Seah Kian Peng
Singapore
“I thank the Senior Minister of State for his reply. Just a few supplementary questions. Given the decline in volume and given that I can understand SingPost having their challenges, how does the Ministry ensure that there is no degradation of services that are provided by SingPost?”
“Yet, violence, domination, pain, harm and abuse also occur within the walls of a family. We need to be vigilant and sensitive in our approach. Hard rules and automatic application of these rules are a poor response to the challenges that we face today.”
“Both parents and schools have a role to play in shaping our children in the way they should go and I agree with Mr Don Wee that it is important for families to have open conversations about these matters.”
“Just a quick supplementary question for the Senior Minister of State. First, I must say I am surprised but happy that the number of cases has gone down. Having said that, we need to also pay attention to the number of unreported cases. Personally, I am sure we have heard from many residents who come to us for these cases.”
“Second, we propose to put in place new processes to prevent the misuse of the MPA by parents who have abandoned, abused or neglected their children and did not fulfil their parental duties. In so doing, we also protect and spare their children from unnecessary distress.”
“The way we feed ourselves will not be the same. The way we live and the way we work will also be different – telemedicine, work from home, online learning and the need for insurance. But there are other things which will remain the same – resilience, unity, and a single-minded commitment to our joint future.”
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“In Singapore, our model of multiracialism is not a pretense of colour-blindness, but an "eyes open" model where rules are made to balance whatever inequalities bestowed by nature, circumstance or human bias. In general, I know that Singaporeans will support a President from any race, but the proposed changes to the Elected Presidency scheme to reserve an election for a minority group comes across as compromising on meritocracy. This is an easy argument to make – if we want fair political competition, we must open the playing field to all. This is a marketplace heuristic and, many times, it carries well into the political arena. In the marketplace, it is the duty of those who create rules for the market, to make these as fair as possible. This is what we strive to do in our politics as well. As what the Prime Minister says, we need good politics. For example, this is why in the GEs in Singapore, we cap the amount of money that any party is allowed on campaigning to blunt the competitive edge that richer parties may have. We use rules to make the competition as fair as we can, knowing that the goal is to pick the best candidate, not the one that has the most monetary resources. This idea of "best", therefore, needs to be regarded in relationship to the job at hand, and the rules must allow us the best chance to get the "best" man in. Let me state the purpose of an Elected President without frippery. The purpose of electing a president in Singapore is to make sure that someone safeguards our Reserves from a populist government. He and his Council of advisors will provide the rational, clear-headed analysis that will veto any attempt to raid our Reserves. They are our shield and the Bill we are debating today gives this shield strength.”
“Mdm Speaker, when the Elected Presidency was set up in 1991, the key discussions at the time were about the need for elections and the role of an Elected President. Racial representation was not a key point of contention. And yet it was implicit in our discussions over time, in particular in 1999, when two elements of the Presidency became clear. First, that the President was not an alternative centre of power and his role was likely to remain largely ceremonial for most of the time. Second, that the President was a symbol of unity and of our nationhood. In this, the need for the President to come from the different races of our country becomes obvious. The key reason for our debate today is that rules made in the past need to evolve to suit present circumstances. For a country whose anthem is in our national language, it cannot escape notice that there has been no Malay President for close to 50 years. A Malay President is not Page: 61 tokenism. It is an important part of our national life. The Malay culture, heritage and language deserve a larger place in our public spaces, especially given the large social changes brought about by the forces of globalisation. Majulah Singapura is about the progress of Singapore. But progress is meaningless without a clear idea of the purpose and promise of our country. Purpose: semangat yang baru. One of our key purposes in this small island is to strive to achieve great things together: "Marilah kita bersatu; Dengan semangat yang baru". Our new spirit – semangat yang baru – is to create a new nation regardless of race, language or religion. Yet, to say "regardless" is not to say "disregard" – therein lies the way towards irrational liberalism. To have complete freedom is mere jungle survival.”
“I thank the Minister for the answer. I would just like to seek a few clarifications. First, based on the first three quarters, we already see an almost 33% increase in retrenchment numbers. Based on this rate, I think we can expect for the last quarter, probably over 2,000 more retrenchments. So, my first supplementary question is: is the rate of retrenchment on the increase? And are we concerned about these numbers? What steps should we take going forward and, in anticipation of the worsening economic climate, what steps can we take to preserve more jobs for Singaporeans?”
“As we have seen in the case of Joseph Schooling and many other sportsmen and sportswomen, parents and family are the key to motivating our athletes, and we should do what we can to also acknowledge, recognise and support these parents. Last year, NTUC FairPrice launched a campaign featuring four local personalities to reveal their unsung heroes who have contributed to their personal development. Pin Xiu was among those featured. She shared the story of her mother in a video, and she said this of her mother: "You have given me the strength to be who I am. You have taught me what it's like to love a family. You've shown me that all this hard work you've done is not only for yourself but for everyone around you. And I want to do the same." And with this, my heartiest congratulations again to all our Paralympians, our ambassadors on the world stage and all the families and support staff behind the scenes. You have brought joy and pride to all Singaporeans and also taught us many important lessons. Thank you, Team Singapore Paralympians.”
“Mdm Speaker, I join our Government and Members of this House in congratulating our Singapore Paralympics Team for their outstanding results at this year's Paralympic Games in Brazil. We sent our largest ever contingent to the Paralympic Games with 13 athletes taking part in a record number of six sports, and our athletes were brilliant out there. Our Paralympians gave us so many memories – from swimmers Theresa Goh winning the bronze medal to Yip Pin Xiu clinching two gold medals and smashing a world record in the process. Thank you to every athlete for bringing the rest of Singapore to a euphoric high with your energy, faithful and dedicated practices and final amazing performances! All of us who have watched or read about you in action, are moved and inspired by your never-say-die attitude to overcoming difficulties in life to follow your dreams through sheer grit and perseverance. For Theresa Goh, this has been a 17-year journey and continuing. The Paralympian effort is single-minded in a way that few of us will ever understand – the sacrifices and struggles, the zero-compromise commitment you all have put in to prepare for the Games. These are lessons for us all – that we should not give up on our goals come what may, and that hard work and resilience pay. I would like to commend the Singapore National Paralympics and the SDSC for supporting our athletes at the Games, as well as to record our thanks and recognition of the efforts of the coaches, behind-the-scenes support staff and, especially the incredible families, whose love and support played such a huge role in our athletes' achievements. Pin Xiu is a resident of mine and I have known her and her parents for a number of years. Her parents are active participants in one of my community groups.”
“I thank the Minister for his response. Given the sombre outlook and from my chat with my friends in various businesses, I think the outlook is one of great uncertainty. There seems to be very few spots of positive news. And from the consumers' side, looking at the various reports, consumer confidence is at an all-time low. So, when I put these two together, for many of us, we feel that a recession is imminent. My question to the Minister is: do we wait for that to come or do we try to put some measures in place to forestall these dark clouds that I see coming?”
“Precisely because it is difficult to ascertain, how would MOH look at this factor? There is also the danger of doctors over-prescribing, over-servicing. I urge the Ministry to take a more active stance in approaching this issue.”
“A few clarifications for the Minister of State. I have received quite a lot of feedback from residents and friends. From their point of view, it appears that many feel that prices have gone up. So, on the control measures that the Minister of State has outlined, I would like to ask what is the assessment of the effectiveness of these control measures. Do we see the problem of possible over-claims to be widespread? Also, how many clinics are being investigated? Since this question was filed, yes, indeed, there were two dental clinics that were suspended. Is this the tip of the iceberg? Because these are serious taxpayers' monies that are Page: 28 being paid out, we need to have a more proactive approach to this issue.”
“Other than criminally prosecuting the perpetrators, I feel that non-confrontational styles of approach can be taught to Public Service workers to respond adequately to these occurrences before they turn into offences. Have we trained staff to recognise early stages of occurrences and alert them to potentially abusive intent? Are staff already trained in any security measures or devices to alert fellow workers? I know there are closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in many places now, partly to provide monitoring capabilities, but also to provide evidence for "just in case" moments. In many places, CCTVs are now the bastion between behaving decently and terribly. I have no policy fixes, and CCTVs or body worn cameras are a poor substitute for basic courtesy. But if they are necessary and they help the public officials, I say, go ahead, let us have more of them. I know of many public servants serving on the frontline, residents and friends alike. They have felt that incidents of verbal and physical abuse towards them are on the rise and this is, indeed, worrying in spite of efforts to mitigate them. What else can be done to support their needs?”
“Mdm Chair, it was recently reported that a nurse was kicked in the chest by a patient that she was trying to help. Because it is a patient, the burden is placed on nurses, that we are supposed to "take it in our stride", that we ought to be long-suffering in these matters. Imagine how this would play out in the social media if a nurse had tried to defend herself physically against an attacker. But we must bear in mind that physical abuse by anyone is not acceptable. This same asymmetry applies to the poor, the needy, residents and anyone, indeed, whom the public officers are trying to help. They are the customers and they are always right. That they are the Davids against the Goliaths of this world. It is estimated that 70% of healthcare professionals here have faced physical abuse. What does that say about our patients and the family of our patients? Being sick does not entitle one to be violent or disrespectful. But how many nurses can say this to their patients? I believe there is severe under-reporting. In reply to my Parliamentary Question earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean has said that among the restructured hospitals, there were 31 reported cases in 2013 and 34 cases in 2014. Let me take this into the Public Service as a whole. In this, the public servants cannot be ignored. We need to continue identifying, assessing and mitigate the factors that lead to abuse, to bring about a safe workplace for our public officers. Can the Minister let me know if there has, indeed, been a rise in occurrences of abuse or harassment towards public officers, especially frontline staff? The Public Service is the backbone of the provision of all services to Singaporeans. We should respect public servants and protect them from abuse or harassment.”
“A few remarks. Sir, much progress has been made over the years in our journey to build a more caring and inclusive society. On behalf of all Members, I want to thank the Minister, Parliamentary Secretary, Permanent Secretary Mr Chan Heng Kee and his team at MSF and also all the social service professionals, workers and volunteers for ensuring that the heart-beat of our country remains one which is strong, compassionate, caring and assuring to all Singaporeans. With that, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. [(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $2,400,490,300 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)] [(proc text) The sum of $99,920,900 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)] Page: 125”
“Chairman, I have two clarifications to make. First, I want to thank the Minister for his very strong support and for his strong advocate for fathers to be active. For divorced families, however, I think this can be quite challenging when the father does not live with or does not see the children often. Minister, what can we do for this group of fathers? My second clarification is for the Parliamentary Secretary. Indeed, there has been much progress that has been made to make Singapore more inclusive for people with disabilities. How we treat people with disabilities is important because they are a cornerstone in building an inclusive society. I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary what efforts can we put in to raise the awareness of people with disabilities. I would appreciate clarifications on these two points.”
“Managing a large pool of volunteers is a challenge and requires high-level skills in coordination. Volunteers have to be organised within a coherent administrative framework in order to maximise their contributions. A disorganised and fragmented approach to managing volunteers can result in confusion or, worse, negative outcomes. A growing pool of volunteers can, therefore, also strain already tight resources. How does the Ministry plan to manage such a challenge?”
“Ironically, even as the economy slows, many organisations still cannot fully meet their hiring needs. Social spending has been rising steadily for a number of years now and it has required sectors, such as social and family services, to increase their demand for manpower at a time when the supply is tight. From childcare centres to old-age care, the rate of increase in Government spending and the urgency of meeting certain performance targets are occurring at a pace faster than we had seen in the past. I would like to urge the Ministry to temper the rush to compete for manpower and other scarce resources and ensure that the increases in growth in spending be achieved at a more measured pace. Please allow me to point to three specific areas of concern. Even if manpower were more readily available, proper training and deployment take time. Has the Ministry monitored if the pressures imposed by the increases in social spending over the last few years are leading to problems with the quality and fit of manpower in the sectors under its purview? Page: 97 The volume of work under the Ministry's purview has also expanded. Take ComCare as an example. The number of cases under ComCare has been growing, with that under ComCare Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance expanding about four times from 2007 to 2014. For the many organisations in the social and family services sector that are not-for-profit and affected by the manpower crunch, what is the impact on their service standards? How do they cope with the competition for manpower with for-profit organisations? What is the outlook for the manpower supply in this sector in the face of such challenges? Finally, the number of volunteers has also expanded.”
“People in the social service and early childhood fields often experience challenges in their day-to-day work. The Government is now trying to develop a larger pool of skilled social service professionals through agencies, such as ECDA and the Social Service Institute. We announced recently that in addition to the SkillsFuture Credit, social service professionals will also be eligible for the SkillsFuture Study Awards for the Social Service Sector, providing each recipient with $5,000 for attending course-related training. Besides these efforts, how else is the Government investing in the professional capabilities of this very special group? Are these professionals currently accorded the opportunity and time by their organisations to pursue professional development? How else is the Government also looking to give greater support and recognition to other social service professionals? In particular, can we continue to raise the salaries of social workers and other social service professionals to give them greater parity with their peers in other professions? Meanwhile, the Government has also been increasing support as well for VWOs. With these investments, has there been an evaluation of outcomes? How have the VWOs benefited from the support? I know the plan to develop the Social Service Net (SSNet) is already underway. How has the progress of the implementation of SSNet been and what is the next phase of its development? How has the social service sector been leveraging on technology to improve its work and service delivery? Manpower for Social and Family Services Assoc Prof Randolph Tan (Nominated Member): In Singapore, almost all sectors compete for manpower from the same limited pool.”
“Can the Minister spell out the key focus areas of Enabling Masterplan 3? Embracing the Special Needs Community”
“Mr Chairman, Enabling Masterplan 2 comes to fruition by the end of this year. Notwithstanding its plans and progress, there is a sense on the ground that the majority of the public are still largely unaware of its achievements and undertakings, even the existence of the five-year Plan itself. Page: 92 A friend told me that in her evening walks with her husband, she sometimes sees a person on a wheelchair at the bus-stop, where he would alight from a double-decker bus. He would wait patiently to ask for help from random passers-by to wheel him home. My friend's husband wheeled him one particular evening and, even for a young man in his 30s, it was not the easiest task. The 20-minute journey, gradually uphill, and made longer due to detours made inevitable by steps. Imagine the man on a wheelchair having to ask for this favour almost every night. This story makes two points. First, let us do help each other along, whether it is a man on a wheelchair or an old neighbour with dementia. Second, I would like to sound a note for practical help. Too often, the term "community help" means the Government leaving us to our own devices. This is great for those of us who have devices, but the Government needs to help those who cannot help themselves and to do so without eroding their dignity and self-worth. In this case, can the Minister update us if we are close to the forecasted 400 beneficiaries taking up the Assistive Technology Fund? Can the Minister also recap what are the key areas of progress made under Enabling Masterplan 2 and how the Government plans to build on these achievements? Beyond continuing work on early intervention, I think we need to also give more support to families in caregiving for such groups and improving the service delivery and quality.”
“How does the Ministry intend to improve the support to such children? Also, it is known that children with special needs are at a higher risk of experiencing abuse. Does the Ministry have any statistics for this group? Also, what is being done to address the higher risk for this subgroup? Effectiveness of Social Service Officers”
“Based on statistics released by the Ministry, there has been an increase in the number of child abuse investigations since 2009. In 2014, there were 158 cases where there was clear evidence of abuse, with another 47 cases lacking evidence but needing assistance. Of the 158 cases, physical abuse was the most common, followed by sexual abuse, physical neglect and emotional abuse. I understand that the Ministry has a Child Protection and Welfare Service that coordinates the protection and welfare plans for the child, as well as providing assistance to the family. In addition, the Ministry works with VWOs, such as the Singapore Children's Society, TRANS Centre and other Family Service Centres (FSCs), in providing holistic support for the child and the family. Together with these VWOs, the Ministry has worked to provide and coordinate supportive services that build parenting capacities, alternative care arrangements, early identification of abuse and neglect, as well as substitute services, such as foster family care, adoption and residential care, for the children. For example, within the Ministry, there is also the Positive Parenting Programme that teaches positive parenting skills for families. There are also recovery programmes for children and adolescents who have experienced sexual abuse, as well as for their non-offending parents and caregivers, to provide them with skills to help their children. Page: 88 All these are not piecemeal efforts. Yet, there still remain a substantial number of child abuse cases, as seen from the statistics that I mentioned earlier. Beyond public education and early identification of suspected abuse cases, what more can the Ministry do to improve support to this vulnerable group? How has the Ministry been supporting these children?”
“The Government is encouraging parenthood. Single parenting is often not a choice but a result of circumstance. I, therefore, repeat my call and ask the Minister to review the current differentials in policies and to recalibrate them. Children of Single-Parent Families”
“Mdm Chair, I have spoken on the needs of single-parent households for some 10 years now. Families of all shapes and sizes – they are a key part of my mission, both in Parliament and in my work in the community, especially in the Centre for Fathering, where I serve on the board. Single-parent families are already socially stigmatised and face more challenges than nuclear households. Our policies should not create more barriers for them when they seek assistance. We should offer the same level of support to families of all kinds. Hence, I would like the Minister to consider extending Government Paid Maternity Leave (GPML) to children of unmarried parents. That will give a clear signal that the Government does not consider their claim to national spending to be any less because of their circumstance, willing or unwilling. How can the Government reduce the vulnerabilities that children from single-parent households face? In particular, for children of unwed parents – almost always mothers – can we extend GPML to them? Whilst we have progressed and started in recent years to provide more for single parents, certain benefits, such as Baby Bonus and housing priority schemes and grants for families, are not extended to unwed parents. I note the Finance Minister's earlier announcement that the Child Development Account (CDA)'s First Step grant is for all Singaporean children and I share the concerns of many other Members who have also asked if this will also include children of unwed parents. I have only mentioned GMPL, co-matching for CDA and the CDA First Step grant to benefit single-parent families. Of course, there is a myriad of policies, not limited to housing or Baby Bonus, that are out of scope for this group but who definitely need them the most.”
“We must recognise companies who are father-friendly, companies who consider involved fathering as a leadership quality that will positively impact their team. Parenting and working is a balance that each one of us – mothers or fathers, men and women, sisters and brothers – we all have to decide for ourselves. This decision, however, is made in a context and within societal and national norms. The Government has a big role in the formation of these norms. [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] Early Childhood Manpower Adequacy”
“While NS training prepares them for national defence, their future role as involved fathers prepares them for social defence, in making homes a safe haven for children. When these men become first-time fathers, a basic course on fathering can make a significant difference in raising awareness of the crucial roles they play and provide some basic tools for involved fatherhood. Second, supporting fathers and teenagers in distress. Young children with fathers who are incarcerated are deprived of the important bonding they could have. The longer they are apart, the harder it is to regain the bond and that increases risk of child neglect. Such fathers need to be given a chance to bond with their children through special programmes for incarcerated fathers. Such bonding, though necessarily limited because of circumstances, is not only precious in itself, but also increases the motivation of these fathers to stay out of trouble for their family. It is time to recognise the difference fathers can make in teenagers who are at a crucial stage of transition into adulthood. We need to encourage better fathering for these teens. Third, strengthening men in their marriages. Many research studies indicate that the quality of the relationship between the child's parents is the central engine governing the healthy functioning Page: 79 of the family system. We need to consider funding marriage enrichment training for couples during crucial times, such as just before the arrival of the first born, just before the teen years, and when parents are incarcerated. Fourth, supporting fathers at work. We need to provide incentives for fathers to be involved with their school-going children by giving them time-off to be at school.”
“Mdm Chair, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Estimates be reduced by $100". I welcome the policy change to allow for fathers to take two weeks' paid paternity leave. First, let me declare my interest as a board member of the Centre for Fathering. I have been there for over 12 years now. Within the recognition of the importance of supporting working mums, will the Minister consider allowing fathers to take leave at any stage within weeks of their baby's birth and not just within the first 16 weeks? This reinforces shared parenting responsibilities and the increasing role that fathers play in families. Singapore has been on a trajectory to increase the provision of maternity leave and, sometimes, this can be perceived to be at the expense of the women's career prospects. Can the Minister tell us how it intends to recalibrate existing policies to keep up with changing realities on child-rearing? I know that in asking this question, I am posing this "having the cake and eat it" scenario. But I do think that it is a false choice that we present to women today – between leaning in and keeling over at work, as one recent mother wrote in the papers. To do this, we need more support for fathers. The presence and active involvement of a father leads to children more likely to do well in school, have healthy self-esteem and avoid high-risk behaviours, compared with children who are raised without a father. While society has prepared women for the workforce, we have not prepared fathers to be involved with their children. I have four suggestions. First, fathering education. As a nation, we need to consider fathering education as a core support to prepare men to be fathers.”
“I had previously asked the Minister to consider a "carrot" approach to recognise and reward companies that have demonstrated and continue to develop a strong Singaporean Core. 4.45 pm I offer two possible "carrots". One is to consider giving such employers flexibility to employ foreign staff by considering the employer with wholly-owned subsidiaries in different sectors and consider them as a group in applying the quotas. Another possible "carrot" is to allow companies which employ persons with special needs a higher foreign staff quota. My point is that beyond the cash incentives and support, it is possible to have a nuanced recognition and reward system. Employment Trends and Job Matching”
“Two quick clarifications. To Acting Minister Ong Ye Kung, I want to clarify that he agrees with me that, for certain faculties where local context is important, such as Political Science and Public Policy, having an adequate core of Singaporean academics in such faculties is useful. If so, is the Acting Minister satisfied with the current status? And if not, what steps will be taken, going forward? To Acting Minister Ng Chee Meng, I am heartened by the changes being made for the proposed changes to the PSLE system. Is the Acting Minister confident that with these proposed changes, it will truly reduce stress?”
“Mdm Chair, it is no mean feat for a Singapore university to emerge as the top one in Asia and 12th in the world. In the latest international rankings, we are placed higher than Yale. That partly comes from the willingness of our universities to attract overseas students and academics of calibre. This is part of our national psyche – we are an international island open to trade and global talent. However, we are a nation, first and foremost, a home for our people and a place where our children need to find their own footing, voice and identity. In all of this, our places of higher education play a crucial role. The percentage of Singaporean university academics in some departments, such as Political Science, and Communications and Public Policy, hovers from a quarter to less than half in 2014; that percentage is unlikely to change at current state. On the supply side, it could be that the pool of Singapore Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students applying for an academic position locally is very small. It could be that many already have offers from the international job market and the 11 universities that are ranked higher than us. It could be that they are paid so much overseas that they prefer to teach elsewhere than in Singapore. It could be; but I do not think so.”
“Finally, we recently introduced SkillsFuture initiatives, such as the Earn and Learn programme for polytechnic and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates, recognising that students can take a longer or different pathway to their respective careers. This is a positive step. Can the Minister tell us how we can carry this through to primary school so that it is not necessary to just "cram" at the PSLE level and make it a must to get into that one good school? Ensuring Every School is a Good School”
“The Ministry has taken steps to reduce competition in PSLE scores. We stopped announcing the top PSLE scorers since 2012 and stopped revealing the highest and lowest scores in a cohort. Despite these changes, the PSLE remains a high-stakes examination for 12-year-olds. Without T-scores, children and parents will still be in a race to achieve the "best" grade bands to secure a place in the "good" schools. Even the DSA exercise has just been an entry route for students who have had the resources or opportunity to be developed in certain areas of sports or arts. At the end of the day, children are still pushed to compete against others, if not in academics, then in sports or arts. Competition is a fact of life, and we do our children a disservice if we do not prepare them for it. But we also need them to appreciate that human beings cannot be measured like the weight of fish or the height of trees. And our children need to develop in a less stressful and competitive way. MOE is developing diverse programmes in schools to meet the needs of different children. This is an encouraging development, but how will this be aligned with the review of the PSLE system? Will school admissions still be based on how well the children perform academically or in that area of specialisation or more based on whether the child's interest and aptitude match the school's programme? How can we improve our PSLE system of grading and make it less stressful, broader and free up more time and space for them to pursue other interests outside of academics?”
“Minister, I filed a Parliamentary Question (PQ) sometime ago which also talks about this. I suggested that beyond the stick approach, we should also have the carrot approach. Perhaps, your answer may be that "this will be addressed at the COS". I certainly hope so, so that we consider recognising companies which are good role models through the COS with some good announcements for them.”
“Just a couple of supplementary questions for the Parliamentary Secretary. I understand that one of the criteria for granting an LTVP+ is whether the marriage is stable. That is a sound criterion. I would like to ask whether we can be more transparent and more definitive in terms of what is considered "stable marriage". Is it three years or two years? If that could be spelt out, it would provide a lot of certainty to the entire family. My other question is a suggestion for the Parliamentary Secretary to consider: if there is such a criterion, whether attempts could be made so that for those who have met that criterion are automatically upgraded from LTVP to LTVP+, without the need to apply. So, I hope to get the Parliamentary Secretary's clarification.”
“In that year, that is, 2011, in response to calls for gender equality for men to be able to claim maintenance from women, the then-Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, said, and I quote, "14 years ago, the Select Committee said we were not ready yet. I am afraid at this point in time, the answer is still we are not ready yet. I hope it will not take another 14 years but I am sure every time we review the Women's Charter, this question will arise." Mdm Speaker, today, we are into this cycle of 14 years. So, are we finally ready after almost 30 years of debate? I say, let us recognise the contributions of stay-at-home men and the notion of shared participation between two equals. This year, we mark the 55th anniversary of the Women's Charter, a piece of legislation made for a time when women needed special protection. Such protection remains needed today. Perhaps in another 55 years, at a time of true equality, we would not need such a charter. But until then, let us make the law a little more equal, by offering men the same protection as women. In the eyes of the law at least, we all ought to be equal. Mdm Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“I wish to draw Parliament's attention to this unusual group of men – bright men of amiable dispositions and ability, who choose to be homemakers while their wives work. These husbands and fathers have embraced the role-reversal, because wife and husband believe it works best for their family unit. In 2014, 10,200 male Singaporeans and Permanent Residents cited "family responsibilities", such as childcare, caregiving to family members and housework, as the main reason for not working. This is triple the number from 2006. One thousand and six hundred of them cited childcare as the main reason for being out of the workforce − more than double the number in 2006. Again, this is the minority, and 47,000 or 25% of females aged 25 to 54 cited childcare for their not being in the labour force. In parallel, the labour force participation rate since 2011 increased more for women from 55% to 60%, versus men from 75% to 77%. The gap is still there, but it is steadily narrowing over 30 years. Certainly, nothing wrong nor surprising with these trends. Empirically, the argument is irrefutable. First, there are increasing role reversals. Second, the economics of home care and paid work follow this reversal. And when it comes to recompense, men should not be unjustly denied. Mdm Speaker, I do not want to belabour this argument because the moral reasoning is simple. But, somehow, in more than 30 years, it has not been able to get through this House. Back in 2011, it was raised in Parliament that role reversals were increasingly common; the wife takes on the sole breadwinner role and the husband stays behind to take care of the house and family. If the couple were to divorce, the husband should be allowed to claim maintenance Page: 64 from the woman.”
“Mdm Speaker, I am in support of the proposed amendments to the Bill. The last time this Bill was debated in January 2011, I also spoke it. Then, amongst other things, I was asking for men to be given reasonable access to their children by their ex-wives. With the latest amendments, I find it encouraging and progressive that, amongst other things, the proposed amendments will include allowing incapacitated men to seek spousal support from their ex-wives. I believe the numbers to be small, though the Ministry does not reveal the figures of those who may be impacted. Moreover, the Court will still take into consideration the financial ability of the woman first before deciding if her ex-spouse is legally entitled to maintenance from his wife. I think this is the right thing to do. Mdm Speaker, today, I would like to speak about two red herrings on this issue. I am mindful that it is still mostly women and their children who need help to recover maintenance/alimony fees from their ex-husbands. Hence, the critics of this Bill who say that we should be more concerned about this larger group rather than the smaller one, I think, missed the point. First, the amendment does not change this level of help. Second, the group may be small, but their cause is no less just. Before I proceed, I should declare my interest as a board member of the Centre for Fathering – a non-profit organisation with an Institution of Public Character (IPC) status and a champion for the "Dads for Life" movement. I have been on the board longer than I have been in politics. It is commonplace when we speak of gender equality to think that we speak on behalf of women. But there is something unusual about male dependants.”
“A supplementary question for the Minister. So, 12,300 was the number for last year, 2015. When we compare this, there are probably 30,000 to 40,000 births each year. It looks like a very small number have taken this up. My question to the Minister is: why? Why do we think this is happening? Is it a case where the fathers who are eligible are not applying, or is it a case where the employers or organisations are not supportive? To add to that, as with many new policies, we expect the Government to take the lead. So, I would like to ask whether the Minister could share what is the take-up rate in the Civil Service, in particular.”
“Just a supplementary question for the Minister. I note the number, which is 20,000, who have applied. Certainly, I think the LPA is a useful instrument. I would like to ask the Minister whether the Ministry is satisfied with the current take-up. Because if you look at the pool that we are trying to target, I would say that every one of us should actually do an LPA. Put in that light, I think 20,000 is a very small number. I think there is a lot of work that needs to be done. I have done a dialogue on LPA with my residents and, from the questions that were asked, I think it is quite clear that many are not aware of it. On the process, I hear the Minister saying that the Ministry is trying to make it simpler, faster and more accessible. I urge for a lot more efforts to be put into this and, if possible, to also set specific targets, so that there is a clear game plan and, hopefully, a year from now, this 20,000 will Page: 10 be a much bigger number. I do think 20,000 is too small.”
“What makes us Singaporean is invisible – the way we sound, the way we think, the way we reason and the way we make collective decisions. To continue to do this, to continue being Singaporean, we must remain together. We must not see people to be herded by rules that cannot be broken; at the same time, we must not see our collective good as largesse to be exploited, our public servants as servants to do our bidding, to bear our anger, to right our personal wrongs. Who is the Singaporean? We, the people of Singapore, we are Singaporean. We are the Government and we are the people. Mdm Speaker, I support the Motion. [Applause.] Page: 23”
“I ask you, you just listen, can tell lah. By the way, I ask you, what is this "Eu-no-ia"? Mdm Speaker, you may be thinking whether to stop me now because dialects are not allowed in Parliament. But is Singlish a dialect? I do not know. But I do know that our language is like us – we are Malay and Chinese and Indian – and we are "others", too. Our common space is large and our politics practical – not because we do not care, but because we care too much. We care too much to allow what makes us different to keep us apart. Our faiths, our race, our religions may be different, but these differences make us strong. Mdm Speaker, Eunoia – I have no strong views on the name of the new junior college, but I have strong views on how we need to be confident in our new identity. Sure, our country is young, especially compared to Greece, but in our names and in our lexicon, let us be proud and celebrate our own. Indeed, "our language is one kind". And to the students of Eunoia, be confident and make the name your own. The history of your school is yet to be written, so co-create it and write it in your own words, with your own accent. So, what is this Singaporean style? It is said that the Singaporean is pragmatic, which has often been mistaken for not caring enough; for not having a particular political philosophy. The truth is we care too much – we care too much to allow blind ideology to prevent us from pursuing our clear vision. We care too much to let go of our brand of metaphysics – keeping our families safe, our jobs secure, our future bright. This is what gives us meaning and hope, and this is how we define our shared future. We must keep our common space large and our country united.”
“The President, in his Address, noted that many Singaporeans are willing to contribute and share a part of their lives with one another. He invited all of us to participate in shaping our common future, to strengthen our bonds and deepen trust with one another. And implicit in his speech is the tension I spoke about. He said, "Our individual aspirations may differ, but we all Page: 22 realised that we must work together to create our common future. This spirit was sustained through our SG50 celebrations, and profoundly deepened when we mourned the passing of our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew. The SGfuture dialogues and the Committee on the Future Economy are but two national platforms for us to make our future together." Mdm Speaker, the Government is the servant of the people, but civil servants are not minions to be ordered about; they are our brothers, our sisters and they are also our friends, too. They are the people who help those of us who cannot help ourselves. The people direct public resources with their collective will, but, individually, we have no special call on these resources, we cannot demand private use of this joint resource. We cannot demand rules to break on every occasion that benefits us, without care for fellow Singaporeans. We should have neither vigilante justice from the public or high-handed behaviour from the civil servants. This is not who we are as Singaporeans. So, what are we? Who is this "Singaporean"? My answer is not very "cheem". But every week I walk around Braddell Heights, Marine Parade, Serangoon Central and, yes, Aljunied too, I can see our language is one kind. Our style – you do not mind I say – is other places cannot find. Nasi lemak and roti prata, our yong tau foo got halal one. Who is the Singaporean?”
“A Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) officer was not so lucky. I am sure you are all familiar with the incident that took place at the Social Service Office (SSO) at Boon Lay, where a man went to demand his monthly social assistance which was late for that month. The SSO, knowing that this man was actually going to have another baby, had initiated an early review, and increased the amount of assistance for the family from $600 to $800 per month. This change, unfortunately, resulted in a delay of a few days in the crediting of the financial assistance to the recipient. Even as the MSF officer was trying to explain this, the recipient, loud and hectoring, demanded "his money". After several minutes of this, the officer was riled up enough to say, "We do not owe you". The whole exchange was put up on social media. Two things were clear to me. First, the man seeking assistance intended to record everything because the recording started with his session. Second, there is a strong sense of entitlement and the tone he took was that the officer, indeed, "owed" him the money. Both sides were not right, but in this sense, my sympathies lie with the officer. Mdm Speaker, I have noticed in recent years that there is a rise of self-administered vigilante justice among members of the public. The weapon of choice – the handphone. Judge and jury – the social media public. This has to change. On the flip side, I have also seen some very bad responses by civil servants, the very few which give the Government as a whole a bad name. Some put on what they call an "EQ face" but their empathy quotient leaves much to be desired. This is not who we are. This is not what we dream of becoming. This is not Singapore.”
“A religious institution, likewise. A voluntary welfare organisation (VWO), a charity and, I dare say, also in the Town Councils, we all have a duty of care to all stakeholders in any organisation to make sure that governance is there. Mdm Speaker, for today, I would like to reflect on the President's points about partnership and collaboration amongst citizens, that everyone plays a part in building our nation. Last year, I had a senior, although young, civil servant observing one of my Meet-the-People sessions. The combination of youth and seniority is sometimes an indicator for high flyers, but it can be an unpropitious mix. This officer observed what we did that evening. At the end of the session, as we were sharing, he turned to one of my key volunteers, exasperated, and he asked, "Why do you keep writing us these letters to make exceptions? You know that we cannot do that. You do not waste time writing; we do not waste time replying". Mdm Speaker, as a politician, I am very seldom speechless. And as a former Administrative Officer, I am very seldom at a loss for ideas. But that night, I paused on both counts. Does our Public Service need to change? On the one hand, this high flyer is right. Some residents do sometimes ask me to write letters that are beyond the pale. One resident lives in a landed property and owns three cars. Unfortunately, her house is only big enough to have one car park lot. She expects the Government – that is me – to provide her with lots for her two other cars. If not, she told me, the Government is lousy and she would vote against me in the next election. My reply, given verbally, was quite a strong one. With hindsight, I was lucky that she did not video-tape me on her handphone.”
“Mdm Speaker, thank you for allowing me to join this debate. Before I come to my main speech, I just want to add my comments to the two points which the hon Member Mr Dennis Tan spoke about just a couple of minutes ago. Unfortunately, he is not in the Chambers. He touched on social justice. Indeed, I think social mobility is something which this Government and, certainly, the People's Action Party (PAP), subscribes to and takes great pains to ensure this remains the case for every Singaporean, something which our Prime Minister, our Deputy Prime Ministers and many of our Ministers have mentioned several times, that we should leave no one behind, and that we should build a more caring and inclusive society. The way many of our assistance schemes are designed is tilted to give more to those who have less. It is something which we continue to do over the years, not just the last few years, from Year 1 – SG1, to now, SG51. I am sure we will continue to go on that route. Over these last two weekends, as with many of us here, we gave out several Edusave awards. I handed out to over 1,100 recipients over 12 sessions. For many of them, education is, indeed, the most important area we want to invest in. It is the best way for each and every Singaporean to break out and create a better life for themselves – which is why we always see MOE getting a large slice of the Budget, something which we all support. The other point which Mr Dennis Tan made was about strengthening governance in national institutions. He exhorted it. I totally agree with him. In fact, strengthening governance is something that should take place in every organisation and we should all embrace it. If you are a public-listed Page: 21 company, it matters. If you are a sports association, it matters.”
“Mdm Speaker, I propose that the hon Mr Charles Chong and Mr Lim Biow Chuan be elected as Deputy Speakers of this Parliament. Mr Charles Chong has been a Member of Parliament since 1988. I think this makes him the longest serving and the most experienced backbencher. He has sat on Select Committees and has led various Government Parliamentary Committees. He also participated actively in the work of various parliamentary conferences. He was also the Deputy Speaker in the Twelfth Parliament session, having been elected and appointed to the position in 2011. I had the privilege of working with and being seated next to Mr Charles Chong during the last Parliament session. As for Mr Lim Biow Chuan, he was, like me, elected to Parliament in 2006. A lawyer by profession, Mr Lim has contributed actively to parliamentary work. He was a member on the Standing Select Committee and was Singapore's regional representative in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Exco. He has participated in the work of the various parliamentary committees and parliamentary friendship and regional groups. With their expertise, experience and character, I am confident that both Mr Charles Chong and Mr Lim Biow Chuan will make good deputies in discharging their duties and supporting Mdm Speaker in the course of this Thirteenth Parliament session.”
“I have two such low-rise blocks. I would like to offer them for the trial. I hope this will be a real test of a real low-rise block. There are many of these throughout the island and I think adding on to the two that you have in the commercial block and the car park, I offer my two low-rise blocks for consideration.”
“Mdm Speaker, I applaud the measures that the Minister has introduced. I am equally sure that there several companies or corporations which have developed a strong Singaporean Core. So, I wonder whether the Minister could also find ways to recognise and publicise them, and also get them to share the stories of how a strong Singaporean-core has helped them in their business. I am looking more at the more positive parts as well. I think this will be useful.”
“Mdm Chair, I have a clarification to ask and it concerns single unwed mothers. I acknowledge that we have moved significantly to help single parents over the years, and I am sure these schemes will be enhanced over time. But for the single unwed mothers, I think notwithstanding the social assistance schemes that the Government is extending to them, it is quite different from having certain benefits being Page: 41 mandated versus getting handouts. So, I would like to ask the Minister and the Senior Parliamentary Secretary whether they agree that single unwed mothers should be given the same maternity leave and childcare benefits as married mothers. If they do, can the Ministry set some timeline to achieve these goals? Likewise, for the children of these single unwed mothers, can they also be entitled to top-ups to their Child Development Accounts?”
“Many, if not all of them, did not choose to be in the difficult circumstances that they are in. If anything, single unwed mothers are in need of more help and consideration. I hope the Minister can give this a favourable review and I certainly hope it would not require me to raise this for six consecutive years to make it a reality. Single Parents”
“Sir, I argued for paternity leave to be legislated for six consecutive years and this became reality two years ago. Of late, I have also raised the issue of single mothers. While the policy change for fathers and single parents is most welcome and encouraging, it had come after many years of lobbying by myself and other like-minded colleagues. I am glad that today, we have had progress in the areas of paternity leave as well as help and benefits for single mothers. Yet, while paternity and maternity leave have been extended to single parents, a heartening change, there are still privileges that single unwed mothers are not entitled to, including the Baby Bonus Cash Gift, Child Development Account, the Parenthood tax rebate and various tax reliefs. 7.00 pm Single mother's maternity leave is also limited to eight weeks as compared to married mothers' who enjoy maternity leave of 16 weeks. Furthermore, single parents continue to be at a disadvantage when it comes to housing grant for families and housing priority schemes. Fortunately, single unwed mothers do receive some childcare leave support. Sir, I urge the Minister to consider extending more help to single unwed mothers and their children. Page: 162 For the single unwed mother, could she be accorded the same maternity and childcare leave as married mothers? Could their children also enjoy various top-ups and grants that they are now lacking such as the Child Development Account? Sir, we are constantly encouraging families to have children in view of our falling birth rate and ageing population. Our notion of a family is determined by what constitutes the societal norm. Yet, we do not accord the family with only one parent the same consideration and compassion as those with two.”
“Mdm Chair, first let me declare my interest in that NTUC FairPrice is a major sponsor of the SEA Games this year. The 28th SEA Games and 8th ASEAN Para Games are key events on our SG50 calendar. At the last SEA Games in Myanmar, Singapore achieved many historic firsts and Singaporeans were understandably elated at the excellent performance of our athletes, and I believe Page: 50 expectations would be high for the coming SEA Games to be held here. Finally, it is our turn to host this important regional sporting event. Singapore is also hosting the ASEAN Para Games for the first time in history and it is our country's Golden Jubilee Year. The level of anticipation and excitement is high within the sporting arena, but is it also the same for the general public? How can we get Singaporeans excited about the Games? The countdown to the 8th ASEAN Para Games began late last year with a carnival that allowed the public to try sports such as javelin, shooting and bowling, and also to meet our para-athletes. The 28th SEA Games Organising Committee has also been running weekly articles on its website, sharing stories on the various countries and their athletes. Mdm Chair, may I ask what other events can the public look forward to participate in, both in the lead-up to the Games and during the Games? This is, after all, a special year for Singapore and, surely, Singaporeans would be hoping to join in the spirit of the Games as a nation.”
“Mdm Chair, last year, I spoke on this and brought up the dip in volunteering when youths leave school and enter the workforce. The Minister pointed out then that a key barrier to volunteering occurs when individuals enter the workforce. Although there are more Singaporeans engaged in volunteer work today as compared to the past, we have yet to be able to engage companies in a sustainable way. Corporates have the financial and professional capabilities to do more in Singapore, and I believe employees have the skills and the heart to contribute more in terms of volunteering. How can we urge more companies, including their top leadership, to drive more giving efforts? Early this year, the SG Care and Share Day was launched as the inaugural volunteering event for SG50. It is a good initiative to have an annual event that engages the public and promotes the awareness of volunteering. In October last year, there was also a "Redefining Community Giving" conference that looked at other ways of giving to society and also skills-based volunteering. Skills-based volunteering is win-win for both companies and society – skills-based volunteers have been shown to have higher employee morale than non-volunteers, and social organisations benefit from the volunteers' skills and knowledge for Page: 41 capacity-building. Minister Wong had spoken of his Ministry's plans to do more to engage companies, and one way was by working with partners like NVPC and like-minded companies to promote a corporate giving culture. May I ask about the progress of efforts in this area? Has there been a greater involvement of companies so far? Youth Volunteerism and Social Enterprise”