Sam Tan Chin Siong
Singapore
“Sir, the Temporary Relief Fund was set up to provide timely financial assistance to lower- and middle-income Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who lost their jobs or faced significant income loss due to the economic impact of COVID-19.”
“The Workgroups will release their recommendations later this year. (In English): Mr Chairman, in closing, everyone has a part to play in building a caring and inclusive society. Inclusion is not just a vision. It is action.”
“We will continue to deepen our engagement with the EU leadership and also our ties with individual EU member states. We will also continue to engage the UK post-Brexit.”
“It is a very important prerequisite to prepare young children for future employment. There is another workgroup under EMP3 which focuses on the improvement to employment opportunities and prospects. This workgroup is co-chaired by Member Ms Denise Phua and myself.”
“I thank the Member for the questions. We have sufficient places in our Sheltered Workshops. Right now, we have altogether 1,700 places. If there is a need for more capacity, we will certainly increase it.”
“Mr Chairman, I thank the Member for the clarification. The difference between CKS and PDD is that PDD helps persons who have lost the mental capacity to make major decisions like liquidating the assets, bank accounts and all that to provide institutional care or some other major financial needs.”
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“At the same time, we should also help our injured workers return to work quickly. Today, over 80% of injured workers are already able to return to work, and we want to do more to help them recover faster and also to return to work earlier. This will also benefit employers who are able to retain their experienced employees and save on rehiring and retraining new employees. Mr Melvin Yong asked how we are helping injured workers return to work. I am happy to share with him and this House that we will be introducing a Return to Work (RTW) programme this year. This programme provides early intervention to help injured workers and their companies through personalised case management, a point mentioned by Mr Melvin Yong. RTW coordinators will facilitate injured workers to return to their workplaces early. This includes helping employers to make adjustments to their workplaces and jobs to facilitate the injured worker's rehabilitation and return to work. The tripartite partners will also be working together to implement the RTW programme later this year. We will share more details when it is worked out. In conclusion, Madam, I have just outlined the key efforts of my Ministry to push for more inclusive growth and progressive workplaces for our workers. However, it must be a national effort with the tripartite partners, employers and workers all playing their part together so that we will be able to grow our workplaces to make them inclusive and progressive.”
“One is vehicular-related accidents within worksites; two, accidents involving formwork; and three, lack of proper supervision, coordination and communication of work activities resulting in accidents. We will enhance the WSH Construction Regulations to address these concerns. To raise overall WSH performance, we need everyone to take greater WSH ownership. Many progressive companies in Singapore already pay close attention to WSH. In fact, nearly half of them discussed WSH issues regularly at their management meetings. We should encourage more to do so, and we will consider laying out in the WSH Act clear roles for corporate officers in maintaining an effective WSH management system in their companies. MOM investigators will also probe deeper into the role of companies' senior management in ensuring compliance. MOM will take actions not only on the company but also hold the senior management responsible and accountable if their actions breach the WSH Act. I would like to assure Mr Melvin Yong and Mr Zainal Sapari that we will continue to help workers who are injured at work. First, we should ensure that the injured workers, particularly the low-wage workers, receive additional financial support when needed. Mr Zainal Sapari had proposed to review the criteria and administration for the Singapore Labour Foundation Special Relief Fund (SRF) to benefit more low-wage workers who are victims of industrial accidents. Today, other than SRF, local injured workers can also obtain financial assistance under ComCare. Nonetheless, we will work with our tripartite partners, including Mr Zainal Sapari, to review the usage and administration of SRF to provide injured workers with the assistance they require.”
“Such options are important because they give caregivers an option to reduce or adjust their workload so that they can better manage their multiple responsibilities. Today, nearly all PMETs are on full-time employment, but they can still benefit from job sharing, which offers more choices to both PMETs and employers. Job sharing may come with some hand-over and coordination issues, but employers should think of ways to overcome them and make necessary adjustments and arrangements to promote greater job sharing in their companies. Madam, allow me now to turn to my last subject ─ Workplace Safety and Health (WSH). Our workplace fatality rate stayed at 1.9 per 100,000 employed persons for the past two years. In 2016, as pointed out by Mr Melvin Yong, 66 workers lost their lives at work. Among them, 42 fatalities occurred in the first half of the year. Through concerted efforts by our industry partners and also our stepped-up enforcement and engagement, the number of fatalities dropped to 24 in the second half of last year. This improvement continued into the first two months of 2017 with two fatalities, as compared to 10 fatalities in the same period last year. However, to us, every fatality is still one tragedy that can be prevented. And every life lost is still one too many. So, we should remain vigilant and do more to make our workplaces safer and healthier for our workers. 2.45 pm Mr Melvin Yong also asked what more can we do to reduce the number of workplace fatalities. Our efforts are both targeted and broad-based. The construction sector remained the top contributor with 24 fatalities in 2016. While it has improved from 2015, there are still three areas of concern that we will step up our actions and focus on.”
“So, taking all these together, this is already quite a substantial increase in the low-wage workers' income. While the cash component of WIS remains at 40% but, in actual terms, low-wage workers receive more cash with all the other social transfers from the Government. More than 460,000 low-wage workers will benefit from this round of WIS enhancements. We will periodically review the WIS scheme to ensure that it continues to support the bottom 20% to 30% of our workers. Madam, I will now turn to our efforts to make workplaces inclusive for workers with caregiving responsibilities. More employers are now adopting FWAs, such as flexi-time, flexi-place and flexi-load. In 2016, about two in three, or 67%, of the employees worked in firms that offered formal FWAs. This is up from just half, or 56%, in 2011. More than eight in 10 employees or, to be precise, 82% worked in firms that offer ad-hoc FWAs. This is up from seven in 10 in 2011. Dr Intan, Ms Thanaletchimi and Mr Desmond Choo asked about our efforts in promoting FWAs, especially for people with caregiving responsibilities. Madam, our efforts need to be targeted in order to be effective. So, we looked at the employment rate of local women who continue to shoulder many caregiving responsibilities. We are already among the top in terms of full-time employment of females aged between 25 and 64, compared to all the other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Conversely, Singapore's part-time employment is lower than that of most OECD countries. While we are doing reasonably well, there is still room to improve the employment of our female residents, especially in the area of part-time employment. We can do this through flexi-load options, such as "job sharing".”
“If they feel that they are unfairly treated, they should approach MOM or their unions for assistance or, at the minimum, they can approach the MWCs, CDE, NGOs and voluntary welfare organisations for assistance. Third, we will continue to supplement the incomes and retirement savings of low-wage workers through WIS. Assoc Prof Daniel Goh proposed several changes to the WIS scheme. I would like to inform the House that recent enhancements to the WIS had already addressed most of his points. They were announced at last year's Budget and implemented since January this year. Just allow me to recap them. First, we have raised the WIS income cap so that workers earning up to $2,000 are now able to receive WIS. Second, we have increased the WIS payouts. Workers can now receive higher WIS payouts of up to $3,600 per year. Third, we will make more frequent WIS payouts, from quarterly to monthly, starting from March 2017, that is, this month. This provides a more direct and timely reward for work effort. Aside from helping them meet their immediate needs, WIS payouts are intended to help low-wage workers meet their basic retirement needs. This is why WIS payouts comprise 40% cash and 60% CPF. Raising the cash component and reducing the CPF component, as suggested by Assoc Prof Daniel Goh, will mean workers will have less to set aside for retirement, and may not be able to meet the basic needs in old age. We think that this may not be a wise approach. Notwithstanding this, the Government already provides other grants and transfers, such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Vouchers, Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) rebates, WIS and so on, to top up low-wage workers' salaries.”
“I am pleased to announce the release of the updated Tripartite Advisory on Best Sourcing Practices today. It will provide new guidance on supporting progressive remuneration and benefits for outsourced workers, as well as fair contracting practices. MOM has worked closely with the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to ensure that all Government agencies support the updated Advisory. Today, the Government procures cleaning and security services from accredited cleaning businesses and well-graded security agencies. These accreditation and grading frameworks take into account the progressive employment practices of these companies. MOM is working with MOF, the Singapore Police Force, the National Environment Agency and the National Parks Board (NParks) to review further measures against contractors that fail to safeguard basic employment rights of outsourced workers working under Government contracts. More details will be announced at a later stage. When Government agencies outsource many activities, Government contracts still make up only a small fraction of the total market for outsourced services. So, I want to urge tripartite committees, like the one chaired by Mr Zainal Sapari for the cleaning sector, to reach out to more private sector buyers to adopt best sourcing. My Ministry stands ready to work with the Labour Movement and employers to increase adoption of the Tripartite Advisory on Best Sourcing Practices. Mr Png Eng Huat asked about our efforts to protect foreign and local conservancy workers from unfair treatment and abuse. I would like to assure the Member that all cleaners who are employees are covered by EA.”
“Another way to support wage increases is through PWM, which is mandatory in the cleaning, security and landscaping sectors. The PWMs have helped more than 70,000 resident workers in these sectors grow their wages. Before the introduction of the cleaning PWM, median gross wages for full-time resident cleaners grew by 2% per annum from 2009 to 2012. After the announcement of the cleaning PWM, median gross wages for full-time resident cleaners grew by 12% per annum from 2012 to 2015. So, I thank Mr Zainal Sapari for his suggestions on incorporating annual increments and annual bonuses in the security and landscape PWMs. I support this proposal. As Mr Zainal has pointed out, we have already done this for the cleaning sector. The cleaning sector sets out annual adjustments to the PWM wage levels from this year up to 2022. The Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners also encourages cleaning companies to provide increments to better performing workers. This will raise their salaries to be above the PWM wage levels and still within the recommended salary range of their job rungs. All resident cleaners will also receive an annual bonus equivalent to two weeks of basic monthly wages from 2020 onwards. The security and landscape sectors only implemented PWMs recently in 2016. We need to give them time to evolve, progress and improve. However, I still want to take this opportunity to encourage the tripartite committees in these sectors to learn from the cleaning sector and enhance their PWM commitments over time. I also encourage employers and unions in other sectors to adopt the PWM concept, which brings together wages, skills and productivity to create meaningful career ladders for their workers. Our second prong to help low-wage workers is to step up our best sourcing efforts.”
“Older workers should also take advantage of the various Government training schemes available, such as SkillsFuture, to enhance their employability. Madam, I will now touch on the low-wage workers. Over the last five years, incomes of full-time employed Singapore Citizens at the 20th percentile grew by 3.2% per annum in real terms. This has kept pace with the 3.1% annualised growth in real median incomes of our employed citizens over the same period. This progress is, indeed, encouraging. To continue our efforts to uplift our low-wage workers, we adopt a three-pronged approach. First, through sustainable wage increases. Currently, companies' entitlement to foreign workers is based on the dependency ratio ceiling. For example, a dependency ratio ceiling of 60% in the manufacturing sector means that the employer can hire up to 1.5 foreign workers for every one full-time equivalent local worker hired. A local worker who earns a monthly salary of $1,000 or above is considered a full-time equivalent. We review this salary threshold regularly to stay in line with rising income trends. If not, it means that we are gradually loosening our foreign worker controls simply due to rising nominal wages. So, given the rising income levels, my Ministry has decided to adopt a new salary threshold of $1,200. This will be done in two steps: first, to $1,100 from 1 July this year and, next, to $1,200 from 1 July next year. We expect that low-wage workers' wages will adjust in line with the new threshold. We last reviewed the threshold in 2013, that was about four years ago. The 10th percentile income then was already $1,200 and had risen to $1,300 in 2015. So, if we do not update the salary threshold now, it will mean having to make an even larger increase in future.”
“More than 1,800 older workers aged 50 and above stand to benefit from the enhanced WorkPro. Take Sheraton Towers Hotel as an example. The hotel obtained WorkPro funding to replace the standard tables in their restaurant with a multi-purpose table called Livecookingtable that can be used as a cooker, warmer or even cooler. Mr Au Tiang Kok is one of the older workers who have benefited from this change. In his job, Mr Au is responsible for the setting up and clearing of buffet trays at the restaurant. These buffet trays with burners weighed around 30 kilogrammes each. It was a very heavy and laborious job for Mr Au. With the Livecookingtable, the restaurant now uses a different type of buffet trays without burners. These new trays are lighter to carry, and Mr Au is no longer at risk of getting burnt by the open flame. I am heartened to know that 67-year-old Mr Au is happy with this job redesign and he intends to continue working to contribute meaningfully for as long as he can. Mr Au's story tells us that the commitment of management is important. I am, therefore, glad that the HR Director, Mr Francis Tan, believes strongly in job redesign and makes use of technology to improve older workers' productivity. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage more employers to learn from Sheraton Towers Hotel to tap on the WorkPro Grant and enhance the productivity of their older workers. During the Budget Debate, Mr Heng Chee How spoke passionately about the need for older workers to continue to adapt and grow while companies transform and grow. I agree fully with Mr Heng that older workers must continually upskill, reskill and deepskill to enhance their employability. Skills upgrading is the best safeguard for workers during this period of economic and job transformation.”
“Thank you. Madam, I will speak on how MOM intends to drive inclusive growth and foster progressive workplaces that are age-friendly, family-friendly, safe and healthy. We will do more for our older workers, low-wage workers and workers with caregiving responsibilities. First, let me talk about older workers. Madam, in January this year, we passed the Retirement and Re-employment (Amendment) Bill. The re-employment age will be raised to 67 from 1 July this year to allow our growing pool of older workers to contribute to the workforce for as long as they can. To encourage employers to voluntarily re-employ older workers not covered by the new re-employment age, the Government has extended the Additional Special Employment Credit to incentivise employers to do so. In addition, it is equally important to ensure that workplaces are age-friendly to meet the needs of our older workers and also help them to stay productive. Employers must play their part in this aspect. Mr Chen Show Mao asked about the progress of workplace and job redesign for our older workers. In 2013, we introduced WorkPro to support companies to develop age-friendly workplaces and make jobs for our older workers easier, safer and smarter. WorkPro was enhanced in July last year with more generous funding. A company can now receive funding of up to $300,000, up from $150,000, to redesign jobs for older workers under the WorkPro Job Redesign scheme. Besides increased funding, companies from all industries can also tap on the Job Redesign toolkit and clinics to improve their knowledge about job redesign. 2.30 pm More employers have since taken up the WorkPro Job Redesign Grant. Over the last seven months, 103 companies have tapped on this grant.”
“Madam, with your permission, may I display some slides on the LED screen?”
“The Member also asked about what more we can do during the interim period to encourage greater opportunities for re-employment of older workers. From MOM's effort, we have been doing or providing three kinds of support, to encourage and also entice employers to offer re-employment opportunities to older workers. First, it is the wage offset to manage the manpower cost. We do this through the Special Employment Credit, which I mentioned in my reply just now. We also subsidise employers who adopt age-friendly workplace practices through this programme called WorkPro. The third support that we are giving to employers and HR practitioners is to raise the age management capability through a programme called Age Management@Workplace programme jointly launched by NTUC and SNEF in July this year. MOM also works together with NTUC and SNEF to jointly launch this toolkit called Job Redesign Toolkit to help companies, employers to better enable the older workers to work in the workplace. All these are still work-in-progress, and we will continue to work very closely with the tripartite partners to make sure that whether we will raise, or whether we raise the re-employment age from 65 to 67 come next July or not, there is always a sustained and collaborative efforts by the tripartite partners to help the older workers.”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the hon Member for raising two very important questions. Older workers have always been an important consideration in our work in MOM. This is why we have paid a lot of attention and also rolled out a lot of programmes to help older workers to get re-employed if they are willing and able to. So far, we have worked very closely with the tripartite partners in finding ways and means to assist the older workers to continue working beyond the ages of 62 and 65. As a matter of fact, I chair a tripartite committee on mature workers, and the main function is to help them. The approach taken by the tripartite partners has been that we will take a gender-neutral approach in helping older workers to continue working beyond 62 and 65. So far, the programme, activities and strategy have been working reasonably well, in the sense that older workers beyond 62 and 65, including both genders, male and female, 98% of them are able to continue working and get re-employed by the employers. The challenge for the tripartite partners is not how much more we can do to roll out new initiatives, strengthen the current initiatives and raise the re-employment age. One of the challenges is to how to better reach out to older workers, particularly the female older workers. In this aspect, we can work very closely with the tripartite partners, and I understand that NTUC has a programme called U Live, catering to older workers aged 55 and above, U65 catering to older workers aged 65 and above. I welcome NTUC and MOM together with SNEF to work together in a tripartite collective effort to reach out to older workers, particularly the senior female workers to encourage them to come back and rejoin the work force and then also to work beyond 62 and 65.”
“Mdm Speaker, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) collects re-employment data regardless of their gender. In 2015, over 98% of local employees who wished to continue working were actually offered re-employment upon reaching the ages of 62 and 65. It shows that the re-employment rates for male and female workers, older workers, were both very high. The Government will continue to help older workers work for as long as they are willing and able to. And how do we do this? First, we will raise the re-employment age from 65 to 67 by 1 July 2017. We will also support employers with Special Employment Credit of up to 11% of wage offset when they employ workers aged 65 and above. Secondly, we seek to improve the quality of employment for our older workers. We fund companies to implement age-friendly workplace practices through WorkPro. And employers can also make free use of the Job Redesign Toolkit jointly developed by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), and they can sign up for age management courses under the Age Management@Workplace programme. And we also support and promote public education through campaigns, such as "Ability is Ageless" run by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices.”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to thank the hon Member for raising this very important question. As mentioned in my speech just now, we are focusing on a four-pronged approach to tackle, reduce and, hopefully, eliminate the workplace safety fatalities and injuries. This is not easy. This is what we intend to do; that is, to raise awareness through a lot of media publicity and also public education programmes. Secondly, we intend to ramp up trainings and education for employers and employees. Thirdly, to step up enforcement and lastly, to stiffen the penalties. We discovered in the last few years that there are three areas that constituted the highest fatalities: fall from heights where workers work at heights, workplace traffic safety and crane safety. This year, we will be focusing on these three areas because they constitute the most numbers of the workplace fatalities and injuries. We will work and step up and focus all our resources and Page: 123 manpower to deal with these three critical areas. We also know that we need to go upstream to work with the companies and industries to introduce this idea called "Design for Safety" to make sure that when they start work or design something, they will always incorporate the ideas of workplace safety and health into the planning stage so that, upstream, they will be able to do something to prevent and reduce the downstream fatalities and accidents at the workplace.”
“To strengthen deterrence, my Ministry will also be taking tougher actions against recalcitrant employers and will impose harsher penalties if things do not improve. Fundamentally, WSH needs to be driven from the top. At the very top, we want industry leaders to set the tone and be committed to WSH. Recently, I started a series of dialogue sessions with top management from various industries, starting with those that have higher workplace injury and fatality rates. My message to them is a simple and sincere one. That is, my Ministry is always ready to work together with the industry to improve safety standards. For those who need help to improve, we will assist them through different schemes. As pointed out by Ms Thanaletchimi, we will also recognise those companies which have achieved good WSH performance because we want to hold them up as good role model for others to emulate. However, if companies do not take WSH seriously and flout the safety rules indifferently despite warning and advice, we will come down hard on them through stiff penalties. We are doing this as a last resort as we have the responsibility to protect our workers to ensure that they work in a safe and healthy environment. Mr Melvin Yong is right in pointing out that some SMEs need more help with WSH training and capability building. Others lack the awareness. We will, therefore, be launching many programmes this year that specifically cater to them. More details on the WSH capability building programme will be announced later. Sir, I have just outlined the key efforts of my Ministry in the areas of older workers, low-wage workers and workplace safety and health. Minister Lim Swee Say will now address the remaining issues in his round-up speech. Page: 119”
“This is in recognition that freelancers are a diverse group comprising Page: 118 many different trades, skills, values and services. It is, therefore, difficult to prescribe a one-size-fits-all solution to address such diverse and complex needs and situations. Sir, let me now turn to my last subject − Workplace Safety and Health (WSH). In 2015, our workplace fatality rate was 1.9 fatalities per 100,000 employed persons. This is a slight increase from 1.8 in 2014. We are concerned. Although the increase is quite marginal but we are concerned, nonetheless. Just this year alone, we lost 22 lives at work, as mentioned by Mr Melvin Yong just now. That is 22 too many. In fact, personally, to me, every one fatality is just one too many. Accidents can be prevented. Therefore, I agree with Mr Melvin Yong and Ms Thanaletchimi that more needs to be done to raise our WSH standards. We will adopt a four-pronged approach to reduce the workplace fatality and incident rate. First, we will raise awareness; second, we will build WSH capability; third, we will strengthen enforcement; and, lastly, we will impose heavier penalties. My Ministry has put in a large amount of effort over the years to raise WSH awareness among workers, employers and the general public. To build WSH capability, we work closely with the industry to assist them in bringing good WSH practices to their workplaces. In terms of enforcement, we conduct around 16,000 workplace inspections a year. That is more than 1,300 inspections every month. In the last few months, I have personally participated in three inspections, and I will continue to do so until I feel that the level of workplace safety reaches a satisfactory level.”
“Mr Zainal Sapari has proposed mandating annual wage supplements and annual increments for low-wage workers in the cleaning, security and landscape sectors. This is a major proposal which will not only affect workers' well-being, but also employers and the industry. It is, therefore, crucial to seek the views of the various stakeholders in the usual spirit of tripartism. We will raise Mr Zainal's suggestion to the tripartite committees responsible for the PWMs for these sectors. And the tripartite partners will need to decide on what is appropriate and feasible, taking into consideration the interest of workers and bearing in mind economic conditions. Sir, we are starting to see results of our various efforts to support low-wage workers. They are bearing fruits now. Over the last five years, real incomes of full-time employed Singapore Citizens at the 20th percentile grew by 2.9% per annum in real terms. This is comparable with the growth in the median incomes over the same period. We will continue to work very closely with our tripartite partners on this important issue. Before I move on to my next subject, I would also like to address Mr Patrick Tay's point on freelancers. Freelancers are not covered by the Employment Act and the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) because there is no employer-employee relationship between them and their clients. This is a complex issue which we should study carefully and not rush into. In the meantime, we will support efforts like those from the NTUC's Freelancers and Self-Employed Unit which has different initiatives for different groups of freelancers, ranging from taxi drivers to those in the creative and media sectors.”
“The Workfare Training Support (WTS) scheme Page: 117 also provides significant support to low-wage workers to upgrade their skills so they can stay employable and enjoy higher wage growth. As announced by the Minister for Finance in his Budget speech, the WIS and WTS schemes will be enhanced in 2017 to provide more support for our low-wage Singaporean workers who work and train. In specific sectors with a larger concentration of low-wage workers, prevalent cheap-sourcing was causing wages to stagnate. To address this concern, we set up tripartite committees to develop PWMs. This is something that Mr Zainal Sapari is very familiar with. He is a champion for this. 7.15 pm These PWMs provide cleaners, security officers and landscape workers with a clear pathway of career progression. The workers can look forward to earning higher wages, in line with higher skills and productivity improvements. PWM has been fully implemented for the cleaning sector since 1 September 2015. As of January 2016, about 40,000 resident outsourced cleaners are covered by this scheme. We will implement PWMs for the landscape and security industries through Government levers from 30 June and 1 September this year. We are encouraged by the early PWM adopters in the security and landscape industries which have already sent their workers for the requisite training and they are also already paying them according to the PWM model. We strongly urge the remaining employers to expedite their plans to meet the PWM requirements, so that more workers can benefit from the higher skills and better wages and their employers can also benefit from workers' higher productivity.”
“We will, therefore, amend the law to allow a new employer to take on the re-employment obligations of the original employer, subject to the employee's agreement. As with the other changes announced earlier, this will also take effect on 1 July 2017. The tripartite partners strongly agree that employers should consider all available re-employment options to identify suitable jobs for their employees. However, there will be situations where re-employment is just simply genuinely not possible. As a last resort, we have provided for an Employment Assistance Payment (EAP). In line with the raising of the re-employment age, the tripartite partners agreed to increase the EAP amounts and age coverage accordingly. Taken together, all these measures mentioned earlier, represent significant changes for our re-employment landscape. To better prepare employers and their workers, the Tricom has updated the Tripartite Guidelines on Re-employment of Older Employees. It will provide details on many of the changes that I spoke on earlier. We will be releasing these guidelines in the next few weeks. Sir, we strongly encourage employers to adopt both the spirit and the letter of the new re-employment practices ahead of the formal change in law. This is especially important, given our tight labour market in the coming years. I will now turn to the second issue – low-wage workers. Mr Zainal Sapari has asked for an update on the measures the Government has taken in this area. Let me highlight two of the key Government initiatives targeted at uplifting our low-wage workers. They are Workfare and the Progressive Wage Model (PWM). The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) scheme has been instrumental in encouraging lower-wage Singaporean workers to continue working.”
“Today, the vast majority, more than 98% of the companies, no longer reduce wages at age 60. So, the wage-cut provision that was put in place in 1999 is no longer relevant Page: 116 today. I am happy to announce that from 1 July 2017 onwards, we will remove this provision from our law. Going forward, pay should be reflective of workers' job scope and value, rather than their age. Let me now turn to re-employment of older workers. Four years since we introduced the re-employment concept, I am pleased to say that implementation of this scheme has been relatively smooth. In recent years, over 98% of local employees who wished to continue working were offered employment beyond 62. When we introduced re-employment in 2012, we also committed to raising the re-employment age from 65 to 67 at an appropriate time. The Prime Minister shared at last year's National Day Rally that we will do so by 2017. So, again, I am very happy to announce that the tripartite partners have discussed and agreed that the effective date will be 1 July 2017. I would like to assure Mr Chong Kee Hiong that before the law is changed in July 2017, the Government will continue to support companies which voluntarily re-employ older workers beyond 65. The additional wage offset of 3% for employers who re-employ workers above 65 will similarly be extended to 1 July 2017. This is to help smoothen the transitional process. Even as we work towards raising the re-employment age, the Tricom has considered other ways to expand re-employment options for employees. We have received feedback that, sometimes, employers are unable to find suitable jobs in their own companies, but can help the worker secure re-employment in a related or subsidiary company. Unfortunately, the existing law does not provide for this.”
“Notwithstanding this encouraging process, I share Mr Chong Kee Hiong's view that more has to be done to encourage the hiring of older workers. However, we cannot achieve this goal by giving incentives alone. For there to be a truly age-friendly workplace, mindsets must be changed. The nature and the design of the jobs must also be changed. To change mindsets, Tricom works through the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) to champion positive workplace attitudes towards older workers. TAFEP has been conducting ongoing publicity campaigns to emphasise the value that older workers can bring to companies and their younger co-workers. To change the nature of jobs and the working environment, we need to support employers to adopt good age management practices and redesign job processes for their older workers, a point highlighted by Mr Chong Kee Hiong. We have been providing our support through the Workpro grants. To further enhance the effectiveness of the Workpro scheme, MOM and WDA are in the process of reviewing this scheme. Details will be released soon. I wish to take this opportunity to strongly encourage more employers to make use of the enhanced Workpro grants. Sir, one key concern of the Tricom has been to balance wages with the employability of older workers. In the early years, older workers were less wage-competitive because of rigid seniority-based wages. When the minimum retirement age was raised to 62 in 1999, the tripartite partners at that time agreed that the law could provide some flexibility for employers to reduce the wages of workers turning 60 by up to 10%. Since then, the tripartite partners have worked hard to promote flexible and performance-based wage systems.”
“Mr Chairman, I will now brief the House on three of MOM's focus areas. One, is to help older workers remain employable; two, is to improve low-wage workers' earnings; and three, is to improve workplace safety and Page: 115 health. Allow me to, first, touch on older workers. Sir, our labour force is ageing quickly and the proportion of residents in the labour force aged 50 and over is about one-third now, up from about one-quarter a decade ago. This trend will continue over the next two decades and we must be prepared to accept and embrace this new reality and turn it into opportunity. The Government has been engaging Singaporeans of all ages on various platforms. One common feedback that we hear is that seniors want to have meaningful jobs that tap on their wealth of experience and resources. But the responsibility for creating a sustainable working environment for older workers does not just lie with the Government alone, although the Government can take a lead in this area. Sir, employers and employees are important stakeholders and partners as well in achieving this common goal. My Ministry has, therefore, been working closely with the tripartite partners to help older workers, under the Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers, or Tricom in short. The Tricom, which I chair, has introduced a series of initiatives to help older workers work for as long as they are willing and able to. We have made some encouraging progress in this direction. Sir, today, our employment rate for older residents aged 55 to 64 is 67%. This is well above the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average of 57% and is comparable with some of the developed and advanced countries like Japan's 70% and South Korea's 66%.”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. Under our existing law, we have already mandated employers to make electronic payment provision mandatory for the workers, if they make the request. If workers find that their salaries are not paid on time or not paid in full sum per their contract, they can always approach MOM for assistance. Let me take this opportunity to advertise MOM's telephone numbers. For workers who have difficulties in salary matters or other manpower matters, they can always dial the MOM hotline number at 64385122.”
“Mdm Speaker, our laws already require employers of work permit holders to pay salaries electronically if the workers make the request. Today, two-thirds of these workers already receive their salaries electronically. To enhance this further, since October 2014, Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has introduced an online facility to allow employers to open bank accounts for their Work Permit holders automatically when they apply for their Work Permits. Mdm Speaker, we had studied whether we should make electronic payments mandatory. However, during consultations with unions, workers and employers, some have expressed a preference for flexibility. So, some workers have also preferred to receive their salaries in cash. They say they will face difficulties in maintaining a minimum sum account balance, as required by the banks, or be charged a fee, if their bank accounts do not meet the minimum sum requirement. Similarly, some small and micro-SME employers like family-run shops, also expressed difficulties in paying salaries electronically as they would need to incur additional administrative costs and resources to perform this task. Nonetheless, Mdm Speaker, my Ministry will continue to conduct periodical policy reviews. We will continue to monitor the situation and review our laws to ensure that adequate convenience and protection will be put in place for our workers.”
“Page: 81 Lastly, in order to better develop our traditional arts scene, we will focus on training and preserving traditional art forms. In the next few years, NAC will launch a scheme to encourage the traditional arts groups to document their history, knowledge and stories, so that their traditional art form can be preserved through text, images and records. This is our multi-pronged approach. If our traditional arts groups can be fully involved and support these initiatives, I believe that the future of our traditional arts will be bright.”
“Mdm Chair, I would like to respond in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to thank Mr Baey Yam Keng for his question. It is an important and crucial question, and I may need a few minutes to explain the Government's policy as well as the development of our traditional arts scene. Firstly, we recognise that the traditional arts groups need space for their performances, practices and administration purpose. So, we will support them in terms of hardware. Besides providing grants to the arts groups to defray rental cost, we also help them to relocate to Goodman Arts Centre and Aliwal Arts Centre. We will explore ways to develop the Stamford Arts Centre into a centre with a focus on the traditional arts. The Member asked about the fate of groups currently located at the Stamford Arts Centre. NAC is in discussion with these groups and will be making arrangements for them. After the redevelopment, existing tenants can apply to come back to the centre. So, they already have arrangements in place. Secondly, in terms of software, we will also help the groups become professionalised, help them develop their capabilities so that they can create new content and productions. Thirdly, we will continue to provide funding for these traditional arts groups to promote traditional arts through different platforms. For example, we strongly encourage and support them in organising national competitions like the National Chinese Music Competition and Indian Music Competition. Fourthly, through NAC's Artist-in-School Scheme, we also promote traditional arts in schools, so that students are exposed to traditional arts from young; they may become interested and eventually become part of the traditional arts scene or an audience member.”
“That we are different is a fact. That we stay united is a choice. In 2015, as our nation turns 50, our mission is simple – to build a strong, diverse community of friends and families, rooted in our Singaporean-ness. I would liken this to our hands – that without any of our fingers, it will be difficult to perform its tasks. We will work, play and live together like the fingers on our hands, because to do otherwise is to disown a part of ourselves. And that is the future we will work towards – a nation united by things that bind us, and a keen appreciation of what makes us uniquely different.”
“Mdm Chair, we should continue with all the efforts to maintain racial and religious harmony. However, the Government should not and cannot be doing this alone. Everyone has a part to play in building Singapore's harmony. But the Government can take the lead in this effort. This is why we started the Harmony Fund in 2013, to support projects that promote racial and religious harmony in Singapore. Two years later, we have supported 55 projects and committed a total funding of close to $1.8 million. One on-going project is Paths, started by four passionate NTU students. They realised that most young people in Singapore know very little about the different religions here, even though we are so religiously diverse. They felt it was important to go beyond what they call the "three Fs" which are often regarded as our common heritage. The three Fs are food, fashion and festival. The students started to research and compile the stories of Singaporeans who belong to different faiths and religions. For example, through the efforts of these four students, we learn that Taoist talismans have to be written within one breath – you cannot stop. The moment you stop, the magical power is gone. You have to write Taoist talismans in one breath. We also learn that Muslims deliver the Salam – a greeting of peace – at the end of each prayer set. We also learn that Hindu devotees spend 48 days preparing to bear the kavadi, by praying, fasting and even sleeping on the floor instead of a bed. Page: 65 Specific rituals aside, the stories all point to the oneness and interconnectedness of our diverse belief systems – that at the heart of each faith is the search to be a better person. Mdm Chair, MCCY recognises that we are a nation of diverse people, each with our own cultures and stories.”
“I therefore feel privileged and honoured to have the opportunity of chairing the Committee for Disability Sports, to ensure that we include, not exclude, anyone who wishes to play a sport in Singapore. This means breaking down barriers where they exist, as Miss Penny Low also noted just now in her speech. There could be barriers to information, access to facilities, or even social acceptance. For example, we will ensure that more of our public sports facilities are disabled-friendly. One such facility that we have set up is the para table tennis training centre at Yishun Sports Centre. We will also look at how we can improve physical access to our facilities, for example, by building more ramps for swimming pools and holding a central stock of specialised equipment that may be required for disability sports. We will continue Page: 64 to work with other disability organisations to see how we can expand disability sports programmes for the wider community of persons with disabilities, so that they have more opportunities to participate in sports, including from a young age, as Mr David Ong has suggested just now. Inclusiveness also means making Singapore a welcoming home for different faiths and races, as Mr Arthur Fong and Dr Intan have noted. Thus, the third area we will work on is to foster a harmonious society for all. To do this, we have continuous efforts to promote and maintain social harmony. We seek to enhance the common spaces where all Singaporeans can come together. Members would have been very familiar with our Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles, which promote dialogue and foster friendships across faiths and ethnicities. Mr Arthur Fong asked what the Government has done to support community efforts aimed at fostering communal understanding.”
“This is in addition to the new investments MCCY is making in our Heritage Institutions and the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre. The Government and traditional arts groups need to work together to promote traditional arts. This is because traditional arts is not only our "roots" , but also forms a bridge of understanding that connects one culture to the next, uniting us as one people. 2.00 pm (In English): Mdm Chair, I would like to continue my speech in English. We will continue also fostering inclusiveness through sports. As a legacy of the ASEAN Para Games this year, I agree with Miss Penny Low that we need to ensure that persons with disabilities can participate in sports. And sports are not just meant to be the exclusive domain of the able-bodied. Everyone should be able to participate in sports and have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits that sports bring to them. I have seen this first-hand, by simulating what it is like to be disabled. If you thought it is hard enough to be disabled, try playing a sport when you cannot walk. I recently played table-tennis sitting down against Dr William Tan. It was much harder than I thought it would be! So, the result was unsurprising – I was beaten flatly and soundly by Dr Tan. After the game, I thought to myself: actually, who is the real disabled one? Certainly, it is not Dr William Tan. This experience was a humbling reminder that our para athletes are heroes in many ways. Not only do they have to overcome their personal disabilities, they also have to master a difficult game or sport in order to bring glory to Singapore – to our country.”
“Three years ago, he challenged himself to learn the Indian flute to increase his understanding of music and traditional Asian culture. He became so good at it that he won second prize in the flute open category of the 2014 National Indian Music Competition. Since then, he has gone on to perform in a sold-out fusion concert, which paired him with an Indian drum player and dancer at the Esplanade last year. The tickets were much sought after. Qinglun's story is just one example of how different cultures can come together to make art that honours our traditions, while allowing new and beautiful forms to emerge from the cross-pollination of cultures. There are many similar examples like Qinglun in the arts circle. The Government understands the positive effects brought about by traditional arts. Hence, we will continue to invest in and support the traditional arts. Mr Baey Yam Keng spoke passionately about this last year. I fully agree with him, and I thank him for continuing to champion the traditional arts. This is also one of MCCY's main focuses in the future. In 2010, NAC launched a five-year National Traditional Arts Plan. As a result, NAC's direct funding to traditional arts groups has almost quadrupled, from $1.1 million in 2010 to $4.25 million in 2014. In the next five years, we plan to invest a further $25 million in the traditional arts. But we will not stop there. In my consultations with traditional arts groups over the last year, one theme has emerged repeatedly and, that is, the need for a centre for traditional arts. Page: 63 We have heard them. To help traditional arts groups develop further, I am pleased to announce that we will look into developing Stamford Arts Centre at Waterloo Street as a centre with a focus on the Traditional Arts.”
“In addition to the Indian and the Malay Heritage Centres, we can also look forward to the opening of the new Chinese Cultural Centre by the end of next year. The Centre will actively promote both traditional Chinese culture and our modern, uniquely Singaporean version of Chinese culture. All these heritage and cultural centres are open to Singaporeans of all races, so as to connect us to our roots of our multiracial multicultural society. If we want to know who we are and where we are going to as a people, then we must start with our past, with stories of our separate origins, but also how we came together to build the Singapore of today. Page: 62 Just as we lived together in the past despite, or because of our diversity, so we need to see how we can continue to make Singapore a welcoming place for people of different cultures and abilities. The second thing we will do in MCCY is to foster an inclusive society through the arts and sports. Mdm Chair, please allow me to speak in Mandarin for this segment of my speech. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mdm Chair, a harmonious society needs communication and mutual understanding. Just now, the Minister talked about how we can promote understanding between different communities through sports and arts. Promoting traditional arts is also an important communication avenue. Traditional arts will not only allow Singaporeans to understand their own background and culture, but also build bridges across cultures, helping to build an inclusive and harmonious society. There are many cross-culture examples in our life. Take Tan Qinglun from Ding Yi Music Company, for example. Qinglun has been studying the dizi, or Chinese flute, since the age of 12.”
“Thank you. These paintings were exhibited on Orchard Road during the recent Chingay Night Festival, and many Singaporeans had witnessed the stories Page: 61 of our past through these paintings. Mr Ang Hao Sai's work is a nostalgic walk down memory lane, taking us to the days when "ding ding tang" and "beh leh koh" uncles plied their trades on the streets, delighting young customers with their candy treats. He reminds us that before the modern cinema was built, people used to watch movies through peepholes built into a box carried on bicycles or tricycles. Mdm Chair, heritage is also about memories, and memories connect us to our past and also to our roots. Mr Ang's paintings recall the memories of yester-years and preserve the Singapore Story, so that it can be told to future generations. Mr Arthur Fong has also spoken about the need to preserve our heritage. That is why we will present the stories of our past through our heritage and cultural centres, to better connect Singaporeans to our rich and diverse heritage. This is a reflection of our unique multi-racial and multi-cultural social fabric. The new Indian Heritage Centre will open in May this year. With its colourful facade, the Centre will be a bright jewel of Little India that tells us the stories of our Indian community. Within its walls, the history of Singapore's Indian community comes alive. You will trace our Indian pioneers' journey to Singapore. You will see how they helped build our nation through their hard work and grit. We will also be refreshing the Malay Heritage Centre's permanent galleries, to better tell the stories of our Malay community in Singapore. This includes Singapore's age-old ties to the Malay world through trade within the Nusantara, or Malay Archipelago.”
“Mdm Chair, the Minister spoke about his vision for our arts and heritage and the future that we want to build for our youth. Indeed, our shared heritage and values are the common threads that bind us, even as Singapore becomes more diverse. We want multicultural understanding, not ignorance. Inclusion, not exclusion. Harmony, not hatred. To achieve this, we will continue to work on three areas: first, to connect Singaporeans to our roots; second, to build an inclusive society; and third, to foster a harmonious society. Let me start with connecting Singaporeans to our roots. Mdm Chair, the foundation of a society lies in its roots. Mr Ang Hao Sai reminds us of this. As one of Singapore's last movie canvas painters, he was inspired to preserve the memories of our past through 50 paintings to commemorate this SG50. Mdm Chair, with your permission, I would like to display some photos on the screens.”
“I understand that the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) launched in 2007 was an initiative to provide incentives to businesses to hire these PMEs, and enhancements have been made along the way, with the most recent ones being late last year. But more can still be done for the mature workers, especially the PMEs, as they face greater challenges. Beyond helping the mature PMEs in gaining employment, helping them to acquire skills and access training to stay in their existing jobs or switch to a new job successfully is equally important. Will SkillsFuture cover the training that PMEs need and can they use the Credit together with course subsidies, as PME courses may cost more. It is heartening to see that just early this year, there has been a number of measures and initiatives towards helping PMEs, for instance the amendment of the Singapore's Industrial Relations Act to include PMEs under the scope of union representation; and the launching of the U Associate Grant by NTUC to PMEs to support them in training and employability enhancement. However, can there be more targeted help for the mature PMEs? Is there anything similar to the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn programme that can be made available to mature PMEs? Perhaps a more structured programme, where our mature PMEs are able to undergo on-the-job training? Support for Low-income Elderly”
“Madam, thank you for allowing me to speak on this topic. One of the key thrusts of this Budget is to develop people through SkillsFuture. At the macro-perspective, it is the right direction to re-skill and up-skill our work force and make them future-ready. But at the micro-level, the implementation of this plan needs careful calibration to ensure that all segments of the workers can reap the real benefits, especially the older workers. Here, I wish to speak up for the older PMEs. Technology is constantly changing the nature of our jobs and skills. For instance, engineers and accountants use complex software today which require more training, compared to the past. Many of our young graduates would have learnt these tools in University. But the same cannot be said about the older workers, who have left school a long ago and this could result in some mature PMEs feeling anxious about their jobs security if they cannot keep up with new technology and new skills. Whether it is about having to stay relevant, or about switching to a new job for career progression, mature PMEs may need to make substantial investments to skill and reskill themselves. On the other hand, this group of PMEs often have substantial personal commitments. Some of those who have been retrenched are afraid of investing time and money on a full-time course as their top most priority is to find a job after retrenchment. Page: 51 Madam, our mature PMEs are facing a dilemma. On the one hand, the needs for skills training are great; on the other, the costs, including opportunity costs, are very high, too.”
“I hope that our schools and Institutes of Higher Learning can make use of this fund to start up oral history projects, spearheaded and operationalised by our students and young Singaporeans, to record the memories and the recollections of the Pioneer Generation to reflect their fighting spirit. If we spend this money wisely and find an effective way of connecting the younger generations to the Pioneer Generation, then I think the legacy of our Pioneer Generation will be preserved and the successive generations of Singaporeans will benefit from this legacy and they, in return, can create their own and pass it down to future generations. If we can do this social transformation correctly, then the pioneering spirit will always flow in the blood of Singaporeans, even after the Pioneer Generation and the Pioneer Generation Package are long gone. That, I think, will be the real and lasting legacy for Singaporeans. That also will be the real and lasting future for Singapore. Mdm Speaker, with Page: 92 this, I support the Budget. 4.44 pm”
“We are collaborators rather than competitors because we are both quite evenly matched and we share similar strategic visions. But if Norway continues to be strong and innovative, and Singapore is not, then the collaborator can turn into competitor or even predator and the tough Norwegian cookies can move our cheese and eat our lunch. Why do Norway and many other advanced countries call Singapore friends today? Why are we the largest investor in China? On the global stage, why is Singapore a worthy partner to many countries? Can we continue to hold court to our collaborators and competitors in the next 50 years? Mdm Speaker, the answers to these questions are not just about staying ahead in the global competition, topping the rankings or using the Budget to advance our development and preparedness. The real answer to me is that we must do our best with great determination and resilience, the very spirit shown by our Pioneer Generation. And for the second generation of Singaporeans like myself – those who are above 50 years old – we saw the struggles of the Pioneer Generation, that is our parents' generation, with our own eyes and we heard their experiences from them directly. Hence, we are fortunate enough to be able to connect to them, to appreciate their values and even emulate their fine examples. But this connection is seemingly lost in the third generation of Singaporeans, who have somehow lost the direct touch with their grandparents' generation. However, I am comforted that the Finance Minister has allocated a special budget to our schools to do meaningful projects.”
“Instead, I saw a bright young man in his 20s, half my age, blond with blue eyes, laughing and shaking my hands. His parting words left a very vivid impression on me. He said, "We live in pain every day and the pain makes us stronger the next day." Other sled drivers are similarly young. So, I thought to myself, "Gee, all these young men, these Norwegians, they are as tough as their forefathers who succeeded in an unforgiving environment, as a small country among much larger neighbours". My experience from this dog-sleigh ride is that, in life, we can never be well-prepared enough for challenges and adversities. The day when we think we have done enough, we have prepared enough, is the day when we will be in for a rude shock when we eventually face the eventualities. And this young Norwegian young man's words still ring in my ears like an alarm bell today, "The pain makes us stronger the next day". How similar this is to the pain endured by the Samsui woman mentioned in my speech earlier. The Norwegians accord Singaporeans with respect and dignity because we are both small countries with very large neighbours and we are both successful in our respective regions. While many Singaporeans may not know this, Singapore was China's largest Foreign Direct Investor in 2013 and, yet, we are 13,000 times smaller than China. We are also China's largest trading partner in ASEAN. For a country of 716 square kilometres in size and 5.4 million in population, I think our achievements are, indeed, remarkable and this is why Page: 91 Singapore is well regarded and respected by others internationally. Norway and Singapore cooperate well on many international platforms.”
“To prepare for this dog sled ride, I put on seven layers of clothes, three layers of pants, two pairs of winter socks and a pair of snow boots, plus a Russian hat. When I put on all these gear, I looked like Santa Claus. When I presented myself to the sleigh operator, he laughed Page: 90 and had me put on heavily-padded trousers made of seat-belt like material and a heavy leather coat made of some animal skins. And that is not all. I had to replace my snow boots with a pair of rubberised heavy-duty boots with thick animal fur as inner liners. I needed to put on a pair of heavily-stuffed gloves that looked like boxing gloves. I staggered onto the sled with nearly 10 kilogrammes of extra weight from all those additional gear. I was literally covered from head to toe in a winter armour suit. The only things exposed were actually my cheeks – the area between my eye-glasses and my winter scarf. Then, the sled driver shouted to his dogs – 12 huskies to one sled – and off we went for the ride! With the icy-cold wind brushing my face mercilessly, it was the most searing pain I have ever felt in my life. On my face, the cold freezing my eyeballs, so I can only looked forward and not sideways – they were frozen. And the excruciating pain was burning my exposed cheeks. So, I asked curiously why there was a burning pain in cold winter. And the clear and assuring voice of the sled driver came to me, "This is cold burn." And he further said that, "Pain is good! If you feel the pain, it means you are alive. If there is no pain, you are dead!" Thirty minutes later when the ride was over and we both got out of the sled and removed our "Storm Trooper" coverings, I was mentally prepared to meet an old, mean, tough and seasoned guy.”
“And for those of you who may be curious about Singapore's interest in the Arctic, the short answer is that when the Arctic Ocean melts in the next few decades, the Northern Sea Routes will open up where many ships can sail from Europe to Asia and vice-versa up North directly and by-passing Singapore completely. When the sea level rises due to the Arctic melting, you will then understand why we need to take an active interest in the Arctic as it concerns our survival as a country and also as a people. This will not happen until after 20-30 years but we have to get involved now so that we can put in place plans and strategies to overcome all the challenges and difficulties when the Arctic ocean melts and opens up. When I was in Norway for the Arctic Frontiers Conference (AFC), apart from giving a keynote address at the conference and meeting my counterparts from Norway, United States and other countries, I also visited the Sami Parliament and met its President. Sami is the major indigenous community in Norway and its Parliament is located in a city in the northern part of Norway called Karasjok. If you cannot pronounce the name correctly, that is okay. All you need to know is to remember that the temperature of this city can go below -50 degree Celsius in hard winters. After all, it is not too far away from the North Pole. So, on the day of arrival at Karasjok, I saw a road side billboard proudly displaying "-40 degree Celsius" on its LED panel. And to show "warm hospitality" to the Singapore delegation, or in this case, the "cold hospitality", the Norwegian government had arranged for a dog sled ride for us. I have been forewarned that the dog sled ride in harsh winter can be an extremely freezing experience. So, I went there well prepared. Or so I thought.”
“They were simple men and women who had just one simple focus, that is, to build a better future for their next generation. In that pursuit, they had also collectively built this nation – Singapore, a place where all of us call home now. Mdm Speaker, I believe the true meaning of the Pioneer Generation Package is not just about acknowledging the Pioneer Generation's contributions to Singapore. It is not just about reducing the financial burden of their medical costs, although these are all very important. To me, the true meaning of the Pioneer Generation Package is to preserve the Pioneer Generation's resilience in overcoming great odds, sacrificing themselves for the next generation and the firm belief in Singapore that it is worth fighting for. Page: 89 So, while this year's Budget is about building our future through hardware and software developments, I hope that Government agencies and Singaporeans could also focus on building the "heart-ware" – reflecting the Pioneer Generation's spirit to make Singapore not just a house but a home for all. We shall not forget their pain in building this small but great nation just like I shall not forget the sparkles in the son's eyes when he spoke of his Samsui woman mother with great gratitude and pride. And I really hope that HDB could give some consideration to this son. Talking about pain, I would like to share another painful story. But this time round it is not in Singapore but in Norway – a country that is about 7,000 kilometres away from Singapore. Some of you may have known that I am involved in an Arctic project. And some of my colleagues, in fact, call me "Mr Iceman" because, from time to time, I have to go to the Arctic region to do some work for Singapore.”
“So, you can imagine that when I know that there was another Samsui woman in the constituency, I naturally wanted to know more about her – I would like to invite her to join the various activities organised by CC, RC and Senior Activity Centres (SACs). During the conversation, the son told me that his mother was involved in the construction of the OCBC Building in the 1970s. He further shared that his mother used to carry bucket loads of cement and bricks and walked up 50 floors of the OCBC Building on foot. Every evening, the mother would come home with a worn-out body. But she could not just simply rest after a hard day's work. She had to cook dinner for the family, washed the dishes and laundry before she finally got the chance to retire to bed. This son recalled very vividly that he used to massage his mother's shoulders to reduce her pain before she went to sleep. The next day, his mother would wake up early in the morning, put on her Samsui woman gear and leave for work; only to return home in the evening with a worn-out body again. This routine went on till she could not work anymore. So, the mother once told the children that their education was built by her pain. Mdm Speaker, to listen to a son's recounting of how his mother had built up her children's future with her pain, I could not help but just feel that a generation of Singapore Pioneers had actually built modern Singapore with their pain. After listening to the son's recollection, I suddenly realised the true spirit of our Pioneer Generation and what the Pioneer Generation Package ought to honour them for. That is, honour them for their ability to overcome the pain, their willingness to sacrifice for the next generation, their perseverance to meet challenges head on.”
“" The young fish looked puzzled and asked, "What water?" For well-managed and prosperous countries like Singapore – jobs, homes, growth, all these are taken as a given, as a way of a normal life. So, people swim in it and they do not know what it is like to be without it. In Singapore, I think we must not allow ourselves to become like the younger fish, to be oblivious of what we have and unaware of the dangers of losing them. Hence, we need to develop a new narrative when we speak about "building our future". Just talking about how good the water is, like the old fish, or the ignorance of it, like the younger fish, is not good enough to shape the future of Singapore in the 21st Century. We have to move beyond the triangulations of jobs, homes and growth and come back to the fundamentals, the very foundation that built Singapore 50 years ago. Mdm Speaker, our Government introduced the Pioneer Generation package last year to honour our Pioneers, the generation who built Singapore. Although much has been said about the reasons for honouring our Pioneer Generation, I often struggled to find the one attribute that we can convincingly hold our Pioneer Generation up as a concrete example to Page: 88 honour, to emulate for. I have finally found my answer late last year from the son of a Pioneer Generation. Towards the end of 2014, a middle-aged man came to my Meet-the-People Session. He wanted to appeal to HDB to allow him to buy a flat under the Sale-of-Balanced Flat scheme. The reason for his request was that he wanted to live close to his elderly mother who is in her 80s. When he mentioned that his mother was a Samsui woman, I decided to make further enquiries as currently, there are two known Samsui women living in my Radin Mas constituency.”
“Mdm Speaker, thank you for allowing me to join the debate. This Budget has been described as "pro-future" by many people. But what exactly are we building for the future? Is it hardware, software or heart-ware? And which is more important? These are the questions that we ought to spend time to think about carefully since it concerns Singapore's future – our future. After the Finance Minister delivered his Budget Statement in this House last week, I have been gathering feedback and comments from grassroots leaders and residents. After speaking to many people, I discovered that different people have different takes and expectations on the Budget. However, one common sentiment seems to be running through most people's minds, that is, many of them feel fairly confident about their future. This is quite a stark contrast to the sentiments at the birth of our nation in 1965. Fifty years ago, building a future was difficult because there were so little to build with. But yet, the goals were clear – jobs, housing, economic growth. These goals were uncontested then as Singaporeans knew that these three things were needed for our survival. Today, building the future appears easy or easier because there is so much to build with – good foundations or infrastructure, strong fiscal positions, an educated citizenry. And yet, the goals are increasingly contested – different people want different things for their future, to meet their respective expectations, to fulfil their individual aspirations. Today, we already have jobs, homes and growth. In fact, many of us have never known anything but. This reminds me of a story that I read some years ago. It is a story about fish. One old and one young fish met in a fishbowl. And the old fish asked gleefully, "Isn't the water good today?”
“Madam, Mr Pritam Singh says that he will explain and give the answers to his residents. I must say that I am a resident of Aljunied GRC. And, in fact, Mr Chen Show Mao is my Member of Parliament. So, I would not bother you to come to my house during the house visit to explain to me. You can give the answers in the name of transparency, if I might add, professionalism, integrity and honesty, to this House at tomorrow's Sitting.”
“In my concluding speech then, I emphasised that, "since MP Chen is using Wei Zheng as an example that he would like to emulate, when his view is different from that of his party, I hope he will be able to look at the big picture and express his view, and not be a 'yes-man' to his party." With regard to this WP Town Council issue, where the accounts are in a mess and there are inadequate transparency and lapses in governance, Mr Chen has not said anything at any public forum yet. Has he become a member of the "One-Man-Court" and a blind follower of his party? Fortunately, I saw Mr Chen's name on today's speakers' list and I look forward to Mr Chen's views on the whole incident. Mr Chen is a very experienced top lawyer and was once in charge of several companies' public listing projects worth tens of billions of dollars. He should have his independent views on whether the Town Council is managed in a transparent, fair and professional way. Thinking back to Mr Chen's words in 2011, they sounded so righteous and powerful. I urge Mr Chen, in the fearless spirit of Wei Zheng, to express his unbiased, professional and independent views on this issue. Otherwise, it will give people the impression that his words are not matching his deeds! Thank you, Mdm Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to speak. Again, I support the Motion moved by Minister Khaw. 5.36 pm”
“" In "Great Learning", it was summarised as "cultivate oneself, manage the family, govern the country and attain world peace." If you do not cultivate yourself, your family would not be at peace; if families are in disarray, the country will be in a mess, how can you have a First-World Parliament then? As Members of Parliament, representing the voice of the people, we should hold high standards for ourselves. This is our duty. I am not saying we should try to be like Confucius and be a saint. What I mean is, without self-cultivation, our democratic politics will have no content and morals, and our country will not develop in a healthy manner. Page: 84 Talking about this, I remembered Aljunied GRC Member of Parliament Mr Chen Show Mao's maiden speech in Parliament in 2011, which had left a deep impression on me. Allow me to quote: "The reign of Zhenguan, the golden age of enlightened rule in Chinese history, was not characterised by a "one-man-court" that brooked no dissension. There was Weizheng who was famous for being unafraid to speak hard truths in admonitions that caused offence to the Emperor Tang Taizong. Without either, there would not be the golden age of Zhenguan. In this Twelfth Parliament, I hope a wise ruling party can be Tang Taizong and we can be Weizheng. Together, we can work to usher in a period of prosperity and peace for the nation, not an age of domineering leaders ruling over a petty people living in submission." I remember I praised his speech in Parliament and said his words had brought in some fresh air. I also said then we should give him more applause for that.”
“MND has realised this and the Minister is moving this Motion to review the relevant laws to strengthen oversight and improve Town Councils' governance. According to Lianhe Wanbao's report on Monday, Mr Low Thia Khiang had earlier said in an interview that, "the fact that the Town Council did not meet the standard in terms of S&CC arrears and governance did not affect the Town Council's operation and services. There is no need for people to worry." People cannot help but to think of the time when the WP was lashing out at AIM. It actually did not affect the Town Council's daily operations and services, but why then was the WP so concerned and bombarding the PAP Town Councils? Now, it is the WP Town Council that is being questioned, but you tell the residents not to worry. I wonder how the people will feel about this. Let us look at it from another angle and say it is a PAP Town Council that has made the five mistakes listed in the report and the person in charge of the PAP Town Council had said, "Do not worry, it is really nothing. Relax!" Will the WP accept this explanation? Will the people accept it? One must walk the talk. I think this is a question of integrity and moral values, as well as a political one. Good political competition should be based on reason and morality. Only with that can we have clean politics and the country can progress. It was recorded in the Analects' chapter Xian Wen that Zilu once asked Confucius what the way of the gentleman was. Confucius said, "To cultivate oneself so as to be proper." Zilu asked further, "Is this good enough?" Confucius said, "To cultivate oneself so as to make others peaceful." Zilu asked again, "So, that's it"? Confucius said, "To cultivate oneself so as to make the whole world peaceful.”