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 Amendment by leave, withdrawn.”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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“Mr Speaker, Sir, I must thank the Minister for his reply to my query regarding the Postal Department. He has said that the Postmaster-General is newly promoted. There are many Controllers and Assistant Controllers of Posts. What have they been doing in the past? Every Controller of Posts knows the work of his branch. They should make recommendations on this matter. The Minister has also explained to the House about the National Productivity Centre. What I want to ask him is whether the Centre is theoretical or practical. I want to know whether this Centre will go through every loophole and find where the trouble comes from. If we know where the trouble comes from probably the report will be correct. I was working in the Postal Department when one day the Postmaster-General from Kuala Lumpur wanted to come and inspect the work of our Postal Department. What did the department do? They brought manpower to the godown by truck. The van was put inside the godown. He asked an assistant postman to carry his bag and put it inside. "Very nice, there is no hot sun. It is very warm and very slow. You can go." That was how he was to inform the higher authority. The Minister says that it is not his duty and he cannot interfere with the administration of the department. I quite understand what he means, but he must get some information from the department which is under his control. I understand the functions of the Postal Department because I worked there for the last 34 years. The senior officers are always pressing the junior officers. They always sit peacefully in the office, putting on records and listening to the music. The worst hit are the men who go out.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, that is not the question. When the Minister of State received the information from these foreign countries, he would have received information on the increase of salaries at the same time.”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, the Minister of State for Finance has mentioned the increase in the cost of living in Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong and some other places. However, can he tell us how much is the increase in the salaries in those countries?”
“I personally feel that more Postal Higher Clerical Officer posts should be created in order to enhance the future prospects of the Clerical Assistants in the Postal Department. Personally, I observe that the recruiting of Postal Clerks, Timescale, is very scarce. I think the Minister should go through this more carefully. I do not want to speak again about the postal services at the next budget sitting!”
“This service in our postal department is used only to make distant deliveries. However, it is my opinion and belief that if more motor-cycles are used for delivery of mails, there will be less complaints from the general public because the mails will be delivered faster. I was told that some postmen are not only working beyond their official duties, but are also pressed by their immediate superiors. At the last Parliamentary sitting I put a question to the Minister regarding this problem. I had a reply from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications saying that no such problem existed. Therefore I would ask the Minister for Communications to form a committee to investigate what is happening in the Postal Department. May I know if the Minister will look into and regularise the conditions of service of the postmen. It is known that many postmen left their jobs because of this. How did they leave? They absented themselves. Another point I would like the Minister to reply to is that I notice the post of Chief Inspector of Postmen has been left vacant for the past two years. If the Minister cannot get a suitable candidate for this post, he can get whoever is suitable from another grade. Why let the post be vacant? The incumbent is acting all the time. Finally, Sir, I notice in the Estimates that there are increases in Postal Clerical Assistant appointments and a reduction in the number of Postal Clerks, Timescale, in the Postal Department. I presume all Government offices will in future reduce and eventually abolish the Timescale clerks. That is the reason why they have increased the number of Clerical Assistant posts now.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a very long time ago I raised the question of our postal services, and again I am going to speak about the postmen and postal clerks. In the past the Postal Department of our republic appeared to be an efficient department but from recent complaints in the newspapers about delayed delivery of mails, this does not appear to be so. I understand the postmen are heavily overloaded and are under pressure. In spite of the assurance from the Minister for Finance in his budget statement that there will be an increase of 19 postmen for the current year, I still feel that this increase is inadequate, because there has been a significant increase in our population. Many places in our republic have inadequate postmen to deliver the mail. I will be happy if the Minister accepts my suggestion and set up a committee to investigate the postmen's grievances. I have raised this question many times but the problems are still the same. It is also noted that apart from the delivery of ordinary letters the postmen are also responsible for the delivery of registered letters and parcels. However, at times when the heavily-loaded parcels are too bulky to be carried on the bicycle, it will be appreciated if the Minister will advise the Postal Department to arrange for such heavy mails to be delivered by postal vans. Another point which I would like to bring to the attention of the Minister is the insufficient number of bicycles in our Postal Department. There seems to be no replacement of bicycles whenever there is a break-down. In order to cope with the current shortage of bicycles in the Postal Department, I would suggest that it purchase more locally-assembled bicycles instead of buying them from foreign countries. The next point is the motor-cycle service.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I also wanted to raise this matter which has already been raised by the Member for Potong Pasir. We went to the airport several times but we could not understand the announcements in the Tamil language. They are not properly made and the Tamil-speaking people at the airport find it difficult to understand them. Therefore, the Minister should instruct the Civil Aviation Department that, before recruiting any Tamil announcer, applicants should be tested in fluency in Tamil. I hope the Minister can look into this matter because we have received several complaints about this. Mr Teong Eng Siong rose -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Government has often said that, in order to sustain the rapid growth of Singapore's industries and in view of the shortage of certain skilled labour, it is prepared to relax its immigration laws to allow skilled labourers to work in Singapore. I wish to seek clarification from the Minister as to what constitutes skilled labour. As an example, if a restaurant advertises for a cook, and if no suitable applicant is available, can the proprietor employ a cook from overseas? The Chairman: Mr Ho Kah Leong? He is not here.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to bring up the chronic problem of the granting of citizenship. At last year's budget sitting, the Minister for Labour stated clearly that the granting of citizenship was a matter of privilege and not of right. He said that the criterion for the granting of citizenship was whether the applicant was going to be an asset to our country. While I fully agree with the Minister on this, I wish to point out that this principle applies more appropriately to people who have money to invest in Singapore or who have the special skills required in Singapore's growing industries. However, there are some people who do not fall within these two categories, and to refuse them citizenship would cause hardship to them, especially as they are, in fact, eligible for citizenship. In this respect, Sir, allow me to cite the case of a Singapore citizen who has died, leaving behind a widow with several children who were all born in Singapore. She has applied for citizenship. If she is not granted citizenship, it will be difficult for her to get a job. If she cannot get a job, how is she going to support her children who were born in Singapore? Another case I wish to quote is that of a girl who was born in Malaysia. Soon after her birth, her mother died and she was brought to Singapore and taken care of by her grandfather who is a Singapore citizen. She is now 24 years old. All these years she has had her education here, and has never left Singapore even for a short holiday. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not suggesting that the Minister should open the door and allow all and sundry who wish to work in Singapore to be given citizenship. But I would like to know whether the Minister will give due consideration to deserving cases.”
“Although our economic expansion has resulted in the building of many factories and new housing estates, we still have plenty of land for the growing of vegetables and for the rearing of pigs and fowls. Most probably the Minister will say that there is no land. I think Government can buy land from the private sector so that it can introduce this scheme. In last year's budget, I mentioned this matter but it has not been considered. I mentioned earlier about the rising cost of living and, of course, one of the ways of keeping the cost of living down is to increase the production of essential foods and to ensure that they reach the consumers at reasonable prices and not sold at high prices because of the middlemen's making a large profit. I would urge the Minister for National Development to look closer into this problem by allocating more land in the rural areas for growing vegetables and for rearing of pigs and fowls, and at the same time to study the methods of distribution of their products so as to eliminate any possible racketeering. I think the Members of this House should not forget what happened during the Japanese Occupation period. We must always be very careful. Now we are preparing to store water in our island. We are also trying to arrange some storage places for our vegetables and other essential foodstuffs in case of trouble. God bless that there will be no trouble in the future. 5.37 p.m.”
“The next point I want to bring up is the shortage of postmen in the Postal Department. Our postal service is reputed to be the best and most efficient in this region, and for this I must congratulate the Minister. With reference to the budget statement, it appears that there are 98 posts for clerical assistants and postmen. I feel that unless the conditions of service are improved, it will not be easy to recruit staff without the attraction of better salaries and better conditions in the private sector. My third point is the spate of resignations of doctors, particularly the more senior and experienced ones, from Government service. Whilst I am not unaware that the private sector offers better financial gains for the specialist doctors, I do not think that all of them resigned because of this. I feel that if their conditions of service had been improved, some of them would have remained in the service or would not have opted to retire at the earliest available opportunity. I hope that the Minister for Health will try to improve the conditions of service of the doctors and other professional officers. My fourth point is on the nursing service. I understand that the nurses have to do seven days of night duty at a stretch, and that they have to do this one week of night duty once in five or six weeks. It would appear to me that it is quite hard on the nurses having to go on one whole week of night duty. I would like to know if the Minister for Health has considered reorganising the duty roster of the nurses so that they can do one night duty in five or six days. My fifth and last point is on the improvement of our agriculture and husbandry.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to thank the Minister for Finance for his Annual Budget Statement and to congratulate him on his brilliant rendering of the budget, for despite a substantial increase in expenditure all year round and a reduction in revenue from the duty on cigarettes, he has been able to balance the budget without having to introduce new taxes or to increase existing taxes. However, I have a few points to bring forward. My first point is that the rising cost of living during the last one year or so has caused concern among the middle income group and hardship among the lower income group. This is further aggravated by the declared increase in cost of basic food commodities such as bread, and basic transport services such as buses and taxis. I am given to understand that the rise in the cost of bread is due to an increase in the cost of flour in the world market. This is something beyond our control. But I would like the Minister to enlighten me on the actual increase in the cost of flour, and whether it warrants an increase of as much as five cents per loaf of bread. The Minister for Communications has declared that there will be a rise of five cents in bus fares per short trip, even for school children. He has explained that this rise is necessary in order that the bus service can be improved. At the same time, he has also announced the reorganisation of the bus companies so as to improve their efficiency. Increased efficiency brings along greater profitability. The increase in bus fares seems unnecessary at this stage. The reorganised system should be first tried out for one year and if it is shown that it is not profitable to run it, then the increase in bus fares would be justifiable.”
“If there is no proper scheme for relief teachers, are they going to be treated as daily-rated workers?”
“Sir, how many multi-storey buildings are there in which letter-boxes have been provided on the ground floor either in Housing Board flats or private flats?”
“I was told the postmen are working more than eight hours a day without a meal break. Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware of that?”
“Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that some of these postmen are making only one delivery a day instead of two deIiveries?”
“Can the Parliamentary Secretary say how many vacancies there are for postmen and assistant postmen at present?”
“Sir, I wholeheartedly endorse the remarks of the Prime Minister. I have had the opportunity of meeting Dr Sheares on many occasions when he was working in the Outram Road General Hospital and the Kandang Kerbau Maternity Hospital. I was then working in the postal services. I have known him as a friendly, approachable and understanding person who shows great concern for other people's problems. As a young Republic, our country has been fortunate to have dynamic leadership. In the last decade we have made good progress in the economic and industrial fields, resulting in our people having the highest standard of living in this region. At this crucial stage of our progress, it is important that we have a President who can not only keep up with the pace of progress that we have achieved so far, but can also command the respect and confidence of our people. This honour is rightly bestowed upon Dr Benjamin Henry Sheares. Sir, I have great pleasure in supporting the Prime Minister's motion to elect him as our new President. Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, That this Parliament, in accordance with Article 1 of the Constitution, elects Dr Benjamin Henry SHEARES as President of Singapore. ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 3.06 p.m. SCHOOL CADET CORPS MEMBERS (Reduction of period of full-time national service) 1. Mr Tay Boon Too asked the Minister of Defence if he will consider reducing the period of full-time national service from two years to one and a half years for persons who have served three years in school cadet corps.”
“I do not see why an unrealistic age limit should be set for taxis. After all, even a three-year old vehicle can be found unserviceable if the owner does not properly maintain and service it. I would like to propose that this age limit be lengthened to a more realistic period and that the mechanical inspection of public transport vehicles at the Registry of Vehicles be strictly enforced. In this way, I think we will come nearer to a more realistic approach to ensure that the public transport vehicles are safe for use and that they are economically feasible. Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister for Communications has already pointed out that these measures will affect the livelihood of a few thousand people. Owing to their wide social and economic repercussions, we would like him to give more careful thought and consideration before implementing them. EXEMPTED BUSINESS (Motion) 7.10 p.m.”
“In respect of numbers, it will not solve the problem. It will be worse in terms of vocation and the suitability of these men to fit into new jobs. These men who have spent many years behind the steering wheel will be faced with difficulty in getting adapted to their new employment. Does the White Paper include a training programme for these people similar to that which the Naval Base workers are now undergoing? Whilst we all believe in the benefits of a law-abiding, disciplined, tightly-knit and organised society, we must not achieve this object by non-humanitarian methods. The second point I would like to raise is with regard to taxis. Anyone with some power of observation can easily see that the increase of 1,200 taxis, of which 200 will be special tourist taxis, is far too small a number to offset the shortage in our public transport system. The imposition of the age limit for taxis at seven years appears to me to be too short a period to be justified economically. Any taxi owner can tell you that running a taxi at, present is not as profitable a business as it is thought to be, with the present high rate of road tax to be paid every year and owners having to spend a considerable sum of money on repair bills in order that their vehicles can pass the inspection of the Registrar of Vehicles. If every owner has to make plans to replace his vehicle every seven years, he will find that it will be unprofitable to run a taxi any more. In order to continue his business he may have to demand extremely high charges from the driver who hires his taxi. The final result is that it is the public who ultimately pays the bill. If every taxi has to undergo a mechanical inspection at the Registry of Vehicles annually and has to be proved serviceable and safe.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, permit me to comment on certain points emanating from the statement by the Minister for Communications on the subject of the reorganisation of the motor transport service of Singapore consequent upon the presentation of the White Paper to Parliament on 21st July, 1970. Whilst agreeing that the broad outline of the principles in the White Paper is sound theoretically, I do not think certain details of the plan are near enough to what I would call a realistic approach. The Minister for Communications has emphasised, as one of the guiding principles under which the White Paper is drawn up, that it would be a simple yet workable plan and capable of immediate implementation. But from what I gather from the existing condition in our motor transport system, I would rather say that the dimension of the problem is far greater than what the plan is able to solve and certain proposed steps do not deal realistically with the existing problems. The White Paper aims at weeding out all pirate taxis within a period of one year, and in order to take the full brunt of the unemployment problem due to this measure, it has proposed to create over the next three years not less than 6,500 job opportunities under the plan. If my estimation is not wrong, there are at least 7,000 to 8.000 genuine pirate taxi drivers in Singapore. When I say genuine drivers, I mean those whose livelihood depends solely on driving pirate taxis. I understand that there are some drivers who drive pirate taxis only part-time. The question now is this. How can this tremendously large number of drivers, whose means of earning their livelihood is suddenly terminated, find alternative employment? The White Paper has proposed to create 4,150 job opportunities in the first year of the plan.”
“My question is, when will the National Library be entirely air-conditioned? I want to know the date. I am not worried about the funds.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, people celebrate their New Year or other festivals in their respective homes. How can they celebrate them in the community centre or other open places? Can the Minister answer that?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this amendment Bill has been introduced at a very opportune moment. I have been living in Singapore for the last 42 years. On every festive occasion, fire crackers are let off. But only this year were there disastrous consequences of cracker firing, and the Minister should investigate into the incidents. We should look into the cause of the trouble. It seems somebody burned a house down because it was bug-infested. Laws are made for the welfare of the people. But the penalty imposed by this Bill is rather excessive. The maximum penalty is $500. All festive occasions are celebrated by cracker firing. Therefore, there should be a provision in the law that crackers may be let off during festive occasions. We must find out the reasons why crackers are let off. In the past, crackers were let off without harmful consequences. Why is it that crackers are let off indiscriminately nowadays with loss of lives and damage to property? We must look into the manufacture of the crackers and see what substances are used. I commend this piece of legislation. But I must repeat that the penalty is excessive. Some children may let off crackers indiscriminately, and where are their parents going to find the money to pay for their offences? Therefore, I would say that the provisions in the Bill should be re-examined. It should be sent to Select Committee. 2.59 p.m.”
“Sir, although the Minister has not answered all my queries, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The time allotted for Head 1303 having expired, the following amendment, standing in the names of Inche Abdul Aziz Karim and Madam Chan Choy Siong, was not proceeded with: (6) That the total sum to be allocated for Head 1303 be reduced by $100. The sum of $31,921,040 for Head 1303 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.”
“The hawkers who depend on their stalls for a living are complaining of lack of business. I would therefore like to know from the Minister whether these hawkers can be allowed to do their business in Sambau Street instead of at their present site, and whether they will be allowed to go back to Palmer Road later on when the present reconstruction work there is completed. I also understand that a hawker near a bus-stop in Keppel Road has been asked to shift his stall, whereas another hawker further down the same road and near another bus-stop is allowed to do business there. I presume this constituency has not yet been cleared for resiting hawkers. Generally in the uncleared areas hawkers are free to ply where they like. Can I know why this hawker, who is also in an uncleared area, should not be allowed to continue doing business there? With due respect to the Minister, may I ask him if he will reconsider this case and allow the hawker to continue doing business there?”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, earlier I unfortunately missed the opportunity to speak on two amendments. Therefore, I was thinking that most probably I might again miss the opportunity to move this amendment but it seems I have the time to move it. 7.30 p.m. Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1303 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1831*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Mr Ch'ng Jit Koon and Mr Ho Kah Leong) May I know from the Minister for Health how many constituencies have been cleared for resiting of hawkers and how many are uncleared? In the cleared constituencies, the hawkers have to pay licence fees, and for any small offence, they have to pay a line. They are also restricted to small pitches in the resited areas, resulting in some loss of business. In the uncleared constituencies, some hawkers do not have to pay licence fees and they are not fined for small offences. I am not objecting to the hawkers in the uncleared constituencies enjoying better privileges, but I wish to point out the difference in treatment given to the hawkers in the uncleared constituencies. I understand there is a shortage of space for resiting hawkers in the uncleared constituencies. However, I am not pressing that immediate action be taken to resite the hawkers in these constituencies. I would like the Minister to consider withholding action against hawkers in the cleared areas until all constituencies have been cleared. I would like to draw the Ministers attention to the hawkers, particularly in Palmer Road in the back-lane behind the Central Provident Fund office. These hawkers have been shifted to a back-lane in Enggor Street, which is very narrow, and next to it there is a carpenter shop which lets off a lot of sawdust flying about.”
“(11) Thai the sum to be allocated for Head 1001 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1631.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there is a programme called Breakfast Bulletin which is broadcast at 7.10 a.m. every morning. I feel that the time allotted to it is too short and it is impossible to give a full report of the parliamentary proceedings in this programme. The acting Minister for Culture may say that a full report of the parliamentary debates is broadcast in the evening. But then most people watch T.V. in the evening and may not listen to this programme. Therefore, I urge the Minister to extend the time for Breakfast Bulletin, so that our people may know all about the parliamentary debates. The Ministers' and Parliamentary Secretaries' speeches are fully broadcast, but the speeches of Backbenchers are not. Therefore, the Minister should request the Director of Broadcasting to broadcast all the speeches of Back-benchers. Sir, although Singapore is a small country, it has many industries. We should inform our people of the success of our industrialisation programme and the progress of our country. In this way, our people will know what is happening in Singapore. The appropriate programme to do this is the Breakfast Bulletin. Therefore, if the time of this programme is extended, these items can be included. I have been informed that the Broadcasting authorities have allotted only a limited time to Breakfast Bulletin. I do not know on what basis they allot times for programmes. The Breakfast Bulletin should not only include Ministers' speeches, but should also include speeches of Backbenchers. In this way, the people will know what their M.P.s have said in Parliament. And in the elections, they will know what their M.P.s have done for them. Otherwise they may ask, what have their M.P.s done for them if they do not hear or read about their speeches in Parliament?”
“But what about the lottery and the gambling that is now going on in Singapore?”
“Point of clarification, Sir. I quite agree with the Minister's reply. But what happens if a citizen brings in a non-citizen wife and the next day he wins a lottery prize of $400,000?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I know that many Singapore citizens in the lower income group who have wives outside Singapore are not allowed to bring them here to stay, even if they are qualified to do so. May I know the reasons for refusal? The other point is the case of a boy who was born in China but who came to Singapore in 1956. Some time later, he went to work in Kuala Lumpur. His parents, brothers and sisters are all Singapore citizens and are staying here, and he used to travel up and down Malaysia. One day, while coming down to Singapore to visit his family, he was caught unawares by the travel restrictions imposed at the Causeway, and his blue Singapore identity card was taken away by the Immigration authorities at the Woodlands checkpoint, as he did not follow the proper procedure. He was sent back to Malaysia. Unfortunately, his Malaysian work permit had also expired and could not be renewed. As a result, this boy, who is only 17 years old, is jobless and is stranded in Kuala Lumpur. He has no relatives there, and is left to face starvation. He then cabled his father in Singapore saying that he wanted to join his family. The father applied to the Immigration authorities for consideration of his son's case, but the application was rejected. The boy's family are all Singapore citizens, and there is a job here waiting for him. Will the Minister consider returning the blue Singapore identity card to him so that he can stay with his family in Singapore?”
“I withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $19,976,280 for Head 0805 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0806 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0805 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Mr Cheong Yuen Chee, Mr Ng Kah Ting, and Madam Chan Choy Siong.) Sir, I wish to raise some questions on the General Post Office. The General Post Office was built in 1928 when the population of Singapore was less than half a million. Today the population is more than two million. The space in certain sections of the General Post Office for receiving and despatching of letters remains the same. It is said that these sections are now very congested and dusty. Even some of the sorting frames are the same frames that were originally put up in 1928. In the basement, the parcel room, backroom and stores are the same rooms used since 1928. I would like to know if the Minister would make surprise checks - not to tell the head of the department that he was going there, as otherwise everything would be made clean -- at these places in order to see for himself the actual working conditions of the postal staff. Does he know about that? Does he know how difficult it is for them to work there? If he wants them to work very hard, he should see that there is proper ventilation and adequate space for them to sort out the letters, and to put them into bags and so on. He must give them the space. I know there is a provision of $33,000 in the Development Estimates for an extension - I do not know what is the extension - of the General Post Office. But I think the Minister should look into the matter and make improvements to the General Post Office, especially for the benefit of the staff.”
“I withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. 4.40 p.m.”
“Sir, if the graduates are recruited direct from the Universities, people will not know whether they have already been trained as teachers or not. If they are sent to the Teachers' Training College, then people will know that they are being trained as teachers. If they come from the Universities direct, naturally the people will think these teachers are not trained. That is the reason why I asked this question.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1157. I am informed that some graduate teachers are recruited direct from the Universities without proper training as teachers as is the case of non-graduate teachers. If this is so, I would like to know what steps are being taken to train these graduate teachers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, why did the Parliamentary Secretary not raise the objection straightaway when the Member first made that remark?”
“Sir, I would like to know if the Minister is going to reply to my questions, particularly on the minimum wage.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since the subject of citizenship has come up, I do not like to let it pass without saying a few words. I support what the Member for Toa Payoh, the Member for Telok Blangah, and also the Member for Katong, have said on citizenship. I wish to point out the case of a family who are all Singapore citizens except for just one of the children who happened to be born overseas. This child has been staying with his parents and has been studying here for many years, but he has not been given citizenship. I would like to know from the Minister if it is possible to grant citizenship to this boy, otherwise he has no one to turn to, and most probably he might have to commit suicide!”
“Yes, the cost of living is also going up.”
“Sir, with industrialisation and shipbuilding programmes, job opportunities in these fields have increased and naturally you will find scavengers leaving the service to take up cleaner and better-paid jobs in the factories and shipyards. This cannot be prevented unless something is done to increase the wages of scavengers. Sir, in many socialist countries, wage rates are standardised. One is paid according to his qualifications and he may choose the type of work he likes. A person with a secondary education may prefer to work as a scavenger if he is paid the same wage as is paid to an attendant. This will not only keep the workers in the job of their choice, but will also encourage those who are still in school to study harder and attain higher qualifications so that when they go to work they can get higher wages. Can the Minister give this matter due consideration? Furthermore, my opinion is that there should be a minimum wage for the lower income group so that these people can maintain their families without having any difficulties. Singapore has a high standard of living and we must try to increase the wages of the lower income group. An hon. Member: The cost of living is going up!”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it is noted that some of our people dislike to work as scavengers. The reason is that scavengers are daily-rated and are paid a small sum of $4.55 per day, whereas others who have the same qualifications and who are fortunate to become attendants and are employed in allied grades are paid a starting salary of $140 per month with yearly increments. The majority of these people have completed their primary education and may have gone up to Secondary I or II before they left school. $4.55 per day may be sufficient for a bachelor, but what if he gets married and has children? An hon. Member: Do not marry then!”
“I feel that these considerations are important in order to attract more people for foreign service. Will the Minister look into this matter of providing quarters for our diplomats on their return to Singapore until they are able to find their own accommodation?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it is noted that the allowances given to our foreign diplomats and their staff consist of an overseas allowance, a special allowance, an entertainment allowance, a special make-up allowance and a children's allowance. I do not know what "special make-up allowance" is, but anyway there is no mention of housing allowances. If housing allowances are included in the other allowances, I would like to know if these allowances are sufficient to enable our diplomats to have decent houses in keeping with their status. I would also like to know if the diplomats on their return to Singapore after a tour of duty are provided with quarters until they are able to find their own accommodation,”
“I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0406 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1117. Sir, it is noted that there is an increase of 20 posts of Valuation Officers, an increase of almost 100 per cent. It is also noted that the number of Valuers has also been increased from 11 to 16, an increase of almost 50 per cent. In view of the latter increase, I would like to know from the Minister why it is necessary to increase the former by 100 per cent. Just now my colleague, the Member for Sembawang, spoke about the increase in property tax. Most probably the Minister is increasing the staff in order to collect more property tax.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2093. Sir, my colleagues here have spoken about the inefficiency of civil servants, and so on, but what I have to say about the civil service concerns "Clothing for Office Boys and Others in various Departments". "Office Boys and Others in various Departments" here means not only office boys but the many other grades of uniformed civil servants in the many Government departments, in hospitals and so on. At present the uniforms are made of thick cotton material, which is warm to wear and difficult to iron. And even when the uniform is properly ironed, it does not look smart. There are now other types of clothing material available, which are thinner and therefore cooler, and they also look smarter. I therefore suggest to the Minister to look into this matter, so that our office boys and uniformed officers will look smarter - without having to increase the cost.”
“They have an association, Sir. I think the association is not working well. The Government must take the initiative to form a farmers' co-operative society. In this way, the farmers can sell their produce to this society. They will therefore not suffer at the hands of the middlemen. The middleman will always sell his goods at higher prices than those of the co-operative society because he is out to make a profit. That is why the Government should encourage the formation of a farmers' co-operative society.”
“This situation affects not only the farmers, but the general public as well, for when the prices of eggs and pork go up, other foodstuffs also follow suit, resulting in an all-round increase in our cost of living. Perhaps the solution lies in the formation of farmers' co-operatives. The farmers sell their produce to the cooperatives which, in turn, sell it to the retailers in the market. If the prices of eggs and pork are to remain at the present level, and if the public accepts these prices, at least the benefit goes to the farmers. Alternatively, if the farmers' selling prices are to remain, at least the general public benefit by having to pay less for their eggs and pork, and there would be a general lowering of our cost of living. At present, neither the farmers nor the general public benefit; only the middlemen, the wholesalers, who seem to have a grip on the market, benefit. I therefore urge the Minister for Finance or the Minister responsible for co-operative societies to look into this problem and consider the formation of farmers' co-operatives. This will not only be an incentive to the farmers to improve their economic conditions, but also enable the people with lower income to buy food at cheaper prices. 505 p.m.”