S. Ramaswamy
Singapore
“Sir, can the Minister of State guarantee that the concession granted to owner-occupiers will not be withdrawn? He has said that owner-occupier house-owners need not pay more tax, but this is only just eyewash. At any time the Property Tax Division can demand the full rate by withdrawing the concession.”
“Sir, another point that I want to bring to the notice of the House is that, although a certain property is assessed at a certain value by the valuers in the Property Tax Division, the same property is valued, for the purposes of land acquisition, at half the rate or sometimes even lower than that.”
“These legal firms are supplied with reports and other necessary news more quickly than other firms. I am told that sometimes the reports are tailored to suit the lawyers representing the complainant of the accident. These firms bribe the traffic police personnel regularly.”
“Sir, I will certainly supply the information concerning the disparity in the annual values of the two houses to the Minister of State. He is not well informed about the landlord passing the increase in the annual value to the tenants in Sennett Estate. I remember I wrote to him about 14 months ago on this matter.”
“It may be so, but it is also true that there are signals between the taxi drivers and the customs officials. By and large, our administration is known to the whole world as honest and incorruptible. But a few black sheep in the lower ranks here and there may spoil our good name.”
“Sir, I have an amendment* to move under subhead 1151. May I speak now because what I am going to say is related to the present discussion? * The same amendment, standing in the names of Messrs. Ramaswamy and Conceicao, reads as follows: That the sum to be allocated for Head 1401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1151.”
The complete record
Every one of 112 lines we hold for S. Ramaswamy, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 1 of 3.
“5 per cent over last year's expenditure is really necessary. A matter that has of late been receiving the close attention of Government, trade unions and employers is industrial safety. The recent explosion in a barge in Jurong, in which five people lost their lives and another five seriously injured, is a tragic reminder that with new methods of work, new machinery and new working environments which come with progress in industrialisation, new dangers lurk behind the unsuspecting worker. It is, therefore, vital that the problems of industrial safety should be studied in greater depth, so that a comprehensive programme can be devised to meet not only known dangers but also possible dangers of which little or nothing is known now. Apart from the sorrow and suffering that industrial accidents cause to the injured worker and his family, the loss of workers, particularly skilled workers, in the context of a full-employment situation, is something that we can ill-afford. With regard to our road transport, the traffic system is now in a chaotic state. Though steps are being taken to educate the public, to control the traffic, and to widen roads, and so on, unless a mass transport system is introduced in the next few years the problem will become unmanageable. If subways are to be introduced, this is the opportune time because while the Central area is being reconstructed and with high-rise buildings coming up, subways can be constructed with minimum dislocation to the traffic system. I would suggest that a Commission be appointed to look into the problem and to report on it. 4.30 p.m.”
“The annual grant of one month's pay as a non-, pensionable allowance will go a long way towards narrowing the differences, in wages between the public and private sectors. However, these measures in, themselves are not sufficient to curb the flow of experienced officers into the private sector. I suggest that Government Service could be made more attractive by offering civil servants more liberal terms in respect of housing, car loans, and so on. To prevent a further flow of officers into the private sector existing measures should be tightened. Such measures would be justifiable because, by and large, those who leave for greener pastures use the knowledge, experience, and training that they have gained in Government Service. There is no doubt that the private sector would very soon also see wage increases when the Wages Council makes its recommendations. The picture is one of promise and joy to our working population. But what lurks in the background is creeping inflation and spiralling prices in the wake of a general increase in wages. If this is not controlled, then wage increases will prove futile and barren. Property Tax has of late been a subject of much discussion by house owners. Following an upsurge in rentals in 1970 and 1971, annual values were raised. The position is somewhat different now, as rentals have dropped significantly and the annual values fixed previously would now appear to have no bearing on the present rentals. I would, therefore, urge that a further review of annual values be made. The need to increase Defence expenditure is recognised when we are continuing to build up our Armed Forces. No good and true Singapore citizen will argue about this, hut one can legitimately ask whether a sudden increase of 16.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the financial policy of the Government enunciated by the Finance Minister gives a picture of quiet confidence and visions of Singapore marching forward into the future full of promise. The fact is that, in spite of the effects of the British military withdrawal and the international monetary crisis, which for a time threatened to slow down our economic progress, the Government has ridden the crest and attained an advance in 1971 of about 12.1 per cent for the per capita G.N.P, at current market prices. This is a creditable achievement for which the Government must be congratulated. A number of points, however, arise-when considering the Budget speech as a whole. A matter that should cause-concern is the increasing use of direct, trade policies by our neighbours. It is, I suggest, therefore, necessary for us to-formulate a policy to gradually minimise our dependence on traditional re-export commodities. Tourism is another economic earner and, despite the increase in the number of tourists and in earnings (about ten times higher than 1960), there is a. decline in the occupancy rate of hotels since 1969. A question that naturally poses itself is whether our Tourist Promotion Board has done enough in the past. Though greater efforts must be-made to attract more tourists from Japan, Australia, and the rich European countries like the U.S.A., I think it will be prudent to step up efforts and projects to attract tourists from the less affluent countries also, so that the tourist industry could reap additional earnings. The announcement that measures are being taken to reorganise the civil service and to restructure their salary scales is most welcome.”
“My speech has been on a different point, on the awards made by the Land Commissioner and which have been challenged. Why not make a fair award? That was my main grouse.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, my grouses are about the acquisition of land by the Commissioner of Lands and the awards made by him, but the Minister's reply has been mostly directed to the allegations made in the press.”
“But if he is poor, he cannot afford to pay the deposit or engage lawyers and he has to accept the unfair award made by the Commissioner of Lands. Perhaps the valuers in the office of the Commissioner of Lands are incompetent or fear to make correct valuations or are over-zealous in trying to save the Government as much money as possible to the detriment of the property-owning class. Another point is that in order to prevent property owners from submitting their valuer's report challenging the valuation of the Land Office, the Land Office declares the land to be acquired as an open space or as a green belt. When this is done, the land has no commercial value and the private valuers refuse to value it. I know of an instance where, in spite of the declaration of a piece of land as a green belt, a reputable firm was prepared to buy this piece of land at $10 per square foot and pay the Government development charges in order to convert the land for other uses and remove the green belt. But what happened was that the Land Office did not want to lift the green belt. Is it fair? Perhaps the Minister will explain this and also explain the workings of the notice of intention to acquire land, issued under section 3 of the Act in relation to a subsequent acquisition under section 5 of the Act.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to speak on the question of land acquisition by the Government. Two days ago, the Minister for Law and National Development said that the Government does not make exorbitant profits when it acquires land and subsequently resells it for urban renewal projects. I agree that the Government incurs expenditure on clearing the land, laying out the site and setting aside a portion of it for road widening, and, when the site is ready for development, sells it. But how much does all this cost the Government? It acquires land at a very low price. The clearance of squatters does not cost much to the Government, because the squatters are resettled in alternative accommodation in Housing and Development Board flats and a meagre sum is paid to them as disturbance allowance. This cannot be compared with the price at which the Government sells the land by tender. Sometimes the tender price is 10 times the amount it pays for acquiring the land. I am not quarrelling about land acquisition and the sale of sites made ready for urban renewal, nor about the moral behind it. What I want to speak about is the compensation the Commissioner of Lands pays to landowners when their property is acquired. There are many cases where the compensation offered by the Commissioner of Lands is far below the market price. And when the appellant takes the matter to the Appeals Board, he has to pay $5,000 deposit in court and engage lawyers to argue the case. In many instances, the Commissioner of Lands has settled cases with landowners at a higher price just before the hearing of the appeal. If the appellant is rich, he can afford to pay the deposit and engage lawyers to argue the case.”
“I hope the Minister will do something to stop the practice.”
“These legal firms are supplied with reports and other necessary news more quickly than other firms. I am told that sometimes the reports are tailored to suit the lawyers representing the complainant of the accident. These firms bribe the traffic police personnel regularly. I do know that the Government has passed legislation to plug the loopholes in ambulance-chasing cases, but this has failed to stop this corrupt practice. I am glad the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Home Affairs is himself a lawyer, and he is aware of this situation.”
“Sir, I have three points to bring to the notice of the House. Firstly, cases of petty theft, burglary and extortion in and around my constituency, particularly in Sennett Estate. Extortion is also being carried out in the Kolam Ayer district. I have reported this matter to the Commissioner of Police but without much result. The Police Department has replied to me saying that they have taken action, but the cases of theft and extortion have not decreased in number. My constituency may not be like Toa Payoh, which my colleague refers to as the "Chicago of Singapore". The incidents in my constituency are not small in number. Will the Minister for Home Affairs overhaul the police force and take action on these incidents? I have a1so tried my best and have given some clues to the Commissioner of Police about the persons who are involved in extortion in the Kolam Ayer district. The second point I want to raise is about corruption in the traffic police. I am told that they do take bribes from lorry and pirate taxi drivers who commit traffic offences. I notice that though some people park their cars in certain areas which are not allowed for parking, they are not summoned. They commit the same offence every day but no action is taken against them. If any other car is parked at the same place, the owner, who probably does not bribe the traffic police, will get a summons very quickly. The third point is about ambulance chasing and the traffic police. Whenever there is a traffic accident, certain legal firms who normally do ambulance chasing are at the place of the accident even before the relatives know about it. These legal firms are supplied with reports and other necessary news -”
“Sir, I have an amendment* to move under subhead 1151. May I speak now because what I am going to say is related to the present discussion? * The same amendment, standing in the names of Messrs. Ramaswamy and Conceicao, reads as follows: That the sum to be allocated for Head 1401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1151.”
“Though I am not satisfied with the answer given by the Minister of State, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I will certainly supply the information concerning the disparity in the annual values of the two houses to the Minister of State. He is not well informed about the landlord passing the increase in the annual value to the tenants in Sennett Estate. I remember I wrote to him about 14 months ago on this matter. He might have forgotten about it. I shall give him the facts again. I want an answer from him about the double standard of annual values set by the Government.”
“Sir, can the Minister of State guarantee that the concession granted to owner-occupiers will not be withdrawn? He has said that owner-occupier house-owners need not pay more tax, but this is only just eyewash. At any time the Property Tax Division can demand the full rate by withdrawing the concession. The Minister of State has also said that the Property Tax Division has raised the annual value of properties because the landlords have collected increased rents. But the landlord did not raise the rents of the houses in Sennett Estate, which were built in 1952, until the Property Tax Division raised their annual value. Can the Minister tell us whether this concessionary rate will remain forever?”
“Sir, another point that I want to bring to the notice of the House is that, although a certain property is assessed at a certain value by the valuers in the Property Tax Division, the same property is valued, for the purposes of land acquisition, at half the rate or sometimes even lower than that. It seems the Government has double standards. When it wants to acquire property, it wants to pay less for it. When it wants to collect property tax, it values the property at a higher rate. Will the Minister of State for Finance look into these matters? 4.45 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1306 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1101. Sir, the Property Tax Division comes under the Inland Revenue Department. In the newly developed as well as old housing estates, the annual value of properties has been increased by 100, 150 and even 200 per cent during the last two years. Some of the houses are owner-occupied and some are let out. Property tax for owner-occupied houses becomes higher when the annual value goes up. The Property Tax Division gives a concession to owner occupiers, but there is no guarantee that the property tax will remain the same. The Property Tax Division can withdraw this concession at any time and can charge the property tax of 36 per cent on the increased annual value. For rented houses, the landlords pass the increases on to the tenants and the tenants suffer. In most cases in Sennett Estate, the rent has been increased by 100 to 200 per cent. Can the Property Tax Division value properties at some reasonable figure? It seems that its valuers value the properties at any rate they like. In the same estate, some houses are valued at a higher rate and some at a lower rate. I have known instances where, although the properties are in the same area with the same floor space and the same type of building, the values differ. The annual value of one property is $2,000, but about three houses away, the same type of property is valued at $6,000 or $7,000. I notice that the Minister of State for Finance is shaking his head and saying that it is not true. But I can produce the annual value notices to him.”
“Sir, I am glad that the Ministry is taking steps to stop this practice. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $7,430,050 for Head 1305 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 1306 -”
“It may be so, but it is also true that there are signals between the taxi drivers and the customs officials. By and large, our administration is known to the whole world as honest and incorruptible. But a few black sheep in the lower ranks here and there may spoil our good name. I just want to bring this incident to the notice of the House so that the Ministry of Finance will take steps to stop corrupt practices and keep up our good name.”
“Only after I came home, I was told by my friend that he paid a few dollars to the taxi driver in order to pass the customs check-point without his baggage being checked. An hon. Member: Maybe the taxi driver pocketed the money!”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1305 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001. Sir, I wish to speak about the corrupt practices by some of the customs officials at the Woodlands customs checkpoint. Most of the officers who check the baggages of passengers coming into Singapore from the Johore causeway are honest, but there are a few who are corrupt. Once when I was coming from Johore Bahru, I saw three passengers in a taxi coming from Johore Bahru and they had big baggages in the boot of the taxi. They were allowed to pass through the customs check-point without their bag- gages being checked. When I reached home, I asked one of the passengers, who is a friend, how he managed to pass the check-point without his baggage being checked. He told me that the passengers in the taxi each paid a few dollars to the taxi driver to give to the customs officials to let them pass through without their baggages being checked. The driver, after receiving the money, did get through the customs without the baggages being checked. I was following this taxi, but I did not see the taxi driver handing the money to the customs officials and the informant did not see it either. But I am reliably told that there are signs and signals between taxi drivers and the officials who man the customs post, and the officials are told to collect the money from the drivers later on to avoid the risk of being caught. The Minister of State for Finance may ask why I did not make a report there and then. I could not do so because I did not have sufficient evidence to prove corruption or allege anything.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am very glad that the Minister has promised to resite these hawkers in June - after two years. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $34,052,490 for Head 1203 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. 7.00 p.m. Head 1301 -”
“Sir, I did not ask the Minister to take action to clear them. I asked him to allow the hawkers to do business without obstructing the traffic.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1203 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1831*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs. P. Govindaswamy and Yeo Choo Kok.) Sir, under this subhead, Hawkers' Superintendent, I wish to bring to the notice of this House the nuisance and the difficulty caused by the hawkers in my constituency. There are about 100 hawkers doing business along Tai Thong Crescent, by the side of MacPherson Market. In the mornings these hawkers obstruct the flow of traffic, and it is impossible for vehicles to pass through Tai Thong Crescent. This problem has been brought to the notice of the Hawkers Department a few years ago, with the request that they resite the hawkers or allot them pitches near the market, in the backlanes and sidelanes and along one side of Tai Thong Crescent. In this way they need not lose their livelihood, and the traffic also need not be obstructed. From time to time the Potong Pasir Citizens' Consultative Committee and I myself have written to the Hawkers Department, and once to the Parliamentary Secretary about this problem, but without any result. Can the Ministry take steps to allot proper spaces or pitches to these hawkers, and to settle this matter soon without causing any hardship to them? From time to time the reason given for not taking action to solve the problem is that the Hawkers Department has priorities and that this case does not deserve first consideration.”
“Subhead 1321 -Roads, Bridges and Drainage. I wish to ask the Minister whether the Toa Payoh scheme includes the improvement of the drainage of Sungei Kallang and the alleviation of floods in that area. In the Potong Pasir area, whenever there are two inches of rainfall, Kampong Potong Pasir near Braddell Road is flooded up to one or two feet. During the 1969 flood, all the kampongs were under four or five feet of water. The floods were 12 to 15 feet high. The Government is taking flood alleviation measures in Bukit Timah and other areas. I just want to find out from the Minister whether he has any schemes for the alleviation of floods in the Potong Pasir area.”
“Sir, I am talking about subhead 1321 -- Roads, Bridges and Drainage.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1108 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1321*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr J. F. Conceicao) Mr Speaker, Sir, I see that the Drainage and Flood Alleviation Schemes in the coming year will cost about $4.5 million. I do not see the Potong Pasir Constituency included in any of these schemes, nor does the Toa Payoh scheme --”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, it is not true that there are other feature films shown on T.V. for the benefit of the Tamil children. Only one film is shown a week for all the Tamil-speaking people, whether they are adults or children. The other point is about pronunciation of Tamil words which could convey the wrong meaning. I have just given examples of this, and the Minister should take steps to remedy this. Otherwise it will defeat the purpose of broadcasting news bulletins in the Tamil language.”
“I wish to point out that at one time these films were screened quite early in the evening. Can the department screen this film earlier, as was done before?”
“I did not say that I could not understand them. The sound is defective, whether the announcements were made in the Tamil or English language. Later when I raised this question in the House, I was told that the defect in the Civil Aviation Department's announcements lay in the sound system. Moreover, the announcers read the announcement with an English accent. I was told that this occurred not only in the Tamil language announcements but also in the Chinese, English and Malay announcements. There was this defect in the airport because there was something wrong in the sound system. I was told about this by some Members and also by other people. Let me come to Broadcasting. Some of the announcers may have the necessary qualifications in the English language but their spoken Tamil is very poor. In view of the examples I have given just now, the announcers should be tested in spoken Tamil before they are appointed. I do realise that it is very hard to get properly qualified persons to fill these posts as those qualified in the Tamil language are very few. However, will the Ministry take steps to improve the standard of the Tamil language spoken over Radio and Television Singapore by employing competent people as announcers? Alternatively, the Ministry can employ part-time announcers who are capable of doing the work. There is another matter I wish to raise. There is only one Tamil film screened on Television Singapore a week. It is shown very late in the evening and it finishes almost towards midnight. The children who watch this programme have to go to school the next morning. So they either see this film and miss school the next morning, or deprive themselves of seeing this film if they wish to go to school the next morning.”
“One Backbencher is asking me how poor it is. I will try to explain it. If you pronounce panam with the proper intonation, it means money. If you pronounce panam in another way, it means coconut. If you pronounce vanam in Tamil with the proper intonation, it means the sky. If you pronounce vanam differently, it means a fire-cracker. A little bit of difference in the pronunciation makes a lot of difference in the meaning. And when you take two words together and pronounce them together, they convey one meaning. If you pronounce them separately, they mean a different thing.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1301*. (*The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy) Sir, under this subhead I wish to speak on the standard of Tamil programmes and Tamil news bulletins over Radio Singapore. The general standard of Tamil programmes has been deteriorating from year to year. We have some Tamil television programmes which are not in good taste. It can be said, of course, that this is a matter of opinion. However, the general opinion is that the programmes are not in good taste at all. Some announcers who read the news bulletins over the radio and on television pronounce their words wrongly, thereby conveying the wrong meaning. Their pronunciation of the Tamil words is very poor. An hon. Member: How poor?”
“I did say at the beginning of my remarks that most of the anomalies - I can safely say about 95 per cent - have been done away with. Only these three little disparities are there. I hope the Minister will look into them. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Conceicao - (13) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1216.”
“What is left there is probably to give these Tamil teachers the training so that they will be able to obtain the requisite qualifications as their counterparts in the other streams. Once that has been done I am sure they will be accorded the same conditions of service. We do not allow discrimination in the Ministry of Education.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1196. Mr Speaker, Sir, under this subhead I wish to touch upon the plight of the Tamil teachers in the teaching service. During the past seven years the salaries of Tamil teachers have been brought up to the same level as that of the teachers in the other streams, and the anomalies have been done away with. During the terms of the previous two Ministers for Education, much has been done to improve the terms and conditions of service of the Tamil teachers. Now I can say that they are more or less in parity with their counterparts in the other streams. However, I wish to point out that there are a few disparities in the facilities allowed to Tamil teachers as compared with the teachers in the other streams. Firstly, the retraining of the S.S.L.C. trained teachers (a term used by the Ministry), resulting in an increase in their standard of teaching and their scales of pay. Secondly, the transfer of those teachers who have G.C.E. certificates with three credits, including Tamil, to the higher scale of service. Thirdly, to put these Tamil teachers in the scale of $295-925 as Division II officers, and to issue certificates to them to that effect. I understand that these three facilities have been accorded to the teachers in the Malay stream but not to the Tamil teachers. These three points are the only ones outstanding with the Ministry for the last few years. I hope the Minister will look into this matter. Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker, Sir, we will iron out all anomalies where-ever possible. I am not so sure whether we have not ironed out completely all the anomalies.”
“Sir, I wish to inform the Minister that the department has not kept its promise. They are operating this generator even on week days and during office hours occasionally. However, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $19,768,510 for Head 0706 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0707 -”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0706 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr N. Govindasamy.) Sir, I note that the Anti-Pollution Unit has been set up to combat air pollution and noise pollution. I wish to bring to the attention of the House one offender, the Telecommunications Department. The old Cable and Wireless building at Robinson Road has four flimsy chimneys made of zinc, a material used for gutters. For two or three days a week, these chimneys belch out smoke. This has been going on regularly, and there are no signs that this will stop. Along with the smoke from these chimneys, this building also makes a loud rumbling noise which pervades the whole area. This noise goes on as long as smoke is puffing out of the chimneys. This is noise pollution and air pollution in every sense of the word. The people working in the vicinity have already accepted the noise made by the piling machines at building sites in this area as a price of development and progress. But the smoke and noise coming from the Telecoms building are not a temporary nuisance. This is a permanent feature of the building, and is unwelcome to the occupants of the Telecoms building as well as those in all adjoining buildings. I shall be grateful if the Minister will look into the source of the noise and smoke pollution, especially since his Ministry is conducting campaigns to persuade taxi and bus owners, and factories and sawmills to eliminate smoke and noise.”
“Sir, I am satisfied with the reply given by the Minister. Before I withdraw my amendment, I wish to explain to the Minister why the Tamil announcements made by the airport hostesses do not sound like Tamil. They may have Senior Cambridge and paper qualifications for the Tamil language, but their pronunciation may not sound Tamil. However, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $9,035,280 for Head 0703 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. 7.45 p.m. Head 0705 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0703 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1171. Sir, subhead 1171 refers to airport hostesses. Whenever I go to Paya Lebar Airport, I listen to the Tamil announcements of arrivals and departures made by airport hostesses employed by the Civil Aviation Department, and I begin to wonder whether the announcements are, in fact, made in the Tamil language, as it does not sound Tamil. Airport hostesses proficient in Tamil should be employed because the airport is a place where foreigners arrive and when they listen to these announcements, they might think that our airport hostesses are not qualified in languages or that our Government is employing incompetent people to these posts.”
“Sir, I have not yet got an answer to my question whether the Government will be liberal in issuing work permits to drivers.”
“Sir, I am aware of this fact. But apparently construction workers are still not available.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to take this opportunity to appeal to the Minister to be liberal in issuing work permits to people who work as drivers of cars or construction workers. It is a well-known fact that although construction workers are in great demand, they are not available. Now and then we hear of workers who have lost their lives in the construction field. If we enquire who the persons are, we will know that they are from Malaysia. Likewise, motor-car drivers are not at all available in Singapore now. There are hundreds of vacancies for drivers in the Government itself, but these have not been filled for years. The Minister of State for Labour is personally aware of this fact. I have also heard that in the army, there are thousands of vacancies for drivers of army vehicles. A lot of army vehicles are not being used because drivers are not available. As such, will the Government do something to relieve this shortage by liberally issuing work permits to those who can be employed as drivers and construction workers? 7.00 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am also concerned with certain categories of applicants for citizenship whose applications have been rejected. I wish to explain the categories that I have in mind. I shall explain by quoting an example. The parents, brothers and sisters of a certain applicant are all Singapore citizens by birth. This particular applicant was born in Malaysia by accident. By accident, I mean this particular applicant was born when the parents were living temporarily for three months in Kuala Lumpur because the applicant's father was transferred there for about three months only. Since then, this applicant has never been out of Singapore and has always been here, educated here and lived here. The Minister, in replying to queries made last year, said that citizenship would not be granted to those who were a burden to Singapore. This person whom I have mentioned cannot go anywhere and will be a burden to Singapore, whether he is granted Singapore citizenship or not. I appeal to the Minister to consider this case and similar cases sympathetically. This person cannot go anywhere, cannot get any other citizenship, and his future is also affected. He cannot get employment. Where can he go? I also wish to associate myself with the view aired by the Member for Telok Blangah that decisions on applications be made as soon as possible and the applicants be notified as quickly as possible.”
“Sir, I am satisfied with the explanation, and I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0301 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 3001. Under this subhead I notice that there is a provision of $63,120 for temporary staff for the previous financial year and a provision of $47,580 for the ensuing financial year. I wish to know why temporary staff have to be employed for this Ministry. If the Ministry needs additional staff, why not employ permanent staff who are known to be loyal and are able to do a better job?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0201 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2004. I notice that under this subhead there was a provision of $24,000 for the year 1970-71, but that it has been reduced to $20,000 for the ensuing financial year. I wish to know whether the number of Members who are making use of these facilities has been reduced. I shall also be obliged if the Minister can give us details of how many Members are using these facilities, and what are the languages they are learning. I understand that it is difficult to get Hokkien teachers. I wish to know whether this is true.”
“I think the courts will not accept this kind of excuse if it is offered by offending members of the public. However, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $2,261,400 for Head 0104 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0107 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0104 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2006. I am moving this amendment in order to bring to the notice of this House that the toilet adjacent to the Stamp Office on the ground floor of the Supreme Court building is dirty and also smells. I understand it is being used by the public. I notice that the Government is prosecuting private firms and the public for not keeping their toilets clean. But the courts which impose a fine on these people are themselves not keeping their toilets in the building clean. They appear to be breaching the law. I wonder who will prosecute those who are responsible for maintaining this building. To remedy this situation, I suggest that the toilet be looked after by an attendant and a charge be levied if it is a public toilet.”
“This is not a healthy sign, and if the Minister agrees with me that it is not healthy, then what measures does he intend to take to counter the increases in the prices of basic consumer goods and the rise in the cost of living? Sir, I see that the proposed Science Centre is to be built at Jurong. As it is, there is a heavy shortage of land for our industries in Jurong. If the University of Singapore is to be resited at Kent Ridge, why not build the Science Centre at Kent Ridge too? We can then have one single administration for both institutions and so reduce costs. Next I want to speak on the drainage and flood alleviation system. I see that the drainage and flood alleviation schemes will cost $4.5 million in the coming year. I also see that the first phase of the Bukit Timah Flood Alleviation Scheme will be completed this year. Several other new drainage systems proposed include Geylang Serai, Toa Payoh and Telok Blangah. Potong Pasir is one of the worst flood-prone areas. Braddell Road was flooded up to 10 feet during the December 1969 flood. All the kampong houses were under water. Even now whenever there are two or three inches of rain, the area is flooded and there are two to three feet of water. I do not see Potong Pasir included in any of the flood alleviation schemes. Does the Toa Payoh scheme include the improvement of the drainage of Sungei Kallang and the alleviation of flood? Can the Minister elucidate on this point? 7.02 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we are very glad to have a Budget for 1971-72 without any new taxes or any increase in the existing tax rates. We are also very happy to learn from our Finance Minister that we have had a favourable year. This is, of course, evidence of our political stability, good leadership, able administration, honest government, and confidence in our future. We have solved our unemployment problem, and we are now faced with a shortage of labour. We have heard from our Finance Minister that the Government intend to take measures to meet this problem, and I am sure this shortage will also be overcome. In his budget statement our Finance Minister said that the domestic price level remained fairly stable. The housing sub-index moved up by about two percentage points because of a tax levied on Public Utility Board bills. The Minister said that the prices of rice and other cereals showed a decline; probably so. But we know that the price of bread has gone up. So has the price of sugar and other necessities. The P.U.B, bills have gone up because of the increase in the rates of charges and because of the new tax. Bus fares will go up from next month. There will be no more five-cent bus fare, and no more 25-cent fare from terminus to terminus. In sympathy with the rise in bus fares, taxi fares have gone up too. The price of vegetables has gone up. The price of imported foodstuffs has also gone up. In short, if our Finance Minister says that the price index shows a decline, the fact is otherwise. The basic cost of living has gone up. The lower income group is the lot that suffers most.”