P. Govindaswamy
Singapore
“Sir, the purchase of SBS shares should not be made compulsory. It should be voluntary. If a poor man were to use all his $5,000 CPF savings to buy SBS shares, he will not know what will happen to his shares in one or two years' time.”
“Sir, we know that Singapore Government Officers' Cooperative Housing Society has been in trouble for many years. But I fail to understand why when members write in for a refund, they do not even get a reply. Nobody seems to know exactly what is happening with this society.”
“In the past few years and even now, every Malaysia Cup soccer tie that is played at our Stadium, the tickets are sold out within hours and many fans are disappointed. Even ugly scenes have happened, to the extent that one soccer fan fell dead whilst trying to buy tickets.”
“If the Minister approaches the Finance Ministry for extra staff, he must press on with his request. Anyway, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have forgotten one point. Regarding the word "million". can the Minister please give instructions to the RTS staff not to use the English word "million" but to use the Tamil word for it? If they do not know the Tamil word for it, they can ask the people from the higher institutions.”
“The Minister must think it over. Mr Ng Yeow Chong: Sir, can the acting Minister give me an assurance that my request for the re-naming and for the re-location of the creche within the constituency's housing estate will be brought up when his Ministry starts negotiations with the NTUC for the taking over of the creches?”
The complete record
Every one of 1,199 lines we hold for P. Govindaswamy, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 4 of 24.
“Sir, I want the Hon. Minister to clarify whether he will consider giving 6% for those civil servants who got 2%?”
“The NWC's recommendation is only a guideline. The Government should take action according to the wishes of the people. This is an elected government, not a colonial government. He must realise that all civil servants are working for the Government, but the lower Divisions of civil servants are getting only 2%. The Minister gets 6% but I, as an MP, get only 2%. Actually this is discriminating the civil servants.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not objecting to the Superscale Officers getting more. If the Minister wants to increase their salary, he can do so. But why the discrimination? Divisions III and IV employees are getting only 2%. Why does he not give 6% to those who are on the maximum of their salary scales? Their salaries are already fixed. Why are they not given 6%? How did the Minister arrive at the quantum of 6% for Superscale Officers? I am putting these supplementary questions to the Minister for National Development and Communications because he knows something about the Ministry of Finance.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, every now and then we find new issues of stamps depicting fishes, birds, flowers, etc. I wonder why there has never been a stamp issue to commemorate our late First President of Singapore. Tun Yusof bin Ishak. In many countries we find the President's portrait appearing in stamps, money, etc. Here, we have missed a key person who had been a historic figure in the struggle for self-government and independence, and yet nothing has been done in remembrance of the First President of Singapore. I hope the selection body which decides on the motif of stamps to be issued would not overlook key figures of our Republic or even some of the historical sites when new stamps are being considered. Sir, the idea of opening new post offices at Housing Board estates and at other locations are indeed welcomed by the public for convenience. However. I wonder whether due consideration has been given to see that ample space is made available for the postal staff to perform their duties comfortably. I notice that in certain post offices, the space at the sorting section of mails and parcels is so limited that the postmen find difficulty in performing their duties in the uncomfortable atmosphere. Furthermore, there are no rest rooms for the staff. Sometimes there is only one toilet. When the postwomen are inside the toilet, the postmen outside will say, "Siapa goreng ikan?" (Who's frying fish?) We can see this at the newly-opened post office at the Tanjong Pagar Plaza. It has not been officially opened yet. 5.45 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head P be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead CAA 1101*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ahmad Haleem). Mr Speaker, Sir, the departure lounge at the Paya Lebar Airport is still unsatisfactory. There are not enough seats for people waiting to board their plane, and at times they may have to wait for hours before the plane actually departs. The shops which have been put up sometime ago around the building seem to occupy too much space and contribute to the congestion felt during the peak periods. Sometimes the place seems to be like a fish market. The Member for Changi, who is attached to the Airport, would bear me out. No doubt over the years, we have improved and expanded our international airport to that comparable to many western countries, but then further improvements can still be made. Sir, according to our Development Expenditure there is a revote of $8,300,000 for the construction of a new arrival block for Paya Lebar Airport. Why is this huge sum being allocated for this project when in a couple of years the new Changi Airport will be ready for use? Sir, taxi service at the Paya Lebar Airport seems to be a perpetual problem. It is hopelessly inadequate and there have been too many complaints from tourists and our local passengers about this. Even the recent introduction of the mini-bus service where a commuter is charged a flat rate of $5 has not solved the problem. Probably more mini-buses are required to solve this problem.”
“I beg to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Can they use the they can use the other lanes?”
“Point of clarification, Sir. Regarding the bus service, I had mentioned last year at the Budget debates that they must take down the statistics of passengers travelling from one place to another. If they had done that, they would now know whether or not the particular direct service has to be put on. And if they increase the number of buses there, it will be much easier for the passengers.”
“At times, it is difficult to get a taxi at many places in the city area and also in the outskirts of town. It is time the number of taxis was increased. We should also see that they are run efficiently so that more people will give up the idea of owning cars. At present, some people are still reluctant to give up their cars simply because our bus service has not improved sufficiently and the difficulty of getting taxis for commuting. Sir, turning to the subject of telephones, though we are proud that many new lines have been introduced, yet there seems to be too many complaints of getting through the main lines of most Government departments. At times, even the police 999 emergency line is difficult to get through. What would happen when there are serious crimes? Because of poor communication, they may not be solved. At times, when we get through the line, we could hear the ringing but no one would answer for a long time. Sometimes we hear wonderful opera music on the phone when we are dialling. And also very often we get crossed-lines. Why is this so? The telephone exchanges of the Government departments must definitely be improved for the benefit of the public, especially the businessmen. Sir, I hope the Hon. Minister will reply to my queries.”
“For instance, there is no service running direct from Marine Parade to Telok Blangah via Keppel Road. In fact, in Keppel, Telok Blangah and Pasir Panjang Roads, there are many offices and yet no bus service has been considered. Even before the bus service was reorganised there was a service running from Cantonment Road turning to Keppel Road to Pasir Panjang. But now there is no such service. It appears commuters have to change buses to go through these routes. This would then cost them an extra fare. Why not introduce direct services running through these routes, because I have received complaints from a number of workers whose place of work is at Keppel, Telok Blangah and Pasir Panjang Roads. Could the Minister look into this? The SBS also seems to have certain rules just to suit its conductors. They refuse to accept Malaysian coins. Yet they do not mind giving them for the return change and tell off the commuters if they refuse to accept Malaysian coins. What is the guideline on this matter? The city shuttle service is performing a very good service to the public, though the reasons for the introduction of this service have completely overlapped their original functions. Why not extend the hours and the terminal points of the shuttle service? This will in a way improve further our transport service. The Scheme B service is also providing a useful supplementary service during the peak hours. When it was introduced it was praised as clean and efficient. Yet lately the service seems to have deteriorated, like running the service with no proper timing, changing directions at their discretion and buses not as tidy as before. Sir, at present there are about 7,000 taxis. Yet this number seems to be insufficient to meet the needs of the public.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head P be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 1004*. (*The same amendment also stood in the name of Dr Ong Leong Boon.) There has been a remarkable improvement in our bus service over the last few years. For one thing, rude conductors, smoky buses, infrequent services are things of the past, with some exceptions. The improvement has been made possible because of the action taken by the Government Team of Officials which has been seconded to the SBS. However, the authorities still have to look after some of the minor problems which still exist. It is a common sight to see buses speeding, especially at night and also at rural areas throughout the day. Some even go against the traffic lights and practically bulldoze their way through traffic. Obviously most of the drivers hold the maxim that "might is right". There are some drivers who on the pretext of overtaking other vehicles do not care to halt at scheduled bus stops, even though the commuters who have been patiently waiting for that particular service, signal the bus to stop. This normally happens outside the peak periods when there are fewer inspectors around. Sir, there has also been a remarkable improvement in the condition of buses. However, on rainy days many buses, both old and even some of the newer ones, seem to leak from the top and also from the windscreens. Thus, seats are wet and commuters have to stand up and dodge the rain water that splashes into the buses. I wonder whether the SBS carries out periodic checks to see that the buses do not leak. Sir, some of the bus services from housing estates do not cater for services to places all over the island.”
“Sir, we should not spend too much money in engaging consultants. We must be very careful about spending such money. We are spending too much money on consultants. We should engage one consultant right until he completes his work. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head O be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BAA 8105*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Mr Ahmad Haleem and Dr Ong Leong Boon) Sir, I wonder whether the subject I am speaking on comes under the right subhead, because it seems that the Senior Minister of State for Communications normally deals with the mass transit system. However, since this item appears in the Estimates under the Ministry of National Development, I would like to ask a few points. What progress has been made in the development of the Mass Rapid Transit System in our Republic so far? Are we still relying on foreign experts, or are we making progress on our own? What has been the result of the various expensive studies that have been conducted during the past few years? Could the Minister comment?”
“Sir, I beg to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“A junior officer was put in charge of large amounts of money from the sale of agricultural produce. Not only this, the PPD is also a very stubborn department. The Auditor-General had in his Reports for 1973-74 and 1974-75 pointed out the shortcomings of the PPD and had recommended certain improvement to its accounting system. Yet from the 1975-76 Auditor-General's Report, it appears that the Department is still having the same problems, and has disregarded the advice of the Auditor-General. Is this intransigent attitude good for our country? Mr Speaker, Sir, finally I would like to raise the problem of the Jurong Abattoir. Recently I received a lot of complaints chiefly on the management of the Abattoir. They have spent large sums of money furnishing the office into one of grandiose splendour. They have also spent a lot of money to engage beautiful female staff. But they do not want to spend any money to improve the machinery or to improve the working conditions of the workers, so much so that now and then, the machines are out of order, or there is constant shortage of butchers causing a delay in the slaughtering of pigs, sometimes to as late as 6 am, or 7 am, so that the meat could not reach the market in time, causing a lot of unnecessary losses. I do not know whether the Minister concerned has supervised the work of the Jurong Abattoir.”
“Of course, the idea is that we should be self-sufficient in the supply of water, and nobody can argue with it. But the Government, particularly the Primary Production Department, should try its best to help reduce the inconvenience and the loss to the people affected to the minimum by giving them whatever assistance they need to resume production as soon as possible. Bigger pig farmers have been resettled in Punggol pig farms. They have to start from scratch in very difficult situations. Small pig farmers have also been asked to stop their pig farming operations, or else they will have to move out. Can I ask whether the PPD has assisted these pig farmers to change to chicken rearing? Sir, there was a time when the PPD gave extensive publicity to the development of Sembawang as a pig farming area, and they even invited farm operators to come forward. But now we do not hear anything more about it. I would like to ask the Minister whether he can inform this House as to how much public funds has been spent on the development of Sembawang as a pig farming area? Why has the plan failed? What is the use of the land now? Sir, the PPD is now planning to develop Punggol as a new pig farming area. This must succeed, and should not be allowed to fail. Otherwise we shall fall short of the supply of pork. The first problem I hear is that there is an absence of metalled roads and the drainage system is also very poor. There is also an insufficient supply of electricity and water. These matters must be given first priority by the PPD. Sir, from the Report of the Auditor-General for 1975-76 we learn that the PPD is not efficient in handling accounting matters. There have been short receipts and wrong accounting procedures.”
“Mr Ho Kah Leong (Jurong)(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I regret to say that in the last few years, the image of the Primary Production Department in the eyes of the farmers and fishermen has changed fundamentally. Although the PPD has been giving technical aid in respect of agriculture to the farmers, they do not seem to give any assistance to solve the major and immediate problems of bona fide farmers and fishermen. The result is that there are complaints and dissatisfaction all round. I would like to ask whether the PPD has taken any steps to render help when the price of agricultural produce was low. And has the PPD helped the farmers to export their excess produce abroad? What has the PPD done in respect of the promotion of deep-sea fishing? Sir, as regards farmers affected by resettlement, the PPD's dealings with these people give cause to doubt the sincerity of the PPD in promoting agriculture. The frivolous manner that the PPD has adopted in judging whether or not a person is a bona fide farmer or not a farmer has been the root cause of a lot of dissatisfaction and complaint. Bona fide farmers have been adjudged non-farmers and vice versa. Usually in the rural areas many families still retain their good Eastern traditions by having several generations living together under one roof, and it is common to see the father and the son tilling the same plot of land, even though the son has his own family. When the PPD comes round to assess and to recommend subsequently the allocation of land, they usually recommend a piece of land, even though a very small one, only to the father, leaving the son out. Is this the way to encourage agriculture or to discourage it? Sir, rural people have also been troubled by the development of catchment areas and reservoirs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head O be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead DAA 1101*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs Ahmad Haleern , Lee Yiok Seng and Ng Kah Ting.) Mr Speaker, Sir, Singapore has become an island too dependent on other countries for imports of food and many other products. In certain aspects we should try to be self-sufficient and, if possible, be an exporter. Many pig farmers have been resettled or put out of business for various reasons, the commonest being environmental pollution. We have some islands which are ideal for poultry and pig-rearing. Why is there no effort made to develop these islands? Sometime ago I suggested growing vegetables on the roof tops of HDB flats, I was laughed at and, in fact, one newspaper even ran a cartoon about it. I feel the time has come to rejuvenate some thinking in this field. We are already getting a reduced supply of fish and vegetables. The other sources for these supplies are unreliable. 4.15 p.m. Hydroponics has been developed in Singapore to such an extent that it is feasible to grow vegetables on the roof tops of high-rise buildings. This is not a new idea. In India, it has been carried out very successfully. They grow vegetables, like brinjals, tomatoes and even some kind of padi on rooftops. Sir, what is being done to control the illegal slaughtering of pigs? It is common to find some pork sellers mixing the meat in the markets in Singapore. There is also cheating going on in the sale of mutton. Frozen mutton is mixed with fresh mutton in the markets and sold at higher prices.”
“Sir, the matter of the underpass that I have not told the House is my own opinion. It is up to the House to agree or not to agree. Anyway, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Unfortunately, very few of these crossings have railings During inclement weather these footbridges become slippery and when there are floods, there is a great danger that pedestrians might fall into the flooded drains and canals. In fact, last year there was a case of a young girl who was washed away after falling from the slippery path into the flooded drain. Sir, I hope the authorities would take steps to construct railings along all footbridges across drains and canals.”
“Sir, touching on the question of overhead bridges, I wonder whether a simple bridge can be erected across the railway grounds from Spottiswoode Park to Keppel Road, because at the moment there are many illegal gaps along the fences of the railway grounds and people make use of the railway grounds as a short-cut. I personally think the construction of this bridge would certainly be welcome by residents who are mainly Port and hospital workers living around Spottiswoode Park, Asia Garden. hospital quarters, Everton Park, etc. It is not in my constituency. It is in the Prime Minister's constituency. Sir, certain sections of the railway track have become popular short-cuts for many office and factory workers. This has been going on for a very long time. However, it is dangerous to use the railway track as a shortcut. Sometime ago, a young factory girl was on her way home from Delta Road to Kampong Bahru after a late shift duty. She was taking a short-cut across the railway track when her foot was caught between the railway line. She could not get her foot out in time before the night train from Kuala Lumpur ran over her and killed her. To prevent accidents, why not construct a pedestrian path running parallel to the railway tracks? To say that it is illegal to go through the holes cut through the railway fence is tantamount to taking a negative attitude. Sir, now that I have mentioned this, I hope the authorities would take steps to ban the use of these paths which have been in existence for so many years. The solution would be to construct pedestrian paths beside the railway lines. Sir, it is a wise move on the part of the PWD to build concrete footbridges across drains and canals to facilitate pedestrian movement.”
“On the other hand, underground passes seem to be better utilised. This is evident by the number of people using the underpass near the Esplanade and also the underpass at the Merdeka Bridge leading to the National Stadium. I suggest we should consider having more underpasses than overhead bridges. It is a waste of money. Nobody uses the overhead bridges.”
“Sir, at Keppel Road which is in my constituency, there is a railway line which runs across the road near the Cold Storage Building. This is an accident-prone area as many serious accidents have occurred there. If one takes a look at the fence along the railway ground which is beside the road, he will see that it has been damaged because of traffic accidents. Another area which seriously needs to be looked into is the bend along Kampong Bahru and Kampong Lama Road. This bend is so narrow that vehicles going up to the Singapore General Hospital are literally running on the five-foot way meant for pedestrians. This five-foot way is generally used by school children living in the area. Many serious accidents have occurred in that area, the most recent one involved an MID vehicle which rammed into the shop-houses. I think hon. Members may remember this accident. I wonder whether any measures are being taken to modify these areas so that accidents can be minimised. If this is not done, I would request the authorities to look into this immediately. Sir, it appears that most of our pedestrian overhead bridges are not properly utilised. It is a waste of money. Pedestrians find it inconvenient to use these bridges. A typical example is the one near Clifford Pier. Who is using this bridge? Nobody is using it.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BAA 1101*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs Ng Kah Ting and Teo Chong Tee). Mr Speaker, Sir, for the last few years I have spoken about the favourite hobby of certain departments, that is the digging of roads. Even today we still find many roads being dug, filled up, re-dug, filled up, and re-dug, so much so that some roads seem to be in perpetual disrepair. Is the co-ordinating body really working to make sure that all necessary excavations and repairs are done at the same time? It also appears that when the roads are levelled up, the workmanship and materials seem to be poor. Very often we find that the gravel come loose particularly after a heavy rain. Therefore, the material and workmanship should be properly checked by the authorities. Whether or not they check them, God knows. We see that many traffic circuses at road junctions, like the ones at Tanglin, MacRitchie, etc, are being converted into traffic light controlled intersections. Why were these circuses constructed in the first place? Do these conversions help in any way to alleviate traffic jams? 3.15 p.m. Sir, take MacRitchie circus as an example. The removal of the circus has not solved the traffic jams; worse still, it has become a dangerous accident-prone area. Lately, many people were seriously injured or killed at that place because of accidents. When there was a circus, there were no accidents. Since removal of the circus, many accidents occurred resulting in death. Something must be done to make sure that there is proper planning before any modification is made.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on a point of clarification. The house owner is praying inside his house. What is the objection of the Building Control Division? The people are praying inside the house. What is the objection of the Building Control Division and why must they stop it? There is also discrimination because nobody disturbs the other houses where praying is also being conducted. There are so many other places where there is praying. They are not disturbed. This is the only place where they come and disturb. What is the reason for that? That is discrimination, is it not? There must be equal treatment. An hon. Member: Victimisation.”
“Why cannot they allow the people to carry on their prayers? After all, they are not causing any problem to anyone. Could the Minister clarify this point?”
“In 1974, the Development Control Division was taken out again and this time it was put under the Public Works Department. Why is there all this confusion? Would not the staff be also puzzled? It is about time things were put right once and for all. The Development Control Division's officers and planners are doing a good job by providing the day-to-day service to the public on planning problems and advice. This is the feedback which I got from members of the public who often approached me on planning matters. Sir, sometime ago the former Chief Planner resigned from the service and migrated to another country to take up a post there. Why is the post of Chief Planner still vacant? Are there no suitably qualified local town planners with experience to fill the post? What is being done to upgrade the long service staff in this department who have reached the maximum of their salary scale? If something is not done to boost their morale and provide incentives, the experienced and dedicated ones may resign and go away to other countries, like the former Chief Planner. Sir, touching on urbanisation, I wonder what is the policy of the Building Control Division in granting permits for different lots of land. I have received a number of complaints that many adjacent lots of land have been granted permits with different conditions. For instance, the first lot of land is given a permit to put up an eight-storey building, whereas the adjacent lot is not even permitted to put up a six-storey building. There seems to be some sort of discrimination here. May I know what is the guideline? Finally, I have also received complaints from some people that the Building Control Division does not permit some homes to hold group prayers, and they give a lot of trouble to the occupants.”
“Sir, members of the public are so confused as to which department is actually doing the day-to-day work relating to planning. The Development Control Division broke off from the Planning Department in 1974 and came under the wing of the Building Control Division of the PWD. Members of the public who need advice in planning matters have close contact with the Development Control Division rather than the Planning Department which only deals with the long term Master Plan. Since the Development Control Division is an important department in Singapore, dealing with the construction of buildings in the private sector, change of use, etc. its status should be upgraded as a Department on its own directly under the Ministry. Not enough publicity has been given to the public as to which department deals with Government projects or those from the statutory boards and which department deals with applications from the private sector. I have had many queries from the public on the confused state of affairs. Even some professional people do not seem to know that part of the Planning Department's work is done by the Development Control Division, where many Town Planners are employed. Since the Development Control Division is a very important department, it should be part and parcel of the Planning Department. It is senseless and illogical to split the two. They should be merged in the interest of expediency, efficiency, prestige and, last but not least, there will be less confusion among members of the public. Sometime in 1966 the Development Control Division was taken out of the Planning Department and put under the Chief Building Surveyor's Department. That caused utter confusion. In 1970, it was returned to the Planning Department.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn The sum of $5,852,700 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $55,060,830 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House. Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1st April, 1977 to 31st March, 1978, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“Sir, it is noted that after a major power failure on last Deepavali Eve, there were scattered power breakdowns in certain areas of the island every now and then. Why is this so? Is it because the faults of that major power failure have not been properly rectified? Finally, when the rates of public utilities are being reviewed, I suggest that if there is any surcharge on the new bills, it should not apply to appliances hired from the PUB,”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head J be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 8201*. (*The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs Ivan Baptist. Ahmad Haleem and Ch'ng Jit Koon.) Sir, during the last few years the rates for public utilities have been revised. This could not be avoided because of the increased cost of production. Whilst accepting the reasons for the increased charges, it is also observed that the PUB has, replaced new meters in certain homes and places. The reason for changing the meters is that they are not functioning properly. However, these new meters have produced heavy bills to the consumers. I understand that in every new meter for electricity an extra 1% is turned on in the set prior to installation. Why must this extra 1% be charged to the consumers whose old meters were removed by the PUB? Even the gas meters have resulted in heavy bills. These increases are due to the installation of new meters. Sir, the question is, if old meters are not functioning properly, why not repair and recondition them, instead of replacing them with new ones? Sir, when the PUB gas is frequently used in homes, there is a tendency of the gas leaking from the gas pipe though the appliance is not in use. This leak will increase the gas consumption. Could the PUB not think of a system whereby the gas will not seep off when it is not in use? There is a speculation that the authorities are considering the use of only piped gas supplied by the PUB for cooking appliances. This is because of accidents or dangers posed by gas supplied by other means. Could a clarification on this be given?”
“Sir, in view of the Minister's explanation, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, two weeks ago, there was dust in the sky. I was told that if it had rained during that period, it would have spread diseases. Where did the dust come from? Can the Minister for Law and the Environment explain? An hon. Member: From Kota Tinggi!”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head J be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BAA 1101'. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Anti-Pollution Unit was set up a few years ago because of the danger which we would face if initial action had not been taken to check the various polluting agents that were growing in our midst. This unit is doing its best to control and overcome the various problems of pollution. However, it has been stated recently that air pollution in our country is on the increase. The presence of smog has been found in some parts of the island. This could be due to pollution created by smoke from the numerous industries scattered all over our island, power stations, vehicles and other polluting agents. I believe this Unit has set certain guidelines to industries to eradicate pollution. It is noticed that a number of industries have been reluctant to comply with anti-pollution measures. Why is this so? Perhaps a study could be made to find out why these industries are violating the regulations. Steps should be taken now to rectify the problem, otherwise it would endanger the health of our people in later years, when remedial action may be too late or expensive.”
“Sir, what has the Civil Service Staff Development Institute, which is in Pasir Panjang, done so far? How far has this Institute been successful in helping our civil service? What sort of courses are conducted at this Institute? Could the Minister give some facts and figures about this Institute? There seems to be a certain amount of frustration building up in the civil service. Quite often some officers with very little experience are promoted to posts which they are not capable of holding simply because they possess the paper qualifications but not the experience. Has any attention been paid to the level of incompetence of an officer? 5.30 p.m.”
“Yes, I am talking on a subject involving the Ministry of Finance. The Hon. Minister has said that if there is any matter which is connected with his Ministry, I can bring it up in the Committee of Supply. I am bringing it up now.”
“In the case of the HDB employee, a technician, he died on 21st December, 1976 Initially, the HDB demanded the refund of his salary 22nd December, 1976 the parents of the late employee. They also demanded from, the parents the refund of the 13th month allowance. Soon after the HDB case, the Straits Times on 9th March, 1977 stated that the TAS had demanded the refund of wages from the widow of one of its 30th December, 1976. This employee was trying to erect a telephone pole in heavy rain in-”
“I suggest that a study should be conducted of all the officers both in the Civil Service and the statutory bodies, to assess their capabilities and potentialities and to think of a way to emplace them on an adjusted salary scale. Sir, I must compliment the Government for paying the employees of Government and statutory boards the 13th month allowance. This is a step in the right direction. For a very long time the wages and salaries of Government employees have been lower than that of the private commercial sector. But what is disheartening is the conditions imposed on the payment of the 13th month allowance. In order to receive this allowance, an employee should be in service up to and including 31st December of that year. Many older employees, particularly those in Division IV, such as postmen, medical and health servants, school servants and so on, did not have the date of birth written in their birth certificates and the Government has allotted them 31st December of the year in which they were born as their date of birth. The Government, as the employer, retires them on 30th December because they would have passed the retirement age on 31st December, and therefore deny them payment of the 13th month allowance. This is grossly unjust and no amount of explanation can convince any person that this is not unjust. The Government also denies payment of the 13th month allowance to those who retire or die within the year. Recently, we read in the press and even heard from the hon. Member for Alexandra of two cases; one was an employee of the Housing and Development Board and the other was employed by the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore. Both employees died while in service.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head X be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 1004. Sir, the Post Office Savings Bank's Giro System is rendering a great service to many people, especially office workers, in settling their bills, like HDB rentals, property tax, PUB bills, etc. This is highly commendable. I wonder whether this Giro System could be extended to the collection of other taxes like income tax, HDB conservancy charges, TV and Radio licences, etc. This will, in fact, help many of the office workers to settle their bills with much ease. Sir, turning to tourism, the Finance Ministry says that it will encourage more tourists to come to Singapore and increase the number of group tours by getting more chartered flights into Singapore. I wonder what is being done to encourage tourists to fly by SIA. How is our national airline, SIA. progressing and how is it doing in competing with other airlines? Could the Minister comment? I would also like to know how is our trade with the Western countries? Are we getting ample markets from the West? Next, on the subject of the Civil Service. It appears that many officers have reached the top of their salary scale and have stagnated for many years. If an officer's salary has been stagnated for many years and he has still got many more years to serve, then what quality of work can we expect from the officer? Human failings will definitely be evident. The quality of his performance will be affected because there is no more incentive as future promotions will not be forthcoming, and moreover age also is a barrier. Could the Minister give some facts and figures of the number of officers who are in this category? For this reason I know that the performance of many officers has dropped.”
“But the Minister of State says, "We will investigate this." There are 10,000 teachers. How is he going to investigate? This is the answer given by him. I am not joking. These are facts. The teachers should be paid. A teacher living in Katong is transferred to Pasir Panjang, and another who lives in Pasir Panjang is transferred to Katong. As far as possible, the teachers should be posted to the schools in the area in which they live. He has to think about this. We have to satisfy the teachers. Only then will they work hard. For example, in 1941. Bevan, the Labour Minister, was a teacher. He said that "you should do everything for the workers". So he went to the industrial areas and made all arrangements to help the people. That is why he won after the Second World War. He is a trade unionist and he has got the experience. So the Minister of State has to think about all these things. Why am I telling him this? Unless he gives all the help to the teachers, the students will not learn properly. Who looks after the children in the schools? The teachers. They are looking after the future nation builders. So he has to give them salaries that satisfy them. Only then will they bring up the children properly. They will mould the children into good citizens. I hope the Minister will take the necessary action.”
“But there should be a telephone in every school because if all of a sudden there is a fire, what are they going to do? How are they going to inform the fire brigade? They can do it only when there is a telephone. So they should see that there is a telephone in every school. Suppose there is an accident and a student is injured. If there is no telephone in that rural school, how are they going to send the child to the hospital? Everybody knows that a telephone is important. For emergency there should be a telephone, especially in schools, because there may be some dangerous incident or there may be some risk of danger. There could be fights and there could be injuries as a result. So if there is a telephone they could use it to call the police immediately or the ambulance. The Ministry will have to look into this matter urgently. There is another question regarding promotions. The Minister of State is repeating the same story. Every year he tells the same thing. He is not implementing it in the correct way. I do not know when he is going to implement it. Only God knows. The Minister of State does not know it. Only God knows. I do not know how they are going to get their promotions. If he insists that teachers should teach properly he should pay them well. Only then will they do their duty well. If a teacher were to do his duty properly, the first thing is that he should have courage. But where can he get the courage from! Only if he is financially satisfied, can he teach properly. Next, the question of allowance. There are cases where a teacher has taught for a few months and he has not got his allowance. He has given his best. He has sweated it out and he has taught the students. He expects to be paid but he has not got his pay.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Minister of State for Education has expressed certain views and I understand them. In English schools they say that there are no places for Tamil because there are not enough children wanting to study Tamil. This has been said before and again today. I think this is not true because this Government has given equal status to the four languages, and the policy is that students should study two languages. So to say that there are not enough teachers and not enough students is not right. A circular should be issued to all schools to find out how many Tamil students there are and the Tamil students should be told that they should take Tamil as a second language. The Ministry of Education should take a census to find out the position. I do not say that all schools should teach Tamil as a second language. But where there are many students, Tamil should be taught. If you do not give a place for Tamil language, then there is no meaning to the equal status of the four languages. The Ministry should adopt this method. It is not the duty of the parents but the duty of the Ministry, because parents think that it is enough if they study any language so long as they can earn a living. The Ministry should insist that Tamil children should study Tamil. Only then will Tamil get a proper place. I am insisting on this point. I have a duty to tell this. The Ministry should not repeat the same tune and say that there are not enough teachers and not enough students. They have to do something and insist on the Tamil children learning Tamil. I make this request humbly. Next, the Minister of State has said something about telephones. He has said that 26 schools do not have telephones. I do not know about this.”
“Paravaillai. It is high time educationists took this campaign to heart and realise its great importance to the future of Singapore. Sir, to safeguard the public interest in private schools, correspondence schools, special educational schools and kindergartens, what steps are being taken to ensure that they are licensed? What steps are being taken to ensure that they do not cheat our students? Of late there seems to be a mushrooming of commercial schools in Singapore. It seems to be an easy way of making a `quick buck'. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have spoken about Tamil language and even the Prime Minister has referred to it in his reply to the Presidential Address - no students, no teachers. But in this case there is a teacher and there are students, why were they not allowed to open a Tamil class? When a Tamil boy goes to that school, they say. "No Tamil class". You must check every school. I have been repeating it. I am very fed up about it. You want everybody to know a second language in a multi-racial society, a multi lingual society. So you must give the second language a chance.”
“Yes, very simple. This campaign, if followed properly, would lead to a self-servicing system of maintaining the schools. In this way schools can help a great deal in cutting down the costs of maintenance and get rid of the "tidak apa" attitude. You know what is "tidak apa"? What does it mean? "Couldn't care less".”
“They do not have a rest. The Minister is writing something on a paper. It is just theoretical, not practical. Everything is theory. You are putting it in writing. When the head of department says something, you say yes. Because they give you an explanation, it is OK, and you sign the memorandum. The Minister's work is finished. Mr Chua Sian Chin: Very simple!”
“Although the teachers have invigilated in the examinations, they have not been paid. Yet they ask the school boys to clean the schools for free. What is this? Is this reasonable? We have so many workers. Why cannot the cleaning service be paid by the Government? Each school has its own fund. Why cannot it be used to pay the labourers to clean the schools? No doubt at one time there was the "Use your hands" campaign. The children must know how to work. I agree. But they can work for one day. You can make them clean the schools for one day. But they should be free for the rest of the week. They should rest at home.”
“Yes, free labour service. Whenever you can save money, you save. When you have to give money, you cannot give.”
“That is very bad. The parents are having a headache. An hon. Member: Free labour service.”
“At times the Ministry tends to be slow in dealing with finance. I will just quote an example. Some teachers who invigilated the main examinations in November have not yet been paid. Four months have already passed and even the results have been released. Yet no payment has been made. Why is there a delay? Is it because the Minister for Finance has not given the money? That is the excuse. The Minister for Finance has not given the money and therefore they cannot pay them. Sir, what has happened to the `Use your Hands' Campaign launched in our schools? There was a lot of publicity but little activity. Is this going to be another "Much ado about Nothing Campaign"? Many schools have taken this campaign seriously. All they seem to care for is some publicity in the school magazines, the press and the TV. What have we really achieved? What measures are being taken to ensure that there is continuity in the "Use Your Hands" campaign? But I would suggest to the Minister not to take only the boy scouts to clean the schools. All boys must help to clean the schools. They say, "You are a scout; you are not going around to collect money. Now, you come to the school to clean." They have to clean the schools every now and then. How many days in a week do they call the boy scouts to clean the schools. It is very unfair. You can call them for one day or two days to come and clean the schools. But if you ask them to come and clean the schools throughout the week, they do not have the time to study?”
“There were four teachers teaching one subject. How can they cope up with the students? This is like changing shirts. However, I gathered that in the end the result of that class in that subject was very poor. This is because of the complication resulting from the changing of teachers. This anomaly must be checked. Sir, we have been complaining that there is a shortage of teachers in schools. Sometime ago there was some publicity for the recruitment of teachers from Britain for our Singapore schools. You do not get them from the commonwealth countries but from Britain. How far have we been successful in the recruitment? Have we managed to get the foreign teachers to increase the strength of the teaching staff. Why are we recruiting teachers from Britain only? Britain is not the only English-speaking country in the world. There are other countries too which are closer to Singapore and they could also be considered. It may also be cheaper to employ teachers from these countries in the long run. Could the Minister comment on this? Sir, when is the next promotion exercise due for the teachers? A few years ago the former Education Minister said that it would be an annual affair. But. actually, the exercise took place only twice in the last four years or so. It was due last year. But nothing has happened. Is this going to be another heartbreaking waiting exercise? As it is, the morale and standard in the teaching profession seem to be low. Is it necessary to make it worse? If you do not give them promotion, what interest do they have in teaching? They would not have the interest to teach. You must give them promotion because they have already suffered a lot. If you do not, they will resign. They would not want to teach. They would just ask the students to learn themselves.”