R. Sinnakaruppan
Singapore
“In the first place, is the reporting system of the hand, foot and mouth disease cases by the GPs to the Ministry quick enough? Could it be that by the time the Ministry gathered all the data, the disease has already spread?”
“It is, in some ways, like what the Government has done for our university by setting up a private university, the Singapore Management University.”
“Sir, the question I really have is this. While it is very encouraging to see that the Government has started this scheme late last year, I would like to ask whether, in addition to looking at the priority for older estates, there are wards where there are more private estates than public estates.”
“I would also like to ask that this lift upgrading programme, on a pilot scheme that has been planned, can be expanded and more of the mature estates in the city centre can be considered for this upgrading.”
“It must have greater compassion and greater commitment to level up the lower strata of our society. Like the call by Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, it must do much more on public education on what we want to achieve as a nation. It must rally our citizens to help them cope with the impending changes of our economy.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we welcome this more calibrated approach to killer-litter offences by MND as well as MHA. I would like to ask the Minister whether, in the light of this approach, the Housing and Development Act could be reviewed to raise the maximum penalty from $1,000 to $5,000, same as the penalty imposed by the Town Council, for the n…”
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“I feel that to help the remaining homes own a computer through the deduction of the hardware cost against the personal income tax or through a grant for HDB dwellers who may not be in the tax bracket, will go a long way in enhancing our nation's computer literacy. This will also help level the playing field for the younger generation. Second, there is a need to lower the cost of information and knowledge acquisition. One of the key ways in which new knowledge and information are tapped is through licensing. It is common now to exploit licensed knowledge and information in the reseller markets where licensed technology is repackaged for sale, either as products or services. The cost of licensing is the royalty or licence fee payable. Typically, there is a withholding tax cost, which the licensee is required to bear. With our knowledge infrastructure getting in place, Singapore is well positioned to become a reseller hub. Reducing the withholding tax costs would certainly help boost this development. Purchase of information and knowledge outright requires capital investment. I understand that presently our tax laws consider the acquiring of patents, know-how knowledge and information as capital in nature. Unless it qualifies as approved patents or know-how, no deduction is given for the investment cost incurred. From an economic standpoint, these intellectual properties and rights are the very things that help create the final outputs, be it goods or services. Assets used in a business are given wear and tear allowances only if they qualify as plant and machinery. But this concept is somewhat dated. In this information age, we need to completely review this if Singapore is to become a knowledge based economy.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the motion standing in the name of the Minister for Finance. The Budget Statement this year, though cautious, is a prudent one against a backdrop of the regional crisis and the two off-budget measures last year. The most significant highlight in this year's Budget is perhaps the unprecedented budget deficit projected at $5.1 billion. The projected budget deficit is mainly a result of reduced revenues than increased expenditures. In fact, the expenditure is rising only by $1.5 billion or about 6% compared to the past year. While the reduced revenues resulting from tax concessions are indeed welcomed by all, there are those who feel that there could have been a greater balance in the range of growth sectors which should have benefited from these fiscal measures. For example, the financial services sector is very pleased with the measures to develop the bond market. However, with the Government's stated intention to make Singapore a knowledge-based economy, more fiscal measures could have been introduced in this year's Budget. Sir, I would like to mention three of these possibilities based on feedback from the public and media. First, there is a need to introduce tax deduction for the purchase of home computers. Presently, there is a heavy emphasis to equip our schools with computers on a ratio of two students to one computer within the next few years. But school students and working adults alike would find that having a home computer in the age of the Internet and e-commerce is very essential. Already more than 40% of homes in Singapore have a computer.”
“On the other hand, the workers must also become more loyal and committed to the employers that they work for and do their part to improve their work attitude which is grossly lacking, according to BERI's findings, and the workers must do their part to improving productivity at the workplace. Programmes like the NTUC's Productivity Push will certainly strengthen competitiveness of companies in the medium to long term. I urge the NTUC and the PSB to push ahead more aggressively on such programmes so that more can be done to enhance productivity at the workplace. Sir, there is another area that I would like to touch on relating to employers and unions' bipartite relationship at the workplace. Generally speaking, the relationship between, say, the NTUC leaders and the top management in most companies, is usually pretty good and cordial. Somehow, from my own experience, it cannot be said that the relationship between middle management and many of the branch union officials is just as good. There are many reasons for it. But I think it is important, at a time like this, to close ranks and strengthen that relationship because that relationship would become a strong pillar to strengthen tripartism in Singapore. So we should use this difficult period to focus on strengthening this relationship between the middle management and the branch union officials so that we can come out of it better, stronger and ensure that tripartism will thrive in the beginning of the 21st century. Sir, I support the motion. EXEMPTED BUSINESS (Motion) Resolved, That the proceedings on the item of business under discussion be exempted at this day's sitting from the provisions of Standing Order No. 1. - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. TURNING ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN INTO OPPORTUNITY FOR FUTURE GROWTH Debate resumed.”
“It seems long overdue, although I believe that the Committee might have completed its work. The report, I believe, will provide insights as to how we can develop a comprehensive framework and action plan which will help turn the economic slow- down into an opportunity for growth for Singapore and Singaporeans. Sir, the employers and workers, besides the Government, have also an important role in shaping and strengthening Singapore's competitiveness for future growth. Having just returned to the private sector, after spending nearly five years in the trade union movement, I deeply appreciate the respective roles and responsibilities of employers and workers, especially in difficult times like this. In this regard, I would like to urge fellow employers not to use the excuse of the looming recession as a first excuse to shed their workers through retrenchment or temporary lay-offs. This must certainly be the last resort. Companies must embark on retraining programmes, such as the SRP instead. Many employers do not realise that it is cheaper for them to send their workers for training like the SRP instead of laying them off, retrenching them or having temporary lay-offs. For example, the temporary lay-off very often means that the company bears, say, 50% of their payroll whereas sending workers to SRP means that the company only pays 30% of salary, since SRP pays 70% of absentee payroll. Therefore, companies must approach the workforce with a medium to longer term perspective and use the downturn to train their workforce and nurture in their workforce a sense of company loyalty. I am sure this will pay off when the good times return.”
“The MOM must get into the thick of action. Sir, presently, the Government disburses funds for skills training through some central funding programmes like the SDF or the SRP. I think it is very timely for the Government to consider the much talked about CPF account for skills training, or, as some call it, "trainsave" or "skillsave". Introducing such an account for workers now has got two main advantages. One is that it will make available funding directly to workers to embark on training. It will have the advantage of the push effect on workers to go for training, especially if their companies are reluctant to send them for training. It is just like what NTUC is now trying to do, instead of going to the individual companies it reaches out through the industry associations. But there may be many workers out there who find that they cannot approach their companies to go for training. Having an account like this will make it possible for them to directly join some of these programmes. It will certainly be much better to have this push effect than just the pull effect of central funding for the programmes. The second reason why this should be done is that there has been much discussion on the possibilities of a CPF cut if Singapore goes into a recession. A CPF training account top-up scheme of sorts will send the right signal on the importance of skills training to workers and help show alternate directions to workers who are facing difficulties, or who would face even more difficulties if CPF is cut. So a CPF reduction will be well buffered by having a CPF training account. Sir, at this point of time I would also like to ask the Government or perhaps the Minister for Manpower as to when the report on the CET 21 will be released.”
“Sir, the Government on its part sees skills upgrading as a way to save jobs and to restructure the economy and prepare itself for the knowledge-based economy in the 21st century. The Government has allocated some $120 million for the skills redevelopment programme. But the Government's role in skills redevelopment cannot be limited merely to the funding of programmes. Presently, the NTUC, through its own initiative and to its credit, has taken centre stage in skills upgrading through the SRP. But only about 5,000 workers, out of the more than 700,000 workers without a full secondary four qualification, have been reached so far. This is even less than 1% of those vulnerable workers in our workforce. Sir, the NTUC, I believe, has got finite non-financial resources. The strategy of outreach to individual companies, I understand from the media, has been refocused to one of outreach through the industry, federations and associations, so that a larger number and spectrum of workers can benefit from the programme. This is where I feel that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) should play an important role. From feedback, I hear many people telling me that the Ministry of Manpower is perceived as not doing enough and leaving the job of upgrading to the NTUC. This is certainly a common perception. Sir, the MOM must, like the NTUC, take a pre-eminent role in worker upgrading and drive these efforts. The MOM must move swiftly into action supported by the various Government agencies, the NTUC, the unions and the employers federation. Skills upgrading of the workforce cannot materialise by merely providing funding. From NTUC's experience, the workers' skills upgrading is achieved through a lot of marketing, cajoling, coaxing, perseverance and sustained effort.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the motion standing in the name of Mr Lim Swee Say. Sir, the economies of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia have been significantly affected largely because of inadequacy in their national policies, their political culture, their crisis management or mismanagement, or for many other reasons that have been advanced. Singapore, on the other hand, despite its strong fundamentals and an able and honest Government, has nevertheless inevitably been inflicted by this economic flu, or perhaps the economic bronchitis that has swept the region. While other governments are scrambling around trying to solve their economic and political upheavals, the Singapore Government has begun to steer its course to address the worsening economic downturn. Despite its efforts to reduce business costs, the Government has come under attack from some quarters of the business community. But as economic analysts, like Dr Jim Walker, have pointed out, despite the clamour for more actions to address the crisis, the reality is that there is not much that the Government can do to lift the economy from the downturn or the recession that is looming. The external factors, as Dr Lee Tsao Yuan has pointed out, far outweigh whatever internal measures that the Government takes in the short term. But the Government cannot simply sit out the recession or downturn but instead must plan for the future and develop Singapore's long-term pontential. The crisis mode and environment present a silver lining for Singapore to strengthen its long-term competitiveness and social cohesion. And by "Singapore", I do not mean just the Government but also the employers, unions and the workforce.”
“The Minister also announced that some of the public sector projects would be brought forward, and he mentioned about schools and so on. I would like to find out whether, for example, the Main Upgrading Programme, which had 15 precincts last year, and it has been reduced to 10, will be increased? And also for the Interim Upgrading Programme, will there be more precincts?”
“Sir, according to the Handicaps Welfare Association, these statistics are not in the population census. So I would like to ask the Minister which Ministry should I direct this Question to, ie, to him or MTI.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether there are statistics available on the number of handicapped persons in Singapore and what percentage of them are actually gainfully employed.”
“The third point is that care has to be taken in instituting other forms of admission procedures, like interviews. There is always the danger of subjectivity in personal forms of assessment. For this reason, it would be wrong to put too much credence on it. An interview probably operates best as a means to sift out those who cannot make it rather than as a positive factor for taking in students. Drawing from my own experience, for example, it is very difficult to tell what the student has prepared for and what he actually genuinely believes in. For example, one candidate, having declared his great interest in reading law, he was asked: "As you have a great interest in reading law, what can you tell us about the courts in Singapore?" And the response was: "Colombo Court". It is quite inappropriate in the circumstances. Other answers to the same question, taken by my colleagues: "Badminton court, tennis court." This clearly indicates that the students with some idea about having an interest practising law but have not really taken the trouble to look at the matter seriously. Finally, I believe that the signals should be sent strongly and clearly to parents and teachers that they must give some leeway to their children to pursue their own interest. A child or young person is much more likely to excel in an extra-curricular activity if he did it out of interest and commitment. I hope that these views will be taken into account by the Ministry when working out the new guidelines for the admissions to universities.”
“The so-called extra-curricular record should be examined with points to be awarded to various types of deserving activities. All this is, of course, well and good. But it must be noted that the "A" result is really the culmination of at least two years' hard work. Examination smartness should not, of course, be dismissed lightly. If the extra-curricular records were taken into account, my first concern is that it would take the spontaneity and fun out of participating in such activities. Students, together with parents, in Singapore are very good at applying what is specified, what earns most points. We may, in fact, encourage an unhealthy attitude, for example, of doing community service without the heart in it. Extra-curricular activities will be pursued very much like grades in "A" levels themselves. It would detract from, rather than reinforce, the aims of extra-curricular activities, that of pursuing certain activities for their own sake, whether it be community work, sports or drama. We, therefore, need to exercise great care in this matter. Extra-curricular activities should be encouraged but not forced directly or indirectly on students. The second point is that consistent with the approach of the universities in broadening the curricula, the specialisation that has taken root for a long time in the "A" levels, namely, separating the students into Science, Arts or Commerce stream, should be re-examined. Both numeracy and literacy should be necessary conditions for the admission of students to the university. This would be in keeping with the proposal to broaden the university's curricula. A JC student should be allowed to take a preponderance of subjects in his chosen specialisation but he should take at least one from another stream.”
“Therefore, broadening the university admission criteria would encourage an earlier development of this all-round university education at junior colleges, at secondary schools and even primary schools. But the main fear really that I have is that some principals, some teachers and perhaps some parents may go overboard and unduly emphasise ECA in lieu of the academic curriculum. The Education Minister should be aware of this and ensure that the academic curriculum and ECA find the right balance in our schools so that a balanced foundation is laid before some of the brighter children who enter the universities. I would also like to urge the Minister to release more details on the implementation of these policies as soon as the appointed panel completes its work. I would urge that this panel complete its work as soon as possible so that this apprehension that people have on a balanced weightage of ECA vis-a-vis academic results can be resolved. And I would also like to urge the Minister not to wait till the year 2001 to implement it; try and implement it as soon as possible, if not, the next academic year. Assoc. Prof. Chin Tet Yung: Sir, I reiterate my interest as an academic staff member of the National University of Singapore. One of the perennial problems that has always plagued every university staff member when he sees a new batch of students for the first time is: Have we admitted the right people? Or an even more difficult question: Did we leave out some deserving ones? These are questions that are hard to answer. Recently, a suggestion was made that admissions should not be based on "A" level results alone and that other activities of the students should be taken into account.”
“Sir, when I was a student leader in my undergraduate days at NTI, the predecessor to NTU, a very senior administrator of the University used to meet student leaders for lunch from time to time. At one lunch meeting, he said that he was very happy that we were involved in student leadership because he felt that the experience that we could gain would indeed give us an all-round or universal university education. He said that he reflected back to his own group of friends during his Raffles College days and came to the conclusion that those friends who were very active in student activities and, of course, did reasonably well in studies, had as a rule done much better in their careers than those who had excellent results but did not have an all-round education. By the way, the university undergraduate hostel lingo, we called this type of people, the latter, "square" or "Martians", people from Mars. Sir, today, after graduating 13 years ago, I find that what this administrator has told me is very true indeed. Personally, I have been very active in ECA in primary school, secondary school, pre-U and in the university due to the kind guidance of my parents, my teachers, relatives and friends. I feel very strongly that ECA has helped me very significantly in my personal development and career. And therefore, I feel very passionately in supporting this policy. The universities in Singapore have moved in recent years to the modular academic system. Although it is a good policy, one of the side effects of this, sadly, is that the time that undergraduates have for ECA is somewhat lessened, somewhat squeezed.”
“Sir, unlike one or two of my colleagues, I am cheered by the recent changes that have been announced for university admission by Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Tony Tan. In fact, many of my friends who I have spoken to, welcomed this announcement. But, however, there are some who do have concerns and are anxious as to how it will be implemented, as the GPC Chairman, Mr Loh, has pointed out. Sir, in our education system, the top 20% in each school cohort enter the university. It is from this elite that leaders of industry, business and politics in Singapore will largely surface from. Whether one becomes a leader in industry, in business or commerce or in politics, the fundamental factors that will make him or her a successful leader is his intellect, his character, that is, integrity, honesty and confidence; his effective communications skills, that is, written and oral skills; and inter-personal skills, and other qualities like charisma, perseverance, tolerance and compassion for fellow human beings. Sir, this list is by no means exhaustive, but these are some of the key qualities of leaders. If you are in politics, certain of these factors will be emphasised - charisma, ability to convince the mass of Singaporeans on the policies that have been implemented and to follow through, to understand ground feelings and so on. If you are in business, operational skills become essential. So broadly, these skills are required in whatever you do as a leader. 4.15 pm Sir, we have often heard that a good degree is but only a passport to a good job. But whether one develops a good career and succeeds in his life depends on many of the above qualities that I have mentioned.”
“If the CDCs adopt these soccer clubs, will they be eligible for the $1 to $3 grant? Next year, legal betting will be on, and it will not be a problem, but what about this year?”
“Sir, I just want to take a few minutes to speak up for soccer fans in Singapore. For generations now, soccer fans from all over the world follow the English League with great enthusiasm and interest. In England, in every reasonably big town, there is a soccer club named after the town, and the soccer club is rallying behind the town in order to get the people to bond together. The people follow the fortunes of the club, and win or lose, they support the club and there is a bonding in the town. In Singapore, we have started the S-League. We now have 11 soccer clubs in the S-League, and we have eight CDCs, following the idea of our Prime Minister. The time has come that we have to use sports, particularly soccer, to link and bond people in the CDCs. My suggestion to the Minister is to link these 11 S-League clubs to the respective eight CDCs. In some CDCs, there may be more than one club. For example, in Manchester, they have Manchester City and Manchester United. In the same way, for example, Central Singapore, we can have Home United in Bishan and Balestier in Kreta Ayer-Tanglin. We have already started linking these clubs and CDCs at our central CDC, thanks to our Chairman. I understand Tanjong Pagar has done so and Marine Parade has done so. I would like to urge the Minister to extend it and make it a comprehensive network so that this process of community bonding can be expedited. And as a by-product, we could also change the names of the clubs to link it to the satellite towns or the name of the CDC's.”
“7% of total households who are divorced and not households with divorced parents, to quote Mdm Chiang. 12.45 pm Anyhow, Sir, I join Mdm Chiang and Dr Ker to make this plea to Government to review this policy for singles as many Singaporeans who are affected find themselves disadvantaged.”
“Sir, I join Dr Ker in making the same plea, because, presently, singles do not enjoy subsidised public housing unless they are aged 35 and above. They would then qualify for new flats under the Joint Singles Scheme. Singles do not find the current situation equitable and feel that they are discriminated against in the distribution of subsidies to Singaporeans. In a Straits Times' survey on 26th September 1997 on the attitudes of Singaporeans to public housing, 76% of the respondents believe that the Government should provide subsidies to singles to help them own HDB flats. Based on the 1995 general household survey, the number of single residents in the age group between 30 and 49 has increased from 69,000 or 3% of the population in 1980 to 184,000 or 6% of the population in 1995. In other words, in 15 years, it has doubled. As an aside, I would like to humbly point out that the Nominated MP, Madam Claire Chiang, in an earlier speech in this House, I believe, in the motion on tripartism moved by NMP Mr Cyrille Tan, said and I quote, "The 1990 Census Report reported that single parent family households comprise 60,999 households with widowed parents and 17,585 households with divorced parents, representing approximately 10% of all family-based households." Again, to put statistics into perspective, I would like to humbly point out that according to the Census Report of 1990, the number of heads of households who were widowed and divorced totalled 78,584 or 11.9% of total households. Out of these, 60,999 heads of households were widowed or about 9.2% of total households were thus single parent family households with widowed parents, as stated by Madam Chiang in her speech. In the same Census Report, there were 17,585 heads of households or 2.”
“Sir, upgrading of HDB flats, in particular IUP. The present grant given to IUP is $6,000 per household and if lift upgrading is included, the grant is $7,000 per household. I have the experience of managing two IUPs in my precinct in the Moulmein ward in the last few years. And my conclusion is that the budget of $7,000 per household is actually very, very tight for lift upgrading. This is because, firstly, slab blocks require two to three lifts per upgraded block and lift upgrading is a very expensive project but very essential for residents, especially older residents. Secondly, as a result of costly lift upgrading, there is very little money left for other block works and precinct upgrading, some basic facilities for children and other residents. And even if one spends very little amount on these fancy horticultural works, there is still not enough for precinct upgrading facilities. Sir, I would like to ask the Minister two questions: First, whether he can consider increasing the funding for the IUPs that embark on lift upgrading and, if that is not possible, as he said last year, can he consider lift upgrading as a separate programme, like IUP and MUP? This question was also being asked last year. The second question really is that whether blocks which are four or five storeys can be considered for lift programme, as Mr Ang Mong Seng had brought up last year.”
“Therefore, I would like to appeal to him on behalf of young professionals who have a real chance of chasing their rainbows now, in this soft market. Sir, as the Chairman of the GPC has just pointed out, the prices are holding at 1995 prices. If this proposal is allowed, these first-time potential owners may get lower prices during the soft market situation. And it is not a question of these professionals over extending their credit, as some reporters have written over the weekend. They have hard assets, but not so much cash, and that is their problem. Sir, I am not convinced with Dr Hu's argument that the relaxation of the policy would unduly over expose the banks, because the number of this target group that I am speaking for is very, very small to affect the banks in any big way. Sir, I hope that the Minister will not dismiss this plea. I hope that I can persuade him so that he can persuade the other Ministers in the Cabinet and help these young talents. And as Dr Lee Boon Yang had said yesterday, local talent is the foundation of Singapore and I think we should put more emphasis on them before we find more ways of drawing foreign talent.”
“Sir, I have spoken during the budget debate about relaxing the cash downpayment for the purchase of private properties from 20% to 10%, to help aspiring young professionals to become first-time owners of private property. And given the slow down in the property market, this offers them a good golden opportunity to catch their rainbow. Dr Richard Hu, in his reply, dismissed it when he said that the banks cannot over expose themselves to the property sector, and that home buyers should not be highly geared. Dr Hu also turned down Mr Choo Wee Khiang's plea to use CPF savings in lieu of cash, because the CPF goes back to the buyer when the property is sold. Sir, I am not sure if Government understands that I am talking about a very small pool of young professionals who are first-time buyers, maybe 10,000 or much less. I support all the anti-speculation measures the Government has implemented. But what I am talking now is for first-time buyers of properties, and not speculators. I know that the Government's answer to meet the aspirations of this small group of people has been through the introduction of the Executive Condominiums (ECs). But we know from experience that young professionals prefer private properties for various reasons. Even so, the Government could also consider the relaxation of this 20% rule for applications of ECs. Sir, maybe I am pre-empting the Minister's answer by saying that going by his past replies, he could probably say, "Please channel your request to the Minister for Finance." He is absolutely right. The plea that I am making to the Minister is that he is also the Chairman of the National Youth Council.”
“So it is only a minority. I would like to urge the LTA, particularly the LTA officials, the civil servants, to give motorists an option to use the Cashcard or the NETS or credit cards. In the day and age of e-commerce, which is central to our national project, Singapore One, confidential information would be transferred through NETS and credit card transactions through the Internet. It is certainly the way we are heading towards. Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether it is technically possible for ERP gantry booths and IU units to incorporate the use of NETS or credit cards and, if so, what would be the additional costs. Would it be so exorbitant that the e-commerce through the NETS cannot handle? Sir, I would like to also urge the Minister to consider this point. The Minister is a very gentle Minister. He listens, so does his MOS but I am not sure about the LTA officials. Just to make my point, last year I made a hard-hitting speech on the civil servants in the Environment Ministry and their lack of effort in training the DREs. After my speech, a lot of headway was made in the last one year, and today, I am happy that some of the senior civil servants in the Environment Ministry want to be a model Ministry in labour-management relations. I would be happy to nominate ENV for an LMR Award. So the scene has changed, and I do not want to make a hard-hitting speech on the civil servants in the Ministry of Communications, but I hope they will take this in a positive light. Sir, I would like to urge the LTA officials to go to the NETS and credit card companies with an open mind so that ways can be found for motorists to use the roads with a peaceful frame of mind. Sir, motorists would like to have a smooth and fine road journey without the fear of being fined.”
“Sir, the ERP scheme, the first of its kind in the world, reflects not only the Government's ability to create a world-class transportation infrastructure, but also its ability to set world standards. But in every conquest, in every pinnacle of achievement, there will inevitably be teething implementation problems that need to be resolved and the ERP is no exception. Sir, presently, for the normal motorists, the Ministry intends to allow the use of Cashcard but not the NETS card or the credit card for ERP payment. Presumably, the argument against allowing the use of NETS or credit cards is that confidential information about the motorist and the whereabouts of his car could be tracked by the authority and, therefore, the public could be unhappy about it. Sir, I think, this may be a fallacy. Let me explain. There are a number of problems that can occur with Cashcards. For example, the drivers can end up with fines because the Cashcards, as luck might have it, may not be topped up in time with sufficient cash. I can say with confidence that, using a rule of thumb, 80% to 90% of the drivers would prefer to use their NETS or credit cards for ERP payments as it would not really matter to most of them if the authorities do track their movements. In fact, Sir, the truth is, many members of the public have the perception that their movements would be tracked anyway even with the use of Cashcards. Sir, I know this is untrue but that is a separate point. My point, Sir, is maybe less than 10% or 20% of the road users may prefer to ensure confidentiality of their travels because they either attempt to cheat their companies with false transport claims or they are trying to cheat their spouse with false claim of where they went or for some other reasons of their own.”
“But he went on despite voices of strong disapproval. Sir, I would like to urge the Minister that it is time that we made the theme of this year's National Courtesy Campaign such that it is focused on courtesy or the lack of it, brought about by technological gadgets like handphones, pagers and also the problems of e-mail. So we need to educate the public on how to use these gadgets so that Singaporeans do not become inconsiderate of others around them. Sir, I do not have time to explain the discourtesies of e-mailers, both "he-mailers and fe-mailers", who put up rude and irresponsible outbursts on the Net, especially in the Internet chat groups like `soc.culture singapore'. Unfortunately, because some of them use pseudonyms which therefore cannot identify them, the law cannot get onto them. Instead, we suffer as we try to find out what is on the Net. Sir, their outbursts are totally ungracious and irresponsible. Again, I would urge the Minister that we have to tackle this problem not just by legislation, but by trying to appeal to them through other means such as the courtesy campaign. Sir, let us work on creating a technologically advanced but gracious society.”
“Sir, the National Courtesy Campaign has been around for many years now. It is held with the hope of creating a more gracious society. With the rapid pace of advances in technology, the courtesy or the lack of it continues to affect our quality of life in Singapore. As a result, the nature of courtesy has to take new and different forms. Sir, first, let me talk about the growing trend of the lack of handphone courtesy. I think the advent of handphones has not only made us busier but has also made some of us in our society become ruder. We need to remember that restaurants, private clubs, libraries, theatres, auditoriums and conferences, etc. are public places and the basic human courtesy should be expected and extended to the public and it should be the public norm. I am sure that Members of this House would be very irritated when someone's phone rings like this. Let me try, Sir. [Demonstrating]. It is very irritating, as you can see. Then there was this person who told me that at his business association's monthly meeting one of his fellow businessmen's phone rang and he whipped out his handphone oblivious of the occasion and went on loudly and said, "Ah Beng, can you buy for me this number 1234, 10 big and five small." Sir, is this not totally discourteous and something that we should frown upon? 1.30 pm Sir, then there was another occasion when a stage performance was in progress at the World Trade Centre Auditorium. While the play was entering an emotional and sentimental scene, a handphone rang. The handphone owner who was seated at the second row unhesitantly whipped up his phone and spoke so loudly, seemingly again oblivious of the surroundings. Needless to say, the audience's attention was angrily shifted from the stage to him.”
“Sir, this base-up wage system has been recommended to address the problems caused by the seniority-based wage system. Sir, the civil service already has many features of the base-up wage system in its present day salary structure. But there are still some areas that need to be addressed. NTUC and the civil service unions would like to see that the civil service adopt the full implementation as soon as possible. Really the missing link is in the determination of the appropriate minimum-maximum ratios. The desirable minimum-maximum ratios would, in general, be different for different jobs. One possibility is to have different ratios for jobs at the different Division or job grade as follows: for Division I, it could be 1.8; for Division II, it could be 1.6; and for Divisions III and IV, it could be 1.5. The exact ratios would have to be ascertained from job evaluation or market surveys. But this is the proposal that the civil service unions would like to put up to PMO.”
“I would like to say that although this is not legislated, we are pursuing this matter in the private sector. And I would like to urge the PMO to convince its officers, particularly those in Division I, who form almost 25% of the total officers in the service, to join the union. We have a parliamentary debate on tripartism here not too long ago. I would like to urge that the civil service take the lead in working hand in glove with the unions by joining us. The last cut -”
“Sir, I would be much obliged if I can take the three cuts together.”
“The blind, such as those in my anecdote, have other sensitivities that are heightened, such as the sense of touch and the aural sense. For those of us who can see, but only from our limited perspectives, it might be wise for us to listen and reach out to those with heightened sensitivities and needs, whom we might have overlooked and not heard diligently enough. Sir, I support the motion.”
“The first blind man, who stood near the broad and sturdy side of the elephant, said that the elephant was like a wall. The second blind man felt the tusk and said that the elephant was like a spear. The third felt the trunk and said that the elephant was like a snake. The fourth man touched its leg and knee and said that the elephant was like a tree. The fifth man touched the ear and said that the elephant was like a big fan. The sixth blind man touched the tail and proclaimed that the elephant was like a rope. Sir, the moral of the story is this. Like the blind men, my friends are relating only the aspects of the Budget Statement that affect them from their personal perspective. Other things are not relevant to them and do not seem to matter and therefore their perspective may be somewhat myopic, from the perspective of a person with a clear vision to see the entire elephant. But their perspectives are not wrong but just incomplete. Dr Richard Hu and the Government have a clear vision and can see the big picture of the elephant, ie, the holistic picture of the country and they have come up with a budget that has something, however small, for everyone. While it may not satisfy any one more than the other, it is the right vision for Singapore given the regional backdrop. It is a cautious budget and rightly so. But, as Dr Richard Hu has said on TV on Budget night, the Government can still make a number of off-Budget pronouncements when the course of the sail becomes calmer and less choppy. And I hope that the Government will give due consideration to some of the perspectives of the `blind men' who may have something to add to the big picture.”
“He felt that if the Government is serious about creating a national identity for Singaporeans to be rooted to this soil, then this is the time when they can help upwardly-mobile young Singaporeans to sink their roots here. And he was quick to add that he had no pecuniary interest as he was already living in a landed property. For example, he felt that the Government can meet the aspirations of these young professionals, instead of trying to attract foreign talent, by relaxing the 20% cash downpayment for the purchase of private property to, say, 10%. This is because many young professionals do not have much cash. They have a lot of assets, but, very often, it is not in cash. This is a time when the market is soft that good buys can be made. Waiting for another two to three years will enable them to save and have more cash, but the market will unfortunately catch up with them. If the Government does this by reducing the 20% downpayment to 10%, it will not only win the hearts and minds of these young professionals to go beyond Singapore Inc to feel for the country and to sink their roots here, but it will also, as a byproduct, help breathe some life into the market, though personally I do not like to speak for property developers. But that is another story! Sir, let me end my speech by wrapping up the view of my friends with a simple story that you might have heard before, the story of the Elephant and the Six Blind Men. Once upon a time, there were six blind men who wanted to know what an elephant looked like. They wanted to learn by feel and experience and satisfy their mind as to what an elephant was. So an elephant was brought to them. Mr Lim Swee Say is here. He likes to hear jokes.”
“[Of course, with some Government help.] From the country's perspective, we expect the country to upgrade us to be more competitive. If Singapore Inc. were to go to the extreme, there may be [social] fallout, people structurally unemployed as a result of cost-benefit analysis.' Sir, there was also a need to remember that what may prove to be valuable in building a nation and in explaining how a society functioned could not be priced or quantified. The orientation towards an economic cost-benefit analysis or a managerial approach to governance would overlook these. One other principle to consider, therefore, as we seek to truly release new energies for our thrust into the new millennium could be to choose total, holistic, system-wide solutions over piecemeal sub-optimal ones. This must begin with a rigorous intellectual review of governance and public policy in Singapore today. Sir, coming back to my philosophical friend, I asked him that given this gloom and doom, is there any public policy that the Government can review to show that it cares more for the young Singapore professionals vis-a-vis attracting foreign talent from elsewhere? He said, "I can think of one thing." And pointing to me, he said, "and you had spoken passionately about it in Parliament two years ago." He was talking about my speech two budgets ago about young professionals' aspirations to own a landed property or private condominium and their dream to own was slipping away from them. He felt that this was the time when property prices have come to a halt, but prices are still high. They are still at the 1995 price levels.”
“Some felt that the stresses and strains that the middle class subjected themselves to, to attain their material `lifestyle' aspirations were pegged to the patterns of consumption of the developed nations rather than to the small resource poor city-state of Singapore. Hence, "the pressure is about how to increase comparative consumption advantage over one's neighbours." Sir, although not explicitly stated in the conference, the new policy to attract foreign talent into the economy must have provided a question posed at the conference, ie, "is there a difference between a Singapore citizen and a permanent resident? If the difference is negligible, should we then just privatise citizenship?" If it were perceived that some of the privileges of citizenship could be had for one's contribution to the economy, and gain what a speaker referred to as `value-added citizenship', it would not be a large step to eventually commodifying citizenship. It was felt that there was now a sense of cognitive dissonance over the Government's discourse on Singapore as a corporation and Singapore as a nation state. The current foreign talent policy has sent the signal that citizenship was valued by the nation state according to one's economic contribution, but yet the demand on the Singaporean has been that he or she should relate to the nation state with an emotional sense of attachment. So this issue of scholarship bond is only symptomatic of a bigger problem. Sir, I quote another person at the forum and he said: `What we suffer from is a contradiction in roles and responsibilities .. If you look at it from a country's perspective, issues that you need to consider are unlike those of a company's perspective. From the company's perspective, it is up to the employee to upgrade himself.”
“My friend reminded me that the conference had brought out a strong message that young Singaporeans like them wished that the Government moved away from the preoccupation with economic growth and development as the predominant basis of all national activity and sense of nationhood. I asked him what had that got to do with the Budget Statement. Sir, before you rule me out of order, his response was that these were fundamental issues that public policy makers had to reconcile before public policies took root through the Budget Statement. Sir, I have recently received from the IPS a summary of the deliberations and I think it is worthy for me to highlight some of their thoughts for the Government to consider. It was felt that if the country would become solely a function of `making a living', then the nation would lose its function the moment a better living can be gained elsewhere. Economic logic is no respector of national loyalties. A sole preoccupation with economics as a basis for nationhood could even undermine it in the long term. While it was acknowledged that economic progress was a necessary component for nationhood and social cohesion in Singapore, more should be done to strengthen the intangible sense of citizenship and belonging. A sense of attachment to Singapore would hinge on the citizens' sense of fulfilment of their lives here. Some participants bemoaned the fact that life was stressful and driven mainly by the need to `pour on the concrete' with little or no time to `smell the roses'. There seemed to be a trade-off between productivity and leisure. It was felt that just like productivity, indicators of quality of life need to be introduced in Singapore.”
“Already, such an incentive on training and payroll costs exists in the scheme initiated by the NTUC - the Skills Redevelopment Programme. What the Government needs to do is to elevate it to a national scheme, as Mr Lim Swee Say has pointed out, so that more funding will be available to training and more SMEs can be encouraged to join the scheme. Sir, then there was this other friend that I spoke to who helps the Handicapped Welfare Association. He told me that it is time that Government increased handicapped earned income relief given the fact that the costs of living have actually increased for the handicapped, especially for those who need to employ a maid to look after them or those handicapped who need to own vehicles as they are unable to take public transport. He suggested that the maid levy can be reduced for this special group and on a case-by-case basis. It is felt that the $3,500 tax relief is insufficient to pay for the maid levy and her salary. On Sunday morning, I flagged off a Handicapped Welfare Association's "Wheel, Walk or Jog" event, and many in the Association have made a plea and sent me a detailed proposal which I will be happy to pass it on to Dr Richard Hu. Then there was another friend who had always felt that it was time that the Government listened to some feedback from young Singaporeans. He had attended the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Young Singaporeans Conference last October. In fact, I too was invited to attend one of the feedback sessions together with some of the younger MPs in this House. The participants included some 50 very bright and upwardly mobile younger Singaporeans holding key positions both in the private and public sectors, and they were all largely in their 30s.”
“If they cannot meet the production schedules on a daily basis, what it means is that their companies would be rendered financially not viable both in the short term and in the long term. And especially in times like this, the consideration of the CEOs in SMEs is business survival. Unless and until Government starts to spend as much on our workforce as it does on our school children, it is the workers of Signapore, especially the workers in our SMEs who are going to suffer and face the future consequences of structural unemployment. While my fellow unionist agrees with Dr Hu that `nobody can expect lifelong job security', he feels strongly that many under-educated workers in Singapore had for various reasons lost out on a basic education. He wants to ask Government to play an active role to help provide the funds for them "to learn how to fish for they cannot just depend on their companies to provide their fish for a life time." Sir, my own response to this call by my fellow unionist is that he is right to ask the Government for more money for workers' skills upgrading but, at the same time, I feel that companies cannot shirk their responsibilities in worker training. I think the Government can encourage SMEs to spend more on training by taking a lead in the same way it has developed financial incentives as a catalyst for SMEs for business upgrading activities. Sir, for example, the Government used to bear up to 90% of the financial costs if SMEs embark on, say, ISO 9002 consultancy. This encouraged SMEs to venture into such business consultancies. When this attracted many SMEs, the Government gradually lowered the percentage subsidy, I believe, to 70%. Likewise, the Government should entice companies into training their own workforce.”
“First, I spoke to a fellow unionist, a university hostel friend who works in a bank, and to some other friends from the corporate world. The unionist told me that he was somewhat disappointed with the Budget. He said that the Budget was not good because the income tax rebate was only 5%, a reduction from 10% the previous year. Then I asked him curiously whether he pays income tax. He grinned and said that he did not pay income tax, but was just reflecting the views of what his manager at his workplace had told him over coffee. Most Singaporeans, Sir, are second-hand complainers! They are just gracious enough to complain on others' behalf and lend empathy. Anyway, this friend went on to a more substantive reason as to why he was disappointed with the Budget this year. He said that instead of giving a big financial boost to the efforts of NTUC in skills upgrading, the Government had chosen to say that it wanted companies to spend on training like the way it spent on education of our young, our school children. His point was that while it was correct to ask companies to spend more on training and upgrading the skills of our workforce, without strong financial incentives from the Government, it is going to be foolhardy to ask companies, especially small companies and local enterprises, to spend more on training. For most SMEs, the opportunity costs of training their workers, both in terms of time away from work and the costs relating to payroll and training, can be very significant and Mr Lim Swee Say has spoken eloquently about it. It also means that the small companies cannot meet their production schedules on a daily basis.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the motion. Sir, a few days ago, I was trying to think of what to speak in this debate. Actually, I was thinking whether I should speak on the tax incentives for the bond market. But, Sir, given the fact that the bond issue has changed quite somewhat, I thought I would leave it to my more learned, able and articulate colleagues to talk about it. Sir, my first reaction to the Budget was that it was a good Budget against the backdrop of our uncertain regional climate, the storm that is looming, the gloom and doom. The modest surplus budget, to me, was just as pro-business as it was pro-worker. If it is pro-business, then obviously it must be pro-worker. But there are gaps, in fact, some big gaps in the sense that it is not pro-worker because it is not addressing the plea to increase funding for skills upgrading of workers and it is not so pro-business in the sense that not much help has been given to SMEs other than the enhanced LEFS scheme and nothing much has been done for manufacturing companies. Nevertheless, Sir, the Budget is a people's budget in the sense that there was something for everyone. And here, I was quite surprised when the Straits Times the next day said something like "Dr Hu unveils a prudent Budget", implying as if the previous years' Budgets were not prudent. As far as I have been in this House, every year it has been a prudent Budget. Anyway, Sir, many Singaporeans, given the current economic situation, do not count the blessings of a reasonably good budget in bad times. They forgot that the Indonesians, Thais and Malaysians are not having it as good, and they will never have as good a budget for some years to come. I spoke to some of my friends when I got home two Fridays ago.”
“In the absence of sunlight, the patterns of colour and light are still a fascinating sight in the kaleidoscope, because the mirrors are still reflecting all available light off each other. The economic climate that we are in now is like the weak rays of sunshine. The financial and currency turmoil in the region is casting a shadow of pessimism and caution. The situation that we are in now is all the more needy of a tripartite partnership so that the three partners can reflect and bring out the best in each other, to create a beautiful pattern, a lovely society. In the absence of a strong sunlight, when the economy is down, we must ensure that the mirrors of tripartism pick up the best of colours, hues, brilliance and intensity of productivity, so that we can yield the maximum of benefit for the worker, employer and nation as a whole. Sir, I support the motion.”
“While collective agreements (CAs) still serve a very important role for unionised workers, we have to change the modus operandi. For example, a collective agreement (CA) is a document that captures what compensation and benefits that the company will provide for the workers. But, in my opinion, it is one sided. Time has come for us to move from collective agreements to partnership agreements - from CAs to PAs. A partnership agreement can go beyond the CA and include the commitment of the union and workers to a shared vision and add value to the company. One of the key ways in which unions can add value to the company that they work for is through productivity improvement. While there are many scientific ways in which we can approach productivity improvement, to me, the fundamental factor that contributes to productivity is human attitude. The right work attitudes of staff can do wonders in enhancing productivity. Therefore, if branch unions and management can forge a closer working partnership, there can be so much more value added to companies. The NTUC and the PSB have set up a task force to find ways for unions to add value to their companies. The NTUC will move its emphasis from productivity awareness to developing an integrated and action-oriented approach to push productivity at the unionised workplace. These could include training, quality action programmes, job redesign and enlargement. The details of these programmes will be announced in due course. Finally, Sir, let us reaffirm our commitment to tripartism in the light of the present regional scenario. The most scintillating views on the kaleidoscope are obtained in brilliant sunlight. With sunlight, the views sparkle and gleam. Similarly, in boom times, the tripartite relationship is obviously working well.”
“As Mr Cyrille Tan has mentioned, we have to continually nurture this special partnership which is so unique to us and not take chances. Last Sunday, the Secretary-General of the PAP, PM Goh has called for closer ties between the PAP and the NTUC. This call has certainly reassured the labour movement of the continued commitment of the PAP and particularly under the younger leadership. Sir, I would like now to move to this area where unions can add value to companies. While we pride ourselves in having the world's best workforce, there is still tremendous scope for improvement. One area where we lag behind as a nation, especially as seen in the BERI survey, is in workers' attitudes. Workers' attitudes are shaped largely by the workplace relationship with management and therefore the level of their motivation. We have an excellent working relationship at the top level, between the CEOs of companies and the NTUC leaders. But the area that needs further strengthening is at the middle level and at the workplace where better rapport needs to be built between branch union officials and the middle management. Greater effort is needed to build mutual trust and understanding. We need to develop shared vision and show that if the relationship is stoked the right way, the unions can galvanize the workforce to contribute significantly and add much, much more value to the companies. On the part of the unions, there is a need to perhaps review the traditional way that we do things and conduct negotiations. In Japan, for example, the collective bargaining process which is done in the months of spring is called the "Spring Offensive". It sounds very confrontational and I am sure Mr Matthias Yao will agree that it sounds like a military maneouvre.”
“In fact, trade unionists were amongst the convenors of the Party. At the inauguration of the PAP, most of those who were present were union members. Half the Protem Committee were trade unionists. Once in power in 1959, the PAP Government set about to implement its election pledges - to strengthen the labour movement. Laws were passed to check employers from taking advantage of workers. Trade unions were given their rightful place in society. In 1961, the labour movement was split into two, with one group (the NTUC) backing the PAP and the other supporting Barisan Sosialis. The NTUC stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the PAP in the struggle against colonialism, then against communism and, subsequently, against communalism. It is this symbiotic relationship that has enabled us to weather the storms in earlier decades. With the support of organised labour, the Government has been able to take tough decisions to overcome one crisis after another. Let me state here and now that we in the labour movement stand fully behind the Government as it takes steps to minimise the impact of the regional currency crisis. One may ask why this unflinching support. Because the workers know that their destiny and that of the nation depends on good and effective government. Without good government, we could not have full employment, 90% home ownership, universal education, medical and other social benefits. But I am afraid that a growing number of younger Singaporeans take this good life for granted, and this good relationship for granted. The old guards in the NTUC and the PAP have made way for younger leaders who have not gone through the same experiences in tackling life-and-death issues. So will the symbiotic relations betweeen the PAP and NTUC remain strong in the years ahead?”
“It must provide the flexibility to ensure life-long employability of workers so that it can respond effectively to the changing skill needs of industry and business. It must provide incentives and motivation for workers to want to upgrade and learn a new skill even in good times. It is with great hope, anxiety and high expectations that the workers look forward to the establishment of the Ministry of Manpower, as announced by our Prime Minister. It is also our hope that the new Ministry will coordinate the work of various agencies to develop a comprehensive continuing education infrastructure. A wide range of Government-funded programmes that allow for modular learning, and the accumulation of training credits leading up to various levels of national certification should be conceptualised, implemented and coordinated. A tripartite National Training Committee needs to be formed to coordinate these efforts and to provide feedback. Schemes like the ITE's Company On-the-Job Training Centre (COJTC) and NTUC's Skills Redevelopment Programme must be strengthened and beefed up to become national programmes. And as I have said earlier, Edusave concepts must be extended into Train-Save Schemes for workers. Sir, in short, we need a paradigm shift in the way that we look at continuing education and skills upgrading. We need to take a holistic approach to succeed. We need the Government to act and act fast. We in the labour movement keenly await the formation of the Ministry of Manpower. Symbiotic relationship between PAP and NTUC Sir, I now like to move on to the second area in which the Government can further add value to the labour movement and that is the symbiotic relationship between the PAP and the NTUC. Sir, the PAP has always had the support of workers.”
“Sir, there are 700,000 workers out there with less than eight years of formal education and yet what the Government invests on them sounds like `peanuts' compared to what is invested in our school children. So they say peanuts attract monkeys. Perhaps in good times, the workers may be swinging from job to job, but in bad times, they will have no job to swing to. They may have to swing from tree to tree. Sir, these workers too need schemes like the Edusave. How about initiating `Train-Save' Schemes and training bursaries and scholarships for workers? What about emulating the $5 billion Edusave Endowment Fund with a Worker Training Endowment Fund which could go far beyond the scope of the Skills Development Fund as the SDF has got many limitations. Sir, please do not get me wrong about spending money on our children. I support every cent that is spent in educating our school going children. We must invest on them today to reap the benefits tomorrow. But what I am also saying is that the Government must spend just as much, if not more, and spend it today for workers who missed out on their education yesterday for various reasons. And if we do not do enough for them today, then there may be no tomorrow. If the Government is really committed to life-long employability and implementing the concept of life-long learning, it must recognise that it has to go beyond investing in the education of the young. It must develop a comprehensive national infrastructure to develop and coordinate skills upgrading, continuing education and training. It must provide a mechanism, a nexus, beyond the schools for continuation of learning from the school to the workplace.”
“Sir, the question that the Members of this House have to ask is: how are these workers going to cope with the storm that is looming when it hits them and their families? And they are no less Singaporeans than all of us in this House. They, and the many more thousands of workers, urgently need the attention of the frontbench, and not just the sympathy of the frontbench or the backbench. So the clarion call is for the Government to focus more and invest much more funds on skills redevelopment of the workforce. While Government talks about `Thinking Schools and Learning Nation', it has given a disproportionately low attention to the education and training of the less educated mid-career adults in our workforce. Sir, let me illustrate why. In the Budget for FY 97, there were a combined total of about 470,000 students in our primary and secondary schools. The Government allocated $1.83 billion to educate these 500,000 students. In addition, it allocated $78 million in Edusave bursaries and scholarships and for other scholarships. And it has set aside over a number of years a total of $5 million from our surpluses into the Edusave Endowment Fund. In stark contrast, very little has been spent on educating or skilling our workforce. The Government funds worker training mainly through the Skills Development Fund (SDF). In FY 97, it has only disbursed something like $47 million to companies and of this $47 million, $22 million was actually collected through the Skills Development Levy from companies. Perhaps, the Government could have spent a few more millions of dollars here and there through some other training programmes. But that is the amount allocated for worker training.”
“Presently, the manufacturing sector's share of Singapore's GDP and employment is 27% and 23% respectively. In other words, GDP contribution from manufacturing sector, 27%, number of people employed in the manufacturing sector, 23% of the total workforce. Given the lack of focus on skills upgrading and given the present gloom and doom, it is not an unrealistic scenario to imagine the manufacturing employment in the next four years shrinking from 23% of the workforce to 12%, in other words, halving in four years' time, which would result in job losses of at least 200,000 workers. This is no glance at the crystal ball. It is a very real, highly likely possibility, if nothing is done. And the workers of Singapore are already starting to see the first signals of the `looming storm'. In yesterday's Business Times, a survey of 100 companies indicates that job security rather than pay now tops workers' concerns. And, Members also must have read yesterday that Seagate Technology, Singapore's second largest private sector employer, will announce major layoffs this week. As industry rumours have it, 20% of its staff will be cut in Singapore and that this is only but the `tip of the iceberg' for all Singapore manufacturing industries. Sir, what is most worrying is that the most vulnerable group amongst the 700,000 less-educated Singaporean workers is that more than 220,000 of them are male bread-earners whose household incomes are less than $2,000. These are workers who live in 3-room HDB flats, or maybe 2-room, or 1-room rental flats and they are working as production workers or as cleaners in commerce and services industries.”
“It would be difficult for them to cope as we become a knowledge-based and IT-plugged economy. Keen competition demands that our workers are trained, retrained and are multi-skilled. Jobs are becoming intertwined and inter-dependent that, for instance, the traditional lines between the blue-collar and white-collar have blurred. Jobs are fast becoming a pale-blue or bluish-white kind of work. With the regional economic crisis, the neighbouring countries are becoming significantly more cost competitive. While Singapore can still succeed in attracting higher value added investments and white-collar jobs into Singapore, our problem will be the hastened pace at which low value-added dark blue-collar jobs will disappear. What this means for Singapore, given the lower educational profile of the Singapore workforce is, as Mr Cyrille Tan has pointed out, structural unemployment. We have to take preventive action before it bites our economic jugular veins like a werewolf. Europe has been bitten very badly. Seven out of 10 workers face structural unemployment. Nearer home, just look at what has happened to Hong Kong's manufacturing sector. I am not sure whether it is structural unemployment, but it is a very serious job displacement problem. In 1990, the colony's burgeoning manufacturing sector employed more than a million people. Due to restructuring, the manufacturing industry shrunk drastically in 1995 and shed two-thirds of the workers and only employed 350,000 workers. We could potentially face a more serious situation than what the Hong Kong lesson has shown. Smaller economies under the pressure of rising costs due to resource constraints can restructure their industrial base much faster and deeper.”
“A kaleidoscope is primarily made of three strips of mirrors that are equilaterally situated to reflect the best of patterns, shapes and colours. The kaleidoscope always makes fascinating viewing. The positioning of the mirrors is strategic. Even when the different "stones" in the kaleidoscope get relocated and mix with other "stones", the views are always interesting and appealing. Needless to say, all these views are impossible without the strategic alignment of the mirrors. In fact, when one of the three strips of mirrors gets damaged, the entire kaleidoscope is ineffective and thus ruined. Similarly, the idea of tripartism is to create the best pattern of cooperation and bring out the best in each worker, with the collaboration of the employer and the union, with government. The end product, the beautiful pattern, represents the wonderful nation that results from a true tripartite partnership. However, when any strip of mirror, representing the employer, union or government, is ruined, the damage is felt by each partner in the tripartite alliance, and the end product is a nothing. Tripartite partnership must be strengthened for the primary reason that the international business world is going to be constantly changing and increasingly competitive. Sir, today, I would like to focus my speech on three key areas. The first two will touch on how the PAP Government can further add value to the labour movement and the third area on how the labour movement can further add value to companies. As it has been just pointed out by the NMP, life long employability is a key concern of our workers. About 700,000 workers or about 43% of our workforce have at best perhaps a Secondary Two education or less, and many of them are above the age of 40. So they are relatively slower.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the motion. Sir, tripartism has worked uniquely for Singapore in the past. For the future, Singapore needs a vision, a view of the success that is only possible with a synergetic relationship between Government, union and employer. We need to envision and shape the future together in a proactive manner. Rose coloured glasses and a complacent hope that the future will work itself out will never guarantee jobs, neither will it guarantee the high morale, productivity and skills level of workers and to support the economy in bad times. Sir, today, we stand at a crucial point in our economic history amidst the regional currency crisis. If steps are not taken to further strengthen the tripartite partnership, we will not withstand the onslaught of change. The time can come instead when a lot of finger pointing will take place, as everyone blames someone else for the mess, and no one accepts responsibility. Key issues in the economy and business of Singapore have to be addressed before they become major problems. Only then can we realise the interests of workers, the needs of companies, and the hopes of the Government for the nation's future. The three partners in this relationship must continue to function like the legs in a tripod to support each other and ensure that each leg remains standing firmly so that the whole structure is stable. However, a tripod does not exist as an end in itself. It supports a greater entity; in the case of the tripartite partnership, the entity being the nation itself. What are the hopes for tripartite partnership in the future? Tripartism can be described as kaleidoscopic.”