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 Amendment by leave, withdrawn.”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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“I would suggest that it is important for it to be well known generally that, in theory and in practice, it is possible for meritorious officers to be promoted to higher grades, even though they may not have the educational qualifications normally required for direct entry into the grade, provided always that they are in all respects capable of performing the duties of the higher grade. Therefore, the stress should be laid on performance and potential rather than on formal qualifications. There should always be promotional opportunities open to serving officers capable of high performance. Therefore, at all levels of the service a number of vacancies in the recruitment grades should be made available for in-service promotion for such officers. It is also important that an officer should benefit immediately on promotion and that the promotional increase should he a meaningful one, i.e., it should be an amount representing not less than one normal increment on the salary scale of the post to which the officer is promoted. A scheme should also he framed to give more than one annual increment to officers as an incentive to officers for their exceptionally good performance during the year. Again, in respect of the rising cost of living, pensioners who had retired prior to the implementation of consolidated salaries - not myself, there are others- should have their pensions computed to the equivalent of the consolidation in order to keep up with the times. Mr Speaker, Sir, this term of Parliament saw the introduction of a new Ministry. The Ministry of the Environment was formed at a very apt moment. It is worth noting that the Ministry has many important responsibilities under its care.”
“In the long run more and more shipping companies would be wise to the game and would discharge their cargo in the roads instead. This is not a good omen for Singapore. Either the tariffs are lowered or some other means have to be adopted to bring back the "lost" ships. Just because we are enjoying boom conditions in other sectors, it does not mean that we should neglect or gloss over the statistics issued by the PSA. Otherwise one of our important sources of income may dry up through neglect and a false picture created by statistics. At this time may I also bring to the attention of the Government the plight of the lower income group in the civil service. With the cost of living going up, these workers are the ones who are being neglected, and they are finding it extremely hard to stretch the dollar. It is time that review of their salary structures be considered immediately. If there is going to be a wage revision, may 1 suggest that the lower income group workers be given a higher percentage of the increase as against the increase for the higher Division officers. In the civil service and in the statutory boards it is the officer with the proper qualifications who gets the promotion and not the person with capabilities. A person with a University degree can be assured of a promotion when competing with a non-graduate for a certain post, although the non-graduate may be more experienced and quite often more capable than the graduate. This system of giving University graduates preferential treatment in everything has thus produced a dis-satisfied civil service, particularly in the case of the non-graduate who is a very capable person.”
“It is high time that work permits were issued to workers, particularly to those employed in factories, as they are being exploited by their employers. Further, these workers do not have any CPF contributions made to them; thus the country and the workers are losing money. Touching on the subject of visas, may I point out that the office responsible for the issue of visas seems to have a particular prejudice against members of the religious orders. Quite often they have difficulty in the renewal of their visas. To make matters worse, new applications are quite often rejected. Since Singaporeans are more interested in the materialistic world which they are surrounded with, only a few join the religious orders. There is great difficulty among the religious orders in maintaining the services, institutions and homes, which they have admirably maintained for so many years. The President's speech, however, has failed to mention the problems faced by the Port of Singapore Authority. Statistics in this case are very deceiving. Since the PSA raised their tariffs late last year, many vessels have avoided coming to the docks in order to avoid paying the very high charges. Statistically, during the first half of this year as compared with that of last year, there is a greater turn-round of ships and greater handling of cargo. But one most important thing has been covered up by these statistics issued by the PSA; and that is, there is a great volume of cargo being handled at the roads, for which the PSA is losing money. These ships at the roads avoid paying the many charges involved, if they had docked. Thereby Singapore is losing a great deal of money. It is necessary for some sort of remedial action to be taken to alleviate this abnormal situation.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the opening Address to Parliament by our President on 12th October in this House is a very significant one. The speech outlined plans for Singapore and the problems we have faced and may face in the next five years. The contents of the speech are worth noting for the down-to-earth treatment of our problems we are facing, instead of presenting a speech with a glossy surface as is the case with some other countries. After the elections in 1968 we were faced with a very grave problem. The British in their desperate efforts to salvage a sinking economy, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, had dealt Singapore a terrible blow. Their announcement of an early withdrawal of their troops would have spelt the death knell for many countries, but not for Singapore because of the kind of citizens that Singapore possesses. Fortunately we have an efficient government whose foresight has saved Singapore many a time. The Government has again proved its worth and calibre. Under the Prime Minister's magnificent leadership, together with the resourcefulness and hardworking nature of the Singaporeans, we have instead proved the doomsday prophets wrong once again. Nowhere in Asia, besides Japan, is there a country experiencing such boom conditions. However, to experience these boom conditions further, we have to employ a great number of non-citizens from abroad. I might mention at this stage that, although work permits are issued liberally for most categories of workers, we still find factories employing workers without work permits. These workers had their applications for work permits rejected by the officials responsible, on some flimsy grounds.”
“No I am sorry, Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the meter reader does not take down the accurate figures, you know. So he will have to check up. I have received so many complaints about that. For example, for this month the bill is $20, and for the next month $30; and the following month it increases to $40. I do not know how or in what way they read the meter. He must check on this.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the hon. Minister did not reply to my question about meter reading.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask a very simple question. It is about meter readers. Whenever meter readers take a reading of the meters, the consumption seems to increase every month. Will the Minister do something about that? While he is equalising the rates on the one hand, he is increasing the meter readings on the other. Will the Minister look into this matter first, after introducing the new tariff?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, flue Bill which the Minister for Labour is introducing is a good one. However, I wish to bring up some points regarding the payment of more than three months' bonus. Some employers are willing to pay more than three months' bonus because of the low salaries of their employees. Will the Minister consider introducing a minimum wage in the Bill? if a minimum wage is introduced, the bonus will probably be restricted to three months. The Minister was very interested about the private sector. However, nothing is being done about the public sector. What does the Minister propose to do about the public sector? Is he proposing that the unions should negotiate with the Government, or does he propose to introduce another Bill for the public sector? I hope the Minister will look into this matter. It is very important that we also look after the public sector because it is the backbone of the Government. Therefore, I hope the Minister will look into this matter.”
“Sir, if the vessels are not berthed alongside the wharves, how can the labourer get more pay? So many vessels are in the outer roads discharging cargo by putting it into lighters which then take it to the wharves. Sir, will the Minister take action to see that no ship must be allowed to unload in outer roads, but must come alongside the wharves? Only then will the labourers get more work and more pay.”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, in view of the Minister's long explanation and also his plea for cooperation on the part of the public, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn Mr Teong Eng Siong(In Mandarin):Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 91 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 101*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Sim Boon Woo.) Sir, this provision of about $96 million is for loans to industrial and commercial enterprises. This, I believe, is essential to enable commercial and industrial enterprises to develop further. Can the Minister explain to this House how are these loans going to be used? I wish to know the details concerning these loans. What are the projects for which these loans are given? What are the conditions for such loans and what is the rate of interest?”
“This is unreasonable, especially when there are other people waiting to make use of the telephone. We are now considering the possibility of introducing a timing device which will automatically disconnect the call after three minutes. The cost of such a device is estimated at $150. As there are more than 1,200 public telephones, the capital expenditure involved could amount to $200,000. It is a sizable sum to spend on such a device. We will have to study the cost benefits to see whether it is worthwhile to spend such a large sum of money. In the meantime, we can only hope that the public will cooperate, so that if they do not make use of the public telephones for such a long time, we would not have to spend $200,000 to cut off the call automatically after three minutes. While on the subject of vandalism, Sir, perhaps this is a good opportunity for me to remind the House, especially members of the public, that we do have the Vandalism Act (Chapter 108) where, under section 2 (b) of this Act, an act of vandalism includes "stealing, destroying or damaging any public property". And "public property" has been defined as "movable or immovable property belonging to the Government... or to any statutory body...". And the Singapore Telephone Board is a statutory body. Any person found guilty of acts of vandalism, such as stealing, destroying or damaging public telephone booths is liable, on conviction, to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, and shall also be punished with caning with not less than three strokes and not more than eight strokes. I think the punishment by caning will deter many acts of vandalism in Singapore.”
“For instance, in the course of their duties, especially at night, they could pass by public telephones booths more often than usual and to keep an eye on them. This assistance is particularly sought where there are public telephones in remote areas. Thirdly, the Singapore Telephone Board has begun to remove the spring doors of telephone booths. In the past we thought that wooden doors would give the users some privacy. However, we now think that this is not a good idea. We are going to remove the doors so that if anyone tries to prise open a coin box, he can easily be seen by passers-by or by the Police patrol cars. Lastly, there will be more frequent visits to the telephone booths by the Singapore Telephone Board coin collectors. These are the measures we have taken so far, but other measures are being contemplated. Firstly, public telephones will be located in conspicuous places, like community centres. Secondly, we are considering the possibility of installing burglar alarms, as has been suggested by the Member for Anson. Of course, such devices can only be installed if the cost is not too prohibitive. It should be reasonably economical. If we install an alarm which costs $1,000 in order to collect $10 a month, then it is not economical. Of course, we will try to educate the public through the mass media, that is, the radio and the television. We will also consider the question of lighting the booths. Here it is a question of cost. Is it economically worthwhile to provide lighting for the booths as against the provision of more coinafons in coffee shops? We will have to look into this matter. Coming now to the timing device for public telephones, it is true that some people do put in ten cents and talk for half an hour.”
“There were 670 cases in 1970, but the number has gone down to 237 in 1971, Of particular significance is the number of incidents where coin boxes were broken into. There were as many as 337 cases in 1970, but the number went down to only 37 for last year. Of course, we must give credit to the Police for having arrested a very persistent culprit late in 1970. The case was reported in the press. I would like to express my appreciation of the Police, as conditions have since improved. However, I should like to take this opportunity to mention the various measures which have been taken by the Singapore Telephone Board to reduce acts of vandalism. It is unfortunate that some people who use public telephones are inclined to put match sticks into the dials, and therefore jamming the mechanism. These are minor irritants. But when we have cases of severe damage, for example, when the handsets are smashed - we consider this a major damage - the Singapore Telephones Board has been instructed to contact, first, the Member of Parliament for that area to seek his assistance, because he knows his constituents best. He may know where the bad hats are and where the troublesome people usually congregate. Therefore, through the Member of Parliament, we will also be able to liase with the Citizens' Consultative Committee, whose members are at the grass-root level. They know which streets are "good" and which streets are "not very good" for the siting of public telephones. It is through the assistance and co-operation of Members of Parliament and the Citizens' Consultative Committees that we have been able to reduce the previous high rate of vandalism and to bring it down to a check. Secondly, the Singapore Telephone Board also secures the assistance of the Vigilante Corps.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 91 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 007. Sir, the Singapore Telephone Board has been complaining for many years about acts of vandalism on public telephones. Can this act of vandalism be prevented by lighting the booths so that such acts can easily be detected? This will be a deterrent to those intending to damage public telephones. The Singapore Telephone Board can increase its earnings by installing more coinafons in coffee shops. Many of the public telephone booths are sited in obscure places. The design of the booth is such that the weather has not been taken into consideration. Is there any means whereby the Singapore Telephone Board could introduce a timing device in public telephone booths whereby a caller is limited to only a few minute's use? At present it is common to see inconsiderate people using public telephones for long periods at a time when a number of other people are waiting to use them. I would also suggest that a burglar alarm be installed, so that when the coin box is being broken into, it will sound a siren so that the culprit can easily be apprehended. It is also noted that certain public telephones are out of order, and it would be some weeks before they are repaired. Will the Singapore Telephone Board undertake immediate repairs to telephones which are out of order? The Minister for Communications (Mr Yong Nyuk Lin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully concur with the concern expressed by the Member for Anson over the question of acts of vandalism to our public telephones. However, I am pleased to say that such acts of vandalism have shown a noticeable decline in recent years.”
“Thirdly, in the implementation of the development plans in Alsagoff Estate, would the evicted families be given priority of employment in the factories in the area when they are built, as has been mentioned by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Law and National Development, who is also the Chairman of the U.R.S.C.? He has said so a little while ago in this House. My final question is when will the development projects be started?”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff(In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 91 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 003*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Teong Eng Siong.) Sir, for 1971-72 the amount loaned to the Housing and Development Board totalled $100 million, and for 1972-73 a loan of $180 million has been provided, which is an increase of $80 million. Last week, the Minister for Health, when discussing the allocation for the Public Health Division, said that Alsagoff Estate has to be redeveloped before public health measures can be carried out. Therefore, I wish to know whether this loan to the Housing and Development Board includes development to be carried out by the Housing and Development Board in the Alsagoff Estate. 4.15 p.m. I wish to put forward a few questions to the Minister in charge. Firstly, can the Minister explain to this House whether Alsagoff Estate has been bought over by the Housing and Development Board? The reason for my question is that when I submitted an application for amenities to the Urban and Rural Services Committee, they replied that permission is required from the landlord. And when the secretary of my C.C.C, sought permission from the Alsagoff Estate, the administrators said that they no longer had powers to give such permission because the land has been bought over by the Government. However, they are still collecting ground rent from the occupiers of Alsagoff Estate every month. Secondly, what are the development plans for this area, and when will such plans be implemented?”
“Sir, I am aware of the reply given by the Minister for Finance to the question asked by the Member for Telok Blangah. What I want to know is whether the Minister for Finance will direct the P.U.B, to take into consideration the plight of the lower-income group when fixing the single rate for power and lighting. The main point of my question is that the rates for lower-income group should be slightly lower than the rates for the other income groups.”
“But it must be a reasonable charge for the lower-income group. It is encouraging to note that the P.U.B, is using naphtha as feedstock in order to reduce air pollution. Is the P.U.B, aware that Singaporeans are finding it cheaper to use the commercialised bottled gas, and has the P.U.B, any intention of reducing the charge for their domestic gas so as to compete at par with commercial suppliers of bottled gas?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 91 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 002. Sir, I notice that this is a loan of $25 million to the Public Utilities Board. I do not know what the P.U.B, is going to do with the $25 million. Anyway, I wish to raise some queries. I wish to query the P.U.B, on the manner in which it deals with the public as far as deposit accounts are concerned. Let me point out an example. A widow who wanted to transfer the account of her husband, who was the sole breadwinner in the family, was asked to pay another deposit and start a new account. I want to know why the deposit already paid by the husband cannot be used. She was told that the original deposit will be refunded only later on and subject to a claim for it. May I ask why is the P.U.B, so heartless, especially to the lower-income group? The P.U.B, seems to give the impression to the public that it is doing a very big favour for a very small service. Let me give a further example of how the P.U.B. metes out a shabby form of treatment to the lower-income group. The rich who can afford air- conditioners in their homes are charged a lower rate for their electricity supply. While unfortunate people who only want better ventilation by using fans are charged a higher rate because fans can only be connected to the lighting points. This is a terrible injustice on the part of P.U.B. It is high time that this unjust form of charges should be brought in line with the socialist practice. It is also hoped that when the P.U.B, introduces a uniform rate of charges for both power and lighting in the near future its officers will take into consideration the plight of the lower-income group. To charge a uniform rate for power and lighting is a good idea.”
“Thank you. Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff(In Malay): Sir, the allocation of $12,000 for Kampong Kembangan was just a small sum compared to the amount allocated for Sembawang. Therefore, I hope that when I submit the application for the improvement of Kampong Pachitan, the vote for Kampong Kembangan would be equal to, if not, at least half or three-quarters of last year's vote for Sembawang.”
“Mr Speaker, Sr. I have not yet heard any reply from the Parliamentary Secretary regarding the overhead bridge and the street lights in Palmer Road.”
“Sir, a lot of money is being spent on overhead bridges. Therefore they should be fully utilised by the people. We would be spending money unnecessarily if nobody is going to use the overhead bridges. Therefore, proper arrangements should be made to see that the overhead bridge near the Gan Eng Seng School is fully utilised. Will the Minister or his Parliamentary Secretary look into this matter? Sir, approval was given last year to put up lights in Palmer Road, which is also in my constituency. I was promised that it would be completed last September. However, six months have passed-and it is now March 1972- and yet no lights have been put up. I hope the Minister or his Parliamentary Secretary concerned will look into this matter.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not know whether or not it is proper for me to raise one question. Sir, before an overhead bridge is erected, the Citizens' Consultative Committee or the Member of Parliament of that constituency should be consulted. There is one overhead bridge in my constituency. It is near the Gan Eng Seng School. The children going to and from the school do not use this overhead bridge because they have to cross two other roads where there is more traffic, before they can come to this overhead bridge. But there are no overhead bridges for these two other roads where the traffic is very heavy. Therefore, the school children do not wish to utilise the overhead bridge near their school. I do not know whether or not the other Members of Parliament were consulted when an overhead bridge was built in their constituencies. But in this case, neither my Citizens' Consultative Committee nor myself was consulted. Last Sunday I drove through my constituency - The Chairman: Order. Mr P. Govindaswamy, I am afraid we have crossed the bridge many days ago!”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, has the Minister any plans to start a third T.V, channel, especially for Tamil and Malay programmes?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I just wish to raise one question about aided schools. I cannot understand why the Umar Pulavar Tamil School at Maxwell Road has no field or a playground. I wonder whether the Minister can provide a playing field for that secondary school.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, citizenship is not a right but only a privilege. I fully agree with the statement. But can the Minister say why there are so many stateless persons in Singapore? They are "floating" characters, and are neither citizens of any country nor are they likely to be granted Singapore citizenship. Because of their status, they cannot apply for flats and cannot even go across the Causeway to visit relatives or friends. Surely they deserve a more humane approach by the Government. Why not issue them with Certificates of Identity so that at least they can go across the Causeway? Furthermore, there are many people who have applied for citizenship and although they are kept waiting, they are not told what their chances are of obtaining citizenship. To assist them can we not give them a specific date when they will be informed whether their application is approved or rejected? They will at least be saved the misery of the long wait and instead can make alternative arrangements. 3.45 p.m.”
“Otherwise our youths and also the citizens of Singapore will be spoilt in the future. It is very bad for the State.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the newly formed Central Narcotics Bureau has been very successful in smashing the drug peddling rings in the notorious areas. However, the Bureau should expand its staff by recruiting some young men. At present the Bureau consists of older men who rely on tips more than anything else. The younger men can penetrate into these drug rings and thereby expose them, and perhaps they may catch the "big fish" behind this menace. 3.30 p.m. Furthermore, what action has been taken by the Bureau to prevent University boys from becoming addicts? I understand that some of our University boys are taking pills to keep up with the "in-crowd". It is time that some of the vermin was eliminated before it spreads like a plague in the University. Sir, sometimes when one takes ganja, it activates the mind. Because of this, the University students take ganja in order to concentrate on their studies. But this has a bad effect on the human body, and will finally ruin the body. There is no doubt that this is bad and dangerous for their future. Therefore, the Government must take action on this serious matter. Sir, I also understand that hippism is associated with drug-taking and if long hair is characteristic of hippism, then it is time that we acted on our youngsters who sport long hair. Even junior doctors have long hair! We must check this trend because it affects the society. We must destroy the poisoning effects of the demoralised Western society being accepted here by our local youths as being a fashionable thing. These youngsters who keep long hair must be pulled up and charged. Parents too should do their part in discouraging their children from keeping long hair. It is very important for the Minister to take action on this matter. He must not prolong the matter.”
“(5) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1551.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister has not replied to my question regarding the Playboy magazines.”
“What is the number of traffic policemen at present in the Force, and how many of them are on traffic duty at any one time? Why is it a common sight in Singapore's roads to find traffic policemen on duty in pairs, in threes or in fours? It is time that more traffic policemen were on foot duty at junctions of busy roads, particularly in narrow lanes where most of the traffic offences are committed.”
“Sir, how many policemen have resigned from the Force? Quite a number, I think; enough to create a staffing problem that can be described as critical. May I ask the Minister concerned why has this problem been allowed to deteriorate to such a state? Is it because of lack of esprit de corps in the Force? Or is it because of the bullying attitudes of the superior officers who, in the execution of their duty, may tend to be highhanded, or is it because of the poor pay structure? The Minister has announced a new pay structure for the Police Force, and it is most probable that Police officers will welcome it very much. Therefore, I hope they will work harder in future. Sometime ago we heard of a few Police officers who were sacked and then reinstated all because of a few missing Playboy magazines, which are banned in Singapore. Why was it that no action was taken against the person who was in possession of those bad magazines? Can it be said that the action against these four poor Police officers could have a demoralising effect in the Police Force, and thereby causing some to resign? It is encouraging to note that the Police Force is going to be modernised and reorganised but those responsible for the reorganisation should take the humane values into consideration. I hope that in the computerisation of the Police Force the policemen will not exist as mere digits in the minds of those responsible for the reorganisation. The chances of promotion in the Republic's Police Force should not only be given to people holding requisite qualifications, but equal chances should also be given to those with long service and with good records. May I also ask why at present the traffic is in a chaotic state?”
“I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff(In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head 1203 be reduced by $100. Mr Speaker, Sir, there is a factory in Jalan Chekor which has been illegally constructed in the residential area of Kampong Kembangan. Its electricity supply comes from a generator and this causes enough nuisance to the children who wish to study at home. This factory also uses sand and paint sprayers, which dirty the surroundings with sand and paint sprays, thus affecting the health of the residents living there. I wish to know what steps are being taken to protect the residents prom diseases which might be caused by the dust, sand and paint. Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, first of all, may I say that I am sympathetic to the residents of Kampong Kembangan who have to suffer this inconvenience from the operations of this illegal factory. I was here when the Member for Kampong Kembangan said to my colleague, the Minister for National Development, that this factory was, in fact, an unauthorised factory. I remember the Member said that this factory was made of steel and it was very difficult to demolish it. Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff: That was a different factory.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir,I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1203 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1831. Sometime ago the Minister for Health announced that all hawkers in the City area particularly would be centralised in a hawkers' centre. Before this scheme is carried out, will the Minister see to it that the empty pitches in the various hawker centres are filled up?”
“Sir, I only wish to say that I have not been talking about Windsor Park in particular. However, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am referring to a new building which is under construction. There is water all over the building site. I am not referring to Windsor Park only.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1203 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1741. Sir, can the Vector Control Unit check building sites more often because these are the places that mosquitoes often breed? Despite the anti-mosquito campaign, we still have a lot of mosquitoes, thus giving us sleepless nights. It is high time the Vector Control Unit did something positive and in full swing to get rid of the mosquito menace once for all!”
“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 1203 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1101. Sir, is the Public Cleansing Department supplying enough bins at the collection centres? Very often, because of insufficient bins at these collection points, rubbish spills over to the road, thereby producing not only a strong odour in the neighbourhood, but also providing excellent breeding grounds for rats, mosquitoes and cockroaches. Surely by providing a few more bins at these centres we are not going to tax the commoners more. The Public Health Department officials can surely take a little more action in this regard. The "Keep Singapore Clean and Green" campaign will become pointless if one of our Ministries becomes a specialist in breeding rats!”
“I quite agree with the Minister's explanation that not every one of the amahs or nurses is rude to the people. I am just bringing this matter to the Minister's attention with the hope that he will take action on it. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $60,350,910 for Head 1202 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 1203 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1202 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1321. Sir, looking at Kandang Kerbau Hospital from outside, you will see that it is neat and clean; but it is not so inside. The third class ward has swing doors which are either badly dented or damaged. Yet nothing has been done about it. These doors have panels made of metal, but they are torn and become a source of danger to the patients, the nurses and the amahs. I would also like to point out to the Minister the discrimination that exists in the Kandang Kerbau Hospital. The third class patients are not served with proper food. What is worse is that the nurses and amahs treat the patients very badly. I always support the Government servants, but wherever possible I would ask the Minister to take action. Quite often the nurses and amahs make rude remarks about certain patients in front of other patients. What is worse is that they shout at the patients if the patients are unfortunate enough to require any assistance. Such practice should be stopped immediately. The nurses and amahs are Government servants. As such they should be familiar with Government regulations. There is absolutely no excuse for these Government servants to behave like demi-gods. I know the amahs and nurses in the hospital are very hardworking. However, they must carry out their duty properly and not be rude to the public.”
“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 1202 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1031. Sir, patients in third class wards are sometimes accommodated in the passage ways in the Outram Road General Hospital. Why is this so? I also understand that the food supplied to the patients is not proper, and the plates and cups appear to be very unhygienic. Can this matter be looked into? May I suggest that more first class, second class and third class wards should be created as the demand for beds is greater than the supply available in these wards? Nowadays medical authorities are aware of the latest medical treatment of children. In the advanced countries of Europe and America, parents are allowed to stay with their children in the children's ward so as to facilitate the treatment of the children. It has been found that in this way children recover faster. Further, parents are able to relieve the doctors and nurses of their tiresome chores. It is time the Ministry of Health allowed parents or close relatives to stay close to their children, thereby reducing the length of stay for the children in hospitals. In this respect, I suggest that a common rest room for parents or close relatives be set up so that they can be near their children.”
“Sir, the Minister for Health asked me to put up a separate complaint for each case. There is no doubt that if I were to put up a separate case for complaint, I will only receive a reply saying it is "regretted", "denied", "to be considered", or "next time it will be very carefully considered". Therefore, I do not want to bring these cases to the Ministry but to bring it up to the House. But I am sure the Minister will look into these matters properly and will do something about them. I, therefore, beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $16,412,890 for Head 1201 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 1202 -”
“The Minister should look into these matters and make the necessary arrangements to provide a better medical service for the people of Singapore.”
“Sir, I would also like to mention the case of an old lady, who is a resident in one of the Homes for the Aged, who fell sick and was sent to the Thomson Road General Hospital. She was warded for a day and discharged although her condition had not improved. I contacted the Medical Superintendent of the Hospital and asked him to retain her in the hospital. He replied that she was all right and furthermore there was no bed available in the hospital. Later I contacted the Director of Health of the Emergency Unit of Outram Road General Hospital, and although I offered to pay for her ward charges, he refused to ward the old lady and asked me to refer to the Thomson Road General Hospital. Subsequently, she was taken to the Outram Road General Hospital personally by her daughter, and she was immediately admitted with the assistance of a Sister. I have got to thank the Sister for helping her. Now I am told the patient has been discharged from the ward. She is not completely cured. I understand that patients in first- class and second-class wards are allowed to stay longer in the hospitals, and be put under their care. This poor unfortunate old lady has been discharged, and now she is not well again. Why is she not given the same treatment although her daughter had agreed to pay the ward charges? From this experience, I think that some of the doctors take a couldn't-care-less attitude towards M.P.s. Is this the kind of service that Government servants can offer? I would also like to inform the House that doctors in the hospitals do not have sufficient instruments. For example, when a person wants to go for a full X-ray, he has to line up. Otherwise he has to go to a private doctor to be X-rayed. There are so many instruments that doctors require but are not available.”
“In a few cases only was there any understanding between the school doctors and the doctors in the hospitals. Sir, what is the sole purpose of a post-mortem? It seems that "tough" doctors, responsible for post-mortem, harass the relatives of the deceased into giving them permission to perform the post-mortem, failing which they even threaten the grieving relatives with delaying the release of the body for burial. I wish to quote the example of a patient who was in hospital for more than a week and died there. The doctors could not find the cause of death or the disease he was suffering from, and they insisted on a post-mortem. The officers in charge of the mortuary deliberately delayed the release of the body. Surely after the patient had been in hospital for more than a week, the doctors should have diagnosed the cause of illness, which would then not cause further inconvenience to the bereaved relatives. Sir, I also wish to know how long does it take for the authorities to collect a dead body if the person dies either on the road or on a five-foot way? There are times when bodies have been left lying by the side of the road for as long as six hours. They were nothing better than dogs having been knocked down by some vehicles. Early this month at a place just off the Woodlands Checkpoint a man died of natural causes. The body was left for exhibition for more than six hours. Surely in a progressive-minded State like Singapore, even the dead should be given a certain amount of respect and should not be left lying by the side of the road to rot. If this situation worsens, the mortuary authorities might have only the bones to collect by the time they get moving.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1201 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1006. Sir, why does the Ministry of Health recruit student nurses and assistant nurses and put them on different salary scales when they all have the same qualifications? There is great dissatisfaction among the assistant nurses because, although they possess the same qualifications as the student nurses they have very little prospects of promotion apart from the fact that they do not draw the same pay as the student nurses. There is also another complaint. Some of the matrons in the hospitals seem to be a very unsympathetic "breed" of people. Not only do they bully their junior staff but they also show an indifferent attitude towards them. This is especially true as far as the granting of leave is concerned. Perhaps I can quote a particular instance. The father of one of the nurses passed away. Yet, the matron was so unsympathetic that she refused to grant the nurse a short leave in order to recover from the shock of her father's death. In the end, however, the nurse was granted leave by a sympathetic ward doctor. He had to intervene in the case because of the unfortunate condition of the nurse. Nurses working on night shifts have to work for seven consecutive days, and each shift is a 10-hour duty. I think this is too strenuous for them. I wonder whether shorter working hours can be introduced for night duty in the hospitals. 6.30 p.m. What form of co-ordination exists between the school health doctors and the hospital authorities? Quite often, children recommended by the school doctors for further treatment in the hospitals are subjected to great difficulties and humiliation by the doctors in the hospitals.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $925,700 for Head 1112 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 1201 - The following amendments stood on the Order Paper Supplement -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1112 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001. The Botanic Gardens has established its name both in the international botanic circles for its variety of plants and among the tourists for its serene and beautiful atmosphere. Since the Botanic Gardens is a leading tourist attraction, can it sell plants and orchids to the tourists? I am sure they would like to buy some orchid cuttings. Unfortunately, the Plant Sales Section is in an obscure corner of the Botanic Gardens, where the tourists are unlikely to notice.”