Seng Han Thong
Singapore
“In the Bill, it also mentioned about applying a blanket permit for usage at same location. So, is it possible for our Grassroots Organisation (GRO)'s new media team to do it for our community events coverage all year round?”
“Mr Lee has left. Let us uphold the Singapore Spirit, stay united in front of crises and seek consensus when facing differences. We will let Mr Lee know that Singapore will continue to develop for another 50 years! Page: 20 We will always remember you, our founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. [Applause.] 4.42 pm”
“Through open tender, we now see real market competition in terms of management solutions and fees charged by the competing companies to operate the bundles of public bus routes.”
“Madam, in view of the heightened international terrorist threat, what will be the measures taken by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to enhance aviation security and safety at Changi Airport? Changi Airport served a record 54.1 million passengers from around the world with 340,000 flight movements last year.”
“For patrons who drink, taxis are vital in ensuring the journey home is safe for themselves as well as other road users, while we hear of the difficulties of serving such a segment of commuters, especially relating to drunken patrons.”
“Maritime safety. Madam, as our maritime strategy is to strengthen Singapore as a premier global hub port and develop Singapore as a leading international maritime centre, a strong maritime safety culture needs to be nurtured and developed to support the strategy. What are the work plans and programmes to further enhance maritime safety?”
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“With the new gantries and higher fee charges, it is estimated that the two operators have to pay the increased ERP charges from the present $3.5 million to about $5.5 million. As we will be introducing distance-based fare structure, we are also not too certain yet on whether the fare would be lower or higher in the future and how this will impact on the operators’ cost. Hence, the overall effect of all these may result in the operators having to incur higher operating costs which would actually translate to less sharing in terms of bonus, welfare and benefits for our workers in these companies. Sir, I must declare that I am not the shareholder of these two companies. I am speaking on behalf of my members. We view buses as an essential component to provide the solution for a seamless public transport and, in actual fact, thus help reduce traffic congestion. More importantly, a seamless transport system would not happen without the hard work of our workers. To the Government, the collection of ERP charges for buses is in effect cost neutral. Therefore, we would like to urge the Minister to consider reducing or even waiving the ERP charges for buses. The savings from the ERP charges for the operators could then be ploughed back to benefit and improve the welfare of the workers and encourage more Singaporeans to join the industry. Public Transport Workers Sir, every morning, thousands of commuters will wait at the bus stops island-wide. When the bus arrives, they will board, tap their fare card, take a seat or, if crowded, stand throughout the journey till they get down at their destination. Not many will be too bothered with greeting the driver or remembering the face of the driver.”
“Sir, the National Transport Workers' Union (NTWU) supports the key recommendations of the land transport review and is optimistic about the future for its members. Together with the management of SBS Transit and SMRT, we held three dialogue sessions with 200-over union leaders to hear the members' concerns. As a result, NTWU has recently submitted a response paper on the review to MOT with seven recommendations for MOT's consideration. We are confident that all these measures would lead to a more efficient, affordable and reliable public land transport system after the revamp. It will also provide more new job openings, better opportunities and better compensation for our workers. It is expected that the public transport ridership will go up from the present 63% to 70%. The public transport operators have been asked to put in more buses on the road to enhance their services. Here, I would like to clarify on an age-old belief that buses add to traffic congestion rather than help to ease traffic congestion. Let me illustrate. A typical single deck bus can carry up to 87 commuters and a double deck bus about 140 commuters. So, on average, each bus can carry 100 commuters. Assuming each car carries four passengers and if we can succeed in encouraging all to switch to take bus, then 25 cars will be off the road. Thus, the effect of putting more buses on the road would in effect carry more commuters who otherwise would have travelled on cars. However, to the operators, putting more buses on the road means more capital cost to incur. Not only do they have to incur huge cost to buy and sustain new buses, they would also have to pay more ERP charges at double the rates at gantries as buses are classified as very heavy goods vehicles.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Sir, in the past, whenever I went to the Changi Airport, I used to go to look for a relative in the toilet because he told me that he is an attendant at the airport toilet. He is so happy because he said that the environment is good, his wages are good and his supervisor is very kind. In the last one or two years, I find that more and more old people are working. They are happy, compared to two or three years ago when we were debating whether old people should work. I think there is a large difference. What is the secret of our success? First, I think it is because of our environment. Second, as the Minister said, we emphasise the importance of encouraging and helping the senior people, even though it is only a few hundred dollars. So in order to encourage more older workers to work, besides redesign of the jobs and retaining a certain amount in the CPF, it is important to improve the working environment. Using the example of the toilet at Changi Airport where my relative told me: "I do not like to go to the coffeeshop toilet in the HDB estates because it is not clean." So besides job redesign, we must also redesign and improve the work environment. *Cols. 2047-2048.”
“For Refund 80, many thought that if they do not make any decision, Refund 80 means that they will get the payout only from 80. That is wrong. In fact, whatever package they choose, it will start from 65. So the challenge for the CPF Board is to explain to the public in a very easy-to-understand and simple way without mentioning any of the 12 options. Another question is this. For Members turning 55, some have asked, "Can the CPF Board allow those who do not want the additional 1% interest on their first $20,000 in the Ordinary Account, to invest on their own in the hope to get returns?"”
“The percentage of workers turning 55 and unable to join the CPF LIFE has been estimated to be around 70% to 80%. We need to bring in as many as possible the remaining 20% to 30%. Many of them are either self-employed or casual or low wage workers. To achieve this, company-based self-employed and association-based self- employed like taxi drivers, hawker assistants, newspaper vendors, insurance agents and housing agents need to come into the CPF system. The challenge here is how to help them to have a better job and better pay, and instil in them the habit of saving. Besides, they need to top-up from time to time, either on their own or by their family members, so as to have sufficient savings for their Medisave account and attain the Minimum Sum. It is an uphill task. However, the labour movement, together with the CPF Board and the relevant company associations, should work closely together to make it happen. And on top of this, we should also create greater awareness among the employed and self-employed on the CPF LIFE, so that our workers understand the concept of income for life. Sir, the CPF LIFE scheme is a good scheme. May I declare my interest? I am a Member of the National Longevity Insurance Committee. Unlike what Mr Siew said, we consulted widely - the grassroots leaders, union leaders, experts and industry players. As a result of the consultation, we offered 12 options to cater for different needs of Singaporeans. However, it looks like the more options we offer, the more confusion it has caused among Singaporeans. As many Singaporeans will end up in the default Refund 80 plan, may I suggest to the Minister that we name it the Standard Package and drop the words Refund 80.”
“This information is important because it will allow us to assess the effectiveness of ESS and adopt a more targeted approach to improve the system, so that it can better help fellow workers to enhance their competitiveness. (3) The CET institutions. The capability of the training institutes to deliver good quality and well trained workers is the key concern here. However, at the ground, we know that it will be easier to convince both the employers and the workers to go for training courses if it can translate into real value for both the workers and the business. The key here is to identify and develop courses that will address the current and future needs of each industry. Sir, thus, we need to build our CET infrastructure that will help our economy to improve its productivity and the quality of its outputs, in terms of goods and services. To do so, it must be based on the depth and knowledge on the various business value chains of different industries and their future trends of developments.”
“Sir, the top-up of Lifelong Learning Endowment Fund by $800 million this year will enable more adult workers to be trained for better paid jobs. The challenge remains at making sure that Continuing Education and Training for adults will equip them with real capabilities that will enhance their competitiveness. The key word here is "competitiveness". We need to upgrade the quality of our workforce in terms of knowledge, skills, attitude and habits that will translate into higher productivity and better quality outputs for our economy. This way, our workers will be able to reap the fruits of CET. Through the CET, we have seen many Singaporean workers gainfully employed and our unemployment rate is in fact now one of the lowest in the world. I think it is timely for us to review how effective is our CET programme in enhancing the competitiveness of Singaporean workers and how can we do it better in the future. So there are three pillars of the CET infrastructure: (1) The Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) system. WDA has rolled out many WSQ frameworks over the years. What are the problems faced during implementation? Do the employers find it useful and, if yes, in what areas and why? Can WSQ sustain its stay in the frontiers of industry developments so that it will deliver WSQ certified workers that the industries require now and in the future? (2) The Employability Skills System (ESS). Do employers find the generic courses under ESS useful? Do employers prefer workers with ESS qualifications? Do the workers think that ESS qualifications help them find jobs?”
“It is just that our people have failed to understand. What the Government has planned is for the long term but the people's perspective is short term. Whether it is short or long term, they are inter-related because long term is made up of short term. We must have a common understanding. Whether it is short term or long term, we must take into consideration all the concerns. Just now, Mr Low questioned why the projected deficit of $0.7 billion last fiscal year has turned out to be a $6.4 billion surplus this year. So he asked why there is such a big gap. Last year, we projected a deficit of $0.7 billion. But what if the budget this year has turned out to be a deficit of $6.4 billion? What else would he say? If we can turn a deficit into a surplus, is that not good news? Due to unforeseen circumstances, the company may say that it is going to perform badly. But what if it has turned out to be better? Is that not good news? We should do what is good for the Government and good for the people, and we should all have this common understanding. Every year, during Budget time, we have an ang pow to receive, and every year, we have good news. So we must not just emphasise on ang pow distribution. We must make sure that only the needy people get ang pow. *Cols. 703-710. 2.19 pm”
“So people may think that their concept is wrong. Actually, no matter what age you choose to start, it is a lifelong scheme. No matter what package you choose, it will start with a certain year. It is quite a complex concept but it can be quite simple too. You just have to choose whether it is refundable or non-refundable. Higher premium ones are refundable, but for non-refundable ones, you will pay less. So you can choose to start from age 65 or 90 or in between. And I suggest that we publicise this scheme actively via various means. For example, ComfortDelgro, the biggest taxi company in Singapore, has done something. They have given $7 million back to the taxi-drivers to put into their lifelong income account. I think that is a very good effort because they can top up their lifelong income account. Although the elderly people may not have enough savings, through all these top-up schemes, they can also join this lifelong income scheme. Some people may say that $600 is not enough. In Singapore, we know that is not their only income. It is just like the nine-layered cake where we are only looking at one layer. It is just part of it. Even Minister Mah Bow Tan also said that when you get something from CPF, the Government may also top up for you. So when you are old, maybe you will get a few hundred dollars from Mr Mah and a few hundred dollars from Mr Tharman. If you add together, it could be quite a lot. It is now in the process of discussion and we will be able to see a bigger picture later. But some people may just see a small picture, and those people who see the small picture are the ones who do not understand. We will implement this means test and we will improve our public transport system. So there are a lot of schemes being rolled out.”
“Usually, there is a saying that the wealth will not last for more than three generations and, in Singapore's situation, poverty will not be more than one generation because we are self-reliant. If everybody is waiting to receive ang pows, gradually this kind of spirit of self-reliance will no longer be there. On the other hand, poverty may last more than three generations. Therefore, as what our Minister has pointed out, we must encourage lifelong learning. The Government also subsidises the Lifelong Income Scheme and, as Mr Low Thia Khiang said, one of the residents in his constituency wrote him a letter about his 69-year-old father who is a security guard and did not know how to apply for the WIS subsidy. We must help these people to improve and upgrade their skills to ensure that they have a lifelong income. But Mr Low suggested earlier to withdraw the 2% GST increase. Why is it that the governments in other countries cannot give out bonuses, but we can? Maybe he does not know that, in the last few years, we have spent a lot of effort looking after the interests of these people to help them to get some CPF, especially the security guards. Our security association has helped many of the security guards, and we must help them as quickly as possible. Therefore, we see that the salaries of these workers have increased from $800 to $900. With their overtime payment, they have seen an increase in their salaries. Yes, they have to work harder, but their situation has to be improved, and we can help them to do that. On the Lifelong Income Scheme, there is a lot of controversy. It seems to have become more and more controversial. Some said that they would choose age 65 to enjoy this income scheme and they do not want to wait until 80 years old, which is too late.”
“It should be bigger. Actually, whether the ang pow is big or small, they should emphasise on the meaning and significance of the ang pow. They said, "Oh, the Government is distributing bread, not ang pow." In fact, bread and ang pow are different. During the Chinese New Year, when we visited our relatives, because we were poor, our richer relatives would give us a bigger ang pow. They gave their poorer relatives bigger ang pows, and the rich relatives smaller ang pows. I remember our relatives always looked after us previously. They were always giving us big ang pows. Similarly, for the elderly and poor people who are more in need, they remind us that we must share our burdens with them, so that our relationship will be better. From the announcement of our Minister for Finance, it shows that the Government has been prudent and everybody will get a share. So the concept is there. The problem is why are so many people complaining that the ang pow is too small. I feel that we should change our mindset, especially thinking that the Budget time is the time to get ang pow from the Government. Even media reporters and the public tend to ask the people, "What ang pow are you expecting?" But when the ang pows are distributed, they complain. They must know that ang pows and bread are different. We give bread to everyone so that if the people get the same bread, it is all right. But if it is different, they will complain. Therefore, our Budget must be focused on certain targeted groups of people. During the Budget debate, we have discussed whether the ang pow is sufficient and that makes me worried.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Sir, I believe many of you have heard this saying “Yi Ren Yi Ban, Gan Qing Bu San”, which means if two persons share something in half, they will have a lasting relationship. It means that we will go through thick and thin, trials and hardship together, we share our burdens. This is the Singapore spirit. Even our Minister for Finance, in his Budget Statement, has also reflected this kind of spirit. This means that the Government has set aside money and rebates for the lower-income group and the elderly. Everybody is worried about inflation. Some of their fears are real, some are just imaginary. Generally, the people are worried about the inflation pressure, and they blame it on the GST hike of 2%, but they fail to realise that it is a worldwide situation. Now, through these rebates, we can help the poor people and the elderly who worry about all kinds of prices and even medical fees. This is not a small sum. Take, for example, the family of an ice-cream seller can get $3,200 ang pow for the whole family. It is not a small amount. It can also help them cope with the inflation and to alleviate the pressure of livelihood. For the middle-income group and above, some of them may buy branded goods. Now, they should downgrade to buy the cheaper brand goods. Our MAS always rolls out financial management courses to guide people how to manage their finance and investments. I feel that we should also educate them about wealth management from now onwards, ie, how to manage their finances and to cope with their pressures in life. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also mentioned in his New Year Message that we will give our people a small ang pow. However, a lot of people think that the ang pow is too small.”
“NTUC has worked with many companies and there are some early successes with either same job same pay, same job different pay, different job same pay or different job different pay. We need to see a widespread adoption of re-employment. There are statistics but we have to let people understand that they have to accept this reality. We need to see a widespread adoption of re-employment of older workers. There is an expectation on the ground now that re-employment should happen prior to the legislation in year 2012. On longevity insurance, flexibility should be the key to policy formulation. And for many, 85 is really a long, long way to go. We must appreciate that many just do not believe that they can live that long, and that they can work beyond 62. We are an Asian society, talking about death after 85 is a very pantang issue. The longevity issue is a new concept and it needs time to sell to the people. The feedback from our union leaders is that we need to provide only the basic coverage under the mandatory longevity insurance, so as to keep the premium as low as possible. We should allow for more options, such as 25 years of draw-down period or even longer for those who want to reduce the need for longevity insurance, and CPF is to provide the basic longevity insurance package to minimise cost. Of course, those who are medically certified as terminally ill may be exempted from buying the annuity plan or longevity insurance. I am happy to note that the Minister has promised that it will be quite basic, affordable and flexible. Sir, on this note, I support the changes. 4.53 pm”
“In fact, last week, there was a Zaobao report dated 4th September 2007 which states that in Japan, 70% of the people are worried about their retirement age. 70% of the people feel that the government should restructure the welfare system. More than 50% of the population feel that the government should address the ageing population problem in Japan. So, our Government is making a daring approach to roll out this programme and I believe that we will be able to achieve successful results. However, our survey is pretty worrisome. Recently, the Straits Times carried out a survey: 7 out of 10 people think that they do not have enough CPF savings for retirement. About half of them think that they can still take care of themselves, but it seems to be contradictory. If they do not have money, how can they look after themselves after their retirement age? So we must assure them that people can live a long healthy life, they can have a job to work on and, lastly, they can defer the CPF draw-down age. Government will provide support to everybody to ensure that Singaporeans obtain better returns on their CPF. (In English): Sir, on the WIS and higher CPF interest rate, it is a huge sum. May I ask: is this sustainable? Is this guaranteed? I am happy to note that it will benefit more the lower and middle income workers. It will also create a more secure retirement for all Singaporeans. The Minister, in his speech, also mentioned that workers who choose to work longer will benefit more, and he gave examples. But the concern of many older workers is whether they can find a decent job after 62. Of course, the re-employment of older workers is very important.”
“From the example of Minister Mentor Lee, we can see that he always travels to other countries and he gives talks, and he is a very good example. People say, "I am not MM Lee. He is a big shot. We are just insignificant people." And they want some ordinary example to be told. For example, every morning when we start running, in Hokkien, they say, "We know how to walk, how to run. We can plant grass and flowers. Then we can enjoy good health and live to 99 years old." So we add something, and we can live to 99 years old because we can still play computer games by using the PC. However, a lot of people think that this cannot happen to them. In the Chinese society, we treat it as a taboo subject to mention about death. Therefore, how to transmit this message to all the Singaporeans is important. If a lot of people accept this fact that they can live to an old age, first of all, we have to assure them that they can work until an old age, and there are plenty of jobs for them. Therefore, we have to redesign the jobs for them. We need to redesign and restructure the work for the elderly people. In the past two years, we have worked with NTUC, SNEF and WDA and achieved encouraging results. Over the past 18 months, we have more than 300 companies who responded to our call. Over 3,000 people at 60 years have a job. On what kind of jobs, they say it is simple jobs but there are some elderly people who get good jobs. The elderly people say that they need suitable jobs with a deserving pay. So if they accept this, they will think that the delay in the CPF withdrawal age is feasible. On this, I think we need to work harder to help the elderly workers.”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Mr Speaker, Sir, with an ageing population, the Government proposes to defer retirement age, to delay the withdrawal of CPF and implement a compulsory annuity scheme. However, a minority of people object to that. They say that they do not want the Government to delay their withdrawal age, and they think that the Government does not know how to manage it. I hope that a few years after implementation, we can roll out this programme. *Cols. 1661-1664. However, we must be careful about three things. First of all, Singaporeans have a deep mindset, because they think that it is quite rare for the people to live until 70 years old. Secondly, we must tell the people that if they want to work, there are some jobs for them. Thirdly, longevity insurance is a new concept. We have to help them, to make it very simple and easy for them to understand. Let me elaborate further . If we ask them how old will they be, a lot of people think that they cannot live beyond 85. Every morning, my mother reads the obituary column of the newspaper wanting to know whether people have passed away after 85 years old. In fact, some have passed away at 92 years old. So the old people need that kind of guarantee that they can live beyond 90 years old. Therefore, I believe that some people, like my mother, will always read the obituary section of the newspaper every morning to check the age of those who have passed away. In fact, a lot of people can live beyond 92 years old. Yesterday was the birthday of Minister Mentor Lee. He is already 85 years old, and we wish him long life and good health, and prosperity for the nation.”
“This amendment is, in fact, a timely reminder of the Ngee Ann Kongsi's contribution over the last four decades. It is only right that after contributing so much to the society, the amendment now gives the Ngee Ann Kongsi greater freedom, more resources, and greater say in identifying other worthwhile charitable causes. Business leader Li Ka Shing, who is also a Teochew, donated $19.5 million to Singapore Management University in 2002 and, this year, he donated another $100 million to the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. This is the kind of Kongsi spirit, the sharing spirit. Ngee Ann Kongsi can do the same in a big way and benefit not only the Teochews but the whole population. (In English ): I support the amendment Bill. *Cols. 1289-1290.”
“In fact, in ancient times, Teochew was not called Teochew; Teochew was called "Ngee Ann". It is called "Teochew" only a few hundred years ago. "Kongsi" - what is the meaning of "Kongsi"? "Kongsi" means care and share. So, Ngee Ann Kongsi means the "Teochew care and share". Later on, the Kongsi owned a large piece of land, as mentioned by the Minister of State, and that part of the land really gave Ngee Ann Kongsi the income to give more care and more share to the Teochews in the earlier years, and, later on, it was extended to all Singaporeans. Mdm Deputy Speaker, Ngee Ann Kongsi is a foundation which has been very actively involved in education, cultural and welfare activities since the 19th century. Over the last 40 years, Ngee Ann Kongsi has donated a total of more than $100 million to Ngee Ann Polytechnic alone. Of course, it has also donated to many other organisations. This is the kind of Ngee Ann spirit. May I now speak in Mandarin. (In Mandarin) [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] The Ngee Ann spirit inspires the Teochew to endure the hardship and move ahead in difficult times. And it teaches many of us to share with our fellow citizens. The Ngee Ann Kongsi and the Ngee Ann spirit have become part of our Singapore spirit that enables us to overcome crisis, one after another. And, indeed, Ngee Ann Kongsi has, through Ngee Ann Polytechnic, contributed to our society greatly and the beneficiaries are from all walks of life. Sim Wong Hoo, founder of Creative Technology, is one exemplary graduate of our Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Sim Wong Hoo rose from a humble background in the difficult period during the 1960s to create an international brand name that is well known for innovation and quality. This is the kind of Ngee Ann spirit.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, as a member of the board of directors of Ngee Ann Kongsi and a member of Ngee Ann Polytechnic Council and Ngee Ann Polytechnic administration committee, may I declare my interest, and I must say I am in a good position to see why there is now a need to free Ngee Ann Kongsi so as to benefit other educational institutions and charitable causes. I welcome the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) (Amendment) Bill, which allows the Ngee Ann Kongsi to channel its profits to other education and charitable causes other than just Ngee Ann Polytechnic. The Bill will give Ngee Ann Kongsi more flexibility to decide on the beneficiaries of its donations. However, of the 40% of its net income to other educational institutions, may I know whether it will be decided by MOE or Ngee Ann, and what are the criteria? And if it is decided by MOE, may I suggest that due credit be given to Ngee Ann? As the Chinese saying goes: yin shui si yuan - when one drinks water, one thinks of its source; in short, be grateful. But one may ask: what is Ngee Ann? And what is the meaning of "Ngee Ann"? Today, Ngee Ann Polytechnic is a brand name. But to many older Teochews, Ngee Ann Kongsi is also a brand name. Thus, when I was invited to be the guest-of-honour at the Ngee Ann Polytechnic National Day celebration, I shared my observation with the students and the staff that many of them, in fact, do not know the link between Ngee Ann Kongsi and Ngee Ann Polytechnic. And some even queried: how come Ngee Ann City can use our name "Ngee Ann?" They were also asking: are there any links between Ngee Ann Primary School, Ngee Ann Secondary School and Ngee Ann Polytechnic? Yes, in fact, these are all linked to Ngee Ann Kongsi - it is Ah Kong. "Ngee Ann" is the ancient name of Teochew.”
“So, on the question of salary revision for Ministers, the people’s concern is not how much the salary increment is, but rather they are concerned whether the Ministers are people-oriented and can look after the people. In fact, it is everybody’s dream that we have a good place to live and work in. And, now, our expectations are further raised. Besides having a good place to live in, we want to be able to travel the world. As what Mr Ong Ah Heng said yesterday, he hopes that the Ministers will not forget the people after the salary revision. Also, he said that the Ministers will remember us. In fact, many low-income workers have said that they are okay with the salary increment, but please make sure that their medical fees will not go up and that the prices of things will not keep going up. So I think they share the same sentiments. Sir, in the 2000 debate, I supported this motion but I also reminded the Ministers that we should look after the welfare of the workers in our society. Without these workers, we cannot achieve what we have today. Therefore, I would like to urge that the Ministers will look after all the people, and the whole population will appreciate the sacrifices the Ministers have made for them. TIME LIMIT FOR SPEECHES (Suspension of Standing Orders) With the consent of Mr Speaker and the general assent of Members present, Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That the proceedings on the item under discussion be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No. 48(8) in respect of the Prime Minister's speech. - [Mr Mah Bow Tan]. CIVIL SERVICE SALARY REVISIONS Debate resumed. 4.30 pm”
“But shortly after, it was reported in the papers that he has been poached by a rival company in the Middle East. This is a good example where our talent has gone to another country. Mr Speaker, Sir, not only must we look at it rationally, we must raise our level of discussion to a rational level so that we can see a new world. Just like what MM has envisaged, how can Singapore create and establish a new world? So where is our new world? I think it is throughout the global market. In fact, we are living in a new era. And so we must have a global vision. At the same time, we must not forget to look back because only then we realise that we do not have anything to fall back on, and so we must depend on ourselves. Earlier on, Mr Low Thia Khiang wanted to compare Singapore with Switzerland and other countries, but every country has its own problems. So how do we compare? Every household will have its own set of problems and likewise for the country. So it is difficult to compare. We need to maintain a balance between different forces, and we must reconcile certain inconsistencies and analysis. At the same time, we must establish foreign relations with many countries. And whilst being influential, we have to project and safeguard the interest of our country. This requires great political wisdom and not just plain wit. In this debate, we must let more Singaporeans understand our vision of a new world, and that is the whole world. Our talents are all over the world. And the challenge for us is to attract these talents, until our third generation leaders have developed the third generation wisdom.”
“So, in our debate, we should not be merely talking about money, instead we must raise the level of our discussion. We should raise the level of discussion to a rational one. In the last few days of sittings, we have talked about rationality. So it is a rational debate. But some people believe, including the Chairman of the Worker's Party, Ms Sylvia Lim, that all this debate is a waste of time. But through this debate, many citizens are clearer of how much the MPs, Ministers and CEOs are getting, so there is no big deal. The views on this matter may vary but, overall, the debate has brought about consensus that there should be transparency. Ministers should not feel guilty about getting high salaries. If they have the substance, they deserve to be paid well. But I want to point out that, in this debate, we have heard the view that we use high salary to promote honesty. In fact, we have risen from a third-world country to a first-world country. So our high salary policy is not just to promote honesty. With talent being scarce nowadays, they are mobile and can move anywhere, thus our high salaries are to attract more talent, and not to promote honesty. And the whole world recognises that such people deserve high salaries. Furthermore, all governments and large corporations are searching for talents globally. As the saying goes, it is easy to have a big army, but difficult to find a good general. And if you have a good general, you cannot be sure he will stay. A good example would be the CEO of Sentosa Corporation. I remember that when we visited Sentosa last year, the CEO shared with us his big plans for Sentosa, and he informed us that the number of tourists visiting Sentosa has increased tremendously.”
“The crux of the matter is that the people do not object to the revision in Ministerial salaries. But what they ask is why do Ministers still need more salary when they have $1 million? And we cannot blame them for this confusion. As you know, when you talk about money, it is always an emotive issue. The emotions will be affected because when you talk about money, much emotion will be aroused. But we understand that the citizens, through the media and discussions in the papers, would definitely pay attention to this matter. And so all of a sudden everyone is talking about money. However, I do believe that if we pay attention and discuss it wisely, everyone will understand. And so I said to them: "The CEO of SingTel was probably still a student when MM was then Prime Minister. But now, he is drawing a salary of $5 million. Are you satisfied with this?" They said they are happy as long as they have auto roaming for the mobile phones. But did we consider what is it that made it possible for them to fly all over the world and roam everywhere? And the Singapore passport is something that we are so proud of. So all these policies are brought about by our Ministers, and if we were to raise their salaries slightly from $1 million, would they have any objections? Having said that, they understand where I am coming from and they are clear about my point. So the people do understand that good quality is worth every cent. If you want a D24 durian, of course, you pay more. For lower quality durians, you pay less. And that applies to talents as well. But if we tell them that the benchmark of the Ministers' salaries is taken from six professions, and eight top-earners, they would definitely be confused. They are not able to comprehend what it is all about.”
“" He said he could see Singapore doing well, operating well, everyone had their opportunity, and that gave him the greatest sense of satisfaction. I was in the early 40s and I could understand his sentiments and many people began to say, "Will Singapore continue to have a leader like MM Lee, with such great wisdom to create a new world for Singapore?" In my years as a journalist, I had the chance to accompany Ministers on their overseas visits. After becoming an MP, I also have the opportunity to accompany Ministers on official overseas trips. Therefore, I have realised the importance of having great wisdom in a small country. Many leaders of other countries highly respect Singapore although we are a small country. But when compared to them, we are as big as them, because of our great wisdom. In the face of globalisation, when we have great wisdom, even a small country will become a big country. Without wisdom, a big country will become a small country. So I would like to ask everybody whether they think that such great wisdom is invaluable. Do you think it can be measured by market salaries? Mr Speaker, Sir, our country is small and we may seem to have nothing. But, in reality, we have everything. If we have no water, we will buy water. If they do not sell to us, we produce NEWater. If there is no sand, we will buy sand, and if they do not sell to us, we will release the sand reserves. So that is our strength. Our second generation leaders have this ability to look ahead. That is also what we meant by great wisdom. But, yet, the salaries that our leaders are drawing are not ranked among the top 100. It is less than $5 million, which is lower than the salary of the CEO of SingTel, and also lower than the salaries of the CEO of financial banks. Is this reasonable?”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Mr Speaker, Sir, after we have heard the story of Ah Lian and Ah Hua, let me share a story of a small town. In 1988, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew went for a visit to Australia. At that time, I was a reporter in his delegation. During a dinner, he said that whenever he flew back from Australia to Singapore, he had two feelings in his heart. The first feeling was that although Singapore was faced with many problems, we were still successful. That was his satisfaction. The second feeling was that, if he was to come back to Australia and New Zealand 100 years later, he could be sure that Australia would still have a lot of cattle and a lot of people living comfortably on this land. But he could not be sure that this man-made land of Singapore would continue to exist in 100 years. At that time, many people could not understand MM Lee's sentiments. And they asked me, "If MM Lee feels a sense of satisfaction, why did he express such a pessimistic view?" I was in my 30s and hence did not understand much and thought it was a statement of pessimism. So I replied, "Perhaps, it was because he cares for his country, and was concerned about the problems of the country above his personal problems." But looking back, I would call that political ideal "great wisdom". Such an enlightened leader with great wisdom is difficult to come by in 100 years or even 1,000 years. In 1993, Lianhe Zaobao published the book "李光耀四十年政论选" - 40 years of speeches by Lee Kuan Yew. And I was involved in the editorial and publication process. In an interview with MM Lee, I asked him, "Looking back, what was your greatest satisfaction?”
“Sir, with the vehicle growth rate set at 3% annually, there are about to be more congested roads and expressways resulting in more ERP gantries and higher ERP charges. The ERP operating hours have been accelerated to cover the afternoon peak in the Orchard Road area and evening peak along CTE. Though LTA statistics showed in its conclusion that road users are sensitive to road pricing and, hence, achieve the road usage optimisation, the question is how to make ERP more effective. As MOT is conducting a comprehensive review of the land transport system, I hope it will make ERP more effective, rather than make it more expensive. More and more motorists know that ERP does not claim to solve all road congestion problems. The answer has to be that ERP needs the complement of other road transport management tools to be more effective. So, to make it more effective on top of the vehicle ownership scheme, there are three things we think we can do concurrently. One, divert some of the commercial activities in certain land areas which contribute to the congestion of certain parts of the roads. We should re-look at the planning for the use of land areas served by these congested roads, especially along the city area. Two, encourage the road users in these land areas to use more public transport by making it as effective as possible. The most possible way to do this is to create a cheaper and better mode of transport, especially along the city area. Three, expand the capacity of public roads by building second layer flyovers, like the one along Upper Serangoon Road, to cater for the overload of vehicles using the roads because of the expansion of commercial and residential activities of the land areas served by these roads.”
“There have been numerous calls to improve our taxi availability by reducing the call booking fee, removing late night charges and even getting the public to report taxis that circle round and round with an "On Call" sign on the pretext that there has been an assigned booking. I strongly urge the Minister to review the taxi system and take measures to improve the availability of taxis. Accidents at MRT Stations”
“Mr Ong Kian Min: Sir, everyone knows how difficult it can be to get a taxi, especially on rainy days, during peak hours or just before midnight. The secret to getting a taxi at such times is to pick up the phone and call for one. Why does it feel impossible to get a taxi just when you need it the most? I believe the one main reason is that the extra fees and surcharges make a meaningful difference to the daily takings of a taxi driver. The advance booking fee of $5.20, the current booking fee of $4 during peak hours and the late night charges are just too high and too irresistible for our taxi drivers not to change their behaviour to earn these extras. Another reason is that taxi drivers are unwilling to pay the ERP charges to enter the CBD or Orchard Road to pick up passengers unless they already have a passenger in their taxi who has to pay for it. In Hong Kong where there seems to be little problem in getting a taxi, there are no peak hour surcharges, no midnight surcharges and the booking fee is only either 4 or 5 Hong Kong dollars, which is about S$1. Our taxi fare structure can be bewildering to our foreign visitors. First, they may be ignorant of the open secret of using the call booking system to secure a cab. Secondly, even if they do, they may not have the service numbers of the cab companies to call or they may find it inconvenient to call them. And, thirdly, they may be surprised by the barrage of call booking charges, late night charges, peak hour and CBD surcharges and the ERP charges that they have to pay on top of the metered fare.”
“Sir, with the liberalisation of the taxi industry, the taxi population has been growing in the past few years. What is MOT's policy for new taxi companies? It is likely that there will be more new taxi companies, with more taxis on the road, leading to keener competition not only for *Cols. 3651-3652. taxi companies for taxi drivers but also taxi drivers for passengers. Sir, under the Labour Movement 2011, about 200 leaders from the six taxi associations met recently and discussed the challenges facing the taxi industry in the next five years. In view of the liberalisation of the taxi industry, uncertainty of fuel oil prices and Government's public transport policy, they also discussed how taxi drivers as a group can respond to them with the support from the Government and the taxi companies. We know that all taxi companies are now competing to provide more job value to taxi drivers. Both LTA and the taxi industry are also trying to figure out how to improve taxi services and the quality to support the new phase of economic growth of Singapore. Sir, leaders of six taxi associations have come out with five policy recommendations: (1) redefine taxi service as transporter for goods, people and services and develop competent taxi drivers to give good taxi service; (2) make taxi driving a choice career and develop an industry development approach to regulate taxi service; (3) equate both the cost and value of taxis and private cars to help taxi drivers build their social safety net; (4) maximise the use of taxi service, pricing mechanism; and (5) put in resources to nurture positive market forces to drive taxi service development. I urge LTA to actively engage the drivers of the association on the issues they face and look into the policy recommendations.”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Minister, MOS and SPS for their frank answers to our practical questions, and the positive response to our constructive suggestions. I also thank the Minister for the good news he brought to the House, eg, the 450,000 jobs to be created over the next five years, the introduction of the PCEP for the PMETs that will help cheer them up, and also the relaxation of the CPF top-up that will really help promote family bonding. On this note, Sir, may I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $219,409,290 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $24,882,800 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head I - Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports”
“Sir, on the Professionals Conversion Programme (PCP), the Minister mentioned that in the next two years, we will spend $20 million for 1,000 PMETs. My question is: how does he arrive at this figure of 1,000? And since it has enabled the PMETs to enter into new careers, would there be an age criterion that only the old PMETs would be allowed, and not the new PMETs?”
“Hence, I would like to suggest that the CPF Board consider launching a series of publicity events targeting at this lower income group, and tell them why they need the 3M (Medisave, MediShield and Medifund). In fact, many employers have misconceptions and think that this is a Government charge imposed on employers. Therefore, we need to let them understand that it is their money and they will earn interest on their Medisave contributions. From there, monies will roll into more monies. As I mentioned earlier yesterday, maybe we can offer them an incentive scheme like what was reported in the Straits Times. Or we can also follow the example of POSB draws and give out cash prizes since money is most needed. Besides top prizes, there should also be more consolation prizes such as rice cookers, study tables, etc. By adopting a two-pronged approach - hard and soft approach - it will be more effective in reaching out to the low-income workers and, as such, they are more likely to support the scheme wholeheartedly. Having done that, they will feel more hopeful about their future because they do not have to worry about their health problems and the future of their children. Therefore, I sincerely hope that the Government will consider the suggestions I have made earlier. Division of Matrimonial Assets”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Sir, all self-employed persons are required to top up their Medisave account with the CPF Board. The majority of them will have enough to put aside and they cannot afford not to pay. If they do not comply, they will not be able to obtain their business licence. But a minority will face difficulties topping up their Medisave. For this group, the CPF Board is generous to make an exception and allow them to pay in instalments. In this regard, I would like to suggest that the CPF Board make it compulsory for some companies to arrange for instalment arrangement plan for their employees, including taxi drivers, property agents, insurance agents, etc. Such a policy will allow employees to pay their CPF on a regular basis, for example, *Cols. 3439-3440. monthly basis or quarterly basis. In this case, we can ensure that employees will have sufficient funds in their Medisave accounts. To enjoy Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) benefits, the low income group will have to top up their Medisave accounts. These workers may find it financially difficult because they do not have money to top up. They have a pressing need to meet daily expenses and, as such, they will not have enough funds to top up their Medisave. This is the group of poor people who really need financial help. Therefore, I hope that the Government will consider implementing educational programmes to teach them the importance of the Medisave scheme. On the workers' part, they will have to be more proactive and start attending such activities, and understand the proverb – that many a little makes a mickle.”
“--- from my savings, I have earned interest. May I ask the Minister whether we will implement such a scheme. I believe such an attraction is still relevant and I would like the Minister to see whether we will have such a scheme in place.”
“She suggested that the CPF Board work with Singapore Pools to come up with some scheme that would encourage low-income workers to save in their CPF accounts, particularly into their Medisave component. I remember when I first joined the workforce in the 1970s and what the POSB did to encourage savings. For a saving of an average of $500 during a qualifying period of three months, the customer was given a lucky draw number without cost. There were two qualifying periods a year and, for each one, there were 20 prizes of $500 each, a big deal in those days. We all looked forward to the chances to win that extra $500 and saved very hard. I am not a lucky man. I have never won a lucky draw although I saved very much during that period to get married. But as a result of this POSB savers' lucky draw scheme, I have formed the good habit of thrift, and ---”
“00 am and it is brisk until closing time at about 2.00 pm. It has won recognition from many food critics. Politicians, celebrities, ordinary men and women love to go there. Even tourists and foreign dignitaries go there for the experience. One from Hong Kong was unable to go last year because he could only go at a certain hour and the shopowner, in protecting the welfare of the workers, did not want the employees to extend their work hours by a whole shift. I have visited this shop also and met its owner. All his workers earn less than $1,500. But they are all on CPF, with the Medisave component. They also have their annual leave. In the days before the Lunar New Year till the fourth day of Lunar New Year, he closed shop for 18 days so that all his workers could rest properly, spend time with their families and enjoy the Lunar New Year. I spoke to the owner about Workfare and he said that he will make sure that all his workers benefit from it. He told me that they are all jit kay nan, ie, yi jia ren or family. So, Sir, there are thousands of such small businesses in Singapore and there are, thus, tens of thousands of such workers. If all employers are as enlightened as this man, the welfare of tens of thousands of Singaporeans will also be improved. So, which is this shop that I am talking about and who is the owner? I believe all of you know. It is none other than Ng Ah Sio Bak Kut Teh and the owner is Mr Ng Ah Sio. His name is "Ah Sio", which means "very little". But his business is surely big, and he definitely has a very big heart for his workers. Sir, let me next refer to a suggestion made by the Straits Times journalist Ms Chua Lee Hoong.”
“Last year, the resident employment rate of workers aged 55 to 64 was 53.7%. This means, of the 354,000 resident population aged 55 to 64, 190,000 were unemployed. If the rate can be raised by 2% per year, we will be able to hit 60% in three years, that is, another 20,000 Singaporeans to be employed. Sir, NTUC also plans to engage 100 companies this year to cater to the needs of our older workers. We would like to share these best practices with other companies. There is currently a tight labour situation in the services, healthcare and shipyard sectors. Therefore, it is even more important for employers to retain their older workers. In fact, Old Chang Kee is really so obvious that it is very pro-older Singaporeans that its name is called Old Chang Kee. Let me now move on to encouraging more low-wage workers to be on CPF and Medisave. The Workfare Income Supplement Scheme is now a permanent fourth pillar for Singapore's social safety net. This is the best way to encourage low-wage workers to stay employed and be self-reliant. It is a challenge to keep the low-wage workers working and remaining on CPF. About 120,000 workers who received the Workfare Bonus last year were without CPF accounts. Now that Workfare has been made a permanent feature, I hope more workers, mainly the contract workers and the self-employed, will join the CPF scheme with the Medisave component. This will give them better protection in their medical needs. Many, indeed, do not have such a safety net. Sir, I would like to share with the House another best practice of local business. It is a small food outfit along Rangoon Road. Every morning, at about 3.30 am, 10 to 12 employees turn up for work. They prepare the stock, slice the meat, wash the vegetables, and business opens from 8.”
“] Sir, I would like to cite Old Chang Kee as a good example of best practices. In a report published by Lianhe Wanbao a few days ago, Old Chang Kee has a total staff strength of 400 workers and 88% of them are above 45 years old. Out of this figure, 70% of them are above 55 years old. Any idea why this is so? Mr Han Keen Juan, Chairman of Old Chang Kee said that without the support from the public, Old Chang Kee would not have been successful today. Hence, like the Chinese saying "取诸社会，用诸社会" (qu zhu she hui, yong zhu she hui) - meaning that what the organisation has gained from the society, will be reinvested in the society. Therefore, Old Chang Kee decides to employ older workers who have difficulty finding jobs. Mr Han said that the current system has been computerised and, hence, older workers no longer need to carry heavy items, and they are competent enough for the job. Mr Han added that if younger workers cannot cooperate with the older workers, they can resign from the company. In this regard, Old Chang Kee has set a philosophy of employment "三要一不" (san yao yi bu) - meaning that they must fulfill three basic criteria, namely: (1) They must be healthy; (2) They must be willing to go all out in their work; and (3) They must understand the importance of cleanliness and hygiene. But there is one exception and, that is, it is acceptable if they do not know English. * Cols. 3243-3244. (In English): Sir, we are happy to note that a Ministerial Committee has been formed and it would look into this issue too. Could the Minister let us know the target set for the next three years and how are we going to incentivise more employers to employ more older Singaporeans?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head S of the Estimates be reduced by $100. Sir, MOM's vision is to develop a great workforce and a great workplace in Singapore. In my view, MOM needs to focus on the manpower challenges in the three following strategic areas: (1) Getting more older Singaporeans employed; (2) Encouraging more low-wage workers to be on CPF; and (3) Attracting foreign talents to complement local talent. Sir, in the last months, we have heard one piece of good news after another. We have seen a lower unemployment rate, more Singaporeans being employed, and more females joining the workforce. However, to have a great workforce and a great workplace, our tripartite partners need to do more. Let me elaborate. Getting more older Singaporeans employed. Although more older Singaporeans have been employed, we need to raise the employment rate of those aged 55 to 64. This is important, as our ageing population will contribute as the most significant change in Singapore's demography over the next 15 to 20 years. Besides creating more job opportunities for this group, we need to make the workplace friendlier for them, too. The Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers has examined the issues on a sectoral basis, and has been facilitating the implementation of its recommendations in these sectors. But it is employers who can do much to help older Singaporeans feel that they are still wanted and can continue to contribute to the workforce, although it may be in a different capacity. Sir, let me cite Old Chang Kee as the best practice in this aspect, and I will speak on this in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.”
“Knowing that we are able to get all informal workers to be on CPF should not discourage us from trying, and knowing that the WIS cannot solve all problems of those who are not on CPF should remind us to work even harder on this group. In Mandarin, again, Sir. (In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Mr Speaker, Sir, this is still the Chinese festive season. We all say lo hei or toss up. I am sure hon. Members have tossed up many times over the past two weeks. What do they want to toss up? When they lo hei, the poor people would say, "Let me win the $10 million Toto draw tomorrow!" Recently, there was a news report that attracted the attention of the Chinese community here. The main actress of the very popular TV serial "Dream of the Red Chamber" produced some 20 years ago, announced last week that she was going to become a nun and would donate her assets of some RMB 200 million to the poor. Why is it? Because she had come to realisation that health is more important than wealth. Indeed, winning $10 million in the Toto draw is the dream of the poor people. But for the rich people, they want to have good health. Let us all toss up together - to Good Wealth and Good Health! *Cols. 2241-2242. 2.55 pm”
“We should look at how we can encourage our people to work hard and eventually be self-dependent and have no further need for such support. I will now speak in English. (In English ): Many low-wage workers do not have CPF accounts. So, for those that do, their Medisave component is very small. Thus, the NTUC supports the linkage of the WIS to the contribution of CPF and Medisave. This will encourage a large number of low-wage contract workers and daily-rated workers to go into CPF and the social safety net, and encourage those already in to save in it. Let me reflect our experience of requiring the self-employed to contribute to their Medisave accounts. Most self-employed businessmen, hawkers, insurance agents, taxi drivers, etc, have no difficulty in contributing to their Medisave accounts to facilitate the renewal of their licences. However, there is a small number of self-employed who from time to time have difficulty in making their contributions. They know that we allow them to pay by instalments. So this encourages the self-employed to contribute to their CPF Medisave accounts monthly or quarterly. At the end of the year, they are able to renew their licences without any difficulty. The same system can be applied to low-wage workers. Indeed, some of the self-employed are also low-wage workers who qualify for WIS. Thus, the Government may wish to consider making it compulsory for companies engaging the self-employed and the low-wage workers to contribute to CPF. So taxi companies, insurance companies and property companies can take the lead.”
“While we are helping them, we should not be suspicious of them and afraid that they would become too dependent on the Government. We should not have this feeling that the poor people will be marginalised. Minister Tharman is good in Chinese calligraphy. He can write very well. I think he should try to learn to write this Chinese saying: "吃得苦中苦,方为人上人" (chi de ku zhong ku, fang wei ren shang ren). You must endure hardship, only then can you become an outstanding person. There are two types of people: the passive ones and the active ones. The passive ones do not care about anything. They just take things easy, and make no attempt to improve themselves. Very often, they would say in self-ridicule in Teochew: "zhao li zhao tao sion, kia li kia zhi biong, si li si tao sion". (When it comes to running, you run in front; when it comes to standing, you stand aside; when it comes to dying, you die first.) The same can be said in Hokkien: " zhao li zhao tao cheng, kia li kia zhi peng, si li si tou seng" or, in Cantonese: "zao che zao qing bing, kei che kei yi bing, say che say sing". They rhyme. Many people may be poor, but they would not want to come up and tell you that they are poor. They just laugh it away. But we do not want to encourage such a passive mentality. We want to help them, urge them to work harder. Let us all be one united people. Let us run together and stand together. If we have to die, we die together. Three years later when we review this WIS, I suggest that the Ministry of Finance conduct a survey to see how many people, whom we have supported under the scheme, have graduated from the scheme and are now standing on their own.”
“Our Finance Minister may not be aware that even before the 2% increase in GST, the taxi operators are already increasing the rental fees of the taxis. Taxi drivers have yet to get their bonus or GST rebates, but they are already paying about $100 a day in terms of the taxi rentals. From the profiles of these low income people, we know that, yes, in fact, Singapore is running very fast; we are climbing from the Third World to become a First World city. We want to go faster but because of some reasons, some people could not cope with the faster pace. There is a well-known book called the Rich Dad, but nobody writes a book about the Poor Dad. If I were to write a book about Poor Dad, I think there are a lot of stories I can tell. Some parents try very hard, but they just could not make ends meet. Some children may ask their parents, "Why are the other people moving so fast? They can move to new houses. Why are we still renting the flat we are living in?" The father replies, "Well, I don't have CPF. How can I afford to buy a house?" Some would say, "I have to carry on working even if I am sick. Why? This is because I could not afford the medical charges, and I do not have Medisave to pay for my medical fees." Are we creating a sense of reliance or dependency mentality on these lower-income people by giving them all these benefits? I do not think so. Our low-wage earners may be financially poor, but they are strong in their spirit. The vast majority of them do not want to live on charity. They prefer to be self-reliant and do not want to just depend on the handouts. So, even with this scheme, it will not create a dependency mentality on these people. Nevertheless, the Government has to be sensitive to their feelings.”
“The bus drivers and the bus attendants see to it that they are driven safely to school. According to a survey, there are about 1,500 people working as school bus attendants - the ones who look after our children in the bus. They earn about $400 to $500 per month. They are also low-wage earners. As you arrive at your office, you are greeted "Good morning, Sir" or "Good morning, Madam" by the security guards, and what is their salary? They are earning about $1,200 to $1,300. They are also low-wage earners. In your office, the toilets are clean and comfortable. Do you know that the cleaners have to wake up early in the morning, take the bus to go to your office to clean the toilets so that you can enjoy the cleanliness and comfort? They are also low-wage earners. Talking about bus drivers, although they do not belong to the group of low-wage earners, according to my survey, they earn about $1,500 to $1,800 a month. But they have to work very hard. They have to wake up at two o'clock in the morning to take the company’s transport at three o'clock to go to the depot and drive the buses. Not so long ago, we conducted a medical check-up for them and the medical officers who conducted the check-up commented, "Looking at their medical condition, I will not complain about any raise in the bus fares." Yes, the bus drivers wake up very early and start work very early, yet they are earning less than many others. In fact, those who wake up later seem to be earning more. We used to say, "Early bird catches the worm." But they say, "We wake up early, but we could not catch the worm! It is very difficult to even earn a living!" Many people are saying that taxi drivers are earning a lot.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, let me bring you into the world of the lower-income people. Who are these people? What are they working as? To find out the answer, you have to wake up early at, say, 4 o'clock in the morning. How many of us can wake up so early every morning? As it is, we have already 5,000 Singapore citizens who wake up very early in the morning, while it is still dark outside, and go to all nooks and corners of Singapore to distribute the newspapers to the subscribers. When we wake up in the morning, we get to read the newspapers - Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao or Berita Harian. It is through these newspaper distributors that we have the luxury of reading these newspapers in the comfort of our home. But do you know how much these hardworking newspaper distributors are earning? I was told by Singapore Press Holdings that some earn $300, others earn $400, and the very hardworking ones who can run faster and longer would earn about $500 per month. Every morning, some one million copies of the newspapers are being distributed by this group of about 5,000 people, and they belong to the group of lower-wage earners. After reading the newspapers, you leave your flat and go to work. As you walk along the void decks and covered walkways, you can see that they are clean and tidy. Who make these void decks and walkways clean for us? Well, our sweepers and cleaners who wake up early in the morning to carry out their rounds of sweeping and cleaning. How much do they earn? They used to earn about $700 to $800 per month, but with NTUC’s job re-engineering, they are earning about $1,000 to $1,200, but they still belong to the group of low-wage earners. Then, your children are picked up and sent to their schools by the school buses.”
“Some worry about the utility charges, some worry that they may be retrenched, etc, and yesterday, our NTUC Secretary General, Mr Lim Swee Say, said that while some people would not find employment, there were jobs where there were takers or where suitable people could not be found to undertake them. This is not a Budget which distributes "goodies" to the people. This is one which aims to boost the confidence of the people and encourage them to work harder. The complaint among the people is not that there are no goodies to distribute, but rather that the goodies are not distributed fairly. In the past, we were often worried that the lower-wage earners could have the "red eye disease", envious or jealous of the achievements of those who made it. To those middle-income people who have complained about not getting enough, I would challenge them to exchange places with the lower-income people. Would they rather be in the lower-income group and get more goodies from the Government, or keep their prestige and good life as the middle-income people? You say you are not good enough, but they are worse off. I think we need to have the correct mindset when we look at this Budget. When we talk about lower-wage earners, how many people are classified as lower-income people? Last year, 340,000 people received the Workfare Bonus. They are the lower-income people. According to our survey in 2006, there are about 600,000 among our citizens and permanent citizens, that is, about one-third of our workforce who are earning less than $1,500 a month, and this year, some 430,000 people stand to benefit from the Workfare Income Supplement Scheme (WIS). Yet, some people asked, "Are you sure there are so many people who have income of less than $1,500 a month?".”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*. ] Sir, when we look at a person, a matter or an object, we can look at it from three levels: the surface level, the inner level and the innermost level. *Cols. 2235-2242. If we look at this Budget on the surface, we can all say that it is a very generous Budget, one which everybody has something. But we hear the middle-income people complaining that the Government had neglected them, and that they had not been given enough. When you look deeper inside, what do you see? This Budget appears to take greater care for two groups of people: the lower-income workers and the elderly citizens. Some people are worried that if the Government gives too much benefit to the people, it may create a dependency syndrome on these people, and they may become too reliant on the Government. But then, if you look at the innermost level to see why we have such a Budget, we will discover that, yes, the Government has given much thought to it. In this Budget, the adjustment to the CPF contribution rates, the lowering of corporate tax and the raising of the GST are to resolve some of the potential social risks that we face as the challenges brought about by globalisation. There is a group of low-wage earners in Singapore and the income gap between them and the higher-income group seems to have widened. Looking from this angle, we have to do something about it and I call it, "Social Engineering". If we want to be a cohesive society, there is a lot we have to do in terms of social engineering. The Government, the people and everyone would have to put in an effort to do this. The NTUC has started the Job Recreation Scheme some years ago, and it has been quite successful. Many people are uncertain about their future.”
“Our community welfare fund helped him pay for his course fees and we also approached the Singapore Taxi Academy to help him enrol into the course and finally drive a taxi the moment he has passed his examination. He has now passed his examination and he could drive a taxi to earn a living. He can now pay his bills. He is also grateful to us for helping him to appeal to HDB to have his payment of housing loan instalment deferred. Such a compassionate approach is very effective. It really helps the people solve their problems. I think we need to be more compassionate in helping our people who are in need. So long as our people are given this pair of soft shoes, they would be able to walk comfortably and confidently. Mr Low said that our society is one that everybody has to tighten his belt. In fact, we can see that during the weekends, all the restaurants are full of people, and many people are going overseas for holidays. Mr Low should visit the Changi Airport and see for himself how our people are flocking there to take holidays overseas. He would see how our people have been travelling. Do not spend all his time in Hougang! 2.52 pm”
“I think the Government should change its approach. We need to talk more of what we are doing for the people, so that everybody will know about that. Mr Low is nodding his head and smiling. He kept saying that we are not doing anything. In fact, we have been doing a lot. It is just that we have not been publicising it. There are so many things that we want to do, and there is no end to it. There is an Arabic proverb which says, "If you do not want to do it, you will find a lot of excuses. But if you want to do it, there is a will, there is a way." We have the means, we want to do more, and we need to publicise it. I agree with the President. If we want our economy to progress, we need to put in efforts not in terms of hardware but also the software. So, from now onwards, we want to be more inclusive. We will help everyone. Give everyone a chance so that no one is left behind. Let me give you an illustration on how we could help our people. There was a middle-aged person who was retrenched from an electronics company he was working in. His first realisation was that he had lost his job, his income and he would have problem paying for his PUB charges, telephone bills and other expenses. He could apply for a taxi licence but he did not have the money to attend the prescribed course that would qualify him as a taxi driver, and he also needed to have a Giro account in a bank, so that he could pay for his taxi rental fee and all related expenses. But he could not afford all these and, in fact, he could not even pay for his PUB bills. Through our grassroots leaders, we stepped in to help him.”
“When the people are having difficulties making ends meet, and we do not take prompt action and lend them a helping hand, it will not do them any good. If they cannot survive even today, what is the use of providing for them for tomorrow? We want to be more flexible and make it easier for them to cope with the cost of living, from utilities charges to flat rentals, school fees, transport expenses, etc. We should help them. There must be good measures to help them get through their difficulties. As the President has said, we have to be flexible and prudent in our spending. We must be inclusive. We must help everybody, so that everybody would have a chance to succeed. Mr Low Thia Khiang quoted a number of reports from the Straits Times. I read in the Straits Times that he had mentioned that the Government had finally admitted that it should change its priority to strengthen its social network. He claimed that the Government had not been looking after the poor, and that he had been warning the Government of that. This is not a fact. Our Government has been working very hard in looking after the less fortunate ones in our society. We have been doing a lot. It is just that we did not make it known to everybody. From the "home for everyone" to the "shop for everyone" schemes, and in our yearly budgets, everyone benefits from all the goodies in terms of conservancy charges, utilities rebates, progress package, etc. In fact, the Government has spent as much as $6 billion for the benefit of the people, and yet many people complain that this is not enough. Take a look at the world around us. Which country has provided so much for their people? Mr Low Thia Khiang said a lot but he did not do anything. I think that is no good. The Government did a lot, but said very little.”