S. Dhanabalan
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on a point of clarification. I said in my intervention on Tuesday that the general election is the right forum to determine the electorate's support because it puts the issue in a total and correct context.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, with hindsight, of course, we can be very wise. But since one of the three islands was excluded, it was a substantial reduction in the scope of works. The assessment then, which I agreed with, was that if you called for a re-tender, you would get a substantially reduced tender.”
“To the extent that we can, we should work with countries that have a common interest, to come together and form economic groupings targeted at trade liberalisation. We have started this process within ASEAN under the AFTA Scheme. Economic linkages in groupings like APEC are also growing in significance.”
“Mr Speaker, all these questions make a lot of sense when the events are finished, and you look back. But the officer looking at the case at that time had to deal with the facts as they were at that time.”
“ASEAN countries agreed to publish all the Inclusions and Exclusions lists, as well as the full list of actual tariff reductions. The ASEAN Secretariat had since followed up and released, as scheduled, on 1st November 1993, the publications showing these lists.”
“Kallang Theatre was closed for five months in 1992 for cyclical maintenance and upgrading costing $3 million. This included a major upgrading of the toilets, recarpeting the auditorium, rewiring and repainting.”
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“Sir, from my answer on concrete pavement, I think it is obvious that where the item is not under dispute compensation will be paid. ENTRY OF FOREIGN CRIMINALS (Prevention and detection) 2. Mr Eric Cheong Yuen Chee asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether adequate measures are being taken by the police and immigration authorities to detect and prevent foreign criminal elements from entering Singapore to commit serious crimes such as the recent armed robbery at a money changer's office in South Bridge Road.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as at 15th June 1988, there were 1,249 squatters under clearance in Chua Chu Kang Consti- tuency who were being considered for ex-gratia compensation for the improvements made in their farms or residences. The breakdown is as follows: Cases not issued with Assessment Notices 755 Cases already issued with Assessment Notices and part compensation paid 256 Cases already issued with Assessment Notices, but compensation not yet paid 238 ______ 1,249 ______ Out of the total number of 494 cases (ie, 256 + 238) issued with assessment notices, 487 have listed concrete pavement as a compensation item. Of these 487 cases, 274 cases have not been paid compensation for concrete pavement. Compensation for the concrete pavement needs to be verified before payment can be released. Resettlement Department has detected abuses by squatters claiming for higher resettlement compensation. Squatters had laid concrete pavement extensively and indiscriminately. In order to establish the claims, they have been referred to a Committee chaired by the Auditor-General for the claims to be re-assessed and verified. Payment will be made upon confirmation that there have been no malpractices. The Committee is also re-assessing cases of extensive claims for fruit tree compensation. Some squatters haveplanted fruit trees so close to one another, it is evident that they are not bona fide fruit tree growers. Their compensation will be recomputed. This exercise of recomputation is expected to be completed in August 1988. Payment will be released in about two weeks after the exercise is completed.”
“The US government has assured us that there was no plan by the US government to interfere in Singapore's domestic political affairs. We accept these assurances. We have taken action against Mr Hendrickson and made our position clear to the US government in no uncertain terms. We are angry with the actions of Mr Hendrickson and the others but it is an anger mixed with sorrow and disappointment. It is not a vengeful anger. Our response must be cool, measured and pointed. We have a good case and a good case against what Mr Hendrickson and his other colleagues did. Let us not spoil the case that we have by making exaggerated and alarmist statements. Let us keep the issue and the whole episode in perspective. We should not allow the actions of a few errant individuals to cloud our broader interests as well as our long-term interests. Singapore and the US have common interests and objectives both in economic and strategic areas. The US has expended blood and treasure in East and Southeast Asia to help bring about the world we have today. For example, between 1965 and 1973, the US defended South Vietnam from communist invasion. It gave Singapore and the other ASEAN countries almost a decade of peace in which to develop our societies and our economies. Singapore would otherwise be a very different place. Today only the US can balance the Soviet presence in Southeast Asia. US commitment to the stability of Southeast Asia is vital to the peace and progress of Singapore and our region as a whole. We must not allow our adversaries to profit by this unfortunate incident. Let us put this incident behind us and continue to develop our bilateral relations with the US on the basis of respect for each other's sovereignty and mutual benefit.”
“From time to time, some Americans are often carried away by pride and belief in their system and have succumbed to the temptation to urge others to become replicas of them. They probably mean well. The underlying premise of such action is that all countries can become like America. But Singapore is obviously not America. It is not the United States of America. Our history, our culture, our society, the kind of problems we face, our regional environment, the size of our resources and territory, are just a few of the factors which are very obviously different from the United States of America. There are many aspects of the American system that we admire and that we can adopt with benefit to ourselves. There are also many aspects that we must reject because they would be disastrous for us. Singaporeans will have different ideas as to what to adopt and what to reject and we may have serious differences as to what we should adopt and what we should reject. But this is a debate for us and it is for us Singaporeans to determine this. It is not an area in which foreigners should meddle. This episode has reminded us, reminded our people, to be aware that from time to time there will be foreign interference in our internal political affairs. It may come from those who are friendly, and most assuredly it will come from those who are not so friendly. We need to be on our guard. Through this incident, we have also sounded a clear warning to all outsiders to leave us alone. But let me end by reminding Members and Singaporeans that we are not alleging that the cultivation and instigation of Francis Seow and Patrick Seong represents official US government policy or that the behaviour of Hendrickson and the others was sanctioned by the US government.”
“But as Article 41, subsection 1, of the Vienna Convention makes clear, diplomats in Singapore, as in any other country, are under an obligation to remain neutral and objective observers. They should not become partisans. It was only because Mr Hendrickson and some other State Department officials went beyond this legitimate role that we were forced to protest their activities and ask for Mr Hendrickson's recall. Diplomats are often required to make representations on behalf of their governments and these representations may sometimes be critical or at variance with the host government's policies. But when they do so, they are required by universal norms of diplomatic practice and international law to make them to appropriate official authorities. Thus, for example, Singapore diplomats in Washington make representations to members of the legislative and executive branches of the US government. Our diplomats in Washington do not attempt to identify, cultivate and encourage disgruntled Americans to enter politics or join the US government in the hope that they would pursue policies that Singapore will find congenial. If any member of Singapore's foreign service tries to do this in any country, he will find himself in serious trouble, not only with that country but with our Government. Americans are proud of their political system, and justifiably so. It has many merits. For example, Americans believe that they have a superior system, not that they are a superior people or a superior race. Thus, it is in the American multinational companies that Singaporeans can rise to the very top. This is common knowledge. Ever since the beginning of American history, Americans have not considered themselves as just another people or another country but as a moral example to the world.”
“In this respect, the behaviour of Mr Hendrickson and the other State Department officials involved stands in sharp contrast to the entirely proper and correct behaviour of the former British High Commissioner in Singapore who neither encouraged nor discouraged Francis Seow's political ambitions and made no promise of political asylum when he was approached by Francis Seow. Our request for the withdrawal of Mr Hendrickson is not just the whim of an eccentric government. It is not even just a matter of our own opinion. It is an established norm of universal diplomatic practice codified in international law. Diplomats have many privileges but they also have responsibilities. Article 41, subsection 1, of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations clearly states, and I quote: 'Without prejudice to their privileges and immunities it is the duty of all persons enjoying such privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving state. They also have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that state.' The Singapore Government therefore has an absolute right to insist that diplomats do not interfere in Singapore's domestic affairs and foreign diplomats have a clear duty not to do so. This does not mean that the Singapore Government wants to obstruct foreign diplomats in the performance of their legitimate functions. Diplomats in Singapore are free to meet anyone they please. It is entirely proper for any diplomat to keep in touch with members of the constitutional opposition or for that matter with any Singaporean opposed to the Government or supportive of the Government in order to gather information and analyze and understand Singapore politics. This is their job.”
“Thirdly, it was improper for a State Department official at a meeting with Francis Seow in Washington DC in December 1986 to have supported and encouraged Francis Seow to contest elections as an Opposition candidate and reinforced this by criticizing the Legal Profession (Amendment) Act and the Newspaper and Printing Presses (Amendment) Act. Fourthly, it was highly improper of Mr Hendrickson to encourage Francis Seow by telling him in November 1987 that after Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam's disqualification, there was no credible Opposition and that only Francis Seow could fulfil the role left vacant by Mr Jeyaretnam. It was also improper of him to encourage Francis Seow by telling him that he was the best person to lead Opposition candidates and to encourage him to recruit more young professionals into the Opposition in order to pave the way for the establishment of a more effective Opposition in Parliament. These four instances that I have quoted show that Mr Hendrickson and the other officials were not just gathering information or analysing the Singapore political situation. Mr Hendrickson was trying to influence the direction of Singapore politics and to bring about a particular political outcome. This is a matter which must be left to Singaporeans to decide for Singaporeans. If Mr Hendrickson had any views on such matters, he should have expressed them in his own despatches to his Government. He had no business to try on his own initiative to create an Opposition in Singapore.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, details of the US diplomat, Mr Hendrickson's improper conduct were clearly laid out in the Singapore Government's press statement of 7th and 20th May 1988. But so much has been published and so many extracts from the statutory declarations have been published that many irrelevant events and statements have tended to cloud the specific instances of impropriety that Mr Hendrickson and some of his colleagues from the State Department were guilty of. To ensure that there is no ambiguity or misunderstanding, I want to highlight the specific instances of misbehaviour. Firstly, it was improper of Mr Hendrickson to have cultivated disgruntled Singaporeans with a view to encouraging them in their political activities. This, for example, was what happened in October 1986 when Mr Hendrickson and another State Department official criticized the Singapore Government to several Singaporean lawyers at a lunch meeting arranged by Mr Francis Seow. Secondly, it was highly improper for Mr Hendrickson to have, in March 1988, told Mr Patrick Seong that lawyers should contest elections against the Government because they would vote against the PAP in view of the Law Society's experience with the Select Committee hearings on the Legal Profession (Amendment) Bill and because lawyers were disgruntled, articulate and enjoyed a professional status. It was also improper for Mr Hendrickson's superior, who was present when Mr Hendrickson did this, to remain silent and not stopped him. By remaining silent, he lent weight to Mr Hendrickson's activities.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I cannot tell him but since I have given the figure of 135 hectares, I am sure the Member can go and work out for himself. BIGGER HDB FLATS (Plans to meet demand) 2. Dr S. Vasoo asked the Minister for National Development (a) if he will state the number of applicants on the waiting list to purchase each type of Housing and Development Board flats; and (b) whether the HDB will continue its plans to build bigger flats, such as 4-room, 5-room and Executive flats, to meet current and future demands.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Bukit Timah Race Course and its facilities occupy a total area of 135 hectares. The land is predominantly zoned Open Space. The land value based on this zoning is estimated (by the Chief Valuer) to be about $10 per square metre. If the land is rezoned for residential use, then it would reflect the property value of the surrounding low-rise residential area which is estimated at $550 per square metre. The Turf Club has been at the present location since 1933. Today, considering the surrounding developments that have taken place since, it is obviously less than optimal use for the site to be used as a race course. From the planning point of view, the present use of the land is environmentally compatible with the surrounding residential use. The present use, however, does cause traffic and parking problems. The land can be looked upon as a reserve for development in the long term. The possible relocation of the Turf Club would be a subject for study in my Ministry's current review of our long-term land needs.”
“Appendix I AVERAGE COST PER UNIT OF 4-A FLATS FY 86/87 and FY 87/88 (1) (2) (1)+(2) (4) Cost of Land = 3 Selling (3)-(4) Units Construction Cost Cost Price Subsidy ($) ($) ($) ($) ($) Pasir Ris 3626 53000 17800 70800 56300 14500 (New Town Zone) comparable to Yishun New Town Hougang North 1735 53000 33000 86000 62100 23900 (Outer Suburban Zone) Bukit Panjang 2023 53000 28700 81700 62100 19600 (Outer Suburban Zone Toa Payoh 763 53000 49000 102000 79500 22500 (Temple Estate) (Outer Urban Zone) comparable to Potong Pasir chart - COMPARATIVE TABLE (Cols. 1781 - 1786)”
“The cost incurred by the Housing and Development Board in building its flats can be broken down into construction cost and land cost. Construction cost relates to the cost of the building itself, the cost of piling, the installation of electrical supply, sanitation, lifts, water supply, etc, as well as the cost of earthworks, ancillary roads, sewers and drains. Construction cost is determined by the prices of contracts tendered out by HDB. Land cost is determined by the Chief Valuer based on the market values of comparable land. Land cost attributed to the flats does not include the land for commercial premises, town gardens and other non-residential uses in the HDB estate. Cost data in detail is only available since the HDB introduced the new accounting system in 1985. Bedok and Jalan Besar were completed before 1 Apr 85. In Potong Pasir, most of the dwelling units were completed before that date. HDB did not buy any land in Potong Pasir and Yishun from the Government in the last two years. HDB buys land in small parcels from the State for its development. The land cost is attributed to the different flats built on each parcel according to generally accepted accounting principles. To present the construction and land cost data for each parcel, in each estate, for every room type and for a particular fiscal year would be too voluminous. The attached table (Appendix I) therefore illustrates the average cost per unit of 4-A flats (the most popular type of flats), analysed into construction and land costs for Pasir Ris, Bukit Panjang, Hougang and Toa Payoh (Temple Estate).”
“Mr Chiam See Tong asked the Minister for National Development if he will give the breakdown cost of unit flat including land cost incurred by the Housing and Development Board of flats constructed at (i) Yishun New Town, (ii) Zhenghua New Town, (iii) Hougang New Town, (iv) Potong Pasir, (v) Bedok New Town and (vi) Jalan Besar.”
“The Housing and Development Board does not charge the market prices of land in the pricing of its flats. This accounts for the HDB's huge deficits in its sale of flats. HDB pays for the land it purchases from the Government at the market price assessed by the Government's Chief Valuer. This is the standard procedure adopted for the alienation of State land, whether to private developers, statutory boards or other government development agencies. Cost data for individual HDB development is only available since the HDB introduced the new accounting system in 1985. Bedok and Jalan Besar were completed before 1 Apr 85 and detailed costs are not available. HDB did not buy any land in Yishun and Potong Pasir from the Government in the last two years. These two areas are classified as New Town Zone and Outer Urban Zone. The following table presents the average land cost paid for by the HDB in Bukit Panjang (formerly known as Zhenghua) and Hougang. The land cost data for Pasir Ris and Toa Payoh (Temple Estate), are also included as examples for New Town and Outer Urban Zones respectively. ____________________________________________________ Average prices for land paid by HDB (FY 86/87 and FY 87/88) ____________________________________________________ Pasir Ris New Town $320 psm (New Town Zone) comparable to Yishun New Town Hougang New Town $490 psm (Outer Suburban Zone) Bukit Panjang New Town $470 psm (Outer Suburban Zone) Toa Payoh New Town (Temple Estate) $940 psm (Outer Urban Zone) comparable to Potong Pasir ____________________________________________________ COSTING OF HDB FLATS 2.”
“By giving the Minister the power to amend the schedule, the process will be made easier and changes to the area of the nature reserves can be documented and regularized quickly. Parliament of course will be kept informed of these changes. Currently, the Act has no provision for the Nature Reserves Board to accept public donations to fund its activities. All administrative and technical support are provided by the Parks and Recreation Department and development projects funded by the Government through the Parks and Recreation Department's budget. The Bill proposes to establish a Nature Reserves Fund so that private individuals as well as companies can contribute to the financing of the operation of the Nature Reserves Board. The fund will be used for the purpose of administering and maintaining the nature reserves, providing facilities and services to the public in relation of the nature reserves and encouraging the study and research into the fauna and flora of Singapore. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Mr S. Dhanabalan]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. DANGEROUS FIREWORKS (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.45 pm”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Government has decided to amend the Nature Reserves Act to improve the management of our nature reserves. Under the existing Act, powers of enforcement can only be granted to officers or servants of the Nature Reserves Board. Being a trustee board, there is no staff in the employment of the Board. Hence, there is a need to provide for delegation of enforcement powers to other authorized persons such as rangers of the Parks and Recreation Department who are helping the Nature Reserves Board to enforce the Act. The Public Utilities Board has also agreed to assist in enforcing the Act within the water catchment areas. The penalty under the Act ranges from a fine of not less than $100 to a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both. It is now proposed in the Bill before the House that the maximum fine be raised to $2,000, the minimum fine be removed and the Nature Reserves Board be given power to compound any offence up to a sum of $400. These changes would bring the Nature Reserves Act in line with the Parks and Trees Act. Having the power to compound fines will enable the Nature Reserves Board to deal swiftly and effectively with minor offences such as littering, collecting of plants and butterflies and lighting of fires in the nature reserve areas. Due to various developments over the years, such as the expansion of the reservoirs, construction of the zoo, expressways and other installations, minor changes to the boundaries of the nature reserves have to be made from time to time. Under the present Act, only Parliament, by resolution, may amend the Schedule of the Nature Reserves Act.”
“I will certainly ask the Building Authority to be more careful about issuing these temporary licences because where a developer does not have a good record, I would personally say we should not allow him to do anything that will enable people to move in and complicate the issue. That will be the general approach. For this particular condominium that the Member mentioned, I will have to look into the details of the case. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time. Resolved, That the Bill be committed to a Select committee consisting of Mr Speaker as Chairman and seven members to be nominated by the Committee of Selection. - [Mr S. Dhanabalan]. NATURE RESERVES (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read.”
“So we tried to make it as practical as possible. But in spite of our effort we still want to allow contractors and professionals and others to have a say so that we will ultimately have an Act that is one that can be easily implemented and will not increase the cost to the industry and to buyers too much. When will the Building Authority start work or when will this Act be ready for implementation? I think it should be at the latest by the middle of the year if we can finish our Select Committee and put the Bill through the Third Reading. But I am quite confident that by the time this Bill is ready for assent by the President we will be ready to implement the provisions of the Bill. The Member referred to clause 35 - recovery of expenses. Will the professional services of the Building Authority be charged? I cannot tell him offhand. I would say that, as a general principle, if Government incurs cost which would not otherwise be incurred even though it comes out of its own resources, then it should be charged. It will be charged. That is the general principle. The Member for Tanah Merah asked about a particular condominium where the certificate of fitness is being held back. There is no way that the Building Authority can force a developer to say, "Do this now." What the Building Authority can do is to say, if you want a certificate of fitness, you have to do it." If he does not do what is necessary, he will not get a certificate of fitness. In some cases, the problem arises because we give what is, in fact, a TOL, Temporary Occupation Licence. That creates some problems because people move in and then the COF is not issued.”
“Many people in Singapore were quite prepared to accept buildings of poor workmanship, poor tiling, poor finishes, when there was a boom because people thought they could buy and sell the flat or the house within a few months and they thought they were getting a building or a house or a flat at a good price so they did not bother about poor workmanship. Once, of course, the real estate market collapsed, then people became very conscious about workmanship. It is very difficult to legislate good workmanship. It is something that buyers must demand and be intelligent and discerning consumers when they buy homes. They must check the credentials and integrity of those involved in the property development. Many people buy properties on the basis of brochures without bothering to find out who the developer is or whether he has a track record. That is all right, as I said, when there is a real estate boom. People are quite confident that what they buy today will be worth much more in future. But I think people are beginning to realize that they should not just jump blindly and commit themselves into buying properties from people who do not have a good track record. That is all I can commend to buyers that they must exercise discretion and they must do a proper assessment before they commit themselves to buying any property. The Member for Bo Wen asked what are the likely problems in the implementation of this Bill. The main thing is to get the staff in place and we have already taken action on that. One of the primary considerations in the drafting of this Bill was to make sure that we only have things that we can in fact do. We can set very high standards and all kinds of requirements can be put into the Bill which cannot be done.”
“In some countries, the problem of long-term defects has been dealt with either by building insurance scheme or some developers accreditation scheme or common defects fund and so on. These are some of the options that I think we can consider in Singapore. I understand that the Real Estate Developers Association has been looking into these options and I do not know whether they will adopt any of these options. But I would like to emphasize this. We must not swing from one extreme to another. Let us not swing to the extreme that we put all sorts of requirements and schemes into place which may, in fact, greatly increase cost. For example, in France, they do have a building insurance scheme but that does affect building cost quite substantially. I think if we can concentrate on controlling the quality of buildings at the design and construction stage, we would have gone a long way to ensure that buildings are sound structurally for a long, long time. This is what the new Bill will do, ie, design checked, constructed and maintained to safe standards. As to how poor workmanship is covered by the Bill, the Member said that there is a gap in the Bill. It is true. We are concerned not with the aesthetics. But we are concerned with the structural soundness of the building under the Act. Poor workmanship can be quite a subjective and contentious issue. What appears to be poor workmanship to some people may be acceptable to others. And what appears to be acceptable at one time may not be acceptable at another time.”
“But the responsibility of seeing that building operations are carried out in accordance with approved plans and approved specifications lies with the qualified person, ie, the architect or the engineer. That is why we have the whole system of registering engineers and architects and only people who qualify and meet certain criteria are registered. This has to do with some of the basic professions in a society and it is they who must take the responsibility and they will continue to be responsible even after the building is completed. As long as they practise, they are responsible. So defects cannot be the responsibility of the Building Authority. The Building Authority is a regulatory authority. It tries to ensure that the design is done properly and construction is supervised and buildings are maintained. But at the end of the day it must be the responsibility of the professional engineer or architect to ensure that these things are done properly. In fact, the Commission of Inquiry into the collapse of Hotel New World recognized that this must be so and the provision that we have in the Bill, ie, to protect the Building Authority against liability, is also found in other similar legislation in other countries. It is a fairly standard provision in legislation of this kind. The Member asked about the long-term responsibility. What happens if defects begin to surface 5-10 years after the building is completed? I said this before, and I will repeat this, that it is the industry that must self-regulate and set high standards to follow. Of course, as I said just now, the professionals have a moral obligation as well as a professional obligation to ensure that they carry out their functions properly. This applies to architects and engineers.”
“The reason why we changed the name is that the present term COF or Certificate of Fitness gives an impression to the people that somehow Government certifies that the building is sound, of good quality finish, and then when people go there and see the tiles are not what they expected or the floors slope the wrong way or doors do not close, they say, "How did the chap get the certificate of fitness?" What the certificate of fitness means is that the building has been completed according to the designs that were submitted to the building authority. Of course, the design submitted to the Building Authority has been subject to checks in so far as the architectural side is concerned in the past. But now, under the Bill, the structural aspect will be checked. If the building is built according to these designs, then a certificate of statutory completion will be given. But it is not a certificate to state that it is built according to what the buyer expected the building to be or of the finish they expected the building to be. The renaming of the certificate itself would not give any more confidence. We have just taken the opportunity of this Bill being presented to the House to change the name. It is the new measures introduced in the Bill that will ensure that steps are taken to protect the buyers' interest. The Member asked about the liability of the Building Authority and whether because the Building Authority certifies that the building is fit for occupation, the Building Authority should be liable if defects are found later. The Building Authority's role is to enforce a system of control on building operations in the interests of public safety. It does so through the provisions of the Bill before the House.”
“As I have pointed out and as the Member has also drawn attention to my point, Government buildings are exempted from the provisions of the Act because the Government has very strong internal procedures which go even beyond what is provided for in this Bill. Every structural design done by a Government engineer is checked by another Government engineer who is more experienced than the designer. The checking engineer is usually of a higher grade and is quite competent to carry out such a structural checking. This is already standard procedure. Then all Government building projects are supervised by Government resident engineers with the assistance of supervisors, clerks-of-works and so on. I think anybody who has anything to do with any contractors in Singapore would know that Government buildings and Government works are very, very closely supervised to ensure that work is done according to design. Thirdly, Government buildings are subject to regular maintenance checks in order to ensure that it is structurally sound. So there is already in place and has been in place for some time all the necessary procedures to ensure a proper design in construction and maintenance. That is why we do not have Government buildings covered by the Bill before the House. The Member referred to the change of name from "Certificate of Fitness" to "Certificate of Statutory Completion". The actual certificate or what work has to go into before the certificate is issued is the same.”
“Of course, Members are aware that Hwa Chong Junior College has been vacated but that was not declared by the Building Authority as unsafe. The action was taken by the Minister for Education based upon reports made by professional engineers. A number of other buildings have been identified as buildings that have defects which require attention. I think there are about eight buildings. Some of them have been featured in the newspapers from time to time, buildings like Hilltop apartments. These are not unsafe in the sense that they have to be vacated by the residents. There are some defects which have to be attended to and repairs are being done. The Member asked what recourse people have if defects appear after some time. I am afraid, as the Member has pointed out, this is outside the ambit of the Building Authority. But what we are trying to do with the new provisions in the Act is to ensure that buildings are built properly. I think we should pay attention to trying to tackle the problem at the time of construction, and not put into place all kinds of legislation which would deal with the situation after a building has been fully constructed. The objective of this Bill is to ensure that buildings are properly designed, designs checked, construction properly supervised, and then after that properly maintained. No building can just be so good that it does not require maintenance. Buildings require to be maintained. If all these things are done as required under the Act, that building should then be safe. But this Bill that is before the House does not address the problem of what happens if the building after five or 10 years is found to have a defect. That is a separate problem and I think it has to be tackled quite separately.”
“Sir, first of all, I think this increased cost must be incurred if we want better and safer buildings. As to whether this should be paid by the buyer or the developer, I think that depends on the market. It is just like using any new material, any better material. If it is a sellers' market, of course, the seller will pass on to the buyer. If there are a lot of sellers and the buyers are in a good position, then of course the seller will have to take a lower profit and absorb the cost. So it is not possible to say in advance who is going to bear the cost. It all depends on market conditions. But I think the point to note is that the buyer will get a better and a safer building. The other point raised by the Member was the question of how the Building Authority is going to carry out inspection of buildings, maintenance and checking of buildings. As he said, this is a monumental task, the stock of buildings is very large and it is not intended that the Building Authority himself will carry out these inspections. It is the owners who will be required to appoint their own professional engineers to carry out these checks. A programme will, of course, have to be drawn up to deal with the entire building stock and priority will be given to public buildings. But most of the work will, in fact, be done by professionals in the private sector. They will have to be engaged by the owners to do this job. The Member asked whether any other buildings, apart from Cheng Hong Mansion, have been declared as unsafe. As far as I remember, there is only one other building that has, in fact, been declared as unsafe officially and legally by the Building Authority, and that is, the Singapore Swimming Club car park.”
“So far this has never given rise to problems. I must emphasize that though this is a requirement now under the Bill before the House, it is in fact already being practised by the more responsible developers and the larger contractors. They do have full time site supervisors either as engineers, technicians or clerks-of-works. The third point raised was whether the Building Authority has adequate qualified and reliable manpower to carry out spot checks on construction sites. Action has already been taken to recruit additional staff by the Building Authority and we expect sufficient numbers to be recruited by the time this law is brought into operation. Of course, there will have to be some re-deployment. Some of the older and more experienced engineers and other technicians from the present PWD will have to be given this job and some of the new recruits can do the present PWD jobs. Anyway, we are taking action to recruit additional staff and we are confident that we will be able to get enough to do the necessary. The next point raised was whether all these new controls that we are putting in place will result in delays. With the additional qualified people who are being recruited, we are confident that there should be no delay. The intention is that these new requirements should not cause a delay in the processing of plans by the Government. The other point raised by the Member for Punggol was the increased cost as a result of employment of accredited checkers. I mentioned in my statement sometime ago that it is estimated that the cost of total construction will increase by 0.11% and I think the Member made the point that developers may try to pass on this increased cost to the buyers and that perhaps this is unfair.”
“Registration has closed and a selection panel made up of senior practising engineers from both the public and private sectors has been formed to evaluate the applications. The panel is now scrutinizing the applications and we will have the list of checkers or accredited checkers ready by the time this law comes into operation. The second point raised was the question of site supervision. The Member made the point that sometimes work goes round the clock and how can we expect supervision to also be done round the clock. It is already common practice, especially in the case of large projects, to have full-time resident engineers and clerks-of-works. There are many site supervisors who have years of working experience although they have no paper qualifications and, as I mentioned just now, action is being taken by the CIDB to train and qualify these people. In most building construction work, working beyond normal working hours or even round the clock is required from time to time, especially when they are pouring concrete. You cannot stop pouring of concrete, especially when they are doing special types of structures. For example, when Raffles City was constructed and concrete was poured for the basement, it was done round the clock for, I think, 48 or 72 hours. When this happens, of course, site supervisors will either have to work overtime or arrangements will have to be made for them to secure additional site supervisors or to roster those who are already on the job to ensure that as long as work is going on somebody is there to supervise. I think there is no question of exempting supervision during certain times of work. If the work is essential and it has got to be carried out round the clock, there must also be supervision round the clock.”
“Of course, there is nothing to prevent any developer in the private sector to use contractors who are now in the register for public works, for Government works. These contractors are classified according to various types of works and also the size of contracts. Anybody in the private sector is free to select from these contractors. But I must emphasize that the fact that the contractor is in the register does not mean that all the other steps necessary to ensure good work, steps such as having professional resident engineers or clerks-of-work are not necessary. We need all the other steps to ensure that contractors deliver what they are supposed to deliver. Regarding construction workers, yes, the CIDB is very conscious and, in fact, it is one of the main functions of the CIDB to try and improve or increase the pool of skilled construction workers in Singapore. The CIDB will continue to pay attention to this aspect. I now come to the many questions raised by the Chairman of the GPC, the Member for Punggol. First of all, he asked about the criteria for accredited engineers. For a checker or an accredited engineer, the person must be, first of all, a registered professional engineer in the civil or structural engineering discipline. He or she must have a minimum of 10 years' working experience in the design and construction of buildings and structures after qualifying as a professional engineer in Singapore. Lastly, the person must have a sound knowledge of design and behaviour of structures, good construction practices, properties of building materials and all the relevant codes of practices. We have already asked for those who satisfy these criteria to apply to be registered.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, quite a number of points have been raised, especially by the Member for Punggol as Chairman of the GPC on Housing. But may I first take up the points raised by the Member for Geylang Serai. The main point he made was with regard to the problem of older clerks-of-work and how we can structure the courses to help these people to become qualified clerks-of-work. In my previous statement to the House, I said that one of the reasons why we are not implementing this part of the requirement immediately is to give time to the existing clerks-of-work who do not have paper qualifications to attend CIDB courses and make themselves qualified. Courses have already started. And within the three years that we have in mind, we should be able to train all those who are now in the industry. For those who are older, I am not sure whether we can structure special courses but I want to assure the Member and the House that everything would be done to help all those who are already in the industry to qualify. But obviously we need to set certain minimum requirements and just because a person is in the industry or already has been working as a clerk-of-work but cannot satisfy the minimum, requirement does not mean that he must be given some sort of qualification to continue his work. If we want the clerks-of-work to do their job properly, they must satisfy a certain minimum requirement. I will ask the CIDB to look into this question of the older workers and see how they can be helped. Regarding the Register of Contractors, this question was in fact considered by the Building Committee and they came to the conclusion that under present circumstances perhaps it is not practical to have a special register for the private sector.”
“The Bill also incorporates other key provisions as follows: (i) to expressly exempt Government building and building works carried out by the Government for its own use, from the Bill and the Building Regulations; (ii) to enable qualified persons employed in the Statutory Boards (such as Jurong Town Corporation and the Housing and Development Board) to be authorized to exercise some of the powers and duties of the Building Authority so as to facilitate the approval of plans pertaining to minor modifications and alterations to their premises; (iii) to replace the term "Certificate of Fitness" with the term "Certificate of Statutory Completion". The term "Certificate of Fitness" is a misnomer which seems to connote that once a building is issued with such a certificate, it is fit in all respects including workmanship and defects; (iv) to protect the Government and its officers concerned from liability arising from the various functions assumed by the Building Authority. The Bill represents a crystallization of the efforts of the officers in the Ministry of National Development and the Attorney-General's Chambers. They have tried their best to make sure that various control measures and procedures to be introduced in this Bill are practical, effective and adequate. The Bill incorporates suggestions made by the Building Control Working Com- mittee which had representatives from the building profession and the construction industry. Nevertheless, even though we have already canvassed the views of the building profession and the construction industry, in order to ensure that the Bill will meet all our requirements, the Bill will be referred to a Select Committee. The building industry and members of the public will be given a further opportunity to make representations.”
“It includes major renovation works, additions and alterations to buildings. This will ensure that all structural plans and calculations are subjected to a system of independent checks. It will also prevent a situation where the design of the structures is carried out by an unqualified person, such as a draughtsman under the supervision of an irresponsible engineer, as happened in the case of the Hotel New World. To ensure that there is proper supervision of the construction work, the Bill stipulates that the appointment of a qualified person and site supervisor must be done before a permit to carry out building works is issued. It requires all building works to be supervised by a qualified person and under the continual supervision of a site supervisor. The qualified person is required to maintain proper site records, test reports and other documents at the site for the purpose of check- ing by the Building Authority, and also carry out various structural tests during the construction stage. This will help to prevent incidents like the Cheng Hong Mansion where lapses in site supervision have resulted in the erection of substandard and unsafe concrete structures. The Bill also requires building owners to engage professional engineers to carry out inspection of their buildings at regular intervals of five years for non-residential buildings and 10 years for residential buildings. This is to ensure that these buildings are maintained to acceptable and safe standards.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, following the recommendations of the Building Control Working Committee, I announced in November last year that new laws and regulations would be enacted to ensure that our buildings are designed, checked, constructed and maintained to safe standards. This Bill before the House seeks to revise and strengthen the law in respect of building control by: (a) enhancing the powers of the Building Authority in relation to regulation of building works and safety of buildings; (b) implementing a system of independent checking of structural plans by accredited checkers; (c) requiring construction supervision by qualified persons and site supervisors; (d) requiring certain tests to be carried out under the supervision of a structural engineer; (e) requiring mandatory inspection of buildings at regular intervals by structural engineers; and (f) providing for enhanced penalties in respect of offences. The Bill replaces the existing Building Control Act which will be repealed. In drafting the Bill, we have adopted some of the provisions of similar legislation in UK, Hong Kong and Australia with modifications to suit our particular requirements. Related provisions in our local statutes have also been incorporated in the Bill to expand some of the powers of the Building Authority. The main provisions in the Bill are those arising from the recommendations of the Building Control Working Committee. In the design stage, the Bill requires that all structural plans and calculations are checked by an accredited checker, who has no professional or financial interest in the project. This checking of plans will be done before they are submitted to the Building Authority for approval.”
“Dr Koh Lam Son asked the Minister for Communications and Information whether a bus service will be introduced to serve residents of Telok Blangah/Depot Road estates and the nearest Mass Rapid Transit station along the West Line.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, my Ministry is in the process of preparing a new Concept Plan for the Ayer Rajah/Rochester Park area. The Plan covers the area bounded by Commonwealth Avenue West, Clementi Road, Pasir Panjang Road and Alexandra Road. The HDB Ayer Rajah Estate is seen as an integral part of this area. In preparing the plan, the planners will try to preserve the amenities of the existing developments and will also propose new developments that will complement the residential, institutional and recreational facilities in the area. Better quality housing and new infrastructure will be provided. An efficient transportation system will be planned to link up with the Buona Vista MRT Station. Since the plan is not finalised, I am unable to provide specific details on the number and type of residential units that would be incorporated in the plan. RADIN MAS CONSTITUENCY (Feeder service to MRT station) 4. Mr Chng Hee Kok asked the Minister for Communications and Information if bus operators will be permitted to operate a feeder service between Radin Mas Constituency and the nearest Mass Rapid Transit station. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications and Information (Mr Ho Kah Leong) (for the Minister for Communications and Information): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am answering on behalf of my Minister. Bus operators are permitted to operate any bus service subject to the approval of the Public Transport Council. As for the feeder service between Radin Mas Constituency and the nearest MRT station, I will ask the bus operators to liaise with the Member and his grassroots organizations to discuss detailed proposals. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] TELOK BLANGAH/DEPOT ROAD ESTATES (Public transport) 5.”
“Sir, the Multi-tier Family Housing Scheme was introduced in May 1982. On allocation, the multi-tier family must stay together in the flat for eight years before the flat can be sold in the open market. Within the eight years, if the parents or grandparents are found to be not staying in the flat without valid reasons, the applicant would have breached a condition under the scheme. The HDB would then recover the flat to prevent abuse of the scheme. As at 29th February 1988, of the 12,500 flats allocated under the Multi-tier Family Scheme, the HDB recovered 18 flats or 0.14%. Out of these 18 flats, 17 units were returned voluntarily to the HDB because the parents and the married children did not wish to continue staying together. In the remaining case, the applicant abused the scheme because he did not report to the HDB that the multi-family structure no longer existed. HDB recovered the flat when the Board found this out subsequently. AYER RAJAH/ROCHESTER PARK AREA (Concept plan) The following question stood in the name of Encik Abbas Abu Amin - 3. To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Housing and Development Board has finalised plans for the extension and development of Ayer Rajah Estate and, if so, whether the HDB will consider building 5-room or Executive flats there; and (b) if the housing programme has been finalised, whether he will give details of it, indicating also how the traffic flow in the Estate will be modified and linked with the nearby Buona Vista Mass Rapid Transit station.”
“Yes, Mr Speaker. HDB MULTI-TIER FAMILY HOUSING SCHEME (Cases of abuse) 2. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon asked the Minister for National Development how many cases of abuse have been detected under the 3-tier family privilege scheme introduced by the Housing and Development Board and how have they been dealt with.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the name of Bishan West Estate will be changed to Sin Ming Garden Estate. The new name will apply from 15th April 1988.”
“The model has been useful in simulating and estimating the effect of various policy changes, eg, how increased public expenditure on construction will affect the GDP growth, or the consequences of the October stock market crash on our economy, directly through its effect on our domestic consumption and investment expenditure, and indirectly through the effects of a slowdown in the US economy. To forecast economic growth, MTI has developed an index of leading indicators as well as short term forecasting models. Details of the index of leading indicators were pulished in the 1987 third quarter issue of the Economic Survey of Singapore. This index enables us to forecast overall GDP growth. The estimate is verified against sector by sector estimates, based on short term forecasting models and surveys of business expectations. The estimates are regularly revised as more information on actual growth and business expectations come in.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, basic park facilities such as car parks, footpaths, shelters, benches, toilets, park lighting and fitness corners have been completed at the Kent Ridge Park. Landscaping and improvement works as well as electrical works are being carried out. All these works are expected to be completed before the end of this year. ECONOMETRIC MODEL OF SINGAPORE ECONOMY 13. Mr Chng Hee Kok asked the Minister for Trade and Industry if he will give an update on the econometric model developed by his Ministry for the Singapore economy, including the degree of accuracy of this model for economic forecast. BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, the formulation and estimation of the equations for the econometric model of the Singapore economy have largely been completed. The aspect of the model dealing with inflation was published in the second quarter issue of the 1987 Economic Survey of Singapore. Other aspects will be released in due course. Constructing the model has helped us understand the structure and linkages of the various sectors of the economy better. Some of these include: The fact that in the international economy, Singapore is a price taker, both as a seller of products in the export market and as a buyer of raw materials, intermediate inputs, capital and consumption goods in the import market. Secondly, the impact of profitability on private investment. Thirdly, it has shown how critically our export performance depends on our cost competitiveness and on the growth of OECD economies. Fourthly, it has established the link between inflation and exchange rate changes and nominal wage increases which exceed productivity growth.”
“Sir, the construction of the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) which runs from Shenton Way in the east to Jurong Town Hall Road in the west is being built in phases. The Keppel Viaduct, part of the expressway, was opened to traffic in September 1985. The stretch from the viaduct to Alexandra Road was opened to traffic in May 1986. The stretch of the expressway from Alexandra Road to Jurong Town Hall Road, which involves the upgrading of the existing Ayer Rajah Road and Upper Ayer Rajah Road to expressway standards, will be completed by May 1988. Five pedestrian overhead bridges and one pedestrian underpass will be provided along the stretch of the expressway between Alexandra Road and Clementi Road. These crossings are sufficient to allow for safe movement of pedestrians across the expressway. To ensure safe operation of the expressway, the existing pair of bus stops in front of the HDB Ayer Rajah Estate will be resited eastwards to the Buona Vista Interchange area. Walking distance for some residents to these bus stops will increase by up to 250 metres. This is about four minutes' walk. It is not possible to retain the bus stops at their present locations without compromising the safe operation of the expressway. PASIR PANJANG SECONDARY AND LABRADOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS (Enrolment patterns) 3. Encik Abbas Abu Amin asked the Minister for Education (a) if he will indicate (i) the enrolment patterns of Pasir Panjang Secondary School and Labrador Primary School and (ii) the breakdowns of ethnic groups attending these schools for the years 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987; and (b) whether there are plans to renovate and improve the facilities in these two schools.”
“I am afraid we have no such scheme at the present moment but there are enough charities in Singapore who can help genuine cases. AYER RAJAH EXPRESSWAY (Development progress) 2. Encik Abbas Abu Amin asked the Minister for National Development what is the progress on the development of Ayer Rajah Expressway, particularly the portion between the junction of Alexandra Road/Ayer Rajah Road and the junction of Clementi Road/Ayer Rajah Road; whether sufficient overhead bridges are built along the portion; and whether bus-stops are located near the Housing and Development Board Ayer Rajah Estate.”
“When all the measures that I have spelt out have been tried and they still cannot pay and they do not want to downgrade or their incomes are obviously sufficient but because of lack of financial discipline they are not able to meet, HDB will evict.”
“Sir, if the Member is referring to the few genuine cases that cannot even meet the rental payments, yes, of course, when we have completed our studies, I will announce it.”
“They have to help themselves. From all the evidence, they have sufficient income to meet the payments but they do not have the right priorities or financial discipline. They must learn financial discipline.”
“There is another category who have genuine financial difficulties who can be helped with the measures that I have just mentioned. With some assistance, they can continue to occupy the rental or purchase flat that they now occupy. Others may require more time, as I mentioned. Their financial circumstances at the time they bought the flat may be different from what it is now. But if there is enough evidence that either they have got a new job or a son is coming out of NS and is starting work or a daughter is starting work, in other words, if they can show that they can meet the arrears if it is rescheduled, HDB will certainly consider. In fact, it will allow such rescheduling. I want to give an assurance to Members that this rescheduling will be allowed at any stage of the proceedings, as long as they can show quite clearly that they are able to meet such a rescheduled payment of a loan or arrears of rental. But after months of trying and discussions with HDB, if there is really no alternative and there seems to be no end to the financial problems that they have and it is quite clear that their financial circumstances have changed such that they cannot continue to occupy a 4- or 5-room purchase flat or even a 3-room purchase flat, then I am afraid that they will have to consider moving to either a rental flat or moving to a smaller purchase flat. There are other cases which appear to have financial difficulties who cannot meet payments. But this is basically because of very poor budgetting habits, gambling, drunkenness and so on. In some cases, they may find that the measures that HDB has will be able to assist them. But HDB will in all these cases press hard for payment. HDB does not really have the manpower resources to counsel these people or to help them.”
“In all these cases, I have told HDB that if these people have to downgrade they should be offered an alternative flat immediately so that they are not in a position where they have no place to live. I think Members, from their own experience, know by now that the people who cannot pay or are in arrears fall into various categories. There are those who cannot be helped by any of the measures that I have mentioned. These are mostly old people, with very low income, in poor health, maybe with children who are very ill. Quite a few have children who have mental problems. And they normally live in 1-room or 2-room rental flats. HDB has identified about 500 such cases which they think are genuine, financially strapped, cases. These cases were referred to the Ministry of Community Development. Further checks by MCD showed that not all of them are not able to pay. Some, in fact, as soon as MCD approached them said that they had no problem. They could get their children to pay or they had other sources. And they paid up. But there are genuine hardship cases who cannot be helped by any of the measures that I have mentioned and who really cannot afford to pay the rent. These are basically people living in 1-room rental flats. At present, the measures that we have to assist them are rather ad hoc. For those who qualify for public assistance, we refer them to MCD. HDB does try to refer them to other welfare agencies, private charities, but we do not have a proper system of dealing with these cases. I have asked the HDB to work together with MCD to come out with a scheme that can assist this small number who genuinely cannot afford to pay even the rent of a 1-room rental flat.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, for tenants of HDB flats who are in arrears of rent, first of all, HDB can assist by allowing them to pay their arrears by instalments. If they happen to occupy a 3-room rental flat - there are not many but there are some who are in 3-room rental flats - then they will be allowed to sublet one of the rooms and supplement their income, thus enabling them to pay their rental. In some cases, they can be helped by allowing them to do some home-based work in the flat to help them generate additional income to pay their rents. When all these measures are not sufficient and they happen to occupy large flats, 3- or 4-room rental flats, then they will have to transfer to smaller flats. In the case of mortgage loan repayments, those who are in arrears of instalment payments, the measures are similar. First of all, they will be allowed to reschedule their loans if it can be shown that they can meet their new schedule. In some cases, they may have taken loans for 10 years or 12 years on the basis of their financial circumstances at the time they bought the flat and now find that they cannot meet a 10- or 12-year loan repayment schedule. In such cases, we can extend the loan repayment schedule up to 25 years to enable them to pay. We can also allow, and HDB does allow, purchasers of HDB flats to rent out one of their rooms for additional income. In some cases, a balooning repayment schedule will be of assistance. In such cases, we will reschedule their loans. And in some cases, they may have to sell their flat, if it is a 5-room flat or 4-room flat, and purchase a smaller flat. In other extreme cases, they may not be able to purchase a flat at all. They may have to move to a rental flat.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the number of tenants of rental flats who are in arrears of rent for six months or more is about 1,990 cases. This is as at 31st December 1987. This makes up 2.7% of the total rental units occupied. The total rental units occupied is 74,243. The actual amount owed is about $1.7 million or 27.9% of the total monthly rental collectable. The rental arrears come mainly from the 1-room and 2-room rental flat tenants.”
“But I am quite confident that once Government demonstrates its commitment and puts in the infrastructural investments in these areas, the owners will be able to find banks and others who will be prepared to finance them, if they can deal with the problem of the tenants. As I said, that will be dealt with in due course.”
“Sir, the Government is very conscious of the need to conserve certain parts of Singapore to give us a link with our past and to remind us of our heritage. But conservation is somewhat new and untried in Singapore. Therefore, we have to do it slowly. The most important thing is that the Government has to show its commitment. I think the Tanjong Pagar scheme is a clear demonstration of Government's commitment to conservation. When the first phase is completed by the end of this year, Singaporeans will be able to see for themselves how conservation is carried out and the impact that it can make on the environment. Regarding Little India and other places that are earmarked for conservation, I think the main problem is not finance. The main problem is that many of these areas are occupied by tenants who are in rent-controlled properties and the owners have no incentive to do any improvements. We are looking into this area and in due course I will be making a statement to deal with this aspect of the problem. Government will also show its commitment in these areas by doing general works which will improve the environment like building pedestrian walkways, little parks, planting and so on, so that when the private owners begin to restore and renovate their premises, they will be able to do in an area which will improve as a whole. There will be a lot of incentives for them to take advantage of the general improvements that the Government will be putting into these areas. If after all this is done, a special heritage fund is still needed, maybe we can look into that.”