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.”
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“In connection with sports, to encourage children and young persons to become sportsmen, and as we want to be a sporting nation, we need to produce a number of international sportsmen. There is a need to mobilise more resources to promote outstanding sportsmen in the different areas. I would like to find out from the Minister what plans there are to deal with the whole issue of sports and sports development.”
“Sir, thank you for allowing me to get into the debate again. The family is under competing demands today. As you know, many of them are dual income families. They have to look after children. They have to manage their work, and they have to cope with their household demands. These are issues we need to address and I understand the Ministry of Community Development has set up various support services for the families but I think it is very important for us to understand the changes that have taken place in the family and there are more changes to come. There will be various competing demands on the families of the future. It is important that we set up at least an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Family Life and Development to look into the matter more carefully. I feel that the Ministry alone will not be able to manage and tackle the problem because it requires the intervention of other Ministries. Therefore, it is very important that we draw the participation of other Ministries to examine the issues of family life which have implications on young children and young persons. In relation to this, we are also concerned about the increasing number of issues related to juvenile delinquency because families are unable to provide care and supervision for some of them. We have latchkey children and therefore there is an increase in juvenile-related problems in the community and this problem is related to the family as a whole. I would like to find out from the Minister what has happened to the revision to the Children and Young Persons Act and what steps would be taken to deal with the juvenile delinquency problem.”
“We have young people whom we need to cajole. Therefore, it is very important that we give them the right signals. I appreciate that it is a challenging task to bring up children. There are different complex issues facing the family today and we need to appreciate some of the problems so that we can make child rearing and bringing up children a pleasant task. But it is a challenging task, I must say, because there are competing demands on the family itself. Sir, the Ministry of Community Development is trying its best to strengthen the work of the Family Development Division. And I feel it has a very important role to play in developing more programmes to support young families in childcare and encouraging the bringing up of more children. So the issue of procreation requires the attention of more Ministries than MCD. I do not think that MCD is sterile of ideas. Given the current resources, MCD is doing a good job and with more help given it can be effective.”
“This will in the long term affect our viability. I am sure you will agree with me that we require people to manage the economy, run the industries and to meet the challenges ahead. That you will require the people's contributions. With less people available, the burden will increase in the hands of the few that we have. When we do not have enough people, the economy is likely to run down. We will become less productive and therefore less able to manage and mobilise resources to revitalise and make further economic progress. That is a very serious issue that we have to think about. Who is going to man the industries, the manufacturing sector and the different enterprises that we have? We have talked about a knowledge-based economy. We have talked about entrepreneurship. If we do not have people, all this comes to naught. But the question is whether we would be able to arrive at that level if we are going to face the problems of population decline. I would like to draw the attention of Members that our replacement rate, in the last 20 years, had fallen from 2.8 in 1970 to 1.5 in 1998. Therefore, we are reducing by nearly half. This is indeed a very important issue. Let me try and round up, Sir. There are some pressing issues that I need to highlight and I hope you will give me a few minutes to just round up.”
“As you know, we are now having about eight persons supporting one retiree. In about 20 years, it will be half. We will have only four persons supporting one retiree and it is indeed a burden that we will be running into. It is a very important arena and Singaporeans need to examine what they can do to arrest this declining population other than allowing immigrants and others to come in and inviting foreign talents and other people to contribute to our economy. Singaporeans themselves must critically study what they can do to contribute to this declining population that we have. This issue would have serious ramifications for our community, as you would appreciate. We will have insufficient people to defend ourselves. We have just talked about defence. We will have less people to defend our nation and to participate in National Service. Eventually, what do we do? Where do we get sufficient people to serve in the National Service? Dr Ong, Member for Bukit Timah GRC, has just spoken that we have a very viable defence policy. But there is nothing to defend if we do not have any people. That is an issue that we need to look at very seriously. It is indeed a serious business that we need to examine and see how we can encourage Singaporeans to replace themselves. It is very important to find a reasonable replacement level. If we are unable to defend ourselves, where do we get the people? If we do not have enough people, we have to import mercenaries to defend us. That is a serious question which we have to look into. I hope that we would not get to that stage. Therefore, we will have to see how we can cajole Singaporeans to find a reasonable replacement for themselves. The other serious consequence is that we will have less manpower to man our social and economic sectors.”
“We have talked about the digital divide, we have talked about communities with different social classes; we want to prevent abrasions in the community; we want to look at how we can socially integrate communities and between the races, social classes and the different intellectual gaps that we have. All these are essentially important and we have to seriously examine what we can do as a community so that Singaporeans will be able to respond quickly to participate in social defence, an issue which remains very critical and important. I would urge our community to examine what each of us can contribute. It requires serious gumption, analysis and review of what we can do, as Singaporeans, to contribute to the social development of our community. And we are talking about people development, an issue which is very important, other than defence and economy. It is the people sector that we will have to seriously look at and find ways and new strategies to see how we can strengthen the tenacity and capacity of Singaporeans further. This is a serious business because dealing with people is very complex. And it is a very complex issue that requires the examination mobilisation of different effective people strategies to build people to be better people. I hope my fellow Parliamentarians will be able to join me to see how we can encourage and support the Ministry of Community Development to undertake its new mission and role because the Ministry has added a new portfolio, that is, sports within its purview. This is a welcomed change and we are not only trying to build a sporting community, but also a group of people who are viable, caring and supportive. Sir, I must draw your attention that we will be facing serious consequences in view of our declining population.”
“: Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head J of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100. Sir, in view that we have some time - it is a bit of a bonus for me - I would take the opportunity to elaborate on an area which is of interest to me, and I hope that other Members would be able to join in the debate to make it as lively as possible. Sir, in connection with family and sports policies, I see it is a very important issue. As we have just finished debate on the Ministry of Defence, we are now entering into an area of social defence and this is a very important area that we should examine and see how we can strengthen the people sector. We should particularly re-examine and revisit some of these areas in order to see how we can make Singaporeans more caring and more supportive in terms of others who need support within our community. This is very critical because we need not only the hardware that we have built over a period of time, but also the heartware. We require people to build better communities. This is an area that we feel more funding can be deployed so that in the longer term, we will be able to build a more viable community. Singaporeans can be more reciprocal and be able to provide the necessary support to those Singaporeans who may require assistance. In short, what I am saying is that those who can must support those who cannot. The question is: how do we encourage and cajole Singaporeans who have the ability to contribute to those who are less able than themselves? To do that, I would urge all Singaporeans to stand tall and find ways that they can contribute meaningfully in community building and bring about a better social cohesion within the community.”
“Sir, the judgment of good hospitals is by how they treat their customers, particularly the patients. It is no point having good hardware, good buildings, good facilities, but the people who manage them are not responsive in dealing with the needs of the patients. So it is very important for hospitals to be proactive and to see how they can provide the best for the patients, and I am sure you would agree with that, Sir. From time to time, we have patients who do not have sufficient money or identification when they appear at the Accident & Emergency Department for treatment. I know of cases, from time to time, who faced difficulties in seeking treatment. Some of them will have to go back to get their ICs before they are seen. Others may have insufficient money and they are probably asked to raise money for treatment. I think the recent case in point at Mount Elizabeth Hospital would suggest that there are some lapses in the way that patients are being treated. It is a community concern about how we handle and manage emergency cases. It would be very tragic if patients who really need treatment and who do not have identification and who do not have enough money in their pocket do not get treatment in time. And we can understand the gravity of the problem. 2.00 pm Sir, in this case, I want to find out from the Ministry whether there are any standard operating procedures to deal with emergency cases. How do they deal with private hospitals? Do they come under a purview of audit and supervision in relation to dealing with emergency cases?”
“Sir, you have not heard from me for some time. Thank you for allowing me to join in the debate. An hon. Member: Keep it short!”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I want to ask the Minister of State what is the connection between crows and dengue. Second, does the crow cause dengue which is the issue at hand? The measure proposed is not effective in a sense. Firing a few shots may not deal with the problem. Are there any ecological or eco-friendly measures that the Ministry is considering, other than the measures that he has suggested because the crow problem has not been resolved? There have been a lot of complaints from different quarters.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State what he is crowing about. What crow friendly measures is the Ministry undertaking other than shooting these crows and culling them with shotguns? It also creates problems for the residents if the guns misfire in the area which may endanger their lives. This is a serious matter.”
“In view of the move by Singapore to make our place a medical hub and to develop a medical centre of excellence, are these factors taken into consideration in the projection for manpower?”
“May I ask the Minister how accurate is this manpower projection because it is always changing from time to time? Since it is changing all the time, how accurate is your projection for such manpower needs?”
“Would the Minister be prepared to review the earlier list of universities that he had delisted and consider reinstating them? He has the original list of the universities when he first started and he had delisted some of them. Will he be able to reinstate some of these comparable universities?”
“I think the Member should raise the question with the Minister or the relevant Ministry. But what I am saying is that for the working-class, education, health services and other related services must be within their reach. The prices that are charged should remain affordable so that many of these families, at this juncture, do get access. I hope that it continues to be so and the respective Ministries should see how subsidies and other related aspects could be given to ensure that we do not leave out a group of people who otherwise need support.”
“Otherwise, if we do not do this, our drive to KBE would land us up in KJE, a dead-end road for the less well-off families. Sir, to conclude, I must say that we have done well despite serious social and economic difficulties of the region. We will face more challenges when we restructure our economy and we must pay more attention to the semi-skilled and unskilled generation of workers who will need more support to cope with the changing economy. Sir, on that note, I support the Budget.”
“In consequence, if we remain aloof and oblivious to the needs of this group, we can expect the social divide to widen and people who are productive may give up the race because they cannot catch up. Therefore, policymakers who are involved in the promotion of KBE should look closely at the dangers of the wide digital divide and how those who have IT skills and those who do not can be bridged through skills training and education. Here, I must say that we need to prepare a younger generation of Singaporeans, as early as pre-school age, to IT exposure and deploy more funds for the promotion of IT education at grassroots level and within the means of the working-class families. The $25 million which has been allocated by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology is actually peanuts in the light that there are many people who need to be trained and exposed at the grassroots level. The Ministry of Finance could, in fact, be more supportive of this scheme and allocate more funds to the Ministry so that it is able to promote hardware. Hardware is essential but without trainers and people to provide them the guidance, exposure and education, it remains not effective and does not make an impact. And many of these hardwares will remain as white elephants in many of these centres because there are not sufficient attempts to see how the training is carried out at the grassroots level to those who really need to be exposed. Sir, we should allocate and deploy more funds to the younger children within the community, particularly at the pre-school centres, and if this could be done earlier, many children who belong to the working-class families can get early exposure or an early headstart so that they could catch up and remain in the forefront of the KBE.”
“I hope that this time, he would open up his purse string and distribute at least a one-time year-end payment during good times for them. We should not forget them as they have given sterling service. For the low income families and single elderly, it will have greater impact if rental rebates and rebates for SC&CC charges can be increased by 25% per month. This will reduce their burden of increased cost of living, particularly meeting basic necessities, and many of them do not really have any income. They deserve our attention and I feel that we could do more. Sir, the Minister has considered the need to encourage family members to take care of their aged parents. He has increased the tax relief for looking after the aged parents to $5,000. This is reasonable but he has not taken into consideration the financial burden of those who have to look after their aged sick parents. I hope he will be generous, at least, to this group next year. We have to examine more closely the social consequences of corporatisation of our public services and the restructuring of our economy to a knowledge-based economy. We must see that public services remain affordable and the working class is not priced out of the market to purchase goods and services. The Government must intervene, when necessary, to mediate and enable working-class families to have access to services by levying charges which remain within their reach. In short, many of these services would have to be reviewed to ensure that they remain affordable. Otherwise, we would have a large sector which may not get access to the services for which they require.”
“This is only possible because we have done well and the Singapore Government, trade unions and employers have worked together to try and revive the economy. This is an important effort that we have all jointly undertaken and I feel that the Minister for Finance could be more generous as mentioned by my colleagues, Dr Wang Kai Yuen and Mr Leong Horn Kee, who have urged the Ministry to see whether it could roll back some of its plans and allocate more funds for those who have contributed. The Minister should be urged to grant a grace period until the end of this financial year, 31st March 2000, for retirees and retrenched workers to make one CPF contribution so that they can get their CPF top-up. This group could not make the CPF contribution because they could not find employment within the cut-off period. It would be a good gesture and a show of good heartware of the Government to extend the benefit to them if they can make the CPF contribution soon. I hope that the Minister for Finance could look into this issue because I know many of them deserve it, and attempts could be made to see how their CPF top-up could be granted. Sir, there is a continued case for us to review the status of low-income pensioners and each year, I have tried to persuade the Minister to see what can be done for this sector of the population and also for the poor segment of the population who need help. We need to examine more closely the impact of the recession on their livelihood. Some of them are retirees, others are older and jobless persons and pensioners with low pensions. They all deserve a little more attention for the simple reason that they have contributed to Singapore's past development. As for the low-income pensioners, I have sounded their plight to the Minister many times.”
“Sir, there is a danger of structural unemployment amongst older unskilled workers. It will be painful for them as they have teenage children to support, in terms of their education and other needs. Sir, may I draw the attention of the Minister for Finance that funds allocated to skills training are inadequate to train more than one third of our unskilled and semi-skilled workforce. In order to make a good impact, further tax rebates to encourage employers to upgrade their workers should be considered. More worker training funds should be allocated to ITE so that it can work with NTUC and the Ministry of Manpower to implement a more comprehensive plan for older worker training to enhance their employability. This is going to be a critical problem that we will face in the next five to 10 years, especially when the economy is being restructured and we are moving to a knowledge-based economy. This has got a tremendous impact. I feel there is every reason for the Ministry of Finance to allocate more funds to the Ministry of Manpower, trade unions and other sectors which can help to prepare the workers to meet the challenges ahead. And unless and until we do this, there is no point saying that the workers need to be trained and we need to prepare them for the KBE economy. All this remains rhetoric unless we really translate them into real action and there is indeed an urgent need for the Ministry of Finance to allocate the funds because there is a surplus and we can do more for this group of workers. Sir, the other issue that I would like to raise is that Singaporeans are appreciative of the CPF top-up of $250 in their ordinary accounts. This is indeed a bonus for the working class Singaporeans and I must say that many governments cannot afford to do this.”
“Mr Speaker, the Budget for the Year 2000 which has been recently presented is a realistic Budget. We are indeed pleased to see that we are getting into the economic growth again and this is encouraging. I commend the Government for taking various measures to deal with the economic crisis we faced earlier and the Finance Minister for his good financial management. Sir, it is not easy to persuade him to do more than what he has set aside for the Budget. I have tried hard every year to try and tug at his heartstrings to get more funds to be released, but each year I have great difficulty. I hope that this year, with the new millennium, he would be able to hear out and accede to some of the requests that I would be putting up. I hope that he will be able to see what he can do more for the community. Sir, I have a few suggestions and observations to make relating to the Budget. With the restructuring of our economy, we expect more labour intensive industries to relocate and this will displace our older workers who are middle aged. I think we know some of their problems. But I feel that we need to monitor and see the impact of this changing economy in terms of their employability and how they are likely to be affected. They will face difficulties in finding the same type of job and salary. They will be less employable because they do not have the skills to fit into the changing job requirements. The employers will take advantage to employ cheaper semi-skilled and skilled foreign workers and this compounds the problem further as they tend to pay these foreign workers less salaries and, to some extent, the Minister for Manpower is trying to ensure that we have a foreign worker levy. But somehow I think they will find a way out to depress the wages further.”
“It was a poem by Edwin Thumboo. He gave me a copy. It is called "The National Library, Singapore" written by Edwin Thumboo, and one of the lines in that poem said, "To preserve the past, ensure the future." To Mr Tay, the library is more than just a library. It is an icon, a symbol. If you knock it down, you would have knocked away the past. If you preserve it, you preserve the past and therefore you ensure the future. After looking at his plans and looking at the whole redevelopment of the area with SMU coming in, I thought to myself that perhaps another interpretation of what Mr Edwin Thumboo wrote - "Preserve the past, ensure the future" - would be to actually redevelop the area along the lines that have been proposed. And what better way to preserve the past and ensure the future than to bring life back into the city, to bring back what was there in the past, the atmosphere, the hustle and bustle, the throbbing energy and vitality, thousands of young men and women going about their work, going to class, hanging around in the public spaces in between classes. I thought that really is something which is in keeping with the sentiments expressed because, by doing so, you are not just preserving the past, but you do so in a way which provides an opportunity, an environment, an institution which will benefit many generations of Singaporeans to come. I would like to say to Members of this House and to the public, please look at the plans when they are produced by SMU and the planners that have been commissioned by SMU to redevelop the area, to bring life back into the area, to bring back the past and give us a wonderful new institution which will cater to future generations of Singaporeans.”
“They are also memories of the environment of the area, the hustle and bustle of that area, the youthful energy and exuberance of the area. Many of those buildings are gone. The Catholic Centre is gone, Bakers' Bakery is gone, the bus-stop is gone. The park, which was the old school field, is now deserted and quiet most of the time. And yet, if you ask me whether those memories are still there, I say, "Yes. They are still there." To me, it is not just a matter of keeping physical buildings. It is also trying to re-capture the spirit of the area, of the past. And when I look at the plans for the area, with SMU coming into the area and the new campus being located in the area, I feel tremendous excitement because I think this is going to bring back the old spirit of the area. It is going to bring back life into that very important part of the city. It is going to make that area once again throb with life and energy. That to me is probably as important, if not, more so than the whole debate of keeping the park open or the need for us to keep the library. And this is how I would like to see people view this new plan, to look at it in this perspective. When I met Mr Tay, I asked him why did he feel so strongly about retaining the library building because in 1988, he actually supported the removal of the National Library building. He told me he was involved with the National Museum at that time and the National Museum wanted to expand and one of the ways to expand it was to remove the National Library. I think he did not feel very strongly about the National Library then. I asked him, "Why have you changed your mind?" He said that he had discovered new historical facts about the library and he referred me to one of the poems which one of the young people sent to him.”
“If the library had very strong architectural, historical or sentimental value, and if the Preservation of Monuments Board and the National Heritage Board had so classified it, we would have had to look at alternative plans. But in this particular case, these authorities were consulted and it was the general consensus at that time that there was no such strong merit. And indeed, many architects had come out publicly to say that there is also no architectural merit. So there is no question of us setting out to demolish the library but, in the overall scheme of things, the general appearance and ambience of the area can obviously be better enhanced if we are able to remove the library. I do acknowledge that there are many people who feel very strongly about the library and I understand their feelings why they feel this way. I must admit that I too have very fond memories of the library and the area because I studied for six years there. I was in St. Joseph's Institution from 1960 to 1966 and I remember spending many hours in the library and in the park. But I also remember that there were many other old buildings in the area. There was the Catholic Centre, a Bakers' Bakery next door, bookshops in the area and a bus-stop just outside the cathedral. It was actually more than a bus-stop, as SJI boys and RI boys would testify, because that was the meeting place where you went there not to catch a bus, but also to catch the attention of somebody special. That is what many of us who had studied in that area remember. The library is part and parcel of that general sentiment and ambience of the area. But I think our memories are more than just of physical buildings.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not really good in architectural details. But what I would like to ask the Minister is: why is the National Library not kept in view of strong public sentiments and there are a lot of debate and views on it? Is a cost issue involved? Mr Mah Bow Tan: Mr Speaker, Sir, the question of keeping or not keeping the National Library was not the starting point of the discussion. As I recounted just now, when the Masterplan for the area was done in 1988, the whole question of upgrading and improving the ambience of the area and turning it into a civic and cultural district was the objective of the exercise. The removal of the National Library, at that time, was felt desirable because it would open up the vista to the Fort Canning Hill. That was the starting point of the process. And at that time, many who participated in the dialogue session, from reading the minutes of the discussions and newspaper reports, did not feel very strongly about the library. In fact, many agreed with the idea of removing the library in order, as I said, to completely open up the whole area to show off Fort Canning Hill. Subsequent to that, there was also the question of how we could improve the transportation network and this involved the building of a tunnel. In fact, this idea of a tunnel, of an alternative road, came from the public dialogue itself. I believe it was a proposal from one of the industry participants in the dialogue. Studies were made and it was felt that that was the best alignment for the tunnel and that also required the removal of the library.”
“Can I ask the Minister whether the $40,000 grant that has been given could be reviewed to make it more attractive?”
“The old estates cannot wait to have their vibrancy increased. I am thinking whether the very old estates in the city area can be revitalised quickly.”
“Sir, first, in view of the overwhelming response for younger people to move into older estates, would the Minister consider stepping up the SERS programme in the older estates? Second, what other proposals has his Ministry got to revitalise older estates, like mine and other Parliamentary colleagues.”
“My question is: why is Mr Chiam blaming the Ministry for a family's problem?”
“I am trying to find out why Mr Chiam wants to blame the Ministry for the problem because it is a problem of human failing. The Ministry is trying to educate the families in terms of how to deal with the maids as humanely as possible. I do not understand why he wants to impose on the Ministry. It is a personal problem. It is a problem dealing with the families and the maids. Mr Speaker: Order. Dr Vasoo, what is your question to the Minister?”
“Sir, can I ask the Minister whether a watchdog body, which comprises consumers and operators, could be set up to ensure that consumers are protected, like in Hong Kong where they have a watchdog body? BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: The agency having principal responsibility for this would be the Public Utilities Board. STANDARD OF MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE PRACTICES 7. Dr Lily Neo asked the Minister for Health if his Ministry will take steps to allay the fears of the public and reassure them that we have (i) first-world standard of medical and healthcare practices; and (ii) effective regulatory bodies in place to ensure transparent audit and inquest of medical errors or negligence.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Deputy Prime Minister a few questions. First, with these changes, how much inflation is likely to be generated? Second, whether the Government charges and fees would be revised in the light of all these changes that are being planned? Third, what concrete plans would be undertaken by the Government to help older workers who are less skilled and untrained?”
“Would the Minister of State consider tax rebates for small car owners who bid for the COEs, to ameliorate some of their problems?”
“So I would urge Singaporeans to be able to know and appreciate how they can be discerning and take every opportunity to ensure that we have people of integrity, honest, and willing to be committed to manage the various social institutions that we have in our context. It is only through this assertion and achievement that we will be able to realise some of the visions that we aspire for.”
“We need to see how we can support one another in order that we will be able to make more progress in the interest of Singapore. Sir, I hope that our younger Singaporeans, when they become leaders, must ensure that all policies do not discriminate against any ethnic group and it must be based on merit irrespective of their ethnic background. In this way, we can hold and make Singapore society cohesive. Sir, a lot of my parliamentary colleagues have given ideas and suggestions for Singapore 21. Many of them have articulated issues related to how we can help to strengthen Singapore and how we can realise Singapore 21. We also know that many countries have also good plans and ideas. But many of their plans have not been realised. I am sure that if Members have read and visited many of these places they will begin to see that many of them have laudable and idealistic aspirations about what they will do for their citizens and how life for their citizens could be improved. But in many of these places, lives have not improved at all despite all these aspirations that they have shared or identified. We need to ask why this is the case. In the final analysis, it is not good ideas that are sufficient. We must have good people at the helm to manage and make good social institutions. These are important issues that Singaporeans will have to realise. Unless Singaporeans realise that it is good people that can manage these institutions appropriately in their interest, all these ideas, plans and visions that we have cannot be realised.”
“Sir, in this respect, it is very important that I personally feel, as a minority group member, that Singaporean Indians and Malays who are in the minority groups not to feel small, but we need not feel that we are going to be marginalised, but we should be able to stand tall and see how we can seize the opportunities that are available to make the best and improve the stations of our life. As minority group members, we should make all the efforts to take the equal opportunities provided to all Singaporeans for our advancement in the social, educational and economic arenas. Where would we get such equal opportunity - in Malaysia, in India, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Europe, South Africa, United Kingdom, and even in the United States? I think a lot of these places talk about equal opportunities, but when you get to the brass tack, you begin to realise that many of them do not have equal opportunity. They all remain rhetorics and cannot be realised. But in the context of Singapore, we know that every citizen, irrespective of race, irrespective of religion, irrespective of different persuasions, is given equal opportunity to access to services, to education, to various types of opportunities that are available if they are prepared to be challenged with it and if they are prepared to manage with it at their best. Sir, in many of these countries that I have highlighted, although they claim to treat every citizen irrespective of his colour, language and religion, they do not really do so in terms of their social policies. As minorities, we should be proud about ourselves. Chinese Singaporeans must work together with all other Singaporeans, whether they be Indians, Malays, Eurasians and others. I think we need to work together. We need to appreciate one another.”
“I think this would be a challenge for us in the next decade or so, and unless we begin to look at more innovative ways in the delivery of health care, this group of older ageing population can be dislocated and affected. But I am confident that the Ministry of Health together with the medical personnel in the community would be able to work together to find a more effective solution to this challenging issue. Sir, on the aspects of racial harmony and respect, I would like to state that we should not take racial harmony for granted. We must get our young of various races, right from school-going age and those who are living in the various neighbourhoods, to live and interact and to have a common arena where they can share and appreciate their sentiments and their emotional ties could be strengthened. Where possible, grassroots organisations should take more active steps to promote social interaction among Singaporeans of different races, be they Malays, Indians, Chinese, Eurasians and others. When we have better emotional ties and good relationship, that we are Singaporeans after all and we need to care for one another, we can move ahead as a team, and this is very critical and crucial to Singapore in terms of our need to become a better integrated, better self-respecting community and a community that has the capacity to build up its bonds. And if we can do that, then Singapore will stay steady and be able to manage the different difficulties that may arise.”
“They have to make various adjustments to their living and it may be difficult for some. The number and the problems facing this group of older workers will increase, as labour intensive operations flow out to countries with cheaper facilities and cheaper manpower. Here, I feel that the NTUC, ITE and the Ministry of Manpower should set up additional worker training centres with the least red tape to give on-the-job retraining to older workers. ITE can play a bigger role in the direction of the training of older workers. We should, in fact, project and assess the impact on older workers in terms of their employability, and this is a very important area that we need to focus so that we can minimise the dislocations on the livelihood of this group of people. Sir, on increasing health care cost for older persons, I feel that the costs of health care for older persons are increasing steadily. This will become more acute with our ageing population. Many families would find it financially burdensome, especially if they have older parents who need long-term care. Currently, many older persons are treated in acute wards in general hospitals when they need to be treated and followed up in less acute care hospitals. Older persons referred by GPs often land up in higher paying wards, when we know that they come from very low-income background. All these problems of health care cost could be contained from runaway increase if both the hospitals and the GPs can work together in partnership in the delivery of health care and the establishment of more community care hospitals.”
“I think if they visit some of the areas, the suggestions, the agendas of the different Ministries, they will begin to realise that there are democratic ideas, viewpoints, which are translated into very concrete actions. Sir, there are many brands of democracy - the Taiwan brand, the Philippine type, the South Korean kind, the Indian type and many others. I am not sure what brand of democracy they want to promote. Having said and done, I think their brand of democracy has not produced anything that is concrete for Singaporeans. And many Singaporeans have not bought their brand of democracy, and I think that is an important aspect that we should be aware of. I am not sure of the kind of democracy that they are promoting, but at least the PAP brand of democracy has produced decent housing, education and health for the people, and that is very concrete. Over the last 30 years, we have realised the impact on the lives of Singaporeans, and that is the measure we should look at and that is the democratic brand that Singaporeans should adopt and support. Sir, it is crucial for us to look at the changing external events. However, I foresee that there are few emerging social issues that we should pay attention. These need to be attended to because I feel that they are specific and concrete areas that we should pay particular attention in the next few years. Sir, on the issue of social and economic dislocations of older workers, the continuing dislocations of labour intensive industries will affect the livelihood of our older workers, as they would find it difficult to obtain work because they do not have the necessary skills to fit into the new production sectors demanding higher and better skills.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for calling on me to give an address. I shall make it a short one, if possible. Sir, the President has given a comprehensive plan of the Government to take Singapore through various social and economic challenges in the new millennium. I must say that it is a very carefully thought out plan which can help us all to achieve the tasks ahead. We need to persuade different people with different interests to work out the plan. And unless we are able to get people to work as a team, I think it is going to be a difficult task for us to be able to realise the vision that we have set out to achieve. Sir, it is important for us to look at some of the problems outside Singapore which we sometimes have very little control, and I think it is very important that we do so because the problems that are confronting us in the region do, in a way, affect some of our plans that we hope to achieve. And this is particularly important in a region where we are often met with very volatile situations and problems. Therefore, we have to be very sharp, be able to analyse, be able to forecast and be able to appreciate these changing circumstances, which are very critical in our plans to achieve the goals that we have set. Sir, as usual, the Opposition Members have not suggested anything concrete on how we could improve on the Government's plan. All they have said is their common rhetoric of democracy for Singapore. They said that the President's Address did not say anything about democracy and what direction we are taking. In fact, the President has translated democratic ideas into concrete plans to improve the lives of Singaporeans.”
“Sir, there is no need to engage in a debate with him because he has been saying the same old thing since 1980.”
“I do not want to engage in a debate with the Member because he comes back like an old record all the time on these issues. But they all sound the same all the time, same music, same tone all the time that I have heard.”
“We hoped that the PAP government would bring progress and good life for all of us. Under the capable leadership of SM Lee, then the PM, the village transformed. People can see through if we have an honest government and they have voted election after election for an honest government and capable leaders. Sir, honest government and capable leadership is a good premium which we now also enjoy the leadership of PM Goh. So I hope Singaporeans would be mindful to vote honest and effective people into government in the future so that the social premium will continue to pay dividends to enhance the quality of life of Singaporeans further. Sir, one major challenge we are likely to face in future is the task of tackling the dangers of social divide between those who have and those who have a little. It is important for us to encourage those who are able, to assist those who are less able. The able cannot isolate themselves and have a parochial interest, for if they do, they will not enhance social cohesion. Sir, I hope that we would be able to nurture many good people and attract them into Parliament and the various social institutions to carry out the very good work of our founding fathers, including mothers, who have contributed to the healthy development of Singapore. Sir, with that call, I support the motion of PM Goh.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to join in the debate. It is indeed interesting to speak after the younger speakers because they could urge me on and, at the same time, we could provide an anchor for them. Sir, as SM Lee was speaking, my mind went back when I was a secondary school student in the 50s. I did not know what democracy was then. All I knew was the common rhetorics that have been said by some of these Opposition Members, rhetorics about good life, democracy and various other things. What I remember was that I was looking forward for the supply of piped water and electricity to my village and proper shelter. But it did not come as there was an inefficient and corrupt government under Lim Yew Hock. Our villagers voted for change in 1959 and supported the PAP government. They hoped for better social conditions. In the late 60s, people in my village saw the arrival of piped water and electricity and some improvements in the social conditions of the village. That was Nee Soon where I lived as a young secondary school student. The village comprised a lot of corrupt officials, corrupt middle community leaders and they supported all the corrupt practices of the government then. It was a change for me and my villagers after 1959. I recall that people in my village were very discerning. They were very sharp and could see what good and honest government was then, and they attributed the improvements and the change to honest government and capable leadership. I could vividly remember this as a young person then, because all of them were looking for better life, for change, and I recall many of them saying that we could not just go on with democracy on an empty stomach. All the sayings under the Lim Yew Hock Government did not produce any results.”
“Sir, can I ask the Minister, in the light of the neighbourhood greying in the city area, whether there are further plans to develop such a service?”
“May I ask the Prime Minister whether the Government has in any way put pressure on President Ong not to stand again?”
“You may argue that all this is at a price. I agree that there is a price to be paid but not at the expense of the commuters. There is also a need for PTC to ensure that there is adequate audit of the different services offered by the companies, and at the moment there is a duopoly. Only two major companies, other than SMRT, are providing the service at the moment. I think it is timely that PTC allows for greater competition. There is a need to re-look at the current bus transportation system provided by the two companies alone. Perhaps, one should look at the possibility of introducing more changes for ordinary travelling commuters, at the new town level, particularly the feeder bus system. And if more competition can be brought in, there is a possibility of improving the services provided by the different companies. I am sure that the Minister of State would agree with me that the more competition we have in public transport, we may be able to increase efficiency and allow the commuters to have a wider choice. With that proviso, it is very important that representation on the PTC be re-looked at and a wider representation of commuters be brought into the PTC. The idea is to allow for better inputs and to bring public transport to a greater height.”
“Sir, allow me to say a few words regarding the amendment Bill. I agree and support the amendments that are proposed. But there are a few issues that we need to address. The other changes that are to be introduced are going to make commuting more efficient and to allow for greater input by commuters themselves. That is a basic question that needs to be addressed. Are the changes to the composition of members to the PTC going to be a better check to upgrade and improve the work of the public transport system? If that is the case, then the amendments are worth its salt. Otherwise, I do not think it is going to be worth its salt if no changes are going to be made and the interests of the commuters are not going to be taken into consideration. I support the viewpoint raised by the GPC Chairman for Communications. He has got a few valid points and I think it is worth looking at. But what I would like to say is that there is a need to ensure that a balance be maintained between operators and commuters. I know it is a difficult task. One has to ensure that public transport remains viable but there is obviously an interest to ensure that there is no run away price increase. In order that the interest of commuters is looked into, there is a need to increase the number of people from nine to 11. Why nine to 11? Why not 15? That is the basic question. What type of representations are you going to have? These members basically have not even taken a bus ride at all, and I think quite a majority of PTC members are not bus commuters. They are people who live in ivory towers. One needs to examine and see that there is adequate input. If that is the objective of the Public Transport Council, you have to bring in inputs of commuters to ensure the quality and efficiency are maintained.”
“Can I ask the Minister whether the most affected workers are the older workers and what plans are there to enhance their employability?”
“Institutions and organisations must be seen above board and they must have tremendous integrity in its delivery of services and that they are seen to respond on a fair and just basis without prejudice towards different ethnic groups. That is a challenge for the various social institutions that we have in Singapore. Institutions must be managed by people with integrity, who mean good for Singapore and unless and until we have people of integrity in the various social institutions and who are conscious of the backdrop and problems that our PM has mentioned just now, we will have a divided Singapore and that in the long run will be worse for all of us. We will be no better. Therefore, in the context of Singapore, we must ensure that we work towards ethnic harmony, religious tolerance, appreciate one another as Singaporeans, and collectively work for a common purpose so that Singapore will be able to survive and manage. And that is indeed the challenge for all of us.”