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 Amendment by leave, withdrawn.”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?”
The complete record
Every one of 1,199 lines we hold for P. Govindaswamy, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 15 of 24.
“Sir, assuming a person has got all the qualifications for citizenship, can the Minister tell us whether or not he will be granted citizenship?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister says that there are 1,574 buses. Can he tell us what is the accommodation of each bus?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have raised some questions but the Minister has replied to the Member for Jurong. There has been much discrimination in the promotion exercise. How can the Minister find out whether the teachers are good or bad? Is it by the confidential reports put up by the principals? The Minister should look into the matter to see that there is no discrimination in the promotion exercise. Sir, this complaint is not only confined to the Ministry of Education, but also to the other Ministries where the same complaint has been made on promotion exercises.”
“How can teachers in Government schools be expected to be fully loyal to the school, if they realise that they can be transferred within 24 hours merely upon a telephone call? Is this the way the Ministry runs its establishment? Has it no consideration for the teachers? Or have the officers working in air-conditioned comfort become so inhumane, as to think of teachers as mere digits in their files? I urge the Minister to give more valued consideration to the transfer of teachers against their wishes, and to consider the human aspect of the action more than just filling in the gap in a staffing list. Why are teachers made to do two compulsory extra-curricular activities, one of which must be a sports activity? Why not confine it to one, but let the number of hours remain unchanged? A teacher who specialises in a particular game cannot give his full attention if half his extra-curricular activities' time is taken by another activity in which he has no interest. We should encourage specialisation in activities, rather than discourage it, especially in the secondary schools. Recently there was a promotion exercise for the teachers and others connected with the Education service. Though this exercise was held after an unusual delay, the promoting body has not decided on the persons to be promoted. There has been a lot of talk about the exercise in the newspapers as well as in public. Can the Minister explain why such a situation had arisen? It appears that most of the principals, being human and some being inhuman, may have made gross mistakes in the assessment of their teachers. It is my view that some solution must be found, otherwise we will have a very unhappy lot of teachers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the abolition of history and geography from Primary VII exanimations has been a very wise move on the part of this Ministry. The increase in the number of passes in Primary VI is a clear indication of the wisdom of this move. As a result of the large number of passes, we have a unique system introduced in secondary schools. We have such a thing as "floating" classes. Literally they are floating, for the students have no firm classroom which they can claim as their own, and as a result we have a class of pupils who are without a permanent place in the school. I wonder how long these "floating" classes will go on. What we need urgently are extensions to accommodate more classes, and this is not an impossible task. Last year, I brought the attention of the Minister to the sad state of affairs of Secondary I and II students. Not only have they got to learn 11 compulsory examination subjects, but they also have to go for workshop practices twice weekly, and for extra-curricular activities two or three times a week. How on earth can these young minds cope with this enormous work-load? Since the removal of history and geography from Primary VI examinations has concretely proved better results, would it not also be wise to remove history and geography from examinations in Secondary I and II? This will lighten their load a great deal, and probably we may eventually be able to produce better results in Secondary IV and HSC levels. What is the Education Ministry's policy regarding transfers? I thought the policy is to reduce transfers to the minimum. Yet we still find teachers being transferred within 24 hours.”
“That the sum to be allocated for Head 1407 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001.”
“(1) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1404 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001.”
“That the sum to be allocated for Head 1402 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001. Head 1404 -”
“There is something wrong there. I am mentioning this because I think there is a loophole here. It is dangerous to allow the public to ask the income tax officers to fill in the forms.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, regarding the income tax form, is it right for the income tax officers to fill in the forms for the public? I repeat: the income tax officers are filling in the income tax forms for the public. Is this right?”
“The print of the text is so small that in some columns one cannot see the instructions clearly. Furthermore, the instructions seem to be too complicated for an ordinary worker to fill in the particulars. Can it be modified in such a way that fewer particulars are only necessary, because taxpayers seem to fill in the form wrongly? I myself find it difficult to fill in the form.”
“Sir, sometime ago, the Member for Telok Blangah raised the question of the payment of the 13th month allowance to civil servants who retired before the end of the year, to which the Minister gave a negative answer. The Member had also referred to cases of new recruits who are entitled to receive the allowance even though they have served for only a few months. The civil servants who retired before December had put in many years of loyal and dedicated service and yet they are not privileged to receive the 13th month allowance, just because they retired before December. Sir, I wonder whether the Minister can reconsider the matter, because I feel that a civil servant should be given a good send-off when he retires. Sir, another point is that pensioners have all along been drawing pensions computed on their old basic salaries. I am not speaking for myself. With the consolidation of salaries a few years ago and also in view of the rising cost of living, can the Minister look into the matter and do something concrete to revise the pension rates? Sir, I would also like to ask the Minister whether he has any intention of transferring all civil servants, who are at present under the pension scheme, to the CPF scheme? Finally, in our efforts to promote the use of locally-made products through the Progress, Quality and Reliability campaign, we have forgotten one aspect. Foreign manufactured articles are allowed to compete with locally-made products at prices where the difference is small. Surely some form of tariff can be imposed on foreign products so that they can be priced out of the market. Another point, Sir, is that the income tax forms sent out in January to taxpayers are literally causing a headache.”
“The excuse given by most manufacturers is that they have not increased the price of their products for many years and, therefore, it is justifiable to raise their prices by a nominal sum. It appears that most of these proposals are coming one after another. Some retailers are only waiting for such slight increases in the cost of manufactured products so that they could extort a higher price from the poor consumers. I would like to call upon the Minister to view this grave situation with utmost concern before it gets worse. The Government in the past has been successful in getting rid of pirate taxis, banning cigarette advertisements and has also been successful with many important national campaigns. Therefore, I have little doubt that a remedy will be found for this major problem which affects the lives of the majority of our people. Nowadays, the ordinary housewife finds that her marketing budget dries up very fast. I would suggest that the Government takes control of all essential foodstuffs and, if possible, to open and to manage as many effective co-operative centres as possible. These co-operative centres could deal with the needs of the public so that there would be no unfair means of profiteering by any Tom, Dick and Harry. At the moment, it appears that most of the people are under the clutches of the shopkeepers because their attitude is "take it or leave it". The Minister should also consider introducing controlled prices for foodstuffs in certain places where the majority of the people do their shopping. And publicity on the actual prices of essential foodstuffs should be communicated to the people daily.”
“Sir, where will these top civil servants be without the help of the lower grades of civil servants? Surely the lower grades of civil servants are as essential to the civil service. As such, they too deserve an equal number of increments. After all, the actual work is done by them. May I also point out the plight of the middle and lower grades of workers in the Government service? The cost of living is rising continuously, not by leaps and bounds but enough to cause a pinch into the workers' earnings. To a certain extent, these are the workers who arc neglected, and they find it extremely difficult to stretch the dollar. Sir, under the reduction of leave scheme, Government servants are compensated financially. But in the case of some statutory boards, although the officers are considered to be Government servants, they are not accorded the same leave scheme. A compensation, similar to that accorded to Government servants, should be paid to those officers in the statutory boards for loss of leave during the past years. Sir, the increase in CPF contribution from 10 per cent to 12 per cent in 1972 has resulted in lower take-home pay. This greatly affects the middle and lower grades of officers. Their incomes as compared to the private sector are meagre, and they suffer more because o the increased cost of living. When the CPF contribution is increased to 15 per cent, they will suffer even more. Is it not time that some form of increase in salary be given to these grades of workers to alleviate their sufferings? At this juncture, I would like to mention the rise in the cost of living in Singapore. Recently, the prices of many consumer goods and services have gone up greatly.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, when can the people, who are involved in the two major chit fund companies, expect settlement of their investments? Sir, there is another point. There is a great anomaly in the clerical service. The clerical assistants are not given the same pay as the clerical officers. Yet they do the same work. To add insult to injury, too many clerical assistants are doing the work with no prospects of promotion. Many of them do not even know when they will be promoted to clerical officers. Can something be done about the matter? 6.00 p.m. Sir, when will the National Wages Council officially announce its recommendations? It has been a long time since they sat, and the public and private sectors are keen to know the outcome of its discussions. Sir, we have heard about the rise in the salaries of the top civil servants. Some of them have also been given the opportunity to enjoy a maximum of four increments under the Merit Increment Scheme. This is well and good, and I must say that it is timely for we must try to retain the brains to run the country. But, at the same time, let us not forget the middle and lower income groups in the civil service. An hon. Member: Hear, hear!”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1303 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001. Sir, how many warders and officers have resigned from the Prisons Department? I think the number must be enough to create staffing problems that can be described as critical. May I ask the Minister concerned, why has this situation been allowed to deteriorate to such an extent? Is it because of the working conditions that have aggravated these resignations? The warders and officers, who are supposed to guard some of our most dangerous criminals, are not even armed properly. As such, some criminals who are desperate might think of beating up warders in their attempt to get away. Probably this may be the reason why there are so many resignaations among our warders. To make matters worse, the pay is too small and is not in keeping with the responsibilities attached to the job. I understand the Prisons Department is going to be reorganised. If such is the case, I suggest that a revision of pay for the Prisons staff be considered so as to promote better morale among them.”
“Sir, in view of the explanation by the Minister, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $3,137,260 for Head 1302 ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $1,000,000 for Head 1302 ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head 1303 --”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1302 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001. Sir, what measures has the Minister taken to prevent illegal immigrants from coming into Singapore? Since there are so many points of easy entry into Singapore, are there sufficient precautions to stop this traffic of illegal immigrants? Sir, since we have numerous requests from people to have their stay in Singapore extended for more than six months, can we not charge a nominal fee for endorsing the extension? This privilege should also be given to those people who have gone abroad with good reasons. This will be an additional source of revenue. At this juncture, may I ask what steps are being taken in respect of Malaysians who have overstayed? It seems that they can enter Singapore quite easily and stay on indefinitely without being found out. I suggest that we introduce a card-system similar to the one adopted by the authorities across the causeway. At present, I am sure there are many persons who are now overstaying here in Singapore, and this makes a mockery of the passports issued to them.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we know that citizenship is not a right but a privilege, and the law changes from time to time, depending on the existing situation of the country. I wonder what are the conditions at the moment regarding the granting of citizenship. There are so many stateless persons in Singapore who are "floating characters", i.e, they are neither citizens nor are they ever likely to become citizens. These poor persons, because of their status, cannot get jobs. They can neither apply for a flat nor go across the causeway to visit their relatives and friends. Why cannot we issue them with a certificate of identity so that they can at least go across the causeway in case of emergency!”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I suggested secondment of prison officers because they can get information from drug traffickers who are in prison. The prison officers can co-operate with the Bureau officers and arrest the drug traffickers. I do not say that all of them should be prison officers, but I feel that at least two or three prison officers should be seconded to the Bureau to track down the drug traffickers.”
“The talks were presented to school teachers, army personnel, doctors, nurses, University students, community centres, service clubs, religious organisations and schools. It also provided exhibits for various organisations. It is now in the process of preparing pamphlets for distribution. These pamphlets will only deal with drug abuse locally. The Bureau is also acting in an advisory capacity to the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association, which is a voluntary organisation geared to provide counselling and assistance services. With regard to the suggestion by the Member for Sembawang that we should organise a campaign to discourage drug abuse, may I say that many organisations have organised exhibitions and campaigns against drug abuse. The Central Narcotics Bureau has provided exhibits and acted in an advisory capacity to these organisations. The Bureau intends to organise a joint campaign with the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association this year. However, the Bureau feels that the prevention of drug abuse should be done on a long-term basis by developing attitudes against drug abuse. Campaigns by themselves have limited uses. Therefore, I agree with the suggestion that we should try to have more anti-drug education in the schools. I believe this will be part of the curriculum. On the point made by the Member for Changi with regard to principals and teachers being reluctant to report cases of drug abuse in the schools because it would mean involving themselves with much paper work with the Ministry of Education, and the school being black-marked, if this is true I sympathise with them. I assure the Member that I would use my good offices to get the assurance of my colleague, the Minister for Education, that such things do not happen.”
“The Association is now considering organising a counselling course for volunteers comprising members of the public. The Association welcomes all the help it can get from the rest of the community. The Member for Katong suggested that the Central Narcotics Bureau should have more officers. Of course, I welcome that suggestion. However, I would say that, in the nature of things, we have to start from a small beginning and we hope to enlarge the Bureau eventually. The point is not so much having so many posts but having the bodies to fill the posts. At the moment, many of the posts have been filled by way of secondments from the Police Force and the Customs. We will try our very best to get the Police and the Customs to second more men to the Bureau. The Member for Sembawang warns to know how much has been achieved since the setting up of the Central Narcotics Bureau. May I say that the Bureau was set up in mid-November 1971 to deal with drug trafficking and drug abuse? In the year 1972, the Enforcement Section of the Central Narcotics Bureau carried out an average of 264 raids each month. It also carried out investigations into complaints and information given by the public, which amounted to an average of 30 complaints monthly. In co-operation with overseas enforcement agencies, the Bureau also undertakes investigations into international drug trafficking. Several successes have been obtained in this area of work. In the year 1972, the Bureau effected 2,634 arrests. These include 111 persons who were convicted for major drug offences. These were the traffickers, distributors, pedlars of the various dangerous drugs. The publicity section of the Bureau provided speakers for talks on no less than 36 occasions.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, many Members have spoken about the Central Narcotics Bureau. I have a few points to raise. Sir, drug addiction is becoming quite prevalent in Singapore. We have established the Central Narcotics Bureau to fight this menace. Although it has done an excellent job so far, I would suggest that the Bureau be expanded immediately and officers be placed at all entry points of drug traffickers. At present, the small Bureau is tied down with work and soon it may not be able to cope with the increase in the incidence of drug abuse. I wonder whether a few prison officers can be seconded to the Bureau and be given the power to arrest drug traffickers and addicts because they are in a position to deal with the situation through information gathered from drug addicted prisoners. In addition, I suggest that to fight drug addiction, we should set up an effective national youth council whose sole function will be to help people who are drug addicts. At present, there are inadequate facilities to help drug addicts. Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, may I first deal with the points brought up by the Member for Katong? May I say that talks on drug abuse have been presented to parent groups and student groups at service clubs, religious organisations, community centres, tertiary institutions, and schools. Many parents, brothers and sisters of drug abusers have come to the Central Narcotics Bureau to seek help for their loved ones who are drug abusers. Those concerned have been effectively counselled. The Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association has been gearing itself to provide a counselling and assistance service to drug abusers and to educate the public on the dangers of drug abuse.”
“Sir, there is an increase in the volume of traffic, which cannot be controlled at the moment. And on the last occasion, why should they want to stop the procession? I do not think the Minister's reply is proper. The Minister will have to reconsider this matter and give favourable consideration next year. I do not want to say any more on this matter.”
“You cannot give that reason. Has there been any trouble previously? Has there been any religious quarrel? This procession is a tradition. The Minister must not allow the Police to stop issuing the permit. I cannot bear listening to people talking about this, and, therefore, something must be done regarding this procession. I would like to ask the Minister to reconsider this matter.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, regarding the religious foot procession, the hon. Minister has not given an answer as to why it was restricted last year. I had a lot of trouble last year. When the devotees were all gathered in the Perumal Temple and were ready to go to Mariamman Temple for the fire-walking ceremony, they found that the Police had blocked the place. They could not move because they had no permission. Mr Speaker, Sir, these people have been holding that procession for more than a hundred years, so what is the reason for stopping them last year?”
“After that, these people with low morals would commit the act of vandalism. Therefore, the STB has experienced losses in repairing public telephones. So I hope that in launching this anti-vandalism campaign, the Police can educate our society to appreciate public property and to impose heavy penalties on those who commit acts of vandalism. 3.45 p.m.”
“If the Government is sincere and wishes to eradicate the symptoms which will affect our youths, it should be firm in its stand and should not hesitate to take action to ban the import of silk and nylon stockings and "bad" records. On the other hand, Sir, if the Government depends on the revenue from the import of these articles, then do not condemn the people who admire these fashions. In my opinion, a more effective way to eradicate these fashions is to hold campaigns, like the "Keep Singapore Clean Campaign", "Garden City Campaign" and similar campaigns which have received good response in the past. Similarly, if we organise campaigns along these lines, I am sure the results will be beneficial. I would also like to suggest that the Police hold an anti-vandalism campaign in Singapore because I find that at the moment, our society is not yet appreciative of public property. Many lifts in Housing Board flats are vandalised. Some lifts are disfigured with scribbles and obscene pictures. Some people urinate in the lifts and commit many others acts of vandalism. Bus shelters, public telephones and vehicles are not spared. The Government has to provide bus shelters, and the Singapore Telephone Board has to provide public telephones. But because of acts of vandalism by a small section of the population, many people suffer because they cannot use these facilities in times of emergency. The STB is trying to provide as many public telephones as possible in the urban and rural areas. But with increased acts of vandalism on public telephones, the efforts of the STB to maintain these telephones have not been fruitful. Every time a telephone is repaired, it would only be serviceable for one or two weeks at the most.”
“Yes, Sir. Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi (Kampung Kembangan)(In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, the people of Singapore still need education in many matters which involve their morals, especially our teenagers. Most of our youths have been influenced by fashions and cultures from the West. Whatever fashion and culture that come from the West are considered modern fashion and culture. But if we scrutinise and analyse most of these fashions and cultures, we find that they belong to the stone age, and our youths imitate these fashions without considering whether they are good or bad. If I am not mistaken, Sir, the Minister of Defence has condemned the youths who imitate Western fashions as WOGs, or Western-oriented gentlemen, the steel guitar music as outrageous, and the youths who sport long hair as hippies. I agree with the views of the Minister of Defence. But what about the gentlemen who wear neckties and those who play golf? Are they also WOGs? What I regret, Sir, is the attitude of the Government in respect of these matters. The authorities concerned are not firm in dealing with them. On one previous occasion, the Police and Immigration took action against youths who sport long hair, but there has been no follow-up. The Ministry of Finance has issued circulars to Government departments and statutory bodies to take action against their staff who sport long hair, and to serve people with long hair last. Nevertheless, these instructions are not followed, and there are senior officers who still sport long hair. On the question of WOG society, although the Minister of Defence has condemned these youths, the Trade Division still allows the import of nylon stockings and records with outrageous music.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there has been a fantastic increase in the number of vehicles on our roads during the last decade. Although there is a continuous widening and improvement of our road system to cope with the increase in traffic, yet our traffic police force has not kept pace with this increase. As a result, it is a common sight daily to see drivers violating every traffic rule on the roads. Matters are being made worse by our bus and lorry drivers who seem to think that they are the untouchables in the eyes of the law. When will the strength of the traffic police be increased before we experience a disorderly society giving vent to its feelings on the roads? The road seems to be a place for irresponsible behaviour on the part of our young drivers particularly. There seems to be an alarming increase in the number of traffic offences nowadays. The very small force of traffic policemen is not able to cope with the increase in traffic. Offences of beating the traffic lights and, in fact, ignoring the lights, seem to take place too often. It is time that the ordinary beat policeman was given the right to book offenders on the spot. On this point, may I suggest to the Minister that ordinary policemen be posted at the usual congested areas during the peak periods? Sir, drug addiction is becoming quite prevalent in Singapore. Though the Central Narcotics Bureau has done an excellent job so far -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, what is the guideline used in the issue of permits for religious street processions? The authorities are now issuing permits for street processions, which are somewhat restricted. I wonder why the Police should deem fit to reject some of the applications for permits for street procession without giving any reasonable explanation. Sir, I have to make an appeal in this Chamber on this matter because the street procession is a vow that some religious groups have made, and it has since been a tradition. Therefore, where religious matters arc concerned, I feel that the Minister should consider relaxing the rules for the issue of such permits. If it is a question of security measures that these permits have not been granted, then I would call upon the Minister to send more security officers to the procession to see that it is being carried out peacefully.”
“I have mentioned only one case, but I am sure there are many other similar cases which might have cost some lives as a result of such delays. Another point I would like to raise, Sir, is a complaint I received from a patient that some hospital nurses, who attend to patients, are unable to make out the prescriptions of medicines written in the case-history of patients which is kept beside the patient. The complaint was that a nurse, in going through a case-history, was heard to have told another nurse that she presumed the medicine should be this and that. This sort of presumption is not a playful matter because the medicine given to the patients could be the wrong one and might cause mishaps eventually. Can the Minister look into this complaint of "presumptions" by nurses and see that they do not discuss such matters in front of patients, which may cause worry to the patients who are on the sick bed.”
“A person whose sleep is interrupted every few hours is not going to be a person with good judgment in emergency cases. Are our citizens, who are sick in hospital, made to suffer at the hands of doctors, who have had insufficient rest? Surely it is inhuman to make a person work under such tiring circumstances. No wonder, despite all the incentives in pay and promotion prospects, there is a high rate of resignation among doctors. Sir, may I also ask the Minister why the Thomson Road General Hospital does not deal with compound fracture cases? Recently, a person in a chase after some boys, fractured an arm and was taken to the Thomson Road General Hospital. The authorities made the poor man wait for more than two hours I mean two hours - before advising him to go to the Outram Road General Hospital as there were no facilities available at that hospital. We cannot make boast of our hospital service if we have cases like this. I wonder how many citizens have been made to suffer unnecessarily by the authorities of this particular hospital. According to the numerous complaints in the newspapers, I guess there must have been many cases. Can the Minister do something about this matter and remedy the situation? Sir, I would like to know how long does the emergency ward in the Outram Road General Hospital take to deal with emergency cases. Recently there was an old lady suffering from a heart attack. She was taken to the hospital by an ambulance at 8 a.m, and was put in one corner unattended till 10 a.m. I wonder why the hospital authorities take such a long time to deal with emergency cases. Either the doctors cannot cope with emergency cases or something is wrong with the section. Can the Minister do something to remedy the situation at the Emergency Ward?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, recently, while one criminal was under treatment in a hospital, he got the help of an accomplice and escaped. After this incident, I want to know what measures have been taken to tighten up security in the wards where prisoners are being treated? The doctors who work in the hospitals sometimes have to be on duty for 24 hours at one stretch. Although they are allowed time to sleep in special rooms, theoretically they are supposed to have some rest, but in practice it does not work that way. An hon. Member: Hear, hear!”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in addition to this amendment on Head 1201, I have another amendment* on Head 1202, Hospitals Division. Can I range over both amendments, Sir? * The amendment, standing in the names of Messrs P. Govindaswamy and Ch'ng Jit Koon, reads as follows: (1) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1202 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001.”
“I am not moving my amendments, Sir. The following amendments stood in the name of Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi - (3) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1108 be reduced by $10 in respect of sub' head 2028. (4) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1108 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 21. (5) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1108 be reduced by $10 in respect of item (04) of subhead 23.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease at Jurong Abattoir has resulted in the unnecessary slaughter of animals imported from overseas. As a result, the price of fresh mutton and beef has gone up enormously. Further, I understand that these animals are inspected en masse, and not singly. With this type of inspection sometimes a single animal suffering from this disease may escape detection. Can more stringent measures be introduced to ensure that our citizens are protected from consumption of unwholesome meat accidentally? The press has reported that before the detection of the foot and mouth disease of animals, meat from a few slaughtered heads were sold in the market. It is fortunate that there has been no outbreak of disease among those who had consumed the infected meat. Sir, with increasing urban renewal projects taking place all over Singapore, what steps are being taken to introduce flatted farming for the rearing of pigs, poultry and fish? There was a lot of talk about the feasibility of rearing pigs in flatted buildings. But, up to-date, what progress has been made besides conducting a feasibility study?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have received many complaints that structures which had been erected many years ago are now considered as unauthorised structures by the Land Office, and have to be pulled down. I wonder whether the Minister will consider allowing such structures to stand until such time as the whole locality is taken over by the Urban Renewal Authority. After all, the structures have been there for a long time, and it is only a matter of time before the area will be taken over by the Urban Renewal Authority. Can the Minister consider giving alternative accommodation to the occupants of those unauthorised structures, who have been living there for more than seven years now, should the Government decide to take over their place?”
“(1) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1003 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001. Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi: (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1003 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 3001.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the explanation of the Minister, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1001 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1261. Sir, I understand that the Singapore Government Officers' Co-operative Housing Society is in trouble. Most of its members have resigned, but they have not been able to withdraw their deposits. Some of those members who have bought houses through the Housing Society wish to make a full settlement of their housing loans, but the Society cannot accept it. Can the Minister look into the matter and find a solution or rectify the situation?”
“Sometime ago the National Sports Promotion Board took action to suspend some prominent soccer players for their bad conduct abroad. I wonder whether precautionary measures have also been taken to prevent a recurrence of this nature among all other sportsmen. Sir, the inter-constituency tournament in soccer and basket-ball has to a certain extent provided a change of scene for our sportsmen from the various constituencies. A few talented sportsmen were selected to represent the State. I wonder whether competition of this nature can be organised for the other sports.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the formation of the National Sports Promotion Board a few years ago by the Ministry of Social Affairs is commendable. As a result, I believe officials from the various sports organisations have organised themselves to promote sports in the Republic. We should be proud that the SEAP games will be held in Singapore very soon. We have provided many facilities to promote sports in the various fields. However, I am a little perturbed over the standard of our sportsmen in international competitions. I wonder what the Ministry is doing to inject new blood into the various fields of sports. It is no use spending so much money in providing facilities when the people are not taking advantage of them. Sportsmen do not directly contribute to the Republic's revenue. Nevertheless, their achievement abroad is a morale booster for our country. We have introduced family planning and one of the reasons is to achieve quality in our society. Therefore, sports as a social benefit should never be neglected. I would urge the Minister to inject new blood into our sports organisations. In this way we can bring the standard of our sports to international level. Every encouragement should be given to our sportsmen, otherwise it will be very hard for them to reach a high standard. This can be accomplished to a great extent by offering incentives to our sportsmen, such as time-off and allowances. For example, a man may want to go for football practice, but he may not do so because he has to work the whole day. The result is that he would not be able to play football well. He might not be able even to kick the ball! They should also be given training in international events. Steps should also be taken to ensure that discipline is maintained among our sportsmen.”
“Sir, I have not brought this matter up in the past few years because only recently did I receive such a complaint. Therefore, I now bring it up for the Minister's consideration.”
“Sir, it is not a question of the majority or the minority. We are now talking in the context of our multi-racial society. Therefore, why should there be this discrimination? Singaporeans do not think in terms of whether they are in the majority or minority nowadays. They belong to a multi-racial society. So why should radio broadcasts in the other three languages go on to midnight, and stop broadcasting Tamil programmes at 9.00 p.m.?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister is on the wrong track. There is a weekly film show in Tamil, on Thursdays and Fridays. Usually they telecast the film at 9.25 p.m. on Thursdays, and at 9.30 on Fridays. Sometimes these times have been changed from 9.25 and 9.30 p.m. to 10.00 and 10.30 p.m. respectively. It will therefore mean that people will have to stay up late to watch these films as they go on up to midnight. So I want the times for the Tamil films to be fixed at 9.25 and 9.30 p.m. for Thursdays and Fridays respectively. I do not want the times to be earlier or later than 9.25 p.m. or 9.30 p.m. This is because on Fridays some Tamil people want to visit the temple and when they go home they can watch the Tamil shows on TV. If it is telecast earlier, they may not go to the temple as they will want to watch the shows. Therefore, we should stick to 9.25 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. Does the Minister understand now? The other point I wish to make is about radio programmes. Radio Singapore stop broadcasting Tamil programmes at 9.00 p.m. For the other language mediums, they broadcast the programmes up to midnight. Why is this so? Radio Singapore should also end the broadcast of Tamil programmes at midnight. Then the Tamil community will not talk of discrimination in a multi-racial society. That is the reason why I am asking the Minister to extend the times.”
“Can the Tamil section programmes be improved with more new items and more artistes participating? Sir, I would also like to know the progress our country is making in respect of colour TV. May I know when will this be introduced? Everybody is expecting to buy a colour TV. If the Ministry is not introducing colour TV, then they would not want to buy, and moreover we would not get more revenue. What my colleague, the Member for Katong, has said about the Indian cultural show is very important. When they move their hands, there is some meaning. When they move their eyes or heads, there is also some meaning. These movements must be explained so that the other races can understand and may learn how to bring this culture together with other cultures to mould our national culture. I hope the Minister will instruct the Broadcasting Department to explain the significance of these movements for every show, so that it will be easy for the people to learn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to know why Tamil radio programmes close down at 9.00 p.m., whereas the other language programmes continue till midnight. I am raising this matter in the House because I have received complaints from the public to this effect. Therefore, I have to bring this matter up here. Can the same privilege be extended to the Tamil programme listeners? I have also noticed that Tamil news-readers have all along been pronouncing the word "million" in English. Is there no such a word in Tamil? Or is it because the reader does not know the actual word in Tamil? In Tamil, "million" is called oru latcham. "Ten million" is oru kodi. It is so simple. I have to bring this matter up although it may be trivial, because there has been criticism by some Tamil speaking groups on the word. Sir, at the last two Budget sittings, I had brought up the question of Tamil films being shown on TV rather too late in the evening. The Parliamentary Secretary last year had promised to consider the matter, yet so far nothing has been done. Can the Minister concerned do something positive to screen the films at an earlier hour? At present, the film is scheduled at 9.25 p.m. or 9.30 p.m. For God's sake, stick to the scheduled time! Do not extend it to 9.40 p.m., or 10.00 p.m. At 9.20 p.m. or 9.25 p.m. is fair enough, because sometime they have to change the time. When you see in the newspaper that the scheduled time is 9.40 p.m., they will only telecast it at 10.10 p.m. Therefore, I think they should strictly keep to the scheduled time, at 9.25 p.m. Further, Sir, in respect of Tamil programmes, I observe that very often most of them are repeated and only a few artistes appear in all these programmes.”
“At one time, if not recently, there was a lot of camera gimmickry going on even in serious programmes, like zooming, panning, super-imposition. Even when it is a ballet, an Indian dance or an orchestra, it is quite a giddying experience to watch the tricks of the cameramen. Sir, all this indicates that there is a necessity for an improvement of our telecasting expertise. I hope that steps will be taken in this direction. 6.00 p.m.”