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 Amendment by leave, withdrawn.”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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“Any specific increase in taxation on this group, however small it may be, would be borne not only by the head of the family but shared out by the children as well. I therefore urge the Minister to reconsider the levy of five per cent on P.U.B, bills for consumers whose bills fall between $10 and $20 a month. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance has said that this is not a high tax. His explanation is not satisfactory. Therefore, I hope the Minister will reconsider this matter. In conclusion, I am not unappreciative of the difficulties confronting our Finance Minister. Despite my remarks, to which I hope he will give due con sideration, I endorse his Budget Statement. 6.52 p.m.”
“I am sure the Minister is aware that the establishment of new factories will only serve as a temporary relief in our unemployment problem. And unless these factories can be sustained, the situation will quickly be reversed, to the disappointment of everyone. The sustenance of any factory depends on the quality and price of its products. As I see it, the Government, by its economic incentives like relief from income tax and other concessions, has succeeded in attracting foreign investors to set up factories in Singapore. And by the Employment Act, it has succeeded in improving efficiency which is supposed to cut down the cost of production. But nothing seems to have been done, from the statement of the Finance Minister, to regulate the quality of products. Sir, I consider this most essential now. Otherwise, our export-oriented factories receiving their first export order would also have received their last export order. Therefore, I earnestly suggest that the Minister look into this matter as soon as possible. In the raising of revenue, the Minister has announced four new taxes. On the basis of distributing the burden according to individual ability, I feel that a five per cent levy on P.U.B, bills for those whose bills fall between $10 and $20 a month is to ask the lower middle income group to carry a proportionately heavier burden. It may be argued that this levy does not amount to more than $1 a month. But in the light of the increasing cost of living, the additional $1 means much more to this group than an increase of $100 to the higher income group. It should also be borne in mind that this group, although consisting of 32 per cent of the total, has a larger number of children.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the British troops are withdrawing fast from this region. Since the announcement of the accelerated withdrawal of British forces from Singapote, no one inside and outside this House has any doubt of the need to build up our own defence forces quickly. However, apart from the consideration of national security against possible external aggression, one side issue of the withdrawal is the mass increase in unemployment. This increase, Sir, is over and above the present serious unemployment situation resulting from the large turn-out of school leavers year after year. The resultant economic problem poses such a formidable challenge that many Finance Ministers even of the affluent countries would rather quit their posts than stay on. Taking this into account, Sir, I cannot help congratulating our Finance Minister on his courage and brilliant rendering of his annual Budget Statement. Side by side with the military build up, the Minister outlined his plans for economic growth and, in this respect, he quoted gratifying figures of achievement in our industrial expansion. Foreign capital is continuously being poured in and the Minister is optimistic that the factories in Jurong and other industrial estates will continue to grow in number and in size. I would like to share his optimism, but industrialists, both local and overseas, have repeatedly warned that with our population of two million, the prospects of industria lisation would be dim unless our industries were oriented towards exports. I understand that among the factories already engaged in the export trade, some have secured repeat orders while others have not gone beyond their first order.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a point of clarification. Will the Parliamentary Secretary say whether the tax on made-up garments will be levied on imported dhotis and sarees?”
“My question is whether the card can be taken back or not.”
“Take, for example, a person who has been employed. Does not the Parliamentary Secretary agree that if you do not take away his registration card, he will go from one place of work to another to seek employment?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the proposed holidays are reasonably distributed racially and religiously and I also agree that the number of holidays should be reduced in order that we can increase productivity. But I would like to propose that the Government reconsider the deletion of Thaipusam from the list. Thaipusam has been celebrated in Singapore since the later part of the nineteenth century and it has become an important religious celebration not only for the Hindus but also for the whole population. The kavadi procession is an attraction to everyone in Singapore, young and old. Moreover, it is a tourist attraction, as we all must have seen tourists following the procession and busily taking pictures. It will be a great disappointment both to the local people and to the tourists if the number of kavadi processions is reduced because Thaipusam is not a public holiday and, therefore, workers will not be able to take part in the processions. I therefore propose that Government, in order to encourage the tourist trade, should reconsider the deletion of this very popular public holiday. Sir, whenever the Government reconsiders the question of public holidays, I hope Deepavali Holiday will not be abolished. 6.13 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have two questions. Firstly, regarding the mode of salary conversion, I would like to ask the Minister whether he is aware of the following: One officer, "A", who is married and another officer, "B", who is not married are now on the same basic salary. As officer "A" is married he draws a higher variable allowance and therefore his total emoluments are greater than those of officer "B". According to the Commission's mode of conversion, officer "A" will move to a higher step in the new salary scale. Should officer "B" get married after the implementation of the recommendations of the Salaries Commission Report, he will still be on a lower step vis-a-vis officer "A". How does the Minister intend to correct this? Secondly, may I know the reason why the date of implementation of the recommendations of the Report of the Salaries Commission is 1st January, 1969?”
“In the light of mounting unemployment when competition for jobs will be keen, I hope that this Bill will help in attracting foreign investment in Singapore and create more job opportunities for our people. It must be pointed out that this will call for greater sacrifices from the workers. I hope that the Minister will take appropriate steps before the Bill is implemented to explain to the workers and the people that it is designed to help increase employment opportunities. Furthermore, the Bill will, in effect, reduce the earnings of the lower income group. This will unavoidably cause hardship to them. But compensation for this hardship can be made if Government lakes appropriate steps to lower the prices of locally produced goods. With increasing protection given to manufacturers, it is possible that some irresponsible manufacturers will exploit this situation and raise prices unnecessarily. This will bring up the cost of living for the lower income group. I urge the Government to look into this seriously. 4.05 p.m. [Mr Speaker in the Chair]”
“Hence, the restrictions provided in Part X under the general heading "Employment of Women" are, in fact, applicable only to female workmen. May I know from the Minister if this is intentional, and if so, why are female workmen discriminated from female clerks and other female employees? Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I now refer to clause 112 (b) on page 37 of the Bill? I do not object to the requirement that employers should notify the Employment Exchange of vacancies available in their establishment. I do not understand why the Minister should prevent persons from engaging employees except through the Employment Exchange. He seems to have overlooked the fact that in many small establishments, the wife and children help out in the business. This clause prevents the sons of the proprietors of small shops from working in their father's business and requires them to seek employment elsewhere while the father has to employ other proprietors' sons in his shop. Furthermore, the engagement of an employee is not always accepted merely on his skill or ability. The factor of trust often comes in. Where trust is involved, the employer would certainly want an employee who is recommended to him rather than take on an unrecommended stranger. Would the Minister consider amending this clause to allow the employment of wives and children of small establishments and to allow employers to take on employees on their own where trust is involved? In conclusion, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Bill is designed to increase efficiency and is based on the principle of a full day's pay for a full day's work.”
“Sir, I have to say that the intentions of the Employment Bill are good and though I am generally in agreement with the spirit of the Bill, I have certain questions to ask. Clause 15 requires that every person who attains the age of 55 may continue to work only after getting approval from the Commissioner who may impose conditions for continued employment. I would like to draw the attention of the Minister to the following. There are many old people - by "old" I mean people between 55 and 60 years of age - who still have many children to support, like myself. There are other old people who have grown-up children but these children are unemployed and are dependent on their father. Clause 15 gives the Commissioner arbitrary powers to decide on the livelihood of the whole family without any provision for appeal. For these reasons, I think this clause should be removed. The definition of "employer" in page 3 of the Bill does not include company, association, body corporate, etc. Although in page 10, line 37, "body corporate" is mentioned, I would like to know from the Minister whether the Bill is intended to cover employers such as companies, associations, bodies corporate as well as persons. In this connection, I wish to draw the attention of the House to the definition of "employer" in the Central Provident Fund Bill. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, Part X of the Bill entitled "Employment of Women" deals with female workmen only. The definition of "employee" in page 2 includes workman, but the definition of "workman" in page 6 does not include all categories of employees. For instance, female clerks are included under the definition of "employee" but not under the definition of "workman".”
“Sir, can the Parliamentary Secretary say how many workers are unemployed because of this?”
“Sir, how many newspapers are not wholly printed in Singapore?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, you will agree that it is difficult, if not impossible, to expect these sub-tenants to get to see the terms of tenancy made between the landlord and the chief tenants at the time when they accepted their sub-tenancy. In any negotiations for compensation resulting in awards granted by the Board, the landlord, according to clause 9 (1) (a) , is not liable to pay compensation to a sub-tenant if the tenant has sublet the premises contrary to the terms of his tenancy. It seems to me that this clause penalises the poor and ignorant sub-tenant while, in fact, it was the chief tenant who ought to be penalised for breach of his tenancy agreement. Moreover, the chief tenant will get the Board's award while the poor sub-tenant may possibly be evicted in accordance with clause 4 (6) of the Bill. In conclusion, I urge this House to consider the Bill with the utmost care while encouraging and promoting development in the private sector. Steps should be taken to ensure that the burden of sacrifice, if sacrifice has to be made, is equitably shared by all parties concerned and not borne solely by the poor tenants and sub-tenants. 4.24 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am in full agreement with the spirit of the Bill as it is designed to encourage and promote development in the private sector in Singapore. It is the duty of every loyal citizen to co-operate and assist in the development of Singapore and, if need be, even to make sacrifices. But such sacrifices should be made to benefit the State and not any section of the community. In this respect, may I draw the attention of the House to two aspects of the Bill. The premises affected by the Bill are those that were built before January 1947. Under the protection of the Control of Rent Ordinance (Cap. 242), the rents of these premises are considerably cheaper than those of premises of a similar type built after the war. They are, in fact, cheaper than Housing Board premises. The minimum compensation of eight years' rent for commercial premises and six years' rent for residential premises provided in clause 7 (1) (a) and 7 (1) (b) is anything between one-fifth and one-tenth of the current market value. The Bill, therefore, seems to benefit the landlords immediately. My main concern is for the poor sub-tenants who live in cubicles or in small units which they rent from sub-tenants of chief tenants.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I strongly support the Bill. Before the coming into being of this Bill, all property belonging to Hindu endowments was vested in the Muslim and Hindu Endowments Board which was set up in the British colonial era. With the passage of time, we found discrepancies as a result of the changed conditions in the Republic. We naturally need some changes. I consider this Bill to be very desirable. The Hindu Endowments Board will be set up to administer Hindu religious and charitable endowments. The members of the Board must be Hindus as well as citizens of Singapore. No member, however, can dominate the Board's affairs for a prolonged period, unlike in the past when a certain group of members could dominate Hindu affairs with their autocratic policies. With the passage of the Bill, every member is allowed to serve on the Board for not more than three years. This is more democratic. I thank the Minister for Social Affairs for bringing this Bill into this House.”
“But I would like to know if the advantages of our multi-racial and multi-cultural society and our natural vegetation, such as rubber plantations, pineapple plantations and coconut plantations, have been fully exploited and developed for sight-seeing to attract foreign tourists. Promoting tourism abroad is of no use, if, when a tourist comes to Singapore, he finds nothing to see. Therefore, the Tourist Promotion Board should concentrate their efforts on promoting more attractive facilities on our island for the tourists. Finally, Mr Speaker, Sir, I hope the Hon. Minister will take my remarks in good spirit, for I was indeed prompted by the Prime Minister in his speech here on Monday to speak my mind. May I once again endorse the Prime Minister's thanks to the President for his speech. 4.59 p.m.”
“But in order that locally-manufactured consumer goods can capture the local market, it is necessary that our local manufacturers should convince the public that their goods are comparable in quality to imported goods and that they are cheaper. Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to stress that whereas the encouragement of local industry will conserve foreign exchange and create more employment opportunities, it is essential that prices be kept as low as possible. The profit margins of industrialists should be closely examined by the Minister. I am aware that investors in industries expect the best returns from their investments, but unless their profit margins are kept to reasonable proportions, the cost of living will go up and all our efforts in encouraging local industries would seem to benefit only the factory owners. The Minister for Finance on 16th April, 1968, disclosed his plans to develop economic growth in four main fields, namely, the entrepot trade, tourism, shipping and the manufacturing industries. His study of the tourist trade is most commendable and I wish him every success in his attempt to establish Singapore in the Pacific tourist circuit. Mr Speaker, Sir, there are two types of tourists coming into Singapore. One type is the American soldier from the Vietnam war theatre. He comes here to rest. For him a comfortable hotel, good food and good recreational facilities would be all that he would ask for. The other type is the average tourist who comes here for sight-seeing. I am aware that the Tourist Promotion Board has a fleet of sight-seeing buses to take tourists on conducted tours.”
“Besides that, the employment of full-time day teachers in the adult education night classes deprives younger children in the day schools of effective teaching, for full-time day teaching followed by extramural activities and then followed by night teaching hardly leaves the teacher any time to prepare his lessons properly. Further, Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to know whether the Minister, in his efforts to resolve the unemployment problem, is considering the withdrawal of married women from employment. If so, perhaps he should spare married women in the lower income bracket. I now wish to turn to the Finance Minister's speech on 30th of March, 1968, wherein he gave a clear analysis of how he intended to counteract the recession created by the impending withdrawal of the British Forces. I must congratulate him on his very careful and exact conclusions. However, although he was aware of the magnitude of the import leakage, he did not elaborate on how he could keep this to the barest minimum. Obviously he was mindful of the need to encourage the use of local products in place of imported goods. Although it is often said that the Singapore consumer market is small, yet the Minister disclosed that about 60 per cent of consumer expenditure leaves for places abroad. That is, it is spent on imported goods. This means that, despite spectacular capital investment in industry, ranging from $20 million in 1961 to $404 million in 1967, only 40 per cent of consumer expenditure has been captured. It, therefore, seems that there is still plenty of room for industrial expansion in consumer goods alone.”
“While I hold a good doctor in the highest esteem and while I agree that we need good doctors to maintain our high standard of health, I wonder if some of this top talent could not be better utilised in ship-building, engineering and other industries of top priority. Mr Speaker, Sir, unemployment is an urgent and serious problem that is constantly troubling our minds. Even before the British decided to withdraw their forces, we had tens of thousands of school-leavers joining the unemployment ranks every year. Now with the impending withdrawal of the British Forces from Singapore, this problem will become even more acute. In this respect, the Minister for Science and Technology has said that education must now be regarded as a means towards increasing one's usefulness in society and as a means of obtaining rewarding and satisfying employment. He has also said that emphasis should move from the white-collar to the blue-collar jobs. I agree entirely with him. But I would like to know how and when he is going to implement this change. Is he considering changes in the many adult education classes which are preparing students for repeat attempts in the School Certificate and the H.S.C. examinations? These classes are, in effect, producing more white-collar workers while the need is to produce blue-collar workers. Many of these classes are being conducted by teachers who are already engaged in day schools, thus providing earning opportunities to those who are already in employment, whi1st the number of unemployed persons is increasing by leaps and bounds every year.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am happy to join the Prime Minister in thanking the President for his speech. The Prime Minister and, indeed, several other Ministers have spoken of the crucial years ahead and that they cannot afford to be naive nor ingenuous. The President in his speech laid emphasis on three important points, namely, national defence, economic growth and national consciousness. In respect of the second point, that is, economic growth, both the Minister for Science and Technology and the Minister for Finance in their recent speeches stressed the need for managerial and technological advance in industry. I agree wholeheartedly with them. If these advances are to be fostered, it follows logically that we should harness the natural talents of our youths and provide them with the necessary training to become scientists, engineers, managers or technologists. Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to draw the attention of this House to the large sums of Government money being spent on the training of medical personnel. It is generally known that, because of the status symbol of doctors and because of the lucrative income of the medical profession, the Medical Faculty of the University of Singapore has attracted and is continuing to attract the top layer of the cream of our H.S.C, graduates. The Medical Faculty takes in about 70 to 80 of our best H.S.C, graduates every year and we are spending on each student about $7,000 each year. This means that we are investing about $42,000 in every medical student if he graduates within six years.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill in principle, particularly the provisions of clauses 8, 9, 11 and 12. But I wonder if the Minister can clarify the following points. In the case of a Government pensionable officer who is retired before the age of 55 due to redundancy, he would normally be given a gratuity and a pension. Would such gratuity be subject to the control of this Redundancy Payments Fund Bill? Clause 10 provides that a member of the Fund who is a citizen of Singapore may withdraw the whole or part of the redundancy payment in certain circumstances. The decision to allow or not to allow this withdrawal rests entirely with the Director whose decision shall be final. This seems to be rather unfair to the redundant employee as it is a one-man decision. Will the Minister consider setting up a board specially to consider such appeals? Clause 10 seems to provide excellent protection to the redundant employee in the use of his redundancy payment. But I wish the Minister to consider the case of a man who has worked for 20 or 30 years and now, on his redundancy at a very late stage of his working life, is to be deprived of even the small pleasures of life by being given unconditionally a small portion of his redundancy payment. No doubt I appreciate the fact that his redundancy payment will eventually be given back to him in full by way of small instalments. Will the Minister consider giving the employee immediately on his redundancy 20 per cent of his redundancy fund unconditionally? 3.55 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, is it proper to have a playing ground utilised as a car park?”
“Sir, this Finance Companies Bill has my full support. It is to control the activities of finance companies and to safeguard the interest of the public. The proposal that this Bill should be sent to a Select Committee is a means of delaying its passage. My view is that it should be taken through all stages and passed into law. 5.56 p.m.”
“Sir, I wish to say a few words on this amendment Bill. It looks as though the employers will benefit by it, because the wages of female workers are less. They will be of the opinion that they may profit more if they employ female workers. The men may take advantage of the situation and send their wives to work at night while they go off to sleep. If this is the attitude of the men, then women will be working at night in all the establishments. Why should we allow them to work at night? We should provide security for them and if they go to work after 7 p.m., their parents or their husbands should escort them. So it is not proper to send women to work at night. Even if we have to do so, the employers should pay them the same wages as the men. If we insist on that, we have to see that the employers comply with this request. I do not think this is proper for the country or for the people. The Labour Ministry says productivity will be increased by the passing of this Bill. But this aim may result in a decrease in production because the employers may be employing female workers at night and I do not think this will give any benefit. 3.20 p.m.”
“I quite agree with you, Mr Speaker, Sir.”
“I am asking for an extension of, say, 15 feet by 30 feet, because the other place for playgrounds and other purposes can be used. I only want to extend the building. I am not talking about using the whole land -”
“The Minister has said that land is scarce for the building of community centres. But, actually speaking, there is some land. I think the original estimate was for $80,000. During the time when no money was available, a very small building was built in Anson. I do not think the Minister is objecting to the extension of the building. I think it will cost about $3,000 or $4,000 to establish a vigilante post there. We have not enough space. Therefore, he must consider taking action.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Anson Community Centre is too small for the area. I hope the Minister will consider expanding the centre a little so as to make it more suitable for the area.”
“Sir, I wish to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The time allotted for Head 0703 having expired, the following amendments were not proceeded with: Madam Chan Choy Siong:”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not satisfied with the reply of the Minister --- 4.35 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0703 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1831. Mr Speaker, Sir, since the introduction of the Hawkers' Code, the Minister has vigorously embarked on an ambitious programme to reorganise our hawkers. He first started with the Geylang West Constituency, then the Anson Constituency, and then the Tanjong Pagar Constituency. But I was told that the Minister also intends to reorganise the hawkers in the Telok Ayer Constituency. While he has improved the hawker situation generally, the problem now is that some of the hawkers in these constituencies feel that they have been especially singled out for licensing procedures, whereas their counter-parts in other constituencies are free to conduct their petty trading without restriction. The result is that hawkers who are granted licences for pitches in these constituencies have migrated to the free zones. It appears to me to be unfair to the hawkers in these constituencies to subject them to rigid discipline, while others are spared of this control. Therefore, I call upon the Minister to suspend disciplinary measures against the licensed hawkers until such time as the licensing system can be applied universally to all hawkers throughout the island. In places where the licensing of hawkers has begun, there seem to be more hawkers than before. This means that each licensed hawker can now do less business than before. Therefore, I propose that the licence fees for day business be reduced from $10 to $6 and those for night business be reduced from $20 to $12. Perhaps the Minister may be aware of the fact that some hawkers are unable to pay their licence fees due to lack of business.”
“I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Only a few minutes, Mr Speaker, Sir,I will finish up. This again brought improvement in the service. But now with the increase in the population, with the increase in demand for medical services, long queues at Government outdoor dispensaries are now a regular feature again. Is the Minister still consolidating his dispensaries, or is he now ready to embark on another expansion programme, which seems to be already overdue. I hope he will examine his attendance figures at the outpatient dispensaries and either increase the staff or set up more dispensaries to relieve the poor sick patients.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am coming to that line. We hold the Minister in the highest esteem. Sir, I wish to bring the attention of this House to one defect in our health services. I hope the Minister will, in addition to the usual reply that "the matter is receiving attention", also take effective measures to remedy this defect. Sometime back the Minister very capably solved the intolerable over-crowding at the General Hospital Outpatient Department by setting up numerous outdoor dispensaries all over the island. Then, as suddenly as this growth in the outpatient services began ---”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0702 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1201. Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Health under the dynamic leadership of the present Minister has made such dramatic improvements in our health services that our island Republic is now reputed to be the cleanest city in this region. One of his many achievements, which has gained world-wide recognition, is the reduction of our baby population. But another equally significant achievement of comparable standard is his reduction of the fly and mosquito population. To attempt to enumerate all his outstanding achievements would be superfluous, but I am sure the Minister will have no doubt about my sincerity -”
“(3) That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $100. The sum of $4,911,550 for Head 0701 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0702 -”
“I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“With the large number of Senior Cambridge and Middle School graduates coming into the employment market every year, it is now possible to recruit teachers-in-training who are not only well qualified academically but also capable and dedicated in moulding the children to become useful and responsible citizens. In this respect, Sir, the conduct of teachers must first be re-examined. It is not my intention to criticise the teaching profession for the members of which I have the highest regard, and indeed there are a good number of teachers who are above reproach. The House will no doubt agree that wearing tight jeans and drain-pipe trousers and the keeping of long hair by teachers are not good examples for the children. These and other undesirable forms of conduct of some teachers during school hours are frowned upon not only by parents but also by respected and dedicated members of the noble profession. I therefore urge that such elements be seriously looked into by the Minister. I have no doubt that any measures taken by him will have the support of the parents and the teachers' unions, for this will help to preserve the dignity and respect of the profession.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0601 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1431. It is generally known that with a few exceptions, school for school, student for student, and even teacher for teacher, the aided schools seem to be doing better than the Government schools. Why is this so? I have no doubt the Minister for Education will be able to give good reasons for this. But having good reasons for the present state of affairs is one thing and finding means to improve the situation is another. It is to be noted that 25 per cent of our Budget, which is equivalent to $151 million, is to be expended on education. If we are to get equitable returns for this large sum of money spent, and more important, if we are to ensure that our younger generation will grow up to be well-educated, well-trained and well-disciplined citizens of the future, then we must see to it that every child in school is given good education and that every teacher is of the right calibre and is playing his expected role in our education system. That this is not so is seen in the apparent disparity in educational standards between aided schools and Government schools generally. One of the factors responsible for this unsatisfactory state of affairs is the quality of teachers taken in by the Teachers' Training College. At one time, due to the rapid increase in the number of schools and due to the shortage of suitably qualified personnel to be trained as teachers, the Teachers' Training College had little choice. The situation is now quite different.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister did not reply to my question. Is he relaxing the immigration regulations or not?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0402 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 100l*. * The same amendment also stood in the name of Madam Chan Choy Siong. Mr Speaker, Sir, I understand many of our citizens who have applied for the entry of their aged parents into Singapore have not been successful. I also understand most of these applicants are reasonably well off and the supporting of one or two over-aged parents is no problem to them. In fact, many of these applicants have been and are still sending money regularly to their parents overseas. If their parents are allowed to come in, it will save us foreign exchange. Will the Minister consider modifying the immigration regulations to allow these aged parents, who will not jeopardise our economy or security in any way, to enter Singapore? Madam Chan Choy Siong: I am not speaking.”
“I beg leave to withdraw, Sir, Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1301*. * The same amendment also stood in the names of Mr. S. V. Lingam and Mr. Tang See Chim. Sir, nowadays robbery in public places is a common occurrence. Hooligans snatch gold chains and other jewellery from helpless women and get away on motor-cycles and bicycles. Markets, streets and public parks are usually the scenes of such crimes. Will the Minister of Defence consider strengthening the police force so as to keep such disgraceful crimes to a minimum?”
“Regarding the Choon Guan Street Postal Garage quarters, I understand from the Minister of State that there are two rooms each in every quarters. That is incorrect, because there are 22 quarters; four with two rooms each, and the rest -18 quarters -have one room each. The Minister of State has also mentioned just now the increase in the number of postmen and others, and his reason is that the Ministry of Finance has been cutting down the expenditure. What is the meaning of cutting and further cutting the vote? The Minister of State must tell the Finance Ministry that this Department needs the increase, because the postmen are at present suffering. He must explain to the Minister for Finance the reasons for increasing the number of posts. Just ask any Assistant Controller of Posts or anybody to deliver letters in the Alexandra area for one day. Just let them try, and they will see how difficult is the postman's job. And if you do not want to increase the number of posts, you are pressuring them. It is like hell. They want to run away from the Postal Department. That would be very unfair to the Postal Department. I now ask the Minister to go and press this matter again and get the increase. But since the Minister for State has already replied, and although I am not satisfied, I have to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendments stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy - (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0307 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1002. (3) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0307 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1004. (4) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0307 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1012.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I respectfully request that the Minister take effective steps to improve the working conditions of postmen by providing better quarters for them and by increasing their number rather than by increasing the number of senior officers.”
“We have now a Postmaster-General, a Deputy Postmaster-General, two Controllers of Posts, 13 Assistant Controllers of Posts, an i three Chief Superintendents. This increase in the number of higher grade posts is hardly explainable. I do not know what work they are doing, but I certainly cannot imagine how increased deliveries due to the increase in population, houses, flats and factories, can be met by increasing the number of senior officers. I have, however, no objection to the creation of the post of Deputy Postmaster-General, but I cannot see the need for two Controllers of Posts. Will the Minister consider reducing the number to one Controller of Posts and three Assistant Controllers of Posts? The savings in salaries of these four posts will be sufficient to pay for 30 postmen, which will mean that 30 families will be looked after. Mr Speaker, Sir, I hope the Minister will appreciate that postmen are working under heavy pressure. When one postman goes on leave, his delivery beat is shared by other postmen who are already overloaded. But overtime is paid often not in fair proportion to the overtime work performed. In short, this is because of the shortage of postmen. To cite an example, on 14th November this year, one assistant postman died shortly after he arrived for duty at the General Post Office. The pressure of work was certainly one of the causes that contributed to his death. The office is not well-ventilated and is congested by the accumulation of mail bags and parcels. Indeed, one wonders how many of them have T.B.-God knows!”
“Outwardly, they seem to be merrily delivering letters, parcels and registered articles, but it must be appreciated that their duties are not that simple. They are required to discharge them within a stipulated time. They have to cycle under the hot sun or in heavy rain and sometimes with their heavy loads up hilly slopes, which is most strenuous and exhausting, and they are penalised for any loss of letters or articles. Above all, they have to rush through their daily deliveries within a very short time. They also have to climb many storeys in our modern multi-storeyed flats. Under these trying conditions of work, it is not unreasonable to ask that they be provided with decent quarters so that they may have a proper night's rest in order that they can be fit to undertake another day's heavy work. Mr Speaker, Sir, I notice in the Estimates that a number of higher grade posts in the Postal Department has been increased. I also notice from the Budget Statement of the Finance Minister of the 5th of December that there has been a substantial increase in the number of houses and factories, but that there is to be no increase in the number of postmen for 1968. In fact, the Minister stated that the number of new buildings commenced this year showed no less than a 66 per cent increase over that of last year and that private construction was, particularly active, showing a 94.5 per cent increase. Yet I am surprised to note that there is no provision for an increase of even one postman but that there is an increase in the number of higher grade posts. For example, the number of senior officers has been raised from 8 to 13 since 1963, but there has been no increase in the number of clerical staff.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0307 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001. I will also range over *amendments (2) , (3) , (4) , (5) and (6). * The amendments read as follows: (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0307 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1002. (3) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0307 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1004. (4) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0307 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1012. (5) (standing also in the name of Madam Chan Choy Siong): That the sum to be allocated for Head 0307 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1023. (6) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0307 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1024. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to bring to the notice of the House the fact that the Postal Department has been working quite efficiently in past years. In the 1965 Budget sittings, I pointed out that the postal quarters at Radin Mas, Tanglin, Wilkinson Road, Geylang and Choon Guan Street old postal-drivers garage quarters were in pretty bad condition and I urged that they be improved. The Minister of State promised to look into the matter, but I regret to say, Sir, that nothing has been done. I am now compelled to ask him the same question and I hope that some action will be taken to improve these postmen's quarters. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would also like to draw the attention of this House to the difficult working conditions of postmen. In my opinion, and speaking from experience, I think that the duties of postmen are among the toughest in the whole civil service. I am sure that the public are also aware of this.”