Minister Masagos Zukifli rightly pointed out, and I quote "e-waste is very toxic, people underestimate the toxicity of the e-waste that we dispose of and for the longest time we were not processing it." According to a United Nations (UN) report, only 20% of e-waste is recycled; 80% of e-waste is dumped in landfills. But even for the 20% that is supposedly recycled, they are not actually recycled but shipped overseas to be treated instead. This is a hypocrisy that many governments will not admit to because they are busy winning the green voters. But this comes at an enormous environmental cost to the importing countries and to their populations.”
“Mr Speaker, there was a death due to dengue in my ward this year. Many of my residents are understandably very concerned and many of my residents have asked why fogging is being carried out infrequently as opposed to the past. I would like to ask the Minister if he can clarify whether fogging is still an effective method to combat the Aedes mosquito and if the Ministry will continue to use it as a tool.”
“I would like to ask the Minister a supplementary question. I have had a few PMD-related fire incidents in my ward over the past two years. Since then, my residents have taken to charging their PMDs outside of their flats while attending to them. But this has also caused alarm and concern with their neighbours of potential fire incidents. I would like to ask the Minister what is the Ministry's position regarding the charging of PMD outside of one's flat? Is this legal or illegal?”
“Sir, it has been more than four years since the infamous stick of fishballs led to the creation of the Municipal Services Office (MSO). The goal, to improve service delivery and coordinate across agencies, is the right one, and certainly welcomed by my residents. Given that it has been running for more than four years now, could MSO update on how it has improved the coordination and delivery of municipal services for residents? What are some specific and tangible benefits that residents have experienced, and what can they look forward to in the coming years? Equally important, how are MSO and the municipal agencies harnessing technology to respond more effectively and efficiently to residents’ issues? We have all become spoilt by online service providers that cater to our whims with a few swipes of our smartphones. While we do not expect instant responses or solutions to every problem, service gaps will seem more painful for residents. What plans does MSO have to use technology both in the front end, for example, using apps, and backend, for example, using AI and automation of basic services to improve service delivery? MSO Progress and Adoption of Technology”
“At the same time, we need to balance commercial uses with recreational space and maintain greenery even within the central core. I would, therefore, like to ask the Minister how the URA will ensure that the Master Plan will effectively support our next phase of growth. Will there be opportunities for public input? How will this be done and what can the public expect to see? I have noticed significant rejuvenation within the CBD over the last few years, as old buildings have been replaced or refurbished to meet future needs. Trends, such as the rise of co-working, have also helped to bring more vibrancy into the CBD, as smaller companies and startups can now afford space downtown. How does MND plan to also rejuvenate older areas of the city, within the CBD, as well as in the surrounding areas? The Government shared plans about the Greater Southern Waterfront (GSW) last year. The opportunity to replace the existing port operations at Tanjong Pagar is exciting, given the prime location so close to both the CBD and to leisure zones, such as Sentosa. What can we expect to see at the GSW and what is the timeline for realising these plans? Finally, I would like to thank the Ministry for doing important work to redefine our urban landscape for the next decade, and I look forward to the Minister sharing his exciting plans with fellow Singaporeans. 5.15 pm”
“Sir, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has indicated that the updated Master Plan will be published this year. This time round, more so than for previous years, there will be intense public interest to see how URA will lay out its vision for the physical future of our country. I can also sense palpable excitement on the ground, with some calling this the Master Plan for underground space. It is quite cliched to talk about how technology is changing our lives, but they are definitely new developments that could fundamentally change how we think about physical space. For example, the advent of autonomous vehicles (AVs) could totally revolutionise land use. One direct but profound outcome is less need for parking in each building, as fewer people will drive themselves. Commuters will arrive in AVs, which will then drive off and pick up other passengers. It is not uncommon now to have three to five storeys of every building dedicated to carparks. Widespread adoption of AVs could free up several extra floors per building and create a 5% to 10% uplift in lettable area. Another issue of concern is the potential impact of climate change, such as rising sea levels. What impact would this have on low-lying coastal areas and on reclaimed land? I remember the Minister for National Development's reply to a Parliamentary Question that I asked in 2011 in relation to rising sea levels that all new reclamation projects would have to be built to 2.25 metres. Does MND have any plans to raise this requirement further? A Master Plan typically has a 10- to 15-year planning horizon, but buildings can easily last 30 to 40 years. How do we balance the long- and short-term needs and make optimal use of scarce land?”
“Sir, home ownership remains a cornerstone of our policies, but there are segments of society that, through no fault of their own, may struggle to get up the property ladder. It was heartening to see that the Fresh Start Housing Scheme was introduced in 2016. This was designed to help second-time families to own a home. Applicants include those who have been divorced or widowed, for example. These homes were more affordable because they were on 45- to 65-year leases. With the recent debate around the residual value of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats at the end of the leasehold period, could the Ministry share more information about the take-up rate of this Fresh Start Housing Scheme? There were a number of conditions which were imposed on applicants. For example, one of the applicants must have been in stable employment for 12 months. Will the Ministry be reviewing the scheme to allow more people to qualify for it? And beyond the Fresh Start, what measures is the Ministry exploring to better support public rental households towards home ownership? Supporting our Lower-income Families”
“Chairman, digital services have become an increasingly central part of our lives. We all use mobile apps multiple times each day. From games to health tracking to stock market information, we hardly even notice them anymore. They have become so fundamental to our lives that the United Nations (UN) has even spoken of protecting Internet access as a key element of protecting an individual’s rights. However, there is also increasing concern about a "digital divide". Lower-income groups are going to be disadvantaged if they lack exposure to the digital world due to affordability concerns. Apart from lack of access to more affordable substitutes for physical services, they may also fail to acquire essential skills needed to work productively in the digital age. If children from lower-income households miss out on digital experiences, we risk creating a permanent underclass. Significant steps have already been made to address this issue, such as the Home Access Programme, which provides eligible households with two years of subsidised fibre broadband. Free WiFi hotspots are also becoming increasingly common. What more can we do to ensure that digital connectivity is affordable for the vulnerable and disadvantaged segments of our society? Smart Seniors for Smart Nation”
“The current Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE 2020) plan has allocated $19 billion to key areas, such as advanced manufacturing and urban solutions. Sir, looking forward to the next decade, what is the Ministry doing to further invest in frontier technology and sharpen Singapore's competitive edge? Personal Data Protection Commission”
“Sir, one of the challenges of being an infrastructure provider is that you tend to be taken for granted. People assume that your services will always be available whenever they want it. They give no thought to the effort and planning that go into providing such services. However, the moment there is any disruption, everybody is instantly up in arms. For example, consumers were outraged by a 3.5 hours' outage in Singtel's broadband services in July last year, or another similar disruption in November. The digital economy – streaming services, e-commerce, cloud computing – is built on the assumption of uninterrupted access to the Internet. But no matter how much service providers invest to ensure 99.999% uptime, it can be undone by failure at the infrastructure level. Loss of connectivity can have potentially catastrophic business consequences as businesses are unable to access customers or essential services, such as banking, payments and so on. Sir, what are our plans to ensure that our digital infrastructure is able to support our growing digital economy? Frontier Technology Sir, the rapid pace of technology advancement shows no signs of slowing. Concepts that seemed like science fiction just a few years ago are starting to impact our daily lives. Autonomous vehicles, intelligent home automation, bots powered by natural language processing that can hold an almost human-like conversation, these things are already here. The impact that they will have on our daily lives is still not fully understood, but will surely be profound. It will shape how we live, work and play. Singapore has invested billions of dollars to support research into such areas.”
“Mr Chairman, Singapore and the Republic of Korea (ROK) enjoy a close relationship. We have good economic cooperation and share strong people-to-people ties. Many Singaporeans have taken an interest in various aspects of Korean culture, such as K-pop, K-drama and K-food. Last year, we hosted several high-level visits to Singapore, including an introductory visit by the Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in March, followed by a State visit by President Moon Jae-in in July. During his visit, President Moon delivered his 42nd Singapore Lecture. He said that cooperation between Singapore and ROK would intensify to jointly prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. ROK has one of the most innovative economies globally, with a heavy emphasis on smart technologies and focus on research and development (R&D). Given Singapore's interest in developing a Smart Nation, there is room for both sides to broaden existing areas of cooperation and tackle common challenges. Could MFA provide an update on Singapore's relations with ROK, in particular, the areas of our bilateral cooperation? Relations with EU”
“Norway has up to 35 weeks of government-funded maternity and paternity leave. We have to ask ourselves: what is the value of each additional child to Singapore? Would we consider this to be a worthwhile investment for our national resources? Mr Speaker, in conclusion, good government is about balancing priorities. If low fertility is an existential threat to the nation, then it should be given the highest priority. Singapore has thrown everything but the kitchen sink at this problem. Perhaps, it is time to throw the kitchen sink! Mr Speaker, I support the Budget.”
“Would it be possible to charge just $10 a month for preschool without means-testing, like what we are doing in primary school right now? The Government has said that different providers of preschool services is essential to safeguard consumer choice. But many cynics would also point out that the only provider of primary school services is MOE. There is not much choice although there are many schools. There is a growing awareness that preschool affects our future performance and, hence, is important. So, let us put our money where our mouth is and make this truly affordable. Second, childcare and babycare options are currently expensive, and that is assuming you can even find a vacancy. There are cheaper alternatives, but quality is often not up to expectations. Some couples are lucky and may have able grandparents to help them out. But for those who do not, it is very difficult to have kids. Government subsidy needs to be increased in this segment. Third, provide subsidised school bus. Even the little things add up. It is amazing to me that we are able to read a story in The Straits Times about exorbitant bus fares, and highlighting the need for better regulation. While some might say that this is a small amount, I would say that each straw adds up until the camel’s back breaks. Fourth, make it easier for mothers to choose between work and motherhood. As Sweden, Norway and others have shown, work-life balance for mothers can boost TFR. At a minimum, mothers would benefit from being allowed to work remotely and to have flexible hours. But how many employers are enlightened, or do they need a bit of Government nudging in the right direction to do so? A more direct solution is paid maternity leave, including a portion that is being funded by the Government.”
“Children are expensive, they raise the minimum income any household needs each month. And from my conversations with residents in Marsiling-Yew Tee, this is the main contributing factor towards our low TFR. There have been countries that have been successful in reversing a low TFR. Sweden was 1.5 in the 1990s and they have gone back to 1.8. Their experience suggests that addressing the cost of living issues, particularly the cost of raising children, is important. Policies in Sweden and Norway make it easier for mothers to both work and have children. Research shows that Swedish mothers are the least conflicted and the most contented. Childcare is affordable and of an acceptable quality, and lower income inequality puts parents under less pressure to spend on enrichment and tuition to push their kids to succeed. In Singapore, awareness of income inequality has risen and this has given recent attention to this topic. Ms Teo Yeo Yenn pointed that out in her book "This is What Inequality Looks Like", and this topic has become coffee shop talk. Parents are forced to spend on tuition and enrichment in an arms race to bring up the ultimate student. While we cannot fix inequality and TFR with a magic wand, we need to help parents to stop feeling like they are not being good parents just because they are not spending thousands of dollars every month. So, Mr Speaker, I would like to make several suggestions in this debate for the Government to consider. First, preschool fees. Residents complain that the current structure is too complicated. Instead of a working mother’s subsidy, they would rather pay less upfront. So, instead of paying the gross and then claiming a subsidy, can they just pay net?”