P. Govindaswamy
Singapore
“Sir, the purchase of SBS shares should not be made compulsory. It should be voluntary. If a poor man were to use all his $5,000 CPF savings to buy SBS shares, he will not know what will happen to his shares in one or two years' time.”
“Sir, we know that Singapore Government Officers' Cooperative Housing Society has been in trouble for many years. But I fail to understand why when members write in for a refund, they do not even get a reply. Nobody seems to know exactly what is happening with this society.”
“In the past few years and even now, every Malaysia Cup soccer tie that is played at our Stadium, the tickets are sold out within hours and many fans are disappointed. Even ugly scenes have happened, to the extent that one soccer fan fell dead whilst trying to buy tickets.”
“If the Minister approaches the Finance Ministry for extra staff, he must press on with his request. Anyway, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have forgotten one point. Regarding the word "million". can the Minister please give instructions to the RTS staff not to use the English word "million" but to use the Tamil word for it? If they do not know the Tamil word for it, they can ask the people from the higher institutions.”
“The Minister must think it over. Mr Ng Yeow Chong: Sir, can the acting Minister give me an assurance that my request for the re-naming and for the re-location of the creche within the constituency's housing estate will be brought up when his Ministry starts negotiations with the NTUC for the taking over of the creches?”
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“The Minister for Finance should also support and subsidise the Health Ministry.”
“But in the case of the present increase of fees at the A & E Departments, there was nothing of this sort. Instead all of a sudden an official announcement was made and everybody was taken by surprise. Even many Government doctors do not give their blessing to this move. They say that this increase of fees is not the right solution to cut down the workload at the A & E Departments or to deter those who abuse the A & E Departments. I am sure there are better ways of solving the problem at the A & E Departments. I therefore urge the Minister to reconsider his decision on the increased fee at the A & E Departments. I therefore strongly support the views of the Member for Potong Pasir and oppose the increased fees introduced by the Health Minister for the A & E Departments. Sir, the A & E Department has just been rebuilt. So the Minister increased the fees for the building of the Department. But the Dental Unit has not been demolished or rebuilt. So why the increase in the dental charges? Recently, they have spent millions of dollars on the new building. Most probably the Minister for Finance had instructed the Minister for Health to increase the fees for the A & E Departments in order to recover the cost for the new building. Is this logical? We have a surplus of millions of dollars. Why do we have to tax the poor people? The Hon. Minister for Finance should tell the Hon. Minister for Health not to increase the fees for the A & E Departments. This is a socialist government. We are only paying lip service to socialism. This is very bad. The people will say, "This is a very bad Government." We must get the blessing of the people. Therefore, the Minister for Health should consider reducing the fees.”
“Cases of cuts too cannot be postponed because they have to be attended to immediately for cleansing and stitching. Such injuries cannot wait for treatment as they will not be properly healed if medical attention is delayed. Again, many asthmatic patients too require treatment immediately and because of the chronic nature of the sickness they may get an attack every other day. Most of these patients come mainly from the lower income group and the increased charges will hit these people very badly. Besides losing out on their monthly pay, an injured worker may be forced to take more medical leave owing to the frequent attacks of asthma. Sir, this increased fee too would in a way give the private doctors a reason to jack up their consultation fees immediately or gradually. For instance, if their fee was $6 previously they may gradually increase to about $8 which is still below the fees charged at the A & E Departments. Though private doctors have made the statement that they will not increase their consultation fees, what guarantee is there that they will not revise their rates? This move will also lead to a further brain drain of doctors in the civil service. Some doctors may go into private practice because there is much profit to make because of the extra earnings from increased fees. Sir, I would suggest, like my good friend the Minister for Home Affairs when he introduced the Pedestrian (Crossing Rules) Act that we should educate the public first before taking any action. Indeed, this is a wise and practical move. Some hon. Members: Hear, hear!”
“I am told that since the fees have been increased from the beginning of this month, the number of cases referred to the A & E Departments has not dropped. Is this proposal therefore really a practical one? What I have gathered is that there have been numerous complaints and confusion at the A & E Departments over the past one week, because many people were unaware of the increased charges. I know of a case that happened a few days ago when a schoolboy during a drill in the school collapsed. He was transported home by the school bus. His mother, who was then alone in the house, panicked on seeing the condition of the boy and she decided to rush him to the hospital. At the hospital she was taken by surprise at having to pay $10 attendance fee and she had not brought enough money to pay. Fortunately, there was a relative around to help in paying the required fee. This poor lady is in the lower income group and the $10 fee is rather stiff to her. She had no choice but to pay and become indebted. How are these poor people really going to survive if we go on raising fees at this rate? I even heard that many people had no transport fare to go back home after visiting the A & E Departments. Sir, if I may quote a further case. To a layman if he is in pain as a result of a perforation of the appendix which requires an emergency operation, he might decide to delay seeking treatment because of the increased charges at the A & E Departments. He is also likely to postpone a visit to the doctor to the next day thinking that much of it is a simple abdominal pain which could be attended to at the Outpatient clinic. By that time he will realise that many valuable hours have been lost and it may cost him his life.”
“Sir, if the Minister thinks that there has been an abuse of this department, it would be wiser to educate the public as to what constitutes an emergency case and what is not, instead of suddenly imposing this drastic measure that digs into the pockets of the lower income group. I say this because it is the lower income group that usually patronises the Government hospitals. The rich in most cases get their medical attention from private hospitals or private family doctors, and therefore they are not in the least affected by the move. Even if they should go to Government hospitals, this increased fee means nothing to them. But what about the plight of the poorer group of people? Where are they going to get emergency medical attention when they cannot afford to pay the fees? Do we expect them to commit crime in order to raise money to pay for their medical treatment? I wonder whether the Minister is aware of the consequences and the social problems that may arise later on as a result of this drastic move. If anyone in genuine need of emergency medical treatment should postpone such treatment his condition would deteriorate from bad to worse. Sir, usually, those cases that are referred to the A & E Departments are not without reason. They are accident cases brought about by unforeseen circumstances. So why blame the innocent people and penalise them just because of a few black sheep whom the Minister thought had abused the facilities at the A & E Departments? Most private medical clinics are closed at night and when a person is injured and requires stitching of his wounds, where can he go to for emergency treatment other than the A & E Departments? I wonder whether it is fair to penalise this kind of a case that needs immediate medical attention.”
“Sir, the purchase of SBS shares should not be made compulsory. It should be voluntary. If a poor man were to use all his $5,000 CPF savings to buy SBS shares, he will not know what will happen to his shares in one or two years' time. It is all right for him to use only a small portion of his savings to buy SBS shares but not all of the $5,000 on offer.”
“If the Minister approaches the Finance Ministry for extra staff, he must press on with his request. Anyway, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting: (9) That the sum to be allocated for Head W be reduced by $10 in respect of item 8101 of Subhead Code WC-05 of the Development Estimates.”
“If it is, the Bureau must increase its staff so that it can help settle those cases.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head W be reduced by $10 in respect of item 1210 of Subhead Code WC-08 of the Main Estimates. Sir, it has been observed that cases referred to the Legal Aid Bureau take a long time to settle. Some even take years to complete. This is because of the limited man- power at the Legal Aid Bureau. In 1975, there were 10,986 cases; in 1976 12,554; 1977 10,051 and 8,949 for this year. The cases that were registered during the last three years were: 6,834 in 1975, 8,165 for 1976 and 8,580 for 1977. The cases that were completed in 197 5 were 5,266, 10,668 in 1976; and 9,682 for 1977. Looking at these figures, it shows that thousands of cases were carried forward and thousands registered. It is no wonder that the staff cannot cope with their work and sometimes they do not deal with their cases satisfactorily. For instance, sometime ago there was the case of an old man who was swindled by one of his former friends of his CPF savings which he had drawn out. For a few years the poor man went all over the place to get assistance to recover the money from the swindler but in vain. Finally he went to the Legal Aid Bureau to take up the case. The Legal Aid Bureau took some time to deal with the case but it did not satisfactorily settle the matter for the old man because the other party managed to get away with it. Today, this old man who claims to be an independent person, appears to be a social problem, because of his worries of being swindled of his CPF savings. What steps are being taken by the Legal Aid Bureau to expedite and efficiently handle the cases of unfortunate people who have come for assistance? Is it because of the shortage of staff that they cannot cope up with the work?”
“Judging from the statement of income and expenditure of the MUIS for the period 14th January, 1975 to 14th January, 1978, under the item of distribution of monies to the eight categories of Muslims, apart from the payment of commission to the collectors and aid to the abject poor, the expenses on administration and other things are not listed under any of the eight categories. Another matter which I would like to draw the attention of the Minister is the Muslim Central Fund or Bait-ul-Mal account. In page 32 of the statement of accounts, I find that out of the total assets of $2,437,616 a sum of $2,138,522 is kept in the form of fixed deposits. From the two examples I cite here, it is clear that the MUIS is very strong financially, but .unfortunately this financial strength is not fully used for the benefit of the Muslim community as a whole. I hope the Minister concerned would carefully study my suggestion that the MUIS should use the tithe monies for the advancement of Muslims and the upliftment of their social and economic position, as is contained in the Administration of the Muslim Law Act. What is most regrettable is to hear of the plight of religious schools whose teachers and students had to face serious financial problems. I concede that the Government's policy today is to discourage students from taking up Islamic study courses because of the consequential problems of employment. But I feel that we still require a number of these students who graduate from the University in Islamic studies to meet the needs of the Muslim community for purposes of administering new mosques in the satellite towns.”
“The cooperation most needed is financial assistance which these bodies require in order to successfully carry out their activities or projects for the Muslim community. These bodies which I have mentioned can carry out some of the tasks which are now carried out by the MUIS. In this way the MUIS, which has got only 13 members, can concentrate on the formulation of policies and planning long-term projects in the service of the Muslim community. 6.15 p.m. Reading from the statements of accounts contained in the 1975 Report of the MUIS, the total collection of $757,910.59 was not fully utilised and distributed to the eight categories of Muslims who deserve financial aid. The balances for that year and the following year up to 2nd January, 1976, according to the tithes collection balance sheet, amounted to $1,491,899 of which $1,413,000 was kept in the form of fixed deposits and only $49,961 was kept in the form of current accounts in the bank and also in the form of cash in hand. I am sure that the amount has grown with the addition of the 1976 and 1977 collections, the accounts of which are not yet ready. Sir, I would like to know from the Minister why so much of the tithe collection is kept in fixed deposits and not spent for the benefit of Muslims who are in dire need of financial assistance. As far as I understand, according to a religious ruling, the tithe collections in a particular year must be spent and distributed within that year itself and should not be allowed to accumulate or carried forward to the following year.”
“Broadly speaking, the MUIS has succeeded in collecting $1,491,899. In Singapore, there are so many Muslim Malay organisations connected with religion. The objectives of these organisations are similar, namely, to serve the local Muslim community. In missionary work, for instance, the Singapore Muslim Missionary Society, the Jamiyah, has long been involved with such activities. The Central Council of Malay Cultural Organisation which has more than 30 affiliates, is conducting tuition classes, etc. Lately, it has been helping the Government to solve the drug problem. The Muslim Religious Teachers Association has been holding tuition classes for PSLE and GCE 'O' level students. The Malay Youth Literary Association, an educational and youth organisation, has long been active in the educational and welfare work and conducting tuition classes. Another body is the Prophet's Birthday Memorial Scholarship Fund Board. These bodies are usually faced with financial problems and most of them are short of funds. Sir, what I would like to bring to the attention of the Minister concerned is whether MUIS can cooperate in all fields and give financial assistance to these bodies so that their activities can be carried out more effectively. The cooperation which I envisage should not only be in the form of attaining objectives which are similar but also in placing the MUIS in its appropriate status as a statutory body, to give guidance and instruction to the other Malay/Muslim bodies for the benefit of the whole Muslim community. Sir, this is to avoid competition among some of the organisations and the MUIS, which is detrimental to the interest of the Muslim community.”
“It has also been empowered to administer a general trust fund or Muslim central fund or Bait-ul-Mal; collect religious tithes on income and on properties; act a trustees to all mosques and Muslim welfare organisations in Singapore; handle case pertaining to wills and inheritance; register converts to the Islamic faith and manage the running of Islamic religious schools in the Republic. The MUIS has also undertaken the task o preparing the texts of Friday sermons, conducting religious courses, organising talks and lectures, organising annual Koran reading competitions, etc. Sir, in fact any activity that is connected with the Muslim community including celebrations to commemorate Prophet Mohammed's birthday, the First of Muharram or Muslim New Year Day, etc., we will see the involvement o MUIS. Apart from that, part of the money has been allocated for scholarships for Muslims who are found to be eligible to further their studies at institutions of higher learning both at home and abroad. The MUIS makes efforts to oppose teachings purported to be Islamic but deviate from the true path of Islam. It also scrutinizes publications and recommends the banning of undesirable ones which pose a danger to Muslims in the Republic. It is evident, therefore, that the MUIS has rendered great and most valuable services to the Muslim community in Singapore. If the number of tasks is compared with the number of members of the Council, we will no doubt see a gross imbalance. However, the MUIS has a strong financial source in the form of the collection of religious tithes paid by Muslims. Sir, according to the 1975 Report of MUIS presented to Parliament, the collection from Muslims was $757,910.59. I do not have the figures for 1976 and 1977.”
“Fortunately, upon receipt of a complaint from the Muslim public, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) immediately took action against the company concerned to withdraw from the market all their products bearing the word halal in Jawi. This is indeed very commendable and highly appreciated by the entire Muslim community. My apprehension is that this could be an attempt by this particular company to hoodwink the Muslim public. The company is fully conscious that pork is forbidden to Muslims, and this sinister action perpetrated by this firm could incur the wrath of the Muslim public. Sir, I wish to ask the Minister for Social Affairs whether or not this matter has been investigated by the Muslim Religious Council and what follow-up action has been taken by the Council. I wish to further ask the Minister concerned whether this company could be prosecuted in court. In the event that court action is precluded, this reflects a weakness on the part of the Muslim Religious Council as well as the Ministry of Social Affairs in regard to the discharge of its responsibilities towards the Muslim community in Singapore. Haji Sha'ari bin Tadin (Bedok)( In Malay): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Singapore Muslim Religious Council or Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) was set up by the Government as a statutory body to take over the tasks of the Muslim Advisory Board. There is no doubt that the MUIS has been and is playing a positive role for the benefit of the Islamic religion and the Muslim society in the Republic. However, the MUIS is empowered to hold properties and coordinate property management, enter into agreements and administer lands and buildings that belong to deceased Muslims.”
“Sir, the Singapore Government Officers' Cooperative Housing Society is not working properly. It has already overcharged members of the Windsor Park Residents' Association. I have paid $3,000 more because I was charged for road widening. Last year, I also brought up the matter and the Society is still not working properly. The Registrar of Societies must take serious action on the Society. Otherwise why did so many members resign? It is because the Society is not working properly that the members have resigned. The Society has wrongly invested in the piece of land at Changi. That is why it is having trouble in refunding to members who have resigned. Anyway, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn. 6.05 p.m. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] Haji Rahmat bin Kenap (Geylang Serai)( In Malay): Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head W be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code WB-02 of the Main Estimates. Sir, in view of the fact that Singapore is a multi-racial and multi-religious country, religious freedom should be practised. Any interference or hindrance to this free practice may offend or upset the state of a particular religion and it may be construed as an act designed to insult or humiliate that religion. Such activities are very harmful and fraught with danger, and firm action must be taken. A case came to light recently. I refer to an article in the Berita Harian of 7th March 1978, page 8, which states that a company manufacturing mee in packets named "Charmee" used the word halal (permissible) written in the Jawi script, while the English version stated that the ingredients contain pork extract which is at variance with the word halal in the Jawi script. The Muslim public could have been easily misled.”
“Sir, we know that Singapore Government Officers' Cooperative Housing Society has been in trouble for many years. But I fail to understand why when members write in for a refund, they do not even get a reply. Nobody seems to know exactly what is happening with this society. There is also another problem which the Mayflower Gardens Association is facing. It has a dispute with this Housing Society over the matter of disbursement accounts. It is believed that in 1969, the interest on loans granted to members upon signing the agreement was at 6%. Later in 1974, when additional loans were given to the Society to complete the estate, the interest was increased to 81/2%, at a compound rate. As a result, every resident owner had to pay an additional $11,000 approximately. Hence, a dispute has arisen between the Association and the Society. I understand that the officials of the Association have written to the Registry of Cooperative Societies to seek assistance in resolving the dispute relating to the disbursement accounts. What has the Registry done to resolve the dispute?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head W be reduced by $10 in respect of item 1210 of Subhead Code WB-01 of the Main Estimates. Sir, a few years ago, the Registrar of Cooperative Societies had indicated that it would legislate for a Cooperative Movement Act. In this connection two I LO experts were especially seconded to the Registry to make their recommendations on the existing constitution of the co-operative societies. I understand the experts had submitted their recommendations, but they were not accepted in toto. They were, therefore, further reviewed by our own experts and, I believe, a new legislation is being drafted. It has been some years since we last heard of it and we are awaiting for this new legislation to be officially introduced. May I know when will this new legislation be officially introduced? What are the major changes proposed and will the changes be practical to our existing societies? Sir, we know that the Registry has been reorganised and given additional staff to look deeper into the activities of the co-operative movement. I would like to know what educational courses and training in the promotion of co-operatives have been conducted so far after its reorganisation, and what plans have they got for the future? There was also the proposal for a cooperative Training Centre to be organised by the Registry. What has happened to this concept? Is the Registry still sitting on it? When will this proposal materialise and where will the training centre be sited? It appears that though the Registry has been reorganised, yet it still takes too long to handle many of its affairs. Is it because the Ministry is not giving priority for the Registry to proceed with whatever plans it has in mind? Could the Minister elaborate?”
“Sir, there are all sons of rules and regulations regarding the erection of buildings. I have already referred this matter to the Minister. A letter should be written to the Building Control Division. They have stipulated 18 months as the period with which to build the temple. How can we do that? It will take four years. The public sector has money. We do not have the money. We have to collect the money and therefore it will take time to build the temple. I hope the Minister will make a recommendation to the Building Control Division. Another point is that a temple, whether or not it is an authorised structure, should not be demolished unless the members concerned have been informed. If they want to demolish the temple they must give an alternative site. I hope the Minister will inform the Building Control Division of this point. The same principle should apply, irrespective of whether it is a Chinese temple or a Hindu temple. I want an assurance from the Minister that he will bring this matter to the attention of the Building Control Division. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn.”
“The Minister must think it over. Mr Ng Yeow Chong: Sir, can the acting Minister give me an assurance that my request for the re-naming and for the re-location of the creche within the constituency's housing estate will be brought up when his Ministry starts negotiations with the NTUC for the taking over of the creches?”
“Sir, the Acting Minister informed the House that there is the Joint Management Committee. But this committee has no power because it must notify the Hindu Advisory Board and the Hindu Endowments Board of any decision it makes. Double work is involved. The Minister could form one council with 15 members. Five members could look after the temples, another five members could look after the advisory committee and the other five members could look after the Endowments Board. It is easier for us. The other point is about the collection of money. Under the Act, money must be collected before the 17th of the month but it should not be made compulsory. If there is a complaint today it is referred to the Hindu Advisory Board. And if there is another complaint tomorrow it is referred to the Hindu Endowments Board. What is all this? Is it reasonable and logical for the Hindus? Why does the Minister not consider setting up a Hindu Religious Council? What is the difficulty of that? He should not listen to what the Permanent Secretary says. The Minister must take the initiative to set up this council to look after all religious affairs of the Hindus. Then there will be no trouble. The people want it. The Muslims have the Muslim Religious Council to look after their affairs. Therefore, I want the Minister to recommend the setting up of the Hindu Religious Council. He could then consider the proposal to deduct a sum from the salaries of Hindu workers through the CPF. Some people have been collecting money for temples. Who authorise them to collect the money? They themselves want to build the temple. If there is a religious council, all the money collected could be controlled by this council. If they want to build a temple, they must submit a plan and state how much money is involved.”
“In the past few years and even now, every Malaysia Cup soccer tie that is played at our Stadium, the tickets are sold out within hours and many fans are disappointed. Even ugly scenes have happened, to the extent that one soccer fan fell dead whilst trying to buy tickets. It seems the stadium is still not big enough for our local soccer fans. Could the Minister look into the possibility of extending the stadium on a temporary or permanent basis so that our people could have a chance to watch popular events that are being held at the stadium? I am sure the stadium with its collections and income over the years have enough funds to consider extending it.”
“In 1976 there were 67 cases and in 1977 the figure went up to 107. Estimated loss of properties amounted to $15,139,138 in 1975; $19,303,094 in 1976 and $18,889,813 in 1977. On scrutinising the statistics, it is evident that millions of dollars went up in flames during the past few years because of a slip somewhere. And even over the last few weeks there were many fires with loss of properties amounting to thousands of dollars. It is becoming a daily affair. Perhaps a fire prevention campaign has to be introduced to remind the people of the precautions to be taken against the hazards of fires. May I also know what sort of training both local and abroad is being given to our fire officers to improve their efficiency in combating fire in high-rise buildings, and what sort of sophisticated equipment has the Brigade in stock? Sir, we take pride in our Singapore Sports Council under the able leadership of the Senior MiniSter of State for National Development for its wonderful efforts tO attract our people, especially the youths, tO participate in the various popular sports that are being organised at the Inter-Constituency and Intra-Zone levels. In a way, this has helped to a certain extent to involve many of our youths who would otherwise have been involved in some undesirable activities like drug taking which is now a problem faced by many countries throughout the world. We must definitely pay tribute to the officials of the SSC and the People's Association for their active part in getting our youngsters to be involved in healthy activities. Sir, the National Stadium, the so-called white elephant of the past, is no more a white elephant. In fact, the elephant is trumpeting, to the extent that the stadium is not big enough for our local soccer fans.”
“In some departments where there are daily rated staff and monthly rated staff, I understand the monthly rated staff who are supposed to be free on that day, even though they have nothing to do with Thaipusam, are in a way indirectly forced by their bosses to take leave on that day and the reverse situation is the case with Good Friday. Could the Minister use his good offices to see that Thaipusam is declared a public holiday for both the daily rated and monthly rated staff? I do not want to see any discrimination. The Christians have two public holidays; the Chinese have two public holidays; the Muslims have two public holidays. The Hindus have only one public holiday. Why is there discrimination? All the races should be treated equally. Even if the Indians are a minority group, they are still citizens of Singapore. I hope the Minister will strongly recommend to the Labour Ministry to declare Thaipusam a public holiday. There is a long history about this. The people ask: "What is Mr Govindaswamy doing? He has not taken up this matter with the Ministry or in Parliament." This is the reason why I am bringing up this matter in Parliament. Sir, turning to the subject of Fire Brigade, I note that this year's allocation for the Fire Brigade has been greatly reduced, because the Brigade claims that it has purchased all the modern fire-fighting equipment and appliances to enhance the Brigade's operational efficiency. But then looking at the statistics on the incidence of fires on residential promises, they seem to be alarming. In 1975 there were 428 cases; in 1976 it was 179 and in 1977 it went up to 597. This is an average of one or two fires per day. Even fires in industrial premises have increased over the last two years.”
“Sir, the Minister might say that unlike the Muslims who pray in a mosque, it may not be possible to have the same arrangement for the Hindus because they worship a number of deities. Anyway all worship is towards one Almighty God. The problem of which Deity to worship could be easily solved by the proposed Hindu Religious Council after consultation with the residents of the housing estates. Sir, I would urge the Minister to recommend to the Authority concerned to relax certain conditions like a time limit for building progress and also payments to be made in the construction of temples, mosques and churches. Religious authorities which are mostly run by volunteer workers depend on donations for funds, and they find these conditions too stiff to follow when they erect a place of worship. Sir, I would also request the Minister to look into the question of recommending Thaipusam as a public holiday for everyone. It appears that the traditional activity of carrying kavadis by Hindu devotees has been increasing year by year. Practically every Hindu is involved in some way or other in the carrying of kavadis. Last year, there were 970 kavadis. This year there were 2,000 kavadis. As the population increases, the number of kavadis is also increasing. Currently, Thaipusam has been gazetted as a public holiday for daily rated workers but not for the monthly rated staff who enjoy a public holiday on Good Friday. As a result, the majority of the monthly rated Hindus have to take vacation leave on this day to attend this traditional annual affair.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head W be reduced by $10 in respect of item 1100 of Subhead code WA-01 of the Main Estimates. Sir, religious matters come under the purview of the Minister for Social Affairs. In this connection, I would like the Minister to consider integrating the Hindu Advisory Board and the Hindu Endowments Board into a single body, possibly to be known as the Hindu Religious council. This will result in better administration of Hindu religious matters. This Hindu Religious Council should be given the supreme authority to deal with all the official Hindu religious matters that are looked after by the two Boards. Many Hindus and I also feel that it is timely to have a single authority to look after Hindu religious matters than to have two different bodies. Sir, we know that our Muslim brothers have successfully got Government's approval to deduct compulsorily a nominal sum of 50 cents in the past and $1.00 currently from each Muslim worker's salary through the Central Provident Fund to build mosques in the various housing estates. This is indeed an excellent idea of the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura. Otherwise the Muslims would have a problem in raising funds to build mosques in the new housing estates. The Hindus too have a problem in raising funds to build temples. I would therefore request that a similar arrangement be considered so that Hindu workers could contribute a nominal sum through deductions from their salaries to be made to the CPF for the purpose of building Hindu temples in new housing estates. This proposal has the support of many Hindu devotees which is evident both in the letters to the press and also at Hindu religious meetings.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since I am the first speaker under this Head, I hope you will not stop me if I take one or two minutes more to finish my speech.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I clarify one point? Regarding the Silat Community Centre, I do not want to say anything before any renovation has been made. I am waiting for it. The Silat Community Centre is like a cowshed and white ants were found there. There is a provision of $15,000 to renovate it. Even then public funds will be needed for the renovation. Recently we collected some money for the Anson Community Centre. How can we ask for more funds from the people who had already made their contributions? The Silat Community Centre is situated nearby. The management committee cannot raise money. If any renovation is to be done, it must be done properly. We do not want to find any more white ants there. Therefore, to do a proper renovation, an allocation of $15,000 is not enough. The People's Association or any other responsible authority should look into the situation in this community centre. Perhaps the URA might want to acquire the place later on. I do not know. But the surrounding buildings will soon be demolished. I do not know whether the place will remain as it is. It will be better if it can remain in the same place after renovation. Otherwise we should get another place and erect a new community centre there. The area there is very large. I hope the Minister will look into this matter. Some alterations will have to be made to the building, otherwise the building will collapse and nobody will be able to use that place.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have forgotten one point. Regarding the word "million". can the Minister please give instructions to the RTS staff not to use the English word "million" but to use the Tamil word for it? If they do not know the Tamil word for it, they can ask the people from the higher institutions. They can give the actual Tamil word for "million".”
“There were dirty words and mean action calculated to be offensive to women folk. The less this kind of sketches is shown by RTS, the better.”
“Sir, the reply by the Senior Minister of State regarding the Tamil programmes is reasonable. My only complaint is that the time for the telecast of Tamil films is not punctual. If it is published at 10.15 p.m. why is it telecast at 10.20 p.m.? Why must we wait for 5 minutes? I also wish to inform the Minister that there is discrimination regarding Tamil programmes. The Minister is a very reasonable man and he can check up whether the Broadcasting Department is making a discrimination. Whenever there is a function in my constituency, they never send any TV cameraman. That is discrimination. I do not want any publicity but there should not be any discrimination. There was no TV coverage for Metric exhibition at the Nelson Road Market. The Ministry of Culture only sent a photographer. That is all right. But I do not want discrimination between Indians and other races. Ours is a multi-racial society. The Minister should check this up and tell the Broadcasting Department not to discriminate. If they cannot do the job, they should hand it over to the proper man to do it. That is my request. The Minister's reply is very reasonable but I want to see certain things done in the Broadcasting Department. Mr Ngeow Pack Hua (Boon Lay)( In Mandarin): Sir, in his reply to the Member for Changi just now the Senior Minister of State said thai he did not think that the comic sketches performed by the Armed Forces Drama Company would do us any harm. I do not agree with the Senior Minister of State. I wonder whether the Senior Minister of State has seen such farcical dramatic sketches which not only contain vulgar vernacular and play but the contents are also of rather low nature that would cast a slur on the image of our armed forces.”
“Could a better scheduling of programmes be worked out, not only for the Indian viewers but also for other media, so that there will be no clash of popular programmes over the two channels? 7.45 p.m. Sir, at the last Budget sitting I brought up the question of the Tamil word for "million". There is a word in Tamil for "million". But I do not understand why they keep on using the English word "million". Why cannot they use the Tamil words latcham and kodi, i.e. a hundred million. RTS and even the newspapers are using the English word "million", Malaysia is using the Tamil word for "million". Why does Singapore not want to use the Tamil word? When I brought this up at the last Budget sitting, most probably the Minister did not know about it. The Minister should check and ask RTS to use the Tamil words latcham and kodi.”
“However, the Tamil Section does not enjoy this privilege although there are hundreds of Indian soccer fans wanting to hear it. I believe the Indian Section cannot provide this live broadcast because the transmission time for this Section ends at 9 p.m. I have in the past brought up the subject of extending the Indian programme transmission time from 9 p.m. to midnight. But I do not understand why it is not possible for RTS to do it. In fact, Indian programme listeners, many of whom are office workers, have made such requests and till today RTS has been turning a deaf ear. Could the Minister look into this matter of extending transmission time for the Indian programme section? Sir, I have also brought up the subject of delays in the telecast time of the Tamil films on Thursdays and Fridays. It looks as though action has been taken immediately after I raised the matter. However, after some time it is observed that the schedule again runs out by a few minutes. Why is it that only the Tamil film shows on the TV go off the scheduled time by a few minutes? Either the programme time given in the press is wrong or the Broadcasting station itself is at fault. Why is this so? If the Broadcasting station maintains that the telecast times are according to schedule, could it then be due to errors in the press? There was a time when two newspapers gave two different times for a certain programme. What are we going to do with the press and the Broadcasting station to ensure that the correct information is given? Sir, I notice that whenever Tamil films are screened over Channel 8, the other Channel 5 is quite often scheduled to telecast some popular programmes like Roots or Crown Court. Therefore, Tamil viewers have to sacrifice one of the programmes.”
“Sir, in the past we have seen the National Theatre Trust sending out our integrated cultural troupe abroad to advertise our Singaporean Culture to the world. What has happened to this troupe? Nowadays, we do not seem to hear anything about the promotion of our culture abroad. In this direction, what has Radio and Television Singapore done so far to promote the integration of the four different programmes? Has the RTS thought of producing any programme where the four media can be integrated? So far I have not seen any. What we observe daily is that each medium looks after its own programme and there is no coordination among one another. So much so that even the staff and pan-time artistes attached to the Broadcasting Division do not know each other. This is because each one only cares for himself. This also happens to our radio and television fans where they only tune in to the programme of their own dialect. In the past we had a Malay programme known as the 'Pesta Pop'. This programme had at least a little bit of integration of the cultures, but nowadays they do not telecast that programme any more. In other words, the RTS has forgotten about the concept of the Singaporean culture. Since we are also deeply involved with ASEAN, as is evidenced from the press and news bulletins, RTS should therefore have at least a few integrated programmes of the Singaporean Culture and that of the ASEAN cultures. In this way, our ASEAN broadcasting staff and people would know one another better. I hope the Minister will look into this matter. Sir, since there is a craze for the Malaysia Cup soccer series, Radio Singapore has always been broadcasting a live commentary on the matches whenever our local team is participating. This is done on the English, Chinese, and Malay stations.”
“(8) That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of item 1210 of Subhead Code UI-01 of the Main Estimates. Mr Sia Khoon Seong: (9) That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of item 1210 of Subhead Code UI-05 of the Main Estimates. The sum of $746,943,060 for Head U ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $685,940,800 for Head U ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head V -”
“Although some basic constructions have been completed, including a Senoko power station to provide electricity for industrialisation, this industrial land has not been taken up by anybody. What is the reason for it? Is it because of the difficulty or is there any problem connected with our industrial investment policy, or are we too choosy about the selection of industries? Or are there other reasons? I would like to get an explanation to enlighten the House. Secondly, I would like to ask the Minister whether consideration can be given to the establishment of a Sembawang Town Corporation which, as in the case of the Jurong Town Corporation, can exert its full strength in the promotion of industrialisation. [Laughter] This is not a joke. This is a serious matter. Like the JTC, it can promote industrial development in the Sembawang area. As far as I know, at the present moment, the promotion of industrial development in Sembawang is being undertaken by the JTC. The JTC itself has got a big load of work in hand. Where can it find time to look after Sembawang? So, the best way is to give serious consideration to the establishment of a Sembawang Town Corporation when it may exercise its full powers to promote industrial development in Sembawang. Thirdly, I would like to ask the Minister how is he going to raise more than $200 million to finance the various economic development programmes? I hope the Minister can give an assurance to this House that he would not raise the money by way of increased taxes or introducing new taxes, as this would increase the burden of the people.”
“I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendments stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting: (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code UB-06 of the Main Estimates. (3) That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code UE-04 of the Development Estimates. The Chairman: Mr Ng Kah Ting is not here. Mr Teong, amendment (4). Mr Teong Eng Siong( In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead Code UE-05 of the Main Estimates. Sir, over the past ten years through the promotion efforts of Government, Singapore has achieved a great deal in its industrialisation programme. According to statistics available, as at present there are more than 5,800 registered factories or manufacturing establishments in Singapore providing jobs for a few hundred thousand people. The success of our industrialisation programme has turned Singapore from an entrepot port into a productive and viable industrial country. Within such a short space of time we have been able to achieve such great success. This is something of which we can be proud of. But I fail to understand why the industrialisation programme for Sembawang Constituency has been slow. Therefore, I would like to ask the Minister for Finance a few questions. First, what progress has been made on the industrialisation programme for Sembawang? As far as I know, there is a piece of industrial land of about a few hundred acres in Senoko which is desolate and deserted. This state of affairs has been going on for a few years.”
“I brought this up during the last Budget session but there is still no improvement. One day when I went there I had to climb up four floors and I had difficulty in doing so. This is very bad for the people working there, especially old people. Maybe Mr Speaker should go and see the building for himself. Immediate action must be taken to instal a lift in the building. This matter must be considered seriously.”
“Sir, very lately the NWC allowances of monthly-rated employees were consolidated into their basic salary. With this consolidation, many of the workers received a small increment and arrears. In this respect, what is the deal for the daily rated workers who are also receiving NWC allowances? So far, there has been no news about consolidation. Could the Minister enlighten the House when the daily-rated workers will get their deal? I have also received complaints that the transport allowance for civil servants on official duty needs to be revised. For instance, the rates of allowance for motor-cycles are not appropriate to present conditions. The rates are very low. Could the rates of transport allowance be revised in accordance with present conditions? Some years ago, to boost the morale in the civil service there was a recommendation to give merit increments to deserving civil servants. I would like to know how many civil servants in the various Divisions benefitted from this scheme last year. Sir, we have seen development taking place in our country; our skyline is changing, old buildings are being demolished and skyscrapers are taking their place. But I notice that some of the buildings of the Ministries are very old. For instance, the Ministry of Health, which is supposed to look after the sick people, itself looks "sick" inside he building. The Health Ministry has been allocated a provision for improvement to its hospitals. Why is it that no provision is being made to improve this Ministry? Perhaps this Ministry and other Government departments too need a touch-up to keep up with the times. Members should take a look at the building of the Ministry of Health at Palmer Road. It is very congested.”
“Though this topic of the 13th month allowance was dealt with thoroughly in the past, I would like the Minister to again review the conditions. He has said that when this allowance was introduced it was more or less being born like a cat and therefore it should be a cat and it is impossible to change the conditions. But then he should not forget that when it was first introduced the payment was made in the month of March. But it was later changed to December. I had advocated and I still say that consideration for the payment of the 13th month allowance should be 30th November and payment made during the Christmas season for the purpose of better administration both for the monthly rated and especially for daily-rated workers. The present system has a snag. After receiving their allowance around Christmas some employees abscond from duty, thereby giving the problem of recovering the allowance, especially where daily-rated workers are concerned. In the past there had been misunderstanding between certain families of deceased workers who had received the 13th month allowance although they were not eligible because they were not in service till 31st December, and their employers had tried to recover the 13th month allowance from the bereaved families. It is also not fair to the loyal and dedicated workers who have been in service for so many years but because of compulsory retirement even one day before the end of the year they are denied the allowance, whereas a new recruit who has just joined the service for two months is eligible for this benefit. Could the Minister consider my suggestion that the last day for consideration of eligibility for the 13th month allowance should be 30th November instead of 31st December for the purpose of better administration.”
“I would also request the Minister to look into the question of introducing the cash card dispenser, where a depositor can withdraw a certain amount of money at any time of the day from the bank. In a way this will help many POSB depositors who are unable to withdraw their money during office hours. Sir, why is the privilege of medical benefits for the family which is granted to civil servants denied to employees of some of the statutory boards? After all, like the civil servants, the workers of the statutory boards are also receiving the NWC allowances, the same number of days of vacation leave and they also follow most of the conditions of the civil service. Yet this privilege of medical benefits for the family is not granted to workers of the statutory boards. Why is it that we have double standards here? Could the Minister explain and also consider granting this privilege to the workers of the statutory boards? I also want to know what steps are being taken to relieve the shortage of staff in the civil service, especially in the Ministries of Health, Education and Home Affairs. If we cannot get the right type of workers to take up jobs in these Ministries, I wonder whether the Minister would be liberal in recruiting foreign workers to fill the vacancies in a Ministry that is understaffed. And also could he liberally consider extending the services of those who have retired? In this respect, could the Minister give some facts and figures as to the number of persons who have retired but who were allowed to continue in service on a year to year basis? Sir, I also want to know how many workers were not eligible for the 13th month non-pensionable annual allowance owing to retirement before 31st December.”
“Sir, I beg to move. That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of item 1100 of Subhead Code UA-01 of the Main Estimates*. Sir, we have heard of the case of a widow who lost her claim to her late husband's CPF contributions. I wonder what steps the CPF Board is taking to ensure that every CPF contributor has given particulars of his nominee in his nomination form, and also indirectly to see that the spouse of a married person has been nominated. The reason is that the contributor can make mistakes which are not deliberately done. These mistakes could be due to circumstances or ignorance. In that event the intended beneficiaries are put to inconvenience by a reference to the Public Trustee, or even denied the contributions. Perhaps, a check could be made of all the records of the contributors and remedial action taken before more people are made to suffer the same plight as the poor widow. The Post Office Savings Bank is to be commended for its introduction of the Giro service where payment of bills, like HDB rentals, conservancy charges, property tax, PUB bills, etc. is made easier for the depositors. But then the services at some of the branches need to be improved especially during lunch hours. Very often, we see a long queue of office workers waiting for their turn during the lunch break, and the counters appear to be understaffed because of the staggered lunch hours of the bank workers. And because of the delay in dealing with the public during lunch hours, many people shy away from depositing money in this Government sponsored bank. Could something be done to expedite the services during the lunch hours so that depositors who are mostly office workers need not wait too long for their transactions?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, students of junior colleges start at 6.30 a.m. They reach the college at about 7.30 a.m. They study from 7.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. followed by lunch. After lunch they have to wait until 3.30 p.m. for the next class. Why is this so? This is very bad because the students do not have any rest. How can they study? They must be given time to study. They are asked to go to the library. What is the use of the students loitering here and there? It should be stipulated that they should study from 7.30 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. and then they should be asked to go home. I am supporting the Member for Punggol and the Member for Bedok. They are right. The parents are having trouble because they have to wait for their sons. Some of them do not get back until 6 o'clock. This is very bad. They should be given the time. Not only the students but also the teachers are fed up. How can the teachers teach? They cannot concentrate. They must have some rest. Sir, the Minister must consider and readjust the time for the junior colleges. Otherwise it would be bad for the students. If they cannot study, they would fail and would not be able to go to the university. The Hon. Senior Minister should do something about this matter.”
“Why does the school not use the Miscellaneous School Fees Fund for such purposes? This is very bad. Why tax the poor parents for an accident in the school? After all, they are also contributing to the Fund. Sir, it has been stated that as far as possible children will not be posted to schools which are quite a distance away from their homes. How successful has this idea been carried out? It is true that improvements have been made to the system of admitting pupils to schools chosen by their parents. Very often at the end of the year, many parents find that children have been posted to schools very far from their homes. These are parents who do not have any priority admission for their children, and have been unsuccessful in getting a place for their children from one school to another. This is also true in the case of children who had passed the Primary VI examination. Could something be done to put the children in schools chosen by their parents, without the need for parents having to look for such places before the Ministry begins to post the children in schools not favoured by their parents?”
“Since we are short of teachers, why should these teachers not be considered for permanent employment in the Education Service? How successful has the Ministry been in recruiting teachers over the last few years? Could the Minister give some facts and figures as to how many teachers were recruited, both graduates and non-graduates, in the latest recruitment exercise, and also the number of teachers who had resigned during the last year? I am told that the response to the last recruitment exercise was not encouraging. There could be something wrong with our Education System which explains why we do not get the right calibre of persons joining the teaching profession. It is time the Ministry seriously thought of resolving the problem of recruiting loyal and dedicated teachers. Sir, there is the Basic Course for students who do not make the grade at the end of the primary school level. I wonder how successful has this course been. I understand that many students have not continued their education with this course and, as a result, a few Basic Course classes have closed down because of poor response. What is the Ministry doing about this? Sir, the "Use Your Hands" campaign introduced into the schools was aimed at preventing our students from shying away from the blue collar jobs. It will also in a way help them to build a rugged and robust society. However, this campaign should not be over-emphasised. There are some schools where the students have taken over the work of the school servants, for example, sweeping classrooms, etc. As a result the servants are having a nice time supervising the students. Is it reasonable to get students to sweep? I also understand that parents have to pay for the use of ambulance if their children are taken to hospital from the school.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, there was a move by the Ministry to post only graduate teachers to the secondary schools and the others to the primary schools. What is the progress made and how successful has the Ministry been on this plan? Is it practical to what the Ministry officials have in mind? Could the Minister explain? Sir, the last promotion exercise for teachers which was conducted a few months ago had indeed created a headache for many of our Education Officers. Though the Minister has given an explanation, which is not satisfactory, as to why so many teachers were called for interview, I do not want to criticise him. But I personally feel that to call 9,696 teachers for interview and promote only 473 is definitely a waste of time of both the interviewers and the Education Officers who were called for the interview. Is it logical? This in a way has caused the morale in the teaching profession to drop due to the frustration of many of the Education Officers over the years. The standard of teaching has also been affected and the students are the ones to suffer. It is true that in every promotion exercise, there is bound to be some dissatisfaction among those who were unsuccessful. If they are unsuccessful they will not teach the students properly. However, in any future promotion exercise, the Ministry should see to it that unnecessary expenditure will not be involved and time is not wasted by calling so many persons for the interview and selecting only a handful. It would be better, as in the past, to invite applications, short-list them and then call them up for interview, instead of interviewing the Education Officers as in the last promotion exercise which is not economical. Sir, we still have relief teachers in our Education service.”
“Sir, I support the Member for Serangoon Gardens. The Minister must consider the responsibilities of the Immigration Officers. The Immigration Officers must be given more salary. Then only will they work hard. Otherwise, they will not be able to control the illegal immigrants from coming to Singapore. I think the Minister has agreed to consider sympathetically the case about employment pass and permanent resident status.”
“Sir, I am in doubt. When the Hon. Minister replied to my question, he said that the wife and children of employment passholders can stay in Singapore. For a permanent resident who is getting more than $1,000, why are the wife and children not allowed to stay in Singapore? Can the Minister please clarify?”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“If the Member for Sembawang were to think very carefully, he would agree with me that his first priority -”
“Members will know that if we just accept statutory declaration as proof, I think it can lead to a lot of abuses because the mother can just swear that her son or daughter was born here. We do accept statutory declaration but it must be accompanied with further proof that he or she was born in Singapore in order to be regarded as a Singapore citizen. With regard to length of stay, we have considered this in conjunction with the question of having roots here. If he is the only non-citizen in the family, his chances of getting citizenship are very, very good. Now let me turn to the Member for Sembawang. He spoke about the long wait for citizenship. As I said, we have done our best. We have cleared the backlog by 2,000. But he was grumbling about the income being taken as a factor into consideration when deciding citizenship applications. Perhaps after this, he might have a chat with the Member for Anson who agrees that before a person can be granted citizenship he should not be a liability to the State; and not being a liability means that he must have sufficient income to support his family, otherwise he becomes a liability to the State. After thinking it over very carefully I am sure the Member will agree with me that income is an important factor for the grant of citizenship. Before a person is granted citizenship he should earn enough to maintain his family and not be a burden to the State. He should not make use of the grant of citizenship to get a hawker licence. If the Member for Sembawang thinks very carefully about it, he will not be so ready with his suggestion of granting citizenship freely so that they can have opportunities for getting a hawker licence. In fact, he is inviting more competition among his own voters.”