S. Vasoo
Singapore
“I would like to ask DPM whether the public as well as the Government-linked companies would be looking at some ways in which jobs could be created to absorb some of the older workers. In the longer term, I think job creation will become an issue, especially when many of the industries in the manufacturing sector are going to hollow out.”
“Our recruitment has been excellent over this past period and our attrition has been relatively low. But I am realistic enough to know that it is not just because of the Ministry of Education, the economy has helped a lot. I believe that I have answered most of the questions posed by Members.”
“Can I ask the Minister of State, when he claims that the LRT is of world-class standards, but the Member for Sembawang is complaining that there are so many frequent breakdowns, what world-class standard are we talking about?”
“May I ask the Minister whether the viewpoints of the commuters and the private bus operators will be solicited in his review? Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, we are in touch with the private bus operators and we would definitely take the views of the public into consideration in the context of the overall framework of the public transport system.”
“It would be the last resort, as the Minister has put it, to institutionalise persons because, by institutionalising them, one breaks them up from the family, and family dynamics are disrupted. Therefore, it is very important to ensure that we have other means of rehabilitating young persons and juveniles within a community setting.”
“All the time, we emphasise on marriage as a partnership. We also accept, as one of our core values, the family as a basic unit. It is, therefore, desirable that the wording, at the beginning of this Bill, should reinforce this value. Under clause 13, the Minister will have powers to exclude certain classes of persons.”
The complete record
Every one of 879 lines we hold for S. Vasoo, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 13 of 18.
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, for allowing me to join the debate. Sir, the Bill to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore will for what it is worth bring some new faces, new voices and perhaps new inputs to our Parliament. The question we should ask ourselves is whether it is worth while doing so, whether there is an advantage, whether there will be new inputs as a result of this change. I feel that there is no basis for us at this juncture to argue that such a scheme would be against parliamentary democracy, or such a scheme would perhaps strengthen parliamentary democracy. But I see that the nominated MP scheme is an innovative scheme. It provides a change. It builds on the current structure and supports new ideas that we all agree we need to generate. Sir, it is not radically going to change the form of our Parliament. It is only a departure from our normal parliamentary process in electing representatives to our Parliament. As I see, it does not change the one-man-one-vote system. No citizen will be denied to vote his elected representative. Therefore, I do not see that there is any fundamental change to the democratic process because we still have elected Members. Besides this, it is a new addition that we are going to bring into this House. In this light, we should ask ourselves what consequences would such a constitutional amendment bring to policy making. This is a question that we all should address. If the question is positive, then we should support such a change. Are there more merits than demerits in carrying out such a change? Sir, if I might say, it is difficult to tell what long term impact the nominated MP scheme would have on our future parliamentary scene. Apparently, the scheme seems to address the following issues.”
“Sir, would the Ministry be monitoring the impact of the implementation of this independent school programme, and at the same time to ensure that children who are able to get in but who are from poor families still will be able to get into these schools?”
“(3) Prohibit teachers from utilizing periods to teach other subjects, which will cause students to have the misconception that the new subject is a secondary or unimportant subject. (4) Consideration for the teaching of this new subject in two different languages. Students would have an option of pursuing the study in the language they like best, which will indirectly strengthen their language command and promote our policy on bilingualism. (5) As a replacement, Ethics will be a better alternative than Civics. Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully support the Ministerial Statement.”
“If we have to include religious knowledge into the new subject, we should ensure that it is a unbias representation. Regardless of race or religion, our students will be able to appreciate the principles of multi-religions in our society and to tolerate different religions practised by others. This will be a step further in religious tolerance and cooperation, thereby preserving our existing social harmony and, at the same time, avoaiding religious extremism. As to Confucian Ethics, and other philosophy, we should also consider including these into the new subject because Confucianism is not a religion. If we were to lump Confucianism as a traditional ideology, regressive to our society, then we will be making the same mistake as Mr Chiam See Tong and it will be a great pity indeed! This will contradict our Government's stand in promoting traditional and cultural values, as well as cause parents to be suspicious of the setting up of seed schools. I sincerely hope that this new subject will not cause students to have the misconception that it is a secondary subject of minor importance in the syllabus. I hope the Education Ministry would consider the following points: (1) Using modern and updated stories to inculcate civic qualities. Examples used could be stories from ancient times as well as modern-day examples which students are familiar with. This will ensure a better understanding and erase any misinterpretation of values. (2) Using simplified but interesting language to prevent long and weary leassons, carried out in a "preachy" manner. In this way, the new subject will be able to capture the attention of the students.”
“Since 1982, the Education Ministry has implemented Religious Knowledge and Confucian Ethics in the secondary school curricula, with religious Knowledge further divided into Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. Its basic aim is to ensure that our students have a better understanding of the religion of their choice as well as to inclucate positive moral values. However, since its implementation, it has somehow departed from its original objectives; some schools are becoming religious "conversion halls", thus causing great concern among members of the public. Moreoever, our students are only exposed to the religion of their choice, resulting in ignorance of other major religions. In the long run, religious extremism may develop, and this will run contrary to the basic principles behind the implementation of Religious Knowledge. As such, if left unchecked, this trend will pose a serious threat to our existing social harmony. In his speech at the Opening of the Seventh Parliament, President Wee stated that religion and politics should not be mixed so as to prevent any unscrupulous usage. However, as religious knowledge has caused much concern among the public, I fully agree with the Member for Cheng San GRC, Mr S. Chandras Das' sentiment. To avoid further confusion among the public, I feel that our Government should make a clear stand as to whether religion and politics should be mixed. The Ministry should set up a committee, comprising knowledgeable and established personalities, to look into the course structure and content of Religious Knowledge. This will minimise any past mistakes, such as "dead or dull" content and avoid further confusion to parents and guardians through frequent changes within a short period of time.”
“If the phasing out of Religious Knowledge is done because of problems relating to the increase in religious propagation activities, I think what we should do instead is to take measures to control over-zealous propagation, not phase out Religous Knowledge in school. If it is because RK has led to our pupils banding up according to religious persuasion, we should introduce a more effective Civics Education programme to bring about harmony among our younger generation in school. In view of the positive impact of Religious Knowledge on our students, I would like to urge the Ministry of Education to continue its teaching in school. If the Ministry is not in favour of that, at least it could allow the teaching of Religious Knowledge outside school cirriculum hours and, in addition, provide teachers for the purpose. I would also like to urge the Ministry to allow Religious Knowledge grades to be offered for enrolment into, at least, Pre-university centres. I agree with the Ministry of Education that our country is a secular state and that relgion and politics must be kept separate. However, in view of the multi-racial, multi-religious make up of our society, we have to allow Religious Knowledge as a school subject to remain, because religion is an important element of the character of a society. And in our present process of development, where we are trying to maintain our identities as Chinese, Indian or Malay, Singaporeans, I think we still need to have Religious Knowledge in school. Thank you. Mr Peh Chin Hua (Jalan Besar GRC)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministerial Statement on Religious Knowledge made by the Education Minister just now is worthy of support.”
“The step taken by the Ministry would also put greater demands on mosques and Muslim organisations to meet our children's need for Islamic religious education. In view of the currently inadequate number of mosques and Muslim organisations having facilities of their own to conduct Islamic religious classes, it is still too early for the Ministry of Education to phase out the teaching of Religious Knowlege in schools. 3.00 pm Mr Speaker, Sir, Islam is important and has been of positive influence to the Malay community. Islam is a necessary shield against evil elements, more so in this era of negative influences. Religion helps us to inculcate moral values in our children and to produce a community of high morals, which is what the country needs. We also cannot deny that Islamic Religious Knowledge has brought good to the Malay students. Their conduct has improved; they perform their duties with a greater sense of responsibility and they are able to differentiate between good and otherwise. For the better students, good Islamic Religious Knowledge grades at 'O' level help them to gain entry to pre-university education. Mr Speaker, although what I said concerns Islamic Religious Knowledge, I think the same applies to the other religious subjects in school. We should not be concerned about the grades for Islamic Religious Knowledge or the other Religious Knowledge subjects being used for purposes of pre-university enrolment, as usually it is offered as the sixth subject, equivalent in ranking to other subjects not relevant to Pre-University education. What is important are the compulsory four or five subjects that enable student to enter Pre-University. Mr Speaker, the statement by the Minister for Education can be considered retrogressive, not progressive.”
“I feel that if the Education Ministry does get into the promotion of religious programmes within the curriculum, then what is there to prevent different groups to make demands on State resources? I think these are some of the fundamental questions that the Education Ministry has to address itself and I am glad that the Government has finally been able to make a clear decision to drop the teaching of Religious Knowledge within curriculum time. Sir, in conclusion, I assess that the change to civics education is for the overall good of our society. It will still strengthen the moral values of our children and enhance their civic consciousness. Encik Ibrahim Othman (Bedok GRC)( In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, since the release of the report on Religions in Singapore by the Ministry of Community Development last year, various comments and views have been conveyed to the Government, urging fairness in matters of religion. There have also been organisations and individuals, including Members of Parliament in this House, who proposed that the Government, in particular the Ministry of Education, carry out a detailed study of the teaching of Religious Knowledge in schools. The Malay/Muslim community in Singapore had been looking forward to the decision to be made by the Ministry of Education on the issue of Religious Knowledge in school, and the statement just given by the Minister for Education would certainly be a disappointment to many members of our Malay/Muslim community. It would mean the closure of a main channel, i.e. the schools, for the inculcation of values and for the teaching of religious knowledge, something which our students truly need.”
“It is universal and encourages our students to be mutually supportive, respectful and tolerant in their later years. This can help to promote social cohesion among our citizens with different religious persuasions and ethnic backgrounds. Thirdly, Sir, in implementing moral and civics education, we duly recognise the multi-ethnic and religious composition of our society and the complications that may arise if allowance is made to promote values of one religion over others. Sir, we can ill-afford to allow communal groups to ruin our social and economic well-being by inciting religious conflicts and differences. There are many historical lessons to draw from many multi-ethnic societies where religion and language have led to communal strifes and consequently breakdown of these societies. I agree with Mr Chiam that we should learn from history and we should preserve historical traditions. But there are a lot of lessons from history that we can learn and I am sure that he is quite aware that in many societies, because of religious differences, communal conflicts, such societies have broken down. And I am quite sure that Mr Chiam and myself would not want to see this happen in the context of Singapore. Sir, in our case, I assert that moral and civics education can help to prevent these consequences as it is centred on a curriculum designed to encourage good citizenship. It is a universal programme which would reduce perceptual contradictions between and amongst different religious and interests groups. Fourthly, Sir, our educational setting would be able to allay future demands by various religious groups to deploy governmental resources to support religious activities.”
“Firstly, Sir, the social health of our society is dependent on the moral fibres of our people and our capacity to find social antidotes to counter religious antagonisms, conflicts and other negative or decadent values which could erode the moral and social responsibilities of our people. Therefore, the provision of a more rounded and carefully designed moral and civics education programme in our schools would be an answer to this problem. I know that in many educational systems they have devised very good moral education programmes and value education, and these have produced effective results. And I think that if we are going to implement moral education and civics education programme in the schools, I stress that we should give serious thought in terms of how to devise a good curriculum to implement this programme. Sir, it is the view of many educationists that a good moral and civics education programme can play an important role in inculcating into students desirable social and moral codes. Formal moral and civics education must therefore start as early as possible, especially when a child begins school. If we can provide them early exposures in terms of this area of education, I think the better edge we will have in trying to produce better students who have good moral values. I would like to ask the Ministry whether it has professional expertise and teachers to mount an effective civics education programme. What steps are being taken through CDIS to develop a well-rounded and effective CIVICS education programme to cater for our secondary school pupils. Secondly, Sir, the teaching of moral and civics education is non-sectarian and not biased towards any single religion, be it Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism.”
“Sir, more importantly, the schools affected should work with the parents perhaps through the parents/teachers association, through various other groups within the school system, to see how the difficulties facing children taking Religious Knowledge as a subject in the next few years could be reduced. I see this is a crucial thing and I note that the Ministry is trying to take various measures to deal with the problem as a result of these changes in this curriculum. Sir, assistance must be given to minimise disruptions which would be caused by this change. The question that I would like to raise is whether the schools that are providing religious teaching would continue to provide whatever support in terms of facilities, manpower positions, and teacher assistance, to allow the children that are undertaking religious knowledge as a subject. And this, I think, would have to be looked into and whether future policies would change in relation to whether the Ministry will continue to give support in terms of teacher and manpower resources for the teaching of Religious Knowledge outside the school hours. These are important issues that we would like to seek clarification. Sir, like all reasonable parents, I support the move by the Ministry of Education to promote moral and civics education as a part of the education curriculum and make religious teaching outside the school hours. This is a sensible decision which is important for Singapore's long-term interest and social health. Sir, I do not want to sound moralistic or be moralising. But I would like to acknowledge that this switch in the policy is timely. I see a number of good reasons for this and I am sure other Singaporeans would see the merits of the case.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I want to say a few words regarding the changes in the educational policy relating to the teaching of Religious Knowledge. Sir, some parents and community groups would be disappointed with the move to exclude the teaching of Religious Knowledge from the curriculum. This is understandably so, Sir, because they feel that the teaching of Religious Knowledge is useful to their children as it provides a basis to help them to be better people, at least to learn about how to become people who have some morals. I think the question is: which are the institutions that should be basically concerned in trying to imbue such religious values to children? I feel that the family is the basic foundation of any society. And it is this foundation, the basic family unit which should be concerned about inculcating religious values to children. Sir, the option is with the family. The family can make the choice in terms of what religious persuasions they would like to go to, and I do not think the State should intercede or intervene in such personal choices. Rightly so, Sir, that if this is the case, then the policy that we are adopting should in a way steer ourselves from interceding into areas which are outside the domain of the Ministry of Education. Sir, however, there are parents who are concerned with the impact of these policy changes and I am of the opinion that these parents and the wider public need to be given further explanation by the Government for making a departure from its present educational policy.”
“Sir, will there be a slow-down in the building of 3-room flats, and will there be adequate 3-room flats available to meet our future needs?”
“Sir, is the Senior Parliamentary Secretary aware that some of the amenities in these reservoirs are not in real good shape for use by the public. I wish to know whether PUB will take steps to improve public amenities in some of these reservoirs?”
“I wish to ask two supplementary questions, Sir? How would the HDB flat owners be charged for the cost of the various improvements, and would the charges be reasonable? Second, where would the pilot projects be implemented and would Tiong Bahru GRC be included?”
“With the increases in the various fees, including petrol tax, shopkeepers and hawkers have increased their charges. This generates a spiralling effect on the cost of living. Although this should not be the case, it has already happened. It is hoped that the Government will monitor the impact on consumer prices and take necessary steps to minimize the inflationary trend at the community level. Though we may not know the impact of these new measures, I suggest that it is necessary to review its impact and see how we could rectify them if they are found to be ineffective.”
“I am of the opinion that it is essentially important to examine ways to curb car growth effectively. Fourth, vehicles carrying many passengers such as CB - licensed buses and school buses are charged Area Licensing Fees although they help to decongest the roads by transporting more people. Fifth, social, business and family activities are likely to be affected because of the extension of ALS in the evenings. The promotion of cultural heritage activities in the city centre which has been planned by the Ministry of National Development may have to be relooked in view of the impact that such measures have on these activities. Sir, in weighing the merits and demerits of some of the measures to curb road usage; one can conclude that it penalizes people who are taking steps to cut down road use. The only merit in this exercise is the increase of car parking fees in the city area. However, this is indeed small. A higher increase and no change in ALS fees could deter people from going into the city. Sir, the measures to curb road usage have consequences on three main groups. These consequences on the groups can be avoided because they do not contribute to road congestion. Sir, motor-cyclists are the hardest hit and they are not the main contributors to road congestion. It is therefore unjustified to levy such a high charge on them. Perhaps these measures directed at motorcyclists can be revied. Sir, if you examine the charges incurred by motocyclists you can see that the increase is about 3(r) times the present amount, ie, from $6 to $28. This is in fact grossly overcharging and I hope that a review could be made to reduce hardship on these motor-cyclists. The second group which is the hardest hit on their pockets are those non-vehicle owners.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to join in the debate. Sir, I rise to support the motion to review the package to curb road usage. I think it is important is to look at the whole issue more rationally and see whether some solutions can be found to curb road usage. I must say that there are no easy solutions to curb road usage. The package of measures to curb road usage has generated much heated discussions amongst small and big vehicle owners. Ordinary residents have also joined in the discussion because they are directly affected by the recent announcement. I feel that it is the onus of the Backbenchers to raise some of these concerns so that the policy makers will be able to argue persuasively to convince them why this package of measures are necessary. Some of these measures seem to be generally ineffective because the wrong groups of people are affected, namely, those who live in the CBD area, school children, commuters of Scheme B buses, motor-cyclists and those who park their cars at home in HDB estates. There are a few reasons which show these measures to be less effective. First, the Area Licensing Scheme is now relaxed through reduced charges. This is likely to encourage more vehicles to enter into the CBD. What will happen in the long run is that further measures will have to be imposed to discourage more vehicles to enter. This can create more dissatisfaction and depict the policy to have been ill conceived. Second, motorists who now use their vehicles less and those who park their cars at home are being penalized. They have to pay more for their parking fees in the housing estates. The third is that no measures are being taken against vehicle growth except that the Ministry has noted the growth.”
“Sir, when will the household survey, which was last done in 1982, be updated? BG Lee Hsien Loong: We did an update survey in 1987, and once we have all the figures digested we will update the CPI.”
“Sir, when are the amendments to the law likely to be implemented?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the Bill. The Bill, in fact, offers protection to the dependants of families from becoming destitute. Ultimately it is a form of social security through contribution by members. My concern is basically the large number of self-employed workers who may not be CPF members. I would like to know firstly, what steps will be taken to ensure that this group of self-employed workers are protected, and,secondly, whether the premiums will be the same for those self-employed workers who want to join the DPIS scheme. Thirdly, whether the Ministry will be taking various other steps to encourage particularly those lower income workers who are not CPF members to participate in the scheme?”
“There is a need to monitor these nursing homes to ensure that they provide at least a minimum standard of care for the consumers. I am interested to know whether the Ministry will be taking any steps to monitor and maintain the minimum standards of care in these nursing homes.”
“This will in the long run incur more costs for treating people who have other complicated illness, resulting from not seeking treatment earlier. The old also fear that they are not getting the quality treatment that they require. Therefore, they opt to go to the better class in the hospital. And there has been this trend as they are not sure because they may be ill-advised in terms of the possibility of going to use subsidized beds. I feel that at the hospital where intake is being considered, patients with very low Medisave accounts should be advised in terms of the classes that they should. In the light that there is still a sizable number of people with low Medisave accounts, would it not be appropriate to retain more C class beds? Sir, the corporatization of Singapore General Hospital is likely to affect the older hospitals which are at the moment not undergoing reorganization. These hospitals will face difficulties in retaining their staff. Good staff will leave to work in better-equipped hospitals. As a consequence, these older hospitals may become second-class hospitals. I hope that this does not happen. If it does happen, then the people who are less able to pay will probably be end-users of hospitals which provide less efficient service. Sir, I want to ask the Minister what steps he will be taking to ensure that the standard of health care service in older hospitals is not affected. Sir, the other area that I would like to touch is the rise in the number of nursing homes. Of late, the number of nursing homes run by private operators are on the increase. These homes provide varying standards of care, particularly for the chronic sick and the aged. Some are of good standard, some are of poor standard, and others are sub-standard.”
“Sir, we have an efficient health care system. It has provided health care for people of various socio-economic groups. I trust that with the reorganizations which are being planned, health care will still remain affordable to various socio-economic groups. The corporatization of hospitals beginning with the Singapore General Hospital has raised many questions in the minds of people. People are concerned whether corporatization plans will make medical treatment affordable. Will the cost of specialist treatment be reasonable? I think the main concern here is whether the specialists, at one time available to the ordinary people, will still be available to them at reasonable cost. Sir, I support the idea of the corporatization plan because it is a good move. If it allows more independence, flexibility to the medical system, I support this move. However, health service must be cost effective and efficient. At the same time, hospital treatment must be within the reach of the working class. Public hospitals should not become an exclusive domain of a few, but for those who have and for some who have a little and for others who have nothing. The success of a good hospital care system is judged by its accessibility to the people who need to be treated. There are a number of people, particularly older people, who have low Medisave accounts. They have to draw on one or more Medisave accounts to meet the payments. And if you do an analysis of multiple usage of Medisave accounts, you probably know what are the types of problems and the impact it will have on the older end-users in the years ahead. For these people, the phasing out of C class wards will create difficulties for them. And they might be deterred from using the services which have been available to them at one time.”
“Sir, I have two subjects. May I take them together?”
“Sir, I beg to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“It is therefore important for the Government to deal with the declining trend more effectively through a number of measures. First, the Government has to set an example by extending the retirement age of all its employees in all sectors to 60 years of age. Second, the Government has to review the present rate of CPF contribution by both older workers and employers. Third, to legislate the retirement age to be at 60 years. Sir, the Advisory Council on Aged has, in fact, suggested this. It has made an urgent call that this question of extension of retirement age be considered seriously. Sir, if the retirement policy is set at 60 years old, it will help to solve a few immediate problems. It will make our older lower income workers to become more financially independent, especially those who have very small CPF savings at this stage. From the discussions earlier, we have identified that many of those who are retiring now have very low CPF savings, and there is a need to provide them with employment which would also enhance their security during their old age. Moreover, Sir, our labour shortage problem in the service and manufacturing sectors can also be minimized. I hope that the Minister will act on our retirement policy as quickly as possible before it is too late.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of Code RA 1500 of the Main Estimates. Sir, I must declare my interest in the light that I am growing old. So I shall speak accordingly. Sir, there is a need to urgently review our retirement policy because our population is greying. And in the light of this greying population, there will be surplus manpower, particularly of the old, who have wide experience that can be tapped. I think we have not done enough to see how the experience and expertise of older workers could be utilized and their skills be tapped for our manufacturing as well as service sectors. Sir, if you look at statistics for the last 17 years, the number of males in the workforce has reduced from 82% in 1970 to 78% in 1987. What appears to be most significant is that in the same period the male workforce between 55 and 59 years dropped from 74% to 64%. This is about a 10 percent drop, and it is indeed a dramatic drop. The figure is likely to decline more steeply in the next few years. Therefore, there is an urgent need to see what can be done in terms of re-employing our older workers. The statistics also seem to suggest that less older workers are being employed after their retirement age at 55 years. Sir, the Government's call to employers to extend retirement age has produced little response. Many of the employers are either hesitant or lukewarm towards the employment of older workers. Negotiations by trade unions with the employers have not been very fruitful. A large majority of them still remain very reluctant to consider re-employing them. The declining trend in the employment of older workers has implications for Singapore's future labour supply.”
“Sir, firstly, would a member be allowed to use the scheme if he is an external student studying in Singapore? Secondly, would the scheme cover students who are studying in polytechnics? Thirdly, would the Minister consider allowing the same amount of fees payable in the Singapore context to apply to studies overseas?”
“I beg to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“A good national library, well equipped and centrally located, is in line with our overall objective to improve the quality of life and it is also symbolic of a middle class society. Sir, I wish to ask the Minister if the Ministry has any plan to upgrade the existing National Library or perhaps, even better still, build a new one.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head J be reduced by $10 in respect of Code JG 2100 of the Main Estimates. Sir, the first phase libraries which were built in the 1960s and 1970s are too small and inadequate in terms of facilities. To name a few libraries, such as in Queenstown, Bukit Merah and Toa Payoh, they are to some extent out of date. The readers who are using these libraries feel a greenhouse effect, in the sense that it creates a lot of discomfort to many of the users of these libraries. Moreover, these libraries do not cater for students who want to do their homework and other related reference work. I think the facilities of the libraries, particularly those in the older housing estates, need to be upgraded in order to allow more students to use them. We must encourage our younger students to use the libraries for their learning. Sir, the upgrading of the libraries is more urgent in old housing estates, and I hope that some steps will be taken. Mr Chew Heng Ching: Mr Chairman, Sir, in line with Dr Vasoo's call for the Government to upgrade libraries in old housing estates, I would like to ask the Minister to consider upgrading the Central library, which is the National Library. I think the present environment in this library is very crammed and congested. Facilities are grossly inadequate and the place at peak hours looks pathetic. Sir, as our population becomes more literate and better educated, the demand for library services would increase. And with the availability of MRT, many Singaporeans do not mind travelling to the National Library to read and to borrow books. I think Singaporeans deserve a better national library.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The Chairman: Amendment No. (4), 13 minutes. Mr Chay.”
“Sir, in the area of family service and counselling programmes, a number of significant social factors will have an impact and influence on the dynamics of the family and family life in Singapore. Some of these social factors have already been identified and they centre around a number of core areas such as the declining birth rate due to declining fertility, the increasing participation of women in the workforce, continuing breakdown in the extended family pattern, delays in marriages and increasing number of persons in singlehood. All these factors have important bearing on the current and future programmes for work with families. Consequently, it will have implications in the way in which services provided both by the Governmental and voluntary social service sectors will have to be organized. I envisage that in future the neighbourhoods of the housing estates in future will have to play a greater role to complement and support some of the services that are needed to be organized for the families. In this respect, Sir, I want to know whether the Ministry is planning to establish programmes to strengthen work with families. There is a need to look at this more critically because the family is a fundamental unit and, in fact, there is a need to provide more support in this direction. More programmes can be planned to deal with families that may be in need of support.”
“Sir, may I be allowed to That the sum to be allocated for Head J be reduced by $10 in respect of Code JD 1500 of the Main Estimates. Sir, the need for child care services is likely to be more acute in the next few years. This is because of the increasing number of women entering the labour force. The labour force participation rate for women over the last five years has increased from 38% to 48%, which means that at least half of the labour force are women. The issue is: how do we help working mothers meet some of their child care needs, particularly those who are unable to depend on support from their kin groups or other forms of child care services which are available in the community. Sir, with the reduction of manpower in Singapore, the problem is likely to worsen because more women may be encouraged to get into the labour force to meet the manpower shortage. If you ask the mothers living in the new housing estates about their problems, you will find that it is quite bad in the sense that there are very few child care facilities in the new towns. The reason is that most of these facilities are not planned when these new towns are set up. I think there is a need to see how we can encourage the development of more child care centres in the newer housing estates. The voluntary organizations are unable to cope with the demands in providing additional child care services. The alternative will be for the Ministry to see if they can encourage private operators to provide child care services in the new housing estates. I note that this area has not been fully explored. I hope the Ministry will be able to provide support for private child care operators who may be able to fill the need in new housing estates where child care services are in demand.”
“Sir, may I be allowed to take the two subjects together?”
“Sir, I beg to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“What about those who have permanent resident status but do not hold blue Singapore ICs. Can they be considered?”
“Sir, the architects probably forget to incorporate the lifts in the blocks.”
“Sir, just a brief query. The low-rise block that I am talking about is 5-storeys high and they are home ownership blocks, which means that you cannot get the residents to change those flats. I feel that with this increasing number of ageing population in this low-rise 5-storey blocks there will probably be a problem for the older residents to be mobile. So I was wondering whether one could actively study whether it is possible and within means to install at least one lift in these blocks.”
“Finally, Sir, Tiong Bahru GRC has one of the oldest SIT flats and many of these flats have undergone heavy wear and tear. The roofs are leaking badly because the flats were built about 35 years ago. Could the Ministry actively look into how these very old pioneering public housing properties could be conserved and prevented from further deterioration.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of Code TI 5200 of the Development Estimates. Sir, about 40% of the 25,000 HDB flats in Tiong Bahru GRC are 1- and 2-room flats. It is unique in comparison with other GRCs and the relocation programmes over the past few years have brought a tremendous impact on the social and business life in the community. The shops are seriously affected in terms of business and many of the shopkeepers feel that they are not doing well and are running at a loss. In respect of this situation, I am suggesting to the Ministry to consider giving rental rebates for those shophouses that are currently facing serious problems as a result of the relocation programme in the area. My second point is that the remaining residents living in the 1- and 2-room flats in the Tiong Bahru GRC are concerned whether a sufficient number of 1- and 2-room flats will be retained because many of them who are still there are unable to purchase flats. I wish to know also whether HDB will actively consider retaining some of the blocks for those residents who are old and who do not have CPF savings to purchase HDB flats. Thirdly, Sir, the facilities in the estate itself are inadequate and to some extent inappropriate to meet the needs of the older residents in the constituency. There are insufficient ramps and the steps in the estate are steep. The other public facilities do not meet the needs of older residents. One of the pressing problems is that in blocks which are five-storeys high there are no lifts to serve aged residents. With the growing number of older residents living in these blocks, will the Ministry consider installing lifts in these blocks to give the older residents better mobility.”
“Yes, I will be speaking on the two issues, Sir. Sir, if you make a survey of the older housing estates, you will find a few things that come up obviously. One is that the buildings have deteriorated. The social life in these neighbourhoods has become less vibrant. The facilities are outdated because they were built about 20-30 years ago. Business activities in old housing estates have also slowed down and in some cases seriously affected. Sir, this is compounded by the fact that a lot of people have moved out of the estates because of relocation and upgrading. What I am concerned about is the slow rate which is taken to revitalize these neighbourhoods. There is a need to see what active steps we can take to make aradical improvement to rebuild these old neighbourhoods so that we could bring in a fresh look of life to all these older housing estates. Sir, may I know whether HDB has any specific plans for the redevelopment of old housing estates? Sir, the future demand for housing is likely to slow down and most of the applicants will be young people and those who want to upgrade themselves. Does HDB plan to review future demands for housing in relation to this consumer group, and what steps it is taking to improve the building design and other facilities which would meet their needs. I would also like to raise two other points, Sir. First, the HDB introduced a number of premium and discount factors in the pricing of flats. Are these changes likely to be reviewed? The second concern is that the Minister mentioned in the last Budget debate in the Committee of Supply that HDB would have to introduce a system of commitment to purchase in the registration and allocation of HDB flats. I would like to know what progress has been made and what changes are likely to come about?”
“This is because caring for the elderly sick incurs additional financial burden. An additional $2,500 should be accorded to the family caring for the aged sick parent who normally needs more medical attention and nursing care. Sir, with a population which is aging, more parents are likely to become aged sick and, in order to encourage more families to look after their elderly sick parents, I see that there is a crucial need to review how families caring for the elderly sick could be supported. Sir, in conclusion, I hope the Minister will look into further ways in strengthening the family support system and implement the consumption tax only on non-essential goods.”
“In order to alleviate the financial burden of child care of these families, it would be attractive to increase the enhanced child relief for the second and third child below 12 years old to 20% and 25% respectively; at the same time a special rebate of $10,000 should be considered for a newborn second child. I stress that if we are really serious in wanting to increase the number of childbirths, we should give a good booster to enable higher procreation which would solve the problem of a declining population growth. Sir, to encourage procreation, there is a need to set up more child care facilities to cope with the growing demands of working mothers in the future. It would be useful to consider at least a $25,000 tax relief deduction from income for a period of four years for private child care operators or employers who wish to set up new child care centres. This will provide an incentive for those who intend to promote private child care centres. I urge that further incentives for supporting the employers and private child care operators be looked into quite seriously. Thirdly, Sir, the disabled workers, unlike normal workers, are generally at a disadvantage with regard to wages. They are in a lesser position to bargain for wages comparable to normal workers. Besides this, they have to spend more in getting to work than for a normal person. Sir, in recognition of such a situation, they merit a personal tax relief of $2,500 which will perhaps in some way help to relieve their burden in terms of expenses on transportation. The child relief that is provided, ie, the $2,500 which is provided for the disabled child, does not in any way help the disabled worker. Fourthly, Sir, families who look after the elderly sick or disabled parents deserve more financial relief.”
“Revenues will be indirectly lost as it will dampen both domestic and foreign demands for our goods and services. Singaporeans may go across the Causeway to buy their essentials. Today we see during weekends thousands of Singaporeans going across the Causeway to buy their essential goods. Therefore, if the direction is towards taxing more essential goods, the exodus will be greater and it will be less tenable for us. Sir, such a consequence is not unlikely. So, I hope that the Minister will be more selective in imposing future consumption tax and exclude levy on basic essential goods. This will, in fact, allay the concern of the average working class families. Sir, we must not forget that at least about 60% of the population are earning salaries of less than $1,000 a month, and it is this large consumer base that we have to address the question. Sir, secondly, in our effort to encourage families to have more children, we have not fully directed our attention to finding solutions to child-care problems facing working mothers. I note that incentives alone do not lessen the burden of our working mothers. We must look beyond this question of incentives. Incentives may be good. It does help to relieve the working mothers of their financial burden. But we should look at the question of creating a good infrastructure for child care and support. Sir, we have to focus on mothers with less than three children. The current tax incentives do not have any impact on the middle and lower income working mothers with less than three children. They form the main bulk of our working mothers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the motion. May I also join my parliamentary colleagues in commending the Minister for Finance for a very well-balanced budget which has provided relief to families in their care for the aged, the disabled and dependant children. Sir, it is indeed a budget which is set to further strengthen the family support system and I hope that the budget will in future consider this direction if we think the family is a basic unit that needs to be strengthened. In doing so I forsee that it will lay further foundations to strengthen the family's capacity to support members who are dependent. Sir, whilst the budget can be said to be a good one, there are a number of areas which require further review and careful implementation. We need therefore to look at what is our future direction in terms of policy for revenue generation. Is our policy going to de-emphasize direct taxation and move towards indirect taxation? And if the latter is the case, then I assess that it will have implications not only on consumer behaviour but also implications for the working class. Firstly, Sir, a key concern which requires close attention is the implementation of consumption tax on goods and services. In the context of Singapore, we do not have a large consumer base to generate sufficient revenue from consumption tax. We have only a population of 2.6 million and I project that we will have to tax almost all essential goods and services in order to generate sufficient resources for our budget. Therefore, if consumption tax is to be imposed on a wide number of goods and services, it will increase the tax burden of the working class. It will also stifle our tourist trade and make our goods and services less attractive in comparison to those in our region.”
“Sir, I rise to support the Bill. I feel that the amendments will bring a fresh life to the older neighbourhoods in Singapore, and it will provide new developments to be undertaken. I understand that in many of these neighbourhoods there are senior citizens living in tenement housings and also families living in controlled premises. Now that there is the opportunity for these controlled premises and areas to be developed, I am wondering whether the interests of the senior citizens and working class families living in these premises will be protected from being taken advantage of by unscrupulous developers. Unless the Ministry is able to oversee this aspect and mediate some of the problems arising, I anticipate that many of these helpless senior citizens and families may be taken advantage of. I am therefore enquiring whether the Ministry will make provisions to ensure that they are not unfairly displaced and that their housing needs will also be looked into if they are to be relocated. I support the Bill.”
“People who have attempted to give support, in the first place, to destitute people should be persuaded further to look after them but not be fined. This may create further rift and problems between the destitutes and their care givers. To impose this burden on the care givers is, in fact, a bit too stiff. The other matter that I want to bring up is the penalty on family members if they do not inform the Director within 24 hours of ceasing their care for a destitute. This period is rather short because it takes a much longer time than a day to decide what needs to be done for the destitute. So I hope that these aspects will be carefully reviewed and that the Minister will provide further clarification on the matters raised. Sir, I support the Bill.”
“Though I agree that it is a difficult task, but it is not impossible to place more effort in rehabilitating them. Sir, if efforts are placed on this, I know that they will subsequently be discharged and be able to get back to the community to be engaged in some form of gainful living. I would like to bring up several matters for the Minister to clarify. First, clause 2(1),paragraphs (a) and (b) seem to suggest a very vague definition of an idle person and who can be identified as having no visible means of subsistence. Some of us who may be idling around Orchard Road and others who appear to have no visible means may be hauled in under this Act. I trust there will be careful exercise and discretion in terms of identifying those who are found to be destitutes. I suggest that clause 2(1) (a) and (b) should be read together so that it will provide a clearer definition and identification of destitute persons. Sir, in order that there is a recourse for some people who are taken into custody, their cases need to be reviewed. This is because there may be some people who, feel lost and not being able to say for sure at that point in time where they are. They may not necessarily be destitutes. Second, I recommend that the review board should have powers within the 30 days to initiate for investigations and to review such cases so that people who may not necessarily be destitutes are not con- fined in the Homes. So if this properly exercised, then I think we will then be able to identify those who are really destitutes and those who need to be rehabilitated. The third area is the fine imposed on family members or the care-givers. I think this is a bit too severe.”