Penny Low
Singapore
“These amenities will offer recreational choices and also prevent traffic congestion to the new town when it is built. Will MND look into these suggestions favourably and also work with MOT to prevent congestion?”
“Going forward, the quality of our lives will also depend on how well we can integrate knowledge with technology and creativity to find solutions with daily, social and economic concerns. What plans are there to encourage people to act responsibly, dream up new ideas and design for a better world?”
“Let us navigate the sea of change with mastery of seafaring skills, guided by the light of the stars and not by passing fancy ships. Only then can we continue to be that extraordinary little red dot the world envies; only then will we know that the future generations will continue to be world-beaters and make their families proud.”
“These considerations should be part of the MediShield Life design so that it is holistic, it incentivises the desired behaviour and it improves the overall health outcome of our Page: 122 nation.”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. Clarification, Sir. The Minister mentioned that MediShield premium payments can be paid for by immediate family members.”
“Mdm Speaker, there have been more reports on the increase in rodents lately and I am wondering whether NEA has done any study to discover the reason for such an increase, or is it that there is just more visibility of rodents in, especially, housing estates.”
The complete record
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“Renewable Energy Promotion Policies Er Edwin Khew Teck Fook (Nominated Member): Sir, I applaud the MTI for setting up the Clean Energy Programme Office (CEPO) very promptly in 2007 after Singapore decided to elevate clean energy as a key growth area and, since then, the EDB and CEPO have been very active and successful in attracting many major players, like REC from Norway, as mentioned by the Minister, and Oerlikon Solar from Switzerland, into Singapore from the solar PV sector and setting up the Solar Energy Research Institute at NUS. Sir, much still needs to be done to attract other renewable energy players in other sectors, besides the solar sector, to come to Singapore if our strategy is to develop Singapore into a centre for renewable or clean energy technologies and solutions. Globally and regionally, solutions are required for other areas of renewable and clean energy as well as energy efficiency. So I do not think we should just focus on one sector at a time and build up deep proficiency in one area before we focus on another area. May I suggest that MTI and its agencies consider a broader-based strategy in attracting renewable energy (RE) companies into Singapore, as the whole region is looking for a suite of RE technologies, ranging from biomass, biogas, biofuel, wind, wave, hydro, geothermal to solar. Not all RE technologies have ready applications in Singapore. For example, Vestas, which is the largest manufacturer of wind turbines in the world, is setting up their Asia Pacific HQ and R&D centre in Singapore. This company has no market here in Singapore but it is important for them to be here so that Singapore can provide a holistic solution and cater to all the RE and EE needs.”
“Sir, the tourism, MICE and hospitality sector promises jobs for everyone – from the informative senior citizen tour guides to top bankers who leverage on events like F1 and Volvo Ocean Race to entertain and anchor their clients. There is also a whole spectrum of jobs to suit all skills sets. The good news is, in January 2008, we hit a record of 883,000 visitors, representing a year-on-year growth of 6.9%. Congratulations to MTI! There are, however, many challenges. First, this is a manpower-heavy or manpower-intensive industry, and I wonder how MTI would meet the manpower needs in this industry. I understand that the Government has committed S$360 million over three years to train 74,000 tourism industry workers. However, up until January, only 4,300 tourism workforce-related enrolments are under WDA’s Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications education and training. The shortage is quite acute. Second, how do we ensure that this growth will substantially benefit the SMEs and social enterprise? Third, how do we ensure that there would not be imported inflation in the form of conference delegates and tourists pushing up domestic prices? Finally, I would be grateful if MTI could provide an update on the development of this sector, its projected growth and challenges over the next five years.”
“And how do we encourage R&D innovation amongst SMEs so that they can rise to the top of the value chain rather than downwards into the margin competition that is unsustainable for a high-cost Singapore?”
“Sir, innovation is value creation and the way forward for sustainable development of both economy and society. Over the years, we have set aside billions of dollars in innovation R&D. Could the Minister update us on how many Singapore-origin patents have been filed so far and what are some of the KPIs that we have set? Sir, the concept of R&D innovation remains fuzzy and narrowly defined, so much so that the buzz of innovation extends barely beyond people in white coats working in the labs. In most liveable cities in the world, the buzzword is, in fact, "social innovation" – the process by which innovative ideas, products and services are generated and executed for the direct benefit of society. Economic innovation, on the other hand, is driven by capitalistic rents and social benefits as a derivative. Could the Minister clarify the types of innovation R&D that it would be pushing and whether it includes the non-profit sector, and, if so, how? Traditionally, R&D tends to be done behind close doors with fierce IP protection. Today, collaborative innovation inspired by the open software movement is taking centre stage, eg, Wikipedia. By 2005, Wikipedia has about two million articles in more than one hundred languages and 1.4 billion page views a month. But it employs only a grand total of one staff and has a monthly overhead of about US$5,000; the rest are volunteers. Bell Lab, one of the most innovative institutions in the world, has 25,000 researchers in the 1950's but by 2003, as part of France's Alcatel-Lucent, has only 1,000 researchers. In view of the rise of collaborative innovation, could the Minister define the strategy and the eco-system it intends to put in place for innovation initiative to succeed?”
“Sir, given the large amounts of carbon emissions from Asia and our success at attracting the mega green players, both the opportunities and challenges are at our doorstep. This budget, however, surprisingly lacked some clear green light! Fortunately, yesterday, Minister Mah assured this House of sustainable development. Could the Minister further outline our strategies for a green economy? How can we tap on the opportunities offered by both the supply and demand side change? As a country, we do not have big carbon footprints. On a per capita basis, our carbon footprint is big. Collectively, we can play a significant role to reduce our carbon footprint, and serve as role models to our neighbours. For example, in the community, we can promote test bedding of green technological innovations, creation of experimental self-sustaining eco-villages and incentivise green habits. In the business sector, we can allow tax holidays for the production and distribution of energy efficient products or enhance capital allowance claims for adoption of green equipment. For the individuals, we can enhance our green vehicle rebate and provide green labels for informed purchases. Sir, is there green light at the end of the tunnel?”
“Sir, I thank the Ministers and Minister of State for giving us a very comprehensive reply to all our queries and patience as well. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $452,360,700 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $321,771,600 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.”
“I think the Minister has not quite answered my question on whether there are ways to adapt the Google model of allowing 20% of the employee's time into social investment so that they have a chance to really fulfil what they want to do and, so to speak, –”
“The Minister mentioned Google having attracted some 26 Singaporeans to work for them and they are amongst the top talents. May I ask the Minister how many of these 26 Singaporeans are indeed working in Singapore itself, instead of Google elsewhere? And one reason Google was able to attract top talent, as it received millions of applications every year, is because they allow their staff to apportion 20% of their time to develop their own projects which are very much associated with social or community developments. How can we then transform or adapt this strategy to our local context and encourage either our companies or even our civil service to adopt the same concept so that we can also attract top talents?”
“Sir, a question to the Minister. He mentioned that we do track some of the successful Singaporean artists overseas and we do bring them back, give them platforms and highlight them. But many industry players have also fed back that we expect our own artists and industry players to perform for free, or for a very small fee, while we splurge on foreign talents. Can the Minister clarify its talent engagement policy and whether we do have a different policy for talents from Singapore and overseas?”
“Sir, the importance of a country's brand or reputation has emerged as an important economic competitive edge. Brands are not just a physical icon. They represent a country's value system, its reputation at home and overseas. Singapore is a good brand. The fact that we can travel visa-free to many countries, the fact that businesses welcome Singapore organisations, the fact that Singaporeans are in high demand in the corporate world, are testimony to our brand value. One may ask: What is Singapore's brand value worth? Stephen Anholt, a leading national brand specialist, put the value of the Singapore brand at US$106 billion, or 100% of 2004 GDP. Perhaps, in hindsight, it was our brand value that attracted the success bids of F1 Grand Prix, YOG, Volvo Yatch Race and other international events to Singapore. I would like to ask the Minister for an update of our national branding strategy as well as how we are leveraging on our brand to promote our industries, artists and cultural heritage overseas? Equally important, a national brand must be supported by its citizens, beyond dollars and cents. A strong brand will have emotional attachment and, in this case, brand loyalty is extremely important to build national identity and commitment to make Singapore our home. For too long, our brand has been seen to be too clinical and dry, and void of a common heritage or destiny, as old heritage gives way to new artifacts. The current brain drain is in part due to the lack of a strong sense of common identity. Can the Minister enlighten us on how MICA intends to rebuild or strengthen our national brand, and ensure buy-ins from not just foreigners, but also our citizens?”
“Do we have the right quantity and quality of manpower to grow? What are our strengths and where are the employment opportunities? Finally, can MICA also provide an update on the progress of its Interactive Digital Media (IDM) initiatives?”
“Sir, the existence of a strong innovative and diversified media content can drive creativity and adoption of ICT in schools, at work, at home and at play. With Wireless@SG, the promise of being connected "anytime, anywhere" is fast becoming a reality. Currently, while e-Government content is strong, the rest are not. Locally produced content, e-learning, e-entertainment and, in particular, e-retail and e-businesses, lag far behind that of our US or even Korea and Japan counterparts. As such, our youths are turning to foreign sites to get information and shape their mindset. My niece, Nowell Quah, for example, is a "spree organiser". That is a term used by e-networks to represent a product aggregator who does it not for profit. In short, she surfs the web for products which are of interest to her, sets up a post with product link, invites surfers to place orders through the web link, while she merely aggregates the demand to place a bulk purchase order which results in lower freight cost and product cost. She has been doing so for a couple of years and, in fact, does most of her shopping this way. The local retailers are losing out on her business. She is a seasoned spree organiser at only 17 years old. What will happen to our local retail businesses? Will our expensive ICT infrastructure, void of local content, become exploited by foreign content and under-utilised to grow our economic pie? Can MICA provide an update on the achievements of its Media21 blueprint and its efforts to develop the media sector? Also, which aspects of media industry has MICA focused its efforts on, ie, is it content distribution, media services, such as digital IP management, etc? Has there been a significant growth in creation and sales of local media content?”
“Sir, from San Francisco to Shanghai, cities across the world are competing to be creative hubs. Where is Singapore in this race and where do we see ourselves in three years' time? Could the Minister also give an update on: (1) The value-add per creative worker vis-a-vis the national average; (2) Creative industries development strategy which includes the MediaFusion2015, the Creative Community 2.0 and the Design Strategy 2.0; (3) Its plan on attracting top creative talents to be based in Singapore. Talents attract talents and the best attracts the best. Have we identified such talents or successfully gotten them to move to Singapore, as the bio-tech sector did? If yes, how did we do it and, if not, why not? (4) Last but not least, the ability to identify industry needs and matching them is a critical linking pin in the creative industry. Currently, while our designer and creative sector tend to work in silos, the product and service engineering sectors are also not leveraging on design to move up the value chain. Perhaps, the right and left brains do not share the same language or focus. But we all know a whole-of-brain approach will create the highest value and most enjoyable product. The story of MP3 players vs Apple ipods is a case in point. Lack of a Steve Job, I am wondering if MICA has set up any specific agency whose function is purely to scout for industry needs to be matched with suitable designers, and vice versa, to ensure greater value creation per product and service? Promoting Good Design and Quality of Jobs Created in the ICT Sector 1.30 pm”
“Last, but most pressing, ICT is more affordable and accessible than ever before. Yet the income and technological gaps are getting wider. Can MICA assure Singaporeans that it will spare no effort at leveraging on ICT to help all segments of our population to level up? Can the Minister give us concrete examples of its effort in ensuring that the disabled, the elderly, the less advantaged and homemakers are being integrated into the ICT world, so that they too can enjoy the progress and become a contributing element in the society? In short, does MICA have any concrete plan or strategy to leverage on ICT to help build a resilient, self-reliant and inclusive society? The War for Talent and Quality of Jobs Created in the ICT Sector”
“Sir, it is laudable that since 1981, Singapore has implemented successive infocomm technology (ICT) national masterplans to keep our economy competitive and the community connected. Our e-Government was once the most advanced system in the world, but fell behind others in the last few years. Can the Minister provide an update of our efforts to upgrade our e-Government platform, and the recently awarded $1.3 billion SOEasy – I suppose it is complex – what the system seeks to do, as well as the status of our iN2015 plan? Sir, the ICT super highway without road users would be a white elephant. It has been repeatedly noted that our SMEs have not been smitten by the ICT bug. The lack of knowledge, inertia, manpower and costs are reasons for the low adoption rate. As such, SMEs are fast losing its local market share. Can the Minister enlighten us on the measures to promote ICT to SMEs? Will there be innovative low cost utility models to help SMEs experiment with business packages that directly enhance their business profitability? Sir, we need also to move up the value creation chain of ICT business activities, instead of racing ourselves down the ICT value ladder with installation of servicing or marketing works which are easily replicable and compete mainly on price. We need to track a steady progress in year-on-year growth of any particular sector that does not measure the J-curve required in "getting to the next level" and "sell" Singapore to the next generation of value-add businesses. It is noteworthy that although we have some of the largest ICT companies in the world, most are just sales offices with little or no R&D services. Perhaps we need to relook at our business strategy and distinguish high-end activities from easily replicable ones.”
“Some suggestions are: (1) "The most experiential and creative arts production of the year Award", judged based on the innovative idea, impact an event has on its audience, audience participation strategy, inspiration quotient, and so on. (2) "The arts or event organiser of the year Award", judged based on the evidence of clear strategic thinking, marketing effectiveness, cost per audience, return on investment and audience interaction. (3) We could also have "The best backroom support provider of the year Award", given to the props or audio visual technical experts that enhance the artists’ works. Criteria include how innovative solutions to a client’s brief were arrived at and executed, cost effectiveness and audience endorsement. (4) We could also have "The most buzz event of the year Award", judged based on its media hit rates. The list goes on, but it suffices to show that arts and culture can be measured with a more liberal set of KPIs than mere audience numbers. Otherwise, events that offer goodie bags and lucky draws may overwhelm the funding pie. KPIs should aim at nurturing the critical paths and stakeholders, involving the private, public and people sectors to produce a multiplier effect. Nurture the stakeholders, provide a favourable tax and open environment and allow the arts and culture eco-system to flourish. Finally, can the Minister provide an update on: (1) The excellent Renaissance City Plan, 3.0? (2) The School of the Arts? (3) National Arts Gallery? Renaissance City Plan”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head Q of the Estimates be reduced by $100. Sir, what is a place with production lines but no arts and culture? It is called a plain vanilla factory. Sir, what is a nation without arts and culture? It will be without a soul and imagination. Would this be a place to attract the top talents? Obviously not. In the race for top talents, a strong arts and culture sector turns a high-skill, high-innovation economy into a great, liveable place. I applaud MICA’s effort to promote the Renaissance City plan. In 2006, MICA spent $31.2 million to support hundreds of artists and events. Revenue generated amounted to $3.45 billion in 2006 and $3.67 billion in 2007 – a tremendous value-add to our economy. However, I fear the efforts at promoting arts and culture could be shortchanged by the narrow criteria set as definitions of success and KPIs. MICA prides itself on supporting hundreds of arts-related activities with thousands of attendees. Funding criteria are very much numbers-focused. However, quantity is not always quality. Arts and culture take time to evolve and be integrated into everyday life. A more sustainable way of nurturing the arts is to identify key stakeholders and focus on building the Renaissance City eco-system. To this end, why not have yearly awards to glam up and focus the sectors on measurements that build the eco-system? Awards can be open to all arts-related events, including artistic productions, fashion shows, corporate and grassroots events, indoor and outdoor performances, and so on.”
“Budgetary measures need to move from just fiscal and monetary considerations for building an economy, and just adequate welfare measures for the less advantaged, to strengthening the fabric and soul of a nation. We are in the watershed years where the new social compact is being crafted, either by design or by default. Government needs to take careful heed of this directional change. I therefore urge more attention, and definitely more funds that are big, bold and friendly, to be poured into the non-profit sector, to build the social capital and cultivate a desirable social compact for our nation. Only then can we create a top-quality economy and build a resilient community. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Budget. 4.14 pm”
“This, again, has alarming implications on the social contract between citizens and the Government, and I think that is detrimental for nation-building. There appears to be a lack of appreciation and graciousness for first movers and volunteers from professional and other sectors. I urge urgent attention and relook at the implementation details of some of the Government-led initiatives, and redesign the KPIs to foster a strong social contract. Last, but not least, let me move to the third sustainability issue, which is environment. Last year, both the annual budget and the Government agencies delivered an excellent report card on green incentives and our ability to attract some of the biggest green investments into Singapore. This presents a golden opportunity to anchor Singapore as a green hub with green opportunities and green demand. Many industry players had waited with bated breath for the Government to unveil more measures in this Budget, but they were surprised that there was no "green light" to build on our momentum and signal our intentions. The onslaught of comments and articles in the media as to how we can enhance our green industry and how each individual can play a part and benefit from the green efforts serve as a testimony to the people's will. I hope the Minister, in his reaction to the budget debate, can enlighten us with some green light, both on the industry side as well as the household end. Mr Speaker, Sir, sustainable growth is not just a buzzword. It is for our long-term survival and should be adopted as a core value by individuals, communities and businesses. Leadership is needed at every level.”
“Rather, it is a facilitator to educate, empower and enhance its citizens' ability to be the best that each citizen can be. Last year, I called for better resource allocation into the civil service to build an entrepreneurial and innovative culture, so that we do not just follow law. This has been acted on. This year, it should not be unreasonable to expect some cultural changes within the civil service sector. For one, the Government should re-examine its top-down approach and genuinely promote a bottom-up approach. Many volunteers in the NPO sector, which is the non-profit sector, as well as those Ministry-linked associations and committees have reflected an increasing frustration when dealing with the Government officers who have sought their expertise to form committees but yet, on the other hand, subject them to cumbersome approval processes or decisions that do not quite reflect the concerns of the committees. They do not feel that their inputs are treasured nor their time useful. Many such experts, including top ranking professionals and entrepreneurs, have also quoted incidents where the committees have successfully kick-started an initiative only to be overwhelmed by enthusiastic civil servants taking over the steering wheel and driving it into obscurity, or with a new load of passengers. I am not sure whether there is a culture of "we can do it better than the private sector" in the Government. The knee-jerk reaction is 'no', but the chorus of frustrated volunteers cannot be ignored, and may be anecdotal of the presence of a systemic issue. Before the "yellow pages rule", we used to hear this comment from the business sector. Now, we are hearing a chorus from the non-profit sector.”
“I think we can continue with our social and economic engineering approach to achieve these incremental improvements, but we can cultivate a literate and inspired nation that can truly think out of the box, cross pollinate ideas to achieve quantum leaps if we dare try something bolder. Next, I would also like to touch on updating our new social compact. Social activism in the global scene has moved from the flower power or the hippie culture in the 1960s, where street protests and anti-establishment culture were hip and cool, but could be destructive. Today, the more enlightened non-profit organisations and even businesses that spot social missions are looking at the 4Ps approach - 4Ps, meaning people, public, private partnerships. They decided that the 4Ps working together can produce systemic change which is sustainable, rather than become opposing forces that discount and discredit efforts. The new model also builds social capital, as it is fundamentally based on trust and common destiny. This is evident in the rise of global corporate citizenry, rise of the citizen e-voices, which are fast walking out from just the digital media into the streets in many forms. NGOs are one. I think there are some lessons from the current US presidential campaign as well as our neighbour, Malaysia's general election where blogs and e-technology are used to campaign and garner for votes as well as funds. While the private and people sectors seem to understand the winds of change, in most countries, it is the third P, which is the public or government sector, that is falling behind. Perhaps the new social contract calls for an update of the role of the Government. I think the Government cannot be a provider of all goods and services to feed its citizens.”
“Judy belongs to this new breed of social entrepreneurs who are filling the gaps of market failure and social needs with innovative solutions. I will elaborate more on social entrepreneurship during COS. But, here, I would like to focus on the income divide and the rising Gini coefficient as well as building a social contract. In fact, if we look around the world, we see the world and Singapore at its wealthiest point in history. This implies that we are living more comfortably and have more to share with our neighbours. Yet, we experience a sharp rise in our Gini coefficient. Technology, on the other hand, has never been as affordable or accessible as before. This implies that any physical or even mental impairment can be bridged via technological means. Yet, there is a digital divide instead of a digital bridge. I think unless there are deliberate measures, a certain segment of our population, including the aged, less educated, less able, will be further marginalised. We need more budgetary measures to tackle this. However, we do not need more hand-outs, not goodie bags, not ang pows. We need more innovative hand-up measures where everybody counts and everyone is a contributor and a giver. We have to allow people to live their lives to the best of their ability and to live dignified lives regardless of their physical or mental conditions. Indeed, what we have done in the past few years is to review our social safety nets and move increasingly towards, eg, from welfare to workfare; from self-insurance to national insurance schemes; from 100% home ownership to "shelter guarantees"; and, of course, increasing dollars pumped into the multi-billion-dollar education and reskilling funds.”
“We should find ways to help them find their strength and value-add their skill sets so that they can be reconnected to the economy. This will be good for the economy as well as good for household incomes, and surely a confidence booster for the individuals. But this will require bold, daring and innovative thinking. I would like to quote here a story of Ms Judy Wee. Judy was former President of the Handicaps Welfare Association. She sits on a wheelchair. I have known her for many years and she is intellectually as capable as anyone I know. Yet, whenever she asks for a job, she tends to get a marginalised job at a marginalised pay because of her physical condition. Just before I went to the US, she handed me a card. It was a business card which says, "Consultant". I asked her, "What consultant have you become?" She said, "I have decided to become a social entrepreneur and I have decided to become a barrier-free access consultant, because that's my competitive edge. I can do it much better and I know the difference between the height of these stairs and the height of those stairs." I thought that indeed is a new way of thinking. It is innovative. It adds value and it leverages on her natural competitive advantage. We are, I think, a land of opportunities and possibilities, but I hope that we are such for all and not just the more able part of our society. Sir, I am glad that building a resilient community is high on the agenda of this Budget. Past Budget measures, like the excellent Workfare Bonus that promotes self help and mutual help, promotes a hand-up, not a hand-out, mentality. This Budget allocates additional funds to self-help groups, CDCs, PSEA and CET. These measures are welcome, but more can be done to promote self reliance and a resilient community.”
“Not only are we subject to global competition for commodities, our economy is increasingly a function of foreign influx. And, again, the consequences, amongst many, are the following: (1) There will be an increased rate of imported inflation via commodities and manpower imports, and especially with the rise of the big countries; (2) There will be increased exposure or vulnerability of our economy; and (3) There could be a possible fall in the standard of living amongst our lower educated or lower income groups, our ageing or disabled population, as we compete for the scarce goods and services. I think this has dire implications for nation-building. I would suggest, therefore, that we continue to invest in education, not just any education but high quality education; intensify our efforts to stem brain drain; and perhaps think about economic restructuring to something that is sensible and sustainable, less dependent on numbers, more dependent on high value-add industries that focus on value creation, vis-a-vis value distribution. I have mentioned before the case of Iceland with a population of 300,000, yet managed to achieve one of the highest income per capita, highest education level in the world. And, of course, amongst them, are pop stars as well as Nobel Laureates. I think there might be something there that we could further study and understand how to create a very high value-add industry and economy without always having to look at just the quantity or the numbers. Third, I think we could also look at paradigm change to unlock the potential of the underutilised approximately 20%, maybe even to 30%, of our population which comprise the stay-at-home mums, stay-at-home pops, the ageing and disabled population.”
“The situation may be starker because the 92,000 locals also include PRs. Second, the housing cost in the open rental market which caters for fairly affluent non-Singaporeans, has increased sharply, indicating a strong influx of foreigners for the high-skilled and high-paid jobs. All of these point to the fundamental need for education and continuous training and upgrading of skills. This is not big news but it is urgent news. In the coming 10 years, China and India are expected every year to add 8-10 million high-skilled jobs. Their combined total annual university graduation capacity is around 6-7 million graduates. Research shows however that only one in 10 Chinese graduates is up to the competency expectations of global businesses while, in India, one in four meets the global standards. This will lead to a serious shortage of high level talent in the global labour market. Attracting foreign talent is a competitive cost benefit consideration. Countries and companies will need to rethink their talent attraction and retention strategies. This could range from having an adequate supply of good quality international schools, which I think we have heard a chorus from the employers that there is a lack of good quality international school places for their children. We need to also continue to enhance our liveability as well as to up our schemes in attracting top-notch talents to Singapore, because the best attracts the best. Clearly, the current factors might stack up favourably for Singapore. But the question is: how long can it be sustained and how sustainable are some of these cost increases that I referred to earlier? Also to note is our increasing dependence on all things foreign.”
“The quarterly survey data before seasonal adjustments showed that 54% of Singapore employers plan to hire and only 2% plan to retrench. Given the tight labour market, a price war could erupt and those with deep pockets would stand to benefit while SMEs might suffer. Overall, it might not be a net gain. What measure is the Government putting in place to ensure that our continued expansion and diversification are sustainable? According to Mr Gonan Hultin, who is the CEO of Caden Corp and a former Assistant Secretary-General of International Labour Organisation, in a global employment outlook comparison, Singapore finds itself in a slightly strange group. The only other countries that post hiring intentions at the same level are Peru, Argentina and India - in other words, the emerging economies. The same situation has persisted now for close to a year and a half and points to a serious labour shortage. Anecdotal evidence confirms this and many enterprises actually reported forfeited business opportunities because job vacancies remain unfilled. Some published interviews put the figure of lost business at as high as 20%-30%. The big question is: what are the micro dynamics of the labour market? Are the education and training systems well attuned to our needs? If so, the high level of hiring intentions should translate into a strong upward mobility of the indigenous Singaporean labour force. I have not been able to verify this from the labour market data, but I am doubtful that this would be the case. I base my doubts on two reasons. One, the 4th quarter 2007 employment situation report published by MOM confirms strong employment growth in 2007 at a level of 236.6 thousand. The majority of this, about 144.4 thousand are, however, filled with foreigners.”
“Would this also not lead to more money for investments and retirement funding? I think there could be some budgetary measures to address some of these concerns. Next, let me move on to financial services and financial sector sustainability. To boost our wealth management industry, the Budget killed the controversial estate duty once and for all, and introduced tax exemptions for family-owned investment holding companies. Together with various schemes in the pipeline to boost our retirement funding market, Islamic banking and more new wealth flowing into Singapore, the financial service sector is set to become a cornerstone of our economic pie. Various aspiring banking and financial sector incentives were renewed and enhanced, including the debt and the derivatives market. Given our increasing exposure to the weaknesses of the global financial system, the US sub-prime loan crisis, and increased use of derivatives which are sometimes so complex that even the distributors themselves do not understand but may not care anyway, has the Government looked at our risk exposure? Have we determined the weak links between the products and in the global financial system and put in place measures to address them to safeguard our financial system and our retirement fund? In short, is our increasing exposure to derivative markets and products and the global financial system weaknesses a sustainable one? Next, let me move on to the manpower gap. Our unemployment rate fell to a low of 1.6% or so in 2007. With the coming F1 in 2008, IRs in 2009 and the hosting of YOG in 2010 - and I would like to congratulate the Prime Minister and the team behind the successful bidding of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) - the employment outlook is strong across the sectors.”
“Incentives could also be given to encourage designing of innovative utility models for effective cost-sharing schemes which will bring relief to demand for manpower, rentals and even raw materials. This will particularly benefit the more than 130,000 SMEs in Singapore. Hence, I am heartened by the budget incentives to broaden and deepen our economy via the R&D and Innovation Fund. Of particular mention is to set aside $90 million to drive innovation in public services. There was also a mention about appointing a Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) in every Ministry to drive and coordinate this process. It sounds good and many are excited by it. But many also asked: what would the CIO really do? Would he be a paper driver who impedes innovation, or one whose KPI is the number of experiments driven? Would he be a seasoned industry player or a fresh face graduate? How can both the private and not-for-profit organisations work with him effectively? Mr Speaker, Sir, I hope the Minister can clarify what constitutes innovation. Is it restricted only to the for-profit world and what is the mandate of the new CIO? In addition, I think incentives could also be used to cultivate good consumption habits amongst our residents to cut down, for example, food wastages or unnecessary consumer goods consumption, which I think are also the chief culprits in driving up the cost of living. It was reported in the Straits Times that around the Chinese New Year, our good old garang guni men were finding one-year-old LCD screens, new sofa sets and so on being dumped. At restaurants and food courts, it is also a common sight to see food being wasted. Is this sustainable in the face of rising costs? Could we do more to cultivate good consumption habits?”
“First, to allow the Singapore dollar to strengthen, to actively seek diversified sources of supply and grow the economy competitively. These are good measures, but not without their limits. Strengthening the Singapore dollar benefits imports and holiday trips abroad, but it will erode our global competitiveness. Expanding sources of supply is simultaneously met with the global rise in demand and the latter looks set to win the battle, at least in the mid-term. And, in a way, both measures have external factors which are not necessarily controllable by us. On a broader consideration, however, China and India's entry onto the global arena poses some new challenges for the established economies. And it seems that the inflationary pressures of these structural global changes are strong and long-lived. Hence, the question is: have we looked at what we may be able to manage domestically, to contain or even slow down the inflationary pressures? What fiscal measures and incentives have we really put in place to address these factors? Some suggestions from the people include cost reduction in terms of onerous form-filling, especially for grants, which are required by some Government agencies. But I think those are small measures. The bigger savings and cost containment could also come in the form of a better analysis of the business supply and demand chains to highlight gaps, opportunities and streamline business processes. An example is the Japanese building industry that designs room sizes according to pre-cut tatami sizes, thereby fully utilising each piece of the raw materials. This saves time and resources. In contrast, our local contractors often have to cut, re-cut, waste tiles and waste time to fit the rooms. Just imagine the possible savings on a nationwide scale.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Finance Minister has aptly themed the Budget as "Creating a top quality economy, building a resilient community." As our economic restructuring efforts in the early 2000s start to bear fruit, our Gini coefficient also rises. Hence, it is vital that every annual budget aims at sharpening our economic saw but also sealing our social fabric. This, indeed, is the only way we can enjoy a sustainable growth. I have thus decided to theme my speech today on the subject of sustainable growth for this is the long-term challenge that faces Singapore and our annual Budget should address. I will approach it from three main areas: (a) economic sustainability; (b) social sustainability; and (c) environmental sustainability. (a) Economic sustainability I will be highlighting three aspects. First, on the steep rise in the cost of doing business and the cost of living. Through many roundtables and feedback sessions, including those conducted by the MICA GPC, the Finance, Trade and Industry GPC and so on, it soon became very clear that although specific industry concerns could be different, there was a loud common theme that rang through all the roundtables and this was the steep and rapid rise in the cost of doing business in Singapore. Rentals for both offices and residences have sky-rocketed, prices of energy, industrial raw materials and food prices have soared. It could be said that a large part of this was imported inflation, but the slew of fee increases across Government agencies, transport and rental increases, coupled with its leading effect in the marketplace, add to the overall increase in prices. Are all these domestic increases necessary or timely? The Minister for Finance also outlined three main measures to tackle inflation.”
“Does it therefore imply that in places like new towns, in particular, there could be the possibility of building more graduated or low gradient overhead bridges? On top of that, I would like to also ask two supplementary questions. The Minister of State mentioned that 40% of the buses will be disabled-friendly by 2010. May I ask if it is possible to accelerate that because to wait for the next five years, or maybe even 10 years, to get 100% is actually a long wait for the disabled population. On top of that, is it also possible to enlarge some of the pedestrian walkways, especially in new towns, so that they can also be wheelchair friendly? One last supplementary question: have the pedestrian crossings been effective because there had been a number of accidents in the past? If it is not, are there plans for road safety education?”
“Sir, the Minister of State mentioned that there will be enhanced traffic junctions to make it easier for the elderly to cross the road. I am wondering whether there will also be plans to make the overhead bridges a lot more user-friendly with a slightly lower gradient and perhaps ramps by the side as well.”
“Therefore, efforts to work with the ISP and software industry to contain spams at the source, broader public education initiatives to ensure better information and anti-spam advisory, stronger anti-spam legislative signals, and work towards a global compact on spams are all part of the anti-spam jigsaw puzzle that must be carried out simultaneously. With that, Sir, I support the Bill. 2.05 pm”
“As we all know, the vast majority of individuals simply would not have the inclination or the resources to pursue court action. Would it be useful to think of some additional mechanism through consumer protection principles? For example, in Japan, the government could issue an "Administrative Order" to spammers. When a complaint is received from the public, the Research and Consulting Center for Spam, which is a government authority in Japan, would conduct an on-the-spot inspection by transmitting an alert mail to illegal sender, asking for a report. This is a much more efficient, effective and cheaper way of curtailing spamming rather than enforcing through legislative act only. Another suggestion is whether there could be some trigger mechanism whereby the complaint against an individual or entity reaches a certain volume, IDA could be obliged to take action. In conclusion, Sir, despite the limitation of legislation as a venue to seek recourse, it is too unforgiving to pin down the proposed revisions as an ineffective tool, given that the ICT sphere is still evolving. At the very minimum, the proposed changes recognise privacy rights and empower individuals to decide and take responsibility through legal means to protect their rights. This Bill, in essence, should not be one that just provides the right signal, but also one with teeth as an effective measure. Setting a higher penalty sum is to hit spammers where it hurts, which is in the pockets! In taking a more holistic perspective, it is important that a multi-pronged approach be adopted. The current Internet technology helps spammers hide their identity, such that spam can only be fought through a combination of technology, public education and law.”
“Second, what is the definition of "unsolicited"? The vast majority of recipients of commercial messages do not request nor can they give their consent prior to receiving the messages. So, if a private company sends out its "commercial messages" to a 'members' pool, would this constitute spamming or online marketing? If, say, a non-commercial entity, like the NVPC, NCSS, MOE, any NGO, or even a Government agency, sends out non-commercial content spams to thousands of its volunteers, would they also constitute unsolicited spams? Would they be liable under the proposed Bill? Third, the meaning of "bulk" is also problematic for many online marketing firms. As a commercial entity, they cannot restrict themselves to 100 messages per 24 hours when their job is a numbers game. To beat it, they may register more originating accounts, or use individuals/employees to spam. How would they be treated under this proposed Bill? In addition, brick-and-mortar companies may also outsource their virtual marketing campaign to online marketing companies. If their activity is considered spam, who would be liable? Is the real or the virtual company? It is often not easy to tell who is the mastermind when trouble is in store. Could the Minister clarify? Fourth, the injunction against "address harvesting software" is an anachronistic clause. It implies that if we do it manually, then it is permissible. But, surely, in this day and age, using a software to do the work of brute manpower should be encouraged and not discouraged. Thus, the focus should not be on how the list was obtained but on how it is used. Fifth, the use of civil action as the venue to seek damages puts the burden entirely on the individual complainant.”
“Sir, it is clear that spams cannot be a single-nation fight, and I am heartened to hear that we have joined hands with some 26 countries in this fight. But there needs to be a closer cooperation and common platform. For example, in 2004, 13 European countries in EC have signed an anti-spam voluntary agreement with the following objectives: (1) Establish a common procedure for handling cross-border complaints on spam, drawn up by the contact network of spam enforcement authorities; (2) Share information and pursue complaints across European countries; and (3) Cooperate in investigating complaints about cross-border spam from anywhere else within the EU. Hence, I would like to ask the Minister if there is any plan for Singapore to leverage on a regional platform, whether it is ASEAN or APEC, to form a pan-ASEAN or Asian co-operation framework to combat spam. Perhaps, take the lead as well to foster a global cooperation framework, because even if a few countries do not participate, then spammers can always originate their spam from those countries. From a macro perspective, this could be an opportunity to enhance our opportunity as a forerunner in the ICT world, not just in infrastructure but also the legislative aspect. Does the Minister agree that this could be a good desirable outcome? Micro: Some thorns Next, let me move on to the details and some thorns. From a micro perspective, the proposed Bill itself is not without its thorns. First, it is an opt-out scheme, where one can reject spams in the form of unsubscribing with a reply. Yet, savvy net users would know that a reply can only constitute an 'active' email account and attract even more spams. So, should we or should we not reply? The Ministry can issue some guidelines and advisory as do some other countries.”
“If we take a recap over the past two years, perhaps the question that I would ask the Minister is whether MICA and IDA have looked into the effectiveness of the first Bill for individuals to bring civil action against the spammers, whether they are local or foreign? How many cases were filed over the last two years? If the revised Bill has indeed considered this aspect, then how will this Bill add more teeth to the individual? If not, what is the essence of reintroducing a revised Bill and what KPIs will be put in place to measure the effectiveness of this Bill? Perhaps, MICA should also conduct a regular spam-related survey - I have just heard that they conducted two in recent years - like the one that they did for the Short Message Service (SMS) provided by Public Cellular Mobile Telephone Service operators, to ascertain the end-to-end response time of SMS across local mobile networks; in this case, put in the context of email instead, to provide some useful insights for benchmarking purposes. Further, the problem, as the Minister has rightly pointed out, is that legislation stops at each geographical and political border, but spams are transnational. In fact, I understand that up to 90% of the spams in Singapore originate from out of the country. So this revised Bill obviously is still something that we could do only within the country itself and, in a way, disadvantages our own commercial operators, while messages that are not linked to Singapore get through unfettered. Hence, while we may penalise and punish locals, we may also encourage local online marketing companies and corporate entities to blossom overseas, while Singaporeans still get the spams.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to applaud MICA and IDA for taking a proactive approach in keeping up with the development in this ICT era. In tandem with changes in communication technology, a revised Spam Control Bill is absolutely necessary. Why? Because spams, or unsolicited e- and mobile-mails, have become a regular but unwelcome guest at every log in. Offers of Viagra, weight-loss programmes, loans, pornography and get-rich-quick schemes bombard us every day. This represents a tremendous waste of resources. Imagine, we pay to download it, pay to delete it, and if we are unlucky enough to be sent a virus within, it may cost us a whole system. At the very minimum, the time cost per spam is estimated to be between 4-5 seconds. Translated into man hours lost, this represents a formidable economic loss. The Minister has stated that the loss was around $23 million in productivity loss. At a Microsoft event in Singapore, Mr Steve Ballmer said, "Bill Gates literally receives some four million pieces of email every day - most of them spam.". Now, four million spams times 4-5 seconds per spam and multiply that by Bill Gates' economic life value would be, I think, quite unthinkable. Hence, there is literally a whole department to take care of it. These are all costs to the individual, the company and, of course, in the larger context , the Government. Hence, there is no question that efforts - both legislative and technology - must join hands to fight spam. The million dollar question is: what are the desirable outcomes of this Bill? The obvious answer is that there will be no more spam. However, a spam-free cyberworld appears remote. Even with a whole department attending to spam, some 10 spam mails still get through to Bill Gates. Will this revised legislation help?”
“So even if you say you need more money, and I can accept the fact that there will probably be a need for more money, just bear in mind that this money should be seed funding. It is not an ongoing subsidy. Even if you take that example of microcredit for which Mohammad Yunus won a Nobel Prize, he did not receive a huge level of subsidies from the Government or the World Bank or any other developmental agency. What he had was an idea that made business sense, that was practical and then took off, because it was fundamentally right. Could the idea, however, have been facilitated if seed funding was available? The answer is, yes. But if the idea was fundamentally flawed and required long-term subsidies, it is not right anyway. So all I am saying is, yes, social enterprises is something which we do want to explore for which we are willing to put seed funding. But let us not be too ideological about it.”
“Yes, thank you. The Minister also mentioned that the needy should turn to the grassroots organisations for financial and other help. Grassroots are volunteers. They also need to raise funds. Would MCYS consider supporting grassroots-based social enterprise so that they can, through their action leadership, also set the ethos for a self-reliant society? That would also be an excellent way to attract young volunteers. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: A short answer to her long sentence is that in Dr Teo Ho Pin's constituency, you would see an example of a grassroots social enterprise and a very successful community kitchen which he runs out of his CC. Let me come back to her first question which is on social enterprises, whether we consider it important and whether we are putting enough resources to it. To be honest with her, I think the field of social enterprises is still evolving. While there are some very good successes, there are mixed results elsewhere. I do not like taking an ideological position. I do not want to take an ideological position that social enterprises are the panacea to all our social problems and, therefore, instead of spending $140 million on social assistance, I channel $140 million to social enterprises and I only have $3 million for public assistance, and then I will have problems with Dr Lily Neo. My attitude is that this is a field that is evolving. Let us get our feet wet and let us see where it goes. One caveat which I want to emphasise, however, is that the business aspect of social enterprise must be viable. If it is not viable, and it needs a subsidy, then it is not a business.”
“One last point, Sir, with your indulgence.”
“I am contextualising it. It is being shown today. It shows how the change makers could keep themselves afloat and, at the same time, benefit those marginalised part of the society. Hence, would the Minister agree that, first, social enterprise is an important pillar to a self-reliant society and, if he agrees with it, then would he consider the current funding of $3 million compared to $140 million of social programmes way too conservative?”
“Mr Chairman, a few points of clarification. The Minister mentioned that the Ministry will play a facilitating role and work with the NGOs and also maintain the integrity of the NGOs. I think that is something that is laudable. But I think that some of the NGOs require some form of support, not only funding, which is primarily what it is at the moment, but also a source of income stream. So my question is whether the Minister can also consider hiving off some parts of the MCYS' functions, for example, the call centre itself, to an NGO which could be a social enterprise that could then also have an income stream as a demand floor to serve the members of the public. Then, of course, in the midst of that, it creates more viable income stream for the social enterprise. I have other points of clarifications, Sir. 2.15 pm”
“Unlike building a hard and cold statistical-driven economy where MNCs are the rage, building our own SMEs and even MNCs must take priority. Why? Simply because this is the people sector, the social sector where the three "Hs", ie, the head, the heart and the hands, that set the ethos for the society, bonds for a social fabric, and cement our social compact. But, of course, we must do this learning the best practices from local and overseas, and adapt the models that will suit our local context. Two, we must create a supportive eco-system. This is currently being built under MCYS under the stewardship of Mr Philip Yeo. To do this, I would suggest focusing on a few areas. (1) The legislative framework. First, we must encourage a certain degree of risk-taking culture because not all of it will succeed. So, our funding model and so on should be a little bit more generous and encouraging; (2) A fiscal and funding framework where we can devise schemes for SREs and SEs; (3) We can also best-source some of these blue platforms to the current SEs that are already doing very good work on the ground and in fact go further to create a directory of SEs and SREs and provide a sort of demand flow for them, in other words, get them to do the jobs that are under MCYS currently so that we can give them business as well as boost their morale; (4) Create the E-platform, ie, community platform, that is real and not just a website. This would give them accessibility and an increase in productivity and, of course, raise awareness level by creating a social enterprise day with the Government also taking some lead in social entrepreneurship and becoming a socially responsible enterprise.”
“Madam, this Government cares for its citizens. In fact, for all matters from cradle to grave, and that is fantastic. But is this sustainable? With an ageing population, rising income gap and an increasingly educated and demanding population, MCYS will certainly face an uphill task, if it goes it alone. Hence, I agree with the Minister that the social gaps can only be closed effectively with the many-hands approach. In fact, I agree with everything that my colleague, Mr Sin Boon Ann, has said, and I would like to also supplement my call made during the main Budget debate to make serious investments into the making of social entrepreneurship (SE) and socially responsible enterprises (SRE). We should make them the two very strong helping hands in Singapore. Sir, the Budget announcement to make Singapore the philanthropy hub of Singapore will be a booster to civic organisations, such as SEs and SREs. In fact, it represents a golden opportunity for us to position Singapore as the hub for such activities. In fact, if we think about it, Prof. Mohammad Yunus, who was mentioned by Mr Sin, Mechai, the Thai condom man, Jack Sim, the Singapore toilet man, are all Asians. Yet, there is no single Asian institution like the Ashoka, Skoll Foundation or the Schwab Foundation for SE in this part of the world. I believe we can make a serious effort and investment into this area and become the hub which will complement the philanthropy hub that we are trying to build. The question, of course, is then: do we have enough interest on the ground? I think we do. Since the Minister's open support for social entrepreneurship last year, we have seen a lot of activities on the ground. But I think we need to build on these activities and create a really good critical mass.”
“Four clarifications, Sir. The first is on the manpower needs. Earlier on in his reply, the Minister mentioned that he recognised a tightening labour market and this will indeed pose a problem to the businesses. My question is: as a world class SME would require world class professional workers, what steps can we take to ensure that the creme de la creme do not all flow towards only the foreign SMEs or the MNCs, but some would at least be encouraged to work in the local SMEs? The second point is on the chorus of green to go with opportunity waves, talking about the green collar jobs and green dollars that we can bring into Singapore. Can the Minister inform this House of his plans and intentions, and what can consumers and businesses anticipate in the near future? Third, the ICT adoption rate. How is MTI or SPRING working together with IDA in driving the adoption rate amongst SMEs and what are some of the performance indicators? Fourth, tourism. I think there has been a lot of talk about the MICE events and Formula 1 events. I think they are all exciting but the WEF's Travel and Tourism survey also ranked Singapore 8th out of 124 cities. That is marvellous, except when it comes to the category on human culture and heritage, we actually ranked very, very low. Obviously F1 or MICE events will bring in the crowds. They will bring a lot of crowd but they are also footloose and price competitive. Is it not better to encourage the joining of local festival type of events to attract tourists and to make it a permanent attraction?”
“Finally, what steps would the Government take to ensure that the local SMEs will be the chief beneficiary of this new support for SMEs? Local Enterprise and Small and Medium Enterprise Support”
“Hence, I urge SPRING to seriously look into the manpower and professional needs of SMEs, and IE to play a more active role in helping SMEs' overseas operations manpower needs. Also, SMEs can benefit from more Government actions to help them establish business contacts overseas. The third irony is on funding. Despite the Straits Times ' report that banks are rolling out red carpets to SMEs, funding remains a top obstacle. Currently, there are many Government-related schemes, but I think the devil is in the implementation. I hope the Minister can address this. Providing a demand floor in helping SMEs will improve their access as well.”
“Sir, on behalf of the SMEs, I would like to start by thanking the Minister for the cheer and hope that they have brought to the SMEs in this Budget. In fact, I cannot wait to hear the details of the Government's plan to make Singapore the best place to start, grow and globalise businesses. By nurturing SMEs today, the seeds for a bumper harvest for the economy as well as a better standard of living for our people are sowed. But what are some of our weak links? A recent SME development survey by DP Information Group revealed several ironies. I shall list three for our consideration. One, cost efficiency, productivity and overseas expansion dominate the minds of SMEs in growing businesses. We know that technology can help improve productivity and lower costs. Yet, a third said that IT has no impact on their growth while only 9% of the SMEs see investments in new technology as a strategy to overcome competition. This suggests that many SMEs are still very low-tech. If bak kwa men and durian vendors have found ICT useful in their operations and distribution process, then we need to step up our efforts in driving the ICT adoption rate amongst our SMEs. We need, however, better designed integrated vertical and horizontal IT platforms to attract SMEs. Two, the SMEs also listed the top hindrance to growth as competition and manpower issues. SMEs are unable to compete with the MNCs in attracting suitable and quality candidates. This will worsen with the tightening labour market. Yet, some 17% of SMEs are more concerned about their daily operations and have no concrete plan or direction for their businesses in the next two years. This suggests that short-term planning and, possibly, little or no investment in manpower training. A business is only as good as its people.”
“Sir, just to continue on what my colleague Dr Fatimah said, I think it is not just the arts but also the ICT that has to be an inclusive platform for everybody in Singapore - able or disabled, high income or low income. I think the Ministers and Minister of State have given us a very comprehensive answer to the questions posed on the creative, media and IT sectors and also painted many exciting plans in these sectors. MICA can be assured that we will be watching this phase very, very closely. With that, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $393,584,080 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $147,582,900 for Head Q ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Column No : 2528 Head T - Ministry of National Development”