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 15 of 18.
“Sir, Members of this House have from time to time highlighted the problems of low-income families. Some in fact have suggested specific actions to be taken. I do not believe that we are unable to mobilize both governmental and community efforts to deal with the problems of low-income families. There is a need to take more concerted and coordinated actions to deal with the problems of low-income families. I feel that, unless and until we are able to appreciate and understand their problems, we may not be able to devise concrete efforts and steps to deal with their problems effectively. Sir, in our drive towards a Society of Excellence, I see that there is room for those who can, to help those who cannot. This is essentially necessary because we do not want to see a section of our community left behind in terms of meeting their life aspirations. I think it is important that we take various concrete measures to help them. Sir, who are these low-income families? Do we know their problems? Do we understand how they manage their lives? We know to some extent some of their basic characteristics. What are these? They are families who live in 1- and 2-room HDB rental flats. The household income of these families is between $650 and $800. They have high household density and high dependency rates and they have young children, and perhaps more than two children, within the household. With these basic social and economic characteristics, most of these families are likely to be vulnerable to various problems and crises. We have talked about problems of rent-arrear families and most of them come from this sector itself. We have identified about 2,000 of them as being in rent arrears, and I am sure that a large percentage of them come from this sector.”
“Sir, the Minister has not answered my other question. I was trying to find out whether he has plans to integrate the service in the community hospitals.”
“What is the staffing situation in this clinic and would there be plans to integrate the service into the community hospitals which are being planned?”
“Sir, would the Minister be able to tell the House how effective has been the various schemes such as the Day Release Scheme and the Work Release Scheme? What future plans does SCORE have in providing new rehabilitation programmes for prisoners?”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Remember that there is a pie and there is a number of groups to share it. If you spend a lot more on one group, it must come from some other group. So we are talking of a balance here, Sir. There are no ideal and perfect solutions to this problem. I think this subject can best be discussed by the advisory committee on the disabled when it begins to meet, because then one can get down to details and one can debate what is adequate, what is just adequate, what is more than adequate.”
“The current educational facilities provided for the disabled by the Ministry are not up to standard. They are inadequate and these are not similar facilities provided for normal children. Disabled children do not have the parity of treatment in terms of facilities. So I hope that the Ministry will be able to provide them with better school and other supporting facilities when schools are assigned. Dr Tay Eng Soon: I think the point made by the Member for Bo Wen really centres on what is adequate because he keeps bringing out "this is not adequate", "school buildings are inadequate" and so on. Sir, our emotions all reach out to the disabled. It is quite natural that many of us, backbenchers and others, feel for them and our emotions reach out to them and we want to do something for them. I think this is only right in a civilized caring society. But when it comes to a question of what is adequate and what is not adequate, I think this is an area where not even two experts will agree. Certainly we should look into the adequacy of accommodation (meaning the school), the facilities, the qualification of teachers, whatever provisions. Sir, these are matters which have to be settled almost on a school-by-school basis. What is adequate for a school catering for the ESN may be quite different from what is adequate for a school catering to the blind or the deaf. It all also comes down to how many dollars we can spend per pupil per year. We know what we are spending per pupil per year in our normal schools, normal primary schools. When you compare that with what you spend per pupil per year in a special school, it is clear that there are differences. Should we spend twice as much? Should we spend ten times as much or even 50 times as much?”
“I should think that they should not be made an exception. These children are our children and they should be accorded parity of treatment by providing them adequate facilities and provisions. To deny them facilities and access to appropriate provision is indeed stifling them to achieve their potential. Sir, we have an education system but there is no booster for special education and unless there is a booster provided, I do not see how disabled children can make progress and develop to be well-meaning people and to be integrated in our community.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Code LD 2000 of the Main Estimates. Sir, I would like to put the problems of the disabled children in perspective. This morning the Member of Parliament for Serangoon Gardens has expressed the issues and problems faced by disabled children. I share his sentiments. I think the problem does exist. I have been working with these people and I do understand their needs and their problems. I share the sentiments of these children who themselves receive some support from the Ministry. This support more often than not is inadequate to help them develop their potential to the fullest. Sir, the problems of the disabled children are real. Their problems have existed. They still exist and will continue to exist unless the Ministry with its coordinated efforts can pool resources together with the voluntary sector to see how best the educational needs of these children could be met. Sir, support has been made available. I agree. Support in terms of schools, this is available. But the schools are all old schools. They are schools that are not useable and are inadequate in terms of facilities. More often, many of these schools will subsequently be acquired, after much effort has been put into reconstructing and renovating them. Yes, they have teachers. Many of these teachers are trained in special education. But the status of these teachers is low. Morale is low. Yes, I say that they have funds, financial supports and grants. But these grants are often not insufficient to meet the need to expand and improve the facilities and training for these children. Sir, I assert these children deserve no less facilities than those provided for our normal school children.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“When they reach the third year where they get an NTC 3, it is only 54%. I wish to ask the Minister what about the pupils from the Extended stream who failed the PSLE and are normally channelled to the VITB? What is their attrition rate like? How does it compare with the attrition rate of the Primary 8 Monolingual pupils? In the first year, about 20% do not go to the VITB. In the second year it is 10% and then 15% in the third year. As I have said just now, this leaves 54% of them with an NTC 3 after three years with the VITB. I wish to ask the Minister whether it is possible to make it compulsory for all these pupils to be in VITB. Make it compulsory for them to attend relevant vocational courses until they receive at least an NTC 3 qualification or equivalent. I think if we have this compulsory attendance for this group of pupils, it will prevent our young children in the age group of, say, 15-17 years, especially those who failed their PSLE, from going onto the streets and getting involved in anti-social activities.”
“The implication is that there will be more resources available in the various neighbourhoods of the housing estates. Manpower will be available because more schools will have to close owing to the falling enrolment. With such a decline, I am wondering whether resources such as these would be redeployed for implementing more pre-primary classes by the Ministry of Education. Research also shows that children who start off early, particularly those in the pre-primary classes, have shown that they are better adjusted, they are better able to achieve their potential, and they do perform better in terms of managing their own relationships as well as their relationship with others. On the whole, studies have shown that in terms of achievement they tend to perform better. In the light of this, it would be feasible for the Ministry of Education to see whether there is a case for expansion of more pre-primary classes. Encik Ibrahim Othman: Sir, in the quest for excellence in education, I hope the Ministry of Education will pay special attention to pupils who are less academically inclined. I am referring to the Monolingual pupils and those in the Extended course in the primary schools who failed their PSLE. Normally, these children are channelled or automatically registered with the VITB where they will do their pre-vocational training, basic skills training and the NTC 3. Recently, in an interview with Berita Minggu, Dr Tay Eng Soon, the Hon. Minister of State for Education, spoke about this matter. There were some figures mentioned in this interview with regards to the Monolingual pupils. Of the total Primary 8 Monolingual pupils, only 80% of them go on to VITB. By the time they go to the second year in the VITB to do their basic skills training, it is 69%.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head L be reduced by $10 in respect of Code LD 1000 of the Main Estimates. Sir, the pre-primary classes programme was established about 10 years ago. The programme is very popular and many parents are enrolling their children on to the programme. There are more children enrolled than places available. It therefore suggests that the programme is receiving very good support from parents who want to have an early head start for their children in terms of this programme. Sir, the pre-primary classes provide children with better opportunities to start off in terms of building better relationship amongst themselves. It helps them to be better adjusted and be better prepared for school in their later years. There has been very little evaluation or assessment of this programme. I am wondering whether the Ministry has, in fact, over the years monitored the impact of such a programme in terms of the development of these children who have gone through this programme. A programme such as this, if expanded, is likely to help solve some of the needs of our working mothers who may want to seek part-time jobs. And upon expansion of this programme to various schools, it will also assist in providing a head start for children from lower income families. Because I feel that if they have an earlier head start in terms of enrolment in the programme, it can help them to better develop and achieve their potential. Sir, the enrolment in primary schools is declining. In 1976, the enrolment of primary school children was 316,000 and in 1986 the enrolment was around 268,000. It suggests therefore that there is a decline in the enrolment in primary schools.”
“When will the community hospital in Ang Mo Kio New Town be set up and what type of services are expected to be provided?”
“Sir, I hope the Minister will look seriously into this heritage fund. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $220,297,600 for Head T ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $3,081,818,100 for Head T ordered to stand part of the Develoment Estimates.”
“Other areas like Chinatown is in progress but the progress is slower than anticipated. I think the URA has a plan for conservation but this plan is taking a much longer time than expected. By the time they get to carry out their conservation projects, this place would have degenerated and there is nothing more to conserve. I think this is essentially true if you go through Little India, many of these places have gone and degenerated and these places are, in fact, to some extent destroyed. Sir, I feel that the earlier we engage and go into this process of conservation the better because less resources will have to be redeployed. I feel that in order to encourage conservation projects, it may be relevant to set up a heritage development fund. And such a fund could be made available for private individuals to apply for loans from this heritage development fund so that they can undertake private projects of their own, through private participation and private initiative. I think if such a fund is available, it will be able to help both individuals and family groups to partici- pate in the conservation of places that belong to the community. I feel that through loans, this will be made possible and they can pay low interest rates for such borrowings and they may participate with great interest to enhance such projects. Such loans would also provide interest of people to engage in creative activities. Innovations can come about. And I hope that the Ministry will consider such a fund to be made available for private participations by individuals and families. On that note, I would like to thank you, Sir.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of Code TJ 5100 of the Development Estimates. Sir, it is encouraging to note that the Ministry through the URA is paying more attention to conservation projects. It pains us each time to see old parts of Singapore going. It pains us because we are giving away the old parts in terms of progress. And I feel that progress without meaning attached to places is, in fact, like a tree without leaves, a house without a roof. I think it is essential therefore to make sure that we try and preserve as many old parts of Singapore as possible with in the context of our urban renewal programme. I note that very few old parts of Singapore will be preserved in any case. I hope that the few that we have shall be preserved in the interest of providing a historical linkage for our young. I think this is very crucial because, more often than not, we tend to think that these projects are irrelevant. It must give way to projects. But nevertheless I think it must provide reference for our young to have this historical linkage, to have a history and a sense of meaning and attachment to these places. With that in mind, Sir, I must say that we will have to rethink and see that the very few old parts of Singapore that we have can be retained and conserved. And greater efforts must be placed to ensure that these places will not be taken away. Sir, URA, in fact, have has taken very slow progress. It has taken a longer time than anticipated to implement conservation projects in a number of areas. Conservation projects have, in fact, not started in Little India. Kampong Glam which has been designated as another area has taken time to be conserved.”
“Therefore, I see no reason why HDB is unable to undertake a task which is miniscule in nature. This situation warrants serious attention because, if we are able to develop plans fairly quickly, it will then prevent these older neighbourhoods from deterioration. We could bring back fresh life to these neighbourhoods in terms of activities. I foresee that the longer we take, the worse the situation will be. I hope that the Minister will come out with a plan as early as possible to redevelop the older estates.”
“Sir, wasting of water and electricity in public places in HDB estates is not uncommon. Much public funds have been wasted. If you compute the wastage in dollar terms, the amount could be substantial. If you compute this wastage island-wide, to include the various housing estates, it could be enormous. I am wondering what measures the HDB is taking to see that water and electricity wastage is controlled, particularly in HDB estates. I am saying this because the lighting intensity and the unlocked taps in the various public places could be carefully monitored and perhaps we can come out with a good system whereby we may be able to save substantially from unnecessary wastage. The other area that I would like to touch on is the HDB's relocation exercise. The HDB has undertaken relocation exercises two years ago and these relocation exercises have created a serious social impact on neighbourhood life. The impacts are seen in a number of areas. Firstly, the enrolment of primary school children in some of the schools has been reduced. Enrolment in kindergartens has also significantly been reduced. Economic activity, particularly in cooked food centres, hawker centres and markets, has been dramatically reduced. All these have tremendous ramifications in terms of the social and economic life in the neighbourhoods of the different housing estates. While I agree with the Minister that we need to study and come out with a careful plan to redevelop the older HDB estates, I feel that urgent steps have to be taken to rebuild these neighbourhoods as quickly as possible. The quicker the plans are developed, the better it is, and HDB is known for its record of building flats at the rate of four minutes a flat during its peak days.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of Code TG 5100 of the Development Estimates. Sir, I shall be brief. Some millions of dollars have been allocated or deployed for the reclamation of land at Marina South, Changi, Punggol, Jurong, and Tuas. In most cases there is a time lag before these lands can be developed. It takes some time for these lands to be fully utilized. During the time lag, I am wondering whether some of these lands could be used for other purposes other than golf courses. Some of these reclaimed lands could also be temporarily turned into social and recreational areas, particularly for young people who have no place to go. Perhaps we could divert some of the young people who frequent MacDonald's at Orchard Road and other places to these open green spaces. I think if we could open up these new frontiers of green recreational spaces, to be attractive to the young, they will be fully utilized until such time as these reclaimed lands are required for other development purposes.”
“Sir, the Primary Production Department has moved into the policy of promoting agrotechnology. In the light of countries around the region having rich resources of primary produce, there is potential for us to find ways to tap and to work out common projects with them to develop these primary resources. I am wondering whether the Ministry is taking advantage, firstly, to export its expertise to these neighbouring countries in terms of helping them to enhance the production of primary resources. Secondly, in terms of trying to encourage and promote better relation with ASEAN countries, I am trying to see if the Ministry is able to give the House an idea of the various technical support and related programmes that have been rendered in the area of primary production services to these countries, particularly in the ASEAN region.”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Minister of State for his clarification. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of Code TD 5100 of the Development Estimates. Sir, in the last two years, the Government has spent a sizable amount of money to develop new parks which have been developed at an attractive cost. But if you make a survey around, you will find that some of the parks in the older housing estates such as Toa Payoh Garden, Ang Mo Kio Town West Garden, King George V Park and many other related parks, are old and the facilities are also outdated. They do not provide a fair attraction to people to use them. In keeping with new vision to provide better leisure and more attractive facilities for ordinary citizens to utilize, I am wondering what plans are there in the Ministry to upgrade the facilities in these parks, particularly those that are sited in old Housing Board estates.”
“Sir, in view of the Minister's elaborate clarification, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.”
“I hope the Minister can personally look into their problems, particularly the problems of the residents of Cavenagh House and of Townhouse along Cavenagh Road.”
“The residents in such areas not only suffer a drop in the value of their properties but also from a high degree of noise pollution. In countries like Japan it is quite common to find noise reflectors placed along the expressways running through residential areas, so as to reduce the noise pollution. May I suggest that the PWD send officers to such countries to study how noise pollution can be reduced. Then similar measures can be introduced to Singapore so that Singaporeans can benefit from a reduction in noise pollution. I also wonder if the PWD has made cost-effective studies on each new road project. I refer particularly to the recent announcement in the Straits Times on 2nd March 1988 on a huge PWD scheme that will cut driving time by 10 minutes. The newspaper reported that it will take motorists less than four minutes to travel from Bukit Timah Road to Chin Swee Road in the Central area when Singapore's first road tunnels are completed in three years' time. This will cut travelling time to the City by more than 10 minutes. The total cost of this Central Expressway Phase II project is about $350 million. Many Singaporeans are asking whether it is wise for the Government to spend $350 million just to cut travelling time by 10 minutes. I hope the PWD has made a cost-effective study of this project and, if so, I hope the Minister can enlighten this House on the results of this study. During the course of the construction of the Central Expressway, many people will also be adversely affected, as some private properties have been acquired for the expressway. I hope the Minister can assure this House that such people will be suitably compensated.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of Code TC 1000 of the Main Estimates. Sir, yesterday the Minister had touched on the policy on road work development. I will not touch on that but bring to his attention the need for a review of road networks. We tend to think of Singapore as fairly urbanized and having urban centres. We forget that there are rural areas like Kangkar, Ulu Sembawang, Mandai Tekong and Woodlands. These are some of the rural areas which still remain and the people living there have not yet been brought into the mainstream of our urban activities. Road networks to these areas are still very old and not really up-to-date. They are not well maintained. I am wondering whether there will be reviews by the Ministry to see how the existing roadworks in these rural areas could be improved upon and be realigned with the major new towns so that people living in these areas could be encouraged to participate in the mainstream of activities of the new towns and the urban centres. Dr Wong Kwei Cheong: Sir, the PWD should be commended for building an excellent network of roads, complete with bridges, tunnels, flyovers and pedestrian crossings. According to the 1986 Annual Report of the Ministry of National Development, the PWD spent some $195.5 million on improving our road network and $299.9 million worth of road projects were under construction as at end 1986. However, the PWD seems to have concentrated its efforts more on improving and building new road networks and not so much on the socio-economic impact on Singaporeans. I refer particularly to the expressways running close to residential areas.”
“Sir, in view of the Minister's clarification, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of Code TA 1000 of the Main Estimates. Sir, our public sector building and construction activities are likely to slow down. In fact, it has slowed down over the past few years. It is anticipated that these activities are unlikely to increase in the near future. In the light of this situation, I want to ask the Minister what are the plans in relation to the effective use of professional manpower of the Ministry in terms of its expertise in construction technology and construction management activities. I understand that the Ministry has been marketing aggressively such expertise overseas. It will be useful to enlighten the House what has been the result of such efforts and how successful these marketing activities have been. Sir, the other question that I would like to raise is the manpower issue pending the establishment of town councils. With the establishment of town councils in the near future there will be implications in terms of the deployment of professional staff attached to the HDB. HDB has more than 13,000 staff, both supporting staff and professional staff involved in estate management activities. These staff are concerned about their future career prospects upon the establishment of town councils. I think it is important to give them the reassurance about how they would be deployed and how their professional expertise would be utilized. Many of them have raised this issue with me as the Chairman of Ang Mo Kio South Town Council and they are worried about their tenure and their career prospects. It is useful that some policy direction be given at this stage.”
“But many employers did not give workers this accumulated bonus on this basis, but gave them a once-for-all bonus in the middle of the year or at the end of the year. As many employers are not making use of the accumulated difference for workers' bonus, I am afraid if this practice were to continue, then the workers may be disadvantaged in this wage reform exercise whereas the companies when in difficulties may not have other accumulations for adjustment. Therefore, I have some suggestions to make in respect of this. If the employer is making use of productivity as the model for adjusting wages, then the employer can accumulate the difference between the 6% annual increment and 2% service increment as year end bonus which could be as much as 2 months' wages. There is the other model of sharing in the profits as bonus then there is no such stipulation. Many employers are making use of this model fixing bonus at a maximum of 2% once-for-all at a maximum of 2 months' amount. If it is sharing in the profits, then it should not be subject to 2 months' maximum. The bonus should then vary according to the profitability of the company. A part of the profit could go towards the accumulated bonus. Therefore, I propose that the wage reform committee should pay attention to the development of wage reform in implementation, otherwise we will be going far off from our original aim. Under these circumstances, I hope that the wage reform committee which consist of the trade unions, the employers and the Government will try to re-assert our original aim and check on the development of wage reform in Singapore. Here I would like to support the motion.”
“5%, making together 25%. In order to achieve this target in 5 years we can consider letting the employer starting from the basis of 10% this year, to increase contribution by 0.5% more each year, whereas on the part of the employee starting from the basis of 25% the rate should be reduced by 3% every year. In this way, those who have retired or are over 55 will find it easier to get jobs. The last point about CPF: One of the purposes for which CPF can be made use of besides the 3 purposes already mentioned earlier, is for buying gold or investing in shares. It is regretable. I propose that individual CPF savings could also be used in respect of personal education or further studies so as to raise one's educational standard, to upgrade his skills in order to promote our economy so that workers can contribute more to our economic development. Now I would like to touch on wage reform which the Minister has mentioned in the budget statement. The basic concept of wage reform or the primary purpose is to enable the wage system to be more flexible so that when in good times the workers could enjoy or have better share in the profits and benefits. While in times of economic depression, the employers will have some leeway to adjust the cost so that they can overcome difficulties and go on. Workers have positively supported this scheme. In the past, the annual wage increase for the workers has been 5-6%. After the wage reform, it has been changed to 2% service increment per year. There is a difference between these two amounts which, according to the plan, should be accumulated year end bonus for the workers, whose quantum is according to the performance of the company concerned.”
“At the moment, I would like to propose that in order to achieve a 40% target while the employee is contributing a maximum of 25% now, I hope that in the next five years the employer could increase its rate by 3% point every year so that our workers will be able to reduce the employee rate by 2% point every year to reach 20% in order to meet the 40% total. On another point, I would like to talk about the amount of minimum wage above which the worker is liable to contribute to CPF. The existing amount is $200 since 1955. This rate has been implemented for 33 years by now. Now that the living standard has been raised, wages have increased over the years and we are facing labour shortage, when and the Government is encouraging housewives and retired people to come out to work or work half day, I would urge the Government in view of the changing situation to make adjustment in the contributable minimum amount for the workers, that is to say, raising the minimum amount from $200 to $300 above which a worker would be liable to contribute to CPF. Similarly, the Government should have a clear cut arrangement in respect of the CPF contribution rate for those who are retired. The Minister for Labour has also said in 1987 that the Government would encourage employers to employ more of those who have retired or are over 55 years old by implementing varying contribution rates according to age groups. We all support this policy by the Government. In other words, the contribution rates would be according to the age grouping. I hope the Government would implement this policy starting this year. For instance, in the coming five years, for those who are between 55 and 60 the employer should contribute eventually 12.5% maximum whereas the employee can also eventually contribute 12.”
“Here I would like to remind the Member for Potong Pasir that he should do his home work properly and not try to challenge us on what we as trade unionist MPs should do or what not to do for our workers and our nation. If Singapore does not have a CPF scheme, how are we going to achieve home ownership? If we do not have enough CPF savings, how are we going to reduce labour cost by 15% in a recession? I hope the Member for Potong Pasir will be able to point out to us which country in the world has been able to do this in times of recession by reducing labour cost rapidly. I would like to talk about what the Minister for Finance has mentioned in his Budget statement on CPF. I feel that the Government should give a clear indication in respect of the CPF contribution rate so that the employer will know how to plan their production cost and also the workers will be able to know how to plan their future livelihood. There are three objectives affected by CPF contribution and savings, namely, home ownership, Medisave and adequate retirement income. The Minister for Labour said in 1987 that the long-term target for CPF contribution is to reach 40% for both employee and employer, each to contribute half of it. The Minister for Finance has said that a review of contribution rates will be taken after the first quarter results are known. But I am quite optimistic about the result of our economic development. I feel that he should be able to start making adjustment to the contribution rates now.”
“Such a change of system will hopefully not make the Ministries over-react to show that they are in the black or have net gains. For, if they all become less mindful of public interest, then there will be a danger that the average consumers may not be able to get access to the use of such social services. So I hope that the Ministries that are providing such social services will take into consideration that the prices they set for the services of the various sectors will be within reach of the working class. Finally, the other area of concern in terms of enhancing our manpower resources is the release of CPF for education. I think, there will be a pressing need to train and develop our young potential labour force. Hence, there is no cogent reason that CPF for education could not be re-studied to see if it is possible to support our young labour force to benefit from various training schemes. Sir, I hope that the matter would be seriously looked into and the argument that education is not an investment does not hold ground. On that note, thank you, Sir. Mr Deputy Speaker: The sitting is suspended until 2.00 pm. Sitting accordingly suspended at 12.57 pm until 2.00 pm. Sitting resumed at 2.00 pm [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] Debate resumed. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (Yuhua)( In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Member for Potong Pasir is not here. Just now he mentioned how, as MPs representing labour we should try to speak for the workers. Usually we do not want to criticize and exert any pressure on the Member for Potong Pasir, lest people say we are bullying him by our number, but very often he makes unwarranted challenges to others. Therefore, we have to stand up and clarify the matter.”
“The budget has not focused much attention on low income workers although it has made reference to more financial provisions for skill training of workers. Sir, the skills of our low income workers as well as our less educated young workers have to be upgraded. From our records we note that about half of our workers have less than primary education. With this profile in mind, I think we need to see how the skills of these workers could be upgraded. Sir, so far not much resources have been directed from skills Development Fund for the training of low income workers. We have to address this area seriously so that we will be able to enable more of our workers to move out of the low income trap. In this respect, the Skills Development Fund could be better and effectively utilized if we could set aside grants to be allocated directly to the unions and management to see how such funds could be utilized for workplace training. And if we allow such a flexibility, I am sure the unions and the management would be able to devise training schemes which will be relevant and of value to enhance production in the various workplaces. Sir, as you are aware, about half of our workers do have less than primary education. There is urgency to review the Skills Development Fund set aside for the training of these workers. One teething concern following the announcement by the Minister for Finance is the introduction of a system of charges for inter-department services. Sir, the consumers of Government social services, such as health, housing and education, particularly those in the working class, seem to be worried if the departments providing these services will increase their charges or costs of their services.”
“I feel that greater efforts should be directed in terms of finding ways in which we can retain the older workers. Sir, the declining labour force participation rate of older workers need to be re-examined and the trend has to be arrested and, if possible, reversed. This can be achieved by undertaking a few areas of action immediately. First, we need to look into the provision of incentives to encourage more firms to retain or employ older workers. Currently, our employers are not really motivated to employ them. This is because of obvious reasons, such as high cost and high overheads, and therefore they feel reluctant to employ them. They instead retire them quickly and they do not encourage them very specifically to stay on. Sir, it is indeed sad to note that workers who can still give prime contributions at this stage of their life, are no more required when they reach the chronological age of 55 years. Perhaps for a start, we should reduce payroll tax for employers who have a scheme for the employment of older workers. Second, we have to review our archaic or out-of-date general retirement policy. Sir, this policy was instituted during the colonial period to address the problem of unemployment. But today the situation has changed and I see that it is more urgent that we re-examine our general retirement policy at the age of 55 years. Perhaps, the retirement age could be increased from 55 to 60 years. Thirdly, Sir, the present CPF contributions for workers who are 55 years old need to be re-studied. The contributions by workers and employers should be reduced significantly so that it would be both attractive to the older workers as well as the employers. By doing so, we will be able then to allow more workers to be retained in our workforce.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the Budget Statement by the Minister for Finance. I observe that the budget itself allows for consolidation in order that we could be better poised to deal with the unpredictable economy ahead. Sir, it is a matter of urgency that we review a number of areas. I feel that we should look at our policy on the utilization and the development of manpower resources. The importance in the value of our limited manpower is recognized but it certainly deserves more attention to see what positive actions we can take to harness, train and develop our limited manpower resources. Sir, as I was reviewing our manpower participation rate, I note that there are several worrying concerns that we will be facing in the years ahead. Our labour force pool will be shrinking drastically in the years ahead. This is because of our ageing working population and the effects of our retirement policy. The workforce, retiring between 55 and 60 years, is increasing and hence contributing to the decreasing labour force participation rate. Sir, if we examine our labour force participation rate for both men and women between 55 and 59 years old you will find that the number of people participating in this age group is, in fact, decreasing with increasing age itself. In 1986 nearly 5 out of every 10 men and women of the said age group were working. It is indeed worrying to note that the number of men remaining in our labour force between 55 and 59 years old is decreasing. In 1970 about 7 out of 10 remained, whilst in 1987 about 6 out of 10 continued to work. Hence, Sir, you can see that this figure is likely to reduce by the turn of the century. That is indeed alarming and instead, we are talking about foreign workers' levy and other related measures.”
“Sir, is the Minister aware that since the reorganization of some polyclinics, the waiting time has increased. The situation has been no better and patients have to wait for two hours before they are seen by the doctors.”
“Sir, could the Minister of State look into future relocation programmes that could be gradually phased so that disruptions to neighbourhood life could be minimized?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Bill is timely in the sense that there will be a need to deal with an increase in the number of child care centres to be operated by private operators. The Bill will also take action against unscrupulous operators who might take advantage of families who need child care facilities. I have a number of observations to make, Sir. Firstly, would the Ministry set up an accreditation committee to accredit the various child care centres. I think this is important because the committee can accredit the standard of the various child care centres, both Government and non-Government child care facilities. Secondly, the Bill also makes provision for the assessment of the facilities and the conditions of various child care centres. However, I would like to see more emphasis placed on the assessment of the psychological and social quality of child care, because this aspect is most important. It is a very elusive area but nevertheless it is very important to assess this aspect because any neglect in the psychological and social aspects of care will be very traumatic for the children. Thirdly, I would also want to see that Government centres are also monitored because Government centres are supposed to set the pace and therefore it is essentially important that their service standards be also assessed. I rise to support the Bill, Sir.”
“Sir, under the Bill, if a Member of the Team resigns or dies, there is no need for by-elections. This seems to be acceptable if the MP of the Team is not from a minority group. In the event he is not from a minority group. In the event he is an MP from a minority group, it does pose a dilemma. Logically speaking, a by-election needs to be called. However, the Bill does not take this into consideration. Why is this so? I hope the First Deputy Prime Minister will be able to explain that. In the event a minority Member resigns or dies, the prin- ciple underlying the Bill itself would be affected and this needs to be looked into. Sir, finally, some quarters think that the Bill tries to subtly whittle down the Opposition. I gather this has been the trend of public opinion from various quarters. I feel that this perception has to be erased. The Bill is basically an answer to the long-term interests of Singapore, and we should bring this message across to this quarter which has stated a whispering campaign that we are whittling them down. Sir, why not leave out the Opposition constituencies out of the GRCs and be gracious to let them be as they are? This would then erase the possibility of people saying that they are being done in with. Sir, in conclusion I support the Bill to be referred to the Select Committee.”
“Though it is good, in the longer term it might create some racial differences if it is not carefully tackled at the earlier stage, in the sense that one might heighten ethnic sensitivity and differences. Unless and until we tamper this and ensure that Members of Parliament look at issues broadly and represent the community on a broader basis, then any ethnic sensitivity can be minimized to a great extent. Sir, being a minority representative, the danger is that one might expect pressure from minority groups to get minority-elected members to articulate opinions in terms of their needs. I feel that we must find ways to maintain a sensible balance such that Parliamentarians themselves will look at things on a universal perspective. Sir, secondly, the Bill suggests a slight departure from the original Parliamentary voting pattern. We now vote for a team of three persons instead of one Parliamentary candidate. Sir, would such a change reduce the status of the MP who belongs to a minority group? Sir, there is a need to clarify and ensure that the roles and responsibilities of the MPs in the GRCs are clearly spelled out so that they can have a better perspective of their work. Sir, thirdly, the Bill seems to be silent in defining Indians as a distinct minority group. Instead, Indians are lumped under a definition of "minority community". It is interesting to note that in dealing with the Indian community, there is this articulation of concern from them. They were thinking and wondering, what is the rationale for leaving them out specifically in the definition? There are more or less no obvious reactions from this community so far. But I feel there is a need to provide some clarification as to why they have been excluded from this definition.”
“Sir, I think we have to examine the Bill from a wider perspective. I feel that a very narrow examination of the Bill in terms of doing the Opposition in, doctoring the electoral boundary and creating second-class MP, is indeed a parochial orientation. The acid test of examining this Bill is to ask ourselves whether the Bill is in the long term good of Singapore. This is a fundamental question that we all have to address. I personally feel that the Bill ensures a multi-racial Parliament. And if this is the case, is it necessarily bad for Singapore? I assert that by having a multi-racial Parliament, it provides a conduit for minority groups to express their aspirations and their feelings in terms of issues which are specific to the minority groups. Unless such a conduit is available, it will spell danger in the longer term, and in many situations and in many countries I see the problem has arisen. We all know it. And if we can learn to avoid this from happening to Singapore, I think we have taken the right step in the right direction. Sir, a Parliament without the presence of the minority group does not provide a multi-cultural orientation to the communities' issues and problems. One would perhaps look at things from a mono-cultural point of view. I am of the opinion that a bi-cultural focus will be provided if we have a multi-racial Parliament. Therefore, I see that in terms of Singapore's long term survival and healthy development, it is necessary to ensure that we have a multi-racial Parliament. However, Sir, I have a number of observations to make which I hope the First Deputy Prime Minister will provide the necessary clarifications. First, Sir, the Bill enshrines minority representation.”
“Sir, would the Minister consider taking serious action against known cases of abuse of Medisave?”
“Sir, in cases of families that have problems which are beyond their control and they are unable to pay the arrears, what steps would be taken to help such families to still continue to live in HDB flats?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the Bill because it is a good move to ensure that good public money is being used for good public purposes. As the Member for Potong Pasir has said, $286 million of good money is available, we must therefore all the more ensure that there is a public watchdog body to see that such funds are made available for good public purposes. The Board to be set up under the proposed Bill will provide public participation in ensuring that the money will be channelled to the various charitable and public institutions. I think this is the main thrust of the Bill. We would not know how this money is going to be deployed if it is left with nochecks, no public inputs into the way the money is to be utilized. As I can see from records, there are very little funds that are channelled to charitable institutions. Most of the money have been accumulated over the years and it is only spent for a very limited interest and very few charities are supported for its work. I stress it is time the Government set up a body up a body to monitor the activities of the Turf Club. I would like to seek the assurance of the Minister that the funds are not diverted to Government Consolidated Fund but are used for charitable, social and other recreational activities.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Minister forgot to answer my last question, ie, whether the maintenance inspection will be extended to public housing as well as URA and JTC buildings too?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I be allowed to raise a few questions related to maintenance? Could the Minister explain why residential buildings are inspected once in ten years whereas non-residential buildings are inspected once in five years? The second question is, why are private residential apartments or houses exempted from inspection, and will the inspection of buildings be extended to public housing blocks of flats?”
“Supplementary question, Sir. Would there be a more specific objective for differential pricing other than the scenic spots, the good view and other related aspects.”